Chapter Eighteen- Kevin and the Dementor
It was as though the scene had momentarily froze before Harry's eyes. Neville's mouth dropped. Ginny covered her mouth, while Harry looked awestruck. Ron stared at Hermione, clearly speechless. Hermione's face was now bright red, but she still remained firmly in her spot.
"Y-You what?" asked Ron.
Hermione seemed to gather herself together, and began to speak again, though more calmly. "You heard me. I said I love you," she said, and this spoke as though they were merely discussing the matter very seriously, and not bickering about Rita's article.
Then, in one swift movement, Ron rushed forward to her, and kissed her. Harry smiled, and Ginny began to clap. Neville looked relieved. Then, quite suddenly, Ginny made a slight gasp.
"What's the matter Ginny?" asked Hermione, after she and Ron had finished.
"I think I know why you've been upset lately. Is it the "Girl Thing" that McGonagall discussed with us?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded. What they were talking about, Harry had the slightest idea, but at the same time, he was quite sure he didnt want to know.
The following weeks, dawned colder than usual, and people usually wrapped themselves abundantly when walking through the drafty castle. Peeve's was mostly the cause for concern, because he would glide through the halls, throwing snowballs, in which he had hidden cream inside at people. The cream was a very sticky substance, and one day cause poor Hannah Abbots hair to cling together. Madam Pomfrey sorted her out in a heartbeat, and it was only when Hannah attempted to ambush Peeves, that she learned not to mess with him. Peeves was too quick for her, and emptied an entire Ink bottle on her, causing her hair to turn Blue, and her books to become splattered with ink drops.
McGonagall had given an increasingly alarming height of homework halfway through January, and Snape had given them such a rigorous test, that Harry wasn't sure if Hermione even managed an 'acceptable'. Professor Kevin was now teaching them to repeal curses with the shield charm "Protego". Harry was quite happy he'd mastered that charm already, as well as several of his fellow D.A members. Zacharis Smith was the only one who hadn't mastered it, and was hit with Professor Kevin's ear twitching curse.
Hagrid however, was the only teacher who wasn't trying to overload his classes. He had brought in some very cuddly creatures the week before the end of January. They were small, and a light brown color. Their eyes were brown as well, and they had long tails, which had a ruby colored gemstone on the back.
"These are somewha' like Nifflers" said Hagrid, taking one of them out of the box. "Excep' they don' like ter look for gold!"
Pansy Parkinson did not look too pleased. "And what exactly do they like to look for?" she sneered. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. Harry thought they looked twice as stupid without Malfoy. Malfoy on the other hand was standing near the crate with the creatures inside, looking at them, and trying to take notes. Hermione scowled.
"They like ter look fer gems!" said Hagrid cheerfully. "They're called Lerkers. Everybody can take one"
The class began to move forward toward the crates and take out the Lerkers. They reminded Harry so much of Nifflers, except these were much warmer, and looked much happier.
"Now, when it's got somethin', its tail will glow! Make sure you don' loose sigh' of it!" called Hagrid, as the class set off across the lawn, walking with their Lerkers.
Hagrid told Harry, Hermione and Ron to stay behind with him.
"I heard you two got the bug!" said Hagrid, smiling broadly.
"What?" asked Ron.
"You kno', the bug!"
"Oh, you mean the love bug" said Hermione. "Who told you?"
"Ginny" said Hagrid.
"Figures. She can hardly keep her mouth shut about anything!"
"Well, don' you two worry! You've got-"
At that point, they heard a girl scream from somewhere near the forest. All of them looked up, and could see Lavender Brown rushing back to them. Her face looked white, and she looked nervous.
"What happened?" asked Harry.
"We've just found something! COME ON!"
Hagrid quickly dashed into his hut to retrieve his crossbow. Fang came pelting outside when he returned, and all of them followed Lavender toward the trees where the scream had come from. When they reached the sight, Hermione let out a horrible gasp. Something was clumped on the ground, motionless, and bleeding rapidly. The surrounding snow was crimson red, and the person's face was not seen clearly.
"Step back! All of you!" said Hagrid, as the class backed away. Harry thought the person had looked quite familiar, but with the bloody face, it was really hard to tell. He turned to Ron. "Go, and get Professor Dumbledore!"
Ron quickly dashed toward the castle, and out of sight. Hagrid moved the class away from the bleeding body. The class began to mutter amongst each other, trying to figure out who the person was. Five minutes later, Ron and Professor Dumbledore came sweeping down the front steps and over toward the forest. Professor Snape and Professor Kevin followed them. They reached the clump of trees.
"Hagrid, what has happened?" asked Dumbledore, looking grim.
