Chapter 14 - Dinner
"Did you see Nev this afternoon?" Dean asked his friend Seamus as they sat at the Gryffindor table for dinner. "I have never seen him smile like that before."
"It's weird, I mean, did you hear what those four are doing? I can understand the other three. Every year they are into some sort of life and death adventure." Seamus replied, "You remember first year, those three in the dungeons against Quirrell and you-know-who himself. Then second year and the chamber of secrets?"
"Harry killed that dirty big snake with a great big sword and saved Ginny Weasley." Dean said remembering the stories of what happened in their second year.
"Third year we had that Sirius Black guy threatening to stab us all in our sleep!" Seamus said shivering a little, as he remembered that night 2 years ago. "And last year, Dumbledore tells us You-Know-Who is back and has killed Diggory and Harry faced him and then escaped carrying Diggory's body here."
"And don't forget who we thought was Mad Eye Moody was actually a Death Eater. Well, Harry does seem to be destined to fight You-Know-Who." Dean said in a hushed voice.
"I know and that's why I can understand him studying these fighting courses and Ron and Hermione, well they would stick by him as usual. But Neville?" Seamus asked.
"At lunch, before Nev blew up all the food, I heard him say something about the Lestranges, whoever they are!" Dean replied.
"I know who they are." Seamus said gravely, "My mum told me. They were Death Eaters who were sent to Azkaban for what they did to Nev's parents. She won't say what exactly but it must have been bad. And they're out now, escaped."
"You don't really think Nev's going after them surely?" Dean asked with a horrified look on his face.
"He must be. It's the only thing that makes sense out of what he's doing." Seamus replied.
"But they're Death Eaters!" Dean replied through gritted teeth. "They'll kill him."
"If you-know-who is really back we may all be in for the chop. You're muggle born and I'm half and half. The Death Eaters will be hunting us soon enough." Seamus said knowingly.
"So what do we do?" Dean asked. But he got no answer.
"I heard Harry Potter is going to leading an attack on the Death Eaters tomorrow." A second year Ravenclaw student told the others siting at their table.
"I heard it was Hermione Granger who was going to lead the attack while Harry concentrated on You-Know-Who" said another. Most of the students moved uncomfortable in their seats at even this mention of the Dark Lord.
"Don't be so bloody stupid" an angry Cho Chang spat at her fellow students catching them by surprise.
"Easy Cho," a seventhth year student said, "You know how these rumors get out of hand." He turned to the two gossiping students "Four sixteen year olds against the entire Dark forces. They wouldn't survive. These wild rumours are just that. Besides they just started training. They won't be an attack for a long time, if at all. Mind you they will probably still lose, it's still four against hundreds, perhaps thousands of Death Eaters"
Cho gave him a very unpleasant look.
"Then we have all had it" a tiny little first year girl replied. The entire table turned to look at her. "What?" asked the seventh year. The first year girl was embarrassed her little outburst had drawn everyone's attention but she replied "If Harry Potter and his friends don't win, that would mean the others would, wouldn't it? They would be in charge, the Death Eaters I mean"
"Yes I wouldn't fancy being a student here if this school was taken over by Death Eaters. Snape would be easy compared to them." The seventh year replied.
"No I meant, well I'm muggle born…" the girl's words petered to an end.
The seventh year looked at this tiny little first year and released what she had meant. If You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters win, then muggle borns would be killed, this girl among them. He winced and silence descended.
Tears silently rolled down Cho's face.
"A Muggle! A Muggle teaching at Hogwarts! Wait till father finds out. If he expects me to call him Professor he's got another thing coming." Draco hissed to his two ever present companions.
They were use to his tirades by now and knew their role was not to reply and join in the conversation but to sit there and listen with maybe the occasional nod to signal their acceptance of his position.
"I don't know" Blaise interrupted "I saw a copy of their study program and it looks pretty comprehensive. And Harry Potter is already very good, I mean he managed to get away from…" Blaise stopped himself from saying more when he saw the expression on Draco's face. It didn't do to say too much about Harry Potter if you were in Slytherin unless it was a insult.
"Its oddly quiet in here tonight" Professor Snape observed. He didn't like noise but his innate paranoia didn't like it to be too quiet either.
"Well Severus, what do you expect with everything that's going on." Professor Hooch replied.
Snape regarded her closely for the first time that evening. Her usually untidy hair was brushed back and her face had a large amount of makeup on.
"The muses told me I was needed here." Professor Trelawney voice came from behind Snape.
Snape turned and observed Professor Trelawney as she sat down a few places from him at the staff table. Snape couldn't be sure, it wasn't his usual habit to take much notice of such things but he thought Professor Trelawney also had taken much more care of her appearance than she usually did. //What on earth had gotten into them// he wondered.
