The True Heir of Slytherin
Chapter 10 : "The New Quidditch Teams"
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"Vow," Krum said as he and Harry made their way to the quidditch pitch. It was their first practice with their new player. Harry had told Krum how intelligent Siren had been in Potions.
"I never knew that she knew so much," Krum added.
"You mean, Durmstrang didn't have any, like, advanced classes or anything?" Harry asked him.
"Not that I know of," Krum replied. "So var, Hogvarts is just the same as Durmstrang."
"I wonder how she knows so much, then," Harry said. "I wouldn't be so suprised but, even Hermione didn't know the answer."
The two of them made their way to the quidditch pitch, where they met the rest of the Gryffindor team, who were all chatting excitedly. Harry, however, was slightly nervous. This was his first time ever being a captain to the team. He had been thinking of some drills that the team could do for practice, but other than that, he really had no clue what he was doing. 'Why couldn't they have made Krum captain?' he thought to himself. His trail of thoughts were disrupted by the outburst of giggles coming from the stands. Harry looked over to see a bunch of 6th year Hufflepuff girls watching them.
"Ah," said Fred, noticing them as well, "Krum's fan club, I see."
"Fan club?" Krum asked nervously, looking at the bunch of girls, who giggled even more. One of them ever waved, while another yelled out, "We love you Viktor!"
Krum waved back with an odd look on his face. "I vas hoping that there vouldn't be any obsessive girls here like there vere at Durmstrang," he said sadly.
"Don't worry, Vik," said George, "Fred and I will get rid of them."
Fred and George got on their brooms and soared over towards the girls. The girls screamed and began to flee as the Weasley twins dove down upon them ("What are you, Hufflepuff spies? Get lost!"). Soon the girls were gone, and Krum was glad, for he didn't much like the attention as Harry seemed to notice.
And so, the team began to practice, running many drills, and going over different game tactics which Harry had devised. As it appeared, the team was exceptionally good, and Krum was an even better keeper than Wood had ever been. Krum even gave Harry some tips on how to outchase the opposing seeker.
"The key is," he told Harry, "that you must always keep moving. Try to make them follow you. Vronski Feint vill trick them once, but it vill not vork more than once. That is vhy you must vait until you see the snitch, then perform the vronski feint. If all goes vell, they vill follow you, crash into the ground, and leave you to claim the snitch on your vay up, understand?"
Harry nodded his head, though he wasn't sure if he would want to risk losing the snitch by trying to fool the other seeker.
Soon, the practice session was over. They looked better than ever, and Harry was sure that they would win the Quidditch Cup again. The team all gathered in the changerooms, got dressed, and walked back towards the castle.
"Oh lovely," Katie Belle said sarcastically as they all made their way to the Main Entrance. The entire Slytherin quidditch team was on their way out of the castle, obviously to practice on the pitch. Malfoy was leading the pack, followed closely by Hunter and Siren.
"Oh look," Malfoy laughed, "if it isn't the drama club, fresh from rehearsal."
"Shut up Malfoy," Angelina Johnson snapped.
"Ooh, a feisty one," Malfoy laughed, "can't wait to see that cute little face of yours once we win the quidditch cup."
"Oh really?!" Fred said, obviously furious. "That's too bad, seeing as how you won't be able to see anything at all once I rip your eyes from their sockets."
Harry had never seen Fred act so dangerously. He got the impression that fred had a crush on Angelina.
"I'd like to see you try it," Malfoy replied coldly, stepping closer to Fred. "I'm sure you'll be trying to remove your broom from your ass for days."
"Don't be so sure," said George, cracking his knuckles, "it's not like Crabbe and Goyle are here to save you."
Malfoy laughed at this and shook his head, "True. But who needs them when I have the entire Slytherin quidditch team with me? Especially Hunter. I've heard a few nasty tales about his wrath."
Fred and George both looked at Hunter, who seemed to tower over everyone, his dark eyes daring anyone to make a move. Fred looked at Angelina quickly, then back at Hunter. "I could take him," he said darkly.
"Oh please," Siren laughed, who was standing next to Hunter, "you'd be lucky to bruise his foot with your ass."
Harry looked at Siren in shock. She looked very sadistic, and Harry knew that if his team didn't leave soon that they'd be in trouble.
"Siren," Krum said angrilly, "That vasn't very prudent."
"She's only stating the truth, Viktor," Hunter said coldly, giving Krum as look of death, as well as to the other Gryffindors.
"Well," said Malfoy, obviously enjoying the tense atmosphere, "if that's all, we should really be going."
"Yeah," Hunter added, "Your lot should be leaving as well, I think."
Siren grabbed onto Hunter's hand and held it. She looked at the Weasley twins maliciously and added, "Hunter's right. It'd be a shame if your team stayed around. It would only kill your spirits to see what you'll be up against this year."
The rest of the Slytherin team laughed, then walked past the Gryffindor team, purposely knocking into them aside as they did so.
"And here you said the girl was nice," Alicia Spinnet said to Harry, her eyes staring bitterly at Siren.
"I know," Harry replied, watching the Slytherin team walk away laughing, "I thought she was, too, until now."
"Me too," Krum added, looking at the backs of Hunter and Siren with disgust, "Vot's gotten into them?
"Slytherin pride," George replied, walking up the steps leading to the entrance. The rest of the team followed suit, save Krum and Harry, who stood still for awhile in shock. Only when they could no longer see the Slytherin team off in the distance did they turn around to leave.
*****
That night, Harry went to bed early. He didn't want to think about what happened after quidditch practice. All he really wanted to do was to isolate himself within his four-poster bed and go to sleep. As Harry fell asleep, he once again heard singing. As he fell deeper and deeper into his dreams, all he could see was the silhouette of two people embracing. However, the singing that he heard was very sad. Even though it's verse wasn't English, Harry could understand each and every word.
'When lost in the clouds, I found you.
From your love, I understand the darkness.
The stars shine amidst a sea of blue,
But now you are gone, and I am defenseless.
My heart remains void, and cold as stone,
The fire within me controls my mind.
Hatred seeps through my pores, right to the bone.
Blood has been shed, and happiness I find.'
The song seemed to repeat itself over and over again. Harry could feel himself being pulled towards the two silhouettes. before Harry could even call out, one of the figures grabbed him. it was a man; tall, dark, and cold.
"Back again, are you?" it said in a deep voice.
Harry looked up at the man, only to see Tom Riddle. The figure was of Voldemort in his youth. He looked slightly older than the Tom Riddle Harry had met in his second year. This Tom looked as though he was about 25 years old or so.
