Chapter 21 - Comings and Goings
Harry found Ron and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table arguing again. They stopped and looked up when Harry sat beside them.
"Where were you this morning?" Ron asked curiously.
Hermione looked at Harry questioningly, but didn't say anything. Harry explained about the meeting with Dumbledore.
"So you might get a chance to be an auror still?" Hermione said, getting excited.
Harry shrugged.
"Guess I'll find out soon enough" he said.
They all looked up as they noticed Professor McGonagal was handing out timetables. Harry looked at his timetable and was surprised to find a note in bold letters at the top or the parchment.
"SIXTH YEAR - TEMPORARY TIMETABLE. Note to sixth years: Timetable will be finalised on 14th September"
Harry looked over at Hermione and Ron, who were also looking at the note in confusion.
"Why would we need to change the timetable?" Ron asked.
"I guess they'll tell us in our first class" Harry said.
"We have Care of Magical Creatures first" Hermione informed them. "I wonder what the new teacher will be like?"
Ron and Hermione started to bicker amongst themselves, then the bickering turned to arguing. Harry didn't want to be caught in the middle of an argument that morning, so he looked around the table. He saw Megan sitting on the other side of the table. After trying unsuccessfully to get Ron and Hermione's attention, he gave up and went to sit with Megan.
"What are you doing here all by yourself?" he asked with a grin as he snuck up behind her.
Megan jumped a mile and spun around.
"Harry don't do that!" she exclaimed, going slightly pink in the cheeks. Harry grinned further as he sat down beside her.
"Why aren't you sitting with Ron and Hermione?" she asked curiously.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"They're arguing" he said.
She nodded understandingly and went back to her breakfast. The post came soon afterwards. Though Harry didn't get any mail, he noticed that Megan received two letters. She opened the first one and wrinkled her nose. He looked at her questioningly.
"Prefect meeting after breakfast" she explained.
He nodded as she opened the second letter. After reading the letter she turned back to where the owl had been, but it had flown away already.
"Damn!" she exclaimed.
"What?" He asked.
"I need to reply to this straight away and my owl's gone. I don't have time to go to the owlery because of the prefect meeting." She explained.
"I'll go up to the owlery for you if you want" Harry offered.
Megan looked at him nervously. It was obvious that the importance of replying immediately outweighed any misgivings that she had about letting Harry post the reply for her, because she sighed and nodded. She reached into her bag for a quill and some ink and wrote a quick note on the back of the letter she had received.
"You've seen my owl before haven't you?" she asked him as she finished the note.
He nodded.
"Just tie this to her leg, she'll know who to take it to. Please don't read it" she added before getting up, stuffing one last piece of toast in her mouth, slinging her bag over her shoulder and waving as she left the hall.
Harry watched her follow Collin Creevey out of the hall before getting up himself and making his way to the owlery. As he walked up the last set of stairs, he tripped and dropped the note. As he reached to pick it up, he couldn't help notice what was written on it.
"I need to know when I'm going to see you again. Derrick"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows. He turned the note over to read her reply.
"Friday and Saturday, 10pm"
Harry pondered this as he went up to the owlery. He remembered what Cho had said and wondered if the note had anything to do with that. He sighed as he tied the note to Megan's owl.
"Megan said you'd know where to go" he said to it.
The owl hooted in reply and flew off immediately. He thought it was odd that the owl didn't need any other instructions and figured that it was because it was used to taking notes to Derrick, whoever that was. Harry sighed as he made his way back down the stairs. At this rate, he was going to be late for his first class.
He made his way down towards Hagrid's hut. Hermione and Ron were waiting for him. He saw when he got there that the new teacher had not yet arrived. Harry explained to the other two about the letter. They both looked quite surprised at the news.
"But she's a prefect! She shouldn't be going anywhere after curfew!" Hermione exclaimed.
Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes at her. She glared at them in return.
"There is a guy called Derrick in seventh year. I think he's in Ravenclaw. Maybe she's been seeing him on the side" Ron said.
Harry scowled.
"But this doesn't make sense!" Hermione said. "If she was seeing someone else then why would she give the letter to Harry"
Harry and Ron thought about this for a moment.
"She was reluctant to give the letter to me" Harry said softly.
"But if she was seeing that boy Ron was talking about, then wouldn't it have been easier to just talk to him in person? I mean, he couldn't have been more than about 15 feet away. Even if she was rushing off to a prefect's meeting, she would have had time to do that" Hermione said, matter-of-factly.
"What about what Cho said on the train?" Harry asked.
Hermione gave him a dark look which suggested to Harry that Hermione was less than pleased with Cho at the moment.
"Cho is jealous! Can't you see that Harry? I'll bet that she'd say anything to keep you away from the other girls" Hermione said.
