It seemed as though Harry had blinked, and September was gone. It was Thursday, and he was on his way with Hermione to Enchantments, their advanced class. Thunder shook the castle walls, and through a window Harry could see lightning in the distance. Shivering slightly, he pulled his cloak around him tightly. Normally, the nearly empty hall on the way to their class echoed with their voices and footsteps, but the storm was blocking all those sounds out, and only thunder could be heard. The damp, musty smell of the air tickled Harry's nose, and he sneezed.
"Here," Hermione said, offering him a tissue.
"Thanks." Harry blew his nose. Reaching the room where the class was held, he dropped his dirty tissue into the trashcan near the door. The room was rather large, especially for only seven students. Harry saw Professor Dumbledore, and hoped that meant their medicine unit was over. Dumbledore was at the front of the room; glancing around at nothing, obviously lost in thought, he rocked back and forth from his heels to the balls of his feet.
Harry and Hermione were a bit early, but within the next two minutes the rest of the students arrived. Cho Chang and Padma Parvati walked in together, giggling. Justin Finch-Fletchey and Hannah Abbott followed soon after, and Draco Malfoy slinked in, alone.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and seven chairs floated three inches off the floor to form a semicircle around him. They fell softly, and everyone sat; Dumbledore was silent for a moment, and the only sound was of the howling of the wind. Outside, it was darker than night; but when thunder flashed the landscape was illuminated. Every room in the castle had a fireplace, and Harry was glad the one in the classroom was lit. Its flames cast eerie shadows around the dimly lit room, and Harry shivered again, though the flames were warm.
Dumbledore's voice brought everyone back to reality. "You may have wondered, and maybe you haven't, why lightning doesn't strike the castle. Lightning usually strikes whatever is highest in the air, and Hogwarts is definitely the highest thing in the air around here. So, why doesn't Hogwarts get hit?" Dumbledore paused, and looked around.
"An enchantment of some sort?" Hermione suggested.
Dumbledore looked pleased. "Exactly. A repelling charm acts like a mirror over the building, blocking the lightning and therefore making Hogwarts a safer place. It is not an overly complicated spell, but somewhat powerful because the building is so large. Hagrid's hut also has the charm, and spell was much easier to create because his hut is smaller." Dumbledore continued to talk about the various types of spells protecting Hogwarts from the little things of day-to-day wear and tear. The noise of the storm seemed to diminish as the seven chosen ones were caught within the lecture.
Hermione was right, Harry decided. Although sometimes school was boring, learning could also be fun.
* * *
The pumpkins were as big as ever; in fact, bigger than ever. Hagrid claimed the largest was twice the size of his previous record, and Hagrid grew gigantic pumpkins. Suddenly, as he stared at it, a feeling hit Harry so hard he literally was almost knocked over: something was going to happen, something big. It was an omen. Usually, Harry didn't believe in such things, but this was different. Harry couldn't shake the feeling of absolute certainty the giant pumpkin was giving him. Something was going to happen, and soon.
"Come on, Harry, let's eat!" Ron cried, digging into the feast. Trying to ignore the intense feeling was impossible, but Harry thought if his diverted his attention he might be able to forget it for at least a little while.
The nagging feeling didn't leave him alone, though. Harry pretended to enjoy himself but he really wasn't in the partying mood. Hermione seemed to sense something wrong. "What is it, Harry?" she asked. They were in the Gryffindor common room, and all but chaos was taking place. With Fred and George gone, it would never be the same, but two second year best friends were trying to replace them. Under normal circumstances Harry would have smiled at the two friends, trying in vain to replace the great Fred and George Weasley, but he wasn't in the mood.
"What is it?" Hermione repeated, more pressingly.
Harry took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Ok, I'll tell you. But not here." No one was paying any attention to them, but that wasn't the point. Harry didn't want even the most remote chance of someone hearing them.
Together the two friends left the common room. Walking carefully so as not to get caught by Filch, they found an empty classroom.
Harry began, a bit reluctantly. "Well, I just have this feeling, like something is going to happen. Something big. I don't really know how to explain it," he added apologetically.
Hermione had turned pale. "What's the matter?" Harry asked anxiously. "I-"
"Wait," she cut him off. "I've been having this feeling, too. Kind of like, oh I don't know, weird. Unlucky or something."
"Yeah, only stronger."
"Much stronger," Hermione echoed.
* * *
Professor Dumbledore stood at the front of the Enchantments class, his expression very grave. He looked from one student to the next, slowly and carefully. Harry had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, and the raging storm outside didn't help. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating trees; to Harry it seemed as though the wind was trying to rip tree branches off the trees. Finally, Dumbledore began.
"Two weeks ago I spoke to you about some of the Enchantments around the castle. I didn't mention any of the most important; they are confidential. However, I have discussed this with Professor McGonagall, and she agreed it to be appropriate to bring this to your attention." Dumbledore paused, once again looking carefully at each student. Then he continued.
"For security reasons, the power of these Enchantments does not all rest in me and in my control. Each professor at this school has one Enchantment, and several objects hold power within." He paused, and Harry felt his uneasiness grow. The feeling that something was going to happen was deeper than ever. Hermione could also feel it, as could the rest of the students, but not as strongly. There was a flash of light, closer to the castle than ever, and a giant clap of thunder made everyone jump.
"The Emerald Eyed Phoenix is missing."