CHAPTER THREE- Teachers and Transfers
"Okay! Has everyone got everything?" Arthur asked.
"Yes." Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny chorused.
"Good. Better get on board." He said, nervously checking his watch.
Harry and Ron trouped onto the great Scarlet steam engine which was the Hogwarts Express. The two quickly found Hermione who was settled in a compartment, reading. "Hello boys." She said, rather coolly. She was obviously still upset over Ron.
"Hello Hermione." They said, plopping down. No one said anything for five minutes, then the train started. About one minute after it did the door slid open.
"Excuse me!" They looked over at a strange man. A very strange man. Harry's eyes were wide, Ron's jaw was dropped and Hermione wore a very confused look. He was Harry's height with purple and blue streaks in his blonde- brown hair which hung down to his shoulders. He had tan skin, one silvery blue eye and a pirates patch over the other, and wore a boys tank top under a way too big blue jacket and then jeans with white swirls all over them and his boots were orange. He had a bowling glove on one hand and the other hand was hidden behind the huge sleeve of his billowing red robes. He looked about 30-some.
"Y-yes?" Hermione finally managed.
"Would you mind if me and my brother joined you? No one else wants to share with me and him." He said.
"I-I-I don't mind." Hermione managed and the man's face split into a wide grin and he stuck his head out into the corridor.
"Oy! Toad!" Harry raised his eyebrows. Toad?
"Are you sure this is all right? What if this compartment accidentally blows up. What a predicament we'll be in then!" A man who looked quite weird but certainly no where near as weird as his brother appeared. He had stringy mud-brown hair that hung down to his elbows and his skin was blotchy with green. His eyes were murky-brown colored and his fingers were quite long with bits of blotchy green skin in between that made it webbed. He was garbed in a mud brown shirt, swamp-brown pants and dark green robes. He certainly matched his name.
"Oh be quiet, Toad!" His brother said and the two sat down.
"Um. excuse me but who are you?" Hermione asked.
"My name is Hal Washer. This is my brother, Toad. We're your new Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers." The colorful one said.
"You're both our new teacher?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. You're a Prefect! Nice to meet you." Professor H. Washer said.
"Yes. er, my name is Hermione Granger. These are my friends." Hermione lost her voice for a moment but cleared her throat. "Harry Potter and Ron Weasley."
"A-HA!" Hal shrieked causing them all to jump.
"Is there a dragon attacking us?" Toad asked nervously, gulping though it sounded like a toad jumping into mud-water.
"No," Hal said, his silver-blue eye sparkling with excitement. "Harry Potter!"
"Wh-who?" Toad asked nervously.
"Harry Potter! The boy who lived! The boy who vanquished the evil wizard." Hal said and Toad jumped.
"B-but the evil wizard has. returned." He muttered, staring at Harry with worried eyes.
"I know but still! Its Harry Potter!" Hal said and stood up to full height. "It is a pleasure no! An HONOR!!! An honour meeting,,. you Harry Potter." He said, shaking Ron's hand enthusiastically.
"I-I'm not Harry." Ron said, speaking for the first time.
"Oh ofcourse! Silly me! I'm such a blockhead!" Hal exclaimed and whirled on Harry and shook his hand happily. "It is an honour meeting you and an even bigger honour being able to teach you!" He bellowed.
"Yes. um, thanks." Harry said. Hal sat down and watched out the window in complete silence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other with confusion.
"A-HA!" Hal yelled again making them all jump.
"Its an alien spacecraft come to kill us!" Toad exclaimed, eyes getting wide.
"No, I found the piece of gum I was looking for." Hal pulled out a piece of Drooble's Best Blowing gum and popped it in his mouth.
The compartment was silent until the plump witch wheeling the treat cart rolled it by. "Anything off the trolleys, dears?" She asked. Between Harry and Hal they probably bought everything. After a long while they arrived at the station in Hogsmeade. Harry, Ron, and Hermione piled off the train and saw Hagrid. The huge, huge man who taught Care Of Magical Creatures. He wasn't really a Professor, though. He called for the First years and the transfers. All went over, looking very nervous.
"All right there, Harry?" Hagrid called. Harry waved.
"Hi Hagrid." He called and went in a carriage with Hermione and Ron. Neville presently climbed in and the carriage, driven by invisible horses, took them to the breath-taking castle that was Hogwarts. The carriage rode up the path and stopped in front of the castle.
Oddly, Professor Flitwick stood on the front steps. The teeny, tiny wizard stood there, watching the students. "Harry Potter!" He squeaked and fell over, seeing Harry. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you quickly."
"He... would?" Harry asked. Flitwick nodded furiously.
"We'll save a seat for you." Ron whispered. Harry followed Flitwick through the corridors and to a room near the Great Hall. It held a round table and a high-backed chair where Professor Albus Dumbledore sat. His gleaming white hair and beard hung down and his pale blue eyes sparkled behind his half-moon shaped glasses.
"Ah, Harry. Have a seat. Thank you." He told Flitwick. Flitwick nodded and walked off, shutting the door. Harry sat down at a seat near Dumbledore.
"What did you need, Professor?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore slid his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and sighed, folding his long fingers together. "I'm not going to lie or make up stories with you, Harry. You're fifteen now. And, as you noticed, Voldemort has returned to full power." He said.
"How could I of not noticed that? It was my blood that brought him back." Harry said bitterly. Dumbledore couldn't hold back his laugh.
"Yes, well, things are going to be... very dangerous. I want you to be careful. Don't go anywhere outside without informing a teacher. Even to Hagrid's hut. I don't want you to go near the Forbidden Forest. And you will be accompanied by a teacher every time you go to Hogsmeade." Dumbledore said.
"Professor." Harry said, exasperated. "When I go to Hogsmeade I'll be with my friends and-"
"Harry, you think Voldemort won't try to attack with a few other teens around?" Dumbledore asked.
"And how would having a teacher with me help?" Harry asked.
"Harry." Dumbledore sighed and took off his glasses. His eyes were filled with worry. "I seriously doubt Voldemort himself will try to get you, but send one of his servants. And they probably won't try to attack if a teacher is with you." He explained.
"Oh." Harry said, looking down at his hands.
"Now then. Let's go to the feast." Dumbledore smiled and left. Harry sighed and stood up.
He walked towards the Great Hall and went in. The Sorting Ceremony was half- way over. Harry spotted Ron and Hermione and slid in the seat by Ron that he had saved. "What did Dumbledore want?" Ron whispered.
"I'll tell you later." Harry whispered back. He turned to the Ceremony in time to see 'Owen, Fern' get Sorted into Gryffindor.
