"No, Padma," Harry called over the noise, "you have to make one swift movement with your wand –don´t hesitate in the middle of the spell!"
Padma sighed in frustration. Michael Corner, her partner for this evening´s practise, grimaced. Her curse had not tied his hands together like it should but instead made the muscles in his arms cramp. For the sixth time in a row.
Zacharias was in charge of the DA lesson today and while Harry found the curses he had chosen really useful and the research very thorough it was clear that the Hufflepuff wasn´t a great teacher. It didn´t help that Ron had made some snide comments under his breath during Zacharias explanation, which sent half of the DA snickering and caused them to miss some crucial parts.
Harry sighed. DA members were hexing each other everywhere. In times like these he wished he had the intimidating presence Snape had. Well, actually maybe not. But it would surely be helpful to keep some order. He only hoped they managed to reverse all the misspelled curses –he really didn´t want to explain to Madam Pomfrey why Dennis Creevey, for example, had his arms merged together.
He made another round through the room. At last it seemed the members were getting a hang on the spell. He watched Ginny bind Dean successfully and Dean scowling as he caught Harry´s eyes. Parvati smiled brightly at him and waved her wand swiftly without looking at Lavender. Harry remembered the last meeting, and was glad he had managed to teach her the spell she said she hadn´t understood in the common room instead of some lovely, lonely place like she had apparently hoped. He quickly moved on, seeing from the corner of his eyes that Lavender´s hair tied itself in messy knots.
"OK, everyone, it´s time to stop!" Harry moved over to Zacharias. "Good curses you chose. I know we didn´t get through with all of them but I hope you´ll teach the rest next time." The Hufflepuff nodded once haughtily and was the first to leave. Michael Corner stayed behind when everyone else filtered out. Harry was happy to see Dennis gesturing with his hands separately.
"Can I help you? Do your arms still hurt?"
Michael Corner shook his head. "No, it´s okay. I just –hm, I thought I´ll let you know." He quickly averted his eyes again. "Maybe you´ve heard the rumours last year... About me and Cho dating... after you two had broken up –erm, it´s not really true, well, maybe a bit... -OK, I´ll get to the point. We were dating a bit last year but I think she did it more to get some reaction out of you, maybe to make you jealous, or to show you that she doesn´t need you, or something like that. We weren´t really together and she ignored me completely this year."
Harry didn´t know what to say. He hadn´t spoken with Michael about much beside school and DA business and here the Ravenclaw told him about his love life with Cho. His confusion must have shown on his face because the other boy continued hurriedly.
"The point is you didn´t react to it all and she is not too happy about it. I overheard her saying to one of her friends that she would make you realise that you can´t just drop her like that."
"I didn´t drop her! She was the one who-"
"I know, I know! I think she expected you to come back to her, not to give her up. She doesn´t like it if you don´t pay attention to her. The thing is she sounded really serious about it, and I thought I´d warn you."
On his way to the common room Harry thought about this new insight in the girl he had had a crush on for the past two years. He hadn´t really gotten to know her much. And now she was planning whatever to get him back to fancying her. He snorted. Last year he would have burst with happiness to hear that. He somehow couldn´t bring himself to worry too much about Michael´s warning –what could Cho do to him? Compared to Voldemort an ex-girlfriend, or whatever she was, plotting against you simply wasn´t that scary.
########################################################################
September turned to October and life at Hogwarts settled into it´s usual routine. Quidditch training began heating up for the match against Slytherin in the beginning of November, Snape was his usual unpleasant self during Defence lessons but surprisingly never mentioned Harry´s outburst or gave any indication that it had ever happened and Professor Sanfter kept telling Hermione to be careful and 'Watch the Boy-Who-Lived to learn how to brew a potion correctly'. Harry had given up to tell Sanfter that his potions were only correct because Hermione brewed them, and Hermione left the lessons in an increasingly worse mood.
One Monday finally brought word from Remus. After feeding the grey owl some of his breakfast Harry unrolled the letter.
Dear Harry,
Yes, I was a bit surprised to hear from you but I´m glad you wrote me. I enjoyed our talks over the summer as well and I hope you know that I am here whenever you need someone to talk to.
