Hello everybody! I hope you still remember me and my humble story. I know, I have been neglecting it again but I had a really bad struggle

with real life and it seems the evil RL has (once again) won. Alas, that's life…

However, I finally have been able to write and now post this chapter! Take it as a token for my intention to continue and finish this story.

To my dear reviewers: Let's just say that you have wonderful to my muse! I had some trouble whether or not to continue this fic right now and

upon seeing all those kind words I simply had to sit down and write something! I just hope its up to your expectations.

Well, that is, of course, yours to decide. As usual, you can tell me what you think with the nice, little review button at the end of this chapter.

THE CHAOS BEGINS From: Caius Julius

Chapter 17: Harbinger of Chaos

Harry didn't sleep well that night. He was troubled with nightmares. However, when he awoke the next morning, he couldn't remember the details. Still, he wasn't able to shake an anxious feeling. This was more than justified because the one thing he did remember was evil laughter of a kind he knew only too well.

 Was this just the harbinger of a terrible future event or had it already happened?


Despite himself, Harry hoped it had only been a "normal" nightmare due to his dark thoughts of the previous evening.

After all, other people had nightmares, too, without anything bad happening afterwards. He was probably just overreacting.

These were his thoughts when he returned from the bathroom to join Ron and Hermione on their way to the Great Hall. Surely, breakfast would raise his spirits to a normal, happy level.

Indeed, eating croissants and drinking hot chocolate proved to do wonders to him. His dark thoughts vanished and he finally felt more like a fifteen-year-old boy than an ageless oracle.

"I didn't know I was this hungry!" he confessed to Ron who grinned in return.

"You're not the only one, Harry. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The person who first introduced breakfast should be honoured with the Order of Merlin first class – even if it was a muggle. Don't you agree, Hermione?"

Hermione, however, didn't seem to have heard him at all.

"Don't you agree?" Ron tried again. Still, Hermione looked past him with a frown upon her face as if considering something.

"Hermione!" Ron said, louder this time.

That had the desired effect because Hermione started and looked confusedly from Ron to Harry.

"What? Did you say something?"


Ron rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we did. We were just discussing the advantages of breakfast and were merely asking for your opinion on the matter.

You, however, were distracted, it seems. What was so interesting anyway?"

Now Hermione looked past him again.

„Well, I'm not sure but I think something's wrong."

Ron frowned

"Not with breakfast. It's as tasty  as-"

"I'm not talking about food, Ron." Hermione interrupted him, sounding almost annoyed.

Ron shot Harry a frowning look. Now what did she mean by that?

Hermione sighed.

"It's the teachers. They seem, well, tense, as if something were not as it should be."

Now Harry and Ron turned toward the High Table as well to look for themselves if Hermione was right.

Professor McGonagall was talking to Dumbledore in what could be described as a most worried manner. The Headmaster himself was looking gravely at his plate and nodded. Even Professor Flitwick, usually cheerful, wore an anxious expression.

There was one thing, however, that truly convinced them that something was amiss.

It was Sibyll Trelawney.

"If she's here it can only mean one thing." Ron whispered.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "her Inner Eye told her to come to Breakfast today because something baaad has happened," he said  in a pretty good imitation of the Divination professor's voice.

Ron snorted.

"As if she actually ever predicted anything. Probably just heard it from Dumbledore and thought it would be a great idea to come down. Tsk!" He shook his head.

"Must be something serious, however," he continued.

Harry sighed.

"Well, whatever it is, they'll let us know if it concerns us. If not we probably have no reason to worry."

Ron tilted his head and considered this.

"In that case I hope they won't say anything at all. These past months have been adventurous and thrilling enough, don't you think?"

"Right." Harry nodded. "Let's talk about something else, shall we? We're sounding like an old Veteran's club already. Hermione, how's your teaching going?"

Hermione lifted her brows in – mock-surprise.

"Why do you ask, Harry? I thought you didn't want to hear about it anymore. You said so yourself, remember. You even threatened me if I continued pestering you two."

Ron blushed.

