I do not own anything. I'm just translating. The characters belong to the great J.K. Rowling. The story belongs to the amazing Brigi. Her e-mail: tbwtpbe et hotmail .com
Please review! Thanks.
THE BOY WITH THE PIERCING BLUE EYES
Chapter 24 – Shadows (part 1)
Ginny was crying while Harry told him Snape's story.
"Oh Harry!" She hugged the boy. "I've never thought…!"
"Remember! You can't tell anyone that Professor Snape has a son and that he's still alive! We don't want certain people to know about this!"
"You mean Malfoy." The girl became serious. Harry nodded. "Of course. I won't say anything."
"Good."
"And you knew this? This… is why you're on good terms with him now?"
"Yeah. You saw that he can be normal too."
"Hmm… now that I think about it, you really look like Lamerin… when he's not dressed as a girl. What do you think he looks like in normal clothes?"
"I don't know, Ginny." Harry grinned.
"Do you think he comes back soon?"
"As long as your brothers stay here. It's a bit weird to lure him here… But it must have hurt him to see his father holding hands with another woman…"
"I hope Professor Snape won't hold a grudge against the twins…" The girl sighed.
"I don't think so. After all, they saved his son. He's grateful. It's just difficult for him to show it."
"So?" Remus asked his ghost-friends eagerly. "What happened?"
"His son is alive!" Sirius groaned in astonishment. "He really has a son…"
"But what happened?!"
"The twins hid him! Even Dumbledore was angry that they didn't tell anyone about it." Lily began quietly.
"The girl who sat with the twins in the Three Broomstick."
"I don't get it? A girl or a boy?"
"A boy, but he was dressed as a girl, so the Death Eaters won't recognize him."
"Why would they look for him?"
"Because they kidnapped him when he was a baby and killed his mother…" James whispered.
"Oh, Merlin…" Remus's voice trembled. "I…" He turned to the window. "…never knew that he got married…"
"It's terrible…" Lily nodded.
"And the boy? Where is he? How does he look?"
"According to Rowena, he looks just like Severus." Sirius muttered. "At least, she recognized him in the Three Broomstick. He has long black hair like Snape, but with big blue eyes."
Lily sighed.
"Fred and George said that he's a nice kid. I'm curious."
"So he ran away?"
The three ghosts nodded.
"I guess Severus is very happy now." Remus smiled.
"More like concerned."
"I wonder how he'll behave from now on…"
"Remus, don't forget that you don't know anything! They don't know that you can see us!"
"Why do we have to greet them?" Severus grumbled while rubbing his arm.
The early morning air made him and his colleagues tremble. Flitwick, Sprout, Rowena, Remus, Hagrid, Trelawney, Vector, Sinistra and McGonagall were waiting in front of the big wooden door. The three ghosts following Remus were lucky to not feel the temperature…
"He comes every year… I'm sure he knows his way around…"
"Severus, it's our duty to welcome the professor sent by the Ministry of…"
But Rowena couldn't finish her sentence because everyone, except for her and Remus, coughed and spat in disgust. Both of them froze when they saw this.
"What… was that?"
"I don't think the professors are popular here." Remus tried to overcome his astonishment.
But Rowena couldn't do that. She was surprised that even Professor McGonagall showed such hatred.
"Hmm…" The Head of Gryffindor said. "We have to remember our former Headmistress from time to time…"
"Gooooood morning everyone!" A male voice yelled behind them. They turned around slowly.
Remus cleared his throat and smiled.
"Oh my God…" Severus muttered. "What's he doing here?"
Rowena didn't know what to say. The man standing in front of her with his white hat decorated with red feathers, cyclamen robes and green training shoes made her speechless.
"Willoughby Honeybourne the third at your service!" The man saluted.
The teachers looked at the man in the canary costume stunned. The man grinned and twisted his brown hair noting that everyone was watching him.
"Who's this?" Rowena said between her teeth.
"He will teach Potions to those who didn't make it into Severus's group." Remus whispered.
"Poor children." The woman shuddered.
"What? This?" Snape snorted.
"Ah, Severus! Long time no see!" The strange man yelled and shook hands with the Potions Master quickly.
"I'm thrilled." Severus said with disgust while his eyes still rested on the green shoes.
"Oh, Remus! You work here?! I haven't seen you since graduation! Or rather, since you've been fired from the Ministry." He grinned smugly.
Remus' face turned gray and he couldn't hide his sadness.
"And who's the beautiful lady?" He continued with a wheedling smile.
