CHAPTER 6: HOGWARTS AT LAST
"I'm so glad we're going back to Hogwarts," Hermione sighed as the Express hissed and started on its now-familiar track.
"Why, so you can get to the library easier?" Ron retorted.
"That may be part of it," Hermione replied, eyes twinkling. "But I feel more protected at Hogwarts than I do anywhere else."
"I do, too," Harry seconded, but his mind wasn't really focused on his friends. He was thinking about the Time Globe, as he had his friends had dubbed it. He had puzzled over it a great deal during the past week.
He was dying to know why he was hanging around with a Death Eater. Why would he care so much about her? And did it have anything to do with Arlé and her brother?
Subsequent consultations of the Time Globe had given Harry a better understanding of the globe and how it worked. One could just put the globe next to any wand, no matter who was holding it, and produce a time line of sorts for the person whose wand was in question. Harry and Ron had mastered the art of "directing" the globe, but Hermione was having a harder time with it. Harry could "direct" the Time Globe to any point in his past, merely by remembering exactly where and when it was, and Ron could get it within a day or two of the memory.
Ron's secret thought about Hermione was that she tried to see too many things at once, and often got caught in the middle of two varying dates.
Unfortunately, neither Ron nor Harry could "direct" the Time Globe to show a specified time in the future. Hermione's explanation of this was, "Well, it's the future, and the future's always changing." The Globe had a hard time seeing into Ron's future, but Harry's future was always projected unless he stopped before he reached the future; each time it was projected, it was a different scene or two, many of which made even less sense than the one with the Death Eater.
The best thing about the globe was that not once had Harry seen his own death. Even the strange one-liner had not predicted death, merely a lot of fire and a faint hint of the Avada Kedavra curse.
He glanced up as the compartment door slid open, and Fred and George dragged their trunks into the car. George popped his trunk open and sighed. "We really hate to leave our Joke Shop closed until Christmas vacation, so we brought some 'free samples' for enjoyment."
"Forge, did you forget to label which sweets are which?" Gred demanded, and smacked his brother off the back of the head. "Would any of you like to try Sweets Roulette?"
"It's free," Forge added.
"No thanks," Ron said, "We've done it enough over the past week to last us a lifetime."
"Oh," George said, looking downhearted.
"I've only turned into a ferret about five times," Harry added.
"Why don't you go give you some of them to Malfoy?" Ron said maliciously.
"Heh, he'd like that, wouldn't he?" Fred grinned and nodded. "So we will."
* * *
Harry looked up at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, a smile emerging and flowing to his eyes. It was so good to be back, so good to know that he had almost a whole year before he had to go away again...
"I'm hungry," Ron moaned. "I hope the announcements are short, my stomach can't take it!"
"Oh, budge up and stop thinking with your stomach for a minute," Ginny snapped, although her fingers were running around the edge of her plate just as anxiously as Ron appeared.
Harry looked up at the staff table. There had been some seat changes from the last time he had been here. The person looking the least pleased with the seat arrangements was Snape, the sallow-faced Potions teacher who looked as if he hadn't seen a real good shower in the months since Harry had seen him last. To his left sat a tall gangly woman Harry had never seen before. He stared at her, wondering what she was like before nudging Hermione. He caught her elbow in his side in the same instant, and she turned and laughed. "Are you nudging me because of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I've seen her somewhere before, but I can't recall where."
Harry's mind flashed back to the Time Globe, and he whispered, "D'you think she was the one in the Time Globe?"
Hermione stared at him for a moment, and then looked up at the table, an unreadable expression on her face. "See how she covers her left arm, right there, look!" She hissed after a moment, and as Snape leaned in and spoke to the new teacher, she did indeed cover her left arm as if protecting it.
"What do you imagine Snape is telling her?" Harry muttered.
"Probably telling her to watch out for you..." Hermione said, and tugged on Ron's sleeve impatiently. He swung around with an angry expression on his face and from across the table Ginny stuck her tongue out.
"What?"
