Okay, this chapter is a lot longer than the other one, and have a bit a lengthy a/n at the bottom. It explains a lot. This chapter is also known as 'The Chapter Samba Played Around with Fonts' lol, thanks to T.H.
Disclaimer: I own everything! Nah, I wish. ::hits lawyers:: I only take credit for the few characters, settings, and plots that I made up in my head.
Chapter Eight
The Jinn
"I beg you, my child! Throw away the lamp and the ring! I am terrified of them and could not bear to see those jinn again. It is unlawful for us to have any dealings with them. The Prophet himself, may Allah's blessings be upon him, warned us against the jinn. Throw away the lamp!"
~ Aladdin's mother, Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp,
A Thousand and One Arabian Nights
"I like being a teacher. It's unusual in djinns—we have a natural propensity to trick and mislead your kind."
~ The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
"Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike...... The fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long, and we are reaping our reward."
~ Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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There was no escaping her. Hermione found Cesare in the hallway right before their Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts class, and jogged to catch up with him, her brown hair flying behind her shoulders in chestnut waves. As the headed down the stone corridor, she gave him pointers. She was very serious about her new project.
"Now since beating Malfoy to a bloody pulp------," she started
"I didn't beat him to a bloody pulp. You're exaggerating," he interrupted, his dark face looking defensive.
Hermione gave him a dubious glance. "Okay. Since beating Malfoy to the point where you caused blood and slight damage without the pulp-- the other Gryffindors probably like you. So all you have to do is encourage that feeling. Smile. Talk. Joke."
He scowled, "I have INTERACTED to other human beings in my lifetime, thank you very much. I know how to act."
She smiled. "You better. Your potions tutor is counting on it."
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Harry and Ron ran down the fifth floor corridor towards the Defense against the Dark Arts room. "We're gonna be late!" Ron gasped. Harry nodded grimly, keeping a fast pace. Hopefully their new professor wouldn't be too upset. They started to sneak into the back of classroom, before noticing that Professor Almari wasn't even in the room. They took the desk right behind Hermione and Cesare.
Harry had been going to ask Ron what he thought Professor Almari would be like, but was completely distracted by the sight of Hermione and Cesare quietly whispering in front of them. Ron's mouth was hanging open.
"What.....what is she doing with him?" he asked frantically.
Harry could only shake his head. "I have no idea. Maybe he's threatening her?" Why else would Hermione be anywhere near Cesare. Why, he'd practically murdered someone a few hours earlier!
Ron looked very alarmed. "You think we should......."
Harry never got to hear what Ron thought because Professor Almari suddenly swept into the classroom. She came in a tinkle of jewelry, due to the many bangles she was wearing around her wrists and ankles. Harry's mind was suddenly focused up front on the Professor.
She was extremely beautiful, that's what one noticed first. She looked barely thirty, but for some reason Harry believed she was older. Her thick glossy black hair hung in waves, nearly to her waist. Her skin was a shimmering, flawless dark olive tone. She had very dark eyes and wore a lot of jewelry. She was dressed in baggy white and gold harem pants with a beaded top of the same color. Over that she wore a silk crimson robe. A sheer gold scarf hung over her shoulders and she wore sparkly gold sandals. Harry had never seen a Professor dressed that way, as a matter of fact, he'd never anyone dressed that way.
Her lips curved into a mysterious smile. "Good afternoon, class. I am Professor Mehrunnisa bint Jan Almari." Her eyes twinkled. "I realize that is a bit difficult, so you may simply call me Professor Almari. I will be your new Defense against the Dark Arts professor."
She waved her hand and her name appeared on the blackboard, in graceful script. "You may put your books away. You will mostly likely need them only for homework. I prefer to lecture and have your eyes up here, rather than stuck in a book you can read on you own time."
Her gaze drifted over to the small table Seamus and Dean were sharing. "Gentlemen? Not during class. Please put that away."
Dean looked shocked and shamefully slid his Quidditch magazine away in his school bag He'd been hiding it behind his desk. Ron's eyes widened and whispered under his breath to Harry. "How'd she see that? You think she has a—"
"Of course not, don't be foolish, Mr. Weasley," Professor Almari said pleasantly. Ron's jaw dropped open again. There was no way she could have heard him and even if she somehow did, he hadn't even finished his sentence.