"I don' know Professor! Lavender here, foun' this dead body" said Hagrid, pointing to the body on the ground. Professor Dumbledore kneeled next to the body, and surveyed it. Professor Kevin spoke.
"Headmaster, isn't that-"
"Yes, Kevin. It is. He needs to be brought straight to the castle immediately. Professor Snape, will you please bring him up to Madam Pomfrey immediately?"
"Yes, Headmaster" said Snape, waving his wand so that the person was levitated off the ground, and followed Snape as he headed back toward the castle. As the person left sight, Harry looked at the robes. They were very shabby, and had.patched holes in them. It was Professor Lupin, his ex- defense against the dark arts teacher, and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. But, how had he ended up at Hogwarts?
Hagrid dismissed the class, and Dumbledore told them to return to their dormitories. They did as they were told. The Slytherin's headed to their Dungeon Common Room, while the Gryffindors headed the seventh floor, and into the Gryffindor Common Room, where everyone separated and began to talk amongst them selves.
"How could it possibly be Professor Lupin?" said Hermione, speaking before any of them.
"That's what I wondered" said Neville, looking ghostly white. "Isn't he supposed to be at the "place"?" Ginny asked.
Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded. How had Professor Lupin ended on the school grounds? And more to the point, what happened to him? He looked a real mess, and it wasn't too long before all of them blamed you-know-who for this. Harry also wondered how long Professor Lupin had been on school grounds. He decided to consult Sirius about this, and Dumbledore allowed them to meet inside his office.
"Voldemorts now after members of the Order?" Harry asked.
"There's no doubt," said Sirius. "He's becoming desperate because everyone he's ran into contact with so far doesn't know where the Orbs are" he continued.
"So, you mean to say that my parents are the only one's who knew where the orbs were?" Harry asked.
Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore thought it would be safer.I mean, Dumbledore knows where they are too, but You-know-Who won't dare try to pull one over on him"
Harry thought this was true, but he couldn't help asking himself a burning question. Was Sirius lying about the orbs? Could someone else, besides his mother and father know about them too?
February arrived, bring slightly warmer weather, and less snowfall. Harry and Cho spent the entire day together on Valentine's day. Hermione and Ron did the same, and so did Ginny and Neville. The castle's spirits seemed to lift on that day, because people wanted to just forget about what had happened up until now. Harry and Cho did huge amounts of kissing, and it surprised Harry that he was better at it than he thought. Finally, at around 2pm, they met with the others in the Three Broomsticks, and ordered some Butterbeers. Luna met with them, and Harry was shocked to see that she was alone.
"No one wanted to ask me out, so I just thought I'd remain alone," she said dreamily. Harry felt sorry for her. Malfoy came into the Pub, and he was also alone. He asked Harry and the others could he sit with them, and they all agreed. However, their bliss was interrupted when Pansy Parkinson entered, with a seventh year. He had cool blue eyes, and blonde short hair. He was muscular, and looked like a younger version of Gilderoy Lockhart. Behind them were Crabbe and Goyle, both with two horrible looking sixth years. They had to have been twins, because they had the same amount of freckles, long black hair, and pudgy faces.
"Well Well, look at this little group right here!" said Pansy, as the group she entered with began laughing. The Seventh year boy had the deepest laugh. "Hey, Malfoy. You joining the Mudblood side now? Everyone knows it was a mistake sorting you into Slytherin house!" said the Seventh year boy. The group laughed harder, as Malfoy flushed red.
"Get stuffed" Malfoy muttered.
"Oh my god, Weasley! What is that THING your holding hands with? Surely, you could have found someone or in this case, SOMETHING more decent!" said Pansy. The group laughed even harder.
Ron leaped up, but the seventh year boy stood in front of Pansy. "And what are you going to do, weasel head!"
Several D.A members entered the pub, behind them. Ernie, Hannah, Justin, Zacharis, Lavender, Colin, Padma, Parvati, Dean, Seamus and Dennis. They were planning something behind the group of Slytherins, that they couldn't see.
"You know, I'm surprised You-Know-Who hasn't come after all of you, yet! Especially this one" said Pansy, pointing at Hermione.
"Yeah, he should have killed her, the same way he killed Harry's-"
And suddenly, the bar was filled with several yells of different hexes. The entire pub looked shocked, and Madam Rosmerta looked up. After the small dust had settled, the entire group of Slytherin's were on the floor, covered in hex marks. Pansy had feelers growing all over her face.
"You guys all right?" asked Ernie, stepping on Crabbe, as he crossed the pub.
"Yeah.um, lets go before we get in trouble," said Hermione nervously. They all shuffled out of the pub and back up the street towards the Castle.