"See that lady over there, next to Snape? She's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"We think she's got a Death Mark," Hermione muttered. "See how she holds her arm?"
"She's got some real company with Snape," Ron said, looking sideways at them.
"Wonder where Professor Dumbledore is," Harry whispered glancing around the Great Hall. He didn't see Professor McGonagall, either, but he remembered that she was with the first years.
"Maybe out there with the firsties?" Ron suggested, holding back a snigger.
After a few minutes, Snape and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher seemed to have struck it nicely. She smiled at him and pushed her deep auburn hair back behind her ear with her right hand. Snape actually smiled back at her.
"He sooo likes her," Hermione said, trying to suppress a smirk.
Ron made gagging noises and Harry stared at her with an expression that said he'd rather be facing Voldemort.
"Ewww, that is so gross!" Ron hissed. "Don't even suggest that, Hermione!"
"How do you figure that?" Harry demanded, staring at them while trying not to stare.
"It's a girl thing, we know when guys like us," she said secretively, and that was all they could weasel out of her.
Ron glanced around and said, "Oh, look, Harry, there's Dumbledore!" Dumbledore was standing in one of the entrances to the Great Hall, speaking to someone shorter than him by only one or two inches. It was a girl, Harry could tell when he squinted, and something about her profile looked oddly familiar...
Dumbledore waved his hand towards the Gryffindor table, where Harry and his friends were sitting, and asked a question. They walked into the room together, the girl still nodding an affirmative, and Harry recognized her. She had changed her hair color to a fiery reddish gold, but her green eyes were still the same.
Hermione heard his gasp as the girl turned toward them and kicked Harry beneath the table. "Ouch, what?" He groaned, turning to her.
"Stop staring!" she hissed. "Cho will get jealous."
Harry blushed at the mention of his crush, but he didn't even glance around to find where she was sitting. "She's the girl from my dream..."
Ron looked at him from the other side of Hermione, and asked, "Are you sure? I thought you said she was dead..." But he trailed off as she walked to an empty chair directly across from Harry, beside Ginny.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked softly, and looked imploringly at Hermione and Ginny.
"No, go ahead," Ginny replied, kicking Ron from beneath the table to stop his staring. "I'm Ginny Weasley, and I don't think I've seen you here before."
"No, I bet you haven't," she replied, her green eyes twinkling. "I was home-schooled before this year. I'm Erif Deerfleda." She ran a finger through her hair and Harry noticed a ring on the first finger of her right hand. It looked like a bird with a long neck and tail, but he couldn't make out much more than that before she moved her hands. The red gems on its wings sparkled almost the same color as her hair. "My parents decided last year that it would be better if I came here to Hogwarts to study for the O.W.L.S. this year. I guess I'll be staying here until I come of age," she finished sadly.
Harry realized that she was lying. But why? Was she trying to hide herself from Voldemort? If she was, he would not break her secret, but he was dying to know how she had escaped that Death Eater...
"Ron Weasley," Ron introduced himself, smiling lopsidedly.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, offering her hand across the table.
"Harry Potter," Harry said, and braced himself for the scream of recognition that most girls gave when they realized who he was.
She was not like "most girls."
"It will be a pleasure to work beside you, Harry," she said calmly, smiling a genuine smile that almost reached her emerald eyes. Almost, but there was still the edge of sadness beneath them.
Dumbledore had walked past Snape and the new teacher and now stood behind his seat, ready to begin the Feast. The Great Hall quieted, and Harry knew that many people were thinking about their previous meal here, at which Dumbledore had toasted both Cedric and Harry...
Professor McGonagall walked in with a line of scraggly-looking first years, that were quickly sorted out into the four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Each house was strong for their own set of values: Gryffindors, for their bravery, Ravenclaw, for their mind-power, Hufflepuff, for their loyalty, and Slytherin for their slick personalities.