"Now, my students, you have all been placed in this class because you have shown not only interest, but skill in the subject Defense against the Dark Arts. I regret to say that due to our current situation, this class may be one of the most important you ever take in your life."
She held her bejeweled hands behind her back and slowly paced in front of the classroom. "It is now an accepted fact that the Dark Lord is back. Yet to properly defend yourselves against the Dark Arts, you have to understand them first. This will be the subject matter for this class.
First off: Who practices the Dark Arts? The wizards and witches behind this type of magic. What sort of people are drawn to it? What kind of beliefs unite them? Our course will concentrate on this for the first couple of weeks."
She lectured for the rest of class, something Harry would have normally found extremely dull. But he found that her lecture kept him completely captivated and noticed as he looked around the classroom all the others students had looks of similar interests on their faces. Professor Almari spoke very passionately and seemed very knowledgeable about Dark wizards and what turned them to the Dark magic. By the end of lesson, it felt like time had literally flown by.
"Class, please write an essay on the rise of Grindelwald and his followers. Not longer than a roll of parchment, if you mind. You are dismissed."
Harry put his notes and quill back in his bag. Ron started to eagerly whisper something as they turned to leave, but was interrupted by Professor Almari's cultured voice.
"Mr. Potter? Excuse me, could I speak to you for a moment?" Harry felt his face fall. Surely he hadn't done anything wrong already? Ron looked at him, unsure if he should stay.
"Just a moment, I promise, Mr. Weasley," she said, her dark eyes twinkling. Ron took that as his cue to leave and Harry walked to Professor Almari's desk.
"Take a seat," she offered and with a wave of her hand, a small poof chair popped up besides him. He sat down and looked up at her unexpectedly.
"Harry, I'm not sure if you have heard this yet, but Professor Dumbledore wishes for you to continue learning Occlumency. I understand Professor Snape was teaching you last year, but he didn't prove very successful."
Harry's face tightened. Well, yeah, Snape throwing me out of his office did inhibit my learning, he thought sarcastically. And not learning Occlumency had had horrible consequences. He felt a small lump in his throat. "Er, yeah. There were some problems."
"Well, Professor Snape and I have very different teaching methods," she continued and Harry could swear she almost sneered when she said his name. Okay, he liked her already. Anyone who disliked Snape was more than okay in his mind.
"Dumbledore has asked me to teach you Occlumency. I'm a very skilled Occlumens and although it may at first prove harder to defend yourself against me than Professor Snape, my methods are much closer to the way the Dark Lord would attack your mind."
Harry was very curious about that. He wondered where she had learned that particular skill. But she seemed confidant enough that she could teach him well. He desperately wanted to learn Occlumency. The thought of what Voldemort could do if he broke into Harry's mind again terrified him. He didn't want to be responsible for more deaths.
"Okay, when do we start?" he asked.
She smiled, obviously pleased at his eagerness. "Actually, tonight would work out well. Can you be in my office, say, at seven?"
Wow, she was even asking him what time would be good for him. Snape simply ordered him to come at whatever time was convenient for the Potions master and inconvenient for him. Maybe this was a good sign. "Sounds good," he replied.
"Then I'll see you tonight. It was nice meeting you, Harry," she said and shook his hand, jangling all her bangles again.
Harry had time for a hasty explanation to Ron and quick bite to eat before he dashed off to Professor Almari's office right after dinner. He raised his hand to knock on the door and with a small smile noticed it had been replaced from last year, when the Weasley's brooms had made their mad escape to freedom with the twins from this same room.
"Come in," a voice said from inside. Harry stepped over the threshold and immediately noticed the office door wasn't the only thing that had changed. Gone were the awful Technicolor kittens, fake flowers, and tacky lacy doilies. In their place were vibrant silks and hanging embroidered tapestries in every color of the rainbow. The walls were covered in huge bright paintings and warm-colored fabrics. Thick, woven rugs and cushions covered the dark wood floor. A large old bookshelf and cabinet covered a good part of the wall, filled with book and all sorts of interesting objects that glittered down at him.
"Good evening, Harry." Professor Almari stood to greet him and then ushered him to take a seat in cozy bright turquoise armchair opposite her desk. She was silent for a minute and Harry could have sworn she looked slightly nervous.