I promise you that I will try and stay safe as good as I can, and please, Harry, try to do the same. You have a certain ability to attract trouble and I will sleep better knowing that you at least try to avoid it. I don´t want to lose you either.
Henry Rookwood is indeed the brother of Algernon Rookwood, who you fought at the Ministry. However he has been working for the Ministry for over thirty years. During Voldemort´s first rise he was one of the highest Death Eater prosecutors and had great influence at the Ministry. But about a month before Voldemort´s downfall his wife was murdered, apparently in revenge, and he has not been the same since. He lost his influence in the Ministry and I haven´t heard about him until Fudge appointed him Liaison Officer.
I know you had some bad experiences with Umbridge last year but I hope you don´t get into trouble with Rookwood, just because he is from the Ministry. He is said to be rather ruthless if you cross his path.
Tonks wants me to write you to have some fun and Moody reminds you to watch your back. Molly sends her love and says to be careful with some package the twins want to send you.
I´d like to hear from you again and hope my answer about Rookwood satisfied your curiosity, again please stay out of trouble,
and take care,
Remus
When Harry told Ron and Hermione on their way to Defence what Remus had written about Rookwood Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "It fits."
Noticing their enquiring looks she elaborated. "Why he´s asking about Snape. He´s looking for Death Eaters, and after what happened to his wife who could blame him?"
As they reached the doors of the Great Hall they saw Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, blocking Neville´s path. Harry heard Ron beside him growl and felt his own anger rise. The Slytherin hadn´t bothered him so far after the threat on the train but apparently the same didn´t go for Neville.
"- maybe they forgot, hm, Toadie-boy? Maybe they forgot they had a son... Not that it matters much –if I had a son like you I´d rather forget about him too!"
Harry saw Hermione grab for her wand and knew she, too, was remembering last year´s Christmas in St. Mungo´s.
"What´s it like in St. Mungo´s ward for the mentally deranged and barmy? Do they like it there? You know you can get a ward right next to them if you keep hanging around with scum like Potter!-"
Harry opened his mouth, Ron raised his fists and Hermione aimed her wand but before any of them could act Neville suddenly straightened up. They couldn´t see his face because he had his back to them; but Malfoy shrank back. And with a voice Harry had never before heard from him Neville spat: "I rather have parents in St. Mungo´s than in Azkaban!"
There was a ringing silence around them as people stared at Neville facing a flinching Malfoy. Then Neville turned around in a swirl of his robes and stormed out the main entrance onto the grounds. Only after the doors had slammed shut Malfoy seemed to realise all the students still staring at him and beat a hasty retreat.
"I´ll go after him." It was a split second decision and Harry didn´t know if Neville wanted to see anyone right now, but wanted at least to make sure that Neville knew they were there for him. He half expected Hermione to object because they had Snape in a few minutes, but she was still watching the place Malfoy had just vacated with absolute loathing, muttering "How dare he! That foul, disgusting..." Ron gave her some unsure side glances and then motioned for Harry to go on.
Outside the weather was stormy, with dry leaves and torn clouds blown around by the wind. Harry looked around, searching for Neville. Maybe at the greenhouses, Neville always liked it there, but on the other hand it wasn´t a good place to be angry, the sensitive plants were best approached with calm and patience. Before he could make up his mind however Harry heard a splattering sound from the lake and walking down there he saw Neville throw another stone in the water as hard as he could.
"Neville..." Harry hesitated. Neville looked terribly upset and he didn´t know what to say.
"Leave me alone, Harry, just leave me alone!" Neville didn´t even turn back but ferociously kicked another stone in the lake as if he imagined it to be Malfoy´s head.
"Neville-"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Neville screamed at the top of his lungs and spun around to face Harry. His face was flushed and his cheeks wet, and in his eyes was nothing but fury and a wild, raw pain.
SPLASH! Neville stopped dead and Harry stared shocked. Neville was drenched from head to toe in dirty water and some water plants hung from his hair and shoulders.
Turning to the lake they both saw the giant squid, in one of its arms a stone, with another rubbing its head. It slowly sank back under water again.The stone landed a few meters beside them on the grass.
Neville took a shaking breath and sank to the ground. He buried his face in his hands and made a choking noise that sounded like a suppressed sob.