"Oh, Professor Bond, there's a seat here" Professor Hooch said indicating the chair next to her as Hogwarts newest staff member arrived. Snape glared at his colleague Professor Hooch's flushed face
"NO!" shrieked Professor Trelawney as she stood up "DON'T SIT THERE! THE PORTENTS!" She then keeled over in a dramatic faint. Professor Bond caught her before she hit the ground. And lifted her back onto her chair. Professor Trelawney came around saying, "Thank you Professor, the gift of the all seeing eye is not an easy one to bear."
"Will you be alright Professor Trelawney" Professor Bond asked her.
"Yes, Yes, and do call me Sybill" Professor Trelawney said. "Perhaps you should stay close Professor, in case I am overwhelmed again."
"Please call me James, Profess… Sybill" Professor Bond said sitting down on the chair between Professor Trelawney and Professor Snape.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Snape had seen enough. All the female staff members were looking at Professor Trelawney jealously and at Professor Bond with a very different look.
Snape heard a muttered comment from behind him and he turned and leant over to Professor Hooch who was staring at Professor Trelawney murderously.
"If I heard a student use those words they would receive a weeks worth of detentions!" Snape told his colleague. Madam Hooch gave him a dirty look in return and turned her attention back to Professor Bond.
"James, how did you find your first day at Hogwarts." Professor Hooch asked him.
"Still getting to know my way around. Those moving staircases for instance…" Professor Bond replied but he was suddenly dumfounded when another member of staff joined the table. "Good God! It's true!"
The others turned around. "Hagrid! You're back." Madam Hooch said to a weary looking Hagrid as he took his usual two chairs at the end of the table. "Good trip?"
"Excellent! Excellent! Just got through telling the Headmaster." Hagrid beamed as he began to ladle food onto his plate. "And how have things been while I was away?"
"We have a new staff member Hagrid. May I introduce Professor Bond, James this is Hagrid, Rebeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds and care of magical creatures teacher. Professor Bond is a muggle Hagrid." Professor Hooch said
"No need to tell me about James Bond, Professor. I ran into my cousin Valentin when I was up north. Told me all about him over a few vodkas." Hagrid extended his hand out towards Professor Bond. James hand was completely lost in Hagrid's huge hand as they shook. "An honour to meet you Professor, even if you did shoot Valentin." Hagrid said cheerfully.
"You shot Hagrid's cousin?" Professor Trelawney said horrified.
"A slight professional disagreement" James replied cryptically.
"Perhaps there's hope for you yet!" Snape said cocking a curious eyebrow.
"Harry was right, you're the spitting image of your cousin, Hagrid, except for the size. You're the second largest man I have ever seen! Don't have any metal teeth do you?" James asked.
"No." Hagrid replied puzzled.
"Just checking." James said, "How was Valentin?"
"Hung over from vodka when I left, mind you so was I. Can't understand it. I only had four." Hagrid said.
"Four vodkas gave you a hangover" James said surprised considering Hagrid's size and knowing Valentin's capacity to drink the stuff.
"Gallons, four gallons. Must be getting old." Hagrid replied completely unfazed by the surprised look on Professor Bond's face. "Anyway, Valentin told me what you had done for young Harry over summer. And now you're here."
"Must every conversation in this school be about Potter?" Snape sneered.
"You'll have to forgive Professor Snape, James. He and Harry's dad didn't get along when they were here at school together. And some like to hang onto old grudges." Hagrid said giving Professor Snape a warning look.
"Speaking of Harry, where is he?" Hagrid asked.
"Harry, hurry up! I'm staving!" Ron complained.
"I'm coming" Harry said as he came down the steps and all four of the blue uniformed students entered the Great Hall for a richly deserved dinner after a very hard first day of training.
"Hagrid's back!" Hermione gasped when she saw the staff table and she waved to him.
"Can't we eat first and see him later?" Ron complained.
"No" Hermione said bluntly and the look on her face told Ron not to argue.
They all started for the staff table but Harry stopped at the Ravenclaw table as they passed.
"Cho, have you been crying? What's wrong?" Harry said as he sat down next to her and gently wiped the lone tear on Cho's cheek away. She smiled at him. This is the first time he had every physically touched her. She took his hand in hers.
"There's nothing wrong, Harry." Cho told him with a smile appearing on her face. Harry sat there quietly looking into those deep dark eyes and Cho looked into the bright green pools that seemed to change shade constantly.
"We're going up to see Hagrid," Harry finally managed to say, "Why don't you come too." And Cho smiled her assent and hand in hand they got up and walked up to the staff table where the others already were. Harry was the happiest he had ever been holding Cho's hand. He didn't care that everyone in the Great Hall noticed it.