After the sorting Dumbledore held up his hand, and gradually, all cheers and congratulations stopped. "Welcome all, and I am so glad to be back here with you," Dumbledore began, his blue eyes streaking across the crowds, from the rowdy Slytherins to the quiet, reserved Hufflepuffs. "This year I am happy to say that we will be having our InterHouse Quidditch Championship, so I hope you have all been practicing over the break." He turned to the end of the table and motioned for the new teacher to stand up. "This is Professor Summer Bailey, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I hope you will treat her with as much respect as you would treat myself and the other staff members here." A smile split his beard as he looked at her, and a very large round of applause echoed through the Hall. Harry noticed that she smiled and looked down at Snape, who was smiling back. Indeed, her smile was contagious; many of the other teachers had at least lifted one side of their mouth as they watched her.
As the applause died down, Professor Dumbledore continued, "You all know that the forest is off limits. It would do well not to be caught roaming alone anywhere, especially not at night. Although there is no curfew yet, I would expect you to take my advice seriously and stay in your Common room at night." He glanced around, his gaze stopping pointedly on Fred and George, who were sullen-faced at the thought of not being able to roam freely, collecting toilet seats.
Above them, the ceiling, which had been full of dark clouds and distant rolls of thunder, sparked a lightning bolt.
Harry looked at Erif as he noticed a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. She was staring up at the ceiling, her sharp eyes narrowed at the sudden downpour that never quite reached their heads.
He didn't get a chance to say anything to her though, because Dumbledore smiled and continued, "Now, I know you're all rather sick of me speaking by now, so I would oblige you to eat your heart's content tonight." He walked around to Snape's side of the table while Harry and his friends dug into the wonderful dishes and drinks that were displayed in front of them. Harry could just barely make out that Dumbledore was speaking to the both of them before Arlé's head got in the way as she reached across for the plate of meats.
After the feast, Harry got the password from a sixth year and they went upstairs, Ron slower than everyone else because he had a stomach ache. Harry paused at the bottom of the first flight of stairs waiting for Ron and Hermione to go up the narrow stairs first and he noticed that Snape and Professor Bailey were moving toward Snape's dungeons together, Snape holding the door for her as they swung through it.
"You shouldn't have eaten so much, Ron," Hermione scolded, holding one of his arms as he hobbled up the stairs. Ginny was walking just behind them, holding back her laughter at her brother's predicament.
"I've eaten more food than that before," he grunted, but he blushed a little. Ron was holding his stomach and trying not to pull a face. Arlé followed Harry up the stairs behind them, and caught his arm as she tripped on the invisible step, steadying herself.
Her hand was so warm it was like he had dipped his entire arm into a steaming bath. He looked at her in alarm, and she smiled up at him a little sheepishly. "Oops," she said, and let go of his arm, trying to lever herself out.
Harry grasped her right hand, prepared for the heat of her flesh, and was very surprised when his hand touched room-temperature skin. She hopped lightly out of the step and smiled at him, and he felt his insides melt. Cho had never smiled at him that way...
He pushed that thought aside and hastily smiled back, silently determined that he would do as much as he could to make her laugh. Her eyes looked so much fuller when she was laughing...
He glanced upward and saw Hermione's brown eyes staring at him. A thought, unbidden, came to mind: It's a girl thing, we know when guys like us...
Harry looked away hastily and, to hide his sudden anxiety, he turned to Arlé and asked, "So when did you get sorted? Obviously not at the Feast..."
"I was sorted just before the Feast. Professor Dumbledore decided it would be best to do it before rather than with the first years." She blushed a little, and Harry realized he was still holding her hand. He let go hastily, and wasn't quite sure what to think when she made as if to reconnect, and then paused.
She looked at him, an unreadable expression on her face, and then fled up the rest of the stairs, away from them. Harry made to follow her, but a tight professional female voice called him back. "Potter?" She asked, and as he turned, Professor McGonagall sighed. "I've been looking for you in the Common Room, but I was told you weren't in there yet. Would you please come up to Professor Dumbledore's office now?"
Harry threw a wistful look up the stairs, but could not see a glint of Arlé's fiery hair, or of a pair of green eyes watching discreetly. "I'll catch up with you three later," Harry called to his friends, and followed Professor McGonagall.