"You!" Harry yelled, trying to free himself of Tom's grasp.
Tom began to laugh, his eyes slowly becoming even more snake-like.
"Put him down, Tom," said a gentle voice. The other figure that Harry had seen was a woman about the same age as Tom seemed to be. As Harry looked at the woman, he saw a remarkable resemblance to Siren. In fact, this woman was the spitting image of Siren, with only a few minor differences : this woman had blond hair, blue eyes, and a few freckles on her cheeks.
"Do you not know who he is, Guinivere?" Tom said to the woman.
"I know that he will one day wear the Yfel," Guinivere replied.
"Him?" Voldemort asked, looking at Harry suspiciously.
"He will change your life in ways that you do not yet expect," Guinivere replied. She looked at Harry, and it seemed to him that her eyes could penetrate his soul, reading all that he bore with it. It was then that Tom let go of Harry. He seemed to conjur up a ball of fire within his hands. Harry began to run, thinking that the flame would be aimed at him. However, Tom aimed it at Guinivere. Her entire body was set ablaze. She began to scream, and eventually fell to the floor, still and silent. She was dead, and her body continued to burn to ashes.
Harry stood straight up in his bed as he awoke from the nightmare. He silently went back to sleep, and when morning came, he recalled nothing of the dream.
*****
Harry awoke to the sound of laughter coming from within his dorm room. He put his glasses on as he sat up, and slowly pulled back the curtains on his bed. "What the?" he muttered tiredly to himself.
Ron, Seamus, and the twins were all laughing non-stop at what was infront of them. Harry adjusted his body to see what it was. It was Crookshanks. The boys had kidnapped him and dyed his fur the colours of the rainbow. Crookshanks, however, didn't seem to notice and continued to purr, curled up in a ball.
Harry shook his head and got out of bed. He said good morning to the boys, then headed for the common-room. He got downstairs to see Hermione and Krum on the couch, Krum's arm around her. Krum looked up at Harry and waved with his free hand.
"Good news," he said to Harry, "Professor McGonagall just stopped by. She said that our first game is next Friday."
"Against Hufflepuff?' Harry assumed, "This oughta be interesting."
"Actually," Hermione interupted, "It's against Slytherin. They made some changes to the schedule at the last minute, I guess."
"Oh," Harry sighed, "great."
Hermione smiled glumly. "Cheer up," she said, "you guys will do great! I'm sure you'll win."
"If ve don't get killed by hunter and Siren," Krum added.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the three after this. Hermione, however, finally broke the ice.
"So, are we still going to Hogsmeade today?" she asked, "Hagrid said that he'd come, too."
"I guess so," Harry replied, "who's all coming?"
"Just me, you, Viktor, Ron, and Hagrid," Hemione replied, "Speaking of Ron - where is he? And have you seen Crookshanks at all?"
Harry decided not to say anything, but he simply pointed up to his dorm room.
Hermione then sat up and went upstairs to find Ron and her cat. Harry couldn't help but laugh when he heard her screaming at Ron.
*****
Later on the day, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Krum all made their way to Hagrid's. When they got there, Harry noticed that Hagrid was already outside in his backyard, tending to his garden.
"Hagrid!" Harry shouted, and Hagrid looked up and waved.
"Alrigh, you four?" he called back. "I'll on'y be another minute er two. Just got ter finish up planting these Sential shrubs."
"What're Sential shrubs?" Ron called back.
"Well, come'n have a look," Hagrid replied, motioning them to go over to the garden. The four of them made their way to the back of Hagrid's property and stood back in awe. Hermione gasped excitedly and ran over next to Hagrid.
"Oh, Hagrid," she said, her eyes on the garden, "They're absolutely beautiful!"
The Sential shrubs didn't look like shrubs at all, rather they were beautiful flowers with very long, thin stems about two feet high. The flower itself had red petals with sheer, almost see-through white petals over them. From it's centre sprung out golden whiskers with pale blue balls on their ends. The plants' stems weren't green, but a very shimmery beige. It's leaves looked as though they, too, were made of gold. The plants all shimmered in the light, and seemed to have a certain glow about them.
"Yeah," Hagrid said, "They are lovely, ain't they? Professor Sprout recommended 'em"
"But they don't look much like shrubs," Ron said, "They look full grown to me."
Hagrid simply laughed and replied, "Then you obviously ne'er seen a Sential flower before." He grabbed one of the shrubs by it's stem and pulled it out of the ground. It had no roots, but rather a large bulb attached to it's bottom. The bulb was white, and it almost looked as though it had golden veins stretching across it.
"Once they get older they'll turn silver," Hagrid said, "Silver and gold, they'll be. Really lovely then, and tall."
Hagrid put the one shrub back into the ground and stood up. "Well then," he said, brushing the dirt off of his hands, "are you ready?"
The five of them made their way into Hogsmeade. Hermione talked to Hagrid about the sentials the entire way. He told her he would give her one once they were fully grown, though she would have to wait until May for them to be at their best. Once they got onto the main road, Hary spotted Viktor's female fan club, not too far off, pointing and giggling at the five of them. Viktor must have spotted them, too, because he turned slightly pink and shook his head in confusion.
Harry could see the three Broomsticks up ahead, and he couldn't shake the craving for a butterbeer.
"Anyone up for a butterbeer?" he asked everyone.
"Wouldn't mind a mulled mead, meself," said Hagrid, looking over towards the three broomsticks as well.
"Could we stop at Zonko's first?" asked Ron, "I need to pick up some stuff for Fred and George."
"What kind of stuff?" asked Hermione, looking at Ron sternly.
"An exploding spoon," Ron replied, as though it were nothing, "Fred wants to put it at Malfoy's spot at the Slytherin table sometime this week. Something about payback for insulting Angelina, I think. I don't even know what he's talking about, really. And they wanted me to give this letter to the owner," he held up the letter he had been holding in his hand. "Y'know, Harry, I'm not sure if giving them you're Triwizard money was the best thing to do. They keep on making deals with joke shop owners. Soon it'll be impossible to live a second in my house without having something blown up or making loud noises."
"Tell ya what," said Hagrid, still staring off towards the three broomsticks, "Why don't you three go ter Zonko's, and me an' Harry will wait fer ya at the three broomsticks."
Ron looked at Hermione oddly. He was about to ask why, but before he could, Hermione nodded and said, "Sure. We'll be there in a bit." Hagrid waved goodbye to them, and he and Harry left for The three broomsticks.
"Vhy don't they vant to come vith us?" asked Krum as he watched them walk away.
