"Evans, Mark"
"GRYFFINDOR", the hat yelled after about three seconds of thought.
"Hey! I know this guy," said Harry. "He lives near my house."
"Yeah, and he's Evans' brother, she's looking shocked," said Ginny staring at Bryan openly.
"But I've never seen her before. Hello Mark, I bet you're glad to get away from Dudley," said Harry looking towards Mark who'd just come and sat beside Ginny.
"Hi Harry!" said Mark looking relieved. "Yeah, I'm pretty relieved. He beat me up real bad."
"Harry's cousin beat you up?" asked Hermione looking alarmed.
"Yeah, he's some kind of er... Junior Boxing Champion" said Harry.
"They have Boxing Championships in the Muggle world? BOXING? You mean, punching people? You never told me Harry," said Ron looking at Mark.
"Yeah, they do. What do I say, my cousin is a boxing champion and his aim's got a lot better?"
"What aim?" said Hermione sharply.
"Well, I was his punching bag until I was eleven."
"That's dumb," said Ginny and Ron together.
"Yeah"
"Hey, look Todd's getting sorted" said Ginny.
"Who's Todd?" asked Harry.
"Weasley, Todd"
"My cousin," said Ron. "Little midget"
"GRYFFINDOR" yelled the hat.
"Cool! Good one Todd," said Ginny smiling as a very relieved looking Todd came and grinned.
Harry was feeling terrible. The image of Sirius was repeatedly coming back to him. Then Dumbledore stood up and Harry looked up. Tonks was sitting at the staff table with short green hair!
"I would like you all to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Nymphadora Tonks," said Dumbledore, smiling. Tonks got up and bowed and suddenly her hair changed into electric blue. Some girls screamed. Dumbledore gave the Hall a faint grin and said, "Professor Tonks is a Metamorphmagus"
The whole Hall clapped very enthusiastically. Tonks smiled and sat down. Dumbledore was giving out the usual start of term notices, which had nothing new except that Polythene Poltergeists were now banned according to Filch.
Harry had had a very surprising summer. Aunt Petunia had tearfully confessed that she was a failed witch, she'd failed in all her OWLs and finally given up magic in disgust. She also said that she was jealous of Lily because she'd got nine OWLs and said that she never really hated her or Harry. Harry was now getting actually – a little motherly treatment. As for Harry's OWLs, he'd got two OWLs in Defence Against the Dark Arts, which were Os, an E in Transfiguration, an E in Charms and surprisingly, an E in Potions. He'd scraped through Astronomy with an A, failed Divination, got an E in Care of Magical Creatures and got a P in History of Magic. Aunt Petunia's confession and her happy reaction seeing Harry's OWLs had flabbergasted Uncle Vernon. So that was 7 OWLs, which was OK, compared to his mother's nine, he supposed but Hermione had got 12 of them. Ron had got four OWLs, A in Charms, A in Transfiguration, an E in Defence Against the Dark Arts and A in Care of Magical Creatures.
He'd stayed at 12, Grimmauld Place for a while with Remus. Remus had gently talked over Sirius' death with Harry, but said that he did not know what was behind the veil. He'd also told Harry that Lily had worked in the Department of Mysteries and he'd heard her mention something about a veil that was dangerous and could kill people so he'd pulled Harry back. Since then, they'd never talked about Sirius. He knew Remus was very sad, who wouldn't be if they were a werewolf, finally accepted by some people and lost all of them. He'd also met McGonagall at Headquarters and she'd told him that she'd got Snape to allow him in his NEWT classes. Harry thanked her, touched but inside, his stomach was turning. He'd have to bear Snape for two more years. At least he'd have Hermione for company. Ron had to go to exactly three classes, Care of Magical Creatures, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms.
Voldemort's return had finally been announced and the wizard community was now very scared. The killings had started, the Aurors were in full action and many more people had now joined the Order of the Phoenix. Harry had become something of a hero and was getting many letters every day, apologizing for not believing him and asking for more details.
On the whole he'd had a mixed summer. It would have been very good if Sirius had been alive.
