-CHAPTER EIGHT-
Tabloids and Tunnels
After the debacle with the Slytherins Harry, Ron and Hermoine agreed that no matter what happened, they would not let Malfoy and his crew get the better of them. Sixty-five points from Gryffindor had been enough as it was, but not on top of that they had detentions for the next three weeks.
But fortunately there was an upside, although Snape put up quite a fight their detention was with Hagrid, helping to care for the Aitruses every other night. ("Brillant!" Amy had said as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.)
When they arrived, everyone had already begun to eat and so they took their places at the Gryffindor table.
"Well," Said Ron, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice as he prodded at his breakfast. "It could've been worse,"
"Like what?" Asked Hermoine woefully. "Our studying time is cut in half every other day! I'm going to have to work twice as hard to keep up my marks,"
"Well have to do our detentions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday Harry," Said Skye, not even bothering to lookup from her Quidditch parchment scroll. "And I'll have to see Hooch about what can be done as to schedule the pitch earlier, to accommodate detentions on Sunday..." She gave a frustrated sigh.
Harry looked up when he heard the rustling noise of wings above them, and hundreds of owls flew through the open windows at the top of the high ceiling hall. Harry searched the sea of birds, hoping to see Ron's owl Pigwidgeon with a response from Sirius. But instead, an eagle owl caught his attention as it hooted deeply before dropping a small package wrapped in brilliant green paper directly onto Skye's parchment.
"Sod it! Now my plans are all smudged!"
"What is it?" Asked Alexa curiously.
"It's probably the copy of "The Quidditch Pocket sized Encyclopedia" I ordered," She said, and put it in her pocket.
"Brilliant!" Said Alexa. "Those are brand new! Mum said I couldn't get one because they were to expensive,"
Skye replied something, but Harry's attention was distracted by a high, obnoxious hoot. Pigwidgeon flew about the great hall, over excited and proud of himself.
("C'mere you lousy git!" Ron growled, obviously embarrassed.) After a few minutes 'Pig' as Ron so affectionately called him did calm down and gave Harry the letter.
"Better not read that here," Said Hermoine in a hushed whisper. "It's too risky," Harry nodded and tucked the letter into his pocket.
There was a sudden loud bursting of laughter from the Slytherin table, which Harry had come to learn was never a good thing. The red head from Divination rushed over from the Ravenclaw table, clutching a parchment tightly. "Skye," She said slowly. "You might want to see this,"
She took one look at the parchment then said loudly, "What the bloody hell?"
"What?" Asked Harry.
"You lot might want to see this too," She handed Harry the parchment. "It's the latest copy of Teen Witch Weekly,"
The moving picture on the cover was of a stunning young woman with her wand held up in the air. A colour photograph of Skye on one page, and one of Harry on the other caught his attention.
THE MOST UNLIKELY A MATCH
Although substantial time has past since she was last seen, one could still recognize one of the most well known young witches of our time. Sixteen-year-old Skye Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts Scool of Witchcraft and Wizardry after the tragic death of her long time love, Cedric Diggory.
After an extensive muggle studies program without any contact to the Wizarding world, Reports Daily Prophet intern Maggie Moonrise. Skye returned this summer after being pulled off the project by the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
But that is not where the story ends. It is in fact, where it begins. Perhaps the common deprivation of love is what brought her together with the most unlikely of love interests, Harry Potter.
Harry, as you will no doubt remember competed against Diggory in the TriWizard Tournament last year, where upon You-Know-Who returned. When returning out of the final task, Diggory was dead, slain by the Dark Lord himself.
Details of the blossoming relationship have been kept secret, until last night. Sources say that while on the way to the Halloween Feast, Harry and Skye were caught wandering the halls by a few fellow students.
"It's really awful of them," Says Jin Chang, a fifth year Slytherin student. "When we caught them, they tried to deny it. They're always with each other. Even at Quidditch practices,"
The article continued onto the next page, but Harry couldn't bring himself to
read it. He stared at the parchment stunned. Ron, who had been leaning over to
read it, gapped mouth wide open.
His mind swirled with millions of thoughts, all flying by though his brain faster than the golden snitch. Skye and Cedric? Harry had thought it had been Cho Chang and Cedric... They had gone to the Yule Ball together...
