This is quite an important chapter so don't skip it!! I don't have any reviews to reply to yet… But please review!!!
Chapter 9
November went fairly quickly and towards the end of it, the wintry weather had arrived at last. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter arrived clutching scarves at the next quidditch match (Gryffindor verses Hufflepuff) to cheer their team on. Sturgis Podmore, a fourth year beater was soaring round the pitch to showers of applause. A couple of Slytherins a few seats down were booing. Lucius Malfoy, an unpopular seventh year amongst them.
"C'mon lets hex him!" Sirius hissed as Malfoy leapt to his feet and joined in cheering as small Hufflepuff chaser Freya Davis fell of her broom.
"Did you hear Ludo Bagman's been selected to play beater for the Wimbourne wasps?" James asked the three of them excitedly.
"I know now." Sirius said, half laughing as Davis frantically began spinning round on her broom. "It's like she's cursed." Sirius said.
"Yes." Remus said. "And I think I know who's doing it." He was looking straight at Malfoy's back.
"Incarcerous!" James said at Malfoy. Thick ropes at once wrapped round Malfoy and Freya Davis scrambled onto her broom again.
"Look at Dolohov!" James said laughing. "How did he get to play beater? He's as thick as two short planks."
"One short plank will do." Sirius said laughing. "I'm amazed he knows which end of the broom to sit on!"
"He's nice!" Remus said but he was smiling. "You really shouldn't judge people by their abilities."
"You're a fine one to talk Moony!" Sirius said. "You know you're really not going to pass your end of year exams if you don't do your homework!" Sirius mimicked. "Honestly Lupin, d'you know how frustrating it is having you as a friend?"
Remus smiled to himself and stared up at the sky. Madam Opkins had just blown her whistle and the match began. "I'd hate to be flying today!" Peter said as a chilly breeze swept past them. Gryffindor was ahead by twenty points to ten.
"I wouldn't mind." James said grinning, though he wrapped his cloak round him tighter as another gust of icy wind came again.
"Ah no!" James and Sirius shouted loudly as Davis intercepted the quaffle and scored. "Hey, look at Malfoy!"
Lucius Malfoy was still struggling to loosen the ropes but to no avail. "Well he shouldn't screw with players then," James said shrugging as looked up at the sky again. The two seekers were darting round the pitch searching for a flutter of golden wings. Hufflepuff were ahead but something strange was happening to Antonin Dolohov. His broom was jerking about as though trying to make him fall.
"It's not a Slytherin…" Remus said scanning the stands. "It's not a teacher… I can't see who else it would be." Sturgis Podmore had caught a bludger and appeared to have stunned it since it was not moving. Sturgis was not the only player who was looking nervously at Dolohov. Davis who once again was in possession of the quaffle had paused in mid flight and even the seekers were not moving as fast.
Most people in the stands were now staring at Antonin Dolohov. James saw Dumbledore converse quickly with Professor McGonnagal. He stood up and took out his wand but too late. Dolohov had fallen. Everyone watched as Dolohov soared through the air as though in slow motion. Eventually he seemed to have hit the ground but James couldn't see over the heads of the other onlookers. Dumbledore was racing down to the pitch looking panic stricken. "Can you see anything?" James hissed at Sirius who was taller.
"No," Sirius said standing up and craning his neck. "There's no one there. He's gone."
It had been a week since Dolohov's mysterious disappearance. His parents had stormed up to the castle to speak to Dumbledore but as far as they heard, Dumbledore knew no more about it than the students did.
"Madam Opkins says she saw him fall but when she looked down he wasn't there!" A third year said knowledgeably. "I didn't see him either and I was at the front!"
James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were sat outside by the lake one snowy December morning. They were all eagerly awaiting the Christmas holidays except Sirius who appeared rather upset about the fact that his close friends would be away for the holidays. "I think I'll stay at Hogwarts." He said as he tried to charmed another snowball to follow Snape.
"No luck mate." James said grinning. "With the snowballs I mean. McGonnagal put an anti-levitation spell on our wands after Snape went snivelling to her last week, remember?"
