Chapter Three
Phoenix Song Charms
"Uncle Vernon!" shouted Harry as he bounded back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon, it appeared, had moved to the living room, however; Harry turned and ran back into the living room.
"What do you want now, boy?" barked Uncle Vernon, glancing up from his newspaper to watch Harry, who was now entering the room very cautiously.
"Ron's invited me to his house," said Harry quickly. No need telling Uncle Vernon about the Alps...that would just make him more determined to keep Harry from going. "They'll keep me till school starts."
Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed as he glared at Harry. Harry stared back just as defiantly, watching as Uncle Vernon thought. Harry thought he could see two weights, one on each side of Uncle Vernon's head, one saying "Get him out of my hair" the other "Make him mad." It appeared "Make him mad" was winning at the moment; an ugly sneer was appearing across Uncle Vernon's face, and Harry quickly countered.
"Fine," he said shortly, "I'll just tell Sirius you wouldn't..."
This had been enough it appeared, as Uncle Vernon raised his hand and grunted, "You can go."
"Thanks," said Harry, turning to leave the room.
"Wait," said Uncle Vernon suddenly. Harry stopped and turned back around and re-entered the room. "Where does this - er - godfather of yours live exactly?"
Harry stared at Uncle Vernon blankly. He didn't know where Sirius was at the moment...he could be anywhere...especially with Voldemort being back.... A lightbulb flicked on in Harry's head as an idea popped up.
"Well, there's an evil wizard," he started silkily, "that just rose again, so Sirius could be anywhere, trying to help my headmaster."
Uncle Vernon's face reddened with anger.
"I'll just go back to my room..." said Harry, satisfied, "lots of homework to finish before tomorrow..."
"That when they're picking you up? How?"
Harry hid a smile, remembering when the Weasleys had attempted to pick him up by Floo Powder - through the fireplace. It hadn't gone the exact way they'd planned, as the Dursleys had a boarded up electric fireplace. And to top all of that, Fred and George, Ron's twin brothers, had 'accidentally' given Dudley an invention of theirs, a Ton-Tongue Toffee, which had enlarged Harry's cousin's tongue. Mr. Weasley had had to use magic to repair it, which terrified Dudley and the Dursleys even more. It had not been pleasant, to say the least.
"They're coming by car," said Harry quickly, "tomorrow."
Uncle Vernon grunted, which Harry took as a yes, and so he left the room and headed back for his room to take a long nap.... Maybe then he'd work on his homework...when the Dursleys were sleeping...
At nine o'clock that night Harry woke up and prepared for a long night of studying...and finishing his Potions and Charms homework. Charms he could handle...Potions were another story. Professor Severus Snape, the Potions teacher, had loaded Harry with homework over the break, probably because he hated Harry more than any other Gryffindor - Snape was head of the Slytherin house, and Gryffindors and Slytherins were never the best of friends.
Snape's hatred for Harry was also because Snape and Harry's dad had been enemies throughout Hogwarts; also, Snape thought Harry was too proud of himself (which he wasn't, and in fact hated the attention); the list continued on and on.
"Let's see," Harry whispered to himself, flicking his lamp on, "what shall I do first? Charms or Potions...Charms."
He took out his Charms book and flipped to the page he had marked. It was labled in big black letters: Song Charms. Song Charms? Harry wondered. He scratched his head. This wasn't the place he remembered bookmarking.... He began to read down the page.
There are two kinds of Song Charms: Phoenix Song Charms and Murderous Song Charms. Murderous Song Charms are not illegal, but improper use of these charms could lead to serious injury, and therefore they are not used often. To invoke a Song Charm, one must point one's wand at one's throat, and whisper, "Songerious Indiudi," and then chant the incantation repeatedly. If worked properly, anything in the direction of one's wand will be instantly deafened; later levels can kill.
Phoenix Song Charms are used by phoenixes to communicate with humans through song. Only a skilled Phoenix Song Charms reader can interpret these songs. Phoenixes are the world's greatest Divinators, and every five hundred years (not on rebirth), a phoenix will make predictions for the next five hundred years; only once have these predictions failed over thousands of years: In 1009, a phoenix named Speckles predicted the end of the world, and failed.
Phoenixes were the world's greatest Divinators? thought Harry, squinting to read the words. And there were legal charms that could kill someone? Legally? But most people didn't use them any more...
The last Murderous Song Charm used was in 1645, by Nicolas Flamel, Alchemist and only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, when he was attacked by a dark wizard, Karpaci Kalahalaa. Flamel was able to murder Kalahalaa and all of his henchmen with one hit by his Song Charm; he was very advanced in such charms.
Flamel? Nicolas Flamel? thought Harry, staring wide-eyed at the page. Karpaci Kalahalaa? He'd never heard of that name...he'd ask Dumbledore about it. Yes, that was it. Ask Dumbledore. If there had been a dark wizard, even that long ago, surely Dumbledore would know.... He knew everything else that went on in the wizarding and Muggle worlds....