"Harry, before we begin I believe there are some things you deserve to know before beginning Occlumency lessons with me. That's why I invited you here tonight right after dinner. What I have to tell you may take some time. Professor Dumbledore agreed that it was wise for me to talk with you. He has a lot a faith in you and believes you will keep this information to yourself. It is immensely important that you do so."
"Of course." Harry immediately agreed, very much interested in what she had to say. She was definitely anxious, he thought. The Defense against the Dark Arts teacher was drumming her long fingernails against the heavy desk in a repetitive manner.
"As you already know, Harry, I will have to break into your mind to teach you to defend yourself. This is a brash intrusion into your privacy, and I believe you have every right to know who exactly is doing the breaking in." She suddenly stood and paced behind the desk. She strode up to the bookshelf and pulled a heavy volume from one of the heavy shelves.
"Harry, have you ever heard of the jinn?" she asked, staring at him intently. He tried not to stare to blankly at her, hoping he didn't appear stupid. He obviously couldn't fool her because she continued. "Or you may know them by the anglicized name of the genie."
"Genies?" asked Harry, bewildered at the reference. "Like from......what's it called?" he asked himself out loud. The stories his second year grade school teacher used to tell his class when he was younger. A name suddenly sprang to mind. "Oh! Like in The Arabian Nights!" he said triumphantly.
An amused smile lit across her elegant face. "Yes, that is where most people know them from. Yet the jinn are not mere myths or legends. They are a real race of magical beings, not very unlike wizards."
"Wait, so you mean.......if you rub a magical lamp, a jinn will really come out of it and grant you three wishes?" He laughed. After all Harry had seen and experienced in the magical world, nothing should surprise him anymore.
She sat down again. "Oh, Malik's beard, no!* Well, not really," she corrected herself. "There are certain types of ancient magic which could be applied, but thankfully they have long been lost to wizarding kind."
Harry was confused. "Why is that such a bad thing? Couldn't wishes do some good?"
Her face darkened. "It means a life of slavery for the jinn. Forced to do anything and everything their master desires," she said distastefully.
"Oh, er....sorry," said Harry, feeling like a jerk. "So why don't we learn about them in school?" he asked. He'd never heard the jinn mentioned ever before.
She sighed deeply. "I'm sure you are aware of the long-standing bias and prejudices that many humans carry for different magical peoples. There is an entire study of magical beings: centaurs, merpeople, abatwa, goblins, trolls, jinn, vampires, barbagazi, hags, elves, werewolves........ the list goes on and on. This subject is avoided in virtually all wizarding schools. The International Confederation of Magical Education refuses to allow curriculum for such a class."
"But why?!" he burst out. "That's ridiculous! How can they just ignore all those other beings when we know nothing about them?"
Professor Almari looked grim. "Harry, why is Muggle Studies often scoffed at? For similar reasons of prejudice. Wizards and witches are unfortunately notorious for hating Muggles and believing they are superior to other magical being. It is simply a sad fact of history. Which brings me back to what I have to tell you, which I beg you not to reveal."
Harry nodded, still feeling resentful. He remembered the Fountain of Magical Brethren and what Dumbledore had told him about it. It was true. As much as he loved the wizarding world, it's people were far from perfect or right in their beliefs. "I understand. I won't say anything."
She studied him carefully. "I am considered a jinn. My mother was one. We number very, very few. It is considered nearly a death sentence for a person to be publicly known as a jinn. My mother was killed by a mob in front of my eyes when I was thirteen. My muggle father had told our village what she was."
Harry's bright emerald eyes widened in horror. "That's awful, I'm so sorry," he stammered out. What were you supposed to say about something like that?
She waved her hand. "Don't worry, it was nearly fifty years ago and I have recovered."
'Wait, what?' Harry thought to himself. That didn't add up. Nearly fifty years ago? Professor Almari wouldn't have even been born yet. His brows knit in confusion. "But Professor, how could that have been—,"
"Nearly half a century ago?" she finished his question, seemingly already reading his mind. There was a twinkle in her eyes. "How old do you think I am?" she asked, deftly hiding a smile.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He'd heard women were very sensitive about this sort of thing. But his teacher didn't even look thirty.
"Twenty-eight?" he guessed.
She laughed out loud, but Harry didn't understand what was so funny. "I'm almost sixty-two, Harry," she said, with tears of laughter coming to her sparkling dark eyes.
"WHAT? That's impossible!" he declared.