"I'm so glad we're going back to Hogwarts," Hermione sighed as the Express hissed and started on its now-familiar track.
"Why, so you can get to the library easier?" Ron retorted.
"That may be part of it," Hermione replied, eyes twinkling. "But I feel more protected at Hogwarts than I do anywhere else."
"I do, too," Harry seconded, but his mind wasn't really focused on his friends. He was thinking about the Time Globe, as he had his friends had dubbed it. He had puzzled over it a great deal during the past week.
He was dying to know why he was hanging around with a Death Eater. Why would he care so much about her? And did it have anything to do with Arlé and her brother?
Subsequent consultations of the Time Globe had given Harry a better understanding of the globe and how it worked. One could just put the globe next to any wand, no matter who was holding it, and produce a time line of sorts for the person whose wand was in question. Harry and Ron had mastered the art of "directing" the globe, but Hermione was having a harder time with it. Harry could "direct" the Time Globe to any point in his past, merely by remembering exactly where and when it was, and Ron could get it within a day or two of the memory.
Ron's secret thought about Hermione was that she tried to see too many things at once, and often got caught in the middle of two varying dates.
Unfortunately, neither Ron nor Harry could "direct" the Time Globe to show a specified time in the future. Hermione's explanation of this was, "Well, it's the future, and the future's always changing." The Globe had a hard time seeing into Ron's future, but Harry's future was always projected unless he stopped before he reached the future; each time it was projected, it was a different scene or two, many of which made even less sense than the one with the Death Eater.
The best thing about the globe was that not once had Harry seen his own death. Even the strange one-liner had not predicted death, merely a lot of fire and a faint hint of the Avada Kedavra curse.
He glanced up as the compartment door slid open, and Fred and George dragged their trunks into the car. George popped his trunk open and sighed. "We really hate to leave our Joke Shop closed until Christmas vacation, so we brought some 'free samples' for enjoyment."
"Forge, did you forget to label which sweets are which?" Gred demanded, and smacked his brother off the back of the head. "Would any of you like to try Sweets Roulette?"
"It's free," Forge added.
"No thanks," Ron said, "We've done it enough over the past week to last us a lifetime."
"Oh," George said, looking downhearted.
"I've only turned into a ferret about five times," Harry added.
"Why don't you go give you some of them to Malfoy?" Ron said maliciously.
"Heh, he'd like that, wouldn't he?" Fred grinned and nodded. "So we will."
* * *
Harry looked up at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, a smile emerging and flowing to his eyes. It was so good to be back, so good to know that he had almost a whole year before he had to go away again...
"I'm hungry," Ron moaned. "I hope the announcements are short, my stomach can't take it!"
"Oh, budge up and stop thinking with your stomach for a minute," Ginny snapped, although her fingers were running around the edge of her plate just as anxiously as Ron appeared.
Harry looked up at the staff table. There had been some seat changes from the last time he had been here. The person looking the least pleased with the seat arrangements was Snape, the sallow-faced Potions teacher who looked as if he hadn't seen a real good shower in the months since Harry had seen him last. To his left sat a tall gangly woman Harry had never seen before. He stared at her, wondering what she was like before nudging Hermione. He caught her elbow in his side in the same instant, and she turned and laughed. "Are you nudging me because of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I've seen her somewhere before, but I can't recall where."
Harry's mind flashed back to the Time Globe, and he whispered, "D'you think she was the one in the Time Globe?"
Hermione stared at him for a moment, and then looked up at the table, an unreadable expression on her face. "See how she covers her left arm, right there, look!" She hissed after a moment, and as Snape leaned in and spoke to the new teacher, she did indeed cover her left arm as if protecting it.
"What do you imagine Snape is telling her?" Harry muttered.
"Probably telling her to watch out for you..." Hermione said, and tugged on Ron's sleeve impatiently. He swung around with an angry expression on his face and from across the table Ginny stuck her tongue out.
"What?"
"See that lady over there, next to Snape? She's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"We think she's got a Death Mark," Hermione muttered. "See how she holds her arm?"