"Beats me," said Ron, turning towards Zonko's. "But I sense some conspiring going on that Hagrid doesn't want us to know about."
"Not necessarily," Hermione replied, still watching Harry and Hagrid walk away, "think about it. Hagrid's barely talked to Harry since school started. He probably just wants to talk about, you know...the Dursleys."
Ron went still and silent. So did Krum.
"Vot exactly happened vith them?" Krum finally asked in a quieter voice, "I mean, I know vot happened, but - how did it happen?"
"You-know-who killed them," Ron said, "Nobody really knows how. They think that someone else might have helped him."
Hermione gave Ron a stern look, and Ron shut his mouth immediately, knowing that he wasn't supposed to mention any details.
"The Ministry is still looking into it," Hermione said glumly, taking hold of Krum's hand. Krum nodded, and together they walked to Zonko's, with Ron walking behind them, eyeing Krum with a look of jealousy.
***
"How're ye doin, Harry?" was the first thing that Hagrid asked as they sat down to a table at The Three Broomsticks.
"Better, I suppose," Harry replied, his thoughts falling back to the Dursleys.
"School goin alrigh?" he asked, pulling his chair in closer to the table.
Before Harry could answer, Madam Rosmerta walked up to the table, chomping on a wad of gum.
"What can I get you two today?" she asked with a friendly smile.
"I'll have a butterbeer," Harry answered dully.
"The usual fer me, thanks," said Hagrid.
Madam Rosmerta walked away and Hagrid turned his attention back to Harry.
"School's ok, I guess," Harry replied. "Stressful."
"When ain't it?" Hagrid replied with a luagh, "And how's quidditch?"
"I knew they were going to die, Hagrid," Harry blurted out, changing the topic suddenly back to the Dursleys. He knew that Hagrid was trying not to touch the subject regarding their death, but Harry needed to talk to someone about it. He hadn't really talked to anyone about it in detail, and he had to sooner or later.
"What's that?" Hagrid asked, shocked, "How'd ye know?"
"I don't know," Harry answered, sighing deeply, "But before Sirius and I left Privet Drive - I just had the feeling that something bad would happen."
Before Harry could say anything else, Professor McGonagall walked up to the table.
"Harry," I was hoping I'd find you here," she said with an exhausted look on her face.
"Hello professor," said Hagrid, looking up at her.
"Yes, hello Hagrid," she replied curtly. "Mind if I have a seat?"
"Go right ahead, Professor," Hagrid replied, standing up and pulling out a chair for her. She sat down and looked at Harry.
"Now, Harry," she said in a more serious tone, "I've been meaning to talk to you about the quidditch team. Things are going well with Krum, I assume?"
"Yes, professor," Harry replied, "the team's doing great."
"Good, good," McGonagall said, trying to smile, "but Im a bit worried about the new Slytherin team."
Harry quite agreed with her. He wasn't too keen on the idea of having Hunter as an opposing beater, either. "Me too," he replied.
At that moment, Madam Rosmerta returned with the drinks.
"Hello, Minerva," she said kindly, "Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you," McGonagall replied.
Madam Rosmerta nodded and walked back behind the bar.
"You see, Potter," McGonagall continued, "Professor Snape spoke with me last night, and it appears that Hunter Nott and Siren Ridge are new beaters. Now, professor Snape was so generous as to inform me that Hunter had been a beater for the Durmstrang regional team for the past 6 years, which means that he is more experienced than anyone on our team, save Krum, of course."
"Oh," Harry sighed, taking a sip of butterbeer, "great."
"And Siren, Professor Snape tells me," she continued, "has better speed, agility, strength, and aim than any beater he has ever seen before, except of course, for international teams."
"Really?" Harry asked, giving an uneasy laugh.
"Nah, Harry's gonn' beat them both, you'll see," Hagrid smiled, patting Harry on the back. "They're not as bad as dragons, are they? An' Harry's gotten past one a those before, ain't that right, Harry?"
"Yes, I know," McGonagall replied, "but I just wanted to make sure that the Gryffindor team will be prepared once it comes time to play them."
"We will be, professor," Harry replied. Even he had trouble believing that, though. Time went by, and still, Ron, Hermione, and Krum hadn't shown up. Harry was stuck talking to McGonagall about quidditch, and how well the Slytherin team had gotten.
"Just try not to agitate them," she told him, "or they might forget about the game and focus on intentionally trying to hurt you-"
"Well," said Hagrid, taking his last sip of mead, "I'll be payin fer this now." He got up and walked towards the counter to pay for his drink. Harry wished that he could have left, too.
"Harry," said McGonagall, in a quieter voice, "Before Hagrid comes back, there's something I need to tell you."
Harry looked at her with curved eyebrows. "What is it?" he asked.
"Harry," McGonagall replied, sighing, "I know that you know who and what Siren is. Keep in mind that she has a fiery temper, like her grandfather."
Harry shuddered at the thought of Voldemort. He got a weird deja vu feeling as bits of his dream from the previous night started to come back to him.
"Just remember that, alright Harry?" McGonagall continued, "If she does something that upsets you, don't try to get back at her, understand? Leave her well alone. The last thing the world needs is another battle to heat up between the Heirs."
"You knew that I'm the Gryffindor heir?" Harry asked.
"Of course I did," McGonagall replied, "I also knew that about your father. But, back to my point, it isn't wise to anger the spawn of a Death Eater, no matter how nice they may seem."
It was then that Harry remembered what Siren had asked him to do. She wanted him to tell Dumbledore that Hunter's dad was a death eater, and that he and Lucius Malfoy were still in Voldemort's inner circle.
"Er, professor?" Harry said, "Speaking of Siren - there's something I have to tell you."
McGonagall looked at Harry intensely. She almost looked worried. "What is it?" she asked. "Did Siren do something to you?"
"No," Harry replied. He lowered his voice and continued, "but she wanted me to tell Professor Dumbledore something. Do you think that you could tell him for me?"
"Of course," McGonagall replied, looking around to see if anyone else was watching, "What is it, Potter?"
"Well," Harry replied, "Voldemort put some sort of curse on Siren. She's unable to tell anyone who works for the Ministry anything about her grandfather."
Harry lowered his voice even more, and added, "She wanted Professor Dumbledore to know that Lucius Malfoy and Hunter's father are both in Voldemort's inner circle."
"What?" McGonagall gasped, "But how does she know? She says she hasn't spoken with her grandfather all summer-"
"I asked the same thing," Harry replied glumly, "she just told me to trust her about it."
McGonagall sat back in her chair and looked desperately into space, obviously distraught about what Harry had just told her..