"The blessing and the curse of the jinn, Mr. Potter. My own mother was six hundred and twenty-seven when she died, but didn't look a day over forty. Of course, she was a full-blooded jinn, and I'm merely a half. I'll not live nearly that long."
He looked at her with amazement in his eyes. "Wow. What else can the jinn do?" he asked eagerly.
"Well, we are extremely gifted in Divination, not unlike centaurs. Yet we do not read the stars, we hear their messages," said she, tapping her head with a manicured finger. "And we are naturals when it comes to Legilimency and Occlumency. That's why many humans don't trust us. They always think we are trying to trick them," she said slowly. "While the jinn, may not be very skilled at spells, we cannot go much beyond simple wand magic, our natural magic is immensely powerful. With a wave of our hands, we weld unimaginable riches and power." To demonstrate, she swept her hand quickly over the desk. Gold coins sprinkled from under her palm. She snapped her fingers and they disappeared in a small poof of smoke. "Now perhaps you can imagine why many people seek to either control or destroy my people."
Harry nodded and pushed his glasses up his nose. "So you're going to use jinn magic to teach me Occlumency," he asked anxiously.
She nodded. "But there is something else I must tell you before we begin." She looked more nervous than ever, her dark eyes staring determinately at the desk's smooth, polished surface. Finally she tore her gaze away and fixed Harry with the same look. It was slightly eerie. He wondered if she could tell what he was thinking.
"Harry, I was a......... a Death Eater. I turned spy soon after the Dark Lord's return and am now a member of the Order of the Phoenix."
He was floored. This was the last thing he expected from the beautiful, quixotic teacher sitting across from him. A Death Eater? Then with a sudden realization, his jaw dropped open. The spy! The woman with the black hair from Grimmauld Place who had reminded him of Bellatrix Lestrange. A thousand emotions tore through him. A spy. Like Snape he wondered?
"I remember you!" he blurted out. "From this summer. I saw you come in."
She looked slightly relieved that he hadn't gotten upset or run from the room screaming. "Yes. Yes, that was the night of my extraction. The Dark Lord learned the truth about me from........from another one of his followers," she said hesitantly, with a tone of pain in her smooth voice. She quickly masked it by asking, "How is Remus Lupin doing? The Order rushed me out of there before I could thank him for saving my life."
"He's good," said Harry quickly, not wanting to think about the werewolf or remember the screaming match they had gotten into in August. Well, to be fair to Lupin, it hadn't been much of a match. Mostly one-sided screaming by Harry. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. "He saved your life?"
She smiled. "Yes, he came for me when he shouldn't have. I was followed by a group of Death Eaters and they separated me from the Order while we were fleeing. The Order could not risk the lives of the group just to get me. It is strictly against the rules. Yet Lupin refused to leave and came back for me. He is a very good, very brave man."
Harry felt uncomfortable. Guilt was starting to creep in at the edges of his mind. He studied a beautiful dazzling tapestry above Almari's head. Its glorious woven colors depicted a dusty camel caravan against glittering sand dunes. He was unable to meet her eyes. "Yes, yes he is."
Almari seemed to know exactly what was going through his mind. "Even adults make mistakes, Harry. They say things or do things they don't mean. Look at me. I have made truly horrible decisions in my life. I let my grief over my mother's death and my anger at the few Muggles and Muggle-borns who killed her take control of my mind, and I joined the Dark Lord's Death Eaters as a result. Grief can prove very dangerous."
He wished this conversation would end. It was unnerving enough to be in a room with a psychic jinn ex-Death Eater. Did she really have to lecture him about grief as well? Professor Almari was staring intently at him. Her dark eyes bored into his. He felt like she was penetrating his very soul. He noticed her eyes looked a little strange. Almost like they were reflecting firelight. But there were no candles lit, nor was a fire crackling merrily away in the fireplace. Her eyes seemed very black as well. Weird. Suddenly a memory from his first year popped into his mind. Flying a broom for the first time. Odd, why had he suddenly thought of that. And why was Almari still studying him like he was the most fascinating creature she'd ever met. "Why don't we get started," he muttered.
She broke her gaze away and looked amused. "We already have. The flying memory."
Harry was dumb-founded. "What?! How—you didn't even have to say Legilimens or anything."
"I know. A bit more challenging than with Professor Snape. Yet this will be better. The Dark Lord is unlikely to warn you before attacking your mind," she said darkly, her amusement fading away.
