Chapter 3 – The New Addition
The travel to platform nine and three quarters, and the subsequent journey to Hogwarts thereafter proved surprisingly uneventful, much to Harry's delight. In addition to his most unsettling sleep, he now had the wards issue on his mind, and he felt that it had become harder and harder to push it from his mind. Harry still hadn't told anyone of the dream. He was originally determined to tell Dumbledore alone, but the amount of mental agitation it gave him, made him seriously consider telling someone else even if they didn't fully understand how real it was, or made some silly conclusion of their own.
Harry had found himself drifting in and out of an unusual daydream during the sorting ceremony as he attempted in vain to work out the meaning of the dream on his own, but with the eventful evening at hand, and Ron beating his fist impatiently for the feast, he found it far too difficult to concentrate, and opted instead, to focus his energy on the teacher's speeches for the remainder of the night. And at that moment, something interesting caught his eye. The Defense Against The Dark Arts position was suspiciously vacant. Harry felt a sudden jolt of elation in knowing that despite the fact that Dumbledore had not found a new teacher himself, the Ministry of Magic did not seem to have had a hand in appointing one of their own, which Harry thought was great in any case, especially considering the previous year's appointment had left a permanent mark on him, in more ways than one.
Time snailed by, and each of the teachers gave their own speech in turn, driving the large mass of students into some kind of collected stupor. It was only when the feast was announced that everyone was brought back into reality. Ron was swift to gouge his way into the first chicken drumstick he saw, and Harry was quick to follow, as he began to gulp down a large goblet of juice. Then suddenly, to everyone's horror, the food disappeared, plates and all. Ron was speechless, and Harry merely sat wide eyed still having a large mouthful of juice. Professor Dumbledore stood once again eyeing the crowd.
'I do apologize for distracting you from your meal momentarily,' Dumbledore chuckled, wearing a distinct smile on his face, 'But I feel it may be wise, now having grasped your attention, to announce our new teaching addition, filling in for Defense Against The Dark Arts.' Immediately everyone became immediately interested, none more so than Harry, who felt slight anxiety at the prospect having a DADA teacher. Perhaps he was in for another year of hell afterall. Dumbledore however, took all of this in his stride, and motioned a hand towards the door. 'I proudly give you… Professor Marius.' And in an instant the doors flew open, causing some scattered intake of breath. And the sight that greeted Harry, gave him such a shock, that he violently spat out the juice in his mouth to the protests of a few disgruntled peers.
There in the doorway stood someone Harry had least expected. A person, that had eerily haunted him in his dream. It was the unknown man he'd witnessed. Draped in a shroud of black cloak, the figure slowly walked towards Dumbledore, attracting the terrified stares of onlookers as he passed. Each footstep echoed around the silent hall to the tune of rusted metal. Clink… clink… clink. It drove deep into Harry's mind. So much so that he found himself unable to take his eyes off the man, who's hood prevented anyone seeing his face properly. Harry couldn't help but feel unusually tired. He fought hard to keep his mind fixed on the present, but he couldn't do it.
Time and space seemed to slow around him, the echoing clink of the stranger's footsteps became little more than a dull thud as the hushed voices of people around him dissipated into nothing. He found himself once more on Hogwarts land, this time on the outskirts, somehow looking out through what felt like someone else's eyes. It was dark this time, the faint glow of distant stars brightened the sky as he took in the scene presented to him.
It was a gruesome picture… There were bodies. Hundreds of them. They laid everywhere he looked. Teacher's, students and some fully fledged wizards that he hadn't met were strewn about the grounds… all of them dead. Many laid face down on the grass as though unconscious, others however, looked up at the unforgiving sky with awful open eyes, contorted into grisly positions and all sporting horrid gaping wounds. It hurt and terrified Harry at the same time to see it. So much death, it literally reeked on the blood stained grass.
