Chapter 23: The Head
Hermoine yawned and stretched. She felt Crockshank's sandpaper tongue pulling across the soles of her feet.
"Crockshanks, you silly cat." She hugged him close. "I don't need to be groomed."
"Athena's Mistress wants to talk to you," her cat told her, purring loudly. Hermoine nodded, and sat her cat down.
"Hermoine get up," called a voice. "The O.W.Ls start soon!" It was Lavender, Hermoine realized with a start.
"Coming," she called down, hurrying to take a quick shower before she met her friends for breakfast.
Ron and Harry looked unsually pale at breakfast. Ron just pushed his foot around. Their normal gusto for eating was gone. Hermoine looked around. None of the kids in fifth year were eating much. The O.W.Ls were weighing heavily on everyone's mind. Hermoine tried to make herself look like she wasn't hungry, but she still had not regained all her energy from healing Snape. She felt like there was a hole in her stomach, where food would disapear, never to be seen again. She grinned to herself when she realized how silly she was being.
Hermoine followed the rest of the fifth years into a special chamber. Much to her surprise, Snape was waiting for them. It was the first she had seen of him since she had driven out the Daemon in him, nearly a month ago.
"This way, please," he said. His voice had returned to normal. "You will be pared off, and a professor will take you to your tests." He looked over them all. His eyes shone like ice. "No talking from here on. Wait silently for your turn, or I will deduct ten points from your house per speaker." He glanced at a piece of paper. His sneer returned."Granger, Esotich, you have the pleasure of being the first to fail."
Hermoine grinned at Ron and Harry as she passed. She followed Patrice to where Mrs Coeur awaited them in the darkness. The three of them walked silently to her classroom.
"All right, that's enough solemn business for the day," Couer said with a grin. "You two can relax now." Hermoine sighed with relief. The tension had been giving her a head ache. "You two have to stay out of sight for the day. All fifth years are supposed to be doing their O.W.Ls today."
"I think we should take her to the Centre to get her officially intiated," Patrice said. Hermoine frowned.
"I thought I was."
"No. You've taken the vow, but there is still lots to do."
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Don't worry. It's just paperwork and stuff. And a little ceremony."
"Ceremony?" Hermoine groaned.
"Then you can take special apparation classes," Patrice baited. Hermoine sighed in resignation.
"All right. Lead on."
They led her to Hagrid's hut. He was off teaching a class.
"Why are we here?" Hermoine asked. Patrice grinned.
"Watch." She raised her hand. "Komaneh," she intoned. The hut flickered, and a huge door opened up in its place. Hermoine forced her mouth closed.
"I've never seen this before," she said. Patrice gave a little laugh.
"Of course you haven't. Only trained Pheonix members can access this." She glanced at Mrs Coeur. "Since it is impossible to apparate anywhere on the grounds, we had this door put in for the Pheonixes who live on the campus."
Hermoine went in the great doors. She felt as if she was being thrown through the air. In an instant it was over, and she was standing in a dark room. She felt someone bumped into her. It was Patrice.
"Sorry," Patrice said. "Get your robes on, and will go above."
"My robes?"
"The fire-like ones." Patrice waved her hand, and her school robes became silky red robes. The bottom of the robes flickered with a magical flame that lit the room. Mrs Couer did the same. Her robes were not quite as bright as Patrices, and the flames on the bottom danced less vividly. Patrice was frowning.
"Kalina, your robes aren't as bright as they were." Mrs Coeur shook her head.
"They haven't changed. Yours have." She looked over at Hermoine. "Come on, we don't have all day."
"I don't know how," Hermoine admitted, flushing with embaressment.
"Sure you do. Quiet your mind. You think too much. Just do." Hermoine nodded.
They stood in the red glow of the robes. Hermoine wished that she knew how to summon the beautiful robes. She didn't want to stand out. Besides, the room was cold, the floor damp. Her feet felt like blocks of ice. She waited. Her feet were growing warmer. She looked down in surprise. She stood in the red robe. The flame seemed real as it danced along the hemline of her dress. She could feel the warmth from her robes if she put her hand near the dancing flame. Patrice was grinning at her.
"Let's go Hermoine. You look great."
"Thanks."
Patrice threw open a large door at the end of the hall. Hermoine squinted, and stepped into the sunlight beyond. She gasped. They were in an office building. Two women, wearing the same fire red robes as Hermoine, sat at a desk.
"Sub-comander Kalina, Sub-comander Patrice, welcome." One of them blinked at Hermoine.
"Who is this? One of your new trainees?" asked the other.
"This is Hermoine Granger. She was already sworn in by a General. We came to make it official," Mrs Coeur said. The two women nodded in unison, and they began scribling.
"Miss Granger, your parents names and occupations, please," said the first. Hermoine told them. They both looked up.
"A muggle-born Pheonix! I never thought I'd see the day," the second whispered to the first. Hermoine remained stone-faced. "You attend Hogwarts?" she added, more loudly.
"Yes," Hermoine replied.
"Year?"
"Fifth."
"House?"
"Gryffindor."
"Any indication as to the nature of your familiar?"
"My cat." Both women's eyes went very wide at this. Hermoine smiled sweetly. She glanced behind the two woman, and saw that one had a frog playing happily on her desk, and the other had a rat. They had the two weakest familiars.
"Very good," one of them said, her voice more controled, more respectful. "This way, if you please, Miss Granger. You will be introduced formally to our Lord, so that he may confer on you a rank more suited to your powers." Hermoine followed the woman back to a door behind their desks. It was guarded by two gargoyles with glowing red eyes.
"Mars," the woman said. The gargoyles turned away, and the door opened. "Miss Hermoine Granger to see you, sir," she called, pushing Hermoine in the dark room. The door slammed shut behind her, and Hermoine was alone in the dark.
Hermoine waited silently. She tried to remember what the book had said about the leader of the Pheonix Order. All she could recall was that they had to have a pheonix familiar. There had been no mention of past leaders, either. She tried not to fidget, aware that someone might be watching her. Still, she could not help but be nervous. This man was probably one of the most powerful wizards alive.
Hermoine saw something glowing in the dark. As the glow got closer, Hermoine realized it was a pheonix. The magnificent brid flew in and landed on her head. It began to sing its enchanting tune.
"Fawkes?" Hermoine gasped. "Is that you?"
"So we meet again, child. You have begun your training, I see."
"Miss Granger," said a familiar voice. "Glad to see you here. I was begining to wonder if you would ever sign in as a member." The old man came out of the darkness, a smile of his familiar face. "Fawkes has taken a measure of your power," he added. "With a cat familiar, that brings your rank up to a very respectable level. You are hereby confered the honour of Tenth Rank. With a little time and training, you could become a General one day." Fawkes came and perched on his shoulder. "Go on now. I'm sure that Patrice will get you started with apparation today."
"I'll see you later," Hermoine said with a smile. She bowed low to him, since it seemed only right to confer high respect to him. She watched as Professor Dumbledore, the head of her order, and Headmaster of her school, disappeared into the darkness.