Ten students later and Professor McGonagall introduced the Transfers. The doors opened and forty or so older students filed in. Most looked nervous and the rest looked rather upset. Harry didn't really pay attention except for the ten Fifth years. There was two Hufflepuffs, three Ravenclaws, two Slytherins and four Gryffindors. Three girls and one boy. Rose Jacobson, Peggy Morlins, Amy Robinson and Donnie Thomas, Dean's cousin.
Dumbledore then introduced Hal and Toad. They got scattered applause. Probably because of what they wore and looked like. Then Dumbledore said a few rules and the food appeared on tables.
"All right!" Ron said and began piling food on his plate.
"Hi, welcome to Gryffindor and Hogwarts." Hermione said to the three new female students across from them. Donnie was down the table with his cousin. "I'm Hermione Granger. Fifth year and Prefect." She said.
"Hello."
"Hey."
"'lo." They all muttered. All three were very pretty but in different ways.
Rose had sun bleached blonde hair that hung down in curls to mid-back but were pinned back with pale blue butterfly clips. Obviously her bangs had been grown to the same length as her hair. She had tan skin, beautiful shaped face, deep, sparkling blue eyes and a very curvy body. She was Harry's height and was the drop-dead kind of model beauty. She wore tight jeans and a very low cut yellow T-shirt with a matching yellow jacket over it.
Peggy's face was long and her features rather sharp. Her hair was extremely long and extremely straight and smooth. It was a darkish red-brown. The bangs had been grown out down to her shoulders, and the rest of it ended a few inches past her hips She had very tan skin and her eyes were sparkling hazel behind thick rimmed and thick lensed glasses. She was about a few inches shorter then Ron and quite lean and lanky. She had a sort of. okay so she wasn't really that pretty. She wore faded denim jeans and a leaf green T-shirt. And was well... definitely not pretty.
Amy's face was oval-shaped and her skin, very fair. She had blacker then black hair curved under her chin that was pushed back with a purple headband and slanted black eyes. About an inch taller then Hermione and thin but curvy. She wore a long-sleeved purple shirt whose sleeve went over her hands, and had jeans. Her kind of beauty was that exotic kind of mysterious beauty.
"This food looks ten times better then that nasty stuff they served us back home." Peggy said.
"Anything is better then that nasty stuff." Amy laughed, cutting up a piece of roast beef.
"What school did you go to?" Hermione asked.
"Eagles. Its a school in West Virginia." Rose said softly, flicking a curl back.
"Eagles?" Hermione frowned. "That was supposed to be one of the best schools in America."
"It was- except for the food." Peggy said.
"But Dean said that it closed down due to lack of funding." Harry said, frowning. "If its supposed to be one of the best schools in America. why would it have lack of funding?"
"Oh. that's not why it closed down." Amy said.
"Then why did it?" Hermione asked. The three girls looked at each other.
"Oh uh... stuff... was happening." Rose finally said.
"What kind of stuff?" Harry asked.
"Just... stuff." Rose said with a shrug.
"Wait, is Dean related to a Donnie Thomas?" Peggy asked.
"Cause Donnie told us he told a relative of his our school closed cause of the funding thing." Amy said.
"Yeah, Dean Thomas." Harry said, pointing down the table. Donnie looked a lot like his cousin and the two seemed deep into conversation about something.
"I hope Dean's not like Donnie." Amy said.
"Two Donnies- that is scary." Peggy giggled.
"So what's Hogwarts like?" Rose asked.
"Oh, its pretty good. If you're talking about the school itself then its full of interesting stuff. If you're talking about the staff then its quite good." Hermione said.
"I bet there's lots of secret passages in here." Peggy said, tossing back her hair and wolfing down her food almost as fast as Ron was with his.
"There is." Ron said, taking a long swig of water. He wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand. "Lots and lots of them."
"Could you show them to me?" Peggy asked excitedly.
"Uh... sure." Ron said and looked at Harry. Harry could read in his eyes what he wanted- the Marauder's Map. It was a map of the entire castle and probably all the secret passages. 'I'll think about it' Harry mouthed back.
"So were you friends back at your old school?" Hermione asked.
"Peggy and I were." Amy said.
"I had my own group of friends but they went to Beauxbatons in France. My mom wouldn't send me there." Rose said with a slight scowl. After dinner, Harry and Ron followed Hermione and the First years to the common room. They said good night and went up to their own dorm.
"Night, Har." Ron yawned.
"Night." Harry replied sleepily.
***
Harry woke up the next day to brilliant sunshine, a clear blue sky, and a nagging voice in his ear. Harry waved his hand but the voice refused to go away. It sounded very familiar. in fact.
"Oliver Wood?!" Harry sat up in bed and looked around but his old Quidditch Team Captain and Keeper wasn't there. Harry closed his eyes and settled in bed but the voice returned.
Oh there was no doubt about it--it was Oliver Wood.
"Go away." Harry said. But the voice continued. "Fine!" Harry shouted and got angrily out of bed. After getting dressed, the voice had gone away but it had been clearly telling him to get a new Keeper and quickly. "Just like Oliver. Nagging me about Quidditch even after he's gone." Harry mumbled to himself, going downstairs. The Great Hall was fairly empty. The only ones at the Gryffindor table were Hermione and a few others but it included Peggy and Amy. The only ones up at the teacher table were Hal, Toad and Dumbledore. Toad was wearing more or less the same thing as he did the previous day and was looking more or less the same nervousness. Hal was wearing rainbow colored robes, a blazing red shirt, bright blue pants, his orange boots and his hair was now green and yellow striped. His bowling glove was blood red and his hat was purple.
"Morning." Amy said brightly.
"Too early for morning." Peggy moaned. "Plus I have to wear a freaking skirt!" She shrieked.
"That is part of the uniform." Hermione said.
"I hate skirts." Peggy sighed, looking down at her uniform.
"Good morn-morn-morning." Ron yawned as he plopped in the seat beside Harry.
After a while Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress, Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor, came by with schedules.
"Oh guess what? We get to see how Hal and Toad are first thing today." Harry said, peering at the schedule.
"He looks weird." Seamus said, biting into some sausage.
"Which one?" Dean inquired.
Seamus thought over this then announced they both looked weird. Rose soon appeared looking gorgeous with her shirt tied in a knot at her waist.
After breakfast, the Gryffindors trouped to Defense Against The Dark Arts where Toad and Hal were waiting. Hal had a large purple snake in his arms and Toad kept glancing nervously at it.
"WELCOME!" Hal bellowed as they entered.
"H-hello." Toad mumbled, backing up slightly from the students like they'd attack him or something. The class was... odd. Hal kept saying things with exclamation points at the end and Toad kept jumping if the snake, who turned out to be an Indian Purple-Fang snake a very poisonous snake, moved the slightest but the Indian Purple-Fang seemed more interested in sleeping.