He wanted to leave this place, this appalling nightmare. He didn't want to stare at the carnage any longer. And feeling worry, he shot a confused look at his hands. More blood was there too, they were covered in it, dripping as though they'd been plunged directly into the wounds of one of the corpses. Harry made to scream, to shout… anything! But he couldn't, his mouth opened, but no sound came out. It was then that his view unexpectedly swiveled about, and he beheld a sight that almost cut him in two. There before him stood the burning remains of Hogwarts. It's many proud spires that had stood for so long were now the hosts of towering flames that licked their way inside and out of the once great school of witchcraft and wizardry. His heart skipped a beat, as the horror sunk further in.
He couldn't take this anymore, and straight away he felt himself running backwards, still in shock from the scene. But he stopped most abruptly, as he ran unwittingly into something hard, knocking him to the ground. Still dazed and confused, he tried to get his bearings, but his eyes locked onto a pair of metal plated boots. And as he looked up to the owner, he saw a familiar black cloak and hooded head, billowing most unceremoniously in the wind.
Harry felt a fearful clench in his chest, as the mysterious figure bent to look down at him. The hood still shrouded the figure's face with darkness, but beneath the unknown, he saw two, red eyes that glowed with such intensity that it bore into him with unmerciful wrath.
"You have failed Potter, I told you this would come." He said to Harry in a cold, soulless voice. Harry tried to run but his legs wouldn't pull him up, and with demonic eagerness, the stranger stretched out his hand and attempted to take the boy who lived… for his own.
Harry awoke with a start, the sweat pouring off him in sheets, his scar stinging in a way the certainly wasn't usual. Quickly he surveyed his surroundings. Nothing seemed to have changed. People were still goggling the new professor inanimately, who had just taken up his seat at the teacher's table. No one seemed to have noticed Harry slip briefly out of reality, which he was thankful, he didn't believe that he could take the embarrassment of falling asleep in the great hall. But at least now he felt sure, this dream was no coincidence. He had to tell Dumbledore immediately… or… should he? There was definitely something about this new teacher that struck him as evil, but then again, Dumbledore hired him. Was he really evil at all, or was this all in his imagination? No, it couldn't be, this was real. Far too real, and there seemed a distinct connection between this dream he had, and the last. He immediately began thinking up times that he could see the headmaster in private, when Dumbledore spoke up.
'Professor Marius has kindly agreed to take up the defense position with us this new year. It is hoped that with his addition to the teaching faculty, you will all reserve him every courtesy that you would normally give any other member of staff, and in return you will benefit from his extensive knowledge regarding this very important subject. I trust you will accept him with open arms.'
There were scattered applause throughout the crowd as Dumbledore retook his seat, some amongst the students, looked more shaken now after Dumbledore's speech then they had been before. Other's however, like Ron, simply couldn't care less, and were only worried about whether their stomachs would survive much longer. To answer their uncertainties, the food suddenly reappeared, to many a happy face.
Once again, the eating continued, and it remained uninterrupted for four long hours, until everyone, even Ron, could not stand to eat anymore, and retired for bed. No one seemed, any the wiser about this new professor, and weren't worrying about him as much as Harry was. Though despite having had disturbing visions in his head, Harry wasn't all that sure what they meant, and again he began pondering the issue, even whilst everyone slept. He turned both dreams over in his head, again and again, practicing to himself as he lay, exactly what he was going to tell the headmaster when he saw him.
But so scanty his knowledge was, he wasn't even sure what to tell him. It grieved him so to have envisioned hundreds of dead people in his mind, he remembered clearly that he recognized many amongst the mauled masses. Once more the possibility of mental infiltration by Voldemort came to mind, but the more he contemplated it, the less it seemed possible. Sure, he was still out there, but Harry was still under the protection of that charm Dumbledore had cast. There was no way that Voldemort could attempt to break back into his mind without Dumbledore knowing. But the possibility was still unsettling. Nevertheless, it was still something that could not be ruled out. Voldemort was, afterall, a very apt tactician when it came to methods of stealth. And with this thought, Harry reluctantly drifted into an uneasy sleep, surprisingly though, without another of his horrible, (but very real) dreams.
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Well, there's chapter three. The plot thickens eh! Well, stay tuned because chapter 4 is well on its way, and there will be plenty of surprises to be had yet.