"She's Rowena Dareling." McGonagall said. "She's the 'Defense Against the Darks Arts' teacher this year."
"Did I hear 'Defense Against the Dark Arts'?" A mysterious male voice came from the shadows.
He successfully made everyone turn towards him. With a bored sigh he tossed his long blond hair over his shoulders, then looked at the professors with his blue eyes. He smiled when he saw the beautiful Rowena and advanced towards her in his purple robes that were decorated with golden embroidery and pearls. When he reached Rowena he took off his black glove, bowed and kissed the woman's hand.
"Daniel Stainthrop, my lady. You can call me Danny." Ha added with a charming smile. "We will teach the same subject. I will teach those who haven't made it into your group."
Rowena glanced at Remus and Severus then with a nervous smile, pulled her hand from the man's grasp.
"A… pleasure…" She said.
"Ah, Professor McGonagall! How did you sleep last night? I was awakened by some nasty bats." He looked at Severus.
"I'm going to throw up." Rowena said a few minutes later, when they left the group. The newcomers were talking to Professors Vector and Sinistra. "Only monkeys work in the Ministry nowadays?! You seem to know them…"
"Only Honeybourne…" Remus said, still a bit hurt.
"How?"
"What do you think? He went to school here too…" Severus said while kicking rocks.
"That's right." Professor McGonagall added. "He was Head Boy and the prefect of Hufflepuff…"
"Clown… He has no taste."
"Willoughby Hneybourne is a very well educated man, Severus. He's well-known too." The deputy headmistress raised an eyebrow.
"I'd be well-known too with a name like Willoughby Honeybourne…let's say the seventh." Severus grinned and looked at Remus who seemed to share his views.
"Don't mock him! He can't help it…"
"That he has such foolish ancestors?!" Remus chuckled.
"The Houneybournes is an ancient pure-blood family, and respected part of society…"
"…were." Remus coughed. "Until this canary's loony grandfather shot the late Minister on his butt while hunting."
The two men were shaking with suppressed laughter and Rowena smiled widely. McGonagall looked at them strictly then looked down so she won't start laughing too.
"I remember how proud he was…" Snape looked at the cloudy sky. "Always bragging about his family while walking the corridors with his herd."
"Herd?"
"He had a small fan group. The Hufflepuff students were so proud that a Head Boy finally came from their house…"
"Why do I think that you have something against Hufflepuffs, Remus?" McGonagall asked.
"Come on, Professor." Lupin raised his arms. "You know the old saying. 'The brave goes to Gryffindor, the smart to Ravenclaw, the dark to Slytherin and the idiot to Hufflepuff."
"Dark?" Snape looked surprised.
"I haven't hear this."
"I think it's especially true when it comes to this Houneybourne." Rowena muttered.
"You can't imagine how much. I remember how stupid he became after Black beat him up… even though he was the older…"
"Black did that?" McGonagall gasped.
Rowena ginned.
"They never found out who did it…"
"Oh, yeah." Lupin looked at Severus. "Sirius was really pissed when he saw his 'big head' as he called it… so he beat him. He was unconscious for two days. Everyone though he's going to die." They laughed.
"Wow…" Rowena said.
"The best thing… he couldn't remember anything. We were afraid of what would happen if he told the teachers that it was Sirius. But he couldn't remember and still thinks that he saved the school from a mountain troll."
Professor McGonagall sighed and shook her head.
"And the other one?" Snape went to Rowena in the same manner Danny did, then bowed and kissed her hand. "What is your opinion regarding him, my lady?" He imitated his manner and movement. Remus smiled and wondered if the news of Lamerin made Severus this happy.
"Oh stop it!" The young woman snapped. "What a man! It's a wonder why he doesn't have a rose between his teeth! And his name is like a pigs grunt too!"
The professors didn't even try to hold back their laughter this time. They were still wiping their tears when the secretary from the Ministry arrived.
"This… this way." McGonagall smiled. "Have breakfast with us, then you can talk to Professor Dumbledore about the four new teachers…"
"And the other two?" Rowena took her two colleagues hands so Danny didn't have a chance.
"Two women. One of them will teach Charms and the other Herbology, I think. Lots of students are interested in becoming healers…"
"At least you can be happy too." The woman sighed when they spotted Honeybourne and Stainthorp.
However, they weren't ready for what welcomed them when they entered the Great Hall. They saw two witches in fancy robes with jewels and heavy make-up. They were talking to the girls standing around them. The students were touching their silky, shiny, expensive-looking clothes.