"Oh, that. Well, you know, we were only joking. We would never, I mean, not really..."

"Yes?" Hermione tilted her head.

"Ok, you win!" Harry gave in. "We are interested in your progress with the first years. Just don't overdo it, right?"

Hermione beamed at them and began immediately to tell Harry and Ron just how much the younger students enjoyed her tutoring. Ron secretly doubted that but was wise enough not to tell her. Listening to Hermione made Harry forget his troubles. After all, it was good to finally talk about something else than Voldemort and his evil scheming.

As it turned out, Hermione really had made a progress with her charges. Although they were not allowed to brew the more powerful (and thus more dangerous) potions, she still had been able to give the student a grasp  of the basics of potions brewing. However, Harry doubted Snape would be proud of her. At least he wouldn't show it. It simply didn't fit with his personality.

If he ever learned of Hermione's tutoring, that is.

They were just about to leave the Gryffindor table when they heard a sound coming from the High Table.

Professor Dumbledore had pushed his chair back and stood up.

Silently, he faced the students.

Within moments everyone's attentions was towards the Headmaster and after some more seconds he finally began.

"Last night something terrible happened." He began and, hearing this, Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances. Whispers could be heard throughout the Great Hall.

Dumbledore continued.

"Some of our worst fears have come true and now we cannot choose to be passive any longer. We have been betrayed.

Last night the guardians of Azkaban, the Dementors, decided to form an alliance with Voldemort."

For a few seconds the whispers stopped. The Hall was utterly silent while most people simply stared. Had they heard right? Azkaban, the mighty fortress, the one place were all convicted dark wizards and witches were sent to, had simply been handed over to the Dark Lord?

The dreading silence hung in the air, almost palpable.

Harry closed his eyes. That had been the reason for his nightmares, the evil laughter, his worried feelings afterwards. Now it finally had happened. Azkaban had fallen. Snape had predicted it days ago but somehow Harry had hoped the former Potions Master had been wrong. Even while  on the Light side, the Dementors had seemed uncontrollable and dangerous, only abstaining from violence because of the prisoners they were allowed to deprive of their happy memories.

Now everything would get worse. Certainly, Voldemort wouldn't restrain the creatures.

Harry imagined the kind of panic a few Dementors could cause in Diagon Alley. How many people were able to cast the Patronus spell effectively? Hadn't Remus told him that not every trained wizard could do so, that it was even pretty difficult?

Suddenly, noise filled the Great Hall again. It seemed to Harry as if everyone started speaking at once. Looking at the people at his own table he noticed many worried faces, some angry ones. A few simply stared at their food.

"Silence!" Dumbledore's voice shouted. "Please, students. I know this is difficult for you and that you are distressed – we all are. However," he gestured with his hands so that everyone's attention was on him once more.

"However," he continued. "This event  does also have a positive aspect."

Harry frowned and looked at Hermione, but his friend seemed as surprised by the Headmaster's statement as he was.

"The good thing about the Dementor's deceit," Dumbledore went on once again.

"Is, that we finally know  whose side they are on. Now is the turning point because a lot of our enemies or allies will show their true colours. Personally, I am not sorry that the Dementors choose to desert us because they have been a shaky ally at best. At least now we no longer have to guess about them.

"Azkaban's fall, however, poses another threat to us. Of course now all of its prisoners are set free. I don't tell you this to frighten you but instead to show you how serious matters have become. Some - a lot of these dark wizards are extremely dangerous, be assured of that. These are dark times indeed."

His eyes drifted to the Slytherin table where – not unsurprisingly – not everyone seemed worried about the news.

"Dark times," Dumbledore went on. "For everyone."

Harry almost thought, the Headmaster held Draco's gaze, as if waiting who would  waver first.

Draco looked away, staring at the table. Even if he sat quite far away, Harry was sure the Slytherin wasn't as happy about Azkaban's fall as some of his housemates. He seemed rather thoughtful.

Harry frowned again. Now what was going on with this world? Surely Draco had every reason to be happy and full of glee. His father  supported Voldemort, for  heaven's sake.

