10. Attack
(January 10th, 1996)
Snape was furious. He prowled through the classroom with the air of an attacking hippogriff and if his black eyes had the basilisk's power of killing, half of the students would already lay dead on the stone floor of the dungeons.
Neville was so nervous that by mistake he poured into the cauldron three drops of hemlock instead of belladonna brew. A thick liquid boiled and from above the bubbling surface a yellow stream of acrid smoke rose into the air. Snape run up to Neville's table with a devilish twinkle in his eyes, he called him a dull imbecile and threw him out of the classroom together with his fuming cauldron. This incident cost the Gryffindor twenty points.
Even the Slytherins couldn't feel safe. Pansy Parkinson who was trying to provoke Hermione, pulling faces behind her back, suddenly stood petrified with opened mouth and growing horror in her eyes, when Snape appeared noiselessly near her desk and said in an icy voice that HIS lessons are note the time to present poor actor's talents. And, to everybody's surprise, he took five points from Slytherin.
Harry hid himself in the furthest corner of the classroom, trying to be invisible. He felt that today not much would be needed for Snape to wreak his range on him. Therefore, Harry concentrated hard on his potion, determined not to give Snape any reason to punish him.
There were ten minutes left to the end of the lesson. Harry's mixture looked perfect, dark-green, consistency of a melted chocolate. Even Hermione watched Harry's cauldron with an envious admiration. In her own brew there were still tiny, black lumps.
Snape was walking among the tables, making vicious remarks upon his students' achievements. Only at Malfoy's desk he said nothing but he stared at his potion with so nasty grimace, that satisfied smile faded from Draco's face.
Harry was watching as Snape came closer and closer. The Potion Master had just expressed his surprise of the fact how could Parvati reach the fifth year making such cardinal mistakes in measuring of liquid, and he turned his cold gaze at rigid Harry. Snape's eyes flashed murderously and his lips curled in a nasty smile.
'Potter...' he drawled, looking at the boy piercingly 'Let's see how our hero coped with the task'
He walked around the table and peered into the Harry's cauldron. The fury on his face intensified. He was staring at the mixture as if he wanted to split it into the single atoms in order to find any defects. Harry and Ron exchanged significant glances.
Finally Snape took his eyes from the cauldron, face twisted in the expression of a helpless rage. He turned round without a word and was about to walk away, when a diabolic idea entered his head. He moved back, smiling sneeringly.
'Granger!' he snarled through the clenched teeth, not looking at Hermione but at Harry 'How may times will I have to tell you not to help Potter in my class?'
Hermione stood aghast.
'But...I...' she began.
'No excuses!' yelled Snape 'Twenty points from Gryffindor! And if it ever happens again, you will be expelled.'
'But...but...' Hermione was repeating mechanically.
Harry felt overcome with a tearing rage.
'You have no right !' he shouted before he could realise what he was doing 'She didn't help me ! I made this potion myself ! And you just cannot bear it !'
Snape's eyes flashed but he looked almost glad that finally Harry gave him a reason.
'Potter' he said icily 'Your behaviour is again blameworthy. The fame turned your head. But I will not tolerate this. Fifty points !' he hissed 'And I'm going to inform the Headmaster immediately.'
Harry was shaking. He was just about to open his mouth to revile Snape as never before when the bell rang. The students moved restlessly. Harry came to his senses and didn't say anything. Snape looked at him once more with hatred, turned round and left the classroom.
. . .
Professor Grubbly-Plank put a big volume of 'Bestiarium' on the table and looked at the students.
'Today I'm going to tell you about the most powerful magical creatures on the Earth,' she began in a shrill voice.
Harry, as most of his classmates, looked really fascinated. Lessons with professor Grubbly-Plank were always very interested and Harry had to admit, in spite of a deep feeling of guilty, that he prefers them much more than classes of Hagrid. With this last for two months they've been trying to breed gargoyles but though they had done everything to secure for the eggs the optimal conditions of incubation (they had built a real stone cave for them), the rocks still didn't give any sign of life. Ron began to suspect that Devilson had sneered at Hagrid, supplying him with the common stones.
But now the Keeper of the Keys has left again with his mysterious mission and professor Grubbly-Plank replaced him. She put straight her glasses and continued the lecture.
'Each of the creatures I'm talking about is connected with on of the elements.'
She waved her wand and four colour symbols appeared on the blackboard.
'Fire means Phoenix' said the witch and a small winged figure materialised near the sign of the fire 'Air means Dragon, earth is connected with Behemot and water with Hydra.'
Everybody was noting eagerly.
'The most well known and common elemental animal is, of course, the dragon' continued Grubbly-Plank 'It shows the perfect capability of adaptation to the most extreme climatic conditions and can be found at every longitude, from the hot, tropical jungles to the ice-covered regions of Arctic.'
She pointed at a large globe and the small, red dots shone on each continent.
'These are dragon seats' explained the witch 'For the breeding ground they usually choose places with a good view on the surroundings: mountain peaks, solitary rocks, and in the case of the forest species - tops of the highest trees. The cubs hatch already with claws and sharp teeth and even they can be really dangerous.'
Harry and Ron looked at each other and smiled. They could still remember Norbert, a baby-dragon bred by Hagrid.
