Notes: First of all Happy Holidays to everyone since I forgot to say so in the last chapter. I'd also wish everyone a happy 2015.
I do have some bad news, though. Crystal and I are going to take another week-long break from updating this fic so we can rest a bit from the hustle and bustle of the holidays (they were enjoyable, but quite frankly, they were introvert hell). The good thing is that this break will allow me to work on a few omakes and a couple of requests (also work on the actual story), so when MOTA's back it should be a lot more enjoyable.
As always, thanks to everyone that has been following this story. Special thanks to everyone who's been leaving constant feedback, I really enjoy to read what you guys think. You know who you are.
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Chapter 47: Those (Things) That Haunt Us
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BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight.
Signed: Cornerlius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic.
Harry stared dispassionately at the sign posted up in the Entrance Hall; one of many that had suddenly appeared overnight since Dumbledore left the castle. Of course, there were a number of people that already knew all about it before the notices went up. Even now, it still didn't fail to surprise him just how quickly word had gotten around that Dumbledore had left. There were rumors of course, that talked about an epic fight between the Headmaster and the Minister of Magic, and even some talking about Fudge currently sporting a pumpkin as a head while interned in St. Mungo's.
Despite many of the ridiculous rumors circulating, there were still those of frightening accuracy. For example, everyone already somehow knew that both he and Marietta were present that night, and because Marietta was still in the Hospital Wing, it meant that he'd been the prime target of those curious enough to pester him for first-hand accounts.
Of course, Ron and Hermione were the only ones he told what happened. How could he not? They were his best friends, and quite frankly, he wanted to hear their opinions and hopefully figure out a few things himself.
Harry fixed his schoolbag over his shoulder as he decided he might as well head to the Library. Ron was at Quidditch practice and chances were he'd find Hermione already preparing for their OWLs. He should be preparing as well, but as lame as the excuse was, he just wasn't in the mood to study. There were so many people crowding the Library that a peaceful place to study would be near impossible to find, anyways. Not even considering the fact that those rumor mongers would once again be after him.
The emerald-eyed teen sighed. Hopefully Hermione's comforting presence would somehow quell his worry.
He felt that same blood lust again that night. It was the same feeling, or rather, the desire to rip Dumbledore apart that he felt every time the old wizard made contact with him. To be honest, it scared him. He was constantly living in fear of suddenly looking at himself in the mirror and seeing Voldemort's pale face looking back. Was that why Dumbledore had made him promise to practice his Occlumency? Did Dumbledore think he would become like Voldemort, as well?
He needed to become better at Occlumency, there was no doubt about that. And if Snape wasn't willing, then he'd just have to turn to Professor Kuja.
'Though I´ve made no progress whatsoever, even with Zidane's help. There´s been just too much going on. And now there's Dumbledore missing, and Umbridge as headmaster as well. Not to mention our OWLs are just around the corner.' Harry thought in frustration.
There was still the matter of that strange incident that occurred during the night Dumbledore escaped. He was sure that there was a mysterious bystander that night. Someone had to be responsible for deflecting Umbridge's jinx and retaliating. Stunners didn't just materialize out of thin air. Whoever it was had also pushed him down to stop him from getting hit.
For a moment he thought that it could have been Moody hiding under an invisibilty cloak, but when Umbridge crashed and let up a cloud of dust, he'd been sure he saw a silhouette of some sort, and it was far too small to be the paranoid ex-auror. He thought he would have heard Moody's uneven steps as well, given his prosthetic leg, but there had been nothing but silence. The sound could have been disguised with magic, but that didn't explain everything else.
Harry touched the back of his neck as he recalled the feeling of strong hands pushing him down. They didn't feel like large hands to be precise, they were just surprisingly strong, too strong to be a girl, well any girl he'd ever met. Whoever it was, he also wore some kind of gloves.
Was that person part of the Order? It had to be it, didn´t it? Dumbledore and McGonagall knew about it, he was sure of it. Then there was another thing that bothered him. What was he doing there that night, exactly? Why would there be a need to hide if both Dumbledore and McGonagall knew the person? Was it to hide from Umbridge? Why go through the trouble of going under an invisibility cloak-
Harry stopped, his eyes widening in realization.
Had the person been under an invisibility cloak, he shouldn´t have been able to feel the person's gloves. The person couldn't have been able to shoot off a spell without hitting the fabric of the cloak either. In other words, the person had used other means other than a cloak to become invisible, and there was only one person he knew that could do that: Marcus Crescent.
