Chapter IV: The Loathsome Threats

            "Hey, Harry," Hermione said as she approached.

            He turned around and smiled. "Just who I was looking for. An owl just flew off and dropped this letter addressed to you."

            Hermione squinted her eyes, causing a crease to run in between them. "For me? I wonder who it could be from."

            "Open it! Go on," Harry said as he pushed the letter into her hands.

            Her soft, light skinned fingers pricked the ends of the paper. As they did, sparkling gold fluttered upward and surrounded her body, spiraling and twisting all around. A low, unfamiliar voice echoed out.

            "Mudblood!"

            The word repeated and grew louder each time. Suddenly, the golden flakes flickered into red and brown. They expanded in size and fell thick into Hermione's hair and face. It looked as if it was thick blood.

            Harry quickly grabbed the floating letter and threw it to the ground. When he did, the red chunks disappeared, leaving a crying Hermione covered in brown blotches. Her teary eyes glanced over to Harry and then, to the enchanted letter.

            Without saying a word, although her face told more than any words could, Hermione raced out of the Great Hall. Following her was Harry both concerned for his best friend's well being and for the demon that sent that letter in the first place. Finally, Harry reached the girls' lavatory where he entered without thinking. Luckily, no one else was in there at the time.

            The weeping from Hermione was easily heard. Quietly, Harry tiptoed in front of each stall until the moans became very clear. At the third stall, Harry knocked on the door and shouted,

            "Hermione?"

            A weak voice responded. "Go away!"

            "No, not until I help you out."

            "How? Was that some sick joke of yours?"

            Harry scrunched his nose at the thought of it. "Of course not. You know I would never hurt you. Please, let me do, well, anything."

            The door swung open, and Hermione stood there covered in thick patches smeared by her tears. "There's not much you can do except…"

            "What?"

            "Well, bring that letter to Professor McGonagall for me. I'm sure she can find out who sent it."

            Harry nodded. "Sure. I'll do that right now. Are you sure you don't need any help washing that stuff off?"

            "No. I'll be fine. Please leave."

            Without saying any more, Harry left Hermione all alone, all confused and all in tears. He hurried back to the Great Hall, and fortunately, he found the parchment on the ground where he had thrown it. Gently, he rolled it up and ran his aching legs toward the Professor's office. When he arrived, he tapped on the door and peered his head inside. McGonagall looked up slowly and smiled.

            "What can I do for you, Harry?"

            As he approached, he unrolled the letter and extended it toward the Professor's hands.

            "Hermione just received it."

            "But, it's just a blank piece of paper."

            Harry's mouth opened wide. "No, it spoke before! And it sent this sparkling stuff all around Hermione!"

            "Calm down, young man! Now, what did it say?"

            "It said 'Mudblood' over and over. Then, the sparkles turned into this muddy stuff and I think blood itself. Hermione's in the bathroom now trying to clean up."

            Professor McGonagall looked closely at the paper as she listened to Harry. She then sighed to herself. "I can't do anything with this. Whatever spell was used has finished. But whatever Ms. Granger was covered in… Perhaps that could help."

            "By now she may have washed it all off," Harry said.

            "Then, we better hurry!"

            Professor McGonagall leapt out of her seat and rushed out of her office with Harry by her side. They ran down the hallway as fast as they could until they reached the bathroom that Hermione was in only a few minutes ago. However, Harry heard no crying whatsoever.

            As they entered, Hermione was not at the sinks. Nor was she in any of the stalls. Harry darted his head all around but found no trace of her. Suddenly, McGonagall yelled, "Look!" and pointed at a sink full of brown sloth.

            "That must be the stuff," Harry said, and as he was about to touch it, Professor McGonagall pushed him aside.

            "Don't contaminate it, dear. Let me collect it." And with that, she took out her wand and shouted, "Conferrius!"

All the small and large dots started to reform and gather mutually. After they fused together, a lump of what looked like an uncooked liver sat in the middle of the sink.

McGonagall then shouted, "Caperate!"

A glass jar appeared, and the substance slithered inside of it. She then picked up the bottle and turned to Harry.

"I will have to look into this myself. Now, Harry, please go find Ms. Granger. She may be questioned soon about this."

And so Harry nodded and left the girls' bathroom once again. He headed to the Gryffindor Tower in hopes of finding Hermione. For the first day of school, this was simply awful. And actually, Harry felt incredible guilty, because he was happy that someone else was suffering for once and not him.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted as he approached the Gryffindor Tower. However, he didn't see her anywhere. He turned to the lady painting guarding the common room and asked, "Have you seen Hermione?"