"That was quite weird." Dean announced as they left class.
"Yeah and homework- yuck." Ron complained. They had to do a three feet long report on the Purple-Fang, its poison, how to defend one against the Purple- Fang, and the antidote for the poison and the writing could not be in big letters which made Ron very angry. He kept swearing under his breath along with Dean and Seamus.
"What, do you three have the entire cuss-word dictionary between the three of you?!" Hermione demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Dean muttered. Next class was Arithmacy and Hermione had that so she left. But none of the others did.
"Hey, since there's a bit of free time, wanna show me the passages?" Peggy asked Ron.
"Uh. sure. Let me go. get. something." He said.
"Okay." They all went to the Common Room. Harry and Ron went upstairs.
"Be careful with it and give it back to me as soon as you get back." Harry griped, handing the map to Ron.
"Okay great, thanks bud." Ron said, patting his friend on the arm and going swiftly down the stairs. Harry sighed and went downstairs, deciding to go ahead and get a start on his DADA essay.
***
Ron and Peggy walked down the corridors to the Front Hall. "Let's start from here, shall we?" He asked with a grin. Peggy smiled.
"Cool." She said. They went into an abandoned room underneath the stairs. Ron pulled out his wand and tapped the paper.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" He said. Ink began spreading down the paper.
"Whoa!" Peggy exclaimed, watching it form corridors and stairs and little ink dots.
"There we are." Ron said, pointing at two ink dots labeled 'Ron Weasley' and 'Peggy Morlins'. Ron also noticed a dot right outside the door labeled 'Peeves'. Ron groaned and flung the door open. "Peeves." He said. There was a bang, a puff of orange smoke and Peeves, the school poltergeist, appeared blowing a raspberry. "Go away, Peeves."
"Don't feel like it." He said and flew in.
"Who's that?" Peggy asked and Ron explained. Peeves grinned a nasty grin.
"A new one!" He said and held up a bucket of water. He flung it out at Peggy. But instead of shrieking, Peggy pulled her wand out.
"Reverso!" She shouted. The water stopped inches from her and flung back against Peeves, soaking him. Ron nearly fell down from laughter. Peeves scowled and with a loud 'crack' disappeared.
"That was good." Ron said.
Peggy smiled and put her wand back in her robe pocket. "Thanks. I learned it after some of the bullies at my old school decided to start a game called 'Fling The Mud At The Dorks'." Peggy said with a laugh.
"Dorks?" Ron asked.
"Yeah. They called us dorks. I guess you'd say it was my 'gang'. Amy, Denise, Karl, Luke, Drew and I." Peggy said with a shrug.
"How come?" Ron asked, picking up the map and Peggy shrugged again.
"I dunno, anyway let's go. I love secret passages." She said.
"All right." Ron checked the map and saw there was the door to a passage right there in that room. Ron went over to the farthest wall. He pressed three stones in a special order and a passage door flicked open. Peggy grinned and bounced over.
"Lumos." She said and light appeared at the end of her wand. "Let's go." And without a second thought, she grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him in.
***
Peggy was obviously upset when it was lunch time. "As much as I love food, I love mysterious passages better." She sighed unhappily as she and Ron walked to the Great Hall together.
Ron laughed. "I think food is much better then mysterious passages."
"Oh couldn't we just take some sandwiches or something? I really want to explore some more." Peggy begged as they stepped through the huge double doors.
"No." Ron said.
"After dinner then?" She asked.
Ron sighed and gave in. "Oh all right."
"Yay!" Peggy said and sat down cheerfully next to Amy.
"What are you so happy about?" Amy asked.
"Ron's going to show me some more passages after dinner." Peggy explained, smiling.
"With my map?" Harry asked.
"Your map? I thought. Ron said it was his." Peggy said in confusion.
"Oh he did, did he." Harry said, giving Ron a look.
"Uh. heh, heh." Ron muttered, ears going bright red. He then seemed very interested in his schedule. "Oh no!" He exclaimed after checking it.
"What is it?" Harry asked. Ron groaned and smacked the paper down.
"Potions." He groaned. "Next."
'Oh." Harry and Hermione exchanged unhappy looks.
"Is something wrong with Potions?" Amy asked as she and Peggy looked from one face to another.
"Not exactly," Harry groaned and nodded up at the table. "but the teacher is." Professor Severus Snape was talking with Toad, Toad seemed exceedingly more frightened then normal.
"The meanest teacher." Ron said. "He's head of Slytherin house and favors them. He hates all other houses, especially Gryffindor."
"And he especially hates me." Harry said glumly.
"Why especially you?" Amy asked.
"Cause he and my dad weren't exactly friends when they went to school together if you get my drift."
"Ah." Peggy said and brushed back some hair. "Well he can't be all that awful. can he?" She asked.
"Yes he can." Harry said quickly. Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"You'll see in half an hour." Hermione said, glancing at her watch.
Suddenly there was a loud, frightening scream. Everyone looked up in time to see Toad running out of the room screaming his head off. He got to the doors but missed, slammed into the wall and fell over unconscious.
"Wonder what happened." Hermione said.
"Probably saw a butterfly and thought it was going to eat him." Ron muttered. After lunch the five of them headed down to the dungeons for Potions class.
"Brr, its chilly." Amy said as they stepped into the dungeon where Potions was held.
"Uh-huh, always is." Harry muttered. Hermione sat on the end, Harry beside her, Amy beside him. Peggy beside her and Ron on the other end.
"Next time I'll have to wear a heavier cloak." Peggy whispered and Ron nodded.
"Good afternoon class." Snape burst through the doors and walked quickly up to his desk, robes billowing out behind him. "I want to. welcome the new students." He said with a sneer that obviously meant he didn't really want to. At least not the Gryffindors. "I am Professor Snape." He said then took roll call.
After roll call he looked at the class and his lips twisted into a sort of sneering smile. "Mr. Finnigin." He said and Seamus jerked. "Yes... sir?" He gulped.
Snape folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "How long would you stay asleep if you took a teaspoon of the Blithe potion?" He asked.
"Uh." Seamus frowned, trying to remember his homework because the Blithe potion was part of it. "Half an hour?" He asked.
"Is that so?" Snape asked, narrowing his eyes even more.
"Uh. yeah." Seamus said.
"Incorrect, 5 points from Gryffindor. Anyone care to tell me why this is incor-" Before he finished, three people had their hands raised. Hermione, Peggy and Donnie. "Miss Morlins?" He sneered.
"Because the Blithe potion is not a sleeping potion." She said. Snape looked unhappy she got it right.
