Regina: Well, here it is, the third chapter of Harry Potter and the Casket
of Souls. Before I say anything more, I would just like to say that what I
say about the ages of some of the older students at the school is because a
few of them are a bit unclear, like Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. It was
never really mentioned (in my memory) what year they were in, so I have
assumed what year they are in (the same year Fred, George and Angelina
Johnson were in). Also, the thing that happens at the end of this chapter
is based on a list of things that (from memory, this was a few years back)
JK Rowling mentioned would happen in future books. One of them was that
there would be a woman Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher - which was
Professor Umbridge - and I have continued with that idea (as I thought of
this idea before Order of the Phoenix came out, but I have, being the lazy
bum that I am, only just started to write it). I won't mention one of the
other things that JK Rowling mentioned, as it would sort of ruin it, but I
will explain it at the beginning of the next chapter.
And in case you were wondering, the spell Aubretia taught Harry, 'video', to see magic has roots much like a lot of the spells and stuff in Harry Potter has: it is based in Latin. 'Video' is Latin for 'I see', and I thought it would be an appropriate phrase for a seeing spell. I took Latin for a few years, and I am going to be picking it up at uni next year, when I begin studying to become an archaeologist. So I know a bit of Latin. Oh, and another useful fact, the Hogwarts' school motto, 'DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS' (all Latin was written in capitals. It was also written together, so it would kind of be like this, 'DRACODORMIENSNUNQUAMTITILLANDUS') means, 'never tickle a sleeping dragon'. A useful bit of advice, if you ask me.
And, as always, I own nothing.
Harry Potter
and the Casket of Souls
Chapter Three: Revelations and Realisations
"What did Professor Derild want?" asked Hermione, when Harry returned to the Common Room.
"She wanted me to help organise her stuff," Harry said after a moments pause. "She taught me a spell to see things like magic."
"Cool," said Ron.
"There's something else," Harry added quietly. He leaned closer to his friends, who also leant forward. "She told me why she got this job."
"Why?" whispered Hermione, as Ron looked around. Nobody was paying them any attention.
"She's in the Order." There was no need to say anything else.
"Really?" Harry nodded again.
"Hey, Harry, what's that you've got?" asked Ron, catching sight of the book Harry was holding.
Harry looked at it closely for the first time. "It's a book Professor Derild leant me." He read the title aloud. "'Hairy Snout, Human Heart'." Then he read the blurb. "'One wizards battle with lycanthropy.'"
"Lycanthropy? What's that?" asked Ron.
"Being a werewolf," Hermione replied. "She must know Professor Lupin, then."
Harry nodded. "And she knew Sirius."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Really? Of course. Dumbledore would not let just let anyone take over as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, especially now that Voldemort's back." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then began speaking again. "She said it herself, she's awfully young."
"She's in the Order,' Ron replied, repeating what Harry had said earlier. "So that must mean she's capable."
Hermione nodded. "And apart from Professor Lupin, she seems to be the only good Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had at this school."
Harry and Ron definitely agreed with this.
"There's just one problem with her."
"What, Hermione?"
"She seems to have a Fleur Delacour-like effect on the male students." She inclined her head at Seamus and Dean, who were distracted by the poster which had finally found a home on the wall of the Gryffindor Common Room (and, Seamus and Dean had been pleased to discover, she had been more than happy to actually sign it).
"Maybe she's part Veela," suggested Ron, a grin on his face.
All three of them laughed at that.
"How is Fleur?" Harry asked Ron, remembering that last year Ron's brother Bill had been giving her 'English lessons'.
Ron made a face. "It didn't work. Bill's moping around all the time now. Glad I'm not at home any more."
More laughter from Harry and Hermione.
Looking at the poster on the wall that had sparked the Fleur Delacour remark, Harry remembered something, something very important.
"Hang on. What are we going to do about Quidditch this year?"
"What do you mean?" asked Ron, distracted by the poster-Aubretia twirling her broomstick around.
"Well, Fred and George left school in the middle of the year," began Harry, referring to Ron's older twin bothers, who had played the positions of Beaters, "and now that Katie, Angelina, and Alicia have all left as well," he continued, referring to Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet, who had been the Chasers on the Gryffindor House team, "who have we got?" he asked, finishing.
"You and Ron," Hermione replied almost immediately.
