Note: It was meant to be Alasdair, for those of you who weren't sure :P
Thankies again for ALL your reviews.
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Chapter 3 – Wings of Steel
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Next day, Harry was still thinking about the Speed Demon and the train incident at breakfast, when the post arrived in a great flurry of wings.
"Oh my god, Harry! Look!" exclaimed Hermione, who was holding her Daily Prophet in a shaky hand.
On the front page of the Daily Prophet, the big, bold headline read 'MCBRIDE ESCAPES FROM ST. MUNGO'S'.
"So much for your plan…" Ron trailed off.
"How? When?" Harry spluttered through a mouthful of toast.
Hermione read aloud: "2 days ago, It was discovered that Cain McBride has escaped from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies with the help of a group known only as the Renegade Fighters.
It seems that it must have been quite difficult for McBride to escape as the smoke from the fire caused him to lose his sight.
Search parties are currently looking but have not uncovered any evidence as to his whereabouts.
Strangely enough, the Hogwarts Express was hijacked yesterday by a group of people similarly described as the Renegade Fighters."
They looked at each other in silence for a while. "It was him…" Harry murmured quietly. "Cain McBride was on that train yesterday, with the Renegades. But what did he want with Harley and Quinn?"
"Maybe they had to pay off a debt." Ron wondered.
"That's the Mafia, you idiot," sighed Hermione. "Ever since Harry showed you 'The Godfather' on your Dad's TV Set, you've been going on non-stop."
"So? That guy, erm, Alan Pachinko is cool!" Ron grumbled.
"Al Pacino!" Harry laughed. "Who the heck is Alan Pachinko?!"
They all laughed for a bit, forgetting the Renegade situation. Receiving their timetables, they groaned as they discovered that they had double potions first period.
"It's time for a nice visit to our old friend Snape, I see." Harry sighed.
"And Malfoy, unfortunately." Groaned Hermione.
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Later
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"Heh, makes you think of the three stooges, Hermione?" Harry smiled as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle came into view around the corner.
"Who?" Ron asked.
"Never mind," Hermione said. "Get ready…"
"Well look who it is, boys? Only Harry Rotter, Weasel and Mudblood."
"Bite me, Malfoy," sighed Harry.
"You seem to have gotten our names mixed up, Smellfoy." Hermione retorted.
"You'll pay for that, Mudblood." Malfoy sneered.
"Oh piss off, Malfoy. I've had it up to here with your foul mouth and I really cannot take another year of it." Hermione hissed as she swept past him into the dungeon.
Ron and Harry high-fived after her and did a little victory dance past Malfoy, who was standing there with his mouth hanging open.
"And believe me, Malfoy –" Harry stopped before he entered the dungeon. "- No-one wants to see your snake tongue."
Inside the potions lesson, they were surprised to see a different teacher in front of them.
"Professeur Snape ees ell," the woman told them with a heavy French accent. "I ahm 'ere to take ee's place unteel ee is better. My name ees Professeur Darkholme."
Of course, Malfoy was enraged at this. No longer did he have to opportunity to suck up to Snape to get him to dock points from Gryffindor.
On the other hand, Harry, Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors were ecstatic about this, and they soon had a more enjoyable lesson.
"Now class –" Professor Darkholme began.
CRASH!
The small window of the dungeon seemed to explode and a figure was hurled through it. It landed with a thump on the floor in front of Ron's desk.
While everyone else was looking at the figure, Harry's eyes were glued to the window that was now devoid of glass.
He saw a face, one that would have been handsome but for the huge black scar running horizontally across the centre of the face. It was about 3 inches tall and ran the whole length of the man's face.
He had long, unruly black hair much like Harry's godfather, Sirius, had had. Before he died.
The man's eyes were completely white. It was clear he was blind.
He seemed to know that Harry was watching him, because he smiled, then was gone.
Harry wasn't sure, but he might have seen the end of a broomstick.
He returned his attention to the figure lying among the shattered glass in the centre of the room.
It was a girl, or what looked like a girl. She was very pale, and her hair and eyes were a dull grey.
She was bleeding badly from the glass, and at first Harry thought she was lying on the large metal bars from the broken window, but then, with a shock, saw that she had two metal wings protruding from her back.
They were growing out of her shoulder blades.
The girl had nothing on, except for a dirty white cloth wrapped around herself badly. Harry averted his eyes in case any of it slipped away.
She was clearly unconscious. "Good Lord, vat are ve going to do?!" trilled Professor Darkholme in her high-pitched, falsetto accent.
Most people were too dumbstruck to talk, but Hermione volunteered Harry and herself to carry the girl to the Hospital Wing.
"Yes, dear, you do zat. You shall 'ave 20 points to Gryffindor." Professor Darkholme pronounced Gryffindor like 'Greef-een-door'.
Harry picked her up with Hermione's help, and they made it out of the door while behind them, Professor Darkholme cleared her throat and began, "Now, eegnoring zat strange deesruption, ve shall continue."
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Keep going folks. Keep going.