". yes. Correct." He said though didn't award any points. "Anyone know what the Blithe potion does?" Once again Hermione, Peggy and Donnie raised their hands and this time, Amy did as well. "Miss Robinson?" He asked.
"It makes you very happy." She said.
Snape sneered even more at this. "Correct. Now, we'll be making this Potion." He said and went behind his desk. He snapped at everyone to pair up and start the potion, and where it where it would be found in the book. Peggy and Ron, at the same time, asked each other to be partners then grinned.
"Want to be partners?" Amy asked Harry.
"Sure." He said. Hermione sighed and went off to pair with Neville.
"Are you good at potions?" Ron asked Peggy as she flipped through her book.
"I was at my old school." She said cheerfully. "A-ha!" She said, dropping the book on the desk, pages open to the Blithe potion. "Want me to read the ingredients and you add it or vice versa?"
"Uh." Ron thought this over. "You read. I'll add."
"Okay, start off with. 3 cups of water." She said and Ron poured three cups of water in. "Now add. a half a teaspoon of powdered leopard snake scales." She said.
Ron dumped it in and the water turned a pale, thin color of orange. "Now what?" He asked.
"Add in two shredded Welig leaves." She said and Ron did it. The potion turned a brighter orange. "Stir clockwise for one minute. I'll count." Peggy said and began counting as Ron stirred. "Okay now stop and add a tablespoon of pigeon blood.. okay now add three shredded speckled mousebird feathers." With this new addition the potion turned more red. Next Ron added powdered dragon fang and the finale- a teaspoon of spider web. The potion gave a puff of blue smoke and turned a reddish purple. "Stir for another minute then let sit for five minutes. Since you stirred the first time I'll stir. You count." Peggy began stirring as Ron counted. Then they sat down. Peggy began writing stuff down. "Notes." She said as Ron looked at her.
"Oh. yeah." Ron said and began taking notes himself. When the five minutes were up, Peggy dipped the potion up into two tablespoons.
"A tablespoon will last us fifteen minutes." She said.
"Bottoms up." Ron said and they gulped it down. Ron felt something inside of him. It started at his toes and rose up to his hair and he slowly began grinning. Peggy began giggling. "What's so funny?" Ron asked.
"This. this is the Blithe potion it. makes us very happy." She giggled and Ron began laughing.
"Man we sound like we're. we're drunk or something." He said and they began laughing. Hard.
"But we're, ohahahahahahahahahahahaha, not!" Peggy laughed. The two looked at each other and fell onto the ground laughing. No one else was laughing. They were happy, but not laughing.
Snape glared at them. "You must of added too much mousebird feather." He growled. "Ten points from Gryffindor and get out of here. The affect will wear off shortly." Ron and Peggy had to hold onto each other as, laughing, they left.
"Oh my gosh did you see his face?" Ron asked, leaning against the wall.
"Yeah he was sooo mad!" Peggy said. Their laughter echoed down the corridors. And soon Mr. Filch, the janitor, appeared.
"What are you two doing? You're being loud- that's what!" He growled.
"I'm so sorry!" Peggy laughed.
"We messed up a potion and-and-and" Ron couldn't finish cause he fell over laughing.
'So we can't stop laughing!" Peggy finished for him. Filch narrowed his eyes and left. Peggy giggled and leaned back against a statue which moved slightly and opened a passage which Ron fell into. Peggy burst into laughter and fell down.
***
Luckily by dinnertime the potion had worn off. Ron seemed incredibly embarrassed about the ordeal but Peggy thought it was funny. Though, halfway through dinner almost the entire Slytherin table was laughing really hard for some reason.
"What the heck?!" Harry demanded. Everyone but Peggy seemed to be in confusion.
"Peggy." Amy said.
"Yes?" She asked, innocently.
"Did you do that?!" Ron demanded and Peggy couldn't hold back a grin.
"Well we had so much Potion left over I didn't know what to do with it!" She exclaimed clasping her hands together. "So I thought the Slytherins needed cheering up so I put it in their food." Amy began giggling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other but began laughing as well.
***
Harry slammed his quill down angrily.
"All RIGHT ALREADY!" He shouted. Everyone in the Common Room whirled around and stared at him. Across the table Hermione was staring at him like he was insane and Ron scooted his chair an inch or so away. "Sorry." Harry mumbled. The voice of Oliver Wood was hissing in his ears. 'Get a Keeper! Hurry! No time to waste!'. Maybe Oliver had died and was now a ghost, following Harry around. "I-I'll be back." Harry got his stuff and quickly left the Common Room. It was evening of the first day. He had no idea what he was looking for until he ran into Professor McGonagall.
"Oh, hello Mr. Potter." She said, smiling.
"Hullo Professor." He said.
"You seem troubled." She said.
"Well." Harry said and shifted his weight to his other foot. "I think I'm being haunted by the ghost of Oliver Wood. Did he die?" He asked.
"No. In fact I just recently saw him not even a week ago. In fact, not even four days ago." McGonagall said.
"Oh?" Harry asked.
"He was in a Quidditch game and sometimes I go to Quidditch games that past Gryffindor students are in." She explained.
"Ah. So. he's not dead." Harry said.
"Not to my knowledge. You say your being haunted by him?" McGonagall asked.
"Well I keep hearing his voice, telling me to get a Keeper and quickly." Harry said.
"That sounds like him. He might be using." McGonagall gritted her teeth. "Telepathic ways. He was in Divination."
"Oh, maybe he is. That sounds exactly like something Oliver would do. Being in Divination so he could learn how to haunt the next Gryffindor team captain." Harry said, shaking his head.
"Yes it does. He was quite a Quidditch fanatic." McGonagall said.
"He was." Harry said and sighed. "Thanks, by the way."
"Mm-hmm." McGonagall said. She seemed very happy as she walked off.
Harry trudged back to the Common Room and once more ran into a teacher. He knew who it was without even looking, for the teacher let out a scream of panic. "Hello Toad." Harry said.
"H-hello." Toad said nervously, his eyes darting around. Hal and Toad wanted to be called by their first names. "I was looking for my brother. H- have you seen him?" He asked.
"Not since dinner." Harry said.
"I fear he was eaten." Toad said and walked off. Harry had the feeling Toad would think someone was eaten even if he was just talking to them a second ago. Toad would probably think someone was eaten even if he was talking to them!
Harry looked around for a moment, feeling lost. He stood stock still in the hallway with the oddest feeling he wasn't in Hogwarts. He closed his eyes and felt dizzy, like he was falling off a cliff or something. He let out a scream and flung his arms forward and crashed into the wall. Harry took a few deep breaths and quickly went back to the Common Room.