He'd done it once before when retrieving him from the Dursleys. He'd seen it done.
Harry shivered involuntarily as he thought about the mysterious man that never spoke and was hardly ever seen. He still recalled what the man's boggart looked like, and he figured long ago that anybody with a boggart like that couldn't have been all that right up there.
But then, what was the elusive Order member doing all the way out here?
Ron had suggested that whoever had been there was there for some business with Dumbledore, but something about that statement didn't make sense. He didn´t know what Marcus looked like under the hood, but if he looked suspicious enough, then he could believe why the need to disguise himself was necessary. But during the entire ordeal, the man never stepped up to help Dumbledore in any way. All his actions were done with the intent to keep him from harm. Was that why the man was there? Had Dumbledore asked him to keep him from harm or something?
Harry looked back, an empty stone corridor greeting his eyes. Paranoid thoughts suddenly invaded his head. If that was true, then how long had he been watched over like that? Could the man be looking at him from somewhere now? Could he be telling Dumbledore about everything he'd been up to since the start? Or could he really be in the Ministry's side, or even Voldemort's?
'Well I highly doubt he's on the Ministry's side given that he attacked Umbridge.' Harry thought with some relief. He was also happy to hear that the toad hadn't been able to access the Headmaster's office either. Apparently, she couldn't even get past the gargoyle.
Still, things would be a lot better without the Inquisitorial Squad. After giving them the power to dock points, Gryffindor's hourglass in the Great Hall had been practically emptied. Of course, it wasn't like house points mattered anymore. It seemed that the only way to stop the docking of points was to do like Fred and George and simply shove the Inquisitorial Squad members into vanishing cabinets. Of course, it had been three days now and they had yet to find Montague.
The teen was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the figure in front of him before they collided.
"I´m sorry, I wasn't looking." Harry quickly said before looking up to see who he had crashed into. Much to his surprise, it was a certain silver-haired professor.
"Well, I can't say I'm too happy about this, Harry, but at least it saves me the trouble of coming to find you." Professor Kuja said, brushing invisible dust off of his lavender colored robes.
"Professor Kuja-" Harry began but was interrupted by the older male.
"I've told you before, Kuja is just fine." The eccentric man said before shaking his head. "Anyways, I wanted to tell you that I'm afraid I have some business to take care of tonight, so I was thinking of moving the class up to this afternoon instead. You don't have any plans do you?"
"No, but-" Harry began, but was once again interrupted.
"I'll see you at four o'clock today, then. Don't be late." The man said, waving his hand casually as he walked away. Harry groaned. Now he had to think of something for his Occlumency lessons or once again go through the torture of hearing that crystal orb continuously shattering, again and again.
Harry walked towards a nearby portrait to ask the occupants the time. It was half past 3, meaning that he had only about a quarter of an hour to think about his current predicament. His original plan was to go to the Library and study, maybe brainstorm while he was at it, but that plan had been clearly just flushed down the drain. Why couldn't his plans just stick for once?
'Wait, stick?' Harry thought, the beginnings of an idea forming in his head. That is, until he was interrupted once more.
"There you are, POTTER!" A gruff voice called, and the next thing he knew, he was been roughly dragged away by a certain irritate caretaker.
Harry's thoughts quickly wandered towards the supposed prank that Fred and George had been planning. Stupidly, he decided to open his mouth. "I didn't do it!"
"Guilty conscience, eh." Filch said, leering at him. "The Headmistress wants to see you."
Harry quickly protested, saying he had a remedial lesson soon, but clearly Filch was having none of that.
"Things are going to be very different with her in charge." Filch said with glee as he talked about hanging students up by their ankles and whipping them raw. "When Educational Decree Twenty-nine come, Potter, I'll be finally allowed to do them things. You'll all wish Dumbledore never left the castle."
Harry figured Umbridge would go through great lengths to keep Filch around. Despite being a Squib, the man's knowledge of the secret corridors and hiding spots in school were only second to the Weasley twins.
"Here we are." The man said as he knocked on the door to Umbridge's office. Clearly, the woman had yet been unable to enter the Headmaster's office and claim it as her own.
The office was as pink and nauseating as he first remembered it to be. The only major changes were the large wooden block with the word "HEADMISTRESS" written in gold letters and brooms chained and padlocked to a sturdy iron peg behind the desk. Harry felt a pang of longing and anger as he saw his Firebolt being displayed like a trophy, but he trained his expression into something neutral. He didn't want to give the toad the satisfaction of seeing him like this.