"So the worst has indeed happened," she said, as though to herself, "And he knows."
"Who knows what?" Harry asked, sitting up a bit.
McGonagall sighed and cast her eyes down, and then to Harry. "I fear that Professor Snape may be in danger," she replied.
"From what?" Harry asked.
"I cannot tell you until I'm completely sure," she answered, getting up to leave. As she did so, Hagrid returned to the table.
"Leaving so soon, professor?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," McGonagall replied, "Something very important's just come up. Have a nice day, you two."
"An' you, professor," Hagrid replied in a kind of way which didn't quite hide his curiosity.
"Well that was weird," Hagrid said to Harry after Mcgonagall had left.
Before harry could say anything, Hermione, Ron, and Krum all entered the pub. They spotted Harry and Hagrid and made their way towards them.
"Harry, you won't believe what they have at Zonko's," Ron said as the three of them sat down to the table. As there weren't enough chairs, Krum took a chair from another table and pulled it up to their table, between Hermione and Hagrid.
"What?" Harry asked Ron, trying to act excited.
"It's disgusting, really," Hermione said in a dim tone of voice.
"Oh shut-up," Ron replied nonchalantly, "It was cool."
He shifted his body to face Harry. "Harry," he said, "They have these tiny little cockroaches that have self-detonators planted on them. You could sneak one into someone's school bag, and their homework would be covered in bug guts."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at the amusement on Ron's face. "I don't understand why it's so funny," Hermione said to Ron, "It's obviously one of those things that only you would like."
"Oh really?" Ron asked cooly, "Viktor seemed to be pretty entertained when we saw that really fat one blow up in front of Lavender and Parvati."
Hermione looked like she was about to argue, but she was interrupted by Madam Rosmerta.
"Can I get you three anything?" she asked happily.
"Yeah, I'll have a butterbeer," Ron answered.
"Me too," said Hermione.
"I'll haff one, too," said Krum.
Madam Rosmerta gave Krum a double-look before she gasped. "Are you Viktor Krum?" she asked, in awe.
"Yes," Krum replied, not seeming uncomfortable at all. Harry figured that Krum must have been used to getting noticed like this in public places.
"Oh dear," Madam Rosmerta replied, putting one hand on her hip, "I absolutely adore you. Y'know, I saw you play against Yugoslavia in the World Cup last year, and I must say, you are a remarkable seeker."
"Thank you," Krum replied, smiling in what looked like a flirtatious manner.
The two of them continued to talk for quite some time, and Madam Rosmerta ended up getting Krum to sign the midriff of her shirt. Krum didn't seem to oppose to this at all. Harry wasn't sure whether or not Hermione noticed Krum's attraction to Madam Rosmerta, but he knew that Ron did because he rolled his eyes at Krum several times.
Eventually, Madam Rosmerta had to tend to another customer, and left their table, only to return minutes later with three butterbeers. She didn't stay to chat this time.
As they all started to talk about what else was in Zonko's, Harry looked out the window of The Three Broomsticks, only to see Remus Lupin standing outside in the middle of the main street. He was keeping a close eye on someone; who it was, Harry wasn't sure.
"Is that Lupin?" Harry asked aloud, pointing out the window.
"So this is where he's staying," said Ron, "I was wondering where he went."
"Ah, he's prolly just keepin a watch on the kids in Hogsmeade," Hagrid added.
"Why would he be doing that?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, right," Hagrid replied uneasily, "Ye weren't supposed ter know that." He sighed deeply. "Oh well, ye would've found out sooner or later."
"Found out vot?" asked krum.
"That Remus, there, has bin' hired ter keep a close watch on things in Hogsmeade. Y'know, ter make sure that no dark wizards are hanging around or anything."
"Who hired him?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore, of course," Hagrid answered.
"Hey," said Ron, looked out the window again, "Where'd he go?"
Harry looked back out the window as well. Lupin was nowhere to be seen.
*****
Eventually, the five of them had to leave. Harry and Ron walked Hagrid back to his place, while Hermione and Krum took the scenic route back to the castle. After Harry and Ron dropped off Hagrid they took their time on walking towards the castle.
"Could you believe that creep?" Ron finally said, "flirting with Madam Rosmerta right in front of Hermione! And he didn't even have a sorry bit of shame afterwards."
"Maybe he was just being nice," Harry replied, trying hard not to accuse Krum as well.
"Well," Ron continued, giving a slight guffaw, "I've never seen a guy stare at a woman's chest so much while just trying to be nice."
Harry agreed with Ron on that matter, and decided to say nothing more.
***
When night came around, Harry went straight to bed. He had, for some reason or another, had an exhausting day. He just wanted to lay in his four- poster bed and fall asleep.
When he got into his dorm room, he had to duck from the owl that nearly flew into him.
"What on earth?" he said, being shocked by the creature's sudden appearance.
The owl dropped a letter at Harry's feet, then flew out the window of the room.
"Couldn't wait until morning's post, could you?" Harry sighed. He bent down and picked up the letter. It was from Sirius.
~~~~~
Dear harry,
How is school going? Is everything alright? Well, I thought I'd let you know that the Ministry of Magic has officially made me an Auror. I'm not working full-time, though, so hopefully it won't be too dangerous.
Dumbledore wrote me recently. He told me that your first quidditch game of the season is coming up, and he's invited me to come see it. I accepted the invitation. I look forward to seeing you there!
Love, Sirius
~~~~~
Harry smiled. There was something reassuring about the fact that Sirius would be there soon. Harry folded the letter and put it away. He would write back in the morning. It was then that harry heard a noise from outside.
Harry walked to the window and looked out. He could see two people arguing outside of the castle walls. Looking a little more carefully, Harry recognized the two as Siren and Professor Winston, the new DADA teacher. They seemed to be in a fiery argument about something.
"Don't lie to me, you foolish man!" he could hear Siren yell at the professor, "I know that you've discovered the truth!"
Professor Winston was trying to get away from her, but as he did, Siren grabbed him by his neck and pushed him against the wall. Winston tried to free himself, but Siren's grip was too strong. She was strangling him, and he couldn't stop her.
After a few minutes, Winston's body stopped moving, and Siren let go of him. His body collapsed to the ground, still and silent. Siren walked away and out of Harry's view.
Harry tried to comprehend what has just happened. He looked down at Winston's body, and finally had to face the reality of the situation. Winston was dead. Siren had just killed him.
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Hope ya liked it! Please review :) Even negative comments would be appreciated somehow...though they might make me break down and cry...