"Okay! Has everyone got everything?" Arthur asked.
"Yes." Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny chorused.
"Good. Better get on board." He said, nervously checking his watch.
Harry and Ron trouped onto the great Scarlet steam engine which was the Hogwarts Express. The two quickly found Hermione who was settled in a compartment, reading. "Hello boys." She said, rather coolly. She was obviously still upset over Ron.
"Hello Hermione." They said, plopping down. No one said anything for five minutes, then the train started. About one minute after it did the door slid open.
"Excuse me!" They looked over at a strange man. A very strange man. Harry's eyes were wide, Ron's jaw was dropped and Hermione wore a very confused look. He was Harry's height with purple and blue streaks in his blonde- brown hair which hung down to his shoulders. He had tan skin, one silvery blue eye and a pirates patch over the other, and wore a boys tank top under a way too big blue jacket and then jeans with white swirls all over them and his boots were orange. He had a bowling glove on one hand and the other hand was hidden behind the huge sleeve of his billowing red robes. He looked about 30-some.
"Y-yes?" Hermione finally managed.
"Would you mind if me and my brother joined you? No one else wants to share with me and him." He said.
"I-I-I don't mind." Hermione managed and the man's face split into a wide grin and he stuck his head out into the corridor.
"Oy! Toad!" Harry raised his eyebrows. Toad?
"Are you sure this is all right? What if this compartment accidentally blows up. What a predicament we'll be in then!" A man who looked quite weird but certainly no where near as weird as his brother appeared. He had stringy mud-brown hair that hung down to his elbows and his skin was blotchy with green. His eyes were murky-brown colored and his fingers were quite long with bits of blotchy green skin in between that made it webbed. He was garbed in a mud brown shirt, swamp-brown pants and dark green robes. He certainly matched his name.
"Oh be quiet, Toad!" His brother said and the two sat down.
"Um. excuse me but who are you?" Hermione asked.
"My name is Hal Washer. This is my brother, Toad. We're your new Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers." The colorful one said.
"You're both our new teacher?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. You're a Prefect! Nice to meet you." Professor H. Washer said.
"Yes. er, my name is Hermione Granger. These are my friends." Hermione lost her voice for a moment but cleared her throat. "Harry Potter and Ron Weasley."
"A-HA!" Hal shrieked causing them all to jump.
"Is there a dragon attacking us?" Toad asked nervously, gulping though it sounded like a toad jumping into mud-water.
"No," Hal said, his silver-blue eye sparkling with excitement. "Harry Potter!"
"Wh-who?" Toad asked nervously.
"Harry Potter! The boy who lived! The boy who vanquished the evil wizard." Hal said and Toad jumped.
"B-but the evil wizard has. returned." He muttered, staring at Harry with worried eyes.
"I know but still! Its Harry Potter!" Hal said and stood up to full height. "It is a pleasure no! An HONOR!!! An honour meeting,,. you Harry Potter." He said, shaking Ron's hand enthusiastically.
"I-I'm not Harry." Ron said, speaking for the first time.
"Oh ofcourse! Silly me! I'm such a blockhead!" Hal exclaimed and whirled on Harry and shook his hand happily. "It is an honour meeting you and an even bigger honour being able to teach you!" He bellowed.
"Yes. um, thanks." Harry said. Hal sat down and watched out the window in complete silence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other with confusion.
"A-HA!" Hal yelled again making them all jump.
"Its an alien spacecraft come to kill us!" Toad exclaimed, eyes getting wide.
"No, I found the piece of gum I was looking for." Hal pulled out a piece of Drooble's Best Blowing gum and popped it in his mouth.
The compartment was silent until the plump witch wheeling the treat cart rolled it by. "Anything off the trolleys, dears?" She asked. Between Harry and Hal they probably bought everything. After a long while they arrived at the station in Hogsmeade. Harry, Ron, and Hermione piled off the train and saw Hagrid. The huge, huge man who taught Care Of Magical Creatures. He wasn't really a Professor, though. He called for the First years and the transfers. All went over, looking very nervous.
"All right there, Harry?" Hagrid called. Harry waved.
"Hi Hagrid." He called and went in a carriage with Hermione and Ron. Neville presently climbed in and the carriage, driven by invisible horses, took them to the breath-taking castle that was Hogwarts. The carriage rode up the path and stopped in front of the castle.
Oddly, Professor Flitwick stood on the front steps. The teeny, tiny wizard stood there, watching the students. "Harry Potter!" He squeaked and fell over, seeing Harry. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you quickly."
"He... would?" Harry asked. Flitwick nodded furiously.
"We'll save a seat for you." Ron whispered. Harry followed Flitwick through the corridors and to a room near the Great Hall. It held a round table and a high-backed chair where Professor Albus Dumbledore sat. His gleaming white hair and beard hung down and his pale blue eyes sparkled behind his half-moon shaped glasses.
"Ah, Harry. Have a seat. Thank you." He told Flitwick. Flitwick nodded and walked off, shutting the door. Harry sat down at a seat near Dumbledore.
"What did you need, Professor?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore slid his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and sighed, folding his long fingers together. "I'm not going to lie or make up stories with you, Harry. You're fifteen now. And, as you noticed, Voldemort has returned to full power." He said.
"How could I of not noticed that? It was my blood that brought him back." Harry said bitterly. Dumbledore couldn't hold back his laugh.
"Yes, well, things are going to be... very dangerous. I want you to be careful. Don't go anywhere outside without informing a teacher. Even to Hagrid's hut. I don't want you to go near the Forbidden Forest. And you will be accompanied by a teacher every time you go to Hogsmeade." Dumbledore said.
"Professor." Harry said, exasperated. "When I go to Hogsmeade I'll be with my friends and-"
"Harry, you think Voldemort won't try to attack with a few other teens around?" Dumbledore asked.
"And how would having a teacher with me help?" Harry asked.
"Harry." Dumbledore sighed and took off his glasses. His eyes were filled with worry. "I seriously doubt Voldemort himself will try to get you, but send one of his servants. And they probably won't try to attack if a teacher is with you." He explained.
"Oh." Harry said, looking down at his hands.
"Now then. Let's go to the feast." Dumbledore smiled and left. Harry sighed and stood up.
He walked towards the Great Hall and went in. The Sorting Ceremony was half- way over. Harry spotted Ron and Hermione and slid in the seat by Ron that he had saved. "What did Dumbledore want?" Ron whispered.
"I'll tell you later." Harry whispered back. He turned to the Ceremony in time to see 'Owen, Fern' get Sorted into Gryffindor.