"She's got some real company with Snape," Ron said, looking sideways at them.
"Wonder where Professor Dumbledore is," Harry whispered glancing around the Great Hall. He didn't see Professor McGonagall, either, but he remembered that she was with the first years.
"Maybe out there with the firsties?" Ron suggested, holding back a snigger.
After a few minutes, Snape and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher seemed to have struck it nicely. She smiled at him and pushed her deep auburn hair back behind her ear with her right hand. Snape actually smiled back at her.
"He sooo likes her," Hermione said, trying to suppress a smirk.
Ron made gagging noises and Harry stared at her with an expression that said he'd rather be facing Voldemort.
"Ewww, that is so gross!" Ron hissed. "Don't even suggest that, Hermione!"
"How do you figure that?" Harry demanded, staring at them while trying not to stare.
"It's a girl thing, we know when guys like us," she said secretively, and that was all they could weasel out of her.
Ron glanced around and said, "Oh, look, Harry, there's Dumbledore!" Dumbledore was standing in one of the entrances to the Great Hall, speaking to someone shorter than him by only one or two inches. It was a girl, Harry could tell when he squinted, and something about her profile looked oddly familiar...
Dumbledore waved his hand towards the Gryffindor table, where Harry and his friends were sitting, and asked a question. They walked into the room together, the girl still nodding an affirmative, and Harry recognized her. She had changed her hair color to a fiery reddish gold, but her green eyes were still the same.
Hermione heard his gasp as the girl turned toward them and kicked Harry beneath the table. "Ouch, what?" He groaned, turning to her.
"Stop staring!" she hissed. "Cho will get jealous."
Harry blushed at the mention of his crush, but he didn't even glance around to find where she was sitting. "She's the girl from my dream..."
Ron looked at him from the other side of Hermione, and asked, "Are you sure? I thought you said she was dead..." But he trailed off as she walked to an empty chair directly across from Harry, beside Ginny.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked softly, and looked imploringly at Hermione and Ginny.
"No, go ahead," Ginny replied, kicking Ron from beneath the table to stop his staring. "I'm Ginny Weasley, and I don't think I've seen you here before."
"No, I bet you haven't," she replied, her green eyes twinkling. "I was home-schooled before this year. I'm Erif Deerfleda." She ran a finger through her hair and Harry noticed a ring on the first finger of her right hand. It looked like a bird with a long neck and tail, but he couldn't make out much more than that before she moved her hands. The red gems on its wings sparkled almost the same color as her hair. "My parents decided last year that it would be better if I came here to Hogwarts to study for the O.W.L.S. this year. I guess I'll be staying here until I come of age," she finished sadly.
Harry realized that she was lying. But why? Was she trying to hide herself from Voldemort? If she was, he would not break her secret, but he was dying to know how she had escaped that Death Eater...
"Ron Weasley," Ron introduced himself, smiling lopsidedly.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, offering her hand across the table.
"Harry Potter," Harry said, and braced himself for the scream of recognition that most girls gave when they realized who he was.
She was not like "most girls."
"It will be a pleasure to work beside you, Harry," she said calmly, smiling a genuine smile that almost reached her emerald eyes. Almost, but there was still the edge of sadness beneath them.
Dumbledore had walked past Snape and the new teacher and now stood behind his seat, ready to begin the Feast. The Great Hall quieted, and Harry knew that many people were thinking about their previous meal here, at which Dumbledore had toasted both Cedric and Harry...
Professor McGonagall walked in with a line of scraggly-looking first years, that were quickly sorted out into the four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Each house was strong for their own set of values: Gryffindors, for their bravery, Ravenclaw, for their mind-power, Hufflepuff, for their loyalty, and Slytherin for their slick personalities.