"Wow, I've never seen so many different hexes like that," said Neville, cheerfully.
"We learned from the best, didn't we?" said Lavender. Harry grew red. He didn't have any words to describe what it felt like with them all coming to their rescue. It meant a lot.
The match Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw happened at the end of February. It was a great Match for Gryffindor because they had won, but not without a fight. Ron blocked almost every goal, and made sure to fool the Ravenclaw players. Ginny scored fifty goals, and Hermione scored forty. Harry had captured the snitch from right underneath Cho's nose. In the end, the score was Two Hundred and Forty to thirty.
"That had to have been the best match ever!" said Harry as everyone changed back into his or her normal robes.
"I can't believed how many goals I blocked!" said Ron joyously.
"And did you see Cho's face when you caught the snitch Harry? She looked like she was going to explode," said Dean. Harry grinned.
Gryffindor was now in first place to win the Quidditch Cup. All they had to do was hope Slytherin lost to Hufflepuff, and then all Gryffindor would have to do is defeat Hufflepuff in their final match.
There was another huge party thrown in Gryffindor Tower that night. Food, which Dobby had brought up from the kitchens, provided Harry and the others with a feast that could last for days. Harry had suddenly remembered, at around one o'clock that he left his broom in the changing room by accident. He asked Hermione whether he should leave it there, and she insisted that he should. However, Harry didn't trust this, so he ran upstairs, grabbed his fathers invisibility cloak, and tiptoed past people. When the Portrait hole opened, and Professor McGonagall entered, ushering people to bed, Harry ran out.
He ran down the moonlit corridor toward the marble staircase. It had been so long since he had done this, that it almost felt new to him. He silently made his way down to the first floor, and spotted Mrs. Norris, lurking about. Harry couldn't resist the urge to just kick her, so he did, and he watched her hiss and spit, and stalk away. He continued out the front doors, towards the Quidditch Pitch.
The night sky was adorned with bright stars, and the moon was shining brightly. There was a chilly breeze blowing across the grounds, causing the trees to sway lightly. However, something caught Harry's eye, and he quickly turned around to see what it was. Something was moving beyond Hagrid's cabin. It was a tall dark hooded figure.gliding off of the ground. Harry looked around him, and saw that the night was suddenly turning black.and he now knew what it was that was moving near Hagrid's cabin.
Harry ducked behind a large tree, and peered from around it. There was also someone else with the Dementor. A boy. The thing that surprised Harry was the fact that this boy was not showing any signs of being affected by the Dementor. He recognized the boy and his insides pulsed with anger.it was Kevin. Harry moved from behind the tree, and threw the cloak off of him and the minute that he did the Dementor sensed him, and began gliding over. Kevin watched and smiled.
The Dementor began sucking in the night even more, and Harry's body became colder than before. He was starting to hear voices inside his head, and he once again heard the scream of his mother, before she died. But he had to get rid of that Dementor, so he conjured up a thought of Gryffindor House winning the Quidditch and House-cups, and also him celebrating with the Gryffindor D.A members, and said clearly, and strongly "Expecto Patronum"
A silver stag erupted from the tip of his wand. It galloped directly towards the Dementor, knocking it over, and rendering it useless. The Dementor ignored the shout from Kevin, and glided away, and vanished. Kevin turned to Harry, and Harry pointed his wand at him.
"So, Potter, you think you're such a big man now because you know how to ward off Dementors?" Kevin sneered, pointing his wand at Harry.
"That was a nice trick you and your mate Voldemort pulled off, fooling the Aurors into thinking you were dead," Harry said. "And how your parents pretended to be nice people, meanwhile they were right in Voldemorts little circle"
Kevin laughed. "You're a clever one Potter. Did that Mudblood friend of yours Granger help you figure that one out?"
"Actually, no. I figured it out on my own!"
Harry figured something else out. Kevin looked much older than he did when he was at Hogwarts in September. He looked sixteen, taller, and a little muscular.
"What do you want at the school so badly, that you kidnapped Colin, Ginny and over the summer, Kidnapped Umbridge?" asked Harry, in a voice that insured this conversation was happening over a matter of drinks.
"I thought you would have figured that out by now" Kevin said, as they circled one another. Clearly, Kevin was waiting for Harry to strike first.
"Well, I did, but it's better to hear it coming from you" said Harry.
