"Good morning, Harry!"
Ron had pulled Harry's sheets off of his bed, and was standing to his friend's right. He was wearing dark blue pyjamas, which had obviously been worn by his older brothers: there was a tear in the right knee, both arms were too short, and there was an ink stain on his left shoulder.
"Harry, get up! Come on! It's Saturday!"
Harry let out a tired groan.
"Saturday?" he managed to ask.
"Yeah! Hurry!"
Harry helped himself to a sitting position with his arms.
"Ron, if it's a Saturday, why should I get up?" he asked.
"Harry!"
"I'm not getting out of bed. There is no way."
"HARRY!"
Harry unwillingly stepped out of bed. His hair was a mess, and he couldn't find his glasses. Ron picked them off his nightable and handed them to him. Once he could see again, he lazily chose his clothes for the day and headed for the showers.
"Aren't you glad you got up, Harry?" Ron asked excitedly as he and Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, which was, oddly enough, packed.
Hermione soon joined them.
"Good morning, boys!" she said cheerfully.
"What's so good about it?" Harry grumbled.
Hermione and Ron exchanged looks.
"Oh, Harry, don't be so pessimistic," Hermione said. "Look! Everyone is up! We have to make the best of our days… I mean, classes start on Monday."
"Way to make me feel better," Harry said.
Ron grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him out of the common room. He, Harry, and Hermione climbed down the many staircases and, to Harry's surprise, exited the castle.
"What are we doing?" he asked.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and was reflected on the lake at a distance. The sky was an incredible shade of blue. Students were outside, sitting under trees, or running on the field. Even the Forbidden Forest didn't look so bad.
Harry pulled himself away from Ron's grasp.
"Where are we going?" he demanded angrily.
Hermione sighed.
"You really don't like surprises, do you?" she asked.
"No."
"Alright," she said. "We're going to the far right of the field – past the Quidditch field, past the terrace."
Harry looked at his friends in disbelief: first, he had never been past the Quidditch field, and didn't know what a terrace was; second, he couldn't imagine why his friends would find it so important to drag him there.
"Why?" he asked.
The three friends had started walking again.
"Harry, won't you please trust us? It's not like we're going to hurt you, or anything!" Hermione exclaimed.
Harry slumped into a dark mood. He listened to Ron and Hermione speak as they walk quickly past the Quidditch field, a garden of beautiful blue roses, and, finally, past the terrace. It didn't look like anything spectacular to Harry. Marble tiles had been placed on the grass and surrounded by a crystal fence. A few lonely tables and chairs sat in this closed area. Harry imagined his professors sipping some Butterbeer at those tables.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron continued to walk for another five minutes. Harry started to notice the shadow of a figure in the distance. Soon, he could make out a dark grey robe and shaggy hair.
Harry stopped walking, finally realizing what was so important.
"LUPIN!" he shouted. He ran forward to great his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"Hello, Harry!" Lupin said.
He looked very weak, very tired. He managed a weak smile.
"Listen, Harry, I have a lot of important information that I need to tell you."
Harry frowned. Couldn't Lupin just have come to visit? He didn't want to know anything.
"You NEED to?" Harry ask in desperation.
Lupin looked down at him and nodded.
"Please… I know that it's hard, but try not to get too worked up. This might be long."
Not get worked up? Just the fact that Lupin had said that made Harry want to hurt him. He knew better than to cave in, of course. He knew that, if he let his anger take a hold of him, he would be letting Lord Voldemort posess him.
"Alright," Harry said. He clenched his teeth and nodded. "Tell me everything."
"Uh, do you want us to leave?" Ron asked.
"No. I think you should know, too," Lupin answered.
Hermione bit her lip. Clearly, he wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he was about to tell them. Lupin looked around, as if he suspected that someone might overhear him.
"Voldemort hasn't been seen since that day, at the Ministry."
Total silence.
"There have been no killings, no sign of bizzare things going on with the muggles. Nobody knows where he is."
Harry took a deep breath.
"And… And I'm guessing that's not a good sign," he said in a very low voice.
"Well, on the plus side, nobody's been hurt," Lupin tried, but Harry knew the rest.
"But all this means is that he's planning something worse."