And he thought this would be better than Snape's lessons? This was going to be like trying to win a fistfight, blindfolded. "But how am I supposed to defend myself if I don't even know I'm being attacked?" He didn't understand how this was going to work.
"You will learn, Harry. You have been able to defend yourself before, you can do it again. This will simply take hard work and practice." Her voice was very gentle and he still found it hard to believe the kind woman speaking to him was a Death Eater. She couldn't have been any more different than Snape.
"Now let's try again. You have to almost build walls within yourself. Think your thoughts as if they were being spoken aloud in a large, public place. You would choose your words very carefully and speak softly if you did not want to be overheard. Review things rather than think on instinct. It will sharpen your mental defenses." She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "Now let's try again."
Review my thoughts. I'm speaking out loud, he repeated to himself. He tried to imagine writing down his thoughts and selecting which ones he would say. A crazy image of him tapping his forehead with his wand and putting his thoughts in the homework notebook Hermione gave him struck him. But then that memory turned itself into the place where he received that notebook. Grimmauld Place. An image of Sirius at Christmas was quickly replaced by one of his godfather's look of shock as he tumbled through the veil........
A searing pain cut through him like a knife and then was suddenly gone. His head had hit the desk. Professor Almari was watching him with a look of deep concern. But her voice was calm as she spoke to him. "Harry, I know this will hurt. But you can do it. I know you can and you know you can. Now, try again."
The memory of Sirius started to come back. No, no, Harry thought furiously. Decide what you will say, decide what you will think. He slowly forced the memory back into the recesses of his mind.
"Good! Good, you're doing it. Keep it up!" Almari urged him on.
A voice suddenly broke through. 'Bitty, baby Potter, did you love him?' Bellatrix cackled and rage surged through Harry. 'No! I WILL NOT LET YOU TORMENT ME!' He repealed Bellatrix's voice so hard that he felt like he had actually hit Professor Almari.
"You're a traitor! You betrayed me! You betrayed us all! I hate you and I will never leave with you!" a teenaged girl's furious voice screamed at him. He caught a glimpse of a pretty girl with long black hair. She was yelling in a strange language Harry had never heard before, but somehow he understood her words.
This vision was torn from his mind as his chair was suddenly thrown over. He found himself on his back, eyes blinking at the ceiling above. 'Ouch, touchy memory, anyone?' he thought, while scrambling to free himself from the over-turned armchair. He rolled out from the chair and onto a rug, dis-shelving his already messy black hair.
Professor Almari was at his side in a second. "Oh, Harry. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how hard I hit you with that memory." Her normally dark face had gone pale and he noticed that her hands were shaking. She grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.
"I think we will call it quits for today, no?" she asked, going for a light tone, but missing it with her trembling voice. Her black brows were knit together with anxiety. Harry nodded, but his curiosity was already piqued. Why had that particular memory upset his teacher so much?
She walked him to the door. "I think you underestimated yourself, Harry. You have a very strong mind. Give yourself a little time and you will be a very skilled Occlumemnse." She opened the door for him. "Can we do this again on—" she abruptly stopped speaking, staring at something directly outside the office door.
Harry stepped under the door frame. The something turned out to be a someone. Snape was brooding in the hallway, a strange look on his sallow face. He looked even more displeased to see Harry standing there.
"Evening, Severus," said Professor Almari stiffly. Harry glanced up. Almari was wearing a funny, closed off expression on her face and fixing Snape with a rather unfriendly stare. It was unusual for teachers to greet one another like that.
He sneered at Harry. "So you ARE teaching Potter Occlumency. I wish you luck penetrating that boy's thick skull. He made almost no progress last year after several months."
"That greatly surprises me. Harry has just the mind for Occlumency. He's already made some advances after one lesson. Strange. Well perhaps........maybe he simply needed a different teacher. Not better, no........of COURSE not. Just....... different," she said silkily, her meaning quite clear. "Now can I help you with something or were you just admiring my door?"
'Nicely played, Almari,' Harry thought, trying to keep from smiling at Snape's flustered visage.
Snape looked slightly taken aback, but quickly masked his feeling. "I believe we have some matters to discuss, Mehrunnisa," he said smoothly.
"Really? I wasn't aware of that," she shot back.