Yeah, but that doesn't mean Draco does... A voice in his head said quietly.

Harry shook his head. Where did that come from? He had only spoken a few sensible words with Draco Malfoy and suddenly he started to sympathise with him? No, sympathise was the wrong word. It rather seemed as if he saw Draco as a person instead of... well, instead of an evil brat.

Still, Dumbledore wasn't finished. Waiting once more until everyone was silent, he continued, "Since I know how much this will upset you all, your professors and I decided to shorten today's schedule to give you the time to talk about what happened later. I just ask one thing from you: please try to pay attention to the few classes you have today. You'll have enough time after Lunch. Thank you!"

With that he finally sat down again and once again voices all around Harry started to talk at once.

Ron poked him lightly into the ribs.

"Hey, we don't have Divination today! Isn't that great? I wonder if Professor crystal ball foresaw that."

Harry grinned back at him.

"Of course, Ron. Don't question her abilities! She has the Inner Eye, after all."

"Boys!" Hermione said, sounding annoyed. "How can you joke in times like these? Haven't you heard? Voldemort has taken Azkaban. Now the war will get worse. How can you talk about something as trivial as your Divination lesson?"

"Hermione," Ron rolled his eyes. "We cannot change the situation by being deadly serious about it all the times, can we?"

"No," his friend said, "but neither can you with your foolish ado."

"We know that!" Ron retorted. "But we also know that whatever we do we cannot undo things. Hell, there are already enough people in here who worry – we don't need to do so, too. Besides, just because we are happy to not have to go to Divination doesn't mean we don't take the matter seriously. My father works in the Ministry, after all. You can be assured that I worry about him, thank you very much!"

"Ok, ok. Don't get angry with me, Ron." Hermione said. "I get your point. Maybe it's just me. I for one do worry about what will happen," she sighed. "But you're right, let's not talk about it. Or rather not now, we have Transfiguration in a few minutes and whatever the reason, I don't think Professor McGonagall would want us to be late."

She stood up and left the table.

Ron rolled his eyes and leaned closer to Harry.

"Now who's talking about trivial things?" he whispered, but, of course, followed Hermione none the less.

Harry sat a few more moments at the table, thinking about what the Headmaster had said until finally shaking his head. Ron was right: they couldn't change things. Maybe he should stop worrying so much but secretly he asked himself whether Hermione didn't have a good point, too.

Despite Professor McGonagall's best efforts the lesson was less productive than usual. Too fresh was the news about Azkaban. Many of Harry's classmates had some distant relation who had been killed during the first war and, naturally, they feared everything would repeat itself. Perhaps many realised only now how serious matters really  had become for the wizarding world. Harry was sure at least some had hoped for Dumbledore's speech after Cedric's death to be a bit exaggerated.

Since her students were too distracted to follow a normal lesson, McGonagall decided to change her lesson plans for once. Instead of teaching them how to transfigure objects she let her students ask questions about anything – as long as it was related to Transfiguration. That way, Harry surmised, she probably hoped to capture their interest at least partially. This opportunity was used most – not surprisingly – by Hermione who seemed to have begun to study for the OWL's already, since she had a huge catalogue of questions.

Harry and Ron simply exchanged glances. They knew  their friend's studying habits very well, after all. It had proved to be very useful more than once.

This day, however, was not without good news for Harry. After Transfiguration ended they had Care of Magical Creatures. While they slowly trotted towards Hagrid's hut, Harry noticed that the groundskeeper was not alone. Indeed, with him was a large animal which Harry immediately recognised. Could it be?

His hopes were confirmed when Hagrid greeted them.

"Hello my dear students. Today I have brought a friend of mine to help me with the lesson. Say hello to Snuffles!"

Harry grinned. Now he only needed to find time to talk to his godfather in private. He really could need his presence. He knew, however, that he needn't worry. Sirius surely had thought about that.

TBC…

Yes, I still intend to finish the story, even if it takes me longer and longer to finish the chapters. Ehem. Sorry about that…

Well, I hope you stay tuned.

Until next time!

Caius