'The dragons are very resistant to magic' said Grubbly-Plank 'and it's not easy to defeat them by means of magic. On the other hand, dragon blood and gall are the components of many powerful potions and the dragon skin is commonly considered to be the best stuff for the protective gloves and shoes. No wonder' she sighed heavily 'that poaching became a real scourge. Many species have been completely destroyed.'
Parvati and Lavender was staring at the witch with open mouths. They could listen for hours her tales about the magical creatures instead of sitting at the boring (in their opinion) lessons of Transfiguration.
Professor Grubbly-Plank opened 'Bestiarium' and showed an illustration of a strange, long hair beast. It has a large head, small, wide eyes, and thick row of the long teeth stuck out from its mouth. It stood at its hind legs, the front paws, armed in three long, strong and sharp claws, brandishing threateningly in the air. There were no doubts that the creature was ready to mangle everything what would get into its reach.
'This is a behemot' said the witch touching the picture with her wand.
The beast roared in an eerie voice, which made the window-panes shaking and the students trembling. The witch closed the book hastily.
'Behemots are amazing creatures' she said with a deep conviction 'And very dangerous. According to the experts, there are no more dangerous animals. One hit of the behemot's paw can knock down an elephant. Its roar destroys the thickest wall. They are also totally resistant to magic, all curses and spells just reflect from them without making any harm. Behemot won't be killed even by Avada Kedavra'.
There was a murmur of the astonished whispers. Professor Grubbly-Plank smiled slightly, satisfied with the effect.
'Till today we don't know what gives behemots such a perfect resistance' she continued 'Many people believed that the answer was in the coat. Now we know it wasn't true but the faith lingered for centuries and led to an almost complete extermination of the behemots. No wonder,' she smiled gloomily 'Who wouldn't like to find a protection against the Killing Curse...'
Harry had an unpleasant feeling that everybody looked at him. Pretending not to notice anything he started to examine with a great interest the pictures on the blackboard.
Professor Grubbly-Plank put her glasses straight.
'As I said, the behemots have almost completely died out. Ironically, the poachers used the common, Muggle methods of hunting. Cruel and barbarous...' she shook her head with a heavy sigh 'Today exists only one colony of those creatures, comprising of thirteen adult animals and of three cubs. It's there' she pointed at the globe 'in Tibet.'
A single yellow dot shone on the map.
'The behemots like vast regions, desert or rocky' said the witch 'And not too hot. That was why they used to live in the far north or at the high, mountain plateau. The cold doesn't disturb them. They have a very thick fur, dark-brown when they are young, becoming brighter when they grew up. An adult behemot, as the one on the picture, is silver-grey and can reach three meters in height when standing on its hind legs.'
Parvati rose the hand.
'Yes, Miss Patil?' asked Grubbly-Planck.
'Professor, is it possible to...er...make friend with a behemot?'
The old witch looked at her with a hearty smile.
'Well, my dear, to tell you the truth, they are not the best candidates for pets. Behemots don't like the strangers and it's very difficult to tame them. They are too wild and independent. Sometimes, when they trust somebody, they can allow him to spend some time on their territory. But they will never serve the human. And when they get angry,' she paused significantly 'they get completely mad. And then nothing can stop them.'
Parvati looked truly disappointed. She whispered something to Lavender, they shook their heads. Professor Grubbly-Plank opened 'Bestiarium' again and showed another picture.
'And this is a creature of water' she said 'A hydra'.
A great, lizard-like, three-headed beast winked at the class from the photograph. It had three long, slender necks, four short paws and a thick tail. It was covered with tiny, green scales. 'The most dangerous part of hydra is its fangs' said Grubbly-Plank, carefully touching the picture with the wand tip.
Three mouths opened in a voiceless roar, revealing a straight row of the small, sharp teeth. 'Hydras are very poisonous' proceeded the witch 'Even one bite is mortal. The venom acts immediately and there is no antidote. But in spite of that many witches and wizards are still hunting hydras. Does anybody know why?'
Hermione's hand shot in the air. Grubbly-Plank smiled inquiringly.
'The venom of hydra, used in a proper quantity and in a precise way, is the most important component of the Vivimortis Potion' said Hermione.
The witch nodded.
'Exactly. It's really amazing but one of the most dangerous poisons is used in the most powerful antidote. The paths of the nature are really tangled...' she sighed philosophically. The bell rang. Professor-Grubbly plank closed the 'Bestiarium'
'Next time we are going to talk about the phoenixes, so I advice you to examine the chapter seven from the book.' she said.
. . .
Harry swallowed the last bit of an apple pie and grabbed his bag.
'Hurry up!' he urged on Ron, who was just about to help himself with another portion of the desert 'The Defence starts in five minutes.'
'Coming...' mumbled Ron with full mouths, choking 'When do think she will show us some Attack Spells?' he asked when they were running along the corridor.
Ron seemed to expect that Harry would give him a quick and precise answer. Since the moment he knew that professor Starlight is Sirius's sister he has started to believe that Harry is thoroughly informed about the Auror's plans. But her attitude to Harry didn't change at all. She still treated him as the rest of the students: kindly but whit no favouritism. And Harry was very grateful for that.
They had hardly reached the classroom when professor Starlight appeared. The silence fell immediately.
'How are you getting along with the Cover of the first level?' asked Vega 'Have you been practising during the holidays?'