Snape kept his calm. "Oh, I assure you. We do." He looked at Harry as if he were some sort of unpleasant smell. "That means YOU can leave, Potter," he said nastily.
Professor Almari cut in before Harry could even manage a retort. "If you don't MIND, Professor Snape, I will dismiss MY students," she said icily. The hostility in the air between the two former Death Eaters was so thick it could have used a Severing Charm. They were glaring at each other with looks of similar loathing. He felt very uncomfortable, seeing as the two looked ready to hex the other and he was standing in between them.
Luckily, Professor Almari had not forgotten him. She turned to Harry and in a kinder voice, bid him good night. "I will see you Thursday night," she added. "Good work."
As Harry headed down the hall, he heard Snape mutter, "After you." Almari's cold voice followed. "If this is really necessary........"
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Harry hurried back towards the common room. The sun had long set and it was nearly nine o'clock. The corridors were deserted and the tap of his shoes echoed off the castle walls. His mind was racing with all that he had learned and encountered. That had been two very intense hours. He was bursting to tell Hermione and Ron about what happened. Who could have imagined? Professor Almari? A Death Eater?
He burst into the warm common room, which was surprisingly pretty empty. He saw Ron cackling in the corner as he mercilessly destroyed a fourth year in wizarding chess. Harry's green eyes almost bugged out when he saw Hermione and Cesare at a low coffee table near the fireplace, sitting on the floor with their heads bent in concentration over scattered pieces of parchment and opened books. Again? Why were Hermione and Cesare so buddy-buddy all of a sudden?
He walked over to Ron. The red head looked up and smiled. "Oh, hey mate. Budge up, you. I've beat you six times already," he said to the fourth year, who looked greatly affronted, but left the seat. Harry quickly took it, with a raised brow at Ron.
"Y'know, not to go all Hermione on you, but should a prefect really be ordering other younger, IMPRESSIONABLE students to move?" he teased.
Ron laughed. "Yes. That's the best part of being an authority figure. So how was Occlumency with Professor Almari?"
"Very, very interesting. You won't believe what I have to tell you two. But I want to fill Hermione in at the same time. What is she doing over there with Cesare anyway?" He scowled.
Ron's face darkened. "I wish I knew. She's been hanging out with him all day. Correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't he the same person who ignored everyone for the past week, except to freak out at you for trying to help him and then the murder attempt on Malfoy. Not that smashing his face against the floor was such a horrible thing to do......"
Harry snorted. True, he had relished seeing Malfoy get what he deserved. But he found it more curious what Draco had been saying to Cesare to set him off like that. Something about Gryffindors, mudbloods, and betrayal. Odd.
He watched Cesare and Hermione stand up, arguing quietly. Cesare looked exasperated and was waving a hand in the air to demonstrate something. Hermione was patiently shaking her head. Suddenly they both glanced over to where Ron and Harry were sitting.
Both boys quickly looked away. "As soon as we can get her away from me, I'm making her tell me what's going on," Ron declared.
"Scuse me," an accented voice politely asked. Ron jumped when he saw Cesare standing right behind him.
"Do you PRACTICE sneaking up on people or something?" he demanded.
Ignoring Ron, Cesare approached Harry. Harry noticed the other student looked uncertain.
"Harry, I wish to apologize for my words last night. I believe I might have been a little too.....harsh. I was simply a bit stressed." His tone was apprehensive; wondering what Harry would say.
Harry was very surprised at the polite apology. Although he had more than a trace of suspicion that Hermione had somehow forced the new student to do this, he still appreciated the effort. "Yeah, I think I would have been a little freaked out too. Don't worry about it."
Although Ron was staring at Harry like he'd lost all the bones in his arm again, Harry thought he saw a trace of relief in Cesare's eyes. Then the Egyptian excused himself and with a pointed look at Hermione, went upstairs.
There was a small smile playing on Hermione's lips. Ron and Harry quickly joined her near the fire. There was an accusatory gleam in Ron's eyes that had nothing to do with the firelight. "Okay, Hermione. Explain. Now."
She feigned innocent. "What are you talking about?"
"You and the Malfoy Maimer? Why is he your new best friend all of the sudden?"
Hermione laughed and sunk back into the crimson armchair. "I really shouldn't tell you, but it's very funny." With that, she told them about her encounter with Cesare in the library and the deal they had struck; leaving out some of the more embarrassing points that would have made her blush again.