"We're going to have to have tryouts, then," Harry said with a sigh.
"Hey, Harry," interrupted Ron. "Now that Angelina's gone, who's gonna be captain?" As well as being a Chaser, Angelina had been captain, taking over from Oliver Wood, the team's former Keeper and captain, and who now played for Puddlemere United, one of the thirteen teams in the English and Irish League. The Holyhead Harpies, the all-female team which Aubretia Derild had captained and had been Keeper for, was also in the League.
Hermione gave Harry a look, but said nothing.
"Me?" asked Harry, shocked. "Why?"
"It's you or me, Harry," replied Ron. "And it's not going to be me."
"Besides, Harry," explained Hermione. "You've been in the team since our first year; Ron just started last year."
"I suppose," Harry replied. He was not too thrilled at the idea.
"So," Ron asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "When are we having tryouts?"
*
"Did you hear that their having tryouts for the Gryffindor team?"
"Harry's going to be the captain."
"Slytherin's going to have no trouble beating them."
"Nice to know that everyone is supporting us," Ron muttered to Harry as they walked into the Great Hall after a day of lessons. The two of them spotted Hermione and were about to make their way over to her when they were stopped. By Professor Snape.
"Mr Potter. New captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Congratulations," he added with a chilly smile.
Harry forced a smile. "Thank you, Professor."
"Yes, congratulations, Harry," added a second, far more cheerful voice. Aubretia's head popped around from Snape's shoulder. "It could be a great first step for you. Today, captain of the Gryffindor team, tomorrow, who knows? You could be captain of England. You know," she added smiling, "I hear Oliver Wood's moving up in the Puddlemere United team. And I was the Ravenclaw captain, I'm sure you remember, Severus?" she asked Snape.
And here was where it got interesting. Instead of a cold and calculating remark with a cutting edge, all Snape said was, "Yes." Nothing attached to it. Ron and Harry looked at each other, confused. Aubretia had mentioned on her first day that she did not like Snape, and they had assumed that the comment would have filtered through the Slytherin ranks to Snape, much like the Boggart incident, where Neville had dressed a Boggart, assuming the form of Professor Snape, in his grandmother's clothes. This sort of remark against Professor Snape would have meant that he would have made it his goal to inflict as much damage against them as he possibly could. Aubretia being a teacher would not have stopped him: he had done something similar to Professor Lupin, who had been the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in their third year at Hogwarts. Yet Snape had done nothing in response to this, even though it appeared that she was favouring Gryffindor House (and, of course, Ravenclaw, as it had been her own House), and in particular Harry, Ron and Hermione.
But no, Snape had done nothing.
"Well, I hope things go well for you two," Aubretia added with a smile. "And if you need any help, you can always ask me. I need to keep at Quidditch, or else I'll be useless when I go back at the end of this school year."
"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Snape, seeming to regain his cold demeanour. "Mr Potter here has a tendency to use skills taught to him in. . . negative ways."
"Don't worry, Severus," Aubretia replied, still smiling. "Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to help Gryffindor, and any other team that requires training for new members. That includes Slytherin," she pointed out. "Now what was I even here for?" she asked aloud. "I got caught up in all of this Quidditch talk that I forgot completely what I wanted to talk to you about, Severus. Ah! Now I remember." Looking up at Snape, she said, "I wanted to do a few classes on defensive potioncraft, but I did not want to go ahead without first consulting Hogwarts' master potion crafter. So I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with this?" she asked, laying a hand on Snape's black robed arm.
Snape seemed, in Harry's opinion, very confused, as if he was unsure of what to say. Harry and Ron looked at each other, very confused.
"Come on, Severus," pleaded Aubretia, giving it another go. "I would really love your help. Will you?"
"If you wish," Snape said finally.
"Excellent! Why don't we go talk about it now?" Her hand still on Snape's arm, she led him away. "Goodbye, Harry and Ron. Be sure to tell me when tryouts are."
The second they had gone, Hermione came racing up. "What was that?" she asked.
"I don't know. What was that all about?"
"Yeah, Snape's not usually that weird."
Hermione laughed. "You two can be so blind sometimes!"
"What do you mean?" asked Ron. "You don't mean Snape likes - eeewwww!"
"Gross!" added Harry. "That's just disgusting. He's at least what - twenty years older than her?"