Everybody nodded eagerly. Even the laziest students applied themselves honestly to learning of the Defensive Spells. As for now, most of the students succeeded in the easiest Dispersing Spell but still only two persons were able to generate something what looked like a protective cover used by Snape in the duel. Nobody was surprised that one of those lucky was Hermione. But the second one, to common disbelief, was Neville who unexpectedly discovered in himself a real talent to the Defensive Spells. It made Draco Malfoy sick with anger since his own achievements in that field were rather mean.
Professor Starlight kept assuring the students that they are still doing pretty well with those difficult spells that had never been taught in Hogwart before. And she kept repeating that the only way to mater them was to practise systematically. No wonder that most of the fifth-year trained at least half an hour a day.
Vega sat at the desk and pull out the wand.
'Today we are going to summarise our knowledge about the Defensive Spells' she said 'They are divided into three groups,' she waved her wand and twinkling words materialised in the air 'These are Protecting Spells, Deflecting Spells and Destroying Spells. In the first group we distinguish two main categories: Covers and Shield. Who can explain how the Covers work?'
The forest of hands rose over the heads of the students. Vega pointed at Neville.
'So...' he started, blushing as usual 'Cover stops the curse but doesn't defect it. And is invisible.'
'Good!' nodded Vega 'And incantation?'
'Defensio' said Neville without thinking.
'Of course, five points for Gryffindor' said Vega.
She waved lazily her wand and the name of the spell appeared in a proper column.
'Now the Shields' Vega looked at the class inquiringly.
And once more dozens of hand were in the air.
'Pansy?'
Pansy Parkinson stood up, smiling coaxingly.
'The Shield deflects the enemy curse' she recited 'just contrary to the Cover. It looks like a transparent wall. And incantation is: Protectio.'
'Five points for Slytherins' smiled Vega 'Keep learning so hard and most of you will have a chance for schooling in the Aurors' squads.'
There was an excited murmur in the classroom.
'And coming back to the subject' proceeded Vega 'As you should now, the Shields mentioned by Pansy protect the whole wizard. But there are also such Shields that protect only the chosen parts of the body. They are quite useful since they need considerably less energy and can be used simultaneously with the other curses, usually the offensive ones. We are not going to give much attention to that sort of the Shields. For the ones who are interested, an incantation is: Scitum.'
There was nobody who wouldn't write it down. Vega waved her wand, lighting the headline of the second column.
'Now the Destroying Spells' she said 'The name is slightly confusing since it can suggest these are offensive spells. Therefore you should remember that the spells from that group destroys only the enemy curses. We divide them into the Dissipating and Neutralising spells. You already know an example of the first class and you can perform it. Who will recall its properties? Draco?'
Malfoy got up slowly and somehow heavily. He was very pale today but his eyes were gleaming. In his left palm he was squeezing, obviously unawares, a piece of paper.
'Incantation: Dissipio' he said 'It scatters the power of the curse, breaking it into hundreds of bits. It's considered being the easiest Defensive Spell.'
'Perfect! Five points for Gryffindor' approved Vega, looking intently at Malfoy.
Draco grinned viciously at Harry and sat sown. Slytherins exchanged satisfied glances. For the first time they got more points than the Gryffindors during the DADA lesson. Vega took her piercing eyes off Malfoy's face and turned to the class.
'So we know what it means to dissipate the curse,' she said 'The Neutralising Spells act in a different way. This time the enemy curse is neither deflected nor reduced but completely absorbed by the wand tip. Let's see how it works in practice. Hermione,' she turned to the Prefect 'could you cast the Stunning Spell on me?'
Hermione leapt to her feet, proud that professor Starlight asked her to assist. She raised the wand and on Vega's sign she shouted: 'Stupefy!'. The Auror made a small circle with her wand and cried: 'Cancellio!'. The wand tip popped silently and flashed brightly. Hermione's curse disappeared.
'Thank you. Did everybody see?' Vega looked around 'This is a neutralisation. The enemy curse is absorbed by our wand. It is not easy, however,' she added 'and takes a lot of energy. That's way the Neutralising spells are the most difficult ones and many wizards fail to master them. We are not going to study them here.'
'Pity...' sighed Hermione.
Ron looked at her sourly.
'Now I'm going to discuss the third group of the Defensive Spells, the Deflecting ones. They are something new for you. We divide them into two categories, according to the deflection angle. The Mirror Spells reflect precisely in the direction of an attacking person. Well used they are a very powerful and dangerous weapon because allow to use against the enemy his own power. Incantation is: Reflectio'.
Ron looked at Malfoy with a nasty twinkle in his eyes and smiled dreamily. Harry correctly guessed his thoughts. He also would like to master a spell that would reflect towards Darco his hexes and jinxes.
'The second class is the Repelling Spells' said Vega 'In that case the attack is deflected by the wand like a missile, at an accidental angle. These spells are not so effective like the Mirror ones, but much easier to learn. Next month you will start to study them. And now the incantation: Repelio.'
In the last empty section a bright inscription shone. Vega stood up.
'And that is all as for the Defensive Spells' she said lightly 'Of course, in every group there are spells of the different levels of power and difficulty. They differ in the hand movements but those differences are usually very slight. That's way you have to pay special attention to the precision of the performance.'
The bell rang. Harry packed his things and together with Ron he moved towards the door.
