Chapter 15:  Who is Burdock?

            Harry Potter awoke to the sound of Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan flinging clothes and various items around the room, their idea of packing for the vacation.  He groaned and buried his head into his pillow willing them silently to be quiet and let him get a few more minutes sleep.  However, his best friend, Ron Weasley, had other plans. 

            "Harry, wake up!  Come on, we missed breakfast."

            "Don't care, not hungry." Harry mumbled into the pillow.  Something bounced off the back of his head causing him to look up groggily.  Ron was standing next to his bed, the velvet hangings pulled back.  "Wha'choo throw at me?" Harry demanded, trying vainly to clear his sleep-clogged mind.

            "Socks.  Now get up before I get a book from Hermione to chuck at you next." Ron threatened. 

            Harry sat up, pulling on his glasses, the world coming into focus.  "Okay, I'm up, I'm up."  He rolled out of bed slowly crossing to the bathroom staring at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. 

            "Well, don't you look chipper this morning." The mirror said in its wheezy voice.

            "I've felt better." Harry muttered around the mouthful of toothpaste.  He finished cleaning up and wandered out of the bathroom.  Ron was sitting on the edge of his bed, swinging his long legs restlessly. 

            "Come on, Harry, I'm starving.  Let's sneak down to the kitchens and get some food from the elves."

            Harry rolled his eyes as he rummaged through his trunk for a fresh robe.  "I can't believe you're hungry after all you ate last night.  I don't think I can eat for another week at least."

            "That's what I thought last night, too.  It was great of Fred and George to have given us all that extra food.  Did you try those chocolate éclairs?" Ron smiled dreamily at the memory of said éclairs, "I was a little suspicious at first of anything they sent.  Remember how they tricked Neville with those Canary Creams last year?  And the Ton Tongue Toffees they managed to slip to that awful cousin of yours?  Ha, I'll never forget it!"

            Harry laughed hollowly.  Honestly his past summer had been one of the most miserable periods of time he'd ever spent with the Dursleys, his only living blood relatives.  The memory of the Ton Tongue Toffees had been still fresh in their minds, and they treated him worse than ever.  Harry had often found himself reminding them of his convict godfather, Sirius Black, in order to get a little relief. 

            Harry had also spent the entire summer holidays worrying about the return of Voldemort.  He'd been having nightmares since the end of the last school year.  At first they mostly consisted of the terrifying scene in the graveyard—Cedric Diggory's horrified expression as green light flashed through the air, the circle of laughing Death Eaters, the look of pain on Wormtail's face as he cut off his own hand to bring his master back to life, and the thing that pulled itself out of the bubbling cauldron.  Lately, though, Harry'd been experiencing different nightmares, images of things he'd never seen before.  The inside of some place with stony walls that dripped and resounded with insane shrieks, where dementors glided restlessly.  Harry could only guess that this must be the wizard prison of Azkaban and was afraid that it meant Sirius had been caught again.  He had secretly told Hermione and Ron about his fears, but they insisted that if Sirius were to be captured it would be all over the Daily Prophet. 

            "That's why I've renewed my subscription, isn't it Harry?" Hermione had waved the newspaper in front of his nose, "That way we can keep on top of things that are happening." 

            Harry had almost felt reassured by this…almost.  His Azkaban nightmares were growing more complex.  He dreamt that the dementors disappeared from the place completely and that an unseen force had silenced the shrieks suddenly.  In one recent, particularly disturbing dream, he was standing inside a cell.  There were four men, two who he knew…Wormtail and Lucius Malfoy…the third he didn't know, but who looked disturbingly like Sirius when he'd first escaped Azkaban, and the fourth he couldn't see clearly at all to identify him.  In slow motion, it seemed, Malfoy raised his wand and muttered Crucio.  The prisoner fell to the floor, his body convulsing horribly, but no sound issuing from him.  Harry kept waking from this dream with sweat pouring down the back of his neck, not understanding what it meant.  Who was this man and why was Malfoy torturing him?  He hadn't told Hermione and Ron about this particular dream yet, though he was sure Hermione was having suspicions there was something he'd been hiding from them.  She kept throwing him those worried looks she'd perfected over the past four and a half years whenever it appeared he wasn't paying attention.  Harry felt guilty for not telling them, but the truth was he didn't know if the dreams were important or not.  There was no way to tell…besides, his scar wasn't hurting, which was usually a good indication of when he was seeing things having to do with Voldemort, his main concern of late. 

            Ron tugging insistently on his sleeve pulled Harry out of his musings.  "Let's move, Potter.  We want to get down there before lunch starts, don't we?"