"Is this really the latest fashion in London?" A third year girl asked.
"Yes, my dear. You won't get something like this at Madame Malkin's. The fabric came from the other side of the channel."
"From France?"
"Of course." The other, black haired woman smiled. "Can you see this…" They couldn't hear more because of the students.
"I was wrong." Rowena whispered.
"Come, let me introduce you the other two teachers." McGonagall looked at them with a strange expression. "Adelaide, please…" She said a little louder and the red-head woman turned to them.
"Adelaide Beechcroft, Lucinda Shubrook, let me introduce you our three teachers, Professor Rowena Dareling, Remus Lupin and Severus Snape."
The women looked at the men inspecting then at Rowena with a disgusting face. Then they put up a fake smile and went to the teacher's table with the others.
"The new professor is handsome, right?" Parvati looked towards the teacher's table with sparkling eyes.
"Which one?" Harry forgot to take the fork out of his mouth after he saw the colorful Houneybourne.
"Wow… That looks like a canary." Ron said.
Harry smiled but didn't say anything.
"Not him. The other one!"
"I wonder what his name is…?" Lavender added.
"See that?" Ernie looked at the girls. "Lockhart-syndrome again…"
"Ron, I think you should pay attention!" Seamus grinned.
He looked at his girlfriend, but Hermione was eating her toast quietly.
"What's your problem now? You have Professor Dareling! You can watch her. Why is it wrong that a handsome teacher came to Hogwarts?" Ginny snapped.
"Do you want to say that we only have ugly teachers?" Luna raised an eyebrow. "I think Professor Snape looks very manly."
Her friends at the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables stared at her. Dean forgot to chew the sandwich that was in his mouth. After a few minutes of silence they all continued eating quietly. However, Harry and Ginny smiled at each other.
"Welcome to the advanced Transfiguration course!" McGonagall greeted the sixth year students. "I think you know what the purpose of these lessons is. Hopefully our weekly meetings will be enough to prepare you to the NEWT exam. I hope that all of you will enjoy and benefit from these lessons, but don't forget that you still have to go to the normal lessons too."
The students were very excited to know what they were about to learn.
"I have to mention that now you're allowed to learn Animagi. If someone's interested, all they have to do is fill out this paper. Lots of students jump on the opportunity to learn Animagi, hoping that it will be easy. But it's not. You need to be patient and preserved, and even then… it will take years to learn it. It is important to practice this when a qualified instructor is present. Take these into consideration and if you're really interested, then fill out these papers."
"Hey, Ron." Seamus poked his friend from behind. "Are you serious about this?"
"I really want to try it. Then we'll see. Hermione?" He turned to the girl sitting next to him.
"No thanks. It sounds interesting and I'm sure it's useful too, but I don't think I should consider it…"
"As you wish. Ha…"
Rona was about to ask Harry like always. However, the boy was sitting quite far from him, reading his book. A lot of bookmarks were in it. His friends looked at each other sadly.
"Do you think he wants to learn Animagi?" Ron asked Hermione. "After all, his father did… and Sirius…"
"I don't know, Ron. Did he tell you that he's interested in it?"
"Maybe… a few years ago. I don't know."
"Look, he didn't take the paper…" The girl pointed out.
"So he's not interested…"
"While…" The professor raised her voice. "…some of you fill out the parchments, I'd like to give you another questionnaire."
Some of them groaned hearing the news.
"This isn't a test, so don't worry. I ask you to fill this to help me. This paper will tell me how much you want to learn this subject. And when you reach the question 'why are you attending this course?' please avoid answers like 'because I have to'. It's very unpleasant." The woman shook her head. "Let's begin. And please don't take much of my time with these."
Harry looked at the paper in front of him. 'Name', 'address', 'parent's names'… 'targeted job'? Harry wrote 'Auror' without thinking. 'Why are you attending this course?'
"Because it is required to know how to transfigure things to become an Auror." Harry muttered and wrote don't the sentence.
'Which part of Transfiguration do you find interesting?'
"I'm very interested in metamorphmagi. I think I managed to learn the basics but I'd like to know more about it."
He looked at the other, not exactly important, questions then handed the signed paper back to McGonagall. The woman looked at it then smiled at Harry.
"Well, let's begin…"
On one of the windy mornings, Rowena Darling went to the school yard. She was shivering in her thin clothes.