Ten students later and Professor McGonagall introduced the Transfers. The doors opened and forty or so older students filed in. Most looked nervous and the rest looked rather upset. Harry didn't really pay attention except for the ten Fifth years. There was two Hufflepuffs, three Ravenclaws, two Slytherins and four Gryffindors. Three girls and one boy. Rose Jacobson, Peggy Morlins, Amy Robinson and Donnie Thomas, Dean's cousin.
Dumbledore then introduced Hal and Toad. They got scattered applause. Probably because of what they wore and looked like. Then Dumbledore said a few rules and the food appeared on tables.
"All right!" Ron said and began piling food on his plate.
"Hi, welcome to Gryffindor and Hogwarts." Hermione said to the three new female students across from them. Donnie was down the table with his cousin. "I'm Hermione Granger. Fifth year and Prefect." She said.
"Hello."
"Hey."
"'lo." They all muttered. All three were very pretty but in different ways.
Rose had sun bleached blonde hair that hung down in curls to mid-back but were pinned back with pale blue butterfly clips. Obviously her bangs had been grown to the same length as her hair. She had tan skin, beautiful shaped face, deep, sparkling blue eyes and a very curvy body. She was Harry's height and was the drop-dead kind of model beauty. She wore tight jeans and a very low cut yellow T-shirt with a matching yellow jacket over it.
Peggy's face was long and her features rather sharp. Her hair was extremely long and extremely straight and smooth. It was a darkish red-brown. The bangs had been grown out down to her shoulders, and the rest of it ended a few inches past her hips She had very tan skin and her eyes were sparkling hazel behind thick rimmed and thick lensed glasses. She was about a few inches shorter then Ron and quite lean and lanky. She had a sort of. okay so she wasn't really that pretty. She wore faded denim jeans and a leaf green T-shirt. And was well... definitely not pretty.
Amy's face was oval-shaped and her skin, very fair. She had blacker then black hair curved under her chin that was pushed back with a purple headband and slanted black eyes. About an inch taller then Hermione and thin but curvy. She wore a long-sleeved purple shirt whose sleeve went over her hands, and had jeans. Her kind of beauty was that exotic kind of mysterious beauty.
"This food looks ten times better then that nasty stuff they served us back home." Peggy said.
"Anything is better then that nasty stuff." Amy laughed, cutting up a piece of roast beef.
"What school did you go to?" Hermione asked.
"Eagles. Its a school in West Virginia." Rose said softly, flicking a curl back.
"Eagles?" Hermione frowned. "That was supposed to be one of the best schools in America."
"It was- except for the food." Peggy said.
"But Dean said that it closed down due to lack of funding." Harry said, frowning. "If its supposed to be one of the best schools in America. why would it have lack of funding?"
"Oh. that's not why it closed down." Amy said.
"Then why did it?" Hermione asked. The three girls looked at each other.
"Oh uh... stuff... was happening." Rose finally said.
"What kind of stuff?" Harry asked.
"Just... stuff." Rose said with a shrug.
"Wait, is Dean related to a Donnie Thomas?" Peggy asked.
"Cause Donnie told us he told a relative of his our school closed cause of the funding thing." Amy said.
"Yeah, Dean Thomas." Harry said, pointing down the table. Donnie looked a lot like his cousin and the two seemed deep into conversation about something.
"I hope Dean's not like Donnie." Amy said.
"Two Donnies- that is scary." Peggy giggled.
"So what's Hogwarts like?" Rose asked.
"Oh, its pretty good. If you're talking about the school itself then its full of interesting stuff. If you're talking about the staff then its quite good." Hermione said.
"I bet there's lots of secret passages in here." Peggy said, tossing back her hair and wolfing down her food almost as fast as Ron was with his.
"There is." Ron said, taking a long swig of water. He wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand. "Lots and lots of them."
"Could you show them to me?" Peggy asked excitedly.
"Uh... sure." Ron said and looked at Harry. Harry could read in his eyes what he wanted- the Marauder's Map. It was a map of the entire castle and probably all the secret passages. 'I'll think about it' Harry mouthed back.
"So were you friends back at your old school?" Hermione asked.
"Peggy and I were." Amy said.
"I had my own group of friends but they went to Beauxbatons in France. My mom wouldn't send me there." Rose said with a slight scowl. After dinner, Harry and Ron followed Hermione and the First years to the common room. They said good night and went up to their own dorm.
"Night, Har." Ron yawned.
"Night." Harry replied sleepily.
***
Harry woke up the next day to brilliant sunshine, a clear blue sky, and a nagging voice in his ear. Harry waved his hand but the voice refused to go away. It sounded very familiar. in fact.
"Oliver Wood?!" Harry sat up in bed and looked around but his old Quidditch Team Captain and Keeper wasn't there. Harry closed his eyes and settled in bed but the voice returned.
Oh there was no doubt about it--it was Oliver Wood.
"Go away." Harry said. But the voice continued. "Fine!" Harry shouted and got angrily out of bed. After getting dressed, the voice had gone away but it had been clearly telling him to get a new Keeper and quickly. "Just like Oliver. Nagging me about Quidditch even after he's gone." Harry mumbled to himself, going downstairs. The Great Hall was fairly empty. The only ones at the Gryffindor table were Hermione and a few others but it included Peggy and Amy. The only ones up at the teacher table were Hal, Toad and Dumbledore. Toad was wearing more or less the same thing as he did the previous day and was looking more or less the same nervousness. Hal was wearing rainbow colored robes, a blazing red shirt, bright blue pants, his orange boots and his hair was now green and yellow striped. His bowling glove was blood red and his hat was purple.
"Morning." Amy said brightly.
"Too early for morning." Peggy moaned. "Plus I have to wear a freaking skirt!" She shrieked.
"That is part of the uniform." Hermione said.
"I hate skirts." Peggy sighed, looking down at her uniform.
"Good morn-morn-morning." Ron yawned as he plopped in the seat beside Harry.
After a while Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress, Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor, came by with schedules.
"Oh guess what? We get to see how Hal and Toad are first thing today." Harry said, peering at the schedule.
"He looks weird." Seamus said, biting into some sausage.
"Which one?" Dean inquired.
Seamus thought over this then announced they both looked weird. Rose soon appeared looking gorgeous with her shirt tied in a knot at her waist.
After breakfast, the Gryffindors trouped to Defense Against The Dark Arts where Toad and Hal were waiting. Hal had a large purple snake in his arms and Toad kept glancing nervously at it.
"WELCOME!" Hal bellowed as they entered.
"H-hello." Toad mumbled, backing up slightly from the students like they'd attack him or something. The class was... odd. Hal kept saying things with exclamation points at the end and Toad kept jumping if the snake, who turned out to be an Indian Purple-Fang snake a very poisonous snake, moved the slightest but the Indian Purple-Fang seemed more interested in sleeping.