After the sorting Dumbledore held up his hand, and gradually, all cheers and congratulations stopped. "Welcome all, and I am so glad to be back here with you," Dumbledore began, his blue eyes streaking across the crowds, from the rowdy Slytherins to the quiet, reserved Hufflepuffs. "This year I am happy to say that we will be having our InterHouse Quidditch Championship, so I hope you have all been practicing over the break." He turned to the end of the table and motioned for the new teacher to stand up. "This is Professor Summer Bailey, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I hope you will treat her with as much respect as you would treat myself and the other staff members here." A smile split his beard as he looked at her, and a very large round of applause echoed through the Hall. Harry noticed that she smiled and looked down at Snape, who was smiling back. Indeed, her smile was contagious; many of the other teachers had at least lifted one side of their mouth as they watched her.
As the applause died down, Professor Dumbledore continued, "You all know that the forest is off limits. It would do well not to be caught roaming alone anywhere, especially not at night. Although there is no curfew yet, I would expect you to take my advice seriously and stay in your Common room at night." He glanced around, his gaze stopping pointedly on Fred and George, who were sullen-faced at the thought of not being able to roam freely, collecting toilet seats.
Above them, the ceiling, which had been full of dark clouds and distant rolls of thunder, sparked a lightning bolt.
Harry looked at Erif as he noticed a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. She was staring up at the ceiling, her sharp eyes narrowed at the sudden downpour that never quite reached their heads.
He didn't get a chance to say anything to her though, because Dumbledore smiled and continued, "Now, I know you're all rather sick of me speaking by now, so I would oblige you to eat your heart's content tonight." He walked around to Snape's side of the table while Harry and his friends dug into the wonderful dishes and drinks that were displayed in front of them. Harry could just barely make out that Dumbledore was speaking to the both of them before Arlé's head got in the way as she reached across for the plate of meats.
After the feast, Harry got the password from a sixth year and they went upstairs, Ron slower than everyone else because he had a stomach ache. Harry paused at the bottom of the first flight of stairs waiting for Ron and Hermione to go up the narrow stairs first and he noticed that Snape and Professor Bailey were moving toward Snape's dungeons together, Snape holding the door for her as they swung through it.
"You shouldn't have eaten so much, Ron," Hermione scolded, holding one of his arms as he hobbled up the stairs. Ginny was walking just behind them, holding back her laughter at her brother's predicament.
"I've eaten more food than that before," he grunted, but he blushed a little. Ron was holding his stomach and trying not to pull a face. Arlé followed Harry up the stairs behind them, and caught his arm as she tripped on the invisible step, steadying herself.
Her hand was so warm it was like he had dipped his entire arm into a steaming bath. He looked at her in alarm, and she smiled up at him a little sheepishly. "Oops," she said, and let go of his arm, trying to lever herself out.
Harry grasped her right hand, prepared for the heat of her flesh, and was very surprised when his hand touched room-temperature skin. She hopped lightly out of the step and smiled at him, and he felt his insides melt. Cho had never smiled at him that way...
He pushed that thought aside and hastily smiled back, silently determined that he would do as much as he could to make her laugh. Her eyes looked so much fuller when she was laughing...
He glanced upward and saw Hermione's brown eyes staring at him. A thought, unbidden, came to mind: It's a girl thing, we know when guys like us...
Harry looked away hastily and, to hide his sudden anxiety, he turned to Arlé and asked, "So when did you get sorted? Obviously not at the Feast..."
"I was sorted just before the Feast. Professor Dumbledore decided it would be best to do it before rather than with the first years." She blushed a little, and Harry realized he was still holding her hand. He let go hastily, and wasn't quite sure what to think when she made as if to reconnect, and then paused.
She looked at him, an unreadable expression on her face, and then fled up the rest of the stairs, away from them. Harry made to follow her, but a tight professional female voice called him back. "Potter?" She asked, and as he turned, Professor McGonagall sighed. "I've been looking for you in the Common Room, but I was told you weren't in there yet. Would you please come up to Professor Dumbledore's office now?"
Harry threw a wistful look up the stairs, but could not see a glint of Arlé's fiery hair, or of a pair of green eyes watching discreetly. "I'll catch up with you three later," Harry called to his friends, and followed Professor McGonagall.