And then Harry and Skye? How had this 'Maggie Moonshine' come up with this rubbish? Reporters weren't allowed on Hogwarts grounds except for special occasions... Even then Dumbledore was extremely selective.... It seemed as if Harry's life was repeating itself. During his fourth year, he had unintentionally sparked the interest of a trashy (but well respected) writer for the Daily Prophet. She could spin tales and lies so fast no one knew if she was telling the truth. She had only stopped last year when Hermoine had discovered she was an Animagi and trapped her in a jar.
Harry just hoped it wouldn't come to that.
After breakfast Harry hurried up to the Common Room to read the letter from Sirius, which couldn't have come at a better time. Students were lining up down in the entrance hall, getting ready to leave. Harry knew not to expect Sirius would want to meet with him, but he secretly wished he would. He missed his godfather terribly, and so he couldn't help but smile when he read Sirius's reply.
Harry,
A Hogsmeade centre there's a little Shoppe called 'Fizzle Flops'. Go down the stairs to the bottom level and then through the stock room door. The door will lead you to an underground pathway.
Sirius
"I wonder why he just didn't tell us to meet us in the usual spot,"
Ron turned to Harry. "I thought Dumbledore told him to stay at
Lupin's,"
*
Honeydukes seemed to be more crowded than ever. Students from Hogwarts all hustled around excitedly, looking around at the variety of delicious sweets.
Harry squeezed past a chattery crowd of third years who seemed to be counting out all of their money. Harry looked around the room, searching for Ron and Hermoine but instead found Amy and Alexa standing next to the barrel of Every Flavoured Beans.
"Hullo Harry. Have you seen Skye anywhere?" Amy asked, as Alexa stood on her tiptoes to search the room.
"No, I've been looking for Ron and Hermoine. Have you seen them?"
"They're over at the counter," Said Alexa nonchalantly. "I saw them looking at the Quidditch Chocolate Frogs,"
"Err, well thanks. See you," He said, and then began to push his way through the crowd.
"Harry! Over here!" Hermoine waved, attempting to not be trampled over.
"Where've you been?" Asked Ron.
"Looking for you," Harry replied. "It's like a zoo in here,"
Hermoine nodded to Harry, "Right then let's head over to Fizzle Flops,"
Following Sirius's instructions were simple enough, getting to the bottom floor was easier said than done. Wall to wall was covered with autographed poster, pictures and newspapers like the Daily Prophet. Harry groaned inwardly and pushed forward through the crowd as his eyes caught the witch on the cover of Teen Witch Weekly waving to him.
"Brilliant! A Cannons poster!" Ron said pointing at the giant picture of the complete Chudley Cannon's Quidditch Team. But Harry was to busy looking at the door next to it, with the label 'Stock Room' on it.
"No wonder its not with the Bulgarian posters upstairs," Said Hermoine.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, his brow was ferruled up.
"Never mind that," Said Harry. "That's the doorway!"
They walked through the dimly light passageway for what seemed like ages, until there came a fork in the path. Sitting in the middle, on the ground was a massive, shaggy, black dog. Harry watched amazed as the dog morphed itself into a human. Into his godfather Sirius to be exact.
Sirius wore neatly pressed dark grey robes, quite a change from the grungy robes he had worn since his escape from Azkaban. His long dark hair was washed, and kept off his face. He smiled, opening his arms. "Good to see you Harry,"
They hugged briefly, and then looked around cautiously before walking down the dimmer of the two tunnels. "What are you doing here Sirius? You never explained it in your letter," Harry asked looking up to Sirius as they turned a corner.
"Fulfilling my duty as your godfather, as usual," Sirius replied keeping his eyes ahead.
"But what about.. What Dumbledore told you to do? About laying low at Professor Lupin's?" Asked Harry with a small urging look.
"Dumbledore contacted me last week and told me about a few things. Among them was that you would be permitted to go to Hogsmeade on the weekend. But you'll have to quicken your pace a bit. Remus is waiting for us," Sirius explained. "Professor Lupin is here?" Hermoine asked intrigued, but Sirius did not reply. Harry hadn't even noticed it until this moment, they now stood in front of a solid dirt wall.
"Now what?" Asked Ron.
"Alohomora!"
Harry watched amazed as the dirt cracked in the centre, and then pulled itself apart revealing a stairwell behind it.
Harry looked around once up the stairs. It seemed they were inside someone's home. There was a fire blazing, and beside it sat Remus Lupin.
"Harry, Ron, Hermoine. Good to see you lot again," Said Lupin greeting them. In his hand he held a copy of Teen Witch Weekly, and Harry felt his heart sink slightly. Lupin had seen the article as well. Did he know it was only a bunch of lies?
