Harry Potter and the Diamond Studded Compass
Chapter 2
The Fun Begins
"Well, I'm glad Hagrid found someone. I think it's cute," said Hermione, as she, Harry, and Ron walked down to breakfast together. Ron smirked.
"Giant love," he said. Hermione frowned.
"Stop it, Ronald," she said, "Where's your girlfriend? Hmm?" Ron seemed to back off at this.
"Yeah, well...pfft," he said, completely giving up. The three soon neared the Great Hall, entered it, and began walking down the aisle towards the Gryffindor table.
"You think it's going to last?" asked Harry. Hermione shrugged.
"He seems to talk about her a lot...and he writes her those poems," said Hermione, sighing.
"Blimey, those poems," said Ron. He shook his head and climbed onto the bench next to Dennis Creevey. "I thought I was going to fall onto the floor and die. They were so sad." Hermione sat next to Ron, and Harry next to Hermione. Dumbledore stood up, took his wand from his robes, and clinked it on his goblet. It made a ringing sound that echoed throughout the Hall, turned every head, and shut every mouth.
"Good morning," he said. The Hall silently erupted into: "Good morning."
"Today is our first breakfast this year at Hogwarts, and for some of us our first breakfast at Hogwarts ever, and I look forward to many more like this. I have a few announcements I left out last night at the feast. As you know, fifth years will be taking their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, and seventh years their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. I encourage you all to study hard for those, and pay special attention during classes, as we have revised these tests to make them more challenging, and more difficult. The curriculum has been slightly changed, to all of your advantages, and you will all be expected to learn extra material during the year. As far as new staff goes, Hagrid will be resuming teaching Care of Magical Creatures this year, as will Firenze with Divination classes. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher could not make it here last night, as I said at the feast. However, she has arrived this morning. May I now introduce to you Miss Nymphadora Tonks." A skinny woman with spiky purple hair stood up from the staff table grinning broadly. Harry remembered last year when he had met Tonks. She and Lupin had come to take him to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He, Ron, and Hermione applauded loudly for "Professor" Tonks. She beamed at everyone, and then sat down after a while. The more Harry thought about it, the more he thought that having Tonks as a teacher would be quite enjoyable.
"We also," began Dumbledore, and waited for the applause to die down, "have another new teacher this year. (a few students exchanged glances and began whispering to one another. What other place could be filled? There were no missing staff members at the table.
"Our dear History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns has gone missing. (chuckles from the Hall) He wandered off the day before start of term. (more chuckles from the audience) We have people out looking for him as we speak, but for now, Professor Edward Thatcher will be filling his place. Welcome, Professor Thatcher." A man looking to be in his early thirties rose from his chair. He stood only about five feet, eight inches, was flat chested, and was very thin. He had on a full suit and tie and his jet black hair was slicked to the back of his head on the sides, and a bit spiky on top. He, as Tonks was, was smiling happily and bowed to the Hall as its contents applauded. Dumbledore smiled at the tiny teacher, his eyes twinkling. Professor Thatcher smiled back, and descended back into his chair. Harry looked at Hermione, who looked the same she did when she had seen Lockhart for the first time in the school in second year. Again, the applause ceased, and Dumbledore clapped his hands together.
"Let's eat," he said. Food spread across the tables, and the hungry students began to eat. Hermione, while staring at Professor Thatcher, felt around for a fork, and when she picked it up, began stabbing blank parts of the bacon tray. Ron grabbed Hermione's hand at stuck her fork into a piece of bacon. Hermione flopped her head to look at Ron, holding a dreamy look on her face. This, in turn made him cringe and throw her hand back to her. She looked back at Thatcher.
"Where do you think Dumbledore got him from?" she sighed. The new teacher was engaged in a conversation with Professor McGonagall, who looked quite happy. She was smiling, and began fluttering her eyelashes at him, which was something McGonagall just didn't normally do. Ron shrugged.
"St. Mungo's probably," he said reaching for the applesauce bowl. Hermione shot him an angry glance. Harry snorted and began eating his scrambled eggs. He looked up at the ceiling, and pointed to it. His mouth was full, and if it wasn't, he would say, "Mail's here." Ron and Hermione caught the hint and looked upward. A large flock of owls flew in through a large circular window and began flying around the tables, dropping packages and envelopes of all shapes and sizes into students' arms. Neville received his yearly Remembrall, and Harry, suprisingly received a brown paper package. It had a cream colored envelope on top of it that held the school's address. It was tied onto the top with a frayed brown string. Ron looked up from a letter from his mother to Harry's package.