-Summer ;)
Chapter 10 : "The New Quidditch Teams"
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"Vow," Krum said as he and Harry made their way to the quidditch pitch. It was their first practice with their new player. Harry had told Krum how intelligent Siren had been in Potions.
"I never knew that she knew so much," Krum added.
"You mean, Durmstrang didn't have any, like, advanced classes or anything?" Harry asked him.
"Not that I know of," Krum replied. "So var, Hogvarts is just the same as Durmstrang."
"I wonder how she knows so much, then," Harry said. "I wouldn't be so suprised but, even Hermione didn't know the answer."
The two of them made their way to the quidditch pitch, where they met the rest of the Gryffindor team, who were all chatting excitedly. Harry, however, was slightly nervous. This was his first time ever being a captain to the team. He had been thinking of some drills that the team could do for practice, but other than that, he really had no clue what he was doing. 'Why couldn't they have made Krum captain?' he thought to himself. His trail of thoughts were disrupted by the outburst of giggles coming from the stands. Harry looked over to see a bunch of 6th year Hufflepuff girls watching them.
"Ah," said Fred, noticing them as well, "Krum's fan club, I see."
"Fan club?" Krum asked nervously, looking at the bunch of girls, who giggled even more. One of them ever waved, while another yelled out, "We love you Viktor!"
Krum waved back with an odd look on his face. "I vas hoping that there vouldn't be any obsessive girls here like there vere at Durmstrang," he said sadly.
"Don't worry, Vik," said George, "Fred and I will get rid of them."
Fred and George got on their brooms and soared over towards the girls. The girls screamed and began to flee as the Weasley twins dove down upon them ("What are you, Hufflepuff spies? Get lost!"). Soon the girls were gone, and Krum was glad, for he didn't much like the attention as Harry seemed to notice.
And so, the team began to practice, running many drills, and going over different game tactics which Harry had devised. As it appeared, the team was exceptionally good, and Krum was an even better keeper than Wood had ever been. Krum even gave Harry some tips on how to outchase the opposing seeker.
"The key is," he told Harry, "that you must always keep moving. Try to make them follow you. Vronski Feint vill trick them once, but it vill not vork more than once. That is vhy you must vait until you see the snitch, then perform the vronski feint. If all goes vell, they vill follow you, crash into the ground, and leave you to claim the snitch on your vay up, understand?"
Harry nodded his head, though he wasn't sure if he would want to risk losing the snitch by trying to fool the other seeker.
Soon, the practice session was over. They looked better than ever, and Harry was sure that they would win the Quidditch Cup again. The team all gathered in the changerooms, got dressed, and walked back towards the castle.
"Oh lovely," Katie Belle said sarcastically as they all made their way to the Main Entrance. The entire Slytherin quidditch team was on their way out of the castle, obviously to practice on the pitch. Malfoy was leading the pack, followed closely by Hunter and Siren.
"Oh look," Malfoy laughed, "if it isn't the drama club, fresh from rehearsal."
"Shut up Malfoy," Angelina Johnson snapped.
"Ooh, a feisty one," Malfoy laughed, "can't wait to see that cute little face of yours once we win the quidditch cup."
"Oh really?!" Fred said, obviously furious. "That's too bad, seeing as how you won't be able to see anything at all once I rip your eyes from their sockets."
Harry had never seen Fred act so dangerously. He got the impression that fred had a crush on Angelina.
"I'd like to see you try it," Malfoy replied coldly, stepping closer to Fred. "I'm sure you'll be trying to remove your broom from your ass for days."
"Don't be so sure," said George, cracking his knuckles, "it's not like Crabbe and Goyle are here to save you."
Malfoy laughed at this and shook his head, "True. But who needs them when I have the entire Slytherin quidditch team with me? Especially Hunter. I've heard a few nasty tales about his wrath."
Fred and George both looked at Hunter, who seemed to tower over everyone, his dark eyes daring anyone to make a move. Fred looked at Angelina quickly, then back at Hunter. "I could take him," he said darkly.
"Oh please," Siren laughed, who was standing next to Hunter, "you'd be lucky to bruise his foot with your ass."
Harry looked at Siren in shock. She looked very sadistic, and Harry knew that if his team didn't leave soon that they'd be in trouble.
"Siren," Krum said angrilly, "That vasn't very prudent."
"She's only stating the truth, Viktor," Hunter said coldly, giving Krum as look of death, as well as to the other Gryffindors.
"Well," said Malfoy, obviously enjoying the tense atmosphere, "if that's all, we should really be going."
"Yeah," Hunter added, "Your lot should be leaving as well, I think."
Siren grabbed onto Hunter's hand and held it. She looked at the Weasley twins maliciously and added, "Hunter's right. It'd be a shame if your team stayed around. It would only kill your spirits to see what you'll be up against this year."
The rest of the Slytherin team laughed, then walked past the Gryffindor team, purposely knocking into them aside as they did so.
"And here you said the girl was nice," Alicia Spinnet said to Harry, her eyes staring bitterly at Siren.
"I know," Harry replied, watching the Slytherin team walk away laughing, "I thought she was, too, until now."
"Me too," Krum added, looking at the backs of Hunter and Siren with disgust, "Vot's gotten into them?
"Slytherin pride," George replied, walking up the steps leading to the entrance. The rest of the team followed suit, save Krum and Harry, who stood still for awhile in shock. Only when they could no longer see the Slytherin team off in the distance did they turn around to leave.
*****
That night, Harry went to bed early. He didn't want to think about what happened after quidditch practice. All he really wanted to do was to isolate himself within his four-poster bed and go to sleep. As Harry fell asleep, he once again heard singing. As he fell deeper and deeper into his dreams, all he could see was the silhouette of two people embracing. However, the singing that he heard was very sad. Even though it's verse wasn't English, Harry could understand each and every word.
'When lost in the clouds, I found you.
From your love, I understand the darkness.
The stars shine amidst a sea of blue,
But now you are gone, and I am defenseless.
My heart remains void, and cold as stone,
The fire within me controls my mind.
Hatred seeps through my pores, right to the bone.
Blood has been shed, and happiness I find.'
The song seemed to repeat itself over and over again. Harry could feel himself being pulled towards the two silhouettes. before Harry could even call out, one of the figures grabbed him. it was a man; tall, dark, and cold.
"Back again, are you?" it said in a deep voice.
Harry looked up at the man, only to see Tom Riddle. The figure was of Voldemort in his youth. He looked slightly older than the Tom Riddle Harry had met in his second year. This Tom looked as though he was about 25 years old or so.