"Well, there's something hidden in the school that my master wants, Potter! And the funny thing is everyone we've encountered so far has no idea where they Orbs are. Surprisingly, Neville's Grandmother, knew a great deal about them, but she still didn't know the location" Kevin said, eyeing Harry. Harry couldn't help but notice that Kevin looked a little like Tom Riddle. "And you are NOT going to thwart my masters plans again Potter!" said Kevin, his voice becoming cold. He raised his wand and said "Crucio"
Harry was ready for him. He quickly dodged the spell, and said "Densaugeo". Kevin blocked the spell, and quickly said another spell, in which a jet of Purple light shrieked across Harry's face, causing it to bleed slightly. He had a cut there. Harry yelled, "Stupefy".
Kevin was too slow to both block it, and dodge it, and was hit with the spell. He fell backward, eyes closed, clutching his wand, and immovable. He was stunned. Harry was breathing heavily. At that moment, he heard someone call his name.
"Good Job Harry! Good job" said the voice. He turned, and saw Sirius rushing forward, with Professor Kevin at his heels.
"I knew it! I knew I sensed a Dementor on the grounds! I bet Dumbledore's on his way too" said Professor Kevin, as they arrived where Harry was standing.
"How did you know a Dementor was here?" said Harry.
"I've got this ability.its too hard to explain, but it allows me to sense Dementors or other dark creatures. I was just in my office, and I saw you slip that invisibility cloak off of you. Very good Patronus Potter!"
"Thank you sir, but aren't I in trouble because I am out after hours?"
Both Professor Kevin and Sirius gave similar dog like laughs.
"No, Harry you are not in trouble" came another familiar voice behind him. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were standing behind him. Professor McGonagall looked white, and was shakings.
"You sensed to, Albus?" said Professor Kevin, who kneeled down next to Kevin.
"Yes. Perhaps there are ways in which Voldemort could by-pass the ancient charms that have been placed over the castle" Dumbledore said, calmly. "He is using others to enter the school grounds, and the use of Dementors, is something that I did not even foresee"
"Albus, should I escort Mr. Potter back to Gryffindor Tower?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"In a moment Minerva. First, Harry would need to tell us what has happened before we arrived, and exactly what he was doing out at this time of night"
Harry hesitated. Perhaps Dumbledore wouldn't believe him if he told him he was outside trying to get his Broomstick. He decided to tell anyway. "Well, I was upstairs in the Common Room enjoying the party we were having, and I forgot I left my broomstick on the field. I thought I'd quickly go, and get it and when I got over there, near that tree, I saw Kevin and the Dementor he had with him. I used the Patronus Charm to get rid of the Dementor, and then Kevin and I sort of dueled" Harry said, pausing here and there for breath. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he looked down at Harry with a look of triumph. "Did he speak of anything to you, before your Duel?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. He said that the death eaters were kidnapping people who knew about the Orbs of the Phoenix, but were disappointed when no one knew the location"
At that moment, Dumbledore gave a look of relief, that none of the others noticed except Harry. Harry didn't say anything.
"Well, what do we do with him, Albus?" Sirius asked.
"He will have to be kept here, under careful watch. He must not be let out into the halls. There is no doubt that Voldemort will try to recover him. Its such a shame that a boy of his age is already associated with the Dark Arts" said Dumbledore whipping out his wand.
"Oh, and there's something else too. Kevin isn't eleven like everyone anticipated. He's sixteen"
Dumbledore nodded. "I figured as much. He does not look like the same Kevin five months ago. Voldemort is becoming more clever than we all thought." At that moment, he conjured silver ropes from the end of his wand, which wrapped themselves around Kevin tightly. Sirius had taken his wand.
"Where will we keep him?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"The safest place we know of" said Dumbledore. With that, he did not say anything else about that matter. He let Professor McGonagall and Professor Kevin leave, bringing with them the stunned Kevin.
"Harry, I must ask that you do not wander around at these times again" said Dumbledore calmly. "The school grounds are not as safe as we thought them to be" Harry nodded. "Oh, and of course, I will have to award Gryffindor House One-hundred points as well. Now, if you will be so kind as to gather your cloak, and summon your broomstick, you can head back upstairs" he said. He looked up towards Gryffindor Tower. "The party that was thrown is still in progress". And with that, Harry summoned his broomstick to him, gathered his cloak and headed back upstairs.
The Party was indeed going on, and no one seemed to notice the Portrait Hole open. Harry made his way to his dorm, changed into his Pajamas and climbed into bed. The room was silent. Everyone was still downstairs. He sat and lay flat on his back, thinking. Were the Orbs that Fawkes protected really that important to Voldemort, that he made people break onto the school grounds and by-pass all the security measures? Either way, he knew that Voldemort could not succeed in getting his hands on those orbs. At that moment, Harry's scar prickled slightly, and Harry could tell Voldemort was angry. He couldn't help but say quietly
"You're not going to succeed at your plans, so give it a rest" and he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
It was as though the scene had momentarily froze before Harry's eyes. Neville's mouth dropped. Ginny covered her mouth, while Harry looked awestruck. Ron stared at Hermione, clearly speechless. Hermione's face was now bright red, but she still remained firmly in her spot.
