Chapter 4- The Explanation
Harry felt dazed as he walked out of Potions. Why did Dumbledore want Draco Malfoy to come? And what did he have to do with Sasha? Moreover, what possessed him to act so nicely toward himself? His head swam with questions. But he shook it off and looked around. Draco walked at his side. Professor McGonagall led the way, black robes swishing. They were in the Charms corridor. The trio walked on but had not gotten very far when Professor Sprout appeared.
" Follow me," she said curtly. With a nod to their Transfigurations teacher, they set off. Within minutes, Harry found himself in the sixth floor hallway. They walked up to Dumbledore's gargoyle.
" Dr. Nubble's Butter Nutter," she said to the statue and it jumped aside, revealing the entrance. She gestured to them for them to follow her inside his office. With a confused look at Draco, Harry stepped inside and got on the staircase.
Draco felt confused as well. But he decided to keep silent for once. Inside the room, he looked around. It seemed like a circular room, with bookshelves filled with old-fashioned books and colored bottles of liquid. He noted a large desk in the room and a chair behind it. Sitting inside was none other than Albus Dumbledore.
" Good day, boys." He said, his eyes twinkling and smiling. " I trust Professors McGonagall and Sprout were very discreet about your mission?"
The two boys nodded in unison.
" Good," Dumbledore said then stood up abruptly. " You'll be embarking on an extremely dangerous mission and I will trust you to complete it successfully." He said, pacing around the room.
Harry felt his mouth drop open. Beside him, Draco did the same.
" Professor, m-may I ask what our mission will be?" asked Harry, his voice wavering.
Dumbledore stopped and gazed at Harry with that penetrating look of his. Then he spoke.
" Harry, this task is very hard and dangerous but I trust that you will be able to complete this. Also you, Mr. Malfoy. You will be accompanying Mr. Potter upon this trip. Your presence is most certainly required." He finished and walked back to his desk, sitting down.
" Harry, you asked me what this mission is. But to my greatest regret, I cannot tell you. Not now, at least. Right now, you have another task. I will require your attendance on the twenty-second of September. Harry, may I have Sasha?"
Harry nodded and extracted from his bag, the sleeping snake. Draco looked very astonished when he saw the silvery snake coiled up in Harry's palm.
" Please tell Miss Bellstone to wake up." Dumbledore instructed Harry, who did so. Sasha woke slowly, with a hiss.
" Please tell her to trust me and stay in this cupboard." Dumbledore told Harry. He nodded and repeated the message to Sasha in Parseltongue. The snake paused, then crept inside the cupboard Dumbledore had been gesturing toward.
" Thank you, Mr. Potter and Malfoy. Harry, please don't speak of this to your two friends. I will speak to them in due time. Draco, please don't speak of this to your parents. Again, please remember to be present at my office the twenty-second of September." The headmaster said, looking at the two boys sternly, not at all like the kind and gentle old man they knew.
" Yes, Professor Dumbledore." The two boys said.
" Now please get to your next classes, which is Transfiguration, I believe," The two boys nodded and walked to the door.
Presently, they stepped out of Dumbledore's office and into the corridor on the sixth floor. Harry looked at Draco, who looked back.
" So, what do you reckon we have to do?" asked Harry, trying to break the awkward silence. Draco stared back and replied," I think it's something very important. What was that snake?"
Harry was uneasy. Should he tell Draco about Sasha? Fortunately, he didn't have to decide. Professor Flitwick came hurrying along the corridor.
" Boys!" he reproved. " You should be in your next class now! Do hurry along now,"
Harry gathered his bag and jogged down to Transfiguration. When he arrived, the entire class had gathered and were staring at Harry and Draco, who arrived late.
" Sorry, Professor. Er¡we were a bit caught up," panted Harry. Professor McGonagall looked at them through her spectacles, regarding them intently.
" Go on," was her only reply.
The class was dumbfounded. They couldn't believe McGonagall had let Harry and Draco off that easily. Hermione and Ron looked at him questioningly as Harry sat down. He shook his head and took out his notes.
" So without further ado, we shall start. Today, we'll be investigating cross-species transfiguration with animals," she began. " This is similar to the transfiguration we have been attempting for two months now¡"
Draco sat down in his seat in the back of the room, among the Slytherins. Pansy Parkinson slid a sidelong glance at Draco, who shook his head as well and started taking notes on today's lesson.
It was lunchtime and the Great Hall was stuffed with students. Harry picked at his food unconsciously. On his left side, Ron was, as one would expect, eating with great enthusiasm and on his right, Hermione was nibbling at a ham sandwich while reading a thick book. He got up soon and went up to Gryffindor Tower. He felt tired and wanted to think for a while about what Dumbledore had told him.
" What does he want us to do?" he murmured, still thinking over Dumbledore's words. " And what does Draco have to do with it?" he asked himself. All sorts of questions were swarming in his head. " I shouldn't think so much," he muttered as he gave the Fat Lady the password. He walked into the common room, which was pretty much deserted since everyone was at lunch. Then, he walked up to the dormitories. Sitting down on his bed, he yawned. It was true. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. He settled down for a nap. " Just a short nap, right?" he muttered. Soon, Harry was asleep.