"You!" Harry yelled, trying to free himself of Tom's grasp.
Tom began to laugh, his eyes slowly becoming even more snake-like.
"Put him down, Tom," said a gentle voice. The other figure that Harry had seen was a woman about the same age as Tom seemed to be. As Harry looked at the woman, he saw a remarkable resemblance to Siren. In fact, this woman was the spitting image of Siren, with only a few minor differences : this woman had blond hair, blue eyes, and a few freckles on her cheeks.
"Do you not know who he is, Guinivere?" Tom said to the woman.
"I know that he will one day wear the Yfel," Guinivere replied.
"Him?" Voldemort asked, looking at Harry suspiciously.
"He will change your life in ways that you do not yet expect," Guinivere replied. She looked at Harry, and it seemed to him that her eyes could penetrate his soul, reading all that he bore with it. It was then that Tom let go of Harry. He seemed to conjur up a ball of fire within his hands. Harry began to run, thinking that the flame would be aimed at him. However, Tom aimed it at Guinivere. Her entire body was set ablaze. She began to scream, and eventually fell to the floor, still and silent. She was dead, and her body continued to burn to ashes.
Harry stood straight up in his bed as he awoke from the nightmare. He silently went back to sleep, and when morning came, he recalled nothing of the dream.
*****
Harry awoke to the sound of laughter coming from within his dorm room. He put his glasses on as he sat up, and slowly pulled back the curtains on his bed. "What the?" he muttered tiredly to himself.
Ron, Seamus, and the twins were all laughing non-stop at what was infront of them. Harry adjusted his body to see what it was. It was Crookshanks. The boys had kidnapped him and dyed his fur the colours of the rainbow. Crookshanks, however, didn't seem to notice and continued to purr, curled up in a ball.
Harry shook his head and got out of bed. He said good morning to the boys, then headed for the common-room. He got downstairs to see Hermione and Krum on the couch, Krum's arm around her. Krum looked up at Harry and waved with his free hand.
"Good news," he said to Harry, "Professor McGonagall just stopped by. She said that our first game is next Friday."
"Against Hufflepuff?' Harry assumed, "This oughta be interesting."
"Actually," Hermione interupted, "It's against Slytherin. They made some changes to the schedule at the last minute, I guess."
"Oh," Harry sighed, "great."
Hermione smiled glumly. "Cheer up," she said, "you guys will do great! I'm sure you'll win."
"If ve don't get killed by hunter and Siren," Krum added.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the three after this. Hermione, however, finally broke the ice.
"So, are we still going to Hogsmeade today?" she asked, "Hagrid said that he'd come, too."
"I guess so," Harry replied, "who's all coming?"
"Just me, you, Viktor, Ron, and Hagrid," Hemione replied, "Speaking of Ron - where is he? And have you seen Crookshanks at all?"
Harry decided not to say anything, but he simply pointed up to his dorm room.
Hermione then sat up and went upstairs to find Ron and her cat. Harry couldn't help but laugh when he heard her screaming at Ron.
*****
Later on the day, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Krum all made their way to Hagrid's. When they got there, Harry noticed that Hagrid was already outside in his backyard, tending to his garden.
"Hagrid!" Harry shouted, and Hagrid looked up and waved.
"Alrigh, you four?" he called back. "I'll on'y be another minute er two. Just got ter finish up planting these Sential shrubs."
"What're Sential shrubs?" Ron called back.
"Well, come'n have a look," Hagrid replied, motioning them to go over to the garden. The four of them made their way to the back of Hagrid's property and stood back in awe. Hermione gasped excitedly and ran over next to Hagrid.
"Oh, Hagrid," she said, her eyes on the garden, "They're absolutely beautiful!"
The Sential shrubs didn't look like shrubs at all, rather they were beautiful flowers with very long, thin stems about two feet high. The flower itself had red petals with sheer, almost see-through white petals over them. From it's centre sprung out golden whiskers with pale blue balls on their ends. The plants' stems weren't green, but a very shimmery beige. It's leaves looked as though they, too, were made of gold. The plants all shimmered in the light, and seemed to have a certain glow about them.
"Yeah," Hagrid said, "They are lovely, ain't they? Professor Sprout recommended 'em"
"But they don't look much like shrubs," Ron said, "They look full grown to me."
Hagrid simply laughed and replied, "Then you obviously ne'er seen a Sential flower before." He grabbed one of the shrubs by it's stem and pulled it out of the ground. It had no roots, but rather a large bulb attached to it's bottom. The bulb was white, and it almost looked as though it had golden veins stretching across it.
"Once they get older they'll turn silver," Hagrid said, "Silver and gold, they'll be. Really lovely then, and tall."
Hagrid put the one shrub back into the ground and stood up. "Well then," he said, brushing the dirt off of his hands, "are you ready?"
The five of them made their way into Hogsmeade. Hermione talked to Hagrid about the sentials the entire way. He told her he would give her one once they were fully grown, though she would have to wait until May for them to be at their best. Once they got onto the main road, Hary spotted Viktor's female fan club, not too far off, pointing and giggling at the five of them. Viktor must have spotted them, too, because he turned slightly pink and shook his head in confusion.
Harry could see the three Broomsticks up ahead, and he couldn't shake the craving for a butterbeer.
"Anyone up for a butterbeer?" he asked everyone.
"Wouldn't mind a mulled mead, meself," said Hagrid, looking over towards the three broomsticks as well.
"Could we stop at Zonko's first?" asked Ron, "I need to pick up some stuff for Fred and George."
"What kind of stuff?" asked Hermione, looking at Ron sternly.
"An exploding spoon," Ron replied, as though it were nothing, "Fred wants to put it at Malfoy's spot at the Slytherin table sometime this week. Something about payback for insulting Angelina, I think. I don't even know what he's talking about, really. And they wanted me to give this letter to the owner," he held up the letter he had been holding in his hand. "Y'know, Harry, I'm not sure if giving them you're Triwizard money was the best thing to do. They keep on making deals with joke shop owners. Soon it'll be impossible to live a second in my house without having something blown up or making loud noises."
"Tell ya what," said Hagrid, still staring off towards the three broomsticks, "Why don't you three go ter Zonko's, and me an' Harry will wait fer ya at the three broomsticks."
Ron looked at Hermione oddly. He was about to ask why, but before he could, Hermione nodded and said, "Sure. We'll be there in a bit." Hagrid waved goodbye to them, and he and Harry left for The three broomsticks.
"Vhy don't they vant to come vith us?" asked Krum as he watched them walk away.