The travel to platform nine and three quarters, and the subsequent journey to Hogwarts thereafter proved surprisingly uneventful, much to Harry's delight. In addition to his most unsettling sleep, he now had the wards issue on his mind, and he felt that it had become harder and harder to push it from his mind. Harry still hadn't told anyone of the dream. He was originally determined to tell Dumbledore alone, but the amount of mental agitation it gave him, made him seriously consider telling someone else even if they didn't fully understand how real it was, or made some silly conclusion of their own.
Harry had found himself drifting in and out of an unusual daydream during the sorting ceremony as he attempted in vain to work out the meaning of the dream on his own, but with the eventful evening at hand, and Ron beating his fist impatiently for the feast, he found it far too difficult to concentrate, and opted instead, to focus his energy on the teacher's speeches for the remainder of the night. And at that moment, something interesting caught his eye. The Defense Against The Dark Arts position was suspiciously vacant. Harry felt a sudden jolt of elation in knowing that despite the fact that Dumbledore had not found a new teacher himself, the Ministry of Magic did not seem to have had a hand in appointing one of their own, which Harry thought was great in any case, especially considering the previous year's appointment had left a permanent mark on him, in more ways than one.
Time snailed by, and each of the teachers gave their own speech in turn, driving the large mass of students into some kind of collected stupor. It was only when the feast was announced that everyone was brought back into reality. Ron was swift to gouge his way into the first chicken drumstick he saw, and Harry was quick to follow, as he began to gulp down a large goblet of juice. Then suddenly, to everyone's horror, the food disappeared, plates and all. Ron was speechless, and Harry merely sat wide eyed still having a large mouthful of juice. Professor Dumbledore stood once again eyeing the crowd.
'I do apologize for distracting you from your meal momentarily,' Dumbledore chuckled, wearing a distinct smile on his face, 'But I feel it may be wise, now having grasped your attention, to announce our new teaching addition, filling in for Defense Against The Dark Arts.' Immediately everyone became immediately interested, none more so than Harry, who felt slight anxiety at the prospect having a DADA teacher. Perhaps he was in for another year of hell afterall. Dumbledore however, took all of this in his stride, and motioned a hand towards the door. 'I proudly give you… Professor Marius.' And in an instant the doors flew open, causing some scattered intake of breath. And the sight that greeted Harry, gave him such a shock, that he violently spat out the juice in his mouth to the protests of a few disgruntled peers.
There in the doorway stood someone Harry had least expected. A person, that had eerily haunted him in his dream. It was the unknown man he'd witnessed. Draped in a shroud of black cloak, the figure slowly walked towards Dumbledore, attracting the terrified stares of onlookers as he passed. Each footstep echoed around the silent hall to the tune of rusted metal. Clink… clink… clink. It drove deep into Harry's mind. So much so that he found himself unable to take his eyes off the man, who's hood prevented anyone seeing his face properly. Harry couldn't help but feel unusually tired. He fought hard to keep his mind fixed on the present, but he couldn't do it.
Time and space seemed to slow around him, the echoing clink of the stranger's footsteps became little more than a dull thud as the hushed voices of people around him dissipated into nothing. He found himself once more on Hogwarts land, this time on the outskirts, somehow looking out through what felt like someone else's eyes. It was dark this time, the faint glow of distant stars brightened the sky as he took in the scene presented to him.
It was a gruesome picture… There were bodies. Hundreds of them. They laid everywhere he looked. Teacher's, students and some fully fledged wizards that he hadn't met were strewn about the grounds… all of them dead. Many laid face down on the grass as though unconscious, others however, looked up at the unforgiving sky with awful open eyes, contorted into grisly positions and all sporting horrid gaping wounds. It hurt and terrified Harry at the same time to see it. So much death, it literally reeked on the blood stained grass.