Lupin looked down.
"Yes," he said.
There was another silence. Hermione twisted her hair around her finger; Ron twiddled his thumbs; Lupin appeared to be chewing on the inside of his mouth; Harry stood still.
"Harry, you must NOT let Lord Voldemort take over your mind. I know you probably hate me for saying this. I know that it must be hard, and I know that Snape will never agree to give you more lessons after your… Uh… Discovery," Lupin said uneasily.
"You sure know a lot," Harry said sarcastically.
"That's what I'm talking about, Harry."
Harry sighed, clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and opened them again.
"I'm sorry," he said. He truly meant it. "I'll try."
Ron, who had, up until that moment, been perfectly quiet, spoke.
"Imagine Umbridge in her underpants, that'll give you a good laugh," he said. Then, picturing this portait for himself, he gave his friend a terrified look and shuddered. "No… No… Don't. Maybe Dudley, or your uncle Vernon."
Harry chuckled. He had no intention of imagining such a scene, but he found Ron's idea very humorous.
"That's it, Harry. Start by laughing at least once a day, then gradually work it up the scale," Hermione said very brilliantly.
"Thanks," Harry said. He smiled. "Like I said, I'll try."
"Excellent."
The conversation steered away from this dark subject. Ron told Lupin all about how he had practised his Quidditch in his backyard, only to break countless windows and ruin his mother's nicest plants. Hermione inquired on his health. Harry concentrated hard of what a great time he was having, and on how happy he was.
"Oh, before I go," Lupin said, just as he was about to leave. "I've heard about a new transfer student… Sara Böstrom?"
"Uh, yeah. What about her?" Harry asked.
"Keep an eye on her. I couldn't tell you exactly, but I know that there's something wrong. Dumbledore wouldn't break school rules about transfer students unless the student in question was, well, special," he said.
"We figured," Hermione said.
"Good," Lupin approved. "Well, good bye!"
"Bye!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione exclaimed at once.
The three watched Lupin Disapparate into thin air. They then started their long walk back to the castle. Suddenly, Hermione froze.
"I thought it was impossible to Apparate and Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds?"
Ron had pulled Harry's sheets off of his bed, and was standing to his friend's right. He was wearing dark blue pyjamas, which had obviously been worn by his older brothers: there was a tear in the right knee, both arms were too short, and there was an ink stain on his left shoulder.
"Harry, get up! Come on! It's Saturday!"
Harry let out a tired groan.
"Saturday?" he managed to ask.
"Yeah! Hurry!"
Harry helped himself to a sitting position with his arms.
"Ron, if it's a Saturday, why should I get up?" he asked.
"Harry!"
"I'm not getting out of bed. There is no way."
"HARRY!"
Harry unwillingly stepped out of bed. His hair was a mess, and he couldn't find his glasses. Ron picked them off his nightable and handed them to him. Once he could see again, he lazily chose his clothes for the day and headed for the showers.
"Aren't you glad you got up, Harry?" Ron asked excitedly as he and Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, which was, oddly enough, packed.
Hermione soon joined them.
"Good morning, boys!" she said cheerfully.
"What's so good about it?" Harry grumbled.
Hermione and Ron exchanged looks.
"Oh, Harry, don't be so pessimistic," Hermione said. "Look! Everyone is up! We have to make the best of our days… I mean, classes start on Monday."
"Way to make me feel better," Harry said.
Ron grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him out of the common room. He, Harry, and Hermione climbed down the many staircases and, to Harry's surprise, exited the castle.
"What are we doing?" he asked.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and was reflected on the lake at a distance. The sky was an incredible shade of blue. Students were outside, sitting under trees, or running on the field. Even the Forbidden Forest didn't look so bad.
Harry pulled himself away from Ron's grasp.
"Where are we going?" he demanded angrily.
Hermione sighed.
"You really don't like surprises, do you?" she asked.
"No."
"Alright," she said. "We're going to the far right of the field – past the Quidditch field, past the terrace."
Harry looked at his friends in disbelief: first, he had never been past the Quidditch field, and didn't know what a terrace was; second, he couldn't imagine why his friends would find it so important to drag him there.
"Why?" he asked.
The three friends had started walking again.
