A slow beginning
Disclaimer: I will be making references to Lord of the Rings in this story, so just so you know, I don't own Middle-Earth, the hobbits, etc… you know.
Harper stared at them, dumbfounded. She searched Black's gaunt features, but they gave no clue to her. Next she checked Snape's, but his was as stern as ever.
"Beginning of what?" she finally asked. Her every word was hard, and cold.
"Never mind," came Snape's voice dryly.
"No, not never mind," rose a voice from the door. Dumbledore sounded more wearily than ever. Then he began to tell Harper everything, well, almost. He stopped at Lupin and Black's part, and let Snape finish the long, explanatory sentence.
"I'm a spy. Don't ask why I didn't tell you before," he said sternly. (A/N: Well that was corny.)
Harper was shocked. Her uncle used to be a Death Eater? And now spied against them? Too much! She leaned against a nearby window. The sun was burning like Ron's face when he's embarrassed. "Now if you'd excuse us…" said Dumbledore
Harper nodded. On her way to the Gryffindor Tower, she felt as if a thousand thoughts were swirling in her head like a pensieve
When she got to the tower Harry, Ron, and Hermoine were waiting for her. Her friends grinned up at her, like nothing was wrong, but nothing was wrong to them. She sat down silently, picking up a book called Merlin: A Look into Magic History.
Finally, Hermoine dared to break the silence. "What's wrong?" she asked timidly.
"Everthing. Did you know that," she paused, wondering what she could say, "well that Snape's a spy?"
"Er, well I did," answered Harry.
Harper looked at him with disgust. "I gotta got to sleep." She walked away, up to the girls' room. Then she sat down on her bed. But she didn't cry, she never did.
Hermoine came running up the stairs. "Everyone! Professor McGongall needs to talk to us. Hurry up, don't dawdle!"
Everybody filed down, Harper last of all. She stayed by the staircase.
"Student's? Students!" shouted McGonagall. "Due to current events, a new curfew shall be set. After dinner go straight to your common room. Unless," she paused, and looked at Ron, Hermoine, Harry, and Harper, "you have a note from a teacher." She left, and the students' imaginations were left to wander.
The next day classes started. Defense Against the Dark Arts was first. The students made their way to Lupin's classroom. Clad in red robes, he greeted the Gryffindors.
"Hello! Welcome back," he said. The he looked down at his lesson plans. When he raised his head, he gave the sixth years a stern look. "I thought I'd begin with some history that Professor Binns refuses to teach."
"The C-c-chamber of S-s-secrets?" stuttered Neville Longbottom.
"No," grinned Lupin, his eyes lit up. "I thought we'd study the War of the Ring. That was filled with Dark Arts."
"That was real?" asked a student?
"Oh yes, very." He began with a history of the kings (as found in Appendix A), and was just reaching King Elssar (Aragorn, duh!) when the bell rang. "Oh! Well, tomorrow we will get into the forging of the Ring," he concluded
Next was Potions, then Transfiguration, Herbology…. By the end of the day the students were exhausted. Snape had given them a five page scroll on bezoars ("that's all?" squealed Hermoine). McGonagall a one and a half page on what creature they'd like to be, and why. Not to mention that Lupin had required them to read the first four chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring.
"Bloody hell, are the teachers having fun? I don't care about bezoars, I don't know if I'd rather be a phoenix or a hippogriff, and-and 75 pages?! Who does Lupin think we are? Hermoine?" moaned Ron.
Hermoine issued a sharp slap. "It's a good book. Why, I've already read 105 pages," she said.
"I'm going to go see Dumbledore," Harper said suddenly.
"Want us to come?" asked Harry.
"No." Harper left without a note, without a word, and without a friend.