A/N: Hey all! What's up? Just updating again. I tell you...the day I have
writer's block will probably be the same day that hell freezes over...just
kidding! Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and here is Chapter
two! Read and review, please!
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Chapter Two
"Dumbledore should be here any moment now. Yes, any moment..." Mr. Weasley was saying this as if he was trying to convince himself. He paced back and forth at the entrance to the Three Broomsticks.
Ron sighed. "Dad, we still have to go get our school supplies. Can't we just meet you back here in an hour or two?"
Mr. Weasley nearly fell over. "You can't go wandering off by yourselves!" he yelled. "Your mother would kill me, Ronald Weasley! And besides, we told Dumbledore we'd meet him here, and we are going to wait until he gets here..." Mr. Weasley sighed with relief as he saw Mrs. Weasley slowly coming up the sidewalk with Dumbledore.
"I wonder what took them so long?" whispered Luna to Harry.
Harry shook his head. "I wish I knew. Maybe they'll tell us?" he suggested.
"We ran into Cornelius Fudge at the Leaky Cauldron." Mrs. Weasley groaned. "That man!" She made a violent gesture with her hands. Mr. Weasley flinched.
Harry waved. "Hello, Dumbledore."
"We need to get you inside. Hagrid has taken the liberty of getting your supplies. Inside! Quickly!"
When all of them had huddled into the dining room area, Tom, the inn- keeper, locked the doors behind them.
"Okay, Dumbledore, what are the full details? I think everyone here has a right to know what's going on...especially the children," Mr. Weasley whispered.
Dumbledore blinked. "All right. You all know that various Order members have been keeping watch on suspected and known Death Eaters?" He waited for everyone to nod. When they did, he continued. "Well, I'd also been having them keep an eye on your homes. Considering what you had all seen...what you had done...I was afraid that you would be targeted by Voldemort. Less than a week after you were sent home from Hogwarts, Alastor reported seeing a known Death Eater around Hermione's house. Three days later, Tonks reported the same thing about Harry's house. And of course, I got Molly's owl just a day before I requested to have everyone gathered at the Burrow..."
Harry's face was expressionless. There had been Death Eaters hanging around his house, and he hadn't even noticed. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Everyone else seemed to be feeling the same way. It was Neville who looked the most terrified. No doubt he was thinking about his parents, and what the Death Eaters had done to them...
Dumbledore cleared his throat in an unnecessarily loud manner, and continued. "I had thought about having all of you put under the same charm that I put Harry and his family under when he was a baby...but the last time I tried this, it failed, and I am not willing to take that risk. I would rather have the children where I know I can get to them if I need to...where I know they will be protected and among friends. As for what I plan to do until school starts...we will all be staying here in Diagon Alley. There is so much hustle and bustle on this street that it would be impossible for a Death Eater to go unnoticed, and there is no chance of being attacked with so many magical people around..."
At this, Molly and Arthur Weasley nodded. Across the table from them, Luna did not look in the least bit surprised about what she was hearing from Dumbledore. Next to her, Hermione's mouth was closed, and her face was pale and stern. Ron looked as if he was about to pass out, and Ginny was picking at a stray string on one of her robes. Neville still had that same, terrified look on his face that Harry had noticed earlier.
The week before school started passed quickly while they were in Diagon Alley. Since they didn't have to worry about buying school supplies, they spent their days buying trinkets from the joke shop, or exploring Quality Quiddich Supplies. The days leading up to September first came and went. Soon, they found themselves sitting together again on the Hogwarts Express.
"I, for one, can't wait to get back to school," Harry admitted. "Sounds kind of odd, doesn't it...but it's true. And Lupin is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again this year, so now I just have more of a reason to be excited."
Luna tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "Honestly, Harry! I don't think I've ever heard someone be so excited about going to school...well, except Hermione...but we all know about Hermione."
Hermione laughed. "I can't help that I have such a thirst for knowledge!" she defended herself.
"That makes one of us." Ron smiled. "But then again, Umbridge is gone, and with Snape away, it should make for an interesting year, shouldn't it?" he laughed.
"That's the spirit!" Hermione clapped, patting Ron on the back.
Neville coughed. "Well, there is one small wrinkle. A whole band of V- V-Voldemort's Death Eaters want to jinx us into oblivion...."
"Yeah, but I'm not about to let that ruin my fun." Ginny said under her breath.
Neville stared at her in wonder.
The train soon screeched to a halt, and the students filed off as they did every year. The difference this year was the presence of Kingsley Shakebolt and Alastor Moody at the main entrance, and of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks at the teacher's table in the Great Hall. Most of the students were very confused, but Harry and his friends knew what was going on, and welcomed the change at the school.
"Okay class, today, we will be discussing several of the Unforgivable curses." Lupin announced. "I understand you may have seen some of this before, but this is more in-depth, and extremely important, so listen up." He turned specifically to Harry and his friends seated in the front of the room.
"The first curse is the Adavara Kadavara. There is no known way to deflect this curse, so it is very important that you disarm the wizard before they are able to finish. Adavara Kadavara is the most dangerous...the deadliest of the Unforgivables. It is one of Voldemort's personal favorites."