Hermione was already crowding in the group of the students who surrounded professor Starlight storming her with the questions.
'Easy, easy. You will know everything soon.'
Vega decidedly cut all the attempts of getting out of her the information about casting of the Deflecting Spells. Students started to leave the classroom. Harry and Ron were waiting for Hermione near the door. Draco loitered at his desk, pushing book to his bag, completely absent-mined. Vega waved her wand and the shining table, hovering over the teacher desk, disappeared. And in the same moment a shrill, high voice screamed:
'AVADA KEDAVRA !'
A green jet of light shot towards Vega. The Auror turned back in a flash, raising her wand and making a complicated movement. But the incantation froze on her lips.
In the middle of the classroom stood Draco Malfoy. He was ghastly pale and his mad eyes were shining feverishly. A swishing breath was coming through the clenched teeth, spit was dripping from the mouth corners. He had his wand pointing at Vega.
It took no more than two seconds but Harry remembered every detail as if he was watching a slow-motion film. He saw the green ray run towards the witch who was staying motionless, her wand still risen. Somebody cried hysterically. And suddenly Vega sprang aside with an incredible speed. The curse rubbed against her right shoulder, burning a hole in a sleeve, and hit the blackboard with a loud crash.
'Stupefy!' had cried the Auror before the green sparks settled.
Draco fell on the floor.
There was a deathly silence. Nobody dared to move. Harry felt that his nails were hurting, stuck in the wooden embrasure of the door. He relaxed the grip and fixed his eyes at the teacher.
Vega was very pale and was panting heavily. She seized her right shoulder convulsively, the wand slipped from her torpid hand and fell on the floor.
'P...professor...' stuttered Hermione in a strange voice.
Vega shuddered as if she has just realised that there was somebody else in the classroom. She looked at Hermione. Her eyes were cold and dark. It was clear she was making a terrific effort to overcome the pain and emotions. She knew she had to resist. The students were already enough scared.
'Call professor Snape,' she said harshly in a dreadfully calm voice.
Hermione hesitated.
'Professor Snape?' she repeated uncertainly 'Maybe I would better call...'
'Go !!!' yelled Vega imperatively.
Hermione jumped and hastily dashed out the classroom. The Auror looked at Harry.
'Go to the owlery and send a message to the Headmaster' she said assertively 'Take my owl, it will know were look for him.'
Harry nodded and he was out. He was running through the corridors as if chased by a herd of hungry harpies. He would give everything for Dumbledore was in Hogwart now. He felt that what had just happened was not a stupid joke. He suspected it was something much worse.
'Go out of the classroom' commanded Vega and lent heavily on the desk.
Without a word, anxiously looking back, Gryffindors and Slytherins left the class. Hardly the door had closed behind the last one, Vega moaned and slumped to her knees. With a trembling hand she reached for a small, black bottle hanging on a chain under her robes. She pulled out the plug with her teeth and drunk all the content at one gulp. Immediately she felt paralysing pain in her right arm. She lent against the closest table and closed the eyes.
Meanwhile, Hermione run down the marble stairs, rushed into the corridor that led to the dungeons and after a while stopped, painting, in front of the Potions classroom. Without losing time for knocking she opened the door vigorously.
Snape was alone, sitting at his desk and examining, one by one, mixtures made by the students. He looked at Hermione with mingled disbelief and anger. His black eyes glinted dangerously.
'Granger,' he drawled icily 'What does it...'
But Hermione interrupted without ceremony.
'Professor, quickly...you must go...with me!' she gasped out, breathing heavily.
Snape was left speechless. He was staring at Hermione as if he wanted to murder her, his pale face twisted in an expression of fury. He stood up slowly, black eyes burning.
'Granger!' he whispered ominously 'This time it's too much. I will not tolerate...'
Hermione shook her head and started waving her hands.
'No, sir, quickly!' she panted 'Malfoy...the Killing Curse...professor Starlight!'
Snape stiffened. For several seconds he was staring at Hermione trying the read from her face what all those disconnected words meant. And suddenly he understood. He turned pale and run out the office. At the third floor he pushed aside the fifth-years, who was still standing at the corridor watching fearfully the door of the Defence classroom, and he dashed inside.
Vega was lying on the floor, curled up, shivering. Severus ran up to her.
'Vega!' he shouted shaking the witch 'What happened?!'
The Auror opened her eyes and looked at Snape with relief.
'Finally...' she whispered with effort, her teeth chattered 'Listen, it's very important...'
She crouched in the next attack of the pain. Snape was watching her with more and more anxiety. Suddenly he saw a bleeding wound on her shoulder.
'It was Avada...' he said dully, touching carefully the wound.
'It's only a scratch' Vega mumbled 'I will be all right... That damned potions made me fell so badly...'
Her eyes rested at the small bottle. Snape took a deep breath, like of relief. Vega clenched her teeth and stifled a moan. Her pale face twisted in pain.
'Listen to me...' she said feebly, looking at Snape with more and more dim eyes 'I will faint in a moment...and this is very important...' she was panting with effort 'Nobody can leave Hogwart. And nobody can be let in. Understand? Nobody,' she whispered emphatically, clenching fingers on the Snape's arm. 'Block the door of my office. And tell Dumbledore...,' she shivered much stronger 'that somebody overcame the defence system...There is a traitor among us...' she finished in a hardly audible whisper and fainted.