            "Yeah, okay, keep your pants on Weasley." Harry mumbled, sticking his wand into his back pocket. 

They wandered through the common room and were getting ready to climb out through the portrait when a shrill voice stopped them.  "Harry!  Don't put your foot down!  You're going to step on Trevor!" 

Harry stopped his leg in midair looking down to see Neville Longbottom's fat toad, Trevor, sitting on the floor and croaking lazily.  "Oh, sorry, Neville." He bent and scooped up the toad, handing it to the round-faced boy who had come up behind them.

"Honestly, Neville, you should try and get a leash for that thing." Ron said. 

Neville shrugged.  "I asked Granmum to look for one for him, but she said I should be more concerned with my studies than some useless toad.  Oops!"  Trevor had managed to squeeze out of Neville's grasp and appeared to be making another bid for freedom.  Neville chased after the escapee, calling over his shoulder, "I'll see you after the holidays!  Have a good break!"

"Bye, Neville." They intoned together before finally leaving the common room. 

"I can't wait to get some food." Ron said excitedly, "I'm going to see if they'll fix me up an omelet, with some sausages and maybe a good batch of kippers…"

"Ugh, how can you stand kippers?" Harry moaned, going slightly green.

"Easy," Ron grinned, "They taste the best with a lots of ketchup."

"Thanks for that lovely mental image, Ron," Harry said turning an even more sickly shade of green, "Now I'm really ready to have a big breakfast."

They walked down the giant marble staircase, taking the hallway off to the right that led to the Hufflepuff Common Room as well as the kitchens.  Ron continued to talk nineteen to the dozen about what he was planning to have the houselves make him. 

"You know, Ron, Hermione wouldn't be too happy about the amount of work you're going to put these elves through." Harry said as he reached up to tickle the large green pear in the portrait of a big bowl of fruit that led to the kitchens.  It giggled, turning into a green doorknob.

"Oh, don't start with that again." Ron groaned, "She really hasn't given up on SPEW, has she?  Why can't I make her see that the elves like to work?  They're happy.  Only Dobby's the odd one."

Harry laughed, opening the portrait and stepping inside.  Almost instantly a small figure came flying forward and clasped him tightly about the middle. 

"Harry Potter!" it shrieked, "It is good to see you!  Dobby is so happy Harry Potter came to visit!" 

"It's good to see you too, Dobby." Harry said, gently trying to pry the ecstatic elf off his waist.

"Hey, Dobby, do you think we could have something to eat?  We missed breakfast."  No sooner had the words left Ron's mouth than four elves came running up bearing a platter of eggs, sausage and toast.  "Great, thanks!" Ron said enthusiastically to the beaming elves.

"Yeah, thanks."  Harry said grabbing a piece of toast off the platter.  Suddenly there was a loud ringing noise that echoed resoundingly throughout the kitchen.  Dobby's ears stood straight up and he looked around frantically. 

"Where is Linky gone to?" He asked anxiously.  A smaller elf with big brown eyes came running towards him and he motioned for her to follow.  "Sorry Dobby is leaving so soon, Harry Potter, but Professor Snape is calling for him!" Dobby called as he and Linky ran out the door. 

"Bye, Dobby." Harry shouted after him.

"I thought Snape was gone until after Christmas." Ron said in puzzled voice around a mouthful of eggs and sausage.

"So did I." Harry gave a little moan.  "And here I was thinking it'd be a good Christmas for once without him swooping around like the overgrown bat he is."

            Ron laughed.  "Why do you think he's back?"

            "Haven't a clue.  Why, do you want to go and ask him, Ron?"

            Ron paled slightly.  "I don't have a death wish, Potter.  Though he'd probably be ecstatic to see you."

            "Right," Harry said darkly, biting into another piece of toast, "I'm sure he would.  Poor Dobby.  Could you imagine having to unpack Snape's things?"

            "Argh, no!" Ron covered his eyes with his hands, "I don't want to think about Snape's private stuff!  Bad mental images!  Harry, don't do that to me!" 

            Harry smiled, raising his hands placatingly.  "Sorry, Ron.  I won't do that again.  Well, I'm full.  Are you done yet, Weasley?"

            "Yeah, give me one second," Ron said hurriedly stuffing more toast and sausages into his pockets. 

Harry rolled his eyes and moved towards the door, thanking the elves, who beamed and thanked profusely in return, asking that he come again soon. 

As they neared the main hall, they heard Snape's voice booming, "And if Professor Burdock finds one item missing, you'll be answering to me!"  Harry tugged on Ron's robes, pulling him back just in time to avoid getting hit by the two rushing elves and the baggage that floated quickly behind them as they rounded the corner.  They watched the elves scuttle down the hall, taking the fork that led up a staircase to their right.  Quizzically, Harry and Ron looked at each other before inching forward to peer around the corner cautiously. 