"What makes you say that?" Ron asked curiously.
"Because she talked to me on the train and told me to stay away from him" Hermione said angrily and folded her arms. Ron and Harry were both shocked at this.
"She did what?" Harry said.
"You heard me" Hermione replied. "Now before you go doing anything rash, make sure that you have the full story" Hermione said.
Harry sighed.
"Why don't you just ask her about it?" Ron asked.
Hermione elbowed him.
"Ow! What was that for!" Ron protested.
"If Harry talks to her about it then she'll know he read the letter! She'll think that he doesn't trust her" Hermione said in exasperation.
"Oh, right" Ron mumbled, rubbing his arm.
At that moment their discussion was interrupted as the teacher came up behind them.
"Good Morning class. My name is Professor Newfer and I'll be your Care of Magical Creatures teacher until Hagrid returns" He said in a cheery voice.
"Gather round everyone. Today we'll be learning about Timondeers" The teacher said. "Is there anyone here that can tell me what a Timondeer is?"
Harry looked over at Hermione and was surprised to see that she too, had never heard of one.
"Anyone?" the teacher asked, looking a little surprised that no one could answer him. A hand rose in the back of the class. The teacher smiled.
"And your name is.?" he asked.
"Neville Longbottom sir" Neville said in a shaky voice.
"Alright Neville, what is a Timondeer?" the teacher asked, giving Neville an encouraging smile.
"A Timondeer is a smaller version of a normal deer. Its major magical function is that it allows the rider to become invisible" Neville said. The teacher looked impressed.
"Very good Neville" he said. "Can you tell me anything else about them?"
"Um. They can carry heavy loads even though they are really small" Neville said in a shy voice. The teacher smiled again.
"Excellent Neville" he said. "Ten points to Gryffindor"
Neville flushed slightly as the class continued. Professor Newfer brought out a group of Timondeer and Harry noticed that they were only slightly smaller than real deer. The class spend the rest of the lesson having fun turning themselves invisible by jumping on the Timondeers' backs. At the same time, the new teacher was calling out different facts about the Timondeers that they would need to remember for their NEWTs.
Megan ran towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. She had stayed behind at the Prefects Meeting and now she was late to her first class. She knocked on the classroom door and heard a female's voice call out "enter". She hesitantly opened the door and saw that the whole class was there.
She flushed slightly, realising that everyone was looking at her. Most of the time she tried to be invisible. The teacher surveyed her for a moment. Professor Helsing had eyes that seemed to see right into the soul. This made Megan feel even more exposed and vulnerable. She quickly murmured that she had been at a prefects meeting.
"The other Prefects in this class were able to get to class on time Miss Black" Professor Helsing replied curtly. "In the future, I suggest you do the same. 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor for you being late. If it becomes a regular occurrence, then I shall see to it that your badge is taken from you. Do you understand Miss Black?"
Megan nodded, trying to keep her emotions under control. It had been many years since a teacher had embarrassed her to the point that she wanted to cry and she felt furious with herself for it.
She walked over to her usual table at the back of the class and tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying, but her mind kept wandering. They were each handed a piece of parchment with questions on it that had to be handed in at the end of the lesson.
"This is to be done under test conditions, which means no talking" Professor Helsing said to the class.
The class went to work completing the test. Megan scanned through the paper. She knew the answers to most of these questions. It was a test of nearly everything that they had learnt up until now. After the class had ended, everyone handing in their papers. Megan handed hers in and was about to leave.
"Miss Black can I see you for a moment please?" Professor Helsing called out.
Megan stopped and turned around slowly. She didn't want to be alone with this teacher. She bit back the fear of the confrontation and made her way over to the teachers desk. Professor Helsing waited until all the students had left before closing the door and turning to Megan.
"I'm going to be late for my next class Professor" Megan mumbled.
Professor Helsing smiled at her.
"It's alright, I'll write you a note. Who do you have next?" she asked in an almost kind voice.
Megan pulled out the timetable from her pocket.
"Professor McGonagal" she replied after a moment.
Professor Helsing nodded.
"That won't be a problem then." She said as she picked up some papers and put them into a pile on the desk.
She turned and stared at Megan again with the same searching look. Megan shifted uncomfortably.
"I know I seemed a little harsh earlier, but I assure you that it was merely a demonstration. If I had let you off easily then the rest of the class would have thought that I was soft and I would lose their respect, do you understand?"
Megan looked surprised by this statement, but nodded respectfully. Professor Helsing went back to sorting through her papers. Megan wondered whether it was an indication that she should go. She bit her lip, trying to decide what to do next, but decided to wait for the Professor to speak again.
"You seem troubled by something" Professor Helsing said finally.