"Harry, won't you please trust us? It's not like we're going to hurt you, or anything!" Hermione exclaimed.
Harry slumped into a dark mood. He listened to Ron and Hermione speak as they walk quickly past the Quidditch field, a garden of beautiful blue roses, and, finally, past the terrace. It didn't look like anything spectacular to Harry. Marble tiles had been placed on the grass and surrounded by a crystal fence. A few lonely tables and chairs sat in this closed area. Harry imagined his professors sipping some Butterbeer at those tables.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron continued to walk for another five minutes. Harry started to notice the shadow of a figure in the distance. Soon, he could make out a dark grey robe and shaggy hair.
Harry stopped walking, finally realizing what was so important.
"LUPIN!" he shouted. He ran forward to great his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"Hello, Harry!" Lupin said.
He looked very weak, very tired. He managed a weak smile.
"Listen, Harry, I have a lot of important information that I need to tell you."
Harry frowned. Couldn't Lupin just have come to visit? He didn't want to know anything.
"You NEED to?" Harry ask in desperation.
Lupin looked down at him and nodded.
"Please… I know that it's hard, but try not to get too worked up. This might be long."
Not get worked up? Just the fact that Lupin had said that made Harry want to hurt him. He knew better than to cave in, of course. He knew that, if he let his anger take a hold of him, he would be letting Lord Voldemort posess him.
"Alright," Harry said. He clenched his teeth and nodded. "Tell me everything."
"Uh, do you want us to leave?" Ron asked.
"No. I think you should know, too," Lupin answered.
Hermione bit her lip. Clearly, he wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he was about to tell them. Lupin looked around, as if he suspected that someone might overhear him.
"Voldemort hasn't been seen since that day, at the Ministry."
Total silence.
"There have been no killings, no sign of bizzare things going on with the muggles. Nobody knows where he is."
Harry took a deep breath.
"And… And I'm guessing that's not a good sign," he said in a very low voice.
"Well, on the plus side, nobody's been hurt," Lupin tried, but Harry knew the rest.
"But all this means is that he's planning something worse."
Lupin looked down.
"Yes," he said.
There was another silence. Hermione twisted her hair around her finger; Ron twiddled his thumbs; Lupin appeared to be chewing on the inside of his mouth; Harry stood still.
"Harry, you must NOT let Lord Voldemort take over your mind. I know you probably hate me for saying this. I know that it must be hard, and I know that Snape will never agree to give you more lessons after your… Uh… Discovery," Lupin said uneasily.
"You sure know a lot," Harry said sarcastically.
"That's what I'm talking about, Harry."
Harry sighed, clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and opened them again.
"I'm sorry," he said. He truly meant it. "I'll try."
Ron, who had, up until that moment, been perfectly quiet, spoke.
"Imagine Umbridge in her underpants, that'll give you a good laugh," he said. Then, picturing this portait for himself, he gave his friend a terrified look and shuddered. "No… No… Don't. Maybe Dudley, or your uncle Vernon."
Harry chuckled. He had no intention of imagining such a scene, but he found Ron's idea very humorous.
"That's it, Harry. Start by laughing at least once a day, then gradually work it up the scale," Hermione said very brilliantly.
"Thanks," Harry said. He smiled. "Like I said, I'll try."
"Excellent."
The conversation steered away from this dark subject. Ron told Lupin all about how he had practised his Quidditch in his backyard, only to break countless windows and ruin his mother's nicest plants. Hermione inquired on his health. Harry concentrated hard of what a great time he was having, and on how happy he was.
"Oh, before I go," Lupin said, just as he was about to leave. "I've heard about a new transfer student… Sara Böstrom?"
"Uh, yeah. What about her?" Harry asked.
"Keep an eye on her. I couldn't tell you exactly, but I know that there's something wrong. Dumbledore wouldn't break school rules about transfer students unless the student in question was, well, special," he said.
"We figured," Hermione said.
"Good," Lupin approved. "Well, good bye!"
"Bye!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione exclaimed at once.
The three watched Lupin Disapparate into thin air. They then started their long walk back to the castle. Suddenly, Hermione froze.
"I thought it was impossible to Apparate and Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds?"