(A/n thanks for all the lovely reviews and as this parts longer I'm hoping it will be better. Well - read, my friends, read! (oh yeah don't forget to review!) I own nothing except Alesi Gringott…yada yada yada.)
Nunquam Praeclarus
Chapter 4
The Dignity of Sorrow
The spell had been done. Harry stared dismally out of Dumbledore's office window. He could just imagine Hermione's and Ron's faces…why hadn't Sirius told him? Well, he thought reasonably - it was probably hearing it from Dumbledore's calm voice than someone else, even if that someone else was his Godfather. He trusted Dumbledore above all other people and he knew that what he was doing, was for the best. Harry sighed dolefully at the sound of Professor Lupin's voice outside the door talking with Dumbledore. He was travelling by Floo Powder, with the Professor, to the school - The View Point Magical Educational Institute. He was still in shock when Lupin came in saying,
"Ready to go, Harry?" Harry was still staring blankly out of the window, "Harry?"
"Oh yeah, sure…"
As Lupin has hauling Harry's trunk into the vast fireplace, Dumbledore walked over to Harry.
"I'm really sorry, but I wish you good luck. Anything you need, just owl me. I'm sure Miss Granger and Mr Weasly have received your owl (Harry spirits sunk lower) and I'm sure that they understand." Harry nodded and said, " I know - well, bye Sir…" And with that Harry stepped into the fireplace and threw the Floo Powder into the range.
"The View Point Magical Educational Institute!" He called and almost immediately he found himself spinning very quickly. He had forgotten how queasy this made him…
"Yes, Ron, what the letter said was true!" Hermione said again down the telephone. Ron was shouting at her from the other end of the line,
"Oh, god, this can't be happening!"
"Ron, would you stop yelling at me!"
"You won't hear me if I don't yell!"
"Well, if you carry on yelling I won't be able to hear at all!"
Then Ron spoke in his usual voice, expecting Hermione not to hear a thing.
"Yes, Ron that's better!" Hermione was impressed that Ron had got his head around the 'complex' workings of a telephone, and now he wasn't deafening her, she felt his voice was comforting after the shock Harry's letter had caused her. It seemed to have shocked Ron as well. At the beginning of the phone call, he had been asking continually if the letter held any truth and Hermione had to answer the affirmative, that Harry was indeed and they wouldn't be seeing him any time soon.
Hermione had cried herself to sleep that night - it wasn't fair. The thought of going to school and not seeing Harry there shocked her greatly. They were best friends, and she had thought nothing could separate them… well, she thought bitterly, she had been proved wrong in the worst possible way. Harry was gone far away and there as nothing she could do about it.
"Okay, I'll she you on the first, and Hermione…"
"Yeah…?"
"…nothing, see you." Ron said in a dead sort of voice and placed the receiver back on the phone. He walked dejectedly back upstairs and stared at his pile of unfinished homework.. His mum had gone on about how it was all for the best and he would be safe wherever he was ( ' You can still write to each other, now, can't you?') . But it's not the same, Ron thought dismally staring out of the window. They didn't even know where he was! Ron's gaze fell on the pile of homework and he thought to himself that he could either sit here and feel sorry for himself or get on with some homework.
Ron didn't touch his homework.
***
After what seemed like an eternity Harry and Lupin arrived. Timidly, Harry stood and brushed the soot of his robes. He looked nervously around. They were standing in a medium sized room. All the windows were opened and a steady breeze of summer air was wafting through the laze curtains. It all looked, to Harry's surprise, very modern. He was strongly reminded of Privet Drive. Lupin told Harry to follow him and they made their way out into the hall. It was quite narrow and they walked down it single file. The approached a large oak door, which said Headmaster's Office. Lupin knocked and a voice called, "Enter!" On seeing the room, Harry was severely disappointed. The headmaster's study was very much like the other room. His attention was drawn back to the headmaster himself, who looked surprisingly young. Probably middle-aged, he had short cropped hair and an impassive expression fixed upon his tanned face.
"Oh hello! You must be Harry Potter." He gestured for them to sit down in front of his large desk. Looking around, Harry's eye was caught by a large grandfather clock. It had planets around the outside. He smiled - at least some things were the same. Lupin stole a glance at him and offered an assuring smile. Their attention was brought back to the middle-aged headmaster who offered a hand to Harry and shook it, he did the same for Lupin.
