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HARRY POTTER AND THE MIRROR'S GIFT
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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Another Hogsmeade
weekend had arrived. Harry, Ron and Hermione made
their usual round to Honeydukes, Zonko's and the Three Broomsticks.
Then,
since they still had some time left, they just strolled around
the village, looking
at the various shop windows.
They were passing Grenivere's shop when Hermione suddenly said,
"Can I go in for a minute? I just want to have a quick glance
at the bracelets."
"No!" said Ron. "I know what you're like in a jewellery
shop, Hermioneyou'll
be in there for hours."
But Hermione was already disappearing inside the shop.
"We'll give her five minutes, then go in and drag her out,"
said Harry.
Ron, however, had seen something.
"Take a look," he said, tugging at Harry's arm, "isn't
that Jeanne in the shop?"
Harry peered inside. A lady was sitting at the far end of the
shop, together
with Mr Grenivere.
"It looks like her," he said. "But I thought she
told Flynn she doesn't like
Grenivere's wares."
"Looks like Hermione hasn't seen Jeanne, she's at the opposite
end of the
shop," said Ron. "Let's go see what Jeanne's up to,
now."
Harry didn't want to, but Ron was already dragging him in.
Jeanne and Mr Grenivere were bending over something. They were
so
absorbed that neither noticed Ron or Harry approaching them.
"I can take these three, but not the other two," Grenivere
was saying.
"That's fine," said Jeanne. "There's a pawnshop
down the street, anyway."
Grenivere handed something in an envelope to Jeanne, and she tucked
it
away in her bag. Then she looked up and saw Ron and Harry.
"Hi there, Jeanne," said Ron, "what are you doing
here?"
Jeanne looked rather dismayed. Mr Grenivere, however, answered
for her.
"Miss Graham and I have a secret arrangement," he said,
looking at them
with his piercing blue eyes. "She has been showing me some
of my
competitor's wares."
Jeanne looked at him gratefully, then swept the necklaces on the
counter
into her bag.
"I have to go now," she said. "Good-bye."
And she hurried out of the
shop, with a quick smile at Ron and Harry.
Grenivere watched her go with a mixture of pity and compassion
in his eyes.
-----* * *------
It was a Saturday evening. Harry and Ron had tarried at Hagrid's
a bit longer
than usual, and found themselves hurrying back to the castle before
they were
late for dinner.
When they reached the Entrance Hall, they stopped for a while
to get their breath.
Ron nudged Harry.
"Look," he said. "It's Flynn. And he's got a new
broom."
Professor Flynn was standing near the marble staircase, holding
a very
expensive-looking broom. Its body looked like it had been coated
with gold.
He looked up and saw them, and gave them his childlike smile.
"How do you like my new luxury broom, boys?" he said.
"Latest model - Gemini 3000."
Ron's eyes were wide as he examined the broom. Harry looked at
Flynn; he was
wearing elegant new robes. They were black, trimmed with velvet.
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked.
"Count Erigon is having a dinner party," said Flynn.
"I'm just waiting for Jeanne - ah,
here she is."
Harry and Ron turned around. What they saw made them open their
eyes wide
in astonishment.
Jeanne was coming carefully down the stairs, because she was wearing
extremely
high heels. She was dressed in crimson satin robes. Rubies glittered
at her throat,
and her hair was piled high. She looked terribly sophisticated.
She gave Harry and Ron a small smile, then seated herself on the
broom
behind Flynn.
"Good-bye, boys," said Flynn, and then the broom lifted
smoothly away from
the ground, and sailed off into the sky.
Harry and Ron were still staring in amazement.
-----* * *------
The classroom was almost empty now. Defence Against the Dark Arts
had
ended, and only Harry, Ron and Hermione were left.
"You go ahead," said Harry to Ron and Hermione, glancing
at Professor
Lupin who was still at his desk. "I need to ask Lupin something
about the
cockatrice essay."
However, he had barely walked over to Lupin's table when there
was a
knock on the door, and Professor Maricai came in.
"Remus, the chance has come!" she cried, ignoring Harry.