"Beats me," said Ron, turning towards Zonko's. "But I sense some conspiring going on that Hagrid doesn't want us to know about."
"Not necessarily," Hermione replied, still watching Harry and Hagrid walk away, "think about it. Hagrid's barely talked to Harry since school started. He probably just wants to talk about, you know...the Dursleys."
Ron went still and silent. So did Krum.
"Vot exactly happened vith them?" Krum finally asked in a quieter voice, "I mean, I know vot happened, but - how did it happen?"
"You-know-who killed them," Ron said, "Nobody really knows how. They think that someone else might have helped him."
Hermione gave Ron a stern look, and Ron shut his mouth immediately, knowing that he wasn't supposed to mention any details.
"The Ministry is still looking into it," Hermione said glumly, taking hold of Krum's hand. Krum nodded, and together they walked to Zonko's, with Ron walking behind them, eyeing Krum with a look of jealousy.
***
"How're ye doin, Harry?" was the first thing that Hagrid asked as they sat down to a table at The Three Broomsticks.
"Better, I suppose," Harry replied, his thoughts falling back to the Dursleys.
"School goin alrigh?" he asked, pulling his chair in closer to the table.
Before Harry could answer, Madam Rosmerta walked up to the table, chomping on a wad of gum.
"What can I get you two today?" she asked with a friendly smile.
"I'll have a butterbeer," Harry answered dully.
"The usual fer me, thanks," said Hagrid.
Madam Rosmerta walked away and Hagrid turned his attention back to Harry.
"School's ok, I guess," Harry replied. "Stressful."
"When ain't it?" Hagrid replied with a luagh, "And how's quidditch?"
"I knew they were going to die, Hagrid," Harry blurted out, changing the topic suddenly back to the Dursleys. He knew that Hagrid was trying not to touch the subject regarding their death, but Harry needed to talk to someone about it. He hadn't really talked to anyone about it in detail, and he had to sooner or later.
"What's that?" Hagrid asked, shocked, "How'd ye know?"
"I don't know," Harry answered, sighing deeply, "But before Sirius and I left Privet Drive - I just had the feeling that something bad would happen."
Before Harry could say anything else, Professor McGonagall walked up to the table.
"Harry," I was hoping I'd find you here," she said with an exhausted look on her face.
"Hello professor," said Hagrid, looking up at her.
"Yes, hello Hagrid," she replied curtly. "Mind if I have a seat?"
"Go right ahead, Professor," Hagrid replied, standing up and pulling out a chair for her. She sat down and looked at Harry.
"Now, Harry," she said in a more serious tone, "I've been meaning to talk to you about the quidditch team. Things are going well with Krum, I assume?"
"Yes, professor," Harry replied, "the team's doing great."
"Good, good," McGonagall said, trying to smile, "but Im a bit worried about the new Slytherin team."
Harry quite agreed with her. He wasn't too keen on the idea of having Hunter as an opposing beater, either. "Me too," he replied.
At that moment, Madam Rosmerta returned with the drinks.
"Hello, Minerva," she said kindly, "Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you," McGonagall replied.
Madam Rosmerta nodded and walked back behind the bar.
"You see, Potter," McGonagall continued, "Professor Snape spoke with me last night, and it appears that Hunter Nott and Siren Ridge are new beaters. Now, professor Snape was so generous as to inform me that Hunter had been a beater for the Durmstrang regional team for the past 6 years, which means that he is more experienced than anyone on our team, save Krum, of course."
"Oh," Harry sighed, taking a sip of butterbeer, "great."
"And Siren, Professor Snape tells me," she continued, "has better speed, agility, strength, and aim than any beater he has ever seen before, except of course, for international teams."
"Really?" Harry asked, giving an uneasy laugh.
"Nah, Harry's gonn' beat them both, you'll see," Hagrid smiled, patting Harry on the back. "They're not as bad as dragons, are they? An' Harry's gotten past one a those before, ain't that right, Harry?"
"Yes, I know," McGonagall replied, "but I just wanted to make sure that the Gryffindor team will be prepared once it comes time to play them."
"We will be, professor," Harry replied. Even he had trouble believing that, though. Time went by, and still, Ron, Hermione, and Krum hadn't shown up. Harry was stuck talking to McGonagall about quidditch, and how well the Slytherin team had gotten.
"Just try not to agitate them," she told him, "or they might forget about the game and focus on intentionally trying to hurt you-"
"Well," said Hagrid, taking his last sip of mead, "I'll be payin fer this now." He got up and walked towards the counter to pay for his drink. Harry wished that he could have left, too.
"Harry," said McGonagall, in a quieter voice, "Before Hagrid comes back, there's something I need to tell you."
Harry looked at her with curved eyebrows. "What is it?" he asked.
"Harry," McGonagall replied, sighing, "I know that you know who and what Siren is. Keep in mind that she has a fiery temper, like her grandfather."
Harry shuddered at the thought of Voldemort. He got a weird deja vu feeling as bits of his dream from the previous night started to come back to him.
"Just remember that, alright Harry?" McGonagall continued, "If she does something that upsets you, don't try to get back at her, understand? Leave her well alone. The last thing the world needs is another battle to heat up between the Heirs."
"You knew that I'm the Gryffindor heir?" Harry asked.
"Of course I did," McGonagall replied, "I also knew that about your father. But, back to my point, it isn't wise to anger the spawn of a Death Eater, no matter how nice they may seem."
It was then that Harry remembered what Siren had asked him to do. She wanted him to tell Dumbledore that Hunter's dad was a death eater, and that he and Lucius Malfoy were still in Voldemort's inner circle.
"Er, professor?" Harry said, "Speaking of Siren - there's something I have to tell you."
McGonagall looked at Harry intensely. She almost looked worried. "What is it?" she asked. "Did Siren do something to you?"
"No," Harry replied. He lowered his voice and continued, "but she wanted me to tell Professor Dumbledore something. Do you think that you could tell him for me?"
"Of course," McGonagall replied, looking around to see if anyone else was watching, "What is it, Potter?"
"Well," Harry replied, "Voldemort put some sort of curse on Siren. She's unable to tell anyone who works for the Ministry anything about her grandfather."
Harry lowered his voice even more, and added, "She wanted Professor Dumbledore to know that Lucius Malfoy and Hunter's father are both in Voldemort's inner circle."
"What?" McGonagall gasped, "But how does she know? She says she hasn't spoken with her grandfather all summer-"
"I asked the same thing," Harry replied glumly, "she just told me to trust her about it."
McGonagall sat back in her chair and looked desperately into space, obviously distraught about what Harry had just told her..