(January 10th, 1996)
Snape was furious. He prowled through the classroom with the air of an attacking hippogriff and if his black eyes had the basilisk's power of killing, half of the students would already lay dead on the stone floor of the dungeons.
Neville was so nervous that by mistake he poured into the cauldron three drops of hemlock instead of belladonna brew. A thick liquid boiled and from above the bubbling surface a yellow stream of acrid smoke rose into the air. Snape run up to Neville's table with a devilish twinkle in his eyes, he called him a dull imbecile and threw him out of the classroom together with his fuming cauldron. This incident cost the Gryffindor twenty points.
Even the Slytherins couldn't feel safe. Pansy Parkinson who was trying to provoke Hermione, pulling faces behind her back, suddenly stood petrified with opened mouth and growing horror in her eyes, when Snape appeared noiselessly near her desk and said in an icy voice that HIS lessons are note the time to present poor actor's talents. And, to everybody's surprise, he took five points from Slytherin.
Harry hid himself in the furthest corner of the classroom, trying to be invisible. He felt that today not much would be needed for Snape to wreak his range on him. Therefore, Harry concentrated hard on his potion, determined not to give Snape any reason to punish him.
There were ten minutes left to the end of the lesson. Harry's mixture looked perfect, dark-green, consistency of a melted chocolate. Even Hermione watched Harry's cauldron with an envious admiration. In her own brew there were still tiny, black lumps.
Snape was walking among the tables, making vicious remarks upon his students' achievements. Only at Malfoy's desk he said nothing but he stared at his potion with so nasty grimace, that satisfied smile faded from Draco's face.
Harry was watching as Snape came closer and closer. The Potion Master had just expressed his surprise of the fact how could Parvati reach the fifth year making such cardinal mistakes in measuring of liquid, and he turned his cold gaze at rigid Harry. Snape's eyes flashed murderously and his lips curled in a nasty smile.
'Potter...' he drawled, looking at the boy piercingly 'Let's see how our hero coped with the task'
He walked around the table and peered into the Harry's cauldron. The fury on his face intensified. He was staring at the mixture as if he wanted to split it into the single atoms in order to find any defects. Harry and Ron exchanged significant glances.
Finally Snape took his eyes from the cauldron, face twisted in the expression of a helpless rage. He turned round without a word and was about to walk away, when a diabolic idea entered his head. He moved back, smiling sneeringly.
'Granger!' he snarled through the clenched teeth, not looking at Hermione but at Harry 'How may times will I have to tell you not to help Potter in my class?'
Hermione stood aghast.
'But...I...' she began.
'No excuses!' yelled Snape 'Twenty points from Gryffindor! And if it ever happens again, you will be expelled.'
'But...but...' Hermione was repeating mechanically.
Harry felt overcome with a tearing rage.
'You have no right !' he shouted before he could realise what he was doing 'She didn't help me ! I made this potion myself ! And you just cannot bear it !'
Snape's eyes flashed but he looked almost glad that finally Harry gave him a reason.
'Potter' he said icily 'Your behaviour is again blameworthy. The fame turned your head. But I will not tolerate this. Fifty points !' he hissed 'And I'm going to inform the Headmaster immediately.'
Harry was shaking. He was just about to open his mouth to revile Snape as never before when the bell rang. The students moved restlessly. Harry came to his senses and didn't say anything. Snape looked at him once more with hatred, turned round and left the classroom.
Professor Grubbly-Plank put a big volume of 'Bestiarium' on the table and looked at the students.
'Today I'm going to tell you about the most powerful magical creatures on the Earth,' she began in a shrill voice.
Harry, as most of his classmates, looked really fascinated. Lessons with professor Grubbly-Plank were always very interested and Harry had to admit, in spite of a deep feeling of guilty, that he prefers them much more than classes of Hagrid. With this last for two months they've been trying to breed gargoyles but though they had done everything to secure for the eggs the optimal conditions of incubation (they had built a real stone cave for them), the rocks still didn't give any sign of life. Ron began to suspect that Devilson had sneered at Hagrid, supplying him with the common stones.
But now the Keeper of the Keys has left again with his mysterious mission and professor Grubbly-Plank replaced him. She put straight her glasses and continued the lecture.
'Each of the creatures I'm talking about is connected with on of the elements.'
She waved her wand and four colour symbols appeared on the blackboard.
'Fire means Phoenix' said the witch and a small winged figure materialised near the sign of the fire 'Air means Dragon, earth is connected with Behemot and water with Hydra.'
Everybody was noting eagerly.
'The most well known and common elemental animal is, of course, the dragon' continued Grubbly-Plank 'It shows the perfect capability of adaptation to the most extreme climatic conditions and can be found at every longitude, from the hot, tropical jungles to the ice-covered regions of Arctic.'
She pointed at a large globe and the small, red dots shone on each continent.
'These are dragon seats' explained the witch 'For the breeding ground they usually choose places with a good view on the surroundings: mountain peaks, solitary rocks, and in the case of the forest species - tops of the highest trees. The cubs hatch already with claws and sharp teeth and even they can be really dangerous.'
Harry and Ron looked at each other and smiled. They could still remember Norbert, a baby-dragon bred by Hagrid.