Megan stared at her with wide eyes.
"I. I don't know what you mean" Megan said, her voice a slightly higher pitch than normal.
Professor Helsing surveyed Megan for a moment.
"You have suffered some hurt or trauma in the past" Professor Helsing said, looking straight into Megan's eyes.
Megan stared at her for a moment, then nodded slightly. Professor Helsing smiled.
"When you let these things get to you, you affect your ability to do magic. I see that you have a great potential, but you don't perform to your capabilities because you let your past rule over you" she said. Megan opened her mouth to protest, but Professor Helsing raised her hand pre- emptively against the verbal abuse.
"I am aware that you are at the top of all of your subjects Miss Black" she said. Megan slumped slightly. She didn't quite understand where this conversation was going. "All I am saying is that you could do better, if you let yourself"
Megan nodded thoughtfully.
"And how can I do that?" Megan asked.
"Talking to someone would probably help. Is there anyone you feel comfortable talking with?" Professor Helsing asked, looking over the papers on her desk once again. Megan shook her head and Professor Helsing looked up at her again.
"Well, if you fell the need to talk at any point, my door is open" Professor Helsing said, picking up a paper.
Megan flushed slightly when she realised that it was hers.
"Ten points to Gryffindor for your answer on Werewolf traits. You are the only person in the class to correctly name them all. Ordinarily I would have given 5" Professor Helsing said with a wink. Megan smiled at her and she returned the smile.
"As I said before Megan, if you let your past dominate your present, it will affect your abilities in magic. I can't force you to deal with whatever is troubling you, but I must warn you that over time, the effects will only become more pronounced" Professor Helsing said.
Megan thought about this for a moment as Professor Helsing wrote a note of a piece of parchment.
"Give this to Professor McGonagal. It explains that I needed to talk to you about some of your answers on your test" Professor Helsing said, handing her the note.
Megan smiled gratefully as she left the room and headed to transfiguration.
Harry didn't have his first Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson until Friday. Hw wasn't sure why, but he was a little nervous about being taught by Professor Helsing. He shook off the feeling as he walked towards the defence against the dark arts classroom with Ron and Hermione by his side.
"Don't forget about the try outs tomorrow" Ron said suddenly.
Harry nodded glumly. Ron had been informed that he was now team captain on the second day of term. The first order of business, of course, was to reinstate Harry as seeker for the team. Harry's firebolt had been returned to him and his life ban had been lifted by Professor Dumbledore after excessive arguing with the minister for magic.
Harry was grateful for being able to play quidditch again, but was a little jealous at the fact that Ron had been made captain of the team. He shook this feeling off also as they walked into the defence against the dark arts classroom. Harry gasped. All of the windows had been shuttered. The only light in the room came from large torches on the walls.
They sat at a desk in the front and waited as the other students filed in, one by one. Finally, the teacher swept in. Her movements were quick, but graceful, as if she were floating rather than walking. She surveyed the class for a moment with her dark eyes. As she made eye contact with Harry, Harry felt his scar twinge unpleasantly. He raised his hand to touch his scar and Professor Helsing swept over to him, bending low and whispering in his ear so that only he could hear.
"Occlumency Potter" she said, and swiftly straightened and moved back to the front of the class.
She called the roll and then surveyed the class again. They all had their books and wands out, ready for their first lesson with this new and interesting teacher.
"Wands away. You won't be needing them for this lesson" she said as she picked up a pile of papers.
Harry's heart sunk as he remembered Professor Umbridge's classes. Surely Dumbledore wouldn't have hired another teacher like that this year? He looked down at the parchment that Professor Helsing had passed him. It was an exam. He looked questioningly at Hermione and Ron. Ron looked slightly green and Hermione looked a little confused also.
"Excuse me Professor?" Hermione said, raising her hands.
Professor Helsing spun around, her eyes boring into Hermione's. Hermione suddenly felt very nervous.
"Yes, Miss. Granger wasn't it?" Professor Helsing said in a cool tone.
Hermione nodded.
"I was just wondering what the purpose of this test was?" Hermione said, her voice slightly wavering.
Professor Helsing smiled an evil smile.
"The test is to assess your understanding of the subject Miss Granger. I understand that in the past, you have only had one adequate teacher in this subject. This test is to determine how much you know about the subject so that that I can separate you" she replied.
Hermione looked confused.
"But why haven't we been told about this test? It's unfair to have a test on the first lesson" Ron said suddenly.
Professor Helsing's expression turned cold.
"Mr Weasley wasn't it?" She asked after a moment. He nodded and she continued to speak. "It is not for you to determine what is fair or unfair in my class. Is that understood Mr Weasley?"
"But."