"He´s right. They have forgotten that they have a son. -Why them? Why just my parents? It was even after Voldemort´s downfall! Why did the Death Eaters have to come to our house? It makes no sense, what did my family do to them?
I –sometimes I´m furious with my parents because they don´t recognise me. I think if they just tried a bit harder... I know that´s rubbish of course, they can´t help it. But still –that blank look on my mother´s face when I tried to hug her once ... when she stares at the ceiling while I talk with her..."
He pulled his knees up to his chest. "There are better times, too, of course. That day last Christmas she seemed to recognise me bit –or at least she seemed to remember that she was supposed to recognise me. Gran says there is nothing that can help them, that their death will be a release... She says I have to go on living, to put it behind me... But I can´t. I simply can´t give up hope –that some day some time some miracle happens..."
Neville whispered the last part so quietly that Harry barely caught it. They were silent for a long time.
"I think I might know why they came for your parents." For the second time Harry recounted the prophecy and what Dumbledore had told him about it. "So they probably knew their master wasn´t truly dead, and went to your parents to find out what exactly the whole prophecy said... And your parents refused to give in, refused to tell and give them a chance of finding out about Voldemort´s fate. They resisted, even if it cost them a terrible price."
The silence stretched even longer this time until finally Harry stood up. He cast a drying charm over Neville, who looked lost in his thoughts, and turned to head back up to the castle.
"They made a hard choice, a brave choice, and they stood by it." Neville gave no sign that he had heard him. "I think you´ve got more in common with them than you realise, Neville."
########################################################################
Harry returned to the castle in time to go to Charms, leaving Neville by the lake. Of course they had both missed Defence and he made sure to avoid Snape on his way to the Charms classroom. Neville didn´t turn up until lunch and then his face showed that his thoughts were still somewhere else, so no one bothered him.
That is, no one but Snape. The professor strode in during the meal and after one brief survey of the Gryffindor table spotted whom he had looking for. "Potter! Longbottom! May I ask why you deemed it not necessary to show up for class today?"
Before Harry could think of a convincing lie –not that Snape would believe it anyway –Neville answered: "I was sitting outside by the lake and thinking. Harry wanted me to come back in."
Harry felt like he couldn´t take much more surprises from Neville today. There he was, speaking calmly to a teacher that had made him quiver yesterday.
"And what, pray tell, was so important that you had to think about it the whole morning?"
"That I´m proud of my parents." Neville looked Snape into the eyes. "Sir."
The professor seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then pulled himself together. "Be that as it may, Longbottom, you missed class today. Ten points from Gryffindor and detention this evening."
Neville nodded and turned back to his plate as Snape walked to the Head table.
Ron swallowed the mouthful he had forgotten about during the scene. "Neville! That was bloody awesome! What has gotten into you?! He was so stunned he even forgot to punish Harry!"
Neville just shrugged. "Think I better go and apologise to the other teachers for missing their classes."
Hermione rounded on Harry as soon as Neville had left. "Harry! What did you say to him?"
"Oh, just the truth." Harry felt his smile grow wider as he thought about the change in Neville´s behaviour. He was sure he had made the right choice about telling him the prophecy.
Over the students heads he suddenly caught Dumbledore´s questioning look and nodded once in response.
########################################################################
In the evening Harry waited in the common room for Neville to return. It was getting late –Snape seemed to have gotten over his shock about his most easily intimidated student standing up to him and kept Neville really long in detention.
Finally Neville stumbled through the portrait hole, covered in cobwebs and clearly exhausted. "Are you waiting for me, Harry? You needn´t have."
"Yeah, but I wanted to. Listen," Harry looked around the room but there were only two third years, dozed off over their chess game, "I need to say some more things about what I told you earlier. You can´t talk about it with anyone, or let anyone know that you know about it.-"
"Harry, my parents lost their minds to keep it quiet –of course I won´t talk about it!"
"Right, yeah, of course. And, well, you know, I would understand it if you want to keep some distance from me now...-"
Neville took a deep breath and interrupted him again. "I, too, made my choice. And I, too, will stand by it!"
