"Ron, my scar is burning!" Harry exclaimed as he grabbed his throbbing forehead.
"Oh no! You don't think...you-know-who...is here at Hogwarts, do you? We better tell Dumbledore quick!" Ron replied with a wisp of fear on his voice.
Harry quickly got out of his chair and ran over to the High Table. Professor Dumbledore was talking with Professor McGonagall.
"Professor Dumbledore, I need to speak with you! It's about my scar!"
"Yes, it's a pity you have it...now what were you saying Minerva?"
"Professor?!" Harry interupted.
"Yes, Harry, I know all about your scar, you got it from the Avada Kedavra spell Voldemort cast on you. Can't you see I'm busy here? Now go along Mister Potter."
"But Profes..."
"Ten points from Gryffindor, and it will be more if you do not leave me be right this instant!" Dumbledore said, suddenly rising out of his chair. He appeared taller than normal, and the air around him seemed to darken slightly. "Now, Minerva, what were you saying, before we were so rudely interupted?"
"I never told you this before, but I suddenly had the urge to tell you how I feel Albus...I'm...well...I'm in love with you!" Professor McGonagall said, blushing beet red.
Harry's eyes went wide before he turned around very swiftly and almost ran into Ron and Hermione, who were right behind him.
"Harry, what's going on here?" Hermione asked as they walked dumbfounded back to their seats. Harry looked up and saw Cho watching him with concern in her eyes.
Harry mouthed, "Don't worry," to her.
"Harry?" Hermione jabbed his arm. "Back to us, this isn't good. The teachers are acting worse than Lockheart did. I thought I noticed Professors Sprout and Flitwick were acting weird too, but didn't think anything of it."
"Maybe Sirius can help us out..." Ron said as soon as Hermione was finished talking.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go write him real quick before class."
Harry pulled out a small scroll and Hermione handed him a quill.
Dear Padfoot,
I'm terribly sorry to bother you during breakfast, but I thought you should know that my scar was burning this morning. I know you told me to see Professor Dumbledore whenever it happened, but he is acting really strangely, more so than usual. He didn't want to talk to me; he was busy talking with Professor McGonagall. Well, gotta run off to Potions. Write back ASAP! Talk to you soon.
Harry
Harry folded it up and put it into an envelope. He grabbed a candle and poured some wax on it and stamped it with a large gold ornate signet ring. It was a big H with a lightning bolt in the background. Sirius had sent it to him for his birthday. After the wax had hardened he gave a whistle and Hedwig flew into the room. He tied the letter to her leg and gave her a treat and told her to hurry. Hedwig spread her snow white wings and took off with a few flaps. She soared out the window and off toward Hogsmeade.
Ron tapped his shoulder, "We better head off to potions, Professor Gnilwor is gonna show us potions of inflamability today!" Together the three ran back to the Gryffindor common room and ran to their separate bedrooms. Harry grabbed his textbook and made sure his wand was secure in his pocket before holding the door open for Ron. They ran back down the winding staircase and almost knocked Hermione over.
"Well, boys, let's get off to class, I wonder if Snape is going to watch over the class again. Ever since he left potions, he has been monitoring her teaching," Hermione said as she walked through the hole in the wall and down towards the potions classroom.
A few minutes later, they were sitting down in their seats in the potions classroom. It had been moved out of the dungeon when Susan Gnilwor, the new Potions Master arrived at the school. It was now located in the East Tower, and the sun was just high enough to cast its warm rays into the room. By some magic, the room was a very comfortable 74 degrees.
A door opened in the back of the room and a witch of medium height, wearing bright red robes, stained from splashes of potion from over the years. She pulled the large hat off her head and sat it on the front desk.
"Good morning class!" she said as she opened up the ingredients cabinet.
Almost silently, a dark figure walked into the room from the hallway. He would have probably gone unnoticed except for the fact that his left shoe squeaked as he stopped. Hoping nobody had noticed, he stepped into the shadows in the corner. Harry knew instantly who it was and rolled his eyes.
"Good morning Professor Snape," Professor Gnilwor said, looking up at him. Exiting the shadows Snape smiled.
"Good morning to you too, Susan," Snape replied, a weird grimace crossing his face, "I was wondering if I could speak with you privately, as soon as you become available, that is..."
"Sure...Severus, just let me start class, then we can talk."
"Alright class, today we are making potions of inflammability. If you open your books to page 437, you will find the directions. Remember; do not add the frog livers until after the rabbit eyes are completely melted. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. Miss Granger, you are in charge while I'm gone."
Professors Gnilwor and Snape walked into her office and shut the door.
"I bet Snape is gonna tell that mudblood how a real potions master should act." Hermione turned her head and brushed the hairs from her face to reveal a tall kid with greased back blonde hair and a sneer.