"5 points from Gryffindor. Do not second guess my teaching methods again Mr Weasley" Professor Helsing said, turning back to distribute the papers.
"That's not fair! He was only asking a question!" Hermione said, outraged.
Ron looked much happier now that Hermione was sticking up for him.
"10 points from Gryffindor" Professor Helsing said without looking back.
Hermione fumed. Harry looked over at his friends and then towards the Professor.
"Isn't it our responsibility to question your methods?" Harry said recklessly.
Professor Helsing turned towards him and looked him straight in the eye. Her eyes were black. Harry felt his scar sear with pain. Professor Helsing put her papers down on the desk and grabbed Harry's arm, forcefully pulling him out of the room. The other students in the class looked stunned.
Harry felt like he was going to collapse. He heard Professor Helsing mutter something and suddenly the pain in his scar went away and he felt normal again. He stared up at her and saw that she was furious.
"Remember your occlumency Potter" she said angrily.
Harry saw the light flash against her teeth and his eyes widened in shock. For a moment, her teeth looked extremely long and sharp. She visibly calmed herself and spoke again, then Harry knew he must have been imagining things, because her teeth were completely normal when she opened her mouth to speak.
"I cannot tolerate attitude problems or insolence in my students Potter" she said calmly, though her eyes still flashed with anger. "Either keep your emotions in check, or leave my class. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded, lost for words. She let him go and motioned him to return to the classroom before her, which he did. She followed him inside.
That night, Harry slumped onto a couch in the common room to talk to his friends about the day's events. He yawned loudly. He was extremely exhausted. He stretched out the aching muscles in his leg as he listened to Ron and Hermione complain about the new defence against the dark arts teacher.
After debating the reason behind her behaviour for a few minutes, they turned to Harry to ask him about what had happened when the teacher had led him out of the classroom, because they hadn't had a chance to talk about it before then. But they found that he had fallen asleep. Hermione looked down at him sympathetically and Ron shook his head at his friend.
"What should we do?" Hermione asked.
"Just leave him be" Ron said, yawning himself. "I think I'm going to head up to bed"
Hermione nodded and they parted for their respective dormitories, leaving Harry asleep in the common room. Shortly afterwards, a figure walked down from the girls dormitory. She paused when she saw Harry asleep on the couch. She hesitated for a moment before rushing back up the stairs to the dorm. She came back a moment later with a blanket in her hand. She put the blanket gently over Harry and smiled before heading out of the portrait hole.
Harry woke with a start and noticed that there was a blanket over him. He looked around the common room and noticed that it was completely deserted. He looked down at his wrist watch. It was nearly 3 am. He shook his head, wondering why Hermione and Ron didn't wake him up. He wondered vaguely who had put the blanket over him, when he heard the portrait door open. He looked up and his jaw dropped. It was Megan, but he had never seen her like this before.
She was holding a bundle of robes in her hand and humming slightly to herself. She was wearing a short, black dress. Her hair curled down her back and framed her face. She was wearing a little make up, which highlighted the natural beauty of her face. Harry's breath caught in his chest as he looked at her. She was beautiful. She started when she saw that he was looking at her, but then smiled and walked over to him, pulling her cloak around her as she walked so that she covered up the dress that she was wearing.
"Are you alright Harry?" She asked as she sat beside him.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up earlier, but you looked so peaceful" she said with a shy smile. "You seemed to need the rest" she added softly.
"Is this yours then?" he asked, indicating the blanket.
She nodded.
"Where were you tonight?" he asked.
Her smile faded and she thought for a moment.
"I can't tell you" she said softly.
Harry stared at her in disbelief.
"Why not?" he asked. She sighed.
"Would you tell me where ever you were going with Hermione and Ron?" she asked.
Harry was about to say yes, but stopped when he thought about the things that he had done in the past, using the invisibility cloak.
"Everyone has their secrets Harry" she said softly. "I'll never lie to you, but if you ask a question that I don't want you to know the answer to, then I won't answer"
Harry nodded. She was about to leave when he grabbed her arm.
"Are you seeing someone else?" he blurted out.
Megan smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Why do you ask?" she said curiously.
"I'd just. prefer you didn't" he said, blushing slightly.
"So you want me to yourself?" she asked softly, grinning at him playfully.
He nodded slightly. She pretended to think hard about this, making Harry chuckle.
"Only if I can have you to myself too." she said after a moment. "Agreed?"
Her voice was light but her eyes were serious. Harry nodded in agreement and she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'll see you in the morning then. You'd better go up to bed and get some sleep" she said with a smile.
Harry returned the smile and made his way back upstairs to the dorm. He turned and watched her disappear up the stairs to her own dorm and shook his head slightly. He had just witnessed yet another side to Megan's personality. With this thought, he made his way up to bed.
