Chapter 7: The New Term Begins

Harry awoke early on the morning he was due to leave for Andros. He dragged himself out of bed, with some rather annoying help from Neddy, got dressed (Neddy had prepared his robes), went down to eat the breakfast Neddy had cooked, and checked to see if Neddy had packed everything correctly. He was going to be strange not having a house elf do everything for him, whether he wanted it or not, for the next few months.

He checked his watch. It was still only nine o'clock: he didn't need to be at the Ministry of Magic, where a car would take him to Andros, until half past three. He looked around the house for some work to do, but Neddy had already done everything. Instead, Harry took out his wizards' chess set and started playing with it, instructing the pieces on the other side of the board to do as they wished. He won easily, three times – the black chessmen didn't seem to understand that they had to work as a team.

At ten, Harry got up and went to collect his trunk from his room, only to find that Neddy had already taken it to the front door. He called the house-elf to him.

"What is sir wanting?" the elf squeaked.

"Neddy, I think I'll go know. I'll spend the day with Ron."

"If you wishes sir," replied Neddy.

"You've got your holiday sorted out, haven't you?" Harry inquired.

"I have sir," said Neddy, looking as if a holiday was a very shameful thing indeed.

"Good," said Harry. "Where are you going again?"

"Two weeks in Brighton sir. A special hotel for house-elves."

"Two weeks, is that all?" Harry had expected longer. "Well when you get back, do something useful. I know – go and the vampires, you know who I mean?"

Neddy smiled widely. This was more like it. "Kelly and Telkarr and all the rest, I knows them sir."

"Well you go and help them – when you come back from Brighton," Harry added, before the elf scuttled off. He was obviously eager for work. "And – er – keep the house in good condition. Rent it out even, if you can find anyone who'll take it." He smiled. "I'll want it back though."

Neddy nodded. "Of course sir."

"Well then, bye! See you at Christmas!"

"Goodbye sir."

Harry grabbed his trunk and Disapparated, arriving instantaneously in Diagon Alley.

Harry and Ron arrived together at the Ministry a few minutes early. With them were their owls, Ron's excitable Pigwidgeon and Harry's Hedwig, who was becoming rather elderly by now.

Rudolf O'Hare, Harry and Ron's friend who had grown up with a strong German influence, was already there, pacing around and humming a rock song. He had a ring in his right ear and had shaven himself bald over the summer.

"Hi," he greeted. "Did you haf a nice summer?"

"Yeah," said Harry, whilst Ron nodded. "Nice hair."

"Dank you," said Rudolf. "It vos mein Vater who cut it." Rudolf's father was a barber. "Vot is der time?"

Ron glanced at his Chudley Cannons wristwatch. "Gabriel should be here now," he said.

There was a crack. Harry spun around; half-expecting to see that Professor Gabriel's car had Apparated behind them. But it was only Lizzy Pullman, another trainee Auror, three years older than Harry, Ron and Rudolf, with long, dark red hair. She was pulling a trunk behind her, and panting. "Hi," she breathed. "I thought I was late."

"No," said Ron as she petted Pigwidgeon, who squawked wildly. "Gabriel hasn't turned up yet."

"It's going to be different without Hannah," remarked Lizzy. "You know, as she left last year. I'll have a whole room to myself, while you three are cramped up inside one."

"I vill share vid you if you like," said Rudolf, but Lizzy only glared at him. Hannah Brittain, Lizzy's old roommate, had left Andros at the end of last year. Although magically talented, she had been rather selfish and often prized other things above her lessons.

"I wonder where Gabriel's got to," said Harry, trying to change the subject. "Professor Potts will be here for the third-years before he comes."

But Professor Gabriel did turn up, in an expensive new car. He apologised for his lateness as he climbed out and placed the trunks in the magically expanded boot with his wand. "Broke down halfway here," he said. "This things not all it's cracked up to be."

He held open the doors and the students climbed in. Professor Gabriel was a young but serious teacher, who had probably started work teaching at Auror college almost as soon as he'd graduated. Like Rudolf, he was bald, but he had a short blond beard and twinkling blue eyes. He climbed into the car himself, and, with the minimum of effort, drove off. Harry had been in a magical car like this before: it avoided traffic jams with ease and snuck into the smallest of gaps.

"I was going to have a snack at Auror headquarters," Professor Gabriel said after a few minutes. "If we hadn't broken down … any of you got any food … thanks Weasley."