"There's a Boggart
hiding in my cupboardit's the ideal chance for you to teach
me how to get
rid of it."
Lupin didn't look very enthusiastic.
"I'll come up in a while,Venilda," he said. "Harry
and I are discussing
something at the moment."
"No!" cried Professor Maricai. "You have to come
now! I have an appointment
soon...I'll need some of the articles in the cupboard."
Lupin looked slightly exasperated, but his voice was still polite.
"Very well," he said. "I'll come to your office
now."
"It's not in my office cupboard, Remus," said Professor
Maricai. "It's in my
bedroom cupboard."
Harry could see from Lupin's face that he didn't relish the idea
of being alone
with Professor Maricai in her bedroom.
"Harry, why don't you come along?" said Lupin. "I'm
sure this would be
educational for you."
"OK," said Harry.
"Oh, he needn't come, Remus," said Professor Maricai.
"I'm sure the boy has
better things to do."
"He's coming along, Venilda," said Lupin firmly. "It
will be a good experience
for him."
Professor Maricai's bedroom was large and luxuriously furnished.
Her four
poster bed had silk curtains, and expensive-looking carpets lay
on the floor.
The rest of the furniture in the room had all been crafted in
an ornate baroque
style, including the cupboard where the Boggart was lurking.
Lupin patiently explained what Professor Maricai had to do. Harry
noticed that
she didn't seem to be a very competent witch, she was holding
her wand - of
carved ivory - wrongly.
"All right," said Lupin, "Ready? Here we go!"
He pointed his wand at the cupboard, and a bolt of light hit the
handles. The
cupboard door opened, and out came the Boggart. Harry was startled;
it had
taken the form of a hideous crone - matted strawlike hair, wrinkles
on its face,
and hands like claws. It had a pair of staring green eyes. Looking
at it, Harry
suddenly realised the Boggart was in fact Professor Maricai, in
the form of a hag.
Professor Maricai seemed to have realised it too. She went deathly
pale, and
stammered, "No, - I couldn't ever look like that - no!"
And then she started
screaming hysterically.
Lupin gave an exclamation and quickly pulled her away from the
Boggart,
which was slowly lurching toward her.
"Harry!" he said sharply, "Take her to a corner,
will you?"
Harry led Professor Maricai, still in hysterics, toward the bed.
He knew Lupin
would have no trouble with the Boggart; it would turn into the
moon when it saw
Lupin, before a wave of his wand made it disappear.
That was why Harry's blood suddenly went cold when he heard Lupin's
voice
saying, "Oh, my God."
Harry quickly deposited Professor Maricai onto the bed, and turned
around.
What he saw made his heart skip a beat.
The Boggart hadn't turned into the moon; it had turned into Jeanne.
She stood there, looking at Lupin with a stricken face, holding
out one hand.
The hand was bloody and mangled, as if some animal had savaged
it.
Then she began to transform. Fur was growing on her bodyher
shoulders
were hunching
Harry stared in horror. She had become a werewolf.
Professor Lupin was standing as if he had turned to stone. His
face was
very pale.
The werewolf snarled viciously and started forward. Lupin didn't
move.
Desperately, Harry ran forward, wand in hand.
"Riddikulus!" he shouted. The werewolf burst into wisps
of smoke,
and was gone.
Lupin stood there, still staring at the place where the werewolf
had been.
Then, he walked to a nearby chair, sat down in it, and buried
his face in his
hands.
Harry looked at him worriedly. He went over and sat down, next
to Lupin.
"Are - are you all right?" he asked.
Lupin didn't answer for a minute. Then he slowly lowered his hands,
and
straightened up. There was a slightly haunted look in his eyes.
"Yes, I'm all right, Harry," he said, not looking at
Harry. His voice was
shaking slightly. "I think - I need to be alone for a while."
He looked at Professor Maricai, who was still having hysterics
on her bed.
"I'd be obliged if you would take Venilda to see Madam Pomfrey."
Harry got up slowly and began to lead Professor Maricai out of
the room.
He paused at the door, and looked back.
Lupin was still sitting there, staring at the spot where Jeanne
had been standing.
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