"GRYFFINDOR", the hat yelled after about three seconds of thought.
"Hey! I know this guy," said Harry. "He lives near my house."
"Yeah, and he's Evans' brother, she's looking shocked," said Ginny staring at Bryan openly.
"But I've never seen her before. Hello Mark, I bet you're glad to get away from Dudley," said Harry looking towards Mark who'd just come and sat beside Ginny.
"Hi Harry!" said Mark looking relieved. "Yeah, I'm pretty relieved. He beat me up real bad."
"Harry's cousin beat you up?" asked Hermione looking alarmed.
"Yeah, he's some kind of er... Junior Boxing Champion" said Harry.
"They have Boxing Championships in the Muggle world? BOXING? You mean, punching people? You never told me Harry," said Ron looking at Mark.
"Yeah, they do. What do I say, my cousin is a boxing champion and his aim's got a lot better?"
"What aim?" said Hermione sharply.
"Well, I was his punching bag until I was eleven."
"That's dumb," said Ginny and Ron together.
"Yeah"
"Hey, look Todd's getting sorted" said Ginny.
"Who's Todd?" asked Harry.
"Weasley, Todd"
"My cousin," said Ron. "Little midget"
"GRYFFINDOR" yelled the hat.
"Cool! Good one Todd," said Ginny smiling as a very relieved looking Todd came and grinned.
Harry was feeling terrible. The image of Sirius was repeatedly coming back to him. Then Dumbledore stood up and Harry looked up. Tonks was sitting at the staff table with short green hair!
"I would like you all to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Nymphadora Tonks," said Dumbledore, smiling. Tonks got up and bowed and suddenly her hair changed into electric blue. Some girls screamed. Dumbledore gave the Hall a faint grin and said, "Professor Tonks is a Metamorphmagus"
The whole Hall clapped very enthusiastically. Tonks smiled and sat down. Dumbledore was giving out the usual start of term notices, which had nothing new except that Polythene Poltergeists were now banned according to Filch.
Harry had had a very surprising summer. Aunt Petunia had tearfully confessed that she was a failed witch, she'd failed in all her OWLs and finally given up magic in disgust. She also said that she was jealous of Lily because she'd got nine OWLs and said that she never really hated her or Harry. Harry was now getting actually – a little motherly treatment. As for Harry's OWLs, he'd got two OWLs in Defence Against the Dark Arts, which were Os, an E in Transfiguration, an E in Charms and surprisingly, an E in Potions. He'd scraped through Astronomy with an A, failed Divination, got an E in Care of Magical Creatures and got a P in History of Magic. Aunt Petunia's confession and her happy reaction seeing Harry's OWLs had flabbergasted Uncle Vernon. So that was 7 OWLs, which was OK, compared to his mother's nine, he supposed but Hermione had got 12 of them. Ron had got four OWLs, A in Charms, A in Transfiguration, an E in Defence Against the Dark Arts and A in Care of Magical Creatures.
He'd stayed at 12, Grimmauld Place for a while with Remus. Remus had gently talked over Sirius' death with Harry, but said that he did not know what was behind the veil. He'd also told Harry that Lily had worked in the Department of Mysteries and he'd heard her mention something about a veil that was dangerous and could kill people so he'd pulled Harry back. Since then, they'd never talked about Sirius. He knew Remus was very sad, who wouldn't be if they were a werewolf, finally accepted by some people and lost all of them. He'd also met McGonagall at Headquarters and she'd told him that she'd got Snape to allow him in his NEWT classes. Harry thanked her, touched but inside, his stomach was turning. He'd have to bear Snape for two more years. At least he'd have Hermione for company. Ron had to go to exactly three classes, Care of Magical Creatures, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms.
Voldemort's return had finally been announced and the wizard community was now very scared. The killings had started, the Aurors were in full action and many more people had now joined the Order of the Phoenix. Harry had become something of a hero and was getting many letters every day, apologizing for not believing him and asking for more details.
On the whole he'd had a mixed summer. It would have been very good if Sirius had been alive.