Ron was horrified. "But why—why would you do that to yourself?! Now you have to spend more time with him!"
Harry had to confess he didn't understand her deal as well.
Hermione was irritated. "What? You can't understand me wanting to help another student. I feel bad for him. He doesn't have any friends. Besides, he is really quite nice once he warms up to you. You'd like him, Harry. You two have a lot in common."
He didn't get to reply before Ron cut in again. In a scathing voice he demanded, "It's the accent, isn't it? Krum had an accent too."
Hermione threw up her hands. "Oh for Merlin's sake, Ron! I am simply trying to be nice! What don't you understand about that?!"
Harry jumped in before the two hexed each other. "Stop! Just leave it alone. Besides I need to tell you something that I found out during my Occlumency.........."
"About Professor Almari?" Hermione cut in. "She's a jinn, isn't she?"
Harry's mouth dropped open. He couldn't help gaping at her. Was HERMIONE studying Legilimency? He stammered, hardly able to make a coherent sentence. "How....how.....do you---"
She smiled smugly, her hypothesis proving correct. "It's quite simple. Her last name. bint Jan Almari. I thought it sounded vaguely familiar so I checked a book about Eastern magical beings I had. 'bint Jan' translates to 'daughter of Jan.'"
Harry looked blankly at her. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
She sighed in exasperation. "Yes! Honestly, don't you two ever READ anything?! Jan is the last prince of the Jinn. His followers were forcibly dispersed or killed during the Ottoman Empire, when the jinn were starting to be hunted down. Professor Binns told us this fourth year in History of Magic. Besides, even the other part of her last name, Almari, is a clue. It means 'from fire.' It's a common surname among the jinn."
"And you REMEMBER all that? Hermione.......that's......that's just not normal." Ron looked flabbergasted. "So what are these jinn things anyway?"
Harry kept silent, letting Hermione explain. He continued to be amazed by her wealth of knowledge. He felt a small twinge of guilt. He had promised Professor Almari he would keep her secret safe, but Hermione had already stolen the words from his mouth. Besides, he knew she and Ron wouldn't say anything.
Hermione was explaining to a baffled Ron about the jinn. "They're beings made from fire. Supposedly they are nearly immortal. There's ancient magic that can be used to kill them, but only a skilled wizard would be able to do so. Wizards have been enslaving them in lamp and bottles and all sorts of things for ages. That's why there's hardly any left, and the ones who are still around keep to themselves."
"But—but why would anyone want to enslave them?" Ron asked, looking wide-eyed.
"Because they're immensely powerful. A jinn can give its master riches and desires that even a powerful wizard would not be able to procure for themselves. And once they become enslaved, they have no choice, but to do what they're ordered."
"That's awful........." Ron looked sick.
Hermione quickly took advantage of this opportunity. "It's not much different than what WE do to house-elves. You still think S.P.E.W. is such a bad idea?" she snapped.
"Yeah, well house elves like---" Ron started to shoot back at her.
"NO! Not again, for the love of Merlin," Harry said quickly. Could they EVER stop fighting? It was becoming ridiculous. "I need to tell you something else about her." He quickly filled them in on the rest of his lesson, including the strange encounter he'd witnessed between the two former spies.
Ron's eyes were now wide as saucers as he took in all that Harry told them. "Wow," he whispered. "She was Death Eater? Doesn't seem like it." He whistled slowly through his teeth.
Hermione was similarly shocked. "So she was the spy they talked about this summer. Interesting. I wonder why she doesn't get along with Snape. You'd figure they would have a lot in common. But I can understand why she told you not to tell anyone about her being a jinn."
"Yeah, from what she told me, I get the feeling that they're pretty unpopular. She said it's practically a death sentence to be publicly known as one."
"That's horrible that we're not allowed to study other magical beings. I can't believe none of the Ministries will let us. That's so ignorant."
Ron looked thoughtful. "I dunno. I mean, would you really want to have a whole class dedicated to learning about house-elves."
Hermione flew into a rage at the mention of house elves again. "Ron! I can't believe you said that! Do you have ANY feelings for others?"
"Not for former Death Eaters, I don't!" Ron yelled and then quickly glanced around the common room, realizing how loud he'd said that. But luckily for him, the Gryffindor common room was empty except for the trio in front of the glittering fireplace.
"If Dumbledore trusts her........" Hermione started.
