Something Strange

"Why isn't he back yet?" Hermione asked as Ron dug through Harry's trunk.

"Dunno, just keep looking out for him," Ron said. Hermione shrugged and looked out the window again.

"He left yesterday, he should be back by now," she said again.

"Hm, what's this," Ron tugged a chain from the bottom of the trunk and it came up with a small crescent attached to it. "Harry wears jewelry," he said.

"No he doesn't, let me have a look at that," Ron tossed the chain over his head and it landed at Hermione's feet.

"I'm going to keep looking," he said. Hermione picked up the necklace.

"I've never seen this before," she said, holding it up to the light. "It's pretty. Why would Harry have it?" Ron shrugged.

"Everything seems in order here. Books, clothes, papers..." he thought for a moment. "Letters!"

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Letters, he never throws away the letters from that 'Dymphna' person," Ron said. He continued looking through the trunk until he came upon a small stack of letters. "Here they are," he said.

"Let's see then," Hermione said. Ron brought the letters to the bed and gave half to Hermione. After a few minutes of looking through the letters, Ron put them down.

"Moot," he said.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"There's nothing, it's all moot," Ron said.

"No, that's in one of the letters!" Hermione said. She looked through the pile again and picked one up. "It says, 'Hippolyta Foley-- a Black Fury from Worchester-- made a big appearence at the moot. She's the Alpha Female of the Black Furies, I'm sure you've heard of her, right? Krischnan says that the Get Alpha is trying to get in good with her, to no avail.'" Hermione said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ron asked.

"Alpha Female is a term used for wolf packs Ron," Hermione said. "I have to do some research. Fix the room," she said. Ron looked at the room, he had made a bit of a mess.

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"I think I liked you more when you were gone in the head," Mafalda said. "Well, I liked your room a lot better, now it smells like the jacks,"

"Do you have a reason to be here, Mafalda?" Fi asked.

"Seriously, the place is a tip. You ought to clean it up," Mafalda said.

"No," Fi said stubbornly. "Now lay off,"

"Why were you mad?" Mafalda asked.

"I was not mad," Fi said.

"Why did your room smell clean then?" Mafalda asked.

"Because I cleaned it, why is everyone so surprised about that? Keavy right had a heartattack and Felan thought I was sick," she said, blowing on something. There were more scratching sounds.

"You're drawing again?" Mafalda asked.

"Lay off,"

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No,"

"Not even breakfast?"

"Go away,"

"It's the most important meal of the day,"

"Out," Fi said. Mafalda heard her tap the pencil against the floor. She copyed the sounds with her fingers. Fi tapped her pencil again, and Mafalda copied the sounds again. Then she heard Fi jump up. "I'm going to get a drink, don't touch anything." Mafalda waited a few seconds until the footsteps were gone, and then got up and followed the smell of led to a stack of papers. She grabbed a few and ran off to Felan's cave.

"Felan!" she yelled.

"What do you want?" Felan asked. Mafalda sniffed.

"Is Harry here too?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"See what you can make of them," Mafalda dropped the papers on the floor and heard some scurrying.

"What are they?" Harry asked.

"Fi's drawings," Mafalda said. "I took them just now,"

"You're brave in a way I will never know," Felan said. "Sit," Mafalda sat down and felt something furry sit paw her knee.

"Felan,"

"Don't worry, it's just a cat," Felan said. Mafalda sighed in relief.

"You know, I've always wondered, there're plenty of colour crayons in the storage room. Why doesn't she ever use those?" Felan asked. There was silence in which Mafalda concluded that Harry must have shrugged. Then someone rang a bell from the other side of the caves.

"What's that?" Mafalda asked.

"Oh my god," Harry said. "Does that mean what I think it does?" he asked. Felan nodded solemnly.

"Harry, you watch the cat. I have to go to class," he said. "Wait a second, you're here too. That means you have to go to your classes as well," Felan said.

"Well, I've forgotten what class we have now," Harry said.

"Tough luck, it's Special Training," Felan said. "You're going to be a Theurge right? So aren't you with Old Tumbles?" he asked.

"Fine, I'm coming," Harry said. "Don't you go to classes too, Mafalda?" he asked.

"Only in Shannon," she said. "I'll watch the cat here,"

Two hours later, Harry walked back from 'Special Training'. His eyes wide and his brain overloaded, the four others in his class were in the same state. He suddenly felt pity for Fi, who was a Philodox and was probably still being taught by Toliver Wheedin, who was known for being very rough on his students.

"Howya, Harry," Harry turned around, fully expecting to see Mafalda. It wasn't Mafalda, but Fi.

"Been spending a little too much time with Mafalda?" he asked.

"She grows on you," Fi said. Something's different about her, said a voice in Harry's head. She was talking more and more like Mafalda everyday but there was something else that he couldn't put his finger on...

