Now, most boys usually find summer vacation far too short, but then, most boys don't have to put up with relatives as horrid as the Dursleys. Despite the fact that Harry's life had been made a bit easier at Privet Drive, what with his aunt and uncle's terror of his murderous godfather, Sirius Black, three months of Dudley was about all that he could stand. If Harry had had any say about it, he would have spent the entire break with the Weasley's.
But Dumbledore had warned him never to stray from his blood relatives, not that summer, or the summer coming, and most likely the summer after that. It was, apparently, the only way to protect Harry from Voldemort. And while Harry was loathe to admit to the fact that one: the Dursleys were his blood relatives, and two: he needed protecting from Voldemort, he was not a stupid boy. Even had he been one, his encounter with the Dark Lord at the Triwizard Tournament would have been enough to cure him permanently.
No matter. He was at Hogwarts now. So long as Dumbledore lived, Harry was safe at Hogwarts...and the boy who lived felt a complete peace of mind as he stepped through the portrait into the middle of the Gryffindor room and breathed deeply.
"Hey, Harry! Chocolate frog?"
Harry opened his eyes to see Neville Longbottom offering a box. He smiled. "No thanks, Neville. I'm stuffed--couldn't eat another bite."
The blonde boy smiled and shrugged. "All right. See you tomorrow then, Harry. I'm beat." And with a confident wave he turned and headed up the steps to the boys' dormitory.
Harry blinked after him. "Neville seems different," he muttered to Ron, who had just walked up beside him.
"He does, doesn't he?" his friend agreed lightly. "Ten Gaellons says he crumbles in Snape's class tomorrow."
Harry shrugged, wondering where the old stuttering Neville had gone.
"All right, everyone!" Hermione was shouting over the din, clapping her hands smartly. "Get to bed, get to bed. Girls' dormitory on the right, boys' on the left. Come on, lights off, you all have a big day coming tomorrow."
"Harry," Ron whispered as they walked together towards the dormitory stairs, "do you have your Invisibility Cloak? And the Marauder's Map?"
"Should," he replied, waving goodnight to Hermione and smiling wanly at a few openly-staring first years. Several were pointing at his scar. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
Ron only grinned. "Stay awake tonight. Chocolate frog?"
****
Harry lay awake, anticipation running through his veins. Unlike the rest of the school, he and Ron wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow morning for their "curiousity to be fully satisfied," as Dumbledore had so infuriatingly put it...
"...and lastly..." Dumbledore paused, goblet in the air, and the entire Great Hall held its breath. Almost every student was leaning forward in his or her chair, eagerly waiting to find out who the strange creature sitting at the teacher's table was.
"...I'm sure you're well aware of our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Let us extend a warm welcome to Hogwarts to her."
The applause was thunderous. It was amazing, Harry thought, what Muggle clothing and surreal hair could do.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid you'll all have to wait until classes begin tomorrow to have your curiousity fully satisified. For now, Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon!" Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled wickedly over his spectacles as he gestured with his goblet, drank, and sat down.
It was past midnight before Harry dared to part the curtains surrounding his bed and whisper, "Ron?"
There was a silence, then, "Harry?"
"Hang on. I'm putting the cloak on." Harry retreated behind the curtains and put on his robes with one hand while he felt for the Invisibility Cloak, hidden under his covers, then grabbed the Maurader's Map from beneath the pillow. He tossed the cloak over his head and slipped out of bed.
"Ron." Harry poked his head through his friend's half-drawn curtains. Ron was wide awake, already robed, looking around excitedly.
"Harry?"
"Come on," Harry hissed, lifting the cloak and tossing it over Ron's hand. Ron stared at his stump of a wrist for a moment, then grinned fiercely and ducked under the Invisibility Cloak.
"'lo there," he said.
"Shh." Harry pointed to the stairs. "Let's go."
They made their way silently down to the common room, trying not to trod on the cloak. Once safely downstairs they spoke a bit more easily. Harry began unfolding the map.
"Should we sneak in and wake Hermione?" Ron murmured, staring thoughtfully at the stairs to the girls' dormitory.
Harry's hands froze for a moment before he replied with a pang, "No. She'd probably have to report us, even if she didn't want to. Besides, I don't want to get her in trouble."