"This is the year of our foreign course isn't it?" said Lizzy. Every year, the second-year trainees went to a foreign country for a term. "Where are we going, sir?"

"That's classified," said Professor Gabriel, and smiled. "But I'll tell you a bit early. It's meant to be Bergland, the mountain kingdom. It's not really a proper country, but the Austrian Ministry of Magic lets it do as it likes. A wizarding country, you know. Lots of interesting wildlife. Just as long as they don't declare war on us, we should be fine …"

The car drove on. The students talked and Ron and Harry tried to play chess but found the pieces kept slipping off every time they braked or rounded a corner. So they gave up and listened to accounts of each other's summers for the next two hours. Both Rudolf and Lizzy had read about Harry's races in the newspapers.

"We're here," said Professor Gabriel finally, driving through wrought iron gates, along a drive and pulling up underneath a statue of the ancient Greek wizard who had given Andros its name. The college itself was a modern building, and not likely to look too suspicious to any Muggle passers-by.

They got out. "You've got half-an-hour," said Professor Gabriel. "Unpack, then do as you wish."

Harry levitated his trunk and it floated behind him as he led the way to the dormitory, which was right at the end of the corridor. The walls were, for the most part, bare and white, with some smiling pictures of previous students and shelves carrying the various awards that had been given to them. Harry pushed open the door and sat down on his bed, the one nearest the window. There were two other beds crammed into the small room, as well as a desk complete with magical typewriter and a door leading into the gent's bathroom.

It didn't take long to unpack, although they were slowed down by Pigwidgeon's continual twittering. "What now?" asked Ron, when all three had unpacked, arranged their belongings, and gone to the toilet.

"Let's go to the common room," said Harry. "The first-years will be exploring, they won't bother us."

The common room was in the West Wing of the building, together with the dining room, gymnasium and kitchens. Lizzy was already there when they arrived, reading a book. Harry and Ron sat down.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Rudolf. "They've taken the Tri-X."

He was referring to the magical games console they'd played on the previous year. Harry was disappointed, but admitted to the others that he, for one, had become a bit addicted. They managed a game of chess going this time, however, and still hadn't finished it when the bell went for dinner at six o'clock.

Apart from the teachers, they were the first to arrive in the dining hall, and sat down at the second-year table. Harry glanced at the staff table: there were no changes. A minute later, the first-years started to arrive.

All four were young men, with not a single female student among them. Harry and Ron both recognised Ernie Macmillan, who had been in their year at Hogwarts. He came over to them.

"Evening. Didn't tell you I was coming, did I?"

"No," said Harry. "Your sister's here though, isn't she?"

"Yes," said Ernie. "I think the third-years are a bit late. I decided I'd take a gap year, spent a bit of time with the Muggle Liaison Office. Anyway, I'd better sit down. Goodbye."

He went over to the first-year table and joined the other students. There were two younger ex-Hufflepuffs whom Harry recognised by sight but didn't know their names, and a Japanese wizard, dressed extravagantly in purple and gold robes, who Harry didn't know at all.

A few minutes later, the third-years arrived, let by a smiling if somewhat flustered Professor Potts. They all greeted the second-years, and when they had all sat down, Professor Confessus, the elderly headmaster, stood up. He greeted them, and then like the year before, read out everybody's names from a long list of parchment to help people get to know each other.

"The first-year then. Let us welcome: Donald MacFusty," one of the ex-Hufflepuffs, who was tall and had longish brown hair, stood up and was applauded. "Ernie Macmillan – Dominic Perkins." The other young wizard was shorter, and blond. Both Ernie and the Japanese wizard seemed to think him somewhat annoying. "And Katsuro Suzuki. Thank you. The older students – Rudolf O'Hare – Harry Potter – Elizabeth Pullman – Ronald Weasley." Confessus took a breath before continuing with the third-year: the tall, thin Max Shimpling, sporty George Ollerton, and Ernie's sister, the pretty, blonde Lyra Macmillan. Then it was the teachers' turn to be announced: Professors Potts, Gabriel and Shacklebolt, Madams Masters and Hooch and, of course, Confessus himself, who then told the new first-years where to meet the next morning, before clapping his hands, causing four house elves, each dressed in a square of old, but clean, curtain, to come rushing in with the food.

Boot = US trunk (I think)