"So the worst has indeed happened," she said, as though to herself, "And he knows."
"Who knows what?" Harry asked, sitting up a bit.
McGonagall sighed and cast her eyes down, and then to Harry. "I fear that Professor Snape may be in danger," she replied.
"From what?" Harry asked.
"I cannot tell you until I'm completely sure," she answered, getting up to leave. As she did so, Hagrid returned to the table.
"Leaving so soon, professor?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," McGonagall replied, "Something very important's just come up. Have a nice day, you two."
"An' you, professor," Hagrid replied in a kind of way which didn't quite hide his curiosity.
"Well that was weird," Hagrid said to Harry after Mcgonagall had left.
Before harry could say anything, Hermione, Ron, and Krum all entered the pub. They spotted Harry and Hagrid and made their way towards them.
"Harry, you won't believe what they have at Zonko's," Ron said as the three of them sat down to the table. As there weren't enough chairs, Krum took a chair from another table and pulled it up to their table, between Hermione and Hagrid.
"What?" Harry asked Ron, trying to act excited.
"It's disgusting, really," Hermione said in a dim tone of voice.
"Oh shut-up," Ron replied nonchalantly, "It was cool."
He shifted his body to face Harry. "Harry," he said, "They have these tiny little cockroaches that have self-detonators planted on them. You could sneak one into someone's school bag, and their homework would be covered in bug guts."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at the amusement on Ron's face. "I don't understand why it's so funny," Hermione said to Ron, "It's obviously one of those things that only you would like."
"Oh really?" Ron asked cooly, "Viktor seemed to be pretty entertained when we saw that really fat one blow up in front of Lavender and Parvati."
Hermione looked like she was about to argue, but she was interrupted by Madam Rosmerta.
"Can I get you three anything?" she asked happily.
"Yeah, I'll have a butterbeer," Ron answered.
"Me too," said Hermione.
"I'll haff one, too," said Krum.
Madam Rosmerta gave Krum a double-look before she gasped. "Are you Viktor Krum?" she asked, in awe.
"Yes," Krum replied, not seeming uncomfortable at all. Harry figured that Krum must have been used to getting noticed like this in public places.
"Oh dear," Madam Rosmerta replied, putting one hand on her hip, "I absolutely adore you. Y'know, I saw you play against Yugoslavia in the World Cup last year, and I must say, you are a remarkable seeker."
"Thank you," Krum replied, smiling in what looked like a flirtatious manner.
The two of them continued to talk for quite some time, and Madam Rosmerta ended up getting Krum to sign the midriff of her shirt. Krum didn't seem to oppose to this at all. Harry wasn't sure whether or not Hermione noticed Krum's attraction to Madam Rosmerta, but he knew that Ron did because he rolled his eyes at Krum several times.
Eventually, Madam Rosmerta had to tend to another customer, and left their table, only to return minutes later with three butterbeers. She didn't stay to chat this time.
As they all started to talk about what else was in Zonko's, Harry looked out the window of The Three Broomsticks, only to see Remus Lupin standing outside in the middle of the main street. He was keeping a close eye on someone; who it was, Harry wasn't sure.
"Is that Lupin?" Harry asked aloud, pointing out the window.
"So this is where he's staying," said Ron, "I was wondering where he went."
"Ah, he's prolly just keepin a watch on the kids in Hogsmeade," Hagrid added.
"Why would he be doing that?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, right," Hagrid replied uneasily, "Ye weren't supposed ter know that." He sighed deeply. "Oh well, ye would've found out sooner or later."
"Found out vot?" asked krum.
"That Remus, there, has bin' hired ter keep a close watch on things in Hogsmeade. Y'know, ter make sure that no dark wizards are hanging around or anything."
"Who hired him?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore, of course," Hagrid answered.
"Hey," said Ron, looked out the window again, "Where'd he go?"
Harry looked back out the window as well. Lupin was nowhere to be seen.
*****
Eventually, the five of them had to leave. Harry and Ron walked Hagrid back to his place, while Hermione and Krum took the scenic route back to the castle. After Harry and Ron dropped off Hagrid they took their time on walking towards the castle.
"Could you believe that creep?" Ron finally said, "flirting with Madam Rosmerta right in front of Hermione! And he didn't even have a sorry bit of shame afterwards."
"Maybe he was just being nice," Harry replied, trying hard not to accuse Krum as well.
"Well," Ron continued, giving a slight guffaw, "I've never seen a guy stare at a woman's chest so much while just trying to be nice."
Harry agreed with Ron on that matter, and decided to say nothing more.
***
When night came around, Harry went straight to bed. He had, for some reason or another, had an exhausting day. He just wanted to lay in his four- poster bed and fall asleep.
When he got into his dorm room, he had to duck from the owl that nearly flew into him.
"What on earth?" he said, being shocked by the creature's sudden appearance.
The owl dropped a letter at Harry's feet, then flew out the window of the room.
"Couldn't wait until morning's post, could you?" Harry sighed. He bent down and picked up the letter. It was from Sirius.
~~~~~
Dear harry,
How is school going? Is everything alright? Well, I thought I'd let you know that the Ministry of Magic has officially made me an Auror. I'm not working full-time, though, so hopefully it won't be too dangerous.
Dumbledore wrote me recently. He told me that your first quidditch game of the season is coming up, and he's invited me to come see it. I accepted the invitation. I look forward to seeing you there!
Love, Sirius
~~~~~
Harry smiled. There was something reassuring about the fact that Sirius would be there soon. Harry folded the letter and put it away. He would write back in the morning. It was then that harry heard a noise from outside.
Harry walked to the window and looked out. He could see two people arguing outside of the castle walls. Looking a little more carefully, Harry recognized the two as Siren and Professor Winston, the new DADA teacher. They seemed to be in a fiery argument about something.
"Don't lie to me, you foolish man!" he could hear Siren yell at the professor, "I know that you've discovered the truth!"
Professor Winston was trying to get away from her, but as he did, Siren grabbed him by his neck and pushed him against the wall. Winston tried to free himself, but Siren's grip was too strong. She was strangling him, and he couldn't stop her.
After a few minutes, Winston's body stopped moving, and Siren let go of him. His body collapsed to the ground, still and silent. Siren walked away and out of Harry's view.
Harry tried to comprehend what has just happened. He looked down at Winston's body, and finally had to face the reality of the situation. Winston was dead. Siren had just killed him.
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Hope ya liked it! Please review :) Even negative comments would be appreciated somehow...though they might make me break down and cry...
-Summer ;)