"Y-You what?" asked Ron.
Hermione seemed to gather herself together, and began to speak again, though more calmly. "You heard me. I said I love you," she said, and this spoke as though they were merely discussing the matter very seriously, and not bickering about Rita's article.
Then, in one swift movement, Ron rushed forward to her, and kissed her. Harry smiled, and Ginny began to clap. Neville looked relieved. Then, quite suddenly, Ginny made a slight gasp.
"What's the matter Ginny?" asked Hermione, after she and Ron had finished.
"I think I know why you've been upset lately. Is it the "Girl Thing" that McGonagall discussed with us?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded. What they were talking about, Harry had the slightest idea, but at the same time, he was quite sure he didnt want to know.
The following weeks, dawned colder than usual, and people usually wrapped themselves abundantly when walking through the drafty castle. Peeve's was mostly the cause for concern, because he would glide through the halls, throwing snowballs, in which he had hidden cream inside at people. The cream was a very sticky substance, and one day cause poor Hannah Abbots hair to cling together. Madam Pomfrey sorted her out in a heartbeat, and it was only when Hannah attempted to ambush Peeves, that she learned not to mess with him. Peeves was too quick for her, and emptied an entire Ink bottle on her, causing her hair to turn Blue, and her books to become splattered with ink drops.
McGonagall had given an increasingly alarming height of homework halfway through January, and Snape had given them such a rigorous test, that Harry wasn't sure if Hermione even managed an 'acceptable'. Professor Kevin was now teaching them to repeal curses with the shield charm "Protego". Harry was quite happy he'd mastered that charm already, as well as several of his fellow D.A members. Zacharis Smith was the only one who hadn't mastered it, and was hit with Professor Kevin's ear twitching curse.
Hagrid however, was the only teacher who wasn't trying to overload his classes. He had brought in some very cuddly creatures the week before the end of January. They were small, and a light brown color. Their eyes were brown as well, and they had long tails, which had a ruby colored gemstone on the back.
"These are somewha' like Nifflers" said Hagrid, taking one of them out of the box. "Excep' they don' like ter look for gold!"
Pansy Parkinson did not look too pleased. "And what exactly do they like to look for?" she sneered. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. Harry thought they looked twice as stupid without Malfoy. Malfoy on the other hand was standing near the crate with the creatures inside, looking at them, and trying to take notes. Hermione scowled.
"They like ter look fer gems!" said Hagrid cheerfully. "They're called Lerkers. Everybody can take one"
The class began to move forward toward the crates and take out the Lerkers. They reminded Harry so much of Nifflers, except these were much warmer, and looked much happier.
"Now, when it's got somethin', its tail will glow! Make sure you don' loose sigh' of it!" called Hagrid, as the class set off across the lawn, walking with their Lerkers.
Hagrid told Harry, Hermione and Ron to stay behind with him.
"I heard you two got the bug!" said Hagrid, smiling broadly.
"What?" asked Ron.
"You kno', the bug!"
"Oh, you mean the love bug" said Hermione. "Who told you?"
"Ginny" said Hagrid.
"Figures. She can hardly keep her mouth shut about anything!"
"Well, don' you two worry! You've got-"
At that point, they heard a girl scream from somewhere near the forest. All of them looked up, and could see Lavender Brown rushing back to them. Her face looked white, and she looked nervous.
"What happened?" asked Harry.
"We've just found something! COME ON!"
Hagrid quickly dashed into his hut to retrieve his crossbow. Fang came pelting outside when he returned, and all of them followed Lavender toward the trees where the scream had come from. When they reached the sight, Hermione let out a horrible gasp. Something was clumped on the ground, motionless, and bleeding rapidly. The surrounding snow was crimson red, and the person's face was not seen clearly.
"Step back! All of you!" said Hagrid, as the class backed away. Harry thought the person had looked quite familiar, but with the bloody face, it was really hard to tell. He turned to Ron. "Go, and get Professor Dumbledore!"
Ron quickly dashed toward the castle, and out of sight. Hagrid moved the class away from the bleeding body. The class began to mutter amongst each other, trying to figure out who the person was. Five minutes later, Ron and Professor Dumbledore came sweeping down the front steps and over toward the forest. Professor Snape and Professor Kevin followed them. They reached the clump of trees.
"Hagrid, what has happened?" asked Dumbledore, looking grim.