Hermione nodded. Neville was taking notes. Harry didn't need to know this. His parents had been killed with that curse. And how many times had someone tried to use it on him? He shook his head, and continued to listen to Lupin speak.
"Look at the frog." Lupin instructed, and everyone stared. "Crucio!" he yelled.
The class gasped. Lupin sighed. "This curse, as I know from personal experience, is rather painful. Imagine someone throwing thousands of knives at you...and never missing their mark..." More gasps from the class, and Lupin continued. "It is possible to survive the curse. I did. Harry did..." Lupin paused. "But the trauma of the experience has been known to drive some wizards mad. A simple defense spell such as Stupefy or Locomotor mortis should give you the time you need to get away..."
That night, Ginny could be found playing wizard's chess with Neville. Hermione was sitting in a large, red velvet chair near the fireplace reading up on defense spells, and Ron was busily writing down every word she said. Harry was sitting on the floor between Hermione's chair and where Ron was sitting cross-legged on the couch. He was playing with his DA coin, trying to decide on what day to set the first meeting. Luna, meanwhile, was stuck inside her own common room, waiting for news from the others. At least, that's what the others thought.
Luna had actually been inside Dumbledore's office. She was heading back to her common room when the staircases began to change again. Luna shrugged, and followed the staircases. Eventually, she would reach the other side, and finally be able to get to her floor.
A scream echoed through the third floor. Lupin heard the noise from his office, and burst through the door that led to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He found Luna, bleeding badly and lying near the grand staircase.
Professor Lupin picked Luna up, and ran all the way to the infirmary.
"Poppy!" he screamed. "Hurry!"
Madam Pomfrey came running into the room. "Oh, no! What happened, Remus? Is this Luna Lovegood?"
"Yes. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I heard her scream, and when I came out of my classroom, she was lying near the grand staircase. It looks as if it may have been..." Remus Lupin frowned. He remembered how it had felt to be hit with an Unforgivable curse.
"Lay her down, Professor. She's still alive. I shouldn't have too many problems fixing her up...but she may be in here for a while. I suggest you warn the others. I wonder who could've done this to her?"
Lupin knew, but he could not tell her. He ran first to Dumbledore's office, and then straight to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were alarmed when someone began to pound on the entrance to the common room. Harry and Ron, wands raised, approached the portrait hole, and flung it open.
"Professor Lupin?" Harry's mouth dropped open. "What's wrong? What is it?"
The Professor was out of breath. "Harry...it's Luna. She was attacked. We have reason to believe that a Death Eater could be inside the school..." he panted.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Chapter Two
"Dumbledore should be here any moment now. Yes, any moment..." Mr. Weasley was saying this as if he was trying to convince himself. He paced back and forth at the entrance to the Three Broomsticks.
Ron sighed. "Dad, we still have to go get our school supplies. Can't we just meet you back here in an hour or two?"
Mr. Weasley nearly fell over. "You can't go wandering off by yourselves!" he yelled. "Your mother would kill me, Ronald Weasley! And besides, we told Dumbledore we'd meet him here, and we are going to wait until he gets here..." Mr. Weasley sighed with relief as he saw Mrs. Weasley slowly coming up the sidewalk with Dumbledore.
"I wonder what took them so long?" whispered Luna to Harry.
Harry shook his head. "I wish I knew. Maybe they'll tell us?" he suggested.
"We ran into Cornelius Fudge at the Leaky Cauldron." Mrs. Weasley groaned. "That man!" She made a violent gesture with her hands. Mr. Weasley flinched.
Harry waved. "Hello, Dumbledore."
"We need to get you inside. Hagrid has taken the liberty of getting your supplies. Inside! Quickly!"
When all of them had huddled into the dining room area, Tom, the inn- keeper, locked the doors behind them.
"Okay, Dumbledore, what are the full details? I think everyone here has a right to know what's going on...especially the children," Mr. Weasley whispered.
Dumbledore blinked. "All right. You all know that various Order members have been keeping watch on suspected and known Death Eaters?" He waited for everyone to nod. When they did, he continued. "Well, I'd also been having them keep an eye on your homes. Considering what you had all seen...what you had done...I was afraid that you would be targeted by Voldemort. Less than a week after you were sent home from Hogwarts, Alastor reported seeing a known Death Eater around Hermione's house. Three days later, Tonks reported the same thing about Harry's house. And of course, I got Molly's owl just a day before I requested to have everyone gathered at the Burrow..."
Harry's face was expressionless. There had been Death Eaters hanging around his house, and he hadn't even noticed. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Everyone else seemed to be feeling the same way. It was Neville who looked the most terrified. No doubt he was thinking about his parents, and what the Death Eaters had done to them...
Dumbledore cleared his throat in an unnecessarily loud manner, and continued. "I had thought about having all of you put under the same charm that I put Harry and his family under when he was a baby...but the last time I tried this, it failed, and I am not willing to take that risk. I would rather have the children where I know I can get to them if I need to...where I know they will be protected and among friends. As for what I plan to do until school starts...we will all be staying here in Diagon Alley. There is so much hustle and bustle on this street that it would be impossible for a Death Eater to go unnoticed, and there is no chance of being attacked with so many magical people around..."