"Harry, my name is Reedier Samuel Armitage. You will call me Mr Armitage. I will not teach you for anything and you won't see me around the school very often." He spoke all this in a heavy American accent. He didn't seem anything like Dumbledore, Harry thought biting his lip.
"You will carry on studying the subjects you did at your old school", the headmaster said. Harry a little annoyed at the term 'old school'. He hadn't properly left Hogwarts had he? Dumbledore only implied that it would be temporary. Harry tuned back in to what Mr Armitage was saying. "Now, the house system at Hogwarts was greatly established and a key part of the ethos of the school but here, it is not quite so important - we do not have separate common rooms but one large one for each year. You are all set into different groups depending on your ability and all you do in your house is sleep in house dormitories."
"What about Quidditch?" Harry blurted out before being able to stop himself.
"Well, we don't hold house matches, well we do but they're only once a year, really. We put all our effort into playing other schools." Harry felt relieved, for a minute it was as though they didn't play it at all. "If you want to try out for a school team then go to the Quidditch coach - I'm sure plenty of other people will be there."
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Lupin look at his watch and say, "Well Mr Armitage, I'd better be going now." Him and the headmaster shook hands once more, and as Lupin turned around he clapped Harry on the shoulder and said a comforting 'good luck' and he stepped out of and closed the door with a soft click. He was gone. Harry didn't want to show it but he felt fairly miserable. He wouldn't know anyone. He felt an terrible ache in his chest as he thought of Ron and Hermione. It was as if he couldn't breathe.
"Well Harry, I'll just fill you in on your house shall I?" He said as he looked through sheafs of parchment, "Ah yes, here we go - you'll be in Weltheow."
"Erm - sir…what are the other houses called?"
"There are four in all and they are Weltheow, Eomer, Hunlafing and Scylding. Now, do you have any more questions before you are shown you to your common room?" He didn't and so he followed Mr Armitage out of the room and back through the corridor. They climbed five stone steps and emerged in a much bigger passage. It was very long and Harry could just see a small door leading out of the passage at the other end.
"Please, wait here for a second…" Mr Armitage said as he knocked on a classroom door. A few seconds later he came out accompanied with a girl - she looked about his age.
"Harry, this is Alesi Gringott. She's a fifth year like you and she will be showing you around. Well, good luck!" He said, and he walked back down the corridor. As soon as he was out of sight Alesi turned to Harry.
"Are you really Harry Potter! I've heard so much about you!" He was surprised to hear that she had an English accent. She had short dark brown hair and she was his height. She had a clear voice and her brown eyes shone when she spoke. As they walked down the passage he learned that she had moved to America in her second year, and as this was the closest wizarding school she enrolled. She also played for the school Quidditch team. The passage opened on many different rooms. The walls were bare except for the odd candle holder and one or two portraits. Harry was disappointed to find that they didn't move. They stood stock still like muggle ones. A large staircase and several corridors later, they arrived at a large door with a sign on it saying, "Year 11 common room". Harry followed Alesi in and the girl showed him around. He was then led up a large flight of stairs. At the top was another room and this room had four doors. She opened the one that said Weltheow and Harry followed her in. There were around about twenty beds, it was a very large room. A massive window stood at the far corner and let in beams of bright sunlight.
Oh well, thought Harry dismally, things cold be worse…
***
Voldermort down on Wormtail with a sneer playing on his face. Wormtail had been trying to tell his master something for the last minute but he kept stuttering, and Voldermort was getting impatient.
"M-my Lord…I s-s-saw, no, heard…I-I"
"GET ON WITH IT YOU IMBECILE!" Voldermort roared, and this only made Wormtail worse. Somehow, though, he managed to pull himself together and spit out what he was trying to say,
"I heard Snape talking to Potter and- and- and he's not to be trusted! He told Potter that he was a spy for Dumbledore - and then h-he apparated!" Wormtail looked very relieved that he had got all that out. Voldermort however looked thoughtful. He had turned against them before, and although he didn't usually forgive Death Eaters, especially those who turned to Dumbledore, Snape was a great asset. He hadn't made Snape's return to him easy, not by far… No. He wouldn't kill him. Not just yet. He would keep a watchful eye on Snape but he wouldn't kill him. Voldermort told Wormtail to go, and he sat down, deep in thought. Snape was the only solid way of getting to Harry Potter and he was the only one who could get in and out of Hogwarts easily…no - he couldn't kill him - yet.