Harry found Ron and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table arguing again. They stopped and looked up when Harry sat beside them.
"Where were you this morning?" Ron asked curiously.
Hermione looked at Harry questioningly, but didn't say anything. Harry explained about the meeting with Dumbledore.
"So you might get a chance to be an auror still?" Hermione said, getting excited.
Harry shrugged.
"Guess I'll find out soon enough" he said.
They all looked up as they noticed Professor McGonagal was handing out timetables. Harry looked at his timetable and was surprised to find a note in bold letters at the top or the parchment.
"SIXTH YEAR - TEMPORARY TIMETABLE. Note to sixth years: Timetable will be finalised on 14th September"
Harry looked over at Hermione and Ron, who were also looking at the note in confusion.
"Why would we need to change the timetable?" Ron asked.
"I guess they'll tell us in our first class" Harry said.
"We have Care of Magical Creatures first" Hermione informed them. "I wonder what the new teacher will be like?"
Ron and Hermione started to bicker amongst themselves, then the bickering turned to arguing. Harry didn't want to be caught in the middle of an argument that morning, so he looked around the table. He saw Megan sitting on the other side of the table. After trying unsuccessfully to get Ron and Hermione's attention, he gave up and went to sit with Megan.
"What are you doing here all by yourself?" he asked with a grin as he snuck up behind her.
Megan jumped a mile and spun around.
"Harry don't do that!" she exclaimed, going slightly pink in the cheeks. Harry grinned further as he sat down beside her.
"Why aren't you sitting with Ron and Hermione?" she asked curiously.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"They're arguing" he said.
She nodded understandingly and went back to her breakfast. The post came soon afterwards. Though Harry didn't get any mail, he noticed that Megan received two letters. She opened the first one and wrinkled her nose. He looked at her questioningly.
"Prefect meeting after breakfast" she explained.
He nodded as she opened the second letter. After reading the letter she turned back to where the owl had been, but it had flown away already.
"Damn!" she exclaimed.
"What?" He asked.
"I need to reply to this straight away and my owl's gone. I don't have time to go to the owlery because of the prefect meeting." She explained.
"I'll go up to the owlery for you if you want" Harry offered.
Megan looked at him nervously. It was obvious that the importance of replying immediately outweighed any misgivings that she had about letting Harry post the reply for her, because she sighed and nodded. She reached into her bag for a quill and some ink and wrote a quick note on the back of the letter she had received.
"You've seen my owl before haven't you?" she asked him as she finished the note.
He nodded.
"Just tie this to her leg, she'll know who to take it to. Please don't read it" she added before getting up, stuffing one last piece of toast in her mouth, slinging her bag over her shoulder and waving as she left the hall.
Harry watched her follow Collin Creevey out of the hall before getting up himself and making his way to the owlery. As he walked up the last set of stairs, he tripped and dropped the note. As he reached to pick it up, he couldn't help notice what was written on it.
"I need to know when I'm going to see you again. Derrick"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows. He turned the note over to read her reply.
"Friday and Saturday, 10pm"
Harry pondered this as he went up to the owlery. He remembered what Cho had said and wondered if the note had anything to do with that. He sighed as he tied the note to Megan's owl.
"Megan said you'd know where to go" he said to it.
The owl hooted in reply and flew off immediately. He thought it was odd that the owl didn't need any other instructions and figured that it was because it was used to taking notes to Derrick, whoever that was. Harry sighed as he made his way back down the stairs. At this rate, he was going to be late for his first class.
He made his way down towards Hagrid's hut. Hermione and Ron were waiting for him. He saw when he got there that the new teacher had not yet arrived. Harry explained to the other two about the letter. They both looked quite surprised at the news.
"But she's a prefect! She shouldn't be going anywhere after curfew!" Hermione exclaimed.
Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes at her. She glared at them in return.
"There is a guy called Derrick in seventh year. I think he's in Ravenclaw. Maybe she's been seeing him on the side" Ron said.
Harry scowled.
"But this doesn't make sense!" Hermione said. "If she was seeing someone else then why would she give the letter to Harry"
Harry and Ron thought about this for a moment.
"She was reluctant to give the letter to me" Harry said softly.
"But if she was seeing that boy Ron was talking about, then wouldn't it have been easier to just talk to him in person? I mean, he couldn't have been more than about 15 feet away. Even if she was rushing off to a prefect's meeting, she would have had time to do that" Hermione said, matter-of-factly.
"What about what Cho said on the train?" Harry asked.
Hermione gave him a dark look which suggested to Harry that Hermione was less than pleased with Cho at the moment.
"Cho is jealous! Can't you see that Harry? I'll bet that she'd say anything to keep you away from the other girls" Hermione said.