"Thank you, Argus." Umbridge said with that sickening smile of hers.
"Not at all, ma'am, not at all." Filch said, bowing before dismissing himself.
"Sit." The toad instructed, and though he hated having to obey her, he realized that there was no real point in rebelling now.
Taking a seat, the teen looked at the foul kittens that inhabited the hung plates while Umbridge continued to scribble for a few moments. After a few uncomfortable seconds, the woman put her quill down and finally looked up to him.
"So, what would you like to drink?" The pink-clad woman said, looking at him much rather like a toad about to swallow a big, juicy fly.
The teen was put off for a moment, not expecting the question, but quickly answered. "No, thank you. You see, I have a remedial lesson in a moment, and I really should get going if I want to make it in time."
The toad-like woman just gave him a forced smile before continuing. "Nonsense, I wish you to have a drink with me, Mr. Potter. It won't be too long."
"But Professor-"
"Tea, Mr. Potter?"
"Fine." Harry said with a sigh. Perhaps Professor Kuja wouldn't mind if he was late because of the toad.
"There." She said, handing him the cup of tea. "Now drink up before it gets cold. I thought we could have a little chat. After the events last night…I'm sure it was quite distressing."
Harry said nothing, instead shifting slightly in his chair so he could look at the clock on the toad's desk. It was five past four, meaning that he was already a bit late.
"You're not drinking up." Umbridge snapped, making him nearly jolt slightly and bring up the cup to his lips. It was then, looking at one of the kitten from the plates with large blue eyes, that he remembered Professor Moody, or specifically, what he would say about drinking things offered to him by the enemy.
Harry shut his mouth tightly as he raised the cup and pretended to take a sip. Umbridge watched him closely, far too close for it to have been normal. Her actions confirmed his suspicions; she put something in the tea.
"Very good." The woman said, keeping him under close scrutiny as she leaned forward a little. "Now, where is Albus Dumbledore?"
"I don't know." Harry replied promptly. 'Could she be any less subtle?'
"Drink up, drink up." Umbridge said, still smiling. "Now, Mr. Potter, let us not play childish games. I know you know where Dumbledore is. You two have been in this together since the beginning."
Harry pretended to drink again, before answering. "I don't know where he is."
"Very well." Umbridge said, looking quite displeased. "In that case, tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black."
Harry nearly dropped the teacup right then, but quickly tilted it towards his mouth as he pretended to drink once more.
"I don't know." He replied, this time a bit too quickly.
"Let me remind you that it was I who almost caught the wanted criminal last October in the Gryffindor Common Room fire. I know perfectly well it was you he was meeting and if I had any proof of such a thing, trust me, you'd be at large with him today." Umbridge said both heavily ringed hands hitting the desk to emphasize her words. "I repeat. Where is Sirius Black?"
"No idea." Harry said. "I haven't got a clue."
The woman eyed him dangerously, but relented.
"Very well. I'll trust your word for now, but remember. Every communication channel in this school is being monitored. A Floo Network Regulator keeps watch over every fire in this school, except for the one in my office, of course. My Inquisitorial Squad is opening and reading every owl post entering and leaving the castle. Filch is watching over every secret passage in the school. If I get so much as a shred of evidence-" Umbridge began, but was suddenly cut short when the door to her office opened with a loud 'bang'. To both Harry and Umbridge's surprise, Professor Kuja was standing there, hand on his hips and a look on his face that clearly said that he wasn't very amused at all.
"There you are, Mr. Potter. I knew this whole affair had a rather toady smell to it." The man said, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he said the last part.
"Professor Kuja!" The short woman said with indignation. "How dare you to enter a person's office unannounced! Such rudeness-"
"I do believe it was you who has so rudely been keeping my student from his remedial lessons, without prior warning, Dolores. I do not know what twisted idea you have about being headmistress, but in any school, a headmaster does not suddenly keep students from much needed lessons without prior warning or unless it's due to extreme circumstances, especially not for tea and crumpets." The man said, looking down at the woman in poorly veiled disgust.
Harry shifted uneasily in his seat. He suddenly felt like he'd been caught right in the middle of a fight between giants.