"Good thing she doesn't like him back," replied Hermione. Harry and Ron looked at her for an explanation. "She was just doing that little thing to get him to help her, and away from you."
"Oh. That's okay, then, I guess. But it's still disgusting."
"On the up side, she did say that she would help us with the tryouts," Harry said.
"I guess," said Ron. "But when are those again?"
"Worry about it after eating," Hermione said, pushing the two of them towards the Gryffindor table.
"I have no problem with that!"
And in case you were wondering, the spell Aubretia taught Harry, 'video', to see magic has roots much like a lot of the spells and stuff in Harry Potter has: it is based in Latin. 'Video' is Latin for 'I see', and I thought it would be an appropriate phrase for a seeing spell. I took Latin for a few years, and I am going to be picking it up at uni next year, when I begin studying to become an archaeologist. So I know a bit of Latin. Oh, and another useful fact, the Hogwarts' school motto, 'DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS' (all Latin was written in capitals. It was also written together, so it would kind of be like this, 'DRACODORMIENSNUNQUAMTITILLANDUS') means, 'never tickle a sleeping dragon'. A useful bit of advice, if you ask me.
And, as always, I own nothing.
Harry Potter
and the Casket of Souls
Chapter Three: Revelations and Realisations
"What did Professor Derild want?" asked Hermione, when Harry returned to the Common Room.
"She wanted me to help organise her stuff," Harry said after a moments pause. "She taught me a spell to see things like magic."
"Cool," said Ron.
"There's something else," Harry added quietly. He leaned closer to his friends, who also leant forward. "She told me why she got this job."
"Why?" whispered Hermione, as Ron looked around. Nobody was paying them any attention.
"She's in the Order." There was no need to say anything else.
"Really?" Harry nodded again.
"Hey, Harry, what's that you've got?" asked Ron, catching sight of the book Harry was holding.
Harry looked at it closely for the first time. "It's a book Professor Derild leant me." He read the title aloud. "'Hairy Snout, Human Heart'." Then he read the blurb. "'One wizards battle with lycanthropy.'"
"Lycanthropy? What's that?" asked Ron.
"Being a werewolf," Hermione replied. "She must know Professor Lupin, then."
Harry nodded. "And she knew Sirius."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Really? Of course. Dumbledore would not let just let anyone take over as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, especially now that Voldemort's back." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then began speaking again. "She said it herself, she's awfully young."
"She's in the Order,' Ron replied, repeating what Harry had said earlier. "So that must mean she's capable."
Hermione nodded. "And apart from Professor Lupin, she seems to be the only good Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had at this school."
Harry and Ron definitely agreed with this.
"There's just one problem with her."
"What, Hermione?"
"She seems to have a Fleur Delacour-like effect on the male students." She inclined her head at Seamus and Dean, who were distracted by the poster which had finally found a home on the wall of the Gryffindor Common Room (and, Seamus and Dean had been pleased to discover, she had been more than happy to actually sign it).
"Maybe she's part Veela," suggested Ron, a grin on his face.
All three of them laughed at that.
"How is Fleur?" Harry asked Ron, remembering that last year Ron's brother Bill had been giving her 'English lessons'.
Ron made a face. "It didn't work. Bill's moping around all the time now. Glad I'm not at home any more."
More laughter from Harry and Hermione.
Looking at the poster on the wall that had sparked the Fleur Delacour remark, Harry remembered something, something very important.
"Hang on. What are we going to do about Quidditch this year?"
"What do you mean?" asked Ron, distracted by the poster-Aubretia twirling her broomstick around.
"Well, Fred and George left school in the middle of the year," began Harry, referring to Ron's older twin bothers, who had played the positions of Beaters, "and now that Katie, Angelina, and Alicia have all left as well," he continued, referring to Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet, who had been the Chasers on the Gryffindor House team, "who have we got?" he asked, finishing.
"You and Ron," Hermione replied almost immediately.
"We're going to have to have tryouts, then," Harry said with a sigh.
"Hey, Harry," interrupted Ron. "Now that Angelina's gone, who's gonna be captain?" As well as being a Chaser, Angelina had been captain, taking over from Oliver Wood, the team's former Keeper and captain, and who now played for Puddlemere United, one of the thirteen teams in the English and Irish League. The Holyhead Harpies, the all-female team which Aubretia Derild had captained and had been Keeper for, was also in the League.