"I don' know Professor! Lavender here, foun' this dead body" said Hagrid, pointing to the body on the ground. Professor Dumbledore kneeled next to the body, and surveyed it. Professor Kevin spoke.
"Headmaster, isn't that-"
"Yes, Kevin. It is. He needs to be brought straight to the castle immediately. Professor Snape, will you please bring him up to Madam Pomfrey immediately?"
"Yes, Headmaster" said Snape, waving his wand so that the person was levitated off the ground, and followed Snape as he headed back toward the castle. As the person left sight, Harry looked at the robes. They were very shabby, and had.patched holes in them. It was Professor Lupin, his ex- defense against the dark arts teacher, and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. But, how had he ended up at Hogwarts?
Hagrid dismissed the class, and Dumbledore told them to return to their dormitories. They did as they were told. The Slytherin's headed to their Dungeon Common Room, while the Gryffindors headed the seventh floor, and into the Gryffindor Common Room, where everyone separated and began to talk amongst them selves.
"How could it possibly be Professor Lupin?" said Hermione, speaking before any of them.
"That's what I wondered" said Neville, looking ghostly white. "Isn't he supposed to be at the "place"?" Ginny asked.
Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded. How had Professor Lupin ended on the school grounds? And more to the point, what happened to him? He looked a real mess, and it wasn't too long before all of them blamed you-know-who for this. Harry also wondered how long Professor Lupin had been on school grounds. He decided to consult Sirius about this, and Dumbledore allowed them to meet inside his office.
"Voldemorts now after members of the Order?" Harry asked.
"There's no doubt," said Sirius. "He's becoming desperate because everyone he's ran into contact with so far doesn't know where the Orbs are" he continued.
"So, you mean to say that my parents are the only one's who knew where the orbs were?" Harry asked.
Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore thought it would be safer.I mean, Dumbledore knows where they are too, but You-know-Who won't dare try to pull one over on him"
Harry thought this was true, but he couldn't help asking himself a burning question. Was Sirius lying about the orbs? Could someone else, besides his mother and father know about them too?
February arrived, bring slightly warmer weather, and less snowfall. Harry and Cho spent the entire day together on Valentine's day. Hermione and Ron did the same, and so did Ginny and Neville. The castle's spirits seemed to lift on that day, because people wanted to just forget about what had happened up until now. Harry and Cho did huge amounts of kissing, and it surprised Harry that he was better at it than he thought. Finally, at around 2pm, they met with the others in the Three Broomsticks, and ordered some Butterbeers. Luna met with them, and Harry was shocked to see that she was alone.
"No one wanted to ask me out, so I just thought I'd remain alone," she said dreamily. Harry felt sorry for her. Malfoy came into the Pub, and he was also alone. He asked Harry and the others could he sit with them, and they all agreed. However, their bliss was interrupted when Pansy Parkinson entered, with a seventh year. He had cool blue eyes, and blonde short hair. He was muscular, and looked like a younger version of Gilderoy Lockhart. Behind them were Crabbe and Goyle, both with two horrible looking sixth years. They had to have been twins, because they had the same amount of freckles, long black hair, and pudgy faces.
"Well Well, look at this little group right here!" said Pansy, as the group she entered with began laughing. The Seventh year boy had the deepest laugh. "Hey, Malfoy. You joining the Mudblood side now? Everyone knows it was a mistake sorting you into Slytherin house!" said the Seventh year boy. The group laughed harder, as Malfoy flushed red.
"Get stuffed" Malfoy muttered.
"Oh my god, Weasley! What is that THING your holding hands with? Surely, you could have found someone or in this case, SOMETHING more decent!" said Pansy. The group laughed even harder.
Ron leaped up, but the seventh year boy stood in front of Pansy. "And what are you going to do, weasel head!"
Several D.A members entered the pub, behind them. Ernie, Hannah, Justin, Zacharis, Lavender, Colin, Padma, Parvati, Dean, Seamus and Dennis. They were planning something behind the group of Slytherins, that they couldn't see.
"You know, I'm surprised You-Know-Who hasn't come after all of you, yet! Especially this one" said Pansy, pointing at Hermione.
"Yeah, he should have killed her, the same way he killed Harry's-"
And suddenly, the bar was filled with several yells of different hexes. The entire pub looked shocked, and Madam Rosmerta looked up. After the small dust had settled, the entire group of Slytherin's were on the floor, covered in hex marks. Pansy had feelers growing all over her face.
"You guys all right?" asked Ernie, stepping on Crabbe, as he crossed the pub.
"Yeah.um, lets go before we get in trouble," said Hermione nervously. They all shuffled out of the pub and back up the street towards the Castle.