"Who's sending you mail on the first day, Harry?" he asked. Hermione was also reading one from her mother, and she looked at Harry.
"It doesn't say...there's no name."
"Doesn't anyone put their name on the packages they send to you?" asked Ron, closing up his letter, and opening one from Fred and George. In it was a red box with shining gold print on it. It read: Jittery Jingles. Ron chuckled.
"New candy from Fred and George. I guess they haven't thought of a name for their Noisy Num-Nums yet. Let's see what you've got, Harry." Ron set his envelope and candy on the table in front of him and leaned into Harry to see better. Harry looked up at Hermione, at Ron, and then at the brown package. He pulled the string and picked up the envelope. He tore the seal on it, took out the letter, unfolded it, and read it aloud.
"Dear Harry," he started, "Me and a few friends want to see you again. We finally got our Deluxe Time Turners to work. Open your package and one of them will be inside. Go to the Forbidden Forest tonight, and at 11:59, make sure your Time Turner is facing exactly north, wait one minute, and say: Arcesso Septentriones. I'll see you tonight." He turned over the note, thinking that maybe there was something on the back, but there wasn't. He looked at his friends and shrugged.
"I guess we'll go then. Tonight at midnight."
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"If we have to go through this whole thing again, sneaking out in the middle of the night, I swear I'm going to scream."
"Ron, be quiet," said Hermione, "You chose to go. Harry could have gone by himself."
"Why didn't he?" Hermione frowned. Harry wasn't listening, and it was probably a good thing that he wasn't. He was looking at what had been inside of the package. It was a silver compass. It had jewels encrusted into every inch of it. The letters, N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW were painted on in a fancy, calligraphic text beneath the glass on top, and the arrow was made of pure gold. The head of it had a small diamond in it, and even though Harry was under the Invisibility Cloak, the bright light of the moon made it glimmer.
"Do you think we're deep enough?" asked Ron. They had gone a long ways into it now and all three had become tired of walking. Harry looked up at Ron, then behind them, and then in front of them. All was pitch black around them and the only light was emitting from the moon, and Hermione's lit wand.
"Yeah, I think so. Now it says we have to face exactly North. What time is it?"
"11:58," said Ron, looking at Harry's watch. "You have the watch." Harry ignored this last comment, and took the cloak off of them.
"Just two more minutes and we'll find out what this is all about," said Harry. Ron sat on a stump, and looked up at Harry, who was looking around the woods. He pulled his own wand out of his pocket.
"Lumos," he said. His wand tip became a silvery white, and a yellowish light encircled the tiny white dot on it. He held it out in front of him, and swiveled every direction, watching the arrow in the compass. It wasn't jiggling as much as a regular compass would, but was staying steady. Once Harry found North, he looked at his watch. 11:59 PM. Just one more minute to go, he thought. He heard a yawn from behind him. Ron was going to fall asleep soon. Hermione'd keep him awake, though. That was for sure. She looked from Ron to Harry, and then walked up to the side of him.
"How much longer?"
"One more minute." She nodded and looked at Ron. He was looking around the forest quite contently. The minute felt like an hour, and soon, Harry felt his own eyelids drooping.
"Harry! It's Midnight!" exclaimed Hermione. Harry became fully awake, and the incantation that had been written in the letter to him came to him immediately. He had been trying desperately to remember it on the walk from the castle.
"Arcesso Septentriones!" He said loudly, but not loudly enough for the whole school to hear. Suddenly, a blinding dome of light came from in front of him. Harry dropped both his wand and his compass in shock, and fell to his rear end into a small pile of muddy leaves. His wand was still on the ground, and it was still emitting the same light. It was lighting three pair of shoes, each one draped with blue denim jeans. The middle figure reached down and picked up Harry's wand, and held it under his chin. He was smiling, as were the other two faces.
"Hey there, Harry. I'm glad you did what the letter said." The middle person handed Harry's wand to the person on his right, and acquired a face of evil amusement.
"Now the fun begins."
A/N: hahaha I hope you're enjoying this. Everyone said that it was cute and funny and I think so too lol. It was just a crazy idea I had. You'll see what happens..it gets better. ::laughs:: Oh, and if you're someone I know and send me in a review who you think I modeled Thatcher after and get it correct, you win a prize!! (I'll think of something to give you...)
