Chapter 11
I woke up early the next morning for our first day of classes. Hermione and I sat next to Ron and Harry at breakfast. The mail came. I received another letter from Gringott's and quickly stuffed it in my pocket. God, I hope Fred didn't see that! I don't think he'll fall for the Prank excuse again. I looked up. Fred was glared at me and then at my pocked where the letter was. I quickly looked down and continued eating.
I wolfed down my food and left the hall early saying that I had forgotten something in the common room. Fred got up quickly and followed me. Crap! I walked faster but he had longer legs. He caught my arm and spun me around. "You fooled me yesterday. But not today. I thought about the letter you received and it was way to realistic to be a Prank. The one you got just now definitely didn't help your case." he stated.
Damn it! What was I going to do? I have to tell him I have no choice. "Fine!" I said grabbing his arm and leading him into an empty classroom.
"I found out that Voldemort has Horcruxes." I explained. I could tell him because he already sort of knew, since he read the letter. "They are pieces of his soul that he put in an object. It's very dark magic but it makes you immortal. Voldemort can't die until all seven are destroyed. I discovered there was one at Gringott's, so I told a goblin when we were there."
He stood there with his mouth open. "How did you find out?" He asked skeptically.
"I'm from the-" I was going to say future but I couldn't. Stupid curse! "I was not-" I tried again. Arg! This is so frustrating. "I can't tell you." I finally said. He looked angry at this.
"What do you mean you can't tell me?!" He argued. I didn't understand it. I told Dumbledore! Why couldn't I tell Fred. The only way I would have been able to tell Dumbledore is if he already knew. "No! He can't have!" I muttered to myself. Fred looked at me, confused. Realization hit me. Dumbledore had said I was here for a reason. He was probably neck deep in that reason.
"That manipulative, old, prat!" I exclaimed. Fred looked stunned. "Come with me!" I said, crabbing his arm. I stormed up to the gargoyle statue with Fred on my tail. Crap, I didn't know the password. "Move aside right now!" I yelled angrily at the statue. To my utter astonishment it actually let me pass. I would look into that later. I dragged Fred up the stone steps and burst into the headmasters office.
Dumbledore looked up at me in surprise. "Please tell Fred that I'm not a death eater, so he will leave me alone!" I exclaimed.
"Mr Weasley, I am one hundred percent sure that Miss Rogers is not a death eater." He said.
"Good, now leave." I said pointing Fred out the door. As soon as he was gone I rounded on Dumbledore. "You knew!" I yelled at him. "You lied to me! This whole time you knew why I was here!" It wasn't a question. "I just tried to tell Fred that I was from the future and I couldn't because of the curse. That means the only way I would have been able to tell you is if you were already aware of it!"
"Calm down, Miss Rogers." Dumbledore held up a hand. "I did not lie to you. I never said I didn't know why you were here. I simply stated that I did not know how to get you home."
"Half truths are just as bad as lies!" I Spat. "Are you sure you were a Gryffindor, because I believe manipulation is a Slytherin trait. Why am I here? The truth!"
"I will tell you when you are old enough." Dumbledore said.
"I was fifteen before I came here!" I yelled at him. "But you already knew that too!"
"You are still not old enough to know the-" He cut himself off.
"The?" I asked.
"No, you are not old enough!" He snapped.
I turned around and stormed out the door to find Fred listening in. "How much of that did you here?" I asked Fred nervously.
"Um, Only...all of it." He said quietly. We left back down the Gargoyle steps and started going to our classes.
"You can't tell anyone!" I told him, fiercely. He nodded, so I turned around and walked to Herbology. I got there just in time, so I wasn't late.
...
We had re-potted Mandrakes. We learnt all about how they can revive petrified victims. It was very interesting but I already knew it. I did get almost as many points as Hermione for answering questions though.
Then we had transfiguration, where we were turning beetles into buttons. Harry didn't seem to be having much luck, but transfiguration was my best subject so I accomplished it easily. I got twenty house points.
We finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again. I rolled my eyes at her. Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes, Which wasn't really much better, before Harry became aware that he was being closely watched. Harry looked up, and he saw a very small, mousy-haired boy. I'd seen him trying on the Sorting Hat last night. It was Colin Creevey. He was staring at Harry as though transfixed, Clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera. The moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red.
"All right, Harry? I'm - I'm Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think - would it be all right if - can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.