He wanted to leave this place, this appalling nightmare. He didn't want to stare at the carnage any longer. And feeling worry, he shot a confused look at his hands. More blood was there too, they were covered in it, dripping as though they'd been plunged directly into the wounds of one of the corpses. Harry made to scream, to shout… anything! But he couldn't, his mouth opened, but no sound came out. It was then that his view unexpectedly swiveled about, and he beheld a sight that almost cut him in two. There before him stood the burning remains of Hogwarts. It's many proud spires that had stood for so long were now the hosts of towering flames that licked their way inside and out of the once great school of witchcraft and wizardry. His heart skipped a beat, as the horror sunk further in.
He couldn't take this anymore, and straight away he felt himself running backwards, still in shock from the scene. But he stopped most abruptly, as he ran unwittingly into something hard, knocking him to the ground. Still dazed and confused, he tried to get his bearings, but his eyes locked onto a pair of metal plated boots. And as he looked up to the owner, he saw a familiar black cloak and hooded head, billowing most unceremoniously in the wind.
Harry felt a fearful clench in his chest, as the mysterious figure bent to look down at him. The hood still shrouded the figure's face with darkness, but beneath the unknown, he saw two, red eyes that glowed with such intensity that it bore into him with unmerciful wrath.
"You have failed Potter, I told you this would come." He said to Harry in a cold, soulless voice. Harry tried to run but his legs wouldn't pull him up, and with demonic eagerness, the stranger stretched out his hand and attempted to take the boy who lived… for his own.
Harry awoke with a start, the sweat pouring off him in sheets, his scar stinging in a way the certainly wasn't usual. Quickly he surveyed his surroundings. Nothing seemed to have changed. People were still goggling the new professor inanimately, who had just taken up his seat at the teacher's table. No one seemed to have noticed Harry slip briefly out of reality, which he was thankful, he didn't believe that he could take the embarrassment of falling asleep in the great hall. But at least now he felt sure, this dream was no coincidence. He had to tell Dumbledore immediately… or… should he? There was definitely something about this new teacher that struck him as evil, but then again, Dumbledore hired him. Was he really evil at all, or was this all in his imagination? No, it couldn't be, this was real. Far too real, and there seemed a distinct connection between this dream he had, and the last. He immediately began thinking up times that he could see the headmaster in private, when Dumbledore spoke up.
'Professor Marius has kindly agreed to take up the defense position with us this new year. It is hoped that with his addition to the teaching faculty, you will all reserve him every courtesy that you would normally give any other member of staff, and in return you will benefit from his extensive knowledge regarding this very important subject. I trust you will accept him with open arms.'
There were scattered applause throughout the crowd as Dumbledore retook his seat, some amongst the students, looked more shaken now after Dumbledore's speech then they had been before. Other's however, like Ron, simply couldn't care less, and were only worried about whether their stomachs would survive much longer. To answer their uncertainties, the food suddenly reappeared, to many a happy face.
Once again, the eating continued, and it remained uninterrupted for four long hours, until everyone, even Ron, could not stand to eat anymore, and retired for bed. No one seemed, any the wiser about this new professor, and weren't worrying about him as much as Harry was. Though despite having had disturbing visions in his head, Harry wasn't all that sure what they meant, and again he began pondering the issue, even whilst everyone slept. He turned both dreams over in his head, again and again, practicing to himself as he lay, exactly what he was going to tell the headmaster when he saw him.
But so scanty his knowledge was, he wasn't even sure what to tell him. It grieved him so to have envisioned hundreds of dead people in his mind, he remembered clearly that he recognized many amongst the mauled masses. Once more the possibility of mental infiltration by Voldemort came to mind, but the more he contemplated it, the less it seemed possible. Sure, he was still out there, but Harry was still under the protection of that charm Dumbledore had cast. There was no way that Voldemort could attempt to break back into his mind without Dumbledore knowing. But the possibility was still unsettling. Nevertheless, it was still something that could not be ruled out. Voldemort was, afterall, a very apt tactician when it came to methods of stealth. And with this thought, Harry reluctantly drifted into an uneasy sleep, surprisingly though, without another of his horrible, (but very real) dreams.
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Well, there's chapter three. The plot thickens eh! Well, stay tuned because chapter 4 is well on its way, and there will be plenty of surprises to be had yet.