Chapter 8
History of Magic hadn't changed a bit, of course, and so through the whole class of Professor Binns blabbering on and on about Gnomes and their wars, Harry was thinking about the next class: Potions. And for once, he was almost looking forward to it. No Snape! But how much better was Mrs. Everett going to be? Once class let out, he found out.
"Class, please, SIT DOWN!" she yelled in a grumpy tone as all the students were running around and gossiping and chattering about the first day of school, "I don't know what Mr. Snape let you get away with, but you certainly do not have permission to be acting like that in my class!! Now, for now you could sit where you like, but tomorrow you will have assigned seating-"
"ASSIGNED SEATING?" bellowed Ron, but shut up after a very nasty glare from the teacher. "Assigned seating?" he whispered again to Harry and Hermione. "Yeah right!"
"Now, sit down, and listen up. We're gonna start today with role-call, and if anyone had any idea that they could skip my class, well, they'll be changing it now." She picked up the list and began reading off names. When she got to Harry's name, she actually didn't do the regular reaction- the wide-eyes and staring at the scar. She was worse. "HARRY POTTER??" she burst out, sputtering all over the place, her face turning bright red. "What kind of a name is THAT?! Is that some kind of JOKE? Who make up this ATTENDANCE LIST??!! Alright, who was it??" Harry stood slowly and uncertainly, the rest of the class in dead silence. "Oh, so you're the culprit, huh? You made this fraud list?"
"No, Ma'am, I..."
"No use in denying it boy, what a trick to play on a substitute on her first day!"
"No, Mrs. Everett, I.... I am Harry Potter."
There was a long silence as she looked him over doubtfully, then gasped, "Oh, dear God!" and fell backward into her chair, her eyes closed.
For a long moment, everyone assuming she had fainted, they waited, Ron muttering, "A little over-dramatic, wouldn't you say?" and Harry sat back down. Finally her eyes popped back open and she stood up as if nothing had happened and finished calling roll, leaving everyone in complete shock. When she was done she instructed everyone roughly on how to dissect the frogs in such a way as to leave the brains intact for the potion, and left them to do the work among themselves.
"Okay..." said Hermione, "That was weird."
"Yeah, but you have to admit, she is an improvement from Snape," pointed out Ron, "She doesn't seem to despise Harry, but I'm not really sure what that was..." Harry laughed and said,
"You're right, that was the strangest reaction I've ever gotten, worse than Flitwick falling off his stack of books..." And they all laughed and got to work.
Roughly an hour later, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and the rest of the Potions class emerged from the dungeons, guided by Mrs. Everett. The lesson had actually been quite entertaining, now that Harry thought back on it. Throughout the whole class, Mrs. Everett would burst out yelling at the Slytherins for something or another. Harry often looked up to find Mrs. Everett staring at him, and he would quickly return to prodding the frog-brains out with the tip of his knife. Ron, Hermione, and Harry especially enjoyed when Malfoy spilled his cauldron full of assorted frog parts and Mrs. Everett practically exploded with rage. Now Mrs. Everett lead the Gryffindors to Defense Against the Dark Arts room, and dropped them off outside the classroom to escort the Slytherins to History of Magic. They poured into the room, scrambling for good seats. Harry, Hermione, and Ron occupied a few seats in the front row. Professor Marchbanks was sitting behind her desk in robes as blue as her sparkling eyes, and she smiled. Ron blushed, and Harry got that feeling... he knew that smile, it was so familiar! His thoughts were interrupted as she began:
"Welcome, all. Thank you for taking your seats. As you know, I am Professor Henrietta Marchbanks, and I'm extremely pleased that I get to teach you all. I can't wait for a wonderful year with you all! Now, how shall I start? I'd first like to say that I have a slightly different way of teaching than some of your other teachers. You see, I know many wizards and witches from my former job, and there are many I would like to know, so I am going to be inviting guest speakers to come in every now and the to tell you about their experiences with the Dark Arts. You'll be required to take notes and write thank you letters at the end-" She grinned at their groans, "-but that's no big deal. We'll have fun. I have some great speakers lined up! Oh, I forgot to take attendance, just a sec-" She searched through papers on her desk and pulled out the roll sheet. She began calling the names and didn't even pause when she came to Harry's name. That's nice, he thought, What a relief from the last class!