"Whatever business I have with Mr. Potter is concern of the Ministry, and the Ministry only, Mr. L'Rouge." Umbridge said, standing to her full height. Professor Kuja wasn't very tall, but even compared to the toad, he was still a giant. "Dumbledore may have tolerated your actions while he was Headmaster, but I will not."
"What do you plan to do? Fire me?" The man said, eyes narrowed while a predatory smile tugged at his lips.
"Continue this nonsense, and I will." The toad said, her eyes bulging in anger.
"Oh that's sickeningly adorable, you actually believe you can get rid of me?" The silver haired professor taunted. "Dumbledore is the only one that can dismiss me. I'm bound by a contract, you see, not to mention dismissing an ambassador of good will such as myself would only bring further conflict to your Minister. So I'm afraid you'll have to deal with me until my contract expires at the end of this semester."
BOOM!
The very ground under their feet shook as a rather loud explosion nearly knocked the Headmistress off her feet.
"Well, I see you're going to be rather busy now, so I'll just take my leave. Come on, Mr. Potter." The man said, and Harry didn't hesitate to follow the man out the door. "Good day."
The Boy-Who-Lived followed the eccentric man down the stairs. It didn't take long to figure out what had set off the previous explosions.
Someone had let loose a series of magical fireworks that had completely taken control of the entire corridor. There were large dragon fireworks shining green and gold, emitting loud fiery blasts as they moved. Large Catherine wheels five feet in diameter whizzed through the air like deadly saucers, accompanied by large rockets with tails of shining silvery stars that ricocheted off the walls. Sparklers continued to spell out a series of swear words in midair while firecrackers exploded like landmines on the ground. There was literally no spot untouched by the enchanted fireworks. In fact, the longer they stayed, the more momentum they seemed to gain, rather than just burning themselves out.
"Impressive, very impressive." Professor Kuja said, a sly smile on his lips.
"Did you hear that George?" A voice suddenly called, making Harry turn to see both Weasley twins slip out from behind a nearby tapestry.
"Indeed I did, Fred." The other twin said, and for a moment Harry thought that perhaps they somehow failed to see Professor Kuja right next to him. That is, until he heard the older man give a small, rather Slytherin-esque laugh.
"Indeed, you boys pulled off a fine show." The silvery haired man said, making Harry blink.
"Oh, I hope she tries vanishing them next. They multiply by ten every time you try." Fred said conspiratorially, which only served to confuse him more.
Seeing his expression, the eccentric man just laughed, before clapping him on the back. "I'm a businessman above all else, Harry. Besides, we can all agree that it would be a shame to let all of this potential go to waste. And of course, if it can stir a bit of trouble for our dear Headmistress, then that's just a bonus isn't it?"
"Wait so, you're okay with this?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Think of it as another business deal." George said, reminding him that he was technically their benefactor as well.
"So, about that deal…" Fred said and Kuja brought up both hands in surrender, a gesture that surprisingly resembled a certain blonde foreigner. Then again, they were brothers so that resemblance shouldn't come off as a surprise, should it?
"I'll keep my end of the bargain, but for now, I have some business to take care of with Harry, so I must bid you adieu for now." The man said, excusing both of them. "Oh and by the way, I shouldn't have to remind you to keep this deal strictly between us. As a teacher, I'd have to report you if word got out."
Both twins gave mock salutes before they left towards Professor Kuja's office. When asked, the man simply said that they might as well continue their lesson now, and that perhaps, given the onslaught of fireworks, it would be best to have some form of alibi.
"Honestly that toad." The man said as he nonchalantly dodged a rather large rocket that flew through the corridor. "You didn't drink that tea did you?"
Harry quickly shook his head.
"Good." The man said with a nod. "It was probably spiked with veritaserum."
"She asked me where Dumbledore was." Harry said, somewhat unsure as to why he was telling Professor Kuja this. The man wasn't really in the Order, yet if Dumbledore trusted him with these lessons, then he supposed that the man was at least somewhat trustworthy. He wouldn't mention that she also asked him where Sirius was, at least.
"The nerve of her! Because of her so called security checks, none of my owls have been able to successfully deliver their letters, and I can´t even floo with privacy. My scrying orb isn't fully operational yet, so to do any business transactions, I actually have to leave the castle." The man said, ranting as they neared his office. Harry was too distracted to listen though. His thoughts went back to thinking of some strategy to keep that Crystal orb in the air. He could think of one, specifically the one he thought of before Filch interrupted, but could it really work? "Here we are!"
