The Fifth House
Disclaimer: I trust you all to trust me that I don't own anything here, except for the plot, a few characters here and there, and several random settings. However, to avoid lawsuits, I shall again remind you all of… You know what? I just forgot what I was gonna type, so just, yeah. Just yeah.
Author's Note: Hi guys! I would have updated much sooner, but my monitor died. My computer would go on, but the monitor stayed blank. And before that the screen kept turning yellow. Truth is that it was getting on in years. My computer's fourth birthday was October third. But no worries, I got a new monitor. I'm also responsible for the late update because of a case of severe writer's block. Even writing school reports were tough.
Anyway, I regret to say that Christmas will not be until the next chapter. I know that I drag things out unnecessarily, however I think it gives me more time to spend with my characters. I seriously doubt that there will be a sequel to this story. Not with the ending I've got planned. But, I can't go telling you about the ending quite yet, can I? You just wait, readers, you just wait…
Read.
Review.
Reconnaissance!
Curtains Up!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"I am quite sure, Potter, that I said to use besmathe at least twice. Apparently twice will never be enough to penetrate your thick skull, because I see you've used bezmarye. Although they may sound alike to your ears, which apparently do not work properly, they are very different elements," Severus Snape smiled smugly at Harry during Potions class.
"In ten minutes time, Potter, this class will end. I expect one bottle of the Draught of Devotion on my desk before that time is up," Snape said to Harry before going on to praise Malfoy.
Harry stared into his cauldron for a minute. He had just gotten back to Gryffindor tower the night before and Professor Snape was not making it easy for him at all. Harry hadn't really expect that he'd make it easy, of course, but he was a bit annoyed as to how Snape seemed to be so much worse than usual.
Harry continued to think about this for some time before he looked at his watch and saw that there were only two minutes of class left, surely not enough time to fix his potion. Just as he was starting to think of how Snape would act when he gave Harry a detention for incomplete class work, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Here," Kylie said, as she slipped him a bottle of a pink, shimmering liquid.
"What is it?" Harry asked, looking at it.
"It's the Draught of Devotion. I heard what Snape said to you, and I'm pretty sure you weren't going to turn in a bottle of that," Kylie said, nodding toward Harry's cauldron, which was bubbling with a thick, grey liquid that looked nothing like the liquid in the bottle.
"Thanks," Harry said.
"No problem. You might want to empty out your cauldron, though, before Snape sees that your potion is different from what's in the bottle," Kylie advised.
Harry nodded and used a simple spell to empty the contents of his cauldron.
When Harry put the potion on Snape's desk, he noticed the loathing look his professor was giving him.
* * * *
"How do you seem so awake? You had a terribly long night," Hermione asked Harry at lunch that day.
"I'm not sure myself," Harry said as he looked at the staff table. Dumbledore smiled and winked at Harry. Harry grinned back.
"-And it's ever so strange the way you're so alert. But I think it may have something to do with being back to a more welcoming environment, don't you agree, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded. Honestly, he didn't get much of what Hermione was going on about, but he was just grateful that she hadn't asked too many questions about where he was.
Still, he had had a very long night. He didn't know what time he'd gotten out of the Atrium. His watch was broken. It was the watch he broke during the second task at last year's Triwizard Tournament. He only wore it because he continuously forgot not to. It was habit.
"You okay? You're not eating?" Ron asked Harry.
"I'm fine, just a little tired," Harry explained, and took a bite of his sandwich.
'So you are tired?" Hermione asked, looking a bit incredulous because of the fact that Harry had failed to mention this fact before she'd rambled on about his not being tired.
Harry nodded.
"I think all of us are tired," said a voice behind them.
"Hi Kylie," said Harry without turning around.
"Hi guys. Sorry to interrupt you, but no one at my table could understand my exhaustion," Kylie said.
Hermione gave her a strange look. She quickly glanced at Harry and Ron with a confused expression, and then looked back at Kylie.
"I know, I know. I don't look tired. But it's terrible how exhausted I am, I was even having time concentrating in Potions, and that's my second-best subject," Kylie explained.
Hermione smiled sympathetically. When people related things to schoolwork, she could always understand.
"Well, I'd be tired too, if I'd been up all night freeing someone from, somewhere, that Harry doesn't really like talking about," Ron said between shoving forkfuls of his lunch into his mouth in a rather sloppy fashion.
"Yeah. What do you guys have next? I don't think we're together fro anything this afternoon," Kylie asked the three.
"I don't think we've got anything with Slytherins," Ron started to say.
"No, we don't. We've got Charms with the Ravenclaws and Herbology with the Hufflepuffs," Hermione said. "I memorized the schedule."
"For the whole year?" Ron asked, his mouth hanging open.
"Oh Ron, you'd be so much more organized and have more of your homework done if you knew when classes were," Hermione said in a suggesting voice.
"I know the schedule for the week, but that's it. My being tired is interfering with my memory. Yes, Hermione's right. I've got Defense Against the Dark Arts, but before that there's something else…" Kylie started.
" Come on, Kylie, we have to be at Transfiguration in five minutes," Draco Malfoy drawled as he walked past the Gryffindor table flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Transfiguration, that's it!" Kylie said. "See you guys around!" she yelled before running out of the Great Hall.
* * * *
"So, any plans for Christmas?"
asked one voice in the Terces Atrium.
"No, I think we should let them expect it and then watch them get prepared for something that won't happen. Then we'll be able to enjoy the holiday," said a second.
"Clever point, and we'll pick up on our plot after the New Year?" added a third voice.
"Of course," answered the second voice.
"Actually, I think we should maybe, oh I don't know, ring in the New Year with something a little more interesting?" added the first voice.
Then the fourth, last remaining voice asked, "Well, what did you have in mind?"
Curtains Close!
Author's Note: You guys, I'm sorry it's so short, but I'm just getting out of writer's block, and I can't come up with any more ideas that should be in this chapter. But don't worry; work on chapter thirty will commence shortly.
I just had to upload this now, because I had to give you guys something. You've all been excellent, waiting ever so patiently.
Words of Wisdom: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end,"
~Semisonic 'Closing Time'
Thanks for your reviews, keep 'em coming!
I love you all!
Ciao!
~Starry