"Now," she began again, "I would like to tell you a little about myself. I was born in Kent. I grew up there and went to school here at Hogwarts. Let me let you in on a little secret..." She leaned forward confidentially, and the whole class seemed to lean in as well to listen. "...Did you guys know that when I was at school here, Professor McGonagall and Snape and Binns and Flitwick and pretty much all your teachers taught even then? They gotta be pretty old, huh?" she laughed. "I graduated when I was seventeen and then went to working with the Ministry of Magic, training to be an Auror. I'm taking a break from that to teach you. I'm 22, and I love to play Quidditch, and read. I also love cats, and I own quite a few of them. I don't prefer dogs much, but I like horses and unicorns. When I'm not playing Quidditch, reading, riding horses, or petting my cats, I'm eating chocolate and talking with my friends." She took a deep breath and continued, "Glad to have that done with. Now... let's all get out the books 'My Story, A Tale Of Dark Magic', and turn to the first chapter. Who would like to read out loud for us?"
The rest of the class was spent reading the intriguing and true novel out loud, and after Professor Marchbanks assigned Chapter 3 and 4 as homework, she dismissed the class.
"Oh, Mr. Potter, could I have a word with you?" she said as the class was leaving to wait out in the hall for their escort. Harry crossed over to her desk, thinking Oh great, here it comes. I knew it was too good to be true when she called role and didn't even comment...
"Harry, hi," she said, standing up from her desk. "I was just wondering if... um... well, I just wanted to clear up with you because you might have read, you know, the newspaper about... well, this summer..."
"Yeah, I know," said Harry awkwardly.
"Oh, alright, I just... well, I know you get this, like, a whole lot, but, well, now that I know how... how terrible it is... I... want you to know that I know understand a little of what you've been through, and if you ever need anything-"
"Thanks," said Harry appreciatively. She had been right, he did get that a lot, but she really understood, so it was different. It was like she was talking to him because she actually cared for him as a person and not just the poor little orphan boy.
"Yeah, well, if you ever need anything."
"Cool, thanks! Er... you don't mind me asking... I mean, the paper didn't say anything about, well, where, or why-"
"I'm still a little confused myself, actually. I'm sure he is clever enough now not to let himself be seen, so I assume it was purposeful. Why? I have no idea. You see, Harry, like your former teacher, I work for the Ministry as an Auror. Well, I did, anyway, for 2 years. It was not a very eventful job at first, until we got the Sirius Black case... and still, I was not very interested until the World Cup's fiasco, and the disaster at the Triwizard Tournament. But after I got my sight of You-Know-Who, I was so frightened, I decided to take a break from being an Auror, and teach here. So here I am."
"But... where was it that you-"
"Harry!" called Hermione, sticking her head through the door, "You're not gonna have time to eat dinner! Come on!"
Harry said good-bye to the Professor, and headed toward the Great Hall.
Dinner over, Harry hurried down to the Quidditch pitch, clutching his Firebolt, thinking hard, his stomach twisting nervously. What if he made Captain? Did he really want to? It'd be a lot of work, and maybe he should just leave it for the more advanced players. That's what he'd do. But the thing was, all the players were so good in their positions that if one of them became Captain, did that mean they had to be Keeper as well? Probably not. And another thing: Ginny. He had never seen her play, not even fly, since whenever he had stayed with the Weasleys, she had never joined in when they played together. So, was she good? Would it break her heart when she didn't make it... or would she actually be good enough? He had reached the pitch, and only the rest of the team and Madam Hooch were there, so he hopped onto the Firebolt and rose into the air. It felt fabulous. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the feeling until now. He did a few laps around the pitch, racing Fred and Katie. When more people started showing up, they returned to the ground and stood, looking people over. There was a crowd of people wanting to try out, maybe 14 or 15, even. Harry spotted Ginny chatting with a tall 6th year, clutching her Cleansweep 7 and looking very nervous. George indicated her and said, "I know she's my kid sister and all, but you know, she's not bad. I think she actually has a chance at Keeper."