In the main hall they could see Professor Snape and Professor Lupin, along with another wizard they didn't recognize.  Snape looked as dark and ominous as ever, and Lupin looked slightly less tired than he had in the past and as though he'd been taking full advantage of the enormous amounts of food offered at Hogwarts.  The third wizard was shorter than either of the professors, and had dark brown hair that must look almost red in the sunlight. 

Harry gaped at him.  Though he was wearing well-kept, practically new looking robes, they hung about his body like a sheet.  His skin was pale, almost paler than Snape's, as though he hadn't been in the sunlight for years and his face was thin, so thin Harry could make out the individual bones and veins.  He shuddered slightly, thinking: that's what Sirius looked like right after he escaped from Azkaban, except he didn't have the new robes or the haircut. 

Harry's attention was refocused on the two other men as Lupin said in his usual good-humored voice, "Do you really think house-elves have any inclination to steal, Professor Snape?  And are you really so anxious to see me leave?  I thought you would miss me terribly."  Snape and the other wizard spun around to face him, obviously unaware of his presence.  Snape growled something neither Ron nor Harry could make out, but caused Lupin to smile and answer, "It's good to see you again, as well.  Aren't you going to introduce us, Severus?"

            Harry leaned forward, listening intently as Snape tried to make an introduction but was cut off by the stranger, who pushed past him, saying, "Professor Finley Burdock.  It's a pleasure to meet you."   

            Lupin shook his hand, while Snape fumed behind them.  Lupin then turned to Snape and muttered something they couldn't hear from where they were standing, but which must have hit a sore spot because his face got that look, the look that had taught them not to snicker about Draco Malfoy in the middle of Potions.  "Potter must have told you that."

            Harry tensed at the mention of his name as Snape continued.  "Only he could come up with such a preposterous idea."  Ron grabbed the back Harry's robes warningly.

            "Potter?  Not Harry Potter?"  Finley Burdock asked.

            Snape looked even more furious, pulling himself up into what the Gryffindors defined as his intimidation stance. 

  "Yes, Harry Potter.  Famous Harry bloody Potter."  This time, Ron had to pull Harry back several feet to prevent him from running out into the hallway and start throwing every hex he knew.  They didn't see the sharp look Burdock threw in their direction nor did they notice Lupin's laugh and his attempt at calming Snape down.

            Harry stopped fighting to get out of Ron's grip just in time to hear Burdock say, "Please call me Finley.  I suppose I'll have to decide for myself when I meet him, won't I?" 

            "Of course." Lupin answered.  The two boys peered again around the corner just as Snape started walking in their direction, saying,  "We must be going to see Professor Dumbledore now.  As much as a pleasure as it has been to talk to you, Lupin, I'm afraid you must find another time to talk to Professor Burdock." 

            "We need to hide, quick!" Harry hissed, "I don't fancy meeting up with Snape after that conversation."  

            Ron nodded in agreement, searching frantically for a good spot.  He saw the storage closet almost immediately, opened the door and diving in, followed quickly by Harry, who closed the door just before Snape and Burdock passed by.  They sat in the dark, holding their breath, waiting for the footsteps of the two wizards to fade away.  After a couple of minutes that seemed more like a couple of years, they opened the door and glanced out into the hallway, making sure the professors weren't still there. 

            When it was apparent the coast was clear they clambered out of the closet. 

            "What do you think that was about?" Ron asked.

            Harry shrugged.  "No idea.  The thing that I'm wondering about is who is Burdock?"

            "What?"

            "I feel like I've see him before from somewhere."         

            "Come on, Harry," Ron laughed nervously, "You're just imagining things.  You couldn't have possibly seen him before."

            "You're probably right." Harry conceded, "I must be imagining things.  Let's go see Hermione before she goes."  As they climbed the marble staircase to Gryffindor tower, Harry couldn't shake the feeling he had seen Burdock somewhere before.

A/N:  I was thinking about having Alexander change the color of his hair, so he wouldn't be recognize by Harry and Ron as easily.  That's the poll for today: Yes, definitely;  No, I don't think Harry and Ron will be that quick to realize who he is; Whatever, I don't care even if he goes bald.  Second part of poll, if the answer is overwhelmingly yes, definitely, the color selection: Blonde, real brown, black (though I think there are a lot of people with black hair running around Hogwarts, aren't there?)  Well, the decision is up to you, so R/R in this case would be much appreciated! ^_^