Harry saw the determination in Neville´s eyes as they both turned and headed for their dormitory. "I didn´t want to insult you, I said the same to Ron and Hermione. It´s just that I feel you should have the chance to back out if you want to."
########################################################################
The next day, Tuesday, didn´t start as eventful. Malfoy, who had started the whole scene the day before, was keeping his head down at the Slytherin table and didn´t once look in Neville´s direction. Though Harry noticed that he was sitting just across Graham Cole and occasionally whispering with him. Harry had not spoken with Cole since their encounter with Peter Doves, he hadn´t watched the Map anymore or even looked at the Slytherin during Herbology. He didn´t know why but felt strangely betrayed by Cole´s behaviour.
According to the rumours Peter Doves was on his way to recovery but didn´t know anything about what happened to him. Madam Pomfrey was fuming and had apparently sworn to have everyone guilty of "putting another student into this miscreant cabinet" cleaning the bedpans in the hospital wing until graduation.
"Ouch!" Harry turned his attention back to his own table and realised a tiny, red-brown owl pecking sharply at his fingers. Again mail for him! Sometimes he spent months without getting a single letter and now he got mail two days in a row!
"Wha´ssit?"
The owl held out the foot with the attached letter and Harry realised that to its other foot a package was tied. Unrolling the parchment he read:
Dear Mr Potter
We are absolutely delighted to inform you that your investment in our business has so far returned the original sum of your investment, 1000 Galleons.
According to your generous wishes we will take the return and reinvest it into our shop at Number 93, Diagon Alley. We have already been able to rent the premises and will soon open the best equipped, most adventurous and fun loving Joke Shop the world has ever seen.
-Hiya Harry, so far the official part of our letter –we had to learn some business slang to get it contact with our suppliers. –"Boomslang Snake Farm" wouldn´t answer us after we sent them a hissing and slithering parchment, they thought it was a joke! Can you imagine that!-
Anyway, we set up a new vault for you at Gringotts, Number 3027, where any of your money will go that we don´t need for the shop.
And since you´re now officially our partner (don´t worry, officially doesn´t mean we´ll announce it in the Daily Prophet –though it would be some good promotion!) we´re sending you our newest invention –the Gluey Jelly Gum.
We trust you to find out by yourself what it does, just promise us you will use it on your cousin next summer, since it was him who gave us the inspiration!
The Proud and Pranking Owners of Weasley´s Wizarding Wheezes,
Fred and George
So this was the package Mrs Weasley had wanted to warn him about. Curiously Harry opened it, all the while careful so it wouldn´t suddenly explode in his face. He didn´t think the twins would want to blow up their partner, but then you never knew with them.
Nothing happened, in the box lay just about a dozen absolutely innocent looking gum balls, and Harry remembered George poking at one of Dudley's old toys at Privet Drive on his birthday.
"What are they?" Hermione stretched to touch the balls.
"Don´t!" Ron grabbed her hand. "Are you mad? Don´t ever touch anything from the twins!"
Then he seemed to notice that he was holding her hand and, blushing, dropped quickly.
"Right, erm, shall we go to Transfiguration then?" Not looking at Harry or Hermione Ron stood up and grabbed his bag. Seeing the unreadable look on Hermione´s face Harry decided not to comment on the fact that they had still over fifteen minutes till the beginning of the lesson.
Transfiguration passed with Ron deliberately partnering with a Ravenclaw and Hermione hiding behind her notes, which left Harry to concentrate on his studies as well. Which were actually quite interesting –they were studying to animate inanimate objects and Harry wondered if that was what Dumbledore had done in his duel against Voldemort at the Ministry. The statues sure were inanimate objects, but from the way McGonagall explained it and the difficulties Harry had with animating a tin soldier to make a step it was terribly difficult and required lots of concentration. And the Headmaster had controlled four statues and at the same time duelled...
Focusing his whole mind on the unmoving tin soldier and willing it to step forward Harry nearly growled in frustration. This particular spell surely would come in handy in a duel, he would try and teach it to the DA –if it wasn´t just that damn difficult! Narrowing his eyes he commanded again Spiritu!
And to his astonishment the toy lifted its left foot –and fell flat on its face.