'The dragons are very resistant to magic' said Grubbly-Plank 'and it's not easy to defeat them by means of magic. On the other hand, dragon blood and gall are the components of many powerful potions and the dragon skin is commonly considered to be the best stuff for the protective gloves and shoes. No wonder' she sighed heavily 'that poaching became a real scourge. Many species have been completely destroyed.'
Parvati and Lavender was staring at the witch with open mouths. They could listen for hours her tales about the magical creatures instead of sitting at the boring (in their opinion) lessons of Transfiguration.
Professor Grubbly-Plank opened 'Bestiarium' and showed an illustration of a strange, long hair beast. It has a large head, small, wide eyes, and thick row of the long teeth stuck out from its mouth. It stood at its hind legs, the front paws, armed in three long, strong and sharp claws, brandishing threateningly in the air. There were no doubts that the creature was ready to mangle everything what would get into its reach.
'This is a behemot' said the witch touching the picture with her wand.
The beast roared in an eerie voice, which made the window-panes shaking and the students trembling. The witch closed the book hastily.
'Behemots are amazing creatures' she said with a deep conviction 'And very dangerous. According to the experts, there are no more dangerous animals. One hit of the behemot's paw can knock down an elephant. Its roar destroys the thickest wall. They are also totally resistant to magic, all curses and spells just reflect from them without making any harm. Behemot won't be killed even by Avada Kedavra'.
There was a murmur of the astonished whispers. Professor Grubbly-Plank smiled slightly, satisfied with the effect.
'Till today we don't know what gives behemots such a perfect resistance' she continued 'Many people believed that the answer was in the coat. Now we know it wasn't true but the faith lingered for centuries and led to an almost complete extermination of the behemots. No wonder,' she smiled gloomily 'Who wouldn't like to find a protection against the Killing Curse...'
Harry had an unpleasant feeling that everybody looked at him. Pretending not to notice anything he started to examine with a great interest the pictures on the blackboard.
Professor Grubbly-Plank put her glasses straight.
'As I said, the behemots have almost completely died out. Ironically, the poachers used the common, Muggle methods of hunting. Cruel and barbarous...' she shook her head with a heavy sigh 'Today exists only one colony of those creatures, comprising of thirteen adult animals and of three cubs. It's there' she pointed at the globe 'in Tibet.'
A single yellow dot shone on the map.
'The behemots like vast regions, desert or rocky' said the witch 'And not too hot. That was why they used to live in the far north or at the high, mountain plateau. The cold doesn't disturb them. They have a very thick fur, dark-brown when they are young, becoming brighter when they grew up. An adult behemot, as the one on the picture, is silver-grey and can reach three meters in height when standing on its hind legs.'
Parvati rose the hand.
'Yes, Miss Patil?' asked Grubbly-Planck.
'Professor, is it possible to...er...make friend with a behemot?'
The old witch looked at her with a hearty smile.
'Well, my dear, to tell you the truth, they are not the best candidates for pets. Behemots don't like the strangers and it's very difficult to tame them. They are too wild and independent. Sometimes, when they trust somebody, they can allow him to spend some time on their territory. But they will never serve the human. And when they get angry,' she paused significantly 'they get completely mad. And then nothing can stop them.'
Parvati looked truly disappointed. She whispered something to Lavender, they shook their heads. Professor Grubbly-Plank opened 'Bestiarium' again and showed another picture.
'And this is a creature of water' she said 'A hydra'.
A great, lizard-like, three-headed beast winked at the class from the photograph. It had three long, slender necks, four short paws and a thick tail. It was covered with tiny, green scales. 'The most dangerous part of hydra is its fangs' said Grubbly-Plank, carefully touching the picture with the wand tip.
Three mouths opened in a voiceless roar, revealing a straight row of the small, sharp teeth. 'Hydras are very poisonous' proceeded the witch 'Even one bite is mortal. The venom acts immediately and there is no antidote. But in spite of that many witches and wizards are still hunting hydras. Does anybody know why?'
Hermione's hand shot in the air. Grubbly-Plank smiled inquiringly.
'The venom of hydra, used in a proper quantity and in a precise way, is the most important component of the Vivimortis Potion' said Hermione.
The witch nodded.
'Exactly. It's really amazing but one of the most dangerous poisons is used in the most powerful antidote. The paths of the nature are really tangled...' she sighed philosophically. The bell rang. Professor-Grubbly plank closed the 'Bestiarium'
'Next time we are going to talk about the phoenixes, so I advice you to examine the chapter seven from the book.' she said.
Harry swallowed the last bit of an apple pie and grabbed his bag.
'Hurry up!' he urged on Ron, who was just about to help himself with another portion of the desert 'The Defence starts in five minutes.'
'Coming...' mumbled Ron with full mouths, choking 'When do think she will show us some Attack Spells?' he asked when they were running along the corridor.
Ron seemed to expect that Harry would give him a quick and precise answer. Since the moment he knew that professor Starlight is Sirius's sister he has started to believe that Harry is thoroughly informed about the Auror's plans. But her attitude to Harry didn't change at all. She still treated him as the rest of the students: kindly but whit no favouritism. And Harry was very grateful for that.
They had hardly reached the classroom when professor Starlight appeared. The silence fell immediately.
'How are you getting along with the Cover of the first level?' asked Vega 'Have you been practising during the holidays?'