Hermione gave Harry a look, but said nothing.
"Me?" asked Harry, shocked. "Why?"
"It's you or me, Harry," replied Ron. "And it's not going to be me."
"Besides, Harry," explained Hermione. "You've been in the team since our first year; Ron just started last year."
"I suppose," Harry replied. He was not too thrilled at the idea.
"So," Ron asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "When are we having tryouts?"
*
"Did you hear that their having tryouts for the Gryffindor team?"
"Harry's going to be the captain."
"Slytherin's going to have no trouble beating them."
"Nice to know that everyone is supporting us," Ron muttered to Harry as they walked into the Great Hall after a day of lessons. The two of them spotted Hermione and were about to make their way over to her when they were stopped. By Professor Snape.
"Mr Potter. New captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Congratulations," he added with a chilly smile.
Harry forced a smile. "Thank you, Professor."
"Yes, congratulations, Harry," added a second, far more cheerful voice. Aubretia's head popped around from Snape's shoulder. "It could be a great first step for you. Today, captain of the Gryffindor team, tomorrow, who knows? You could be captain of England. You know," she added smiling, "I hear Oliver Wood's moving up in the Puddlemere United team. And I was the Ravenclaw captain, I'm sure you remember, Severus?" she asked Snape.
And here was where it got interesting. Instead of a cold and calculating remark with a cutting edge, all Snape said was, "Yes." Nothing attached to it. Ron and Harry looked at each other, confused. Aubretia had mentioned on her first day that she did not like Snape, and they had assumed that the comment would have filtered through the Slytherin ranks to Snape, much like the Boggart incident, where Neville had dressed a Boggart, assuming the form of Professor Snape, in his grandmother's clothes. This sort of remark against Professor Snape would have meant that he would have made it his goal to inflict as much damage against them as he possibly could. Aubretia being a teacher would not have stopped him: he had done something similar to Professor Lupin, who had been the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in their third year at Hogwarts. Yet Snape had done nothing in response to this, even though it appeared that she was favouring Gryffindor House (and, of course, Ravenclaw, as it had been her own House), and in particular Harry, Ron and Hermione.
But no, Snape had done nothing.
"Well, I hope things go well for you two," Aubretia added with a smile. "And if you need any help, you can always ask me. I need to keep at Quidditch, or else I'll be useless when I go back at the end of this school year."
"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Snape, seeming to regain his cold demeanour. "Mr Potter here has a tendency to use skills taught to him in. . . negative ways."
"Don't worry, Severus," Aubretia replied, still smiling. "Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to help Gryffindor, and any other team that requires training for new members. That includes Slytherin," she pointed out. "Now what was I even here for?" she asked aloud. "I got caught up in all of this Quidditch talk that I forgot completely what I wanted to talk to you about, Severus. Ah! Now I remember." Looking up at Snape, she said, "I wanted to do a few classes on defensive potioncraft, but I did not want to go ahead without first consulting Hogwarts' master potion crafter. So I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with this?" she asked, laying a hand on Snape's black robed arm.
Snape seemed, in Harry's opinion, very confused, as if he was unsure of what to say. Harry and Ron looked at each other, very confused.
"Come on, Severus," pleaded Aubretia, giving it another go. "I would really love your help. Will you?"
"If you wish," Snape said finally.
"Excellent! Why don't we go talk about it now?" Her hand still on Snape's arm, she led him away. "Goodbye, Harry and Ron. Be sure to tell me when tryouts are."
The second they had gone, Hermione came racing up. "What was that?" she asked.
"I don't know. What was that all about?"
"Yeah, Snape's not usually that weird."
Hermione laughed. "You two can be so blind sometimes!"
"What do you mean?" asked Ron. "You don't mean Snape likes - eeewwww!"
"Gross!" added Harry. "That's just disgusting. He's at least what - twenty years older than her?"
"Good thing she doesn't like him back," replied Hermione. Harry and Ron looked at her for an explanation. "She was just doing that little thing to get him to help her, and away from you."
"Oh. That's okay, then, I guess. But it's still disgusting."
"On the up side, she did say that she would help us with the tryouts," Harry said.
"I guess," said Ron. "But when are those again?"
"Worry about it after eating," Hermione said, pushing the two of them towards the Gryffindor table.
"I have no problem with that!"