"Mr Potter! Excellent work! Ten points to Gryffindor." McGonagall had one of her rare smiles on her face and proudly nodded at Harry´s soldier.
"But it didn´t even make one step!" Harry protested to Hermione when McGonagall had moved on.
She rolled her eyes at him. "I take it you didn´t listen, then? We weren´t supposed to succeed with that spell today. This is one of the most difficult spells of Transfiguration, many wizards never manage it –Professor McGonagall just wanted us to get a feeling for the soldier and how the spell could work."
She gave him a piercing look. "How did you make it work?"
"Er, dunno? I just really wanted it..."
Hermione rolled her eyes again at his clueless answer and obviously decided that her time would be spent better by practising the spell herself than expect a reasonable answer from him.
By the end of the lesson Harry was convinced it had been a fluke because his soldier didn´t as much as twitch for the rest of the period.
After that mind numbing concentration Harry was happy to meet with Neville for a considerably less strenuous time in Herbology, studying from their textbooks the properties of a plant that was so rare not even Professor Sprout had ever seen one.
When Harry packed his bag at the end of the lesson he was suddenly pushed aside roughly.
"Watch were you´re standing, you´re blocking the path!" And Harry watched disbelievingly as Graham Cole left the greenhouse. There was plenty of room to walk out without jostling him.
"Don´t mind them, just the Slytherins being their usual self."
Harry nodded at Neville but wondered what that particular Slytherin was up to. Cole had ignored him since the Vanishing Cabinet evening, he had not given any indication that it ever happened, and this was the first time he had actually said anything to Harry in public. But why?
Maybe he felt compelled to behave like this because of his apparent new friendship with Malfoy? Without really watching them Harry had gotten the impression that the two Slytherins were hanging out together more. Maybe Cole was trying to impress Malfoy, or Malfoy´s attitude was rubbing off.
While he had been thinking Harry nearly walked into one of the two people on his mind. "Watch it, Potter, or is your head too big now to..."
Harry decided for once not to listen to whatever insult Malfoy would come up with this time and quickly walked into the Potions classroom before the Slytherin could finish his sentence.
Which seemed to anger Malfoy even more, obviously he didn´t like being ignored. Harry sighed. It wasn´t going to be a quiet Potions class.
Like every lesson since the first disastrous one Professor Sanfter partnered Harry with Hermione. "Just watch the Boy-Who-Lived, dear, and don´t do anything on your own. I´m sure you can manage to brew a potion with his help, dear." Hermione just pressed her lips together and took out her potion´s ingredients without looking at Sanfter.
Harry had to give her that she was still handling the Professor remarkably well. He had snapped in the third week, after constantly being called the Boy-Who-Lived. While it seemed to annoy Malfoy to no end (which was amusing to watch, as he ruined several of his potions and even blew up his cauldron once), it annoyed Harry at least as much.
But it hadn´t made the least change. The next lesson Sanfter had started the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing as if nothing had happened. Ron claimed that Sanfter didn´t remember anything from one lesson to the next, and beside the constant watching of Hermione Harry had to agree with his friend.
"Here are your assignments from last week, some of you did really excellent work." Sanfter beamed at Harry, who ground his teeth. Not surprisingly his parchment bore a large red O. He knew he didn´t deserve an O, he had written the whole thing while he was half asleep after a DA meeting, with borrowed notes from Ron.
"Now, today we are going to brew the Nox Velox Potion –It will slow down the drinker for about a day, therefore the name. But the real benefit is the relaxed state it leaves one in. It is sometimes taken by professional Quidditch players a day before their game, so they will be relaxed when it starts. However it´s really unfortunate if not brewed correctly and the effect lasts longer than a day... Please begin now."
Hermione began to read the instructions while Harry prepared some of the ingredients but he mostly kept an eye on Malfoy. Exploding cauldrons were a daily occurrence and they didn´t want to risk being bathed in some substance no one could even identify.
Sure enough halfway through the lesson Hannah Abbott´s and Justin Finch-Fletchley´s cauldron melted, splattering them both as well as their immediate neighbours. It looked like they had at least been halfway correct with their potion –all the victims were moving with utmost slowness. On the other hand none of them seemed relaxed.