Everybody nodded eagerly. Even the laziest students applied themselves honestly to learning of the Defensive Spells. As for now, most of the students succeeded in the easiest Dispersing Spell but still only two persons were able to generate something what looked like a protective cover used by Snape in the duel. Nobody was surprised that one of those lucky was Hermione. But the second one, to common disbelief, was Neville who unexpectedly discovered in himself a real talent to the Defensive Spells. It made Draco Malfoy sick with anger since his own achievements in that field were rather mean.
Professor Starlight kept assuring the students that they are still doing pretty well with those difficult spells that had never been taught in Hogwart before. And she kept repeating that the only way to mater them was to practise systematically. No wonder that most of the fifth-year trained at least half an hour a day.
Vega sat at the desk and pull out the wand.
'Today we are going to summarise our knowledge about the Defensive Spells' she said 'They are divided into three groups,' she waved her wand and twinkling words materialised in the air 'These are Protecting Spells, Deflecting Spells and Destroying Spells. In the first group we distinguish two main categories: Covers and Shield. Who can explain how the Covers work?'
The forest of hands rose over the heads of the students. Vega pointed at Neville.
'So...' he started, blushing as usual 'Cover stops the curse but doesn't defect it. And is invisible.'
'Good!' nodded Vega 'And incantation?'
'Defensio' said Neville without thinking.
'Of course, five points for Gryffindor' said Vega.
She waved lazily her wand and the name of the spell appeared in a proper column.
'Now the Shields' Vega looked at the class inquiringly.
And once more dozens of hand were in the air.
'Pansy?'
Pansy Parkinson stood up, smiling coaxingly.
'The Shield deflects the enemy curse' she recited 'just contrary to the Cover. It looks like a transparent wall. And incantation is: Protectio.'
'Five points for Slytherins' smiled Vega 'Keep learning so hard and most of you will have a chance for schooling in the Aurors' squads.'
There was an excited murmur in the classroom.
'And coming back to the subject' proceeded Vega 'As you should now, the Shields mentioned by Pansy protect the whole wizard. But there are also such Shields that protect only the chosen parts of the body. They are quite useful since they need considerably less energy and can be used simultaneously with the other curses, usually the offensive ones. We are not going to give much attention to that sort of the Shields. For the ones who are interested, an incantation is: Scitum.'
There was nobody who wouldn't write it down. Vega waved her wand, lighting the headline of the second column.
'Now the Destroying Spells' she said 'The name is slightly confusing since it can suggest these are offensive spells. Therefore you should remember that the spells from that group destroys only the enemy curses. We divide them into the Dissipating and Neutralising spells. You already know an example of the first class and you can perform it. Who will recall its properties? Draco?'
Malfoy got up slowly and somehow heavily. He was very pale today but his eyes were gleaming. In his left palm he was squeezing, obviously unawares, a piece of paper.
'Incantation: Dissipio' he said 'It scatters the power of the curse, breaking it into hundreds of bits. It's considered being the easiest Defensive Spell.'
'Perfect! Five points for Gryffindor' approved Vega, looking intently at Malfoy.
Draco grinned viciously at Harry and sat sown. Slytherins exchanged satisfied glances. For the first time they got more points than the Gryffindors during the DADA lesson. Vega took her piercing eyes off Malfoy's face and turned to the class.
'So we know what it means to dissipate the curse,' she said 'The Neutralising Spells act in a different way. This time the enemy curse is neither deflected nor reduced but completely absorbed by the wand tip. Let's see how it works in practice. Hermione,' she turned to the Prefect 'could you cast the Stunning Spell on me?'
Hermione leapt to her feet, proud that professor Starlight asked her to assist. She raised the wand and on Vega's sign she shouted: 'Stupefy!'. The Auror made a small circle with her wand and cried: 'Cancellio!'. The wand tip popped silently and flashed brightly. Hermione's curse disappeared.
'Thank you. Did everybody see?' Vega looked around 'This is a neutralisation. The enemy curse is absorbed by our wand. It is not easy, however,' she added 'and takes a lot of energy. That's way the Neutralising spells are the most difficult ones and many wizards fail to master them. We are not going to study them here.'
'Pity...' sighed Hermione.
Ron looked at her sourly.
'Now I'm going to discuss the third group of the Defensive Spells, the Deflecting ones. They are something new for you. We divide them into two categories, according to the deflection angle. The Mirror Spells reflect precisely in the direction of an attacking person. Well used they are a very powerful and dangerous weapon because allow to use against the enemy his own power. Incantation is: Reflectio'.
Ron looked at Malfoy with a nasty twinkle in his eyes and smiled dreamily. Harry correctly guessed his thoughts. He also would like to master a spell that would reflect towards Darco his hexes and jinxes.
'The second class is the Repelling Spells' said Vega 'In that case the attack is deflected by the wand like a missile, at an accidental angle. These spells are not so effective like the Mirror ones, but much easier to learn. Next month you will start to study them. And now the incantation: Repelio.'
In the last empty section a bright inscription shone. Vega stood up.
'And that is all as for the Defensive Spells' she said lightly 'Of course, in every group there are spells of the different levels of power and difficulty. They differ in the hand movements but those differences are usually very slight. That's way you have to pay special attention to the precision of the performance.'
The bell rang. Harry packed his things and together with Ron he moved towards the door.
Hermione was already crowding in the group of the students who surrounded professor Starlight storming her with the questions.