"Did you change your hair?" he asked. That was it, the hair. There was something about her hair.

"No," she said curtly. "How could I change my hair?"

"Dunno, just seems... different," Harry said. "Have you forgiven Felan yet?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Don't plan to for a while,"

"Do you remember what you got in a fight over?" Harry asked. Fi shrugged. That meant no.

"I don't like remembering things like those," she said. "So I forget,"

"What--"

"I've got to go... laundry," Fi said quickly, she walked away almost before she stopped talking.

"But SHE never does laundry," Felan said, when Harry told him. Felan was still shuffling through the papers that Mafalda stole.

"I know," Harry said.

"God forbid she starts cooking," Felan said.

"She was cooking though," Mafalda said. Felan jumped back at the sound of her voice.

"Where'd you come from?" he asked.

"Do you have a cold or something? I walked in five minutes ago!" Mafalda said. Felan looked towards Harry.

"Really?" he whispered to Harry. Harry nodded.

"Thought you knew," he said. He turned to Mafalda. "She's started cooking?" he asked.

"Three days ago. I just thought she was hungry, true I've never heard her cook before..."

"No one has," Felan said. "She always managed to avoid her chores,"

"She did manage to get sick at convenient times," Harry said.

"Mostly though, all she does is draw," Mafalda said. Felan raised his eyebrows as he looked at one picture.

"Look at this," he said, handing the paper to Harry.

"What is it?" Mafalda asked.

"It's a big black cloak from what I can see," Harry said. "Only it's standing,"

"And it's got a tree branch for a hand," Felan said. "Looks like one of your kind of creatures,"

"If it is a magical thing, I've never seen it before." Harry said. "I'll take it to Hermione, see if she knows what it is," Harry heard Mafalda snort. "What?" he asked.

"Probably doesn't have the brain capacity to remember," Mafalda said. Felan looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He narrowed his eyes. "You know something we don't,"

"Tell us," Harry said. Mafalda shrugged.

"I just don't think that this is what we're supposed to be focusing on here," she said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Exactly what I said," Mafalda said. "After all, Beltane's coming up and we need to get things done, so we're ready." Felan sighed.

"Listen, bowsie, I'm flah'ed out of you doddering around like this," Felan said. "And I don't fancy milling an eight year old, so tell us what'cher on about," Mafalda got up and pointed down at... the spot about a foot away from Felan.

"I will in me ring, puss face!" she yelled, and walked out.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Felan scowled.

"She's been hanging around spewing nonsense since she got here, it's annoying," Felan said. "Mentaller," he growled. "So now, we've got to decipher what Mafalda said-- knowing her it was something important--, teach Miss Kitty how to bow and--"

"Where is the cat?" Harry asked. Felan bowed his head.

"Oh god,"

"I'm heading back to school," Harry said. "People might start to worry," he said.

"Yeah, and I'll look for the pussy," Felan said.

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When Harry got back to Hogwarts, it was already getting dark. He decided to skip dinner and head up to his room for some sleep, when he got up there he saw Ron jump and shove something under his bed.

"Hi, Ron," Harry said. "Have a nice day?"

"Where were you today?" Ron asked. Harry gulped. The spider story would not work in this situation.

"Had a touch of influenza, went down to Madam Pomfrey's for a Pepper-up Potion," he said. "And then I went to... visit Hedwig,"

"Oh," Ron said. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Harry said. Hermione burst into the room with a big book in her hands.

"I've figured it out!" she said happily. She saw Harry and then quieted. "I've figured out what's wrong with you," she said.

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A/N: Okay, trying out a new border thing. (evil fanfiction dot net) I didn't really like the way this chapter turned out, but I was supposed to write it in last chapter and... forgot. So.... And arrives the final chapters, in which I actually start naming them things in which there are no "Being"s or "Having"s. Be happy. I'm not too happy with this chapter's name but oh well. About Mafalda: just to say this, she IS blind and she will STAY blind (none of that "wee! I can see!" stuff), and like Felan said, she's been hanging around and being annoying a lot (Nori: This is important). Her eyes are not uber-important (a la Lily Evans/Harry Potter connection) seeing as how she doesn't use them, and she is not related to Harry in some strange way (only to Felan). IN the next chapter!:

Harry's secret is revealed (Slaith: Finally), and we skip several months in one chapter. Beltane arrives, Mafalda finally leaves (and she won't be back for the whole story) and Boots meets Drunkard (explained in the next chapter) Also in the next chapter: The Black Furies arrive! And they sneer. And sneer. And act superior to the men... So, pleeeeeease review! I'm still hoping for 55 by at least the end of the story.

COOKIES AND MILK TO ALL REVIEWERS! (Or cheese and crackers, whichever one suits your fancy)

PS: (Oh come on, you knew I was going to do one) I still need people (with names preferably) for the next chapter. There's going to be a large influx of characters that I need to name and I'm running thin.