"Why isn't Ron trying out?" Harry wondered to George and Fred.
"I don't know. I guess he just didn't think he was good enough. Maybe he just didn't want to risk having Ginny beat him for the spot." That made sense, Harry decided, but still, he felt bad that Ron's brothers and his best friend and now possibly even his sister were on the team. Wouldn't he feel, well, jealous or something on that line?
"Well, I think this is everyone who wanted to audition, so let's get to work, eh?" called Madame Hooch. "We'll start by naming the team Captain for this year. This Captain, chosen by me, will be confirming the appointment of the new member. So, without further ado, the new Team Captain for the Gryffindor team for this year is..." Oh please, thought Harry, I hope it's not me. I wanted to be it at first, but I'd rather someone older get the part-
"Angelina Johnson!!!!!" There was a tremendous cheering, and Angelina gasped and looked absolutely thrilled. "Of course, this is only if you are willing to, as it is a very difficult and time-absorbing duty, but much appreciated."
"I'd love to do it!" said Angelina, and Harry could tell she really meant it. He was very glad she got it, as he respected her and trusted her and knew she'd be a great leader. He jogged over to congratulate her as Madame Hooch continued:
"Alright, now, I'd like the whole team to watch carefully as each of you-" she indicated the people waiting to try out, "-fly a lap around the stadium, first of all. We will do other exercises after."
One by one, each 'contestant' flew a lap around the field, and Harry had to admit, they were all pretty good. The tall 6th year was just finishing up, and Harry saw that Ginny was next. He braced himself. She got on her broom and very speedily and gracefully circled the stadium. She was surprisingly good, maybe not as good as some of the others he had seen so far, but after all, speed and such was not really what the position of Keeper was about...
"Next," announced Madam Hooch, taking notes on her clipboard, "we will test each of you by having you try and block the goals while our own Chasers try to get a Quaffle past you, okay?" Again, each one tried. Some, who had been very good at the flying, missed every ball thrown at them, while others caught every one, though with some awkwardness. Harry watched carefully during Ginny's turn. Katie Bell flew over and tried to throw a few Quaffels past her, but she caught them nicely, each and every one. On her last shot, Katie tried a most difficult strategy of hurrying to one side of the posts to make Ginny fly over to that side as well to stop her from scoring, and then flying to the other side sharply and throwing, trying to get Ginny slightly confused to score. Harry could tell she was about to use this strategy, and braced himself for disappointment, but found none. Ginny caught it, a little awkwardly, but it was in her hands and not in the goal. Fred and George cheered wildly and slapped fives with Harry, who stood, stunned, staring at Ginny. She just might have a chance, he thought, no, she had more then a chance, she was sure to be called back, at least, once they narrowed it down. Once the last contestant had caught the last Quaffle, the team huddled and discussed. They narrowed it down to three contestants, the tall 6th year girl named Wanda Keleski, a bossy-looking but excellent 7th year boy name Joe Fondett, and Ginny. Madame Hooch broke the news to all the others, who were standing around impatiently. Harry watched as Ginny realized she was into the finals, and her face lit up like he had never seen it before. This was her chance for glory, he realized. He hope she'd make it.
The team challenged the three contestants once more, and in the end asked them to wait outside the locker rooms while Angelina and the rest of the team discussed.
"I vote for Joe," announced Katie Bell. "He's the best, in my opinion-"
"I don't know about that," argued Alicia Spinett, "Just cuz you have a crush on him doesn't mean you should pick him," she laughed. Katie turned red. "Besides, I think Wanda's performance wasn't bad-"
"What about Ginny?" said Harry. They all turned to look at him. "Well, her Keeping was outstanding-"
"I agree!" said George and Fred together, and Angelina nodded.
"Hm..." she said, "Let's see. I think, although Joe was very good, he seems way too, you know, bossy about everything. And Wanda's flying was excellent, but her Keeping didn't even compare with Ginny's-"
"Then your decision?" asked Harry hurriedly. There was silence as everyone watched Angelina intently.
"I'd have to say Ginny."