"Come on George, we might as well get this over with" Fred complained to his brother.
"Oh alright." George said following Fred into the Great Hall.
Their friend Lee Jordan looked up as the twins sat down. "Guys, you won't get away with that!" he said.
"With what?" George said bluntly.
"Impersonating prefects, no one's going to believe…" Lee stopped realising the twins looked far too serious and unhappy for this to be a joke, "Oh no! They couldn't… they wouldn't, HA HA HA" Lee Jordan broke into laughter. Other students were beginning to notice what Lee was laughing at. Their reaction was a mix of puzzlement, shock and amusement. The laughter was slowly spreading along the Gryffindor table.
"Come on Fred" George said giving up on dinner, "let go see Professor Bond and find out what he wants us to do tomorrow."
Their walk up to the staff table was the longest they could remember. More and more students were noticing the badges on the Weasley twin's robes. Finally they arrived at the staff table just behind Harry, Cho, Ron, Hermione and Neville.
"Blimey!" Hagrid bellowed as he saw the badges, "Prefects! You two! Never!"
The others turned quickly around. Ron's mouth went wide. "NO!" he gasped.
"Yes and it's your fault." Fred snapped.
"What!" Ron replied.
"George and I have to keep an eye on you and the others. Make sure you don't go and get into trouble before your training is finished." Fred told a horrified Ron.
"So you just watch your step!" George joined in.
Ron was so hot you could have fried an egg on his face. "I don't need you to watch me. Both of you can go to hell!"
"We're your brothers and we're not going to let you do anything rash." Fred was now yelling loud enough for the entire hall to hear.
"So you might as well get use to having us around," George yelled.
"Yes, Percy!" Ron yelled back into Georges face. He had gone too far with that comment and the three brothers were about to come to blows.
"Easy, guys, easy!" Harry said stepping between the arguing brothers. "That's what I like about you Weasleys, the love you have for each other, even if it is the loud type." Harry was holding Ron and his brothers apart.
"Come on, lets go eat, Ron" Hermione said as she dragged him away with Neville following.
"Did you hear what he called me?" George said outraged. "I'm not at all like Percy."
"Preposterous! Right Harry?" Fred said.
The look on Harry's face told the twins his answer. "You just care about Ron and you aren't use to being the older ones who are responsible for others. Just lighten it up a bit… Actually you need to lighten up a lot." Harry hand in hand with Cho walked back to the Ravenclaw table.
"Harry's right! We're turning into Percy," Fred said horrified, "Its these badges!"
"They're evil!" George said looking down at the badge on his robe suspiciously.
The twins turned to the staff table to talk to Professor Bond but what greeted them was a table of staff members who had heard and seen everything that had just happened. All of the staff members were struggling to maintain straight faces and not laugh. Even Professor Snape had a misshapen curl of the lip that almost resembled a smile on his face. Hagrid lost his battle of self-control and his booming laugh echoed around the hall.
"Oh now, don't look like that!" Hagrid told the twins when he had gotten back into control. "You should have seen your faces when Ron called you Percy. Funniest thing I've seen since you put toad in Professor Snape's… I shouldn't have said that, I should not have said that!" Hagrid fumbled while Snape's usual look of mistrust reappeared on his face.
"You are the new assistants the headmaster assigned to me?" Professor Bond cut in before Snape could ask his question about exactly what Hagrid had meant by his slip of the tongue.
"Yes Sir" George and Fred said in unison, keen to distance themselves from Snape as soon as possible.
"We best go to my office and discuss your duties." Professor Bond said extracting himself from a clinging Professor Trelawney.
On the Slytherin table, Crabbe and Goyle waited for the inevitable vicious monologue on the spectacle the Weasleys had just made of themselves from Draco but it never came. Draco Malfoy sat silently, lost in his own thoughts and if Crabbe or Goyle had dared to look him directly in the eye they might have seen something rare, something very rare indeed. Draco was on the edge of crying. Without a word he got up and left before anyone noticed.
Harry sat down at the Ravenclaw table next to Cho. "I hope none of you mind if I have dinner here tonight?" Far from minding the intrusion, the Ravenclaw students were thrilled having Harry Potter at their table. They were all listening carefully to hear what he was saying.
"Talking about dinner," Harry said to Cho but she stopped him saying quietly, "Later"
"Actually Harry" Cho said winking mischievously at Harry, "perhaps you can settle a argument for us. Will you or Hermione be leading the attack tomorrow?"
Most of the students around the table dropped their forks in shock.
Harry suppressed a laugh, and trying to sound serious for his audience he said "Well, …"