"You better behave Malfoy, or else I'll have to tell Professor Gnilwor what you just said. And you wouldn't want Slytherin to lose another 10 points because you have a big mouth, would you?"
"No, Granger, I wouldn't want that..." Draco mumbled.
"What was that?" she replied.
"I said, No!" Draco snorted.
"That's what I thought!" Harry and Ron chuckled.
"What are you laughing at Potter?! I'm the one should be laughing at you! Losing to that filthy little Ravenclaw seeker, what's she ride? I was never good at ancient history...Worst seeker I've ever seen."
"That's only cause you've seen yourself play," Ron replied quickly with a laugh.
"Filthy little Weasley brat!"
Ron looked over at Hermione, who was staring at Draco, eyes wide and a smile across her face. Looking over he saw Draco form the same smile.
"Hermione?" Ron asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
"What is it Ron?" she said to him in a rude tone.
"Sorry 'Mione...I was just wondering what you and Malfoy were doing..."
"Just cause we went out a few times, doesn't mean you have to know everything I do, and we aren't married you know, I can look at other guys if I want. I can go out with anyone I please, whenever I want!"
"Go out with Malfoy, Draco Malfoy? You're joking, right? Right?" Ron said, his eyes widening, and his teeth on his bottom lip.
"Yes, go out with Draco, lovely Draco Malfoy...So strong, handsome, powerful, rich, and he's the captain of the quidditch team...something you'll never be!"
Ron just sat there with his mouth open wide and tears swelling up in his eyes. Reaching up, he wiped the tears back, "I thought we had something special Hermione..."
"Well, you were obviously wrong!"
Ron stood up and bumped into a shocked Harry as he stormed out of the room.
Professor Gnilwor popped her head back into the classroom, "Class dismissed!" Her cloak was partly undone, and there were light marks on her neck, they looked like teeth marks. Snape's voice said something quietly and Gnilwor giggled and shut the door again.
"What's going on Hermione, I thought you hated Draco?"
"Well, I hated you and Ron at one point too, quite a few times to be precise! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to talk with Draco."
"Sorry, 'Mione..."
"Well, you should be!"
"See ya at lunch."
"Yeah, whatever," Hermione rolled her eyes and then smiled as Draco approached her.
"How are you doing, Miss Granger?"
"Just fine, Mister Malfoy," Hermione answered, blushing beet red.
"I was wondering if, maybe, you'd like to be my girlfriend? That is, if you aren't seeing anybody else right now..."
"Sorry Draco, but she's going out with..."
"Scram Potter!" Hermione screamed at him, "I'd love to go out with you, Draco. Did anyone ever tell you, you have very beautiful eyes?"
"Yeah, people notice them all the time, but they are nothing compared with you, my love."
Hermione giggled and hand in hand, Draco and she walked out of the classroom. Harry stood there dumbfounded.
All of a sudden, Harry's scar began burning very intensely. He dropped to his knees out of the pure pain coursing through his throbbing forehead. Screaming out in agony, he passed out of the floor. Right before his eyes shut, he saw a faint shimmer by the ingredients cabinet. A faint laugh rang through his ears right before the silence.
Harry woke up in the hospital wing. Looking up he saw the faint outlines of people hovering over his bed. Reaching over he grabbed his glasses and pulled them over his eyes. Waiting a second for them to adjust Harry looked around. He saw Ron and Cho standing right next to the bed. Looking over into the doorframe, he saw Sirius and right behind him was Lupin.
"What happened Sirius, why am I in the hospital wing?"
"Sirius?" Cho said, in wonder, then she blinked and her eyes went wide, "Sirius Black, I thought I recognized you! You stay away from Harry. I'm top of my class you know! All I have to do is..."
"It's alright Cho, he's on our side," Ron interupted. Harry nodded his head and smiled at his scruffy looking godfather.
"Oh, sorry about that Mister Black."
"Call me Sirius, and we were hoping you could tell us what happened, Harry..."
"I...I think I fainted...oh yeah, it was in the Potions room, right?"
"Yeah, that's where we found you."
"My scar...it was burning, very intensely, like when I was fighting Voldemort..."
"Don't say his name!" Ron and Cho screamed at Harry, making both Sirius and Lupin jump.
"Like was saying, when I fought Voldemort in the graveyard. And when he was after the stone. But even worse than both those times. I think Voldemort is here at the school."
"If he was here, he isn't here right now, I checked the Marauder's Map, that's how we found you in the first place. I would have seen him if he were here."
"What does Dumbledore think?" Harry asked the two older wizards. They looked at each other and frowned. Harry did not like the look on their faces. "What's wrong?"
"Well, Harry, the thing is...Voldemort wasn't the only powerful wizard who isn't here...Dumbledore is missing."
"Oh no..." Ron said, terror crossing his face. Harry gulped and Cho gripped his hand tightly.