Chapter 9: Another Visit

~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@

"Everyone has a talent. What is rare is the courage to nurture it in solitude and 
to follow the talent to the dark places where it leads." 

-Erica Jong


~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@~+@


On Monday morning, most students were grumbling as they received their schedules, but Harry was awake and chipper. He smiled at
a grumpy-looking Ron as he sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. 

"Hello, Ron!" he said cheerfully. Ron just glared at him. 

"I didn't get any sleep... Neville snored all night," Ron grumbled, taking his schedule from Hermione. She handed Harry's to
him as well. Harry smiled again.

"I slept just fine," he commented. And no weird dreams about that woman in nearly three days.... Harry's upbeat attitude
changed as he looked down at the sheet in front of him. "We have Potions tomorrow at EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING?? What are they
thinking?" He groaned, laying his forehead on the table.

"That'll teach you to be happy on a Monday morning," Ron growled.

"Eight o'clock isn't that bad," Hermione said soothingly. "We've had classes then before."

"But we're seventh years, Hermione! We should get late classes! Almost all of my classes are in the morning," Ron complained.

"Well, then you'll have the afternoons free to do homework," she replied logically. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Just what I needed. More time to do homework." Harry felt someone tap him on the shoulder and turned around.

"Good morning," Rachel said, yawning widely. "Guess I'm not quite awake yet..."

"None of us are," Harry said, glancing at Ron, who had nearly fallen asleep in his breakfast. 

"Don't forget, we have prefect duty tonight," Rachel said, checking her watch.

"What? Tonight?" Harry asked, confused. Hermione sent a cold glare in his direction. "I mean... yeah... I'd forgotten. I haven't
looked at the schedule in a couple of days..." Actually, I've never looked at the prefect duty schedule, he thought, gulping.
Good thing Rachel said something, or Hermione would've skinned me alive.

"Who's the new Defense teacher?" Ron asked curiously, craning his neck to see the teacher's table. Hermione made a sarcastic
sound.

"If you two actually paid attention sometimes, maybe you'd know," she said in a superior voice.

"Was he at the feast the first day?" Ron wondered aloud.

"No, and it's a she, for your information," Hermione told him, gathering her books and leaving the table. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Well, whoever it is, I hope they're good. I want to get a decent score on my N.E.W.T.s!"

********************

Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged through the dewy wet grass to the greenhouses. 

"Herbology," Harry sighed. "First class on Monday morning."

"At least it's at 10:00, we'll get to sleep in a little. Not like tomorrow," Ron grumbled, referring to Tuesday when they would
have Potions.

"Oh Ron, get over it already!" Hermione cried, throwing her hands in the air. "It's one class, and you only have to deal with
it for a few more months!" 

"Yeah," Ron said dreamily. "Then I'll be free... no more school..."

"Then we'll have to get jobs," Harry said, panic rising in his chest. "I can't believe this is our last year at Hogwart's..."

They entered the greenhouse and joined the rest of the class standing around a spikey-looking red plant. Professor Sprout looked
around at everyone.

"Welcome back class, this year we'll be studying some of the most dangerous plants known to humans. Most of them are also quite
useful, and you will recognize many of them from your Potions class, if you are in N.E.W.T. level Potions..."

"Great," Ron groaned under his breath. "Now we get to hear about Potions in other classes, too!"

Herbology went by suprisingly quickly, and Harry soon found himself completely done with his classes for the day. Instead of
working on his homework, as Hermione had suggested earlier, he took a short nap and unpacked some of his belongings that were
still inside his trunk. After he was done, he sat down comfortably on his bed.

"This is paradise," he murmured, sinking into the soft blankets. He heard a sharp rap on the door. "Come in," he said, slightly
annoyed. Ron burst in.

"Hey Harry!" Ron greeted him. "Want to play a game of chess before dinner? I'm so bored," he complained. Harry shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

********************
Prefect duty that night was uneventful, and Harry returned to the Gryffindor tower in the early evening hours. However, writing
his essay and practicing charms for tomorrow just didn't sound appealing.

Harry and Ron finally started on their homework at about 9 PM; they both received angry looks from Hermoine for this. 

"She's been in such a foul mood today, what's wrong with her?" Ron questioned, flipping open his textbook. 

"Dunno, mate. Think we should check her jewelry to make sure she's not under the Imperious curse again?" Harry joked. (A/N: If you
don't understand this, reread Chapter 37 from Web of Prophecies!) Ron just grumbled. "You're not in a very good mood today either, 
you know," Harry pointed out.