"What makes you say that?" Ron asked curiously.
"Because she talked to me on the train and told me to stay away from him" Hermione said angrily and folded her arms. Ron and Harry were both shocked at this.
"She did what?" Harry said.
"You heard me" Hermione replied. "Now before you go doing anything rash, make sure that you have the full story" Hermione said.
Harry sighed.
"Why don't you just ask her about it?" Ron asked.
Hermione elbowed him.
"Ow! What was that for!" Ron protested.
"If Harry talks to her about it then she'll know he read the letter! She'll think that he doesn't trust her" Hermione said in exasperation.
"Oh, right" Ron mumbled, rubbing his arm.
At that moment their discussion was interrupted as the teacher came up behind them.
"Good Morning class. My name is Professor Newfer and I'll be your Care of Magical Creatures teacher until Hagrid returns" He said in a cheery voice.
"Gather round everyone. Today we'll be learning about Timondeers" The teacher said. "Is there anyone here that can tell me what a Timondeer is?"
Harry looked over at Hermione and was surprised to see that she too, had never heard of one.
"Anyone?" the teacher asked, looking a little surprised that no one could answer him. A hand rose in the back of the class. The teacher smiled.
"And your name is.?" he asked.
"Neville Longbottom sir" Neville said in a shaky voice.
"Alright Neville, what is a Timondeer?" the teacher asked, giving Neville an encouraging smile.
"A Timondeer is a smaller version of a normal deer. Its major magical function is that it allows the rider to become invisible" Neville said. The teacher looked impressed.
"Very good Neville" he said. "Can you tell me anything else about them?"
"Um. They can carry heavy loads even though they are really small" Neville said in a shy voice. The teacher smiled again.
"Excellent Neville" he said. "Ten points to Gryffindor"
Neville flushed slightly as the class continued. Professor Newfer brought out a group of Timondeer and Harry noticed that they were only slightly smaller than real deer. The class spend the rest of the lesson having fun turning themselves invisible by jumping on the Timondeers' backs. At the same time, the new teacher was calling out different facts about the Timondeers that they would need to remember for their NEWTs.
Megan ran towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. She had stayed behind at the Prefects Meeting and now she was late to her first class. She knocked on the classroom door and heard a female's voice call out "enter". She hesitantly opened the door and saw that the whole class was there.
She flushed slightly, realising that everyone was looking at her. Most of the time she tried to be invisible. The teacher surveyed her for a moment. Professor Helsing had eyes that seemed to see right into the soul. This made Megan feel even more exposed and vulnerable. She quickly murmured that she had been at a prefects meeting.
"The other Prefects in this class were able to get to class on time Miss Black" Professor Helsing replied curtly. "In the future, I suggest you do the same. 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor for you being late. If it becomes a regular occurrence, then I shall see to it that your badge is taken from you. Do you understand Miss Black?"
Megan nodded, trying to keep her emotions under control. It had been many years since a teacher had embarrassed her to the point that she wanted to cry and she felt furious with herself for it.
She walked over to her usual table at the back of the class and tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying, but her mind kept wandering. They were each handed a piece of parchment with questions on it that had to be handed in at the end of the lesson.
"This is to be done under test conditions, which means no talking" Professor Helsing said to the class.
The class went to work completing the test. Megan scanned through the paper. She knew the answers to most of these questions. It was a test of nearly everything that they had learnt up until now. After the class had ended, everyone handing in their papers. Megan handed hers in and was about to leave.
"Miss Black can I see you for a moment please?" Professor Helsing called out.
Megan stopped and turned around slowly. She didn't want to be alone with this teacher. She bit back the fear of the confrontation and made her way over to the teachers desk. Professor Helsing waited until all the students had left before closing the door and turning to Megan.
"I'm going to be late for my next class Professor" Megan mumbled.
Professor Helsing smiled at her.
"It's alright, I'll write you a note. Who do you have next?" she asked in an almost kind voice.
Megan pulled out the timetable from her pocket.
"Professor McGonagal" she replied after a moment.
Professor Helsing nodded.
"That won't be a problem then." She said as she picked up some papers and put them into a pile on the desk.
She turned and stared at Megan again with the same searching look. Megan shifted uncomfortably.
"I know I seemed a little harsh earlier, but I assure you that it was merely a demonstration. If I had let you off easily then the rest of the class would have thought that I was soft and I would lose their respect, do you understand?"
Megan looked surprised by this statement, but nodded respectfully. Professor Helsing went back to sorting through her papers. Megan wondered whether it was an indication that she should go. She bit her lip, trying to decide what to do next, but decided to wait for the Professor to speak again.
"You seem troubled by something" Professor Helsing said finally.