They had quite a party in the Gryffindor commons that evening. With the exception of the other contestants who had tried out, everyone was very pleased (and very surprised!) with the selection of Ginny for Keeper. Fred and George strutted around holding trays of food, saying, "She's my sister, you know. Imagine, a whole lot of us Weasleys on the same team will be amazing. We'll wipe out those Slytherins..." Hermione was especially excited as well, she kept gasping, "Can you believe it? I knew she'd make it! I just knew it-" And of course, Ginny was thrilled. Harry had never seen her so happy (and surprised). When she wasn't being enveloped in hugs and slaps on the back, she was gazing Harry's way and grinning.
"Go talk to her!" urged Hermione. Harry finally trudged over and muttered,
"Well, welcome to the team!"
"Thanks, Harry!" she said, beaming. "This is really amazing. I'm so excited! When does training start?"
Harry shrugged. "Not sure. Ask Angelina. Oh, and Ginny? If you ever have any questions or anything, please, feel free to ask me-"
"Thanks!"
Harry waved and walked back over to Hermione, who said, "That was nice of you, Harry, that probably made her day one-hundred percent!"
"Um, right, where's Ron?" In all the excitement, Harry had almost forgotten about his best friend. His eyes searched over the room and rested on a tuft of red hair sticking up from the back a chair in front of the fireplace. "Er, be right back," he muttered to Hermione, and pushed through the crowd to the fireplace and sank into a chair next to Ron. "Hey, what's happening?" He asked him. Ron's face was very sad and sulky and his eyes looked glazed over and he was staring into the fire.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing," he said with a false confidence. "You might think I'd be upset about Ginny getting in, but the strange thing is, I'm not. I'm just... well... shocked." Harry nodded.
"Same here. But you're sure everything's cool?"
"Yeah," Ron assured Harry quickly.
"Well then," said Harry, "let's go over and get some food, eh?" Ron agreed and they both returned to Hermione and grabbed some cakes of a tray.
The party went long into the night, and by the time everyone was finally leaving for bed and Fred and George were shooting off their last Filbuster's Firecrackers, Harry expected Ginny's head would be about 20 times bigger, but it wasn't. She didn't seem to be gloating at all the next morning, though all the attention boosted her confidence just enough that she was able to stay strong when Malfoy came over at breakfast and commented, "So, I hear we've got another Weasley on the team? With the brooms you lot have, you'll be a push-over. It depresses me that Gryffindor couldn't find anymore talent than yet another Weasley, but, hey, not every team has such amazing players like me." And he strutted back over to the other table, making quite a fool of himself.
Harry wished Callista could've been there then to see how very sweet Malfoy was, but unfortunately she was off sitting with some people from Hufflepuff today. "So," said Hermione, swallowing a bight of her Cauldron Cake, "I wonder what we have today in place of PE. Professor McGonagall said there would be something different every day of the week."
"Who knows," said Harry, "But yesterday was really fun. It was a change."
"Yeah, I liked it too," agreed Ron, "But if we have the same schedule every day for the whole term, that class might be the only thing that varies." They all thought about this for a moment, and decided that that was okay with them. They had enjoyed their first day immensely, and if the other days went as well, they'd be fine with the schedule. They ate in silence for a bit, Harry glancing around the hall and resting on the Hufflepuff table. He almost jumped when he realized that there was another pair of eyes staring at him from the table- and those eyes had a strange gold rim around the iris which he could see all the way from over at the Gryffindor table. Callista quickly looked away, and so did Harry. What was she doing staring at me? he thought. She acts so suspicious! Everyone else seems to love her, but why don't I trust her? There was a strange feeling in his stomach every time those sharp eyes looked his way. For some reason, the thought of this made him lean across the table and whisper to Hermione,
"Hey, um, Hermione? Can I have my 'Medolocris' etc. book back?"
"Oh, of course, sorry. Thanks for letting me use it!" she said, rummaging around in her bag and passing it across the table to him.
"What were you doing with it anyway?" he said, lowering his voice even further.
"None of your business," she replied coolly, then softened at his best puppy-face. "Fine, fine, but not here. Tell you after breakfast..."