"Yeah, well, Dumbledore trusts Snape too, doesn't he? And we've always suspected that slimy git of being less than honest!" Hermione and Ron had both risen to their feet and their faces were very close, screaming at each other.
"You're always like this! You never trust anyone! You were immediately suspicious of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang! You scoffed when the Sorting Hat said all the houses had to band together. What is your—!"
"ENOUGH!" Harry stepped in between them, his emerald eyes blazing. He glared at his two best friends. He couldn't STAND this constant bickering. What was WRONG with the two of them? They couldn't even have a conversation. "Look, Ron. I trust Professor Almari so far. She didn't have to tell me about her past, but she did. Let's leave it at that for now. It's not like I'm suddenly going to let my guard down around her." 'No, she'll only be breaking into your mind,' he thought. Then a truly horrible thought occurred to him. It hit him like a Bludger in the stomach.
The prophecy. If he knew about the prophecy and Voldemort could still break into his mind......... There stood a very good chance Voldemort could learn about the prophecy.
'Neither can live while the other survives.......' Professor Trelawney's dull monotone echoed through his head. Dear Merlin! If Voldemort knew the rest of the prophecy, he'd try to kill Harry even sooner. He'd do anything to kill Harry before he came after him.
Harry's worried eyes quickly flickered to his friends' faces. Voldemort and his Death Eaters knew about them now. They had fought with them last June. Harry felt like he was going to be sick. Voldemort had successfully used the ruse of torturing Sirius to get Harry to the Department of Ministries. He knew how to play him well. Would he target his friends next? He could not stand the thought of being the reason more people he loved were killed.
"Harry? Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione's worried voice cut through his terrifying fears. He then realized he was unconsciously rubbing his scar and had gone very pale.
"Hey, mate. Are you okay?" Ron asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. The argument between Hermione and Ron had disappeared at the sign of Harry's distress.
He stared into the concerned faces of his two best friends. The two people he cared about most in the world. How could he tell them? That he was destined to be murdered or murderer? That if Voldemort ever found this out, the danger would increase tenfold. That their very lives were in danger simply because he loved them.
He couldn't. He didn't want to see the looks of mingled horror in fear in their faces. To hear the terror in Hermione's quaking voice when she offered to do anything to help him defeat Voldemort. He didn't want to hear Ron grim demand to stand by his side in the battle.
"Nothing," he forced out. "Just got a little dizzy. Probably from Occlumency. I think I'm going to go lie down."
Hermione and Ron watched his retreating figure head up the stairs with looks of disbelief written across their features.
"You get the feeling he's not telling us something?" asked Ron.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Yes, he is definitely keeping something from us."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That rotten Harry, keeping things from his friends....... ::crowd of Harry lovers appear, staring menacingly at corridore::
Wait, wait it was a joke! I love Harry! Really!
-_~ Author's Note ~_- another long one, sorry!
Thanks for reading my story! You guys make my day!
Please, please review! I only have six reviews, and as much as I love writing this story, I also have two jobs right now. My updates will be very rare if I don't get some more reviews. Please!
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Jinn: Time to add some Arabian spice into the Harry Potter world! Lol, I'm a huge fan of the Arabian Nights and I wanted to use some mythology from the rest of the world. I prefer to use the other spelling, djinn, but I figured jinn was a little easier for the English speaking crowd. And that crowd is my entire audience, lol. Whom I love by the way! So please don't yell at me for forgetting the "d." Another thing, I used common mythology about the jinn, not the Koran's interpretation. Lol, I figured I'd keep this secular. So I'm not trying to convert or distort or do anything with religions here. I love everybody equally!
If you would like to know anything else about the jinn or the other creatures I listed, check out . This is a really interesting site of common mythological creatures. It's a GREAT tool for you authors out there or for anyone else just interested in seeing what J.K.Rowling based some of here creatures off of. They have boggarts, hippogryphs, fire salamanders, red caps, dragons, all that good stuff. It's very entertaining to read.
Malik's beard: Malik Katshan is the legendary king of all the jinn. So I figured it would be an interesting play on the much beloved Merlin's beard.Huge thanks to those who reviewed! You have no idea how much I appreciate this.
Carina: My beta and friend, you're the best
HogwartsHottie
T.H.: T.H.W. now, no? lol, yeah this new naming thing is weird. Thanks so much for your review and encouragement!