Megan stared at her with wide eyes.
"I. I don't know what you mean" Megan said, her voice a slightly higher pitch than normal.
Professor Helsing surveyed Megan for a moment.
"You have suffered some hurt or trauma in the past" Professor Helsing said, looking straight into Megan's eyes.
Megan stared at her for a moment, then nodded slightly. Professor Helsing smiled.
"When you let these things get to you, you affect your ability to do magic. I see that you have a great potential, but you don't perform to your capabilities because you let your past rule over you" she said. Megan opened her mouth to protest, but Professor Helsing raised her hand pre- emptively against the verbal abuse.
"I am aware that you are at the top of all of your subjects Miss Black" she said. Megan slumped slightly. She didn't quite understand where this conversation was going. "All I am saying is that you could do better, if you let yourself"
Megan nodded thoughtfully.
"And how can I do that?" Megan asked.
"Talking to someone would probably help. Is there anyone you feel comfortable talking with?" Professor Helsing asked, looking over the papers on her desk once again. Megan shook her head and Professor Helsing looked up at her again.
"Well, if you fell the need to talk at any point, my door is open" Professor Helsing said, picking up a paper.
Megan flushed slightly when she realised that it was hers.
"Ten points to Gryffindor for your answer on Werewolf traits. You are the only person in the class to correctly name them all. Ordinarily I would have given 5" Professor Helsing said with a wink. Megan smiled at her and she returned the smile.
"As I said before Megan, if you let your past dominate your present, it will affect your abilities in magic. I can't force you to deal with whatever is troubling you, but I must warn you that over time, the effects will only become more pronounced" Professor Helsing said.
Megan thought about this for a moment as Professor Helsing wrote a note of a piece of parchment.
"Give this to Professor McGonagal. It explains that I needed to talk to you about some of your answers on your test" Professor Helsing said, handing her the note.
Megan smiled gratefully as she left the room and headed to transfiguration.
Harry didn't have his first Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson until Friday. Hw wasn't sure why, but he was a little nervous about being taught by Professor Helsing. He shook off the feeling as he walked towards the defence against the dark arts classroom with Ron and Hermione by his side.
"Don't forget about the try outs tomorrow" Ron said suddenly.
Harry nodded glumly. Ron had been informed that he was now team captain on the second day of term. The first order of business, of course, was to reinstate Harry as seeker for the team. Harry's firebolt had been returned to him and his life ban had been lifted by Professor Dumbledore after excessive arguing with the minister for magic.
Harry was grateful for being able to play quidditch again, but was a little jealous at the fact that Ron had been made captain of the team. He shook this feeling off also as they walked into the defence against the dark arts classroom. Harry gasped. All of the windows had been shuttered. The only light in the room came from large torches on the walls.
They sat at a desk in the front and waited as the other students filed in, one by one. Finally, the teacher swept in. Her movements were quick, but graceful, as if she were floating rather than walking. She surveyed the class for a moment with her dark eyes. As she made eye contact with Harry, Harry felt his scar twinge unpleasantly. He raised his hand to touch his scar and Professor Helsing swept over to him, bending low and whispering in his ear so that only he could hear.
"Occlumency Potter" she said, and swiftly straightened and moved back to the front of the class.
She called the roll and then surveyed the class again. They all had their books and wands out, ready for their first lesson with this new and interesting teacher.
"Wands away. You won't be needing them for this lesson" she said as she picked up a pile of papers.
Harry's heart sunk as he remembered Professor Umbridge's classes. Surely Dumbledore wouldn't have hired another teacher like that this year? He looked down at the parchment that Professor Helsing had passed him. It was an exam. He looked questioningly at Hermione and Ron. Ron looked slightly green and Hermione looked a little confused also.
"Excuse me Professor?" Hermione said, raising her hands.
Professor Helsing spun around, her eyes boring into Hermione's. Hermione suddenly felt very nervous.
"Yes, Miss. Granger wasn't it?" Professor Helsing said in a cool tone.
Hermione nodded.
"I was just wondering what the purpose of this test was?" Hermione said, her voice slightly wavering.
Professor Helsing smiled an evil smile.
"The test is to assess your understanding of the subject Miss Granger. I understand that in the past, you have only had one adequate teacher in this subject. This test is to determine how much you know about the subject so that that I can separate you" she replied.
Hermione looked confused.
"But why haven't we been told about this test? It's unfair to have a test on the first lesson" Ron said suddenly.
Professor Helsing's expression turned cold.
"Mr Weasley wasn't it?" She asked after a moment. He nodded and she continued to speak. "It is not for you to determine what is fair or unfair in my class. Is that understood Mr Weasley?"
"But."
"5 points from Gryffindor. Do not second guess my teaching methods again Mr Weasley" Professor Helsing said, turning back to distribute the papers.