Nunquam Praeclarus
Chapter 4
The Dignity of Sorrow
The spell had been done. Harry stared dismally out of Dumbledore's office window. He could just imagine Hermione's and Ron's faces…why hadn't Sirius told him? Well, he thought reasonably - it was probably hearing it from Dumbledore's calm voice than someone else, even if that someone else was his Godfather. He trusted Dumbledore above all other people and he knew that what he was doing, was for the best. Harry sighed dolefully at the sound of Professor Lupin's voice outside the door talking with Dumbledore. He was travelling by Floo Powder, with the Professor, to the school - The View Point Magical Educational Institute. He was still in shock when Lupin came in saying,
"Ready to go, Harry?" Harry was still staring blankly out of the window, "Harry?"
"Oh yeah, sure…"
As Lupin has hauling Harry's trunk into the vast fireplace, Dumbledore walked over to Harry.
"I'm really sorry, but I wish you good luck. Anything you need, just owl me. I'm sure Miss Granger and Mr Weasly have received your owl (Harry spirits sunk lower) and I'm sure that they understand." Harry nodded and said, " I know - well, bye Sir…" And with that Harry stepped into the fireplace and threw the Floo Powder into the range.
"The View Point Magical Educational Institute!" He called and almost immediately he found himself spinning very quickly. He had forgotten how queasy this made him…
"Yes, Ron, what the letter said was true!" Hermione said again down the telephone. Ron was shouting at her from the other end of the line,
"Oh, god, this can't be happening!"
"Ron, would you stop yelling at me!"
"You won't hear me if I don't yell!"
"Well, if you carry on yelling I won't be able to hear at all!"
Then Ron spoke in his usual voice, expecting Hermione not to hear a thing.
"Yes, Ron that's better!" Hermione was impressed that Ron had got his head around the 'complex' workings of a telephone, and now he wasn't deafening her, she felt his voice was comforting after the shock Harry's letter had caused her. It seemed to have shocked Ron as well. At the beginning of the phone call, he had been asking continually if the letter held any truth and Hermione had to answer the affirmative, that Harry was indeed and they wouldn't be seeing him any time soon.
Hermione had cried herself to sleep that night - it wasn't fair. The thought of going to school and not seeing Harry there shocked her greatly. They were best friends, and she had thought nothing could separate them… well, she thought bitterly, she had been proved wrong in the worst possible way. Harry was gone far away and there as nothing she could do about it.
"Okay, I'll she you on the first, and Hermione…"
"Yeah…?"
"…nothing, see you." Ron said in a dead sort of voice and placed the receiver back on the phone. He walked dejectedly back upstairs and stared at his pile of unfinished homework.. His mum had gone on about how it was all for the best and he would be safe wherever he was ( ' You can still write to each other, now, can't you?') . But it's not the same, Ron thought dismally staring out of the window. They didn't even know where he was! Ron's gaze fell on the pile of homework and he thought to himself that he could either sit here and feel sorry for himself or get on with some homework.
Ron didn't touch his homework.
***
After what seemed like an eternity Harry and Lupin arrived. Timidly, Harry stood and brushed the soot of his robes. He looked nervously around. They were standing in a medium sized room. All the windows were opened and a steady breeze of summer air was wafting through the laze curtains. It all looked, to Harry's surprise, very modern. He was strongly reminded of Privet Drive. Lupin told Harry to follow him and they made their way out into the hall. It was quite narrow and they walked down it single file. The approached a large oak door, which said Headmaster's Office. Lupin knocked and a voice called, "Enter!" On seeing the room, Harry was severely disappointed. The headmaster's study was very much like the other room. His attention was drawn back to the headmaster himself, who looked surprisingly young. Probably middle-aged, he had short cropped hair and an impassive expression fixed upon his tanned face.
"Oh hello! You must be Harry Potter." He gestured for them to sit down in front of his large desk. Looking around, Harry's eye was caught by a large grandfather clock. It had planets around the outside. He smiled - at least some things were the same. Lupin stole a glance at him and offered an assuring smile. Their attention was brought back to the middle-aged headmaster who offered a hand to Harry and shook it, he did the same for Lupin.