Harry felt dazed as he walked out of Potions. Why did Dumbledore want Draco Malfoy to come? And what did he have to do with Sasha? Moreover, what possessed him to act so nicely toward himself? His head swam with questions. But he shook it off and looked around. Draco walked at his side. Professor McGonagall led the way, black robes swishing. They were in the Charms corridor. The trio walked on but had not gotten very far when Professor Sprout appeared.
" Follow me," she said curtly. With a nod to their Transfigurations teacher, they set off. Within minutes, Harry found himself in the sixth floor hallway. They walked up to Dumbledore's gargoyle.
" Dr. Nubble's Butter Nutter," she said to the statue and it jumped aside, revealing the entrance. She gestured to them for them to follow her inside his office. With a confused look at Draco, Harry stepped inside and got on the staircase.
Draco felt confused as well. But he decided to keep silent for once. Inside the room, he looked around. It seemed like a circular room, with bookshelves filled with old-fashioned books and colored bottles of liquid. He noted a large desk in the room and a chair behind it. Sitting inside was none other than Albus Dumbledore.
" Good day, boys." He said, his eyes twinkling and smiling. " I trust Professors McGonagall and Sprout were very discreet about your mission?"
The two boys nodded in unison.
" Good," Dumbledore said then stood up abruptly. " You'll be embarking on an extremely dangerous mission and I will trust you to complete it successfully." He said, pacing around the room.
Harry felt his mouth drop open. Beside him, Draco did the same.
" Professor, m-may I ask what our mission will be?" asked Harry, his voice wavering.
Dumbledore stopped and gazed at Harry with that penetrating look of his. Then he spoke.
" Harry, this task is very hard and dangerous but I trust that you will be able to complete this. Also you, Mr. Malfoy. You will be accompanying Mr. Potter upon this trip. Your presence is most certainly required." He finished and walked back to his desk, sitting down.
" Harry, you asked me what this mission is. But to my greatest regret, I cannot tell you. Not now, at least. Right now, you have another task. I will require your attendance on the twenty-second of September. Harry, may I have Sasha?"
Harry nodded and extracted from his bag, the sleeping snake. Draco looked very astonished when he saw the silvery snake coiled up in Harry's palm.
" Please tell Miss Bellstone to wake up." Dumbledore instructed Harry, who did so. Sasha woke slowly, with a hiss.
" Please tell her to trust me and stay in this cupboard." Dumbledore told Harry. He nodded and repeated the message to Sasha in Parseltongue. The snake paused, then crept inside the cupboard Dumbledore had been gesturing toward.
" Thank you, Mr. Potter and Malfoy. Harry, please don't speak of this to your two friends. I will speak to them in due time. Draco, please don't speak of this to your parents. Again, please remember to be present at my office the twenty-second of September." The headmaster said, looking at the two boys sternly, not at all like the kind and gentle old man they knew.
" Yes, Professor Dumbledore." The two boys said.
" Now please get to your next classes, which is Transfiguration, I believe," The two boys nodded and walked to the door.
Presently, they stepped out of Dumbledore's office and into the corridor on the sixth floor. Harry looked at Draco, who looked back.
" So, what do you reckon we have to do?" asked Harry, trying to break the awkward silence. Draco stared back and replied," I think it's something very important. What was that snake?"
Harry was uneasy. Should he tell Draco about Sasha? Fortunately, he didn't have to decide. Professor Flitwick came hurrying along the corridor.
" Boys!" he reproved. " You should be in your next class now! Do hurry along now,"
Harry gathered his bag and jogged down to Transfiguration. When he arrived, the entire class had gathered and were staring at Harry and Draco, who arrived late.
" Sorry, Professor. Er¡we were a bit caught up," panted Harry. Professor McGonagall looked at them through her spectacles, regarding them intently.
" Go on," was her only reply.
The class was dumbfounded. They couldn't believe McGonagall had let Harry and Draco off that easily. Hermione and Ron looked at him questioningly as Harry sat down. He shook his head and took out his notes.
" So without further ado, we shall start. Today, we'll be investigating cross-species transfiguration with animals," she began. " This is similar to the transfiguration we have been attempting for two months now¡"
Draco sat down in his seat in the back of the room, among the Slytherins. Pansy Parkinson slid a sidelong glance at Draco, who shook his head as well and started taking notes on today's lesson.
It was lunchtime and the Great Hall was stuffed with students. Harry picked at his food unconsciously. On his left side, Ron was, as one would expect, eating with great enthusiasm and on his right, Hermione was nibbling at a ham sandwich while reading a thick book. He got up soon and went up to Gryffindor Tower. He felt tired and wanted to think for a while about what Dumbledore had told him.
" What does he want us to do?" he murmured, still thinking over Dumbledore's words. " And what does Draco have to do with it?" he asked himself. All sorts of questions were swarming in his head. " I shouldn't think so much," he muttered as he gave the Fat Lady the password. He walked into the common room, which was pretty much deserted since everyone was at lunch. Then, he walked up to the dormitories. Sitting down on his bed, he yawned. It was true. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. He settled down for a nap. " Just a short nap, right?" he muttered. Soon, Harry was asleep.