Despite the cool weather she went to the lake over and over again to do that 'dance' she did every morning. Her behavior changed too. Her face was pale and emotionless while teaching. The lovely lady who captivated everyone disappeared. Maybe Harry was the only one who knew what was wrong. Halloween was approaching. The night when his parents died. And not long after that, Sirius was sent to prison. The loss of her beloved friends was certainly painful, so maybe that's why she went to the lake more often. Each time she did the same choreography, each step was measured and well thought out.
Harry tried to look it up in the library. He didn't want to ask the librarian's help, because she might have thought that he didn't trust his professor. So he took every book that could help him, but never found anything. Only a short paragraph in a thick book called 'The art of modern magic'. According to the book, these dances came from the Far East. The ritual belonged to the Himalayan people. They say it 'helps clear the mind and calm the troubled soul. It can help communicating with the spirit world and bring harmony where there is only chaos.' Harry didn't really understand all this and couldn't imagine how 'the dance is connected to the talisman-magic'. But he was sure that Professor Dareling was very restless lately.
That day the boy was sitting near the window, watching the woman.
When she reached the lake, she threw her robes away and was about to take off her shoes when she realized that instead of water all she could see was ice. She blinked a few times than a frustrated grimace appeared on her face. Dragging her cloak behind her, she made her way back into the castle.
She was walking in the corridors when a familiar voice spoke to her.
"Rowena, dear!" What's wrong?" Professor McGonagall asked cheerfully. Hagrid was with her too. "Come and drink a cup of tea with us. That will make you feel better."
The woman accepted the invitation. Most of the teachers were already present in the staff room. Professor Binns was floating near the wall, talking to no one in particular. Professor Vector was putting cookies on the table and counting how many plates they needed. Snape was leaning against a table, sipping his tea while reading a book.
"Come, come." McGonagall invited the young woman.
"What's wrong, Rowena?" Hagrid patted her shoulder. She almost fell over. With a quiet sigh she started.
"Who would have thought? The lake in frozen! And it's only Autumn!"
"I know…" Snape said and closed his book. "I helped it a little."
"W-what? You froze the lake?"
"Yes. Otherwise you would have gone out again to dance on the water. It's too cold outside…" The man shook his head.
Rowena didn't know what to say, but Remus could barely stop himself from laughing out loud.
"It was a very insidious thing to do, Severus!" The woman exclaimed, making everyone giggle.
"Oh, come on Rowena! The wind's blowing out there! And it's freezing!"
"He's right!" Remus agreed. "You'll catch a cold… or worse…"
"But… but… The creatures living in the lake can't come to the surface now… What will happen to them?"
"They'll cut the ice. The point is that you can't go out anymore."
"Here, Rowena" Professor Sinistra handed her a cup of hot tea and some cookies.
The woman sipped her tea and looked annoyed while Severus smiled. She turned away because she couldn't stand the man's kind eyes. She looked at Remus who was reading something with a pale face.
"What are you reading?" She asked, still pouting.
Remus, instead of speaking, showed her the title of the book.
"'The book for travelers. Third volume. 10 easy ways to kill a werewolf.'" Rowena read. "Are you crazy reading something like this?"
Even Snape's eyes widened and the colleagues' eyes filled with sympathy.
"I got this from Tonks…" Remus muttered.
"Your beloved has a bizarre sense of humor…" Rowena remarked and bit the man-shaped cookie's leg off.
"How can you say that?" Remus snapped. "She sent this so I know the danger that might befall me."
"But… it is prohibited by the law to hunt werewolfs." Snape said.
"I don't understand how they can make a book like this." Professor Vector said while sitting down.
"Sorry…" Rowena bit her lip. "I just… I wish they could invent something to help… Severus, do you know anything about the potion they are working on?"
Snape put his cup down, folded his arms and said sadly.
"I don't think they can do anything. The last breakthrough the Wolfsbane was… and it's been like seven or eight years… I don't think serums can help…"
"I've heard of a recent research project, I think this is what Severus refers to." McGonagall continued. "It views the problem from the Transfiguration side. And I read it in a magazine that they are looking for candidates for the Animagi experiments."
"What? Animagi?"
"That's right. They learn the basics of Animagi. The shape they turn into will be the shape of a wolf. The theory is that they will turn into animals when the full moon comes after drinking the potion that helps them keep their mind clear. Then they might be able to turn back to humans just like an Animagi can."
Remus' eyes brightened.
"Any results?"