Harry snapped the book closed, resolving to do his homework at Ron's and to have a good night's rest.... Hopefully a dreamless good night's rest, at that.
James Potter raced down the Quidditch pitch with the Quaffle in his hands, dodging and darted back and forth, in and out of Beaters and Bludgers, between two Slytherin Chasers, towards the goal, past the Keeper, towards the hoop and -
"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" yelled Kenneth Jordan happily, quailing a moment later under Professor McGonagall's glare. "Sorry Professor...bit too happy, I s'ppose...how 'bout, Gryffindor scores! James Potter, dashingly hansome fourth year Chaser of the Gryffindor team, slips the Quaffle by Jamie Flint, the Keeper for Slytherin. Potter and Sirius Black, Gryffindor Beater, celebrate for a moment before they're back in action.
"Flint retrieves the Quaffle and tosses it out to Lucius Malfoy, who dishes it to Snape, and Snape tries to get through Cynthia McKinnon! Oooh, that was a mistake, wasn't it? He gets slammed to the ground by the vicious Gryffindor Seeker, McKinnon! And a penalty to Slytherin for that earthshaking hit! Penalty taken by Antonin Dolohov, scores easily, making it ten all. The Quaffle is picked up by Lily Evans. Quite a good-looker, Miss Evans is, if I do say so myself..."
"Jordan!" said McGonagall sharply.
"Sorry, Professor, got a little too serious again, right? I'll try harder," said Kenneth. "Now, Evans passes to Potter, Potter sweeps down towards Flint, he's going to score! Oh, but a pass to Evans gives her an empty hoop to shoot into! Flint wasn't expecting that one, was he? Twenty ten, Gryffindor lead.
"Black beats a Bludger at Flint, oooh, hits him in the jaw, but he stays on the broom. Quaffle taken to - wait a minute! McKinnon goes into a massive dive! The play stops suddenly as the Gryffindor team watches anxiously, while the Slytherin Seeker, Pablo Pliorria, flies to catch up with McKinnon! But McKinnon's dive has already ended, and she rises once more with the Snitch clutched in her left hand! GRYFFINDOR BEATS SLYTHERIN FOR THE QUIDDITCH HOUSE CUP! WHAT A GAME!"
James Potter flew straight down to the field below the pitch and began hopping happily around, chanting, "We won the cu-up, we won the cu-up!" Remus Lupin was hugging Cynthia McKinnon, congradulating her.
"Great job, captain, my captain!" shouted Sirius Black over the noise as the crowd ran down from the stands. He hugged Cynthia tightly. "And to think, they said a fourth year captain'd never get anything done!"
"They were wrong, Padfoot!" James declared.
"Apparently so!" shouted Remus.
Madam Hooch entered the arena with the Quidditch Cup in tow. Cynthia stepped forward and took it in her hands, holding it high above her head.
"WE WON!" she shouted. Cheers flew from the Gryffindors; the Slytherins had left the arena disgustedly. They passed the Quidditch Cup around until all the players of Gryffindor had held it.
"Let's go celebrate!" shouted Sirius. "I'll get some food!"
The Gryffindors chanted yeah! then headed for their common rooms, while James, Sirius, Remus, Cynthia, and Lily lagged behind.
"I can't believe we've already won the Cup!" said Cynthia happily. "We've still got three more years to win, and with you guys on the team, there's no way we can lose!"
"Yep!" Remus agreed. "Three more blissful years! By the way, have any of you heard the latest news with Voldemort?"
Cynthia and Sirius winced at Voldemort's name, but it went unnoticed by James and Lily.
"No," said Lily. "Who died now?"
"The Johnstons, a Muggle family in Little Hangleton," said Remus as they headed for the kitchen. "The only survivor was Dot Johnston, a seventy year-old lady." He paused for a moment. "Kind of odd, isn't it?"
"What, Remus?" Cynthia asked curiously, seeing a bit of fear mirrored in his eyes.
"An old lady survives, but three younger men and an old man are murdered," said Remus. He paused again as Sirius tickled the pair in the fruit painting to the kitchen and snuck in. "And the Chronicals, the town paper, said that Dot was indeed in the house...leaves one's mind to wonder, doesn't it?"
Sirius returned a moment later with food stuffed in his pockets.
"Here, take some of this," he said, shoving some food into James's hands. James stuffed it into his pockets and prepared to head back to Gryffindor tower...and then Harry's dream faded slowly away, but Harry didn't wake.
***
Harry yawned widely. He snapped his eyes open and glanced about his room. Everything was the same as it had always been. He glanced at his watch. One thirty A.M.
Harry sighed, collapsing back down to the confines of his bed and closing his eyes tightly. Why do I have to keep WAKING UP in the middle of the night? It's not fair. Really, I mean, out of the millions of wizarding families, why did Voldemort take to chasing down mine? What's wrong with Potters? We're good people, aren't we?
That's exactly why he's after you, snapped a nagging voice in the back of his head.
"Shut the hell up," he said aloud.