Ron threw him a sidelong look. "Not like it hasn't happened to her before."
"She wasn't a prefect then. Prefects don't go running around the school after dark, not if they want to stay prefects."
Ron was silent for a moment. "You're right," he said. His shoulders slumped a bit; he seemed to have lost some of his prior enthusiasm.
Harry sighed quietly then finished unfolding the map. "Here we go..." He fished into his robes for his wand and tapped the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
"I'll say you are," a new voice said from behind.
Both Harry and Ron whirled in alarm and in doing so tangled the Invisibility Cloak around themselves in a most unfortunate way. After some frenzied struggling both boys fell to the ground in a heap.
Harry looked down at himself to see everything invisible from his chest down. Then he looked up and saw Hermione standing above them, arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.
"Gmff--Harry, get your elbow out of my...bloody hell!"
Hermione's eyes wandered past Harry to Ron's legs, sticking out from beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Then she started laughing uncontrollably into her hand, having a horrible time stifling her snickers.
"Hermione, Hermio--shhh!"
"Sorry," she wheezed, straightening up. "You two just look so funny..."
Something soft hit Harry in the face as Ron flung the cloak off of himself and sat up. "Hermi, don't report us, please..."
"I had a feeling you two would be down here," Hermione whispered, putting her hands on her hips and glaring severely. Her intended effect was somewhat negated by the gleeful smile on her face. "Leaving without me?"
"...and how are we supposed to--what?"
"Ron, you idiot, shut up," Harry muttered, throwing the cloak to one side before looking hopefully up at Hermione. "You mean it, Hermione?"
"Mean what? Don't be stupid, Ron, I'm not going to report you."
"You mean you want to come?"
Hermione gave Harry an incredulous look. "And let you two have all the fun? No such luck."
Ron was staring at her open-mouthed.
"Come on, before someone sees us," Hermione whispered, grabbing the Invisibility Cloak and whipping it over all three of them as she crouched beside her two friends.
"But, but, what about your--"
"Shut up, Ron," Hermione said with a hushed laugh.
Ron met Harry's eyes. "I believe we've been a damn bad influence on her..."
Harry grinned as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.
"All right, all right, what are we doing?" Hermione demanded. Bossily.
Oh, well. Win some, lose some.
"This." He spread the Maurader's Map open for Hermione to see. "We're looking for the new teacher."
"How do you know the map will show her, Dumbledore never said her name!"
"Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs'll come through," Ron whispered reverently. "They've got to."
Harry's eyes scanned the map eagerly. "There's McGonagall...Dumbledore, Hagrid...Snape, who's not moving..."
"That's a relief," Ron muttered.
"...Flitwick...oh, look, look, here!"
"Where?" Hermione asked, flinching as Ron braced himself against her back for a better look.
"Here." Harry pointed to a small black dot moving busily around in a classroom on one far end of the school, just below Sybil Trelawney's Divination room in the tower. Above it was the name Carmen Rysk.
"Carmen Rysk," Hermione said quietly. "Curious name."
"Suits her, then, doesn't it?" Ron answered dryly. Then, "Bloody hell!"
"What?" Harry asked, startled.
"Look at that--she's all the way across the damn school from Snape's room. I have Defense Against the Arts right after Potions--we all do!"
Harry groaned inaudibly while Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, why can't we Apparate inside school grounds?"
So that none of Voldemort's followers or Voldemort himself can come in and get at me...at anyone, Harry thought.
"We might as well learn the route now," Ron whispered, brightening. Harry grinned and began folding up the map as Ron stood and moved forward. "Come on--"
"Wait!" Hermione hissed frantically.
"Wha--"
Before either of the boys could move she had leaned forward and snatched the Marauder's Map out of Harry's hands. "Hey!"
"We can't go," Hermione said, looking as though she had eaten a piece of rotten meat.
"What?" Ron demanded, "Why?"
"Look right in front of the Fat Lady," Hermione said grimly, handing the map to Ron. Ron glanced at the parchment and instantly looked as though he, too, had swallowed something unpleasant. "Damn. It's Peeves," he spat as Harry took the map from him. "And he's not moving."
Harry grimaced, staring at the map.
Filch had taken precautions this year.