"Professor, that article is a bunch of rubbish," Said Harry imploratively.
"As I expected Harry," Lupin replied, then walking over to Sirius he showed him the contents. "I nipped out to get a copy of this when I heard a few first years speaking about it. Quite the striking resemblances, wouldn't you say so Sirius?"
Sirius seemed entranced by the parchment and took it into his own hands. He looked up to Harry, then down to the parchment once more. "Unbelievably so. It's as if it were James on this page... And Charis on the other,"
"Charis?" Harry repeated confused.
"But that's a picture of Skye," Said Ron, obviously just as muddled by Sirius's comment. "Skye Dumbledore,"
Sirius sat down on one of the chairs set out by the fire. "We went to Hogwarts with many parents of who are now your friends," He explained. "Charis is, or rather, was Skye's mother. She was killed shortly before your parents Harry. To my understanding, Skye had been spending the day with Dumbledore when it happened,"
There was a moment of silence, which Ron broke as if having a sudden epiphany. "So that's why she was pulled from the muggle study! Dumbledore wanted her back at Hogwarts where he could protect her!"
"Well of course," Hermoine said surprised it had taken Ron so long to figure it all out.
"Dumbledore's keeping a very close eye out this year," Said Sirius staring into the fire. "There's been no sign of Voldemort, but he knows it will happen," Ron flinched at the mentioning of the Dark Lord's name, but that was the least of Harry's worries.
"What will happen Sirius?" Harry asked, feeling his hands go cold and clammy.
"Voldemort won't dare turn up at Hogwarts. Not even with all the power he's got now. Do you know why Harry?" Harry shook his head slowly. "Because Dumbledore's still there,"
"Not to mention Moody," Added Ron. "The real Moody,"
"But there are more, aren't there Sirius?" Said Hermoine intrigued. Her eyes seemed to gleam in the reflection of the fire, the look she got in her eyes when she was proud she had figured something out before anyone else.
Sirius didn't seem to know quite what to reply. It was at that moment there was a rustling outside the shop door. Harry's eyes darted to the doorway where two people stood on the other side.
"Sirius, we've got to go," Said Lupin in a hush voice. He waved his wand at the fire and it disappeared, leaving only the scent of burning wood from moments before. "We'll take the back way, you lot wait here until they've left," Said Lupin with a small wave to the front door. Sirius looked to Harry apologetically. "I'll write you soon. Be careful Harry. Things are not alway what they seem. And I reckon many people at Hogwarts are not what they seem,"
With that they rushed down the stairs and out of sight. Harry, Ron and Hermoine all stood nervously watching to the two figures. Finally, after what seemed like hours they were gone.
"C'mon," Said Ron as he pulled the door open. "We'd better go,"
The three stepped outside, and once more into the brisk air. The sun was barely beginning to set, signalling the end of the trip. "We'd best hurry," Said Hermoine, her thoughts obviously still on what Sirius has said. As they past Zonko's Harry spotted a head of regretfully familiar pale blond hair. Malfoy stood in front of a wall, surprisingly for once, without Crabbe and Goyle. He had one hand propped up on the wall, and seemed to be speaking to someone.
It was then Harry saw the blond curls, of the other person and realized it was Skye. Her dark blue eyes made contact with Harry's, with almost a pleading look in them. Harry new immediately something was wrong and rushing over he called to Malfoy clutching his wand in his robes.
"Get away from her Malfoy,"
Malfoy turned at first surprised, and then he sneered. "Here to save the day again. Are you Potter?" He drawled. "I bet you enjoyed this bit of publicity didn't you?" He whipped out a copy of Teen Witch Weekly.
"You would know," Hermoine interjected. "You're the one who helped that writer come up with those lies! Just like you helped that horrible Skeeter woman last year!"
"Mind your own business Granger," Malfoy said coldly with a sneer. "Besides, I don't need to tell lies to make Potter look bad. He does it bloody well on his own," He turned sharply, and walked over to the loitering group of Slytherins who seemed to have appeared.
"Why that dirty little-" Ron began, pulling his wand out of his robes.
"Forget it Ron," Harry managed to say, sounding much calmer than he felt. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, "Now yes. Thanks a bunch Harry," She smiled faintly.
There was something about the way she said it that caused Harry to feel flushed. "Err...You're welcome I s'ppose,"
Chapter 9: Gryffindor VS Slytherin