"That was quite weird." Dean announced as they left class.
"Yeah and homework- yuck." Ron complained. They had to do a three feet long report on the Purple-Fang, its poison, how to defend one against the Purple- Fang, and the antidote for the poison and the writing could not be in big letters which made Ron very angry. He kept swearing under his breath along with Dean and Seamus.
"What, do you three have the entire cuss-word dictionary between the three of you?!" Hermione demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Dean muttered. Next class was Arithmacy and Hermione had that so she left. But none of the others did.
"Hey, since there's a bit of free time, wanna show me the passages?" Peggy asked Ron.
"Uh. sure. Let me go. get. something." He said.
"Okay." They all went to the Common Room. Harry and Ron went upstairs.
"Be careful with it and give it back to me as soon as you get back." Harry griped, handing the map to Ron.
"Okay great, thanks bud." Ron said, patting his friend on the arm and going swiftly down the stairs. Harry sighed and went downstairs, deciding to go ahead and get a start on his DADA essay.
***
Ron and Peggy walked down the corridors to the Front Hall. "Let's start from here, shall we?" He asked with a grin. Peggy smiled.
"Cool." She said. They went into an abandoned room underneath the stairs. Ron pulled out his wand and tapped the paper.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" He said. Ink began spreading down the paper.
"Whoa!" Peggy exclaimed, watching it form corridors and stairs and little ink dots.
"There we are." Ron said, pointing at two ink dots labeled 'Ron Weasley' and 'Peggy Morlins'. Ron also noticed a dot right outside the door labeled 'Peeves'. Ron groaned and flung the door open. "Peeves." He said. There was a bang, a puff of orange smoke and Peeves, the school poltergeist, appeared blowing a raspberry. "Go away, Peeves."
"Don't feel like it." He said and flew in.
"Who's that?" Peggy asked and Ron explained. Peeves grinned a nasty grin.
"A new one!" He said and held up a bucket of water. He flung it out at Peggy. But instead of shrieking, Peggy pulled her wand out.
"Reverso!" She shouted. The water stopped inches from her and flung back against Peeves, soaking him. Ron nearly fell down from laughter. Peeves scowled and with a loud 'crack' disappeared.
"That was good." Ron said.
Peggy smiled and put her wand back in her robe pocket. "Thanks. I learned it after some of the bullies at my old school decided to start a game called 'Fling The Mud At The Dorks'." Peggy said with a laugh.
"Dorks?" Ron asked.
"Yeah. They called us dorks. I guess you'd say it was my 'gang'. Amy, Denise, Karl, Luke, Drew and I." Peggy said with a shrug.
"How come?" Ron asked, picking up the map and Peggy shrugged again.
"I dunno, anyway let's go. I love secret passages." She said.
"All right." Ron checked the map and saw there was the door to a passage right there in that room. Ron went over to the farthest wall. He pressed three stones in a special order and a passage door flicked open. Peggy grinned and bounced over.
"Lumos." She said and light appeared at the end of her wand. "Let's go." And without a second thought, she grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him in.
***
Peggy was obviously upset when it was lunch time. "As much as I love food, I love mysterious passages better." She sighed unhappily as she and Ron walked to the Great Hall together.
Ron laughed. "I think food is much better then mysterious passages."
"Oh couldn't we just take some sandwiches or something? I really want to explore some more." Peggy begged as they stepped through the huge double doors.
"No." Ron said.
"After dinner then?" She asked.
Ron sighed and gave in. "Oh all right."
"Yay!" Peggy said and sat down cheerfully next to Amy.
"What are you so happy about?" Amy asked.
"Ron's going to show me some more passages after dinner." Peggy explained, smiling.
"With my map?" Harry asked.
"Your map? I thought. Ron said it was his." Peggy said in confusion.
"Oh he did, did he." Harry said, giving Ron a look.
"Uh. heh, heh." Ron muttered, ears going bright red. He then seemed very interested in his schedule. "Oh no!" He exclaimed after checking it.
"What is it?" Harry asked. Ron groaned and smacked the paper down.
"Potions." He groaned. "Next."
'Oh." Harry and Hermione exchanged unhappy looks.
"Is something wrong with Potions?" Amy asked as she and Peggy looked from one face to another.
"Not exactly," Harry groaned and nodded up at the table. "but the teacher is." Professor Severus Snape was talking with Toad, Toad seemed exceedingly more frightened then normal.
"The meanest teacher." Ron said. "He's head of Slytherin house and favors them. He hates all other houses, especially Gryffindor."
"And he especially hates me." Harry said glumly.
"Why especially you?" Amy asked.
"Cause he and my dad weren't exactly friends when they went to school together if you get my drift."
"Ah." Peggy said and brushed back some hair. "Well he can't be all that awful. can he?" She asked.
"Yes he can." Harry said quickly. Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"You'll see in half an hour." Hermione said, glancing at her watch.
Suddenly there was a loud, frightening scream. Everyone looked up in time to see Toad running out of the room screaming his head off. He got to the doors but missed, slammed into the wall and fell over unconscious.
"Wonder what happened." Hermione said.
"Probably saw a butterfly and thought it was going to eat him." Ron muttered. After lunch the five of them headed down to the dungeons for Potions class.
"Brr, its chilly." Amy said as they stepped into the dungeon where Potions was held.
"Uh-huh, always is." Harry muttered. Hermione sat on the end, Harry beside her, Amy beside him. Peggy beside her and Ron on the other end.
"Next time I'll have to wear a heavier cloak." Peggy whispered and Ron nodded.
"Good afternoon class." Snape burst through the doors and walked quickly up to his desk, robes billowing out behind him. "I want to. welcome the new students." He said with a sneer that obviously meant he didn't really want to. At least not the Gryffindors. "I am Professor Snape." He said then took roll call.
After roll call he looked at the class and his lips twisted into a sort of sneering smile. "Mr. Finnigin." He said and Seamus jerked. "Yes... sir?" He gulped.
Snape folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "How long would you stay asleep if you took a teaspoon of the Blithe potion?" He asked.
"Uh." Seamus frowned, trying to remember his homework because the Blithe potion was part of it. "Half an hour?" He asked.
"Is that so?" Snape asked, narrowing his eyes even more.
"Uh. yeah." Seamus said.
"Incorrect, 5 points from Gryffindor. Anyone care to tell me why this is incor-" Before he finished, three people had their hands raised. Hermione, Peggy and Donnie. "Miss Morlins?" He sneered.
"Because the Blithe potion is not a sleeping potion." She said. Snape looked unhappy she got it right.