"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly.
"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead" (his eyes raked Harry's hairline) "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move ." Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" - he looked imploringly at Harry - "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"
"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?" Draco Malfoy said, walking up to us. Crabbe and Goyle laughed loyally.
"NO! I'm not!" Harry yelled back, his fists clenched.
"Hi Draco." I said. I could have sworn he smiled at me for a split second, but it was over so quick it was hard to tell. He looked back at his goons, nervously.
"How dare you address me, mudblood." He said. He was still to scared to be nice to a muggle-born in front of his 'friends'. I wish he would grow a back bone.
"Eat slugs, Malfoy!" said Ron angrily.
"Whatever." Malfoy said, and walked away. I don't think he really enjoys the confrontations any more.
We walked off to Defense Against the Dark Arts and took our seats. Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.
"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"
He waited for them to laugh and a few people smiled weakly.
"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books - well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about - just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in-" When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes - start - now!"
I looked down at his paper and read:
1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart s favorite color?
2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?
On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:
54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?
I took out some bright coloured, Red ink and crossed out all the questions. I then wrote down in big letters:
The only thing that anyone needs to know about Gilderoy Lockhart, is that he is a massive fraud. He finds people who have done great things, interviews them, and finally, obliviates them. He claims their achievements as his own. He is a liar and he has no right to erase peoples memories. He also has no right to be teaching at a school. Children need a real teacher. One who actually knows what he is doing. If Gilderoy Lockhart does not want to be exposed, Gilderoy Lockhart will quit his teaching job and persuade Dumbledore to hire a qualified Defense teacher. He will also stop obliviating people and stealing their achievements. I will know if he does. He has been warned.
-The one who knows all.
Half an hour later he collected them all in. I made sure to put mine at the bottom of the pile. He flicked through them. I saw him tut tut when he got to Harry's. Finally, he reached the bottom of the pile. His eyes bugged out. I wish I could take a picture if the terrified look on his stupid face. He was shaking violently. He quickly ripped my paper up into tiny pieces, before picking up his things and charging out of the room. "Class dismissed." He called over his shoulder. It was so hard not to laugh. I got him good!
...
At dinner, Fred was looking anywhere but at me. When everyone had finished eating Dumbledore stood up. "I am so sorry to inform you that, Professor Lockhart had to leave." Dumbledore said. Half the hall cheered. Namely, all the boys and me. "I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts until we can find a suitable replacement." There was lots of cheering from the Gryffindors.
After dinner I showed Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville the room of requirement. "This is where we will be trying to become animagi." I told them. I briefly explained the room of requirement as I pulled out one of the advanced books I bought at Diagon Alley. It was on becoming an animagus. I opened it and read aloud the first page:
Becoming an animagus is a long and tricky process. It is about releasing your wild side. Letting your inner animal out. It takes discipline and persistence. There is however also a potion you can make. It simply isolates your inner beast and brings it to the surface. The potion is, however, almost impossible to make. Some of the ingredients can't even be found in the modern world anymore.
The first step is to clear your mind. In order to do this you must reach deep inside yourself. You must pull out your wild side. Channel it to a small spot in your body. For example a hand or a foot. Nothing will happen right away but if you keep at it you will eventually succeed.
There are further tips which I recommend reading if you make no small change by the end of one month.
There are special cases, where people master it almost instantly, but they must be deeply in touch with the wild. There are also those who can not become an animagus at all.
"Um...Let's get to it then." I told them. I sat on the ground and focused carefully on clearing my mind.
After two hours, I could see why not many people attempt this. So far no one had made the slightest change. We were all tired and sweating, from concentration, but I was not giving up. There was no way I was going to stop before something happened. I was stubborn and I was going to do this! It's in my nature.
Then something happened. It was nothing big, but I could have sworn that my hand changed colour. I looked carefully at it as I tried again. I channeled my wild thoughts into my hand. I did it again! It darkened to a dark brown. Something actually happened!
"Guys! My hand changed colour!" I yelled.
"Really?" Hermione asked, excitedly.
"Whats the big deal?" Asked Ron.
"It's progress." Hermione insisted. Harry looked at his watch.
"We should be getting back. It's almost curfew." He told us. So I put my book back in my bag and we left.
As soon as we got back to the common room, we all went up stairs and collapsed into bed from exhaustion. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.
...