"Her my oni? I do not understand."

"It's a person!"

"No, I have not seen anyone; I just watch several students every second and simply do not see them."

"Seriously."

"I am," she said and chuckled in return.

Harry rolled his eyes and shouted back the password, "Maddy Muffy." After the doors opened and he entered the room, he didn't spot any one. Everything was in its place with the exception of a burnt out fire and an empty bucket of water…

            "Welcome, new faces an' old!" a hoarse voice shouted across the Quidditch Field. "Today is yeh're first class of the new Magical Creatures' Course. Some of yeh I know really well," Hagrid said as he stared at Harry and Ron. "And some of yeh I don'." He paused, glaring over at a Hufflepuff girl. "I assigned the book called Killinger's Autobiography: A Tale of Beasts. Yeh all have it?"

            Several people nodded and turned their heads back at Hagrid's large torso. In return, Hagrid smiled and said, "Good."

            Slowly, he reached down to an invisible cage and seemed to be fiddling with it. Suddenly, after yanking at it, he pulled off an invisibility cloak and revealed a yellow-furred creature. Its four legs barely supported its thick belly that was a crimson color. Two beady black eyes stared at the crowd of students as it bobbed its head chaotically.

            "That is called a, Hermione!"

            Ron arched his eyebrow. "That thing is called a Hermione?"

            "Nah, nah," Hagrid said as he motioned his eyes toward a frizzy hair girl that approached the group.

            "I'm sorry, Hagrid. I'll explain in a bit." Hermione asked as she found her place next to Harry and Ron.

            "Very well then. As I was sayin'… That there is a Jenklecat."

            "I've heard of those before," said Ron in an unhappy tone.

            "They're kind creatures," Hagrid reassured. "Just don't feed it any meat."

            "Why not?"

            Hagrid coughed and quickly responded, "Oh, they tend ter grow a taste for it and other kinds… Any other questions?"

            Harry raised his hand.

            "Yes?"

            "What does it do exactly?"

            "Good quest'on. This fellow is used ter fetch items buried in the ground. They have a keen sense of smell."

            A few nods scattered across the crowd of students. As Hagrid reached down to open the cage, the Hufflepuff girl squeaked,

            "Won't it attack us?"

            Hagrid shook his head. "Nah. He's harmless."

            Just as he was about to unlock the cage, Professor McGonagall rushed onto the field. As she ran, her hat tipped over to the side, and she had to constantly rearrange it. She then approached Hagrid with a wry face.

            "I'm afraid I must borrow two of your students," she said and turned head toward Hermione and Harry.

            "Oh, right now? Do yeh have to?"

            She nodded. "Yes. Mister Potter and Miss Granger, please come with me."

            When they both left the field, the sounds of kissing and oh's followed them. Both rolled their eyes at it and accompanied their Head Master to her office. When they arrived, she sat down her thick chair and waited for Harry and Hermione to settle down as well.

            "There has been another incident regarding the enchanted parchment."

            Hermione's eyes bulged out a bit at the news. "Who? When?"

            "Miss Laura Kane."

            "Who's that?" asked Harry.

            "She's a new Hufflepuff," Hermione pointed out.

            "Yes, Miss Kane, I'm afraid, has been encased in the material that only fell in pieces on you, Miss Granger. She is in the hospital wing right now."

            "What is that stuff? Who's sending it?"

            "We don't have the answers yet. Right now, Professor Snape is examining the material and will have an answer for us shortly. As to whom… It seems the parchment is sent with a certain time period. After so many seconds pass by, the enchantment frankly disappears."

            "What about the owl?" Harry asked.

            "What owl?"

            "There was an owl that delivered Hermione's letter. Maybe if we follow it, we can find out who sent it."

            "Good idea. I'll get someone on that right away. Now, I want you two to keep quiet about what is happening."

            "Why?" Hermione protested. "Other people of non-magical blood must be warned. Next time it could be much worse."

            "Hopefully, there will not be a next time," the professor said.

            "You don't know that for sure."

            "I agree," Harry said. "We should warn others."

            "You will do no such thing," McGonagall shouted. "We will not bring any media attention to these loathsome threats… Not now anyway. Return to your classes you two."

            Without saying another word, Harry and Hermione left McGonagall's office staring at each other with puzzled looks. In their first two days of school, at least two threats were sent that had been at least somewhat harmful. The next one could even result in death…