The door to the office was opened and he was promptly told to sit down. He was already well-versed in the routine. He would sit down and try to keep the crystal orb steady on the floating table while Professor Kuja kept himself busy with what appeared to be official-looking paperwork of some sort. It made him wonder what it was about sometimes. They didn't get homework during the OWL preparation course, so it surely couldn't be anything related to school.
"Well, you know what to do." The eccentric man said as he walked towards his desk and sat down.
Harry looked at the crystal orb and frowned, feeling as though the glimmering object was somehow mocking him. Rather than going immediately for his wand, the teen simply observed said object as if by doing so all his questions would be answered. When he spoke to Zidane, he said that his task was likely more about cunning than skill. Still, what if the teen was wrong and this really was about skill? If that happened to be the case then using that strategy would only get him in trouble with the strange man. Could he really take the risk, then?
Harry recalled the lessons he spent trying to accomplish his goal without fail. If it was done with skill alone, the task given to him was near impossible. Not to mention that with Dumbledore gone, he had to master Occlumency as fast as he possibly could. This was not the time to get cold feet.
With a sigh the teen pulled out his wand and recalled the enchantment he'd need for this to work. When he was finally done, he uttered the magic words he'd been uttering for the past few months.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Months ago, Harry would have found the act of levitating an object evenly in the air for such a long time not only taxing, but also pointless. Many times he wondered if it was possible to somehow run out of magic if you used the same spell continuously for long periods of time. Whenever they used magic, they always just said the words and everything simply happened. They never had to keep any spell going for too long. When he was taught the Patronus Charm, he came to an answer. Rather than feeling that his magic was running out, using too much magic felt more like he had just ran a marathon. It was strange how, even if he hadn't moved an inch since casting the spell, his body would still feel the effects.
Seconds trickled by slowly and became minutes. Sweat began to trickle down his neck, but he ignored it. At some point Professor Kuja had even abandoned his desk, his interest likely peaked by the lack of any crystal shattering. Harry didn't know how long he'd been at it, however, he was actually surprised when a round of claps greeted him.
"Ten minutes are up, Mr. Potter." The eccentric man said. "Congratulations."
Harry ended the spell, his eyes nervously going to the sphere still stuck on the table. Proffesor Kuja's eyes also landed on the strangely unmoving orb, making Harry gulp. He'd been caught red-handed. Any moment now he expected the man's face to warp into an angry scowl and reprimand him for cheating.
"A sticking charm, eh?" The pale man said, inspecting the crystal orb. Harry clenched his jaw as he nodded. Professor Kuja would surely kick him out of his office.
'Any second now.' Harry thought, bracing himself.
Yet to his surprise, the man merely smiled.
"Well done." Professor Kuja said. "I was wondering when you were going to start thinking outside the box.
Harry frowned. This was not what he expected, or rather, this was too good to be true. "Wait, you mean you wanted me to cheat?"
The man shrugged. "I said you had to keep the orb up and on the table, I never said you had to use the levitating spell only. Therefore, you didn't cheat."
"You wanted me to think for myself." Harry surmised.
"Boosting your patience and endurance, as well. You'll need it for what's to come." The man said, though Harry had no doubts that the man had probably enjoyed watching him struggle as well. "Oh well, just as promised, we will finally move on to your Occlumency lessons."
Harry mentally cheered. This was what he'd been waiting for all this time. Finally, he'd be getting some real classes from someone who didn't hate him or wasn't possibly allied to a man that wanted to see him dead. Well, as far as he knew.
"Do you remember the time I invaded your mind and told you I'd recognized you as a fully-fledged Occlumence if you were able to block me out?" The man said, taking a seat right next to him.
Harry nodded.
"Good." Professor Kuja said. "We'll be doing something similar. I will attempt to penetrate your mind, not barge my way through, mind you, I'll just apply a bit of pressure and see how your defenses hold."
The teen nodded once more, ready for whatever awaited him.
"Alright then, let's begin." The man said.
When Harry first came to learn that he'd be learning with Professor Kuja, the first thing he thought was how great it would be. After all, in his mind there was nobody worse than Snape out there, except perhaps Voldemort. Professor Kuja wouldn't sneer or look down at him. Unlike Snape, Professor Kuja held no particular hatred towards him.
Of course, it was his own fault for thinking that this training would be easier. In many ways it was much tougher than anything he did with Snape.