"Wow, I've never seen so many different hexes like that," said Neville, cheerfully.
"We learned from the best, didn't we?" said Lavender. Harry grew red. He didn't have any words to describe what it felt like with them all coming to their rescue. It meant a lot.
The match Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw happened at the end of February. It was a great Match for Gryffindor because they had won, but not without a fight. Ron blocked almost every goal, and made sure to fool the Ravenclaw players. Ginny scored fifty goals, and Hermione scored forty. Harry had captured the snitch from right underneath Cho's nose. In the end, the score was Two Hundred and Forty to thirty.
"That had to have been the best match ever!" said Harry as everyone changed back into his or her normal robes.
"I can't believed how many goals I blocked!" said Ron joyously.
"And did you see Cho's face when you caught the snitch Harry? She looked like she was going to explode," said Dean. Harry grinned.
Gryffindor was now in first place to win the Quidditch Cup. All they had to do was hope Slytherin lost to Hufflepuff, and then all Gryffindor would have to do is defeat Hufflepuff in their final match.
There was another huge party thrown in Gryffindor Tower that night. Food, which Dobby had brought up from the kitchens, provided Harry and the others with a feast that could last for days. Harry had suddenly remembered, at around one o'clock that he left his broom in the changing room by accident. He asked Hermione whether he should leave it there, and she insisted that he should. However, Harry didn't trust this, so he ran upstairs, grabbed his fathers invisibility cloak, and tiptoed past people. When the Portrait hole opened, and Professor McGonagall entered, ushering people to bed, Harry ran out.
He ran down the moonlit corridor toward the marble staircase. It had been so long since he had done this, that it almost felt new to him. He silently made his way down to the first floor, and spotted Mrs. Norris, lurking about. Harry couldn't resist the urge to just kick her, so he did, and he watched her hiss and spit, and stalk away. He continued out the front doors, towards the Quidditch Pitch.
The night sky was adorned with bright stars, and the moon was shining brightly. There was a chilly breeze blowing across the grounds, causing the trees to sway lightly. However, something caught Harry's eye, and he quickly turned around to see what it was. Something was moving beyond Hagrid's cabin. It was a tall dark hooded figure.gliding off of the ground. Harry looked around him, and saw that the night was suddenly turning black.and he now knew what it was that was moving near Hagrid's cabin.
Harry ducked behind a large tree, and peered from around it. There was also someone else with the Dementor. A boy. The thing that surprised Harry was the fact that this boy was not showing any signs of being affected by the Dementor. He recognized the boy and his insides pulsed with anger.it was Kevin. Harry moved from behind the tree, and threw the cloak off of him and the minute that he did the Dementor sensed him, and began gliding over. Kevin watched and smiled.
The Dementor began sucking in the night even more, and Harry's body became colder than before. He was starting to hear voices inside his head, and he once again heard the scream of his mother, before she died. But he had to get rid of that Dementor, so he conjured up a thought of Gryffindor House winning the Quidditch and House-cups, and also him celebrating with the Gryffindor D.A members, and said clearly, and strongly "Expecto Patronum"
A silver stag erupted from the tip of his wand. It galloped directly towards the Dementor, knocking it over, and rendering it useless. The Dementor ignored the shout from Kevin, and glided away, and vanished. Kevin turned to Harry, and Harry pointed his wand at him.
"So, Potter, you think you're such a big man now because you know how to ward off Dementors?" Kevin sneered, pointing his wand at Harry.
"That was a nice trick you and your mate Voldemort pulled off, fooling the Aurors into thinking you were dead," Harry said. "And how your parents pretended to be nice people, meanwhile they were right in Voldemorts little circle"
Kevin laughed. "You're a clever one Potter. Did that Mudblood friend of yours Granger help you figure that one out?"
"Actually, no. I figured it out on my own!"
Harry figured something else out. Kevin looked much older than he did when he was at Hogwarts in September. He looked sixteen, taller, and a little muscular.
"What do you want at the school so badly, that you kidnapped Colin, Ginny and over the summer, Kidnapped Umbridge?" asked Harry, in a voice that insured this conversation was happening over a matter of drinks.
"I thought you would have figured that out by now" Kevin said, as they circled one another. Clearly, Kevin was waiting for Harry to strike first.
"Well, I did, but it's better to hear it coming from you" said Harry.