"I told you, Neville snored all night last night. I don't get my own private room like you," he retorted.

"Sorry," Harry whispered. Ron shook his head.

"Nah, don't be sorry, I'm just being a prat because I'm so tired. Let's get this over with," he said, pulling a quill out of his
backpack.

*****************

Harry settled into his comfortable bed and fell asleep almost immediately. I've been waiting all day for this, he thought,
feeling satisfied. Surprisingly, however, his dreamless nights had come to an end. He found himself again in the white room, 
accompanied by the dark-haired woman. She smiled at him serenely.

"Hello again, Harry. How are you doing?" she asked.

"I was fine until you decided to come back to visit again," he retorted. She shook her head. 

"So much anger... you'll have to get over that. Anger will not save you from the Dark Lord, you know."

"You're really not helping, just coming to me in my dreams all the time and telling me I have to defeat Voldemort! I already
know that!" he said, feeling helpless. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm trying to help, you just won't let me. And I've already told you who I am: Dulcinea Rosalind Garcia." Harry felt the anger
rising in his chest.

"You're trying to help? By telling me the same thing over and over? Well listen, it's not working! Why would you be able to
help, anyway?" Harry asked angrily, leaning against the cool white walls of the room. She smiled.

"Finally, you're asking the right questions."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry questioned, feeling like the conversation was going in circles. The woman smiled.

"Voldemort is not the first dark wizard, you know. There were many before him."

"Are you- were you- a dark wizard? Or, er, witch?" Harry asked, confused. She laughed.

"Oh, no, not by any means. But I lived in a time when dark magic was developing rapidly and a young wizard came to power and
chose to use that power for evil. "

"Who was he?" Harry asked, becoming interested in the conversation.

"I knew him as Geraldo Ramirez. The rest of the world knew him as Rey Ciro, but like Voldemort, many refused to speak his name,"
she said sadly. "His magic was more powerful than any wizard before him, and his abilities went to his head. He wanted complete
control of everyone and everything around him. He became obsessive."

"Then what happened?" Harry asked, completely fascinated. 

"That doesn't matter," Dulcinea answered harshly. "Buy Rey Ciro created many severe forms of dark magic, some of which still
exist to this day. Voldemort has discovered them, and you must stop him before he can use them. You are the chosen one, Harry
Potter. It is your duty." She began to fade away.

"What? I know I'm the chosen one, but how do I stop him? What kind of magic? When will this happen?" he asked rapidly, trying
to stand but feeling as though he could not.

"It will happen... sooner than you expect," she whispered, disappearing completely. Harry woke up suddenly, panting.

"What's going on?" he whispered. Suddenly, it all seemed to be more than just a dream.

*****************************

Aldan Bradley smiled widely at the nervous werewolf.

"Well, Mr. Lupin, we'll be getting back to you soon. I would expect within the next few days. Please stay in touch," he said,
handing him a business card. Remus smiled politely, but his heart sank. They'll never call, he told himself. They
know what I am.

Remus Lupin left the job interview and walked back to the dingy boardinghouse. He fell onto the lumpy mattress. I could use
a good nap, he thought.

****

The ringing phone jarred Remus from his restless sleep. Quickly, he jumped up and answered it.

"Hello?" he said, feeling odd to be talking into the muggle device. He wasn't even sure how it worked, but he had seen muggles
using them before, and figured he could do it too. He heard no noise. Maybe it's upside down, he thought, flipping it
over so that the speaker was by his mouth and the earpiece at his ear. "Hello?" he said again.

"Mr. Remus Lupin?" a female voice questioned.

"Yes?" he replied.

"This is Miss Newton, from Headmaster Bradley's office in the Universal Institute for Magic. You had an interview here earlier
today?"

"Oh, yes," Remus answered, feeling flustered. He took a few deep breaths to calm down.

"We'd like to tell you that you have been offered a position at our institution. If you're interested, we would like you to 
meet with Headmaster Bradley again in the next week to discuss payment and hours. Would you be interested? Mr. Lupin?" Remus' 
mouth hung open in shock. I got the job, he thought, amazed. 

"I got the job," he whispered out loud. The secretary laughed.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin, you did. You are interested then, I'll take it?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" he finally answered.

"Very good, I'll set up an appointment for you with Headmaster Bradley. Would 2:00 be okay for you?"

"Wonderful," he answered dreamily. "2:00 would be delightful."

**********************
Next Chapter