"Harry, my name is Reedier Samuel Armitage. You will call me Mr Armitage. I will not teach you for anything and you won't see me around the school very often." He spoke all this in a heavy American accent. He didn't seem anything like Dumbledore, Harry thought biting his lip.
"You will carry on studying the subjects you did at your old school", the headmaster said. Harry a little annoyed at the term 'old school'. He hadn't properly left Hogwarts had he? Dumbledore only implied that it would be temporary. Harry tuned back in to what Mr Armitage was saying. "Now, the house system at Hogwarts was greatly established and a key part of the ethos of the school but here, it is not quite so important - we do not have separate common rooms but one large one for each year. You are all set into different groups depending on your ability and all you do in your house is sleep in house dormitories."
"What about Quidditch?" Harry blurted out before being able to stop himself.
"Well, we don't hold house matches, well we do but they're only once a year, really. We put all our effort into playing other schools." Harry felt relieved, for a minute it was as though they didn't play it at all. "If you want to try out for a school team then go to the Quidditch coach - I'm sure plenty of other people will be there."
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Lupin look at his watch and say, "Well Mr Armitage, I'd better be going now." Him and the headmaster shook hands once more, and as Lupin turned around he clapped Harry on the shoulder and said a comforting 'good luck' and he stepped out of and closed the door with a soft click. He was gone. Harry didn't want to show it but he felt fairly miserable. He wouldn't know anyone. He felt an terrible ache in his chest as he thought of Ron and Hermione. It was as if he couldn't breathe.
"Well Harry, I'll just fill you in on your house shall I?" He said as he looked through sheafs of parchment, "Ah yes, here we go - you'll be in Weltheow."
"Erm - sir…what are the other houses called?"
"There are four in all and they are Weltheow, Eomer, Hunlafing and Scylding. Now, do you have any more questions before you are shown you to your common room?" He didn't and so he followed Mr Armitage out of the room and back through the corridor. They climbed five stone steps and emerged in a much bigger passage. It was very long and Harry could just see a small door leading out of the passage at the other end.
"Please, wait here for a second…" Mr Armitage said as he knocked on a classroom door. A few seconds later he came out accompanied with a girl - she looked about his age.
"Harry, this is Alesi Gringott. She's a fifth year like you and she will be showing you around. Well, good luck!" He said, and he walked back down the corridor. As soon as he was out of sight Alesi turned to Harry.
"Are you really Harry Potter! I've heard so much about you!" He was surprised to hear that she had an English accent. She had short dark brown hair and she was his height. She had a clear voice and her brown eyes shone when she spoke. As they walked down the passage he learned that she had moved to America in her second year, and as this was the closest wizarding school she enrolled. She also played for the school Quidditch team. The passage opened on many different rooms. The walls were bare except for the odd candle holder and one or two portraits. Harry was disappointed to find that they didn't move. They stood stock still like muggle ones. A large staircase and several corridors later, they arrived at a large door with a sign on it saying, "Year 11 common room". Harry followed Alesi in and the girl showed him around. He was then led up a large flight of stairs. At the top was another room and this room had four doors. She opened the one that said Weltheow and Harry followed her in. There were around about twenty beds, it was a very large room. A massive window stood at the far corner and let in beams of bright sunlight.
Oh well, thought Harry dismally, things cold be worse…
***
Voldermort down on Wormtail with a sneer playing on his face. Wormtail had been trying to tell his master something for the last minute but he kept stuttering, and Voldermort was getting impatient.
"M-my Lord…I s-s-saw, no, heard…I-I"
"GET ON WITH IT YOU IMBECILE!" Voldermort roared, and this only made Wormtail worse. Somehow, though, he managed to pull himself together and spit out what he was trying to say,
"I heard Snape talking to Potter and- and- and he's not to be trusted! He told Potter that he was a spy for Dumbledore - and then h-he apparated!" Wormtail looked very relieved that he had got all that out. Voldermort however looked thoughtful. He had turned against them before, and although he didn't usually forgive Death Eaters, especially those who turned to Dumbledore, Snape was a great asset. He hadn't made Snape's return to him easy, not by far… No. He wouldn't kill him. Not just yet. He would keep a watchful eye on Snape but he wouldn't kill him. Voldermort told Wormtail to go, and he sat down, deep in thought. Snape was the only solid way of getting to Harry Potter and he was the only one who could get in and out of Hogwarts easily…no - he couldn't kill him - yet.