"Well, there's something hidden in the school that my master wants, Potter! And the funny thing is everyone we've encountered so far has no idea where they Orbs are. Surprisingly, Neville's Grandmother, knew a great deal about them, but she still didn't know the location" Kevin said, eyeing Harry. Harry couldn't help but notice that Kevin looked a little like Tom Riddle. "And you are NOT going to thwart my masters plans again Potter!" said Kevin, his voice becoming cold. He raised his wand and said "Crucio"
Harry was ready for him. He quickly dodged the spell, and said "Densaugeo". Kevin blocked the spell, and quickly said another spell, in which a jet of Purple light shrieked across Harry's face, causing it to bleed slightly. He had a cut there. Harry yelled, "Stupefy".
Kevin was too slow to both block it, and dodge it, and was hit with the spell. He fell backward, eyes closed, clutching his wand, and immovable. He was stunned. Harry was breathing heavily. At that moment, he heard someone call his name.
"Good Job Harry! Good job" said the voice. He turned, and saw Sirius rushing forward, with Professor Kevin at his heels.
"I knew it! I knew I sensed a Dementor on the grounds! I bet Dumbledore's on his way too" said Professor Kevin, as they arrived where Harry was standing.
"How did you know a Dementor was here?" said Harry.
"I've got this ability.its too hard to explain, but it allows me to sense Dementors or other dark creatures. I was just in my office, and I saw you slip that invisibility cloak off of you. Very good Patronus Potter!"
"Thank you sir, but aren't I in trouble because I am out after hours?"
Both Professor Kevin and Sirius gave similar dog like laughs.
"No, Harry you are not in trouble" came another familiar voice behind him. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were standing behind him. Professor McGonagall looked white, and was shakings.
"You sensed to, Albus?" said Professor Kevin, who kneeled down next to Kevin.
"Yes. Perhaps there are ways in which Voldemort could by-pass the ancient charms that have been placed over the castle" Dumbledore said, calmly. "He is using others to enter the school grounds, and the use of Dementors, is something that I did not even foresee"
"Albus, should I escort Mr. Potter back to Gryffindor Tower?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"In a moment Minerva. First, Harry would need to tell us what has happened before we arrived, and exactly what he was doing out at this time of night"
Harry hesitated. Perhaps Dumbledore wouldn't believe him if he told him he was outside trying to get his Broomstick. He decided to tell anyway. "Well, I was upstairs in the Common Room enjoying the party we were having, and I forgot I left my broomstick on the field. I thought I'd quickly go, and get it and when I got over there, near that tree, I saw Kevin and the Dementor he had with him. I used the Patronus Charm to get rid of the Dementor, and then Kevin and I sort of dueled" Harry said, pausing here and there for breath. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he looked down at Harry with a look of triumph. "Did he speak of anything to you, before your Duel?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. He said that the death eaters were kidnapping people who knew about the Orbs of the Phoenix, but were disappointed when no one knew the location"
At that moment, Dumbledore gave a look of relief, that none of the others noticed except Harry. Harry didn't say anything.
"Well, what do we do with him, Albus?" Sirius asked.
"He will have to be kept here, under careful watch. He must not be let out into the halls. There is no doubt that Voldemort will try to recover him. Its such a shame that a boy of his age is already associated with the Dark Arts" said Dumbledore whipping out his wand.
"Oh, and there's something else too. Kevin isn't eleven like everyone anticipated. He's sixteen"
Dumbledore nodded. "I figured as much. He does not look like the same Kevin five months ago. Voldemort is becoming more clever than we all thought." At that moment, he conjured silver ropes from the end of his wand, which wrapped themselves around Kevin tightly. Sirius had taken his wand.
"Where will we keep him?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"The safest place we know of" said Dumbledore. With that, he did not say anything else about that matter. He let Professor McGonagall and Professor Kevin leave, bringing with them the stunned Kevin.
"Harry, I must ask that you do not wander around at these times again" said Dumbledore calmly. "The school grounds are not as safe as we thought them to be" Harry nodded. "Oh, and of course, I will have to award Gryffindor House One-hundred points as well. Now, if you will be so kind as to gather your cloak, and summon your broomstick, you can head back upstairs" he said. He looked up towards Gryffindor Tower. "The party that was thrown is still in progress". And with that, Harry summoned his broomstick to him, gathered his cloak and headed back upstairs.
The Party was indeed going on, and no one seemed to notice the Portrait Hole open. Harry made his way to his dorm, changed into his Pajamas and climbed into bed. The room was silent. Everyone was still downstairs. He sat and lay flat on his back, thinking. Were the Orbs that Fawkes protected really that important to Voldemort, that he made people break onto the school grounds and by-pass all the security measures? Either way, he knew that Voldemort could not succeed in getting his hands on those orbs. At that moment, Harry's scar prickled slightly, and Harry could tell Voldemort was angry. He couldn't help but say quietly
"You're not going to succeed at your plans, so give it a rest" and he closed his eyes and fell asleep.