'Easy, easy. You will know everything soon.'
Vega decidedly cut all the attempts of getting out of her the information about casting of the Deflecting Spells. Students started to leave the classroom. Harry and Ron were waiting for Hermione near the door. Draco loitered at his desk, pushing book to his bag, completely absent-mined. Vega waved her wand and the shining table, hovering over the teacher desk, disappeared. And in the same moment a shrill, high voice screamed:
'AVADA KEDAVRA !'
A green jet of light shot towards Vega. The Auror turned back in a flash, raising her wand and making a complicated movement. But the incantation froze on her lips.
In the middle of the classroom stood Draco Malfoy. He was ghastly pale and his mad eyes were shining feverishly. A swishing breath was coming through the clenched teeth, spit was dripping from the mouth corners. He had his wand pointing at Vega.
It took no more than two seconds but Harry remembered every detail as if he was watching a slow-motion film. He saw the green ray run towards the witch who was staying motionless, her wand still risen. Somebody cried hysterically. And suddenly Vega sprang aside with an incredible speed. The curse rubbed against her right shoulder, burning a hole in a sleeve, and hit the blackboard with a loud crash.
'Stupefy!' had cried the Auror before the green sparks settled.
Draco fell on the floor.
There was a deathly silence. Nobody dared to move. Harry felt that his nails were hurting, stuck in the wooden embrasure of the door. He relaxed the grip and fixed his eyes at the teacher.
Vega was very pale and was panting heavily. She seized her right shoulder convulsively, the wand slipped from her torpid hand and fell on the floor.
'P...professor...' stuttered Hermione in a strange voice.
Vega shuddered as if she has just realised that there was somebody else in the classroom. She looked at Hermione. Her eyes were cold and dark. It was clear she was making a terrific effort to overcome the pain and emotions. She knew she had to resist. The students were already enough scared.
'Call professor Snape,' she said harshly in a dreadfully calm voice.
Hermione hesitated.
'Professor Snape?' she repeated uncertainly 'Maybe I would better call...'
'Go !!!' yelled Vega imperatively.
Hermione jumped and hastily dashed out the classroom. The Auror looked at Harry.
'Go to the owlery and send a message to the Headmaster' she said assertively 'Take my owl, it will know were look for him.'
Harry nodded and he was out. He was running through the corridors as if chased by a herd of hungry harpies. He would give everything for Dumbledore was in Hogwart now. He felt that what had just happened was not a stupid joke. He suspected it was something much worse.
'Go out of the classroom' commanded Vega and lent heavily on the desk.
Without a word, anxiously looking back, Gryffindors and Slytherins left the class. Hardly the door had closed behind the last one, Vega moaned and slumped to her knees. With a trembling hand she reached for a small, black bottle hanging on a chain under her robes. She pulled out the plug with her teeth and drunk all the content at one gulp. Immediately she felt paralysing pain in her right arm. She lent against the closest table and closed the eyes.
Meanwhile, Hermione run down the marble stairs, rushed into the corridor that led to the dungeons and after a while stopped, painting, in front of the Potions classroom. Without losing time for knocking she opened the door vigorously.
Snape was alone, sitting at his desk and examining, one by one, mixtures made by the students. He looked at Hermione with mingled disbelief and anger. His black eyes glinted dangerously.
'Granger,' he drawled icily 'What does it...'
But Hermione interrupted without ceremony.
'Professor, quickly...you must go...with me!' she gasped out, breathing heavily.
Snape was left speechless. He was staring at Hermione as if he wanted to murder her, his pale face twisted in an expression of fury. He stood up slowly, black eyes burning.
'Granger!' he whispered ominously 'This time it's too much. I will not tolerate...'
Hermione shook her head and started waving her hands.
'No, sir, quickly!' she panted 'Malfoy...the Killing Curse...professor Starlight!'
Snape stiffened. For several seconds he was staring at Hermione trying the read from her face what all those disconnected words meant. And suddenly he understood. He turned pale and run out the office. At the third floor he pushed aside the fifth-years, who was still standing at the corridor watching fearfully the door of the Defence classroom, and he dashed inside.
Vega was lying on the floor, curled up, shivering. Severus ran up to her.
'Vega!' he shouted shaking the witch 'What happened?!'
The Auror opened her eyes and looked at Snape with relief.
'Finally...' she whispered with effort, her teeth chattered 'Listen, it's very important...'
She crouched in the next attack of the pain. Snape was watching her with more and more anxiety. Suddenly he saw a bleeding wound on her shoulder.
'It was Avada...' he said dully, touching carefully the wound.
'It's only a scratch' Vega mumbled 'I will be all right... That damned potions made me fell so badly...'
Her eyes rested at the small bottle. Snape took a deep breath, like of relief. Vega clenched her teeth and stifled a moan. Her pale face twisted in pain.
'Listen to me...' she said feebly, looking at Snape with more and more dim eyes 'I will faint in a moment...and this is very important...' she was panting with effort 'Nobody can leave Hogwart. And nobody can be let in. Understand? Nobody,' she whispered emphatically, clenching fingers on the Snape's arm. 'Block the door of my office. And tell Dumbledore...,' she shivered much stronger 'that somebody overcame the defence system...There is a traitor among us...' she finished in a hardly audible whisper and fainted.