". yes. Correct." He said though didn't award any points. "Anyone know what the Blithe potion does?" Once again Hermione, Peggy and Donnie raised their hands and this time, Amy did as well. "Miss Robinson?" He asked.
"It makes you very happy." She said.
Snape sneered even more at this. "Correct. Now, we'll be making this Potion." He said and went behind his desk. He snapped at everyone to pair up and start the potion, and where it where it would be found in the book. Peggy and Ron, at the same time, asked each other to be partners then grinned.
"Want to be partners?" Amy asked Harry.
"Sure." He said. Hermione sighed and went off to pair with Neville.
"Are you good at potions?" Ron asked Peggy as she flipped through her book.
"I was at my old school." She said cheerfully. "A-ha!" She said, dropping the book on the desk, pages open to the Blithe potion. "Want me to read the ingredients and you add it or vice versa?"
"Uh." Ron thought this over. "You read. I'll add."
"Okay, start off with. 3 cups of water." She said and Ron poured three cups of water in. "Now add. a half a teaspoon of powdered leopard snake scales." She said.
Ron dumped it in and the water turned a pale, thin color of orange. "Now what?" He asked.
"Add in two shredded Welig leaves." She said and Ron did it. The potion turned a brighter orange. "Stir clockwise for one minute. I'll count." Peggy said and began counting as Ron stirred. "Okay now stop and add a tablespoon of pigeon blood.. okay now add three shredded speckled mousebird feathers." With this new addition the potion turned more red. Next Ron added powdered dragon fang and the finale- a teaspoon of spider web. The potion gave a puff of blue smoke and turned a reddish purple. "Stir for another minute then let sit for five minutes. Since you stirred the first time I'll stir. You count." Peggy began stirring as Ron counted. Then they sat down. Peggy began writing stuff down. "Notes." She said as Ron looked at her.
"Oh. yeah." Ron said and began taking notes himself. When the five minutes were up, Peggy dipped the potion up into two tablespoons.
"A tablespoon will last us fifteen minutes." She said.
"Bottoms up." Ron said and they gulped it down. Ron felt something inside of him. It started at his toes and rose up to his hair and he slowly began grinning. Peggy began giggling. "What's so funny?" Ron asked.
"This. this is the Blithe potion it. makes us very happy." She giggled and Ron began laughing.
"Man we sound like we're. we're drunk or something." He said and they began laughing. Hard.
"But we're, ohahahahahahahahahahahaha, not!" Peggy laughed. The two looked at each other and fell onto the ground laughing. No one else was laughing. They were happy, but not laughing.
Snape glared at them. "You must of added too much mousebird feather." He growled. "Ten points from Gryffindor and get out of here. The affect will wear off shortly." Ron and Peggy had to hold onto each other as, laughing, they left.
"Oh my gosh did you see his face?" Ron asked, leaning against the wall.
"Yeah he was sooo mad!" Peggy said. Their laughter echoed down the corridors. And soon Mr. Filch, the janitor, appeared.
"What are you two doing? You're being loud- that's what!" He growled.
"I'm so sorry!" Peggy laughed.
"We messed up a potion and-and-and" Ron couldn't finish cause he fell over laughing.
'So we can't stop laughing!" Peggy finished for him. Filch narrowed his eyes and left. Peggy giggled and leaned back against a statue which moved slightly and opened a passage which Ron fell into. Peggy burst into laughter and fell down.
***
Luckily by dinnertime the potion had worn off. Ron seemed incredibly embarrassed about the ordeal but Peggy thought it was funny. Though, halfway through dinner almost the entire Slytherin table was laughing really hard for some reason.
"What the heck?!" Harry demanded. Everyone but Peggy seemed to be in confusion.
"Peggy." Amy said.
"Yes?" She asked, innocently.
"Did you do that?!" Ron demanded and Peggy couldn't hold back a grin.
"Well we had so much Potion left over I didn't know what to do with it!" She exclaimed clasping her hands together. "So I thought the Slytherins needed cheering up so I put it in their food." Amy began giggling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other but began laughing as well.
***
Harry slammed his quill down angrily.
"All RIGHT ALREADY!" He shouted. Everyone in the Common Room whirled around and stared at him. Across the table Hermione was staring at him like he was insane and Ron scooted his chair an inch or so away. "Sorry." Harry mumbled. The voice of Oliver Wood was hissing in his ears. 'Get a Keeper! Hurry! No time to waste!'. Maybe Oliver had died and was now a ghost, following Harry around. "I-I'll be back." Harry got his stuff and quickly left the Common Room. It was evening of the first day. He had no idea what he was looking for until he ran into Professor McGonagall.
"Oh, hello Mr. Potter." She said, smiling.
"Hullo Professor." He said.
"You seem troubled." She said.
"Well." Harry said and shifted his weight to his other foot. "I think I'm being haunted by the ghost of Oliver Wood. Did he die?" He asked.
"No. In fact I just recently saw him not even a week ago. In fact, not even four days ago." McGonagall said.
"Oh?" Harry asked.
"He was in a Quidditch game and sometimes I go to Quidditch games that past Gryffindor students are in." She explained.
"Ah. So. he's not dead." Harry said.
"Not to my knowledge. You say your being haunted by him?" McGonagall asked.
"Well I keep hearing his voice, telling me to get a Keeper and quickly." Harry said.
"That sounds like him. He might be using." McGonagall gritted her teeth. "Telepathic ways. He was in Divination."
"Oh, maybe he is. That sounds exactly like something Oliver would do. Being in Divination so he could learn how to haunt the next Gryffindor team captain." Harry said, shaking his head.
"Yes it does. He was quite a Quidditch fanatic." McGonagall said.
"He was." Harry said and sighed. "Thanks, by the way."
"Mm-hmm." McGonagall said. She seemed very happy as she walked off.
Harry trudged back to the Common Room and once more ran into a teacher. He knew who it was without even looking, for the teacher let out a scream of panic. "Hello Toad." Harry said.
"H-hello." Toad said nervously, his eyes darting around. Hal and Toad wanted to be called by their first names. "I was looking for my brother. H- have you seen him?" He asked.
"Not since dinner." Harry said.
"I fear he was eaten." Toad said and walked off. Harry had the feeling Toad would think someone was eaten even if he was just talking to them a second ago. Toad would probably think someone was eaten even if he was talking to them!
Harry looked around for a moment, feeling lost. He stood stock still in the hallway with the oddest feeling he wasn't in Hogwarts. He closed his eyes and felt dizzy, like he was falling off a cliff or something. He let out a scream and flung his arms forward and crashed into the wall. Harry took a few deep breaths and quickly went back to the Common Room.