Whenever Snape invaded his mind, it was always straight to the point; a strong attack that he had no way of predicting or defending himself against. Its aftereffects were somewhat discomforting, but they never lasted long, much like pulling off a plaster.
Professor Kuja's attacks were something completely different. It had started out as a small pressure in his head, like someone prodding a structure to test its strength. But then the pressure began to increase, and slowly but surely, it began to overwhelm him. He tried to mentally block the attack, but he quickly realized that reinforcing the waning barrier was draining him of strength. Time seemed to move slowly as he struggled against the pressure. What felt like minutes passing by could have easily been seconds of struggling in what he could accurately describe as a battle of wills. Rather, he felt more like a broken dam trying to hold back gallons upon gallons of water.
Harry grunted, his head feeling like it was about to explode. Suddenly unable to hold back the flood anymore, the teen let out an involuntary gasp as images began to flash through his head.
He was seven years old and he was sent to his cupboard without supper again for having an accidental bout of "freakishness". He was in the Great Hall in front of the entire school, the patched up Sorting Hat telling him that he'd be better off in Slytherin. He was in second year, running for his life with Ron as the Acromantulas came closer and closer. Everyone was looking at him, dark looks on their faces as the hall became shrouded in murmurs; his name had just come out of the Goblet of Fire. He was moving closer and closer to through the dark corridor; he was almost at the door. He was Voldemort again, his gaze moving to the haunting red glow of the sphere atop the pedestal. There was a giant tree in the distance as the dragon attacked the group of strange ships.
"That's enough." Professor Kuja's voice cut him off and Harry suddenly found himself back inside the man´s office.
Sweat covered every inch of his body while his lungs felt like they were on fire. Harry gave greedy gulps of air, trying as hard as he could to steady his rapid heartbeat. Professor Kuja stood in front of him in complete silence. The teen felt a strange sense of dread, not from the man's uncharacteristic silence, but rather, the unreadable expression on his face.
"Professor." Harry said, still gasping for breath.
"That's enough for today Harry." The man said and the emerald-eyed teen quickly realized he'd been just dismissed.
"But, Professor Kuja-" The teen began. The lesson had just began. Even if he was rather drained, he could still continue.
"Enough, Harry." The man said, both hands on the top of his desk while his expression suggested that he was somewhat lost in thought.
Harry stood there, unsure of what to say.
"Then, will I see you next week?" The teen managed to say, but the man still wouldn't turn to look at him.
"Actually, I think I won't be able to make it next week." The man said uncharacteristically serious as he ran a hand through the feather ornaments he wore on his head. "There are some things I need to look into, and I do not know how long it will take. For now, I want you to clear your mind, like Severus has told you."
With that final set of instructions, the frustrated teen was forced to leave the office. Harry stood there, oblivious to the fireworks still running rampant from the Weasley Twins' prank and still unsure as to what brought on Professor Kuja's change of demeanor. Everything had been fine until the man had tried to enter his mind, or well, until he got to the memories about his dreams. What was it that made Professor Kuja become so quiet? He had denied every request to continue and had even cancelled the following lesson. Harry doubted he could make him change his mind. In fact, he had a feeling that no matter how much he begged and screamed, the eccentric man wouldn't indulge him, not even once.
'But was so disturbing that it would make him behave like that?' Harry thought to himself as he looked outside the nearby window. A sparkler was still spelling rude words into the sky. 'Was it Voldemort?'
Any wizard would become paralyzed with fear if they saw the snake-like man in the flesh, but Professor Kuja never struck him as just any wizard. If he was in the Order, or at least affiliated with Dumbledore, then it shouldn't have been a surprise. At least assuming that he had Dumbledore's trust, seeing as the powerful wizard was letting the silver-haired man delve deeply into his mind, and there were several things in there that could probably endanger the Order.
Then again, Dumbledore had made mistakes before. He let Quirrel teach in his first year despite having Voldemort in the back of his head, and he also let the Moody impostor teach for an entire year. Furthermore, he wasn't here anymore. There was a very real chance that Professor Kuja might just be another villain in disguise.
Harry shook his head. The least he needed now was to feel even more paranoid, considering that he already had an Order member quite possibly tailing him from the shadows.
'Maybe it wasn´t Voldemort. There was also that eerie red sphere in the dream, besides the other dream with the dragon and the giant tree.' Harry thought, recalling the moment when the eccentric man stopped his attack.