It took Harry only one look at Goyle´s grinning face to know who the culprits were. He sighed as Sanfter started squealing and sending students to the Hospital Wing. It was no use to point out to the professor who had done it. He would just say something along the lines of "Now, now, dear, I´m sure they would never do something like that. It probably just exploded because they chopped the frog liver too carelessly."
Harry really wondered why Dumbledore had employed Sanfter; as much as he hated to admit it even Potions with Snape had been better than that.
"Oh dear, oh dear, maybe you better finish your potions next time. We better clean this before anyone else comes into contact with it. Please be careful when you leave, and could the Boy-Who-Lived please remain behind."
Great! Now he got to clean up the mess Malfoy had created. The Slytherin smirked at him as he walked out. Ron caught Harry´s furious look and shrugged sympathetically. At his side Hermione sighed: "I´d stay and help you, but I doubt Professor Sanfter would let me anywhere near the potion." Harry thought he heard a definitely sarcastic undertone in the way Hermione said 'Professor'.
"Oh dear, this will take a while I fear. Nox Velox with acorn powder... What were they thinking?"
Sanfter was right –to remove the potion would take a while. It sticked to the floor and the tables like glue and hardened as it cooled down. Even vanishing spells could only clean away very small patches at a time.
"I´m getting too old for this... Why did I agree to Albus´ suggestion? I should have known..."
"Erm, Professor? If you don´t mind me asking, why did Professor Dumbledore ask you to teach? I mean with Professor Snape he already had a Potions teacher." With any other teacher Harry wouldn´t have dared to ask that but Sanfter he just couldn´t take seriously.
"Oh, but he needed Professor Snape to teach Defence against the Dark Arts, he said that he couldn´t find any other candidate for the job, seems no one wants it... And Albus was rather insistent that he had the post covered, he said something about the Ministry having the right to appoint someone if he couldn´t find a suitable candidate... wonder what´s so bad about that though... Ah, but I wish I could have enjoyed my retirement longer."
"What were you doing before your retirement? Were you teaching?"
"No, no, dear, I was working for a chain of apothecaries, inventing new potions for them. And of course I spent a lot of time at my brother´s asylum."
"Asylum?"
"Oh, yes, my brother had an asylum for homeless youths, and I helped out there a lot."
Harry raised his eyebrows. He could not imagine Sanfter working with a lot of teenagers who had been living on the streets. The teacher took his disbelieving stare for interest and continued.
"It was the only one in Britain, for wizards and witches that is, and he had always about twenty of them living there." Sanfter lowered his voice. "Of course there were more during the rise of You-Know-Who –those that had lost their parents and ran away from their relatives or orphanages, and those whose parents wanted them to join the Death Eaters... I must tell you I was never again so relieved and happy as the day you defeated You-Know-Who. You were the hero of everyone at the asylum."
Harry shifted embarrassed. "I really didn´t do much... It was just luck. –What happened with the asylum?"
Sanfter stared at his hands, on his face such a deep sadness Harry regretted to have asked. "It burned down last year. Luckily most of the children were on a trip, but some had stayed at home... like my brother... The Ministry arrived too late to save anyone, they couldn´t even salvage the bodies. The Aurors detected some Dark Magic around the remains of the house but they never found out what happened."
"I´m sorry..." Harry whispered horrified.
"I... I think we´re finished here, maybe you should go to the Great Hall now, or you´ll miss dinner..."
Harry nodded silently as he left but Sanfter continued to stare at his hands.
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Sanfter´s words continued ringing through his mind the whole evening. He gave Ron and Hermione a slightly abridged version of what the teacher had told him and then went to his spot on the south tower. ...'but some had stayed at home'... He needed to clear his mind before his weekly Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore.
When he put his hands into the pockets of his cloak against the cold wind he felt a crumbled parchment. Curious what it was since he could not remember putting it in the pocket, Harry pulled the piece of parchment out and smoothed it.
Need to talk with you. Meet me the same time and place we met last time. Don´t tell anyone. -The slimy, evil Slytherin
A.N.: Yeah, I´m back! Hope to return to updating once a week. -Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!
A.N.: Now, this is the third time I upload this chapter! Will it stay up this time? One wonders...