"Not yet, unfortunately. It takes years to learn Animagi, I think you know that well, Remus." McGonagall said making Lupin smiled sadly. "But if you're interested, you can try. I help you if needed."
"Thank you." Remus nodded gratefully. "Severus." He turned to the Potions Master. "Would… you make me the potion?"
"Of course." The man's features lightened. Remus's never seen him like this. "When do you need it ready?"
"It'll be full moon on Saturday, so… about then…"
Snape nodded.
"Attention, please!" Rowena's voice rang in the classroom they held the DADA course. "Thank you." She nodded when the students became quiet.
She looked at Daniel Stainthrop evilly who was standing next to her and straightened his clothes while looked at the woman with lustful eyes.
"Welcome to the DADA course." She greeted them with a smile. "I thought I say and see if everything is okay hello before going to my class. Let me introduce you the new teacher sent by the Ministry. Daniel Stainthorp." She snorted the name like a pigs grunt.
The man's eyes widened and the students were biting their hands to stop laughing. Rowena looked satisfied then smiled at the teacher.
"Well, Danny, I think you'll be able to handle them from here. Good work!"
The woman hurried out of the room and closed the door behind her. Her students were waiting for her in the usual classroom.
"I'm here." She said. "Put your books away, we won't need them now. I thought we should practice self-defense spells. I know that you had a dueling club in your second year. I've read about it. But I think that was quite a long time ago. And since you couldn't practice anything last year, I think it's time to spend some time with these spells. Of course we will practice them on the normal lessons too. Let's see what you know. What types of spells are used during a duel? Neville?" She smiled at the eager boy.
Harry was staring at the vial in which his tomato-colored potion ripened. He shook it a little then plugged it then put it on the Gryffindor table carefully.
They were in the Great Hall, eating breakfast.
"Harry! Don't tell me you already made the potion for Snape's course?" Ernie said.
Hermione looked up. Apparently she hasn't finished the task yet and looked at the bottle with envy on her face.
"I most certainly did!" Harry grinned.
"But… when did you make it?"
"Last night, after Quidditch."
"So that's why you have bags under your eyes." Cho said kindly. Harry smiled at her then looked at the vial in front of him proudly.
"To think that I still have to do that…" Hannah sighed.
"Not to mention the essay for Charms!" Seamus snorted.
"It's a good thing that we can choose from three topics…"
"Which one will you pick?"
"Hm…"
"I think I'll write about 'putting a curse on someone'…"
"I hope you don't want to try it on any of us, Dean!" Padma frowned.
"We'll see…"
"And you, Harry?"
"Hmm…?"
"Which one will you choose?"
"Hmm…"
"Hmm?"
"What?" Harry looked up. He clearly wasn't listening.
"I've been asking you about the essay. Which one will you pick?"
"Oh. None of them."
His friends looked at him in astonishment.
"Are you crazy? You must do it."
"I know. I didn't know which one to do so I wrote all three of them."
They looked at him silently. Ernie grimaced, fearing that another nerd appeared. Some students looked at Hermione, because she was famous of doing more than necessary. And she was the first ready with the essays too. Harry finishing first and writing all three before her must have been a big blow. A friend whispered to Cho that ever since Harry's not with Ron and Hermione all the time, his grades improved a lot. Even Ginny was a little amazed. She spent more time with Harry than anyone else and knew that he spent a lot of time studying but she never imagined this.
The situation became a little embarrassing so they changed the topic.
"Look, owls." Hannah pointed up.
"They should arrive a little later."
"Just one owl." Cho added.
"And… it's going to the teacher's table. Guess who gets the letter."
"Oh yeah, Harry, you're not going to stand on guard from now on?"
But the owl dropped the letter in front of Dumbledore. The headmaster opened the letter and read it. His face paled and looked up with an emotionless face when he finished reading. With shaking hands he read the letter one more time.
"What happened?" The students whispered.
Some of them stood up and looked at the teacher's table. Everyone stopped eating when hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall. They were hitting each other and a few of them were hurt. Almost all the students got two or three letters, only Harry looked disappointed. They opened the letters and screamed, shouted or whispered to each other.
"They wrote you too…?"
"My mother says…" Parvati sobbed.
"This can't be true." Ernie whisperer. He was stunned.
"The Muggle newspaper wrote about it too." Hermione put the paper she received from her parents on the middle of the table.
The DA group gathered at the Gryffindor table to try to read the article.
That's all for today. Next part will be up on Sunday.
Reviews are much appreciated.
Bye
Hermina