"That's not fair! He was only asking a question!" Hermione said, outraged.
Ron looked much happier now that Hermione was sticking up for him.
"10 points from Gryffindor" Professor Helsing said without looking back.
Hermione fumed. Harry looked over at his friends and then towards the Professor.
"Isn't it our responsibility to question your methods?" Harry said recklessly.
Professor Helsing turned towards him and looked him straight in the eye. Her eyes were black. Harry felt his scar sear with pain. Professor Helsing put her papers down on the desk and grabbed Harry's arm, forcefully pulling him out of the room. The other students in the class looked stunned.
Harry felt like he was going to collapse. He heard Professor Helsing mutter something and suddenly the pain in his scar went away and he felt normal again. He stared up at her and saw that she was furious.
"Remember your occlumency Potter" she said angrily.
Harry saw the light flash against her teeth and his eyes widened in shock. For a moment, her teeth looked extremely long and sharp. She visibly calmed herself and spoke again, then Harry knew he must have been imagining things, because her teeth were completely normal when she opened her mouth to speak.
"I cannot tolerate attitude problems or insolence in my students Potter" she said calmly, though her eyes still flashed with anger. "Either keep your emotions in check, or leave my class. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded, lost for words. She let him go and motioned him to return to the classroom before her, which he did. She followed him inside.
That night, Harry slumped onto a couch in the common room to talk to his friends about the day's events. He yawned loudly. He was extremely exhausted. He stretched out the aching muscles in his leg as he listened to Ron and Hermione complain about the new defence against the dark arts teacher.
After debating the reason behind her behaviour for a few minutes, they turned to Harry to ask him about what had happened when the teacher had led him out of the classroom, because they hadn't had a chance to talk about it before then. But they found that he had fallen asleep. Hermione looked down at him sympathetically and Ron shook his head at his friend.
"What should we do?" Hermione asked.
"Just leave him be" Ron said, yawning himself. "I think I'm going to head up to bed"
Hermione nodded and they parted for their respective dormitories, leaving Harry asleep in the common room. Shortly afterwards, a figure walked down from the girls dormitory. She paused when she saw Harry asleep on the couch. She hesitated for a moment before rushing back up the stairs to the dorm. She came back a moment later with a blanket in her hand. She put the blanket gently over Harry and smiled before heading out of the portrait hole.
Harry woke with a start and noticed that there was a blanket over him. He looked around the common room and noticed that it was completely deserted. He looked down at his wrist watch. It was nearly 3 am. He shook his head, wondering why Hermione and Ron didn't wake him up. He wondered vaguely who had put the blanket over him, when he heard the portrait door open. He looked up and his jaw dropped. It was Megan, but he had never seen her like this before.
She was holding a bundle of robes in her hand and humming slightly to herself. She was wearing a short, black dress. Her hair curled down her back and framed her face. She was wearing a little make up, which highlighted the natural beauty of her face. Harry's breath caught in his chest as he looked at her. She was beautiful. She started when she saw that he was looking at her, but then smiled and walked over to him, pulling her cloak around her as she walked so that she covered up the dress that she was wearing.
"Are you alright Harry?" She asked as she sat beside him.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up earlier, but you looked so peaceful" she said with a shy smile. "You seemed to need the rest" she added softly.
"Is this yours then?" he asked, indicating the blanket.
She nodded.
"Where were you tonight?" he asked.
Her smile faded and she thought for a moment.
"I can't tell you" she said softly.
Harry stared at her in disbelief.
"Why not?" he asked. She sighed.
"Would you tell me where ever you were going with Hermione and Ron?" she asked.
Harry was about to say yes, but stopped when he thought about the things that he had done in the past, using the invisibility cloak.
"Everyone has their secrets Harry" she said softly. "I'll never lie to you, but if you ask a question that I don't want you to know the answer to, then I won't answer"
Harry nodded. She was about to leave when he grabbed her arm.
"Are you seeing someone else?" he blurted out.
Megan smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Why do you ask?" she said curiously.
"I'd just. prefer you didn't" he said, blushing slightly.
"So you want me to yourself?" she asked softly, grinning at him playfully.
He nodded slightly. She pretended to think hard about this, making Harry chuckle.
"Only if I can have you to myself too." she said after a moment. "Agreed?"
Her voice was light but her eyes were serious. Harry nodded in agreement and she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'll see you in the morning then. You'd better go up to bed and get some sleep" she said with a smile.
Harry returned the smile and made his way back upstairs to the dorm. He turned and watched her disappear up the stairs to her own dorm and shook his head slightly. He had just witnessed yet another side to Megan's personality. With this thought, he made his way up to bed.