He had no idea about the sphere. Perhaps Professor Kuja recognized it, and that was why he reacted that way. Maybe he knew that it was dangerous or something. The sphere did look like a dark artifact of some sort; something you'd expect to see in a house like that of the Black family.
The dream about the dragon and the tree were also an entirely different story. He had actually forgotten about it, and the other strange visions, thinking they were just strange made up dreams of his. Even after Snape had blurted out that they weren't simple dreams, and that perhaps they had a more complex nature, he'd just eventually let the whole thing slip by since it never really seemed relevant. Unless Voldemort was going to try and make the giant dragon join his side, he didn't see why that it should matter. It just seemed too straight out of a fairytale to be true.
But what if Professor Kuja knew what those dreams were about?
Harry frowned, a Catherine Wheel flying right by him.
'Either way, Ron and Hermione need to hear about this.'
…
To be continued…
…
A/N: That's it for now, but before I go I'll just leave this omake here. Be warned as it contains poorly censored adult language. See you guys next year!
….
Omake: What Happens in Herbology Stays in Herbology
If there was ever one thing that the students of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardly agreed on, it was that their school housed various odd and sometimes ridiculous rules. If there were two things that the students of the school could agree on, was that Hogwarts had some strange rules AND that plants seemed to have an innate sort of hatred towards their newest blonde, foreign exchange student.
Nobody knew why either, it was just one of those things that had simply been accepted by the student population as one of those facts of life. Plants hated Zidane, Snape loathed Gryffindors, Dumbledore loved sweets, and Neville was horrid at potions. Nobody really questioned it. It just wasn't surprising anymore.
What did surprise everyone, however, was when a long forgotten and obscure rule of the aforementioned ridiculous kind made itself known to the student population once more, by none other than a reluctant Professor Sprout.
Yes, students were all very aware that the injury produced by the well-known Venomous Tentacula was excruciatingly painful. The plants themselves were extremely dangerous, with sharp deadly spikes, venom-expelling shoots, and a highly painful and poisonous bite, not even mentioning its long and tough vines. What they didn't know was that there was an actual rule that gave the right to any student being strangled by one to swear loudly.
They all assumed that Professor Sprout was joking at first, but as it turned out, it really was an actual rule. That was the only thing that her from shutting up the blonde before them. It figured that out of all of the class of fifth years, Zidane would be the one to be violently assaulted by not one, but five Venomous Tentacula shrubs.
"GET THAT &^*^%$ PIECE OF GREEN %$^%$ OFF ME, THAT BASTARD SON OF A #$%^&# IIFA #$%..." Zidane angrily shouted, all students blushing furiously as they awkwardly watched Professor Sprout trying to use a diffindo spell on the stubborn plants so that they would let go. The girls were completely red in the face, the boys were really not doing any better, even the Golden Trio was frozen in shock as if in disbelief at what was currently taking place. Harry had this shocked frown on his face. Hermione's eyes were as wide as saucers, as if she had just gone into shock. Ron on the other hand, looked like his brain had just short circuited.
Though he desperately tried to help, Neville could not keep the red off his face as he heard the colorful words coming out of his friend's mouth. Never before in his life had he heard such language, infact he had no idea what many of the words meant, and somehow, he knew he didn't want to know either. Some didn't even sound like words anymore. Zidane would truly make a sailor blush. He really wondered if there was an end to them. Surely there had to be a limit.
"I'M %$ %*&! SICK OF ALL THESE %$# %&! $%# ! LET ME AT THEM #%!$$ %..."
And yet they kept pouring out.
The plants weren't letting go either.
It was a real wonder that the blonde was still even alive.
Professor Sprout was now burning away the vines, face equally flushed as she asked Neville to give out the same fluffy earmuffs they had used during their second year for the Mandragora lesson. Surprisingly, there were no protests from the students. Hermione though, had to look away from the whole spectacle. When asked why, the answer was clear.
She could read lips. Comprehension seemed to dawn on everyone present as Professor Sprout finally managed to disentangle Zidane before ushering him out of the greenhouse to get to the Hospital Wing.
The students all pulled down their earmuffs as the blonde left the room, yet in the distance they could still hear his fading voice.
"AND THEN I'LL #!% THEM SIDEWAYS!"
After that day, the rulebooks of Hogwarts experienced a new change. Students were still allowed to swear loudly if attacked by the infamous Venomous Tentacula, AFTER having the silencing charm cast on them, of course.
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