At this, Molly and Arthur Weasley nodded. Across the table from them, Luna did not look in the least bit surprised about what she was hearing from Dumbledore. Next to her, Hermione's mouth was closed, and her face was pale and stern. Ron looked as if he was about to pass out, and Ginny was picking at a stray string on one of her robes. Neville still had that same, terrified look on his face that Harry had noticed earlier.
The week before school started passed quickly while they were in Diagon Alley. Since they didn't have to worry about buying school supplies, they spent their days buying trinkets from the joke shop, or exploring Quality Quiddich Supplies. The days leading up to September first came and went. Soon, they found themselves sitting together again on the Hogwarts Express.
"I, for one, can't wait to get back to school," Harry admitted. "Sounds kind of odd, doesn't it...but it's true. And Lupin is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again this year, so now I just have more of a reason to be excited."
Luna tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "Honestly, Harry! I don't think I've ever heard someone be so excited about going to school...well, except Hermione...but we all know about Hermione."
Hermione laughed. "I can't help that I have such a thirst for knowledge!" she defended herself.
"That makes one of us." Ron smiled. "But then again, Umbridge is gone, and with Snape away, it should make for an interesting year, shouldn't it?" he laughed.
"That's the spirit!" Hermione clapped, patting Ron on the back.
Neville coughed. "Well, there is one small wrinkle. A whole band of V- V-Voldemort's Death Eaters want to jinx us into oblivion...."
"Yeah, but I'm not about to let that ruin my fun." Ginny said under her breath.
Neville stared at her in wonder.
The train soon screeched to a halt, and the students filed off as they did every year. The difference this year was the presence of Kingsley Shakebolt and Alastor Moody at the main entrance, and of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks at the teacher's table in the Great Hall. Most of the students were very confused, but Harry and his friends knew what was going on, and welcomed the change at the school.
"Okay class, today, we will be discussing several of the Unforgivable curses." Lupin announced. "I understand you may have seen some of this before, but this is more in-depth, and extremely important, so listen up." He turned specifically to Harry and his friends seated in the front of the room.
"The first curse is the Adavara Kadavara. There is no known way to deflect this curse, so it is very important that you disarm the wizard before they are able to finish. Adavara Kadavara is the most dangerous...the deadliest of the Unforgivables. It is one of Voldemort's personal favorites."
Hermione nodded. Neville was taking notes. Harry didn't need to know this. His parents had been killed with that curse. And how many times had someone tried to use it on him? He shook his head, and continued to listen to Lupin speak.
"Look at the frog." Lupin instructed, and everyone stared. "Crucio!" he yelled.
The class gasped. Lupin sighed. "This curse, as I know from personal experience, is rather painful. Imagine someone throwing thousands of knives at you...and never missing their mark..." More gasps from the class, and Lupin continued. "It is possible to survive the curse. I did. Harry did..." Lupin paused. "But the trauma of the experience has been known to drive some wizards mad. A simple defense spell such as Stupefy or Locomotor mortis should give you the time you need to get away..."
That night, Ginny could be found playing wizard's chess with Neville. Hermione was sitting in a large, red velvet chair near the fireplace reading up on defense spells, and Ron was busily writing down every word she said. Harry was sitting on the floor between Hermione's chair and where Ron was sitting cross-legged on the couch. He was playing with his DA coin, trying to decide on what day to set the first meeting. Luna, meanwhile, was stuck inside her own common room, waiting for news from the others. At least, that's what the others thought.
Luna had actually been inside Dumbledore's office. She was heading back to her common room when the staircases began to change again. Luna shrugged, and followed the staircases. Eventually, she would reach the other side, and finally be able to get to her floor.
A scream echoed through the third floor. Lupin heard the noise from his office, and burst through the door that led to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He found Luna, bleeding badly and lying near the grand staircase.
Professor Lupin picked Luna up, and ran all the way to the infirmary.
"Poppy!" he screamed. "Hurry!"
Madam Pomfrey came running into the room. "Oh, no! What happened, Remus? Is this Luna Lovegood?"
"Yes. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I heard her scream, and when I came out of my classroom, she was lying near the grand staircase. It looks as if it may have been..." Remus Lupin frowned. He remembered how it had felt to be hit with an Unforgivable curse.
"Lay her down, Professor. She's still alive. I shouldn't have too many problems fixing her up...but she may be in here for a while. I suggest you warn the others. I wonder who could've done this to her?"
Lupin knew, but he could not tell her. He ran first to Dumbledore's office, and then straight to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were alarmed when someone began to pound on the entrance to the common room. Harry and Ron, wands raised, approached the portrait hole, and flung it open.
"Professor Lupin?" Harry's mouth dropped open. "What's wrong? What is it?"
The Professor was out of breath. "Harry...it's Luna. She was attacked. We have reason to believe that a Death Eater could be inside the school..." he panted.