"Oh yeah…" Sirius said. "I bet you wingardium leviosa will work," he tried it but no luck. "Damn!" He said angrily. He picked up the snowball and lobbed it at Snape's back. "Bullseye!" He said grinning.
Snape got to his feet and walked briskly into the castle. "Better go before he gets grimy Gryllus…" James said swinging his bag over his shoulder. Remus was attempting his transfiguration homework under a tree but he too got to his feet and left the grounds hurriedly with the others. "I'll ask my parents if they'll mind me staying with you Snuffles." James said as they proceeded up the marble staircase. "They'll understand."
Sirius' face lit up excitedly. "Thanks prongs." He said grinning.
The next few days past as the previous few except Sirius and James had detention with Gryllus to look forward to every night ever since Snape had told Gryllus they had been attempting to turn him into a human snowman. "Sometimes I wish I could turn him into a human snowman." Sirius said out of the corner of his mouth scrubbing another glass container so hard the glass shattered.
"Careless work as usual Black." Gryllus said, pointing his wand at the shards of glass that mended themselves at once. Gryllus was lounging at his desk, watching them work and occasionally marking papers. "So, Potter." Gryllus said looking up. "Heard anything about my cousin?"
"No." James said through gritted teeth as he began scrubbing a glass case.
Though Gryllus was on the opposite end of the dungeon his voice was perfectly loud and clear. "Things are changing. Aurors are being killed by a certain powerful man and his followers. So tell your dear parents to watch out."
"I'll do that." James muttered.
"Yes… They'll be next on the list they will… Cruel, heartless, murderous people they are."
James turned to another small glass container with something slimy and blue inside it. "Very… very cruel indeed. Not even a trial Potter. And they received many thousands of galleons for it too. Evil money it is Potter… Evil."
James wasn't aware of doing it, he wasn't aware of Sirius' voice hissing 'Ignore him, ignore him…' All he knew was that at these words he had grabbed the glass container and threw it as hard as he could at Gryllus' twisted face.
The glass shattered. Gryllus screamed. There was blood everywhere and whatever the blue thing was it seemed to be attacking him. "AHHH!" Gryllus screamed. James stood horror struck by what he had done for a minute then he and Sirius tore out of the dungeon, raced up several flights of stairs, dashed down the corridor and pounded on Dumbledore's office door.
Dumbledore opened it and upon seeing James and Sirius' panicked faces looked at once concerned. "What happened?" He asked looking from one to the other.
"Professor Gryllus! In the dungeons! He's being attacked by… by something blue and slimy!" James gabbled, leaving out the part about how the blue slimy thing had made contact with Gryllus' face in the first place.
Dumbledore frowned then said. "Meet me there." He vanished. James and Sirius raced back down to the dungeons again.
"What were you thinking!" Sirius said in awe as they proceeded down the stone corridor to the dungeons.
"I dunno!" James said. "I just… he was just…"
"It was all his fault! He threw it at me! I was just talking then…" Professor Gryllus was sitting at his desk. Whatever the blue slimy thing was it had gone and a blood stained Gryllus was panting the details to Dumbledore.
Anger surged through James at the sight of Gryllus "What d'you mean just talking?" He shouted. "You were insulting my parents!"
"James, please calm down." Dumbledore said in an annoyingly peaceful way. "I know all of us can lose our tempers sometimes…"
"What d'you mean Dumbledore! He threw a glass container at me and all you can say it 'I know all of us can lose our tempers?'" Gryllus was breathing heavily and his eyes were screwed up in pain.
"Please allow me to escort you to the hospital wing Giles. Let us not discuss this here." Dumbledore tried.
"I'll get you expelled Potter!" Gryllus shouted. "You'll see! You'll go the same way as your rotten parents!"
"Giles, if you cannot calm yourself I will stun you." Dumbledore said sounding now quite angry.
Gryllus breathed more heavily. "I'm leaving this place!" He said. "My work's done here. I'm going." He glared at Dumbledore. "If I'm on probation as it is I won't be here for much longer anyway." He scowled and without another word swept from the dungeons.
"I… Sorry Professor Dumbledore." James said fully aware that had it not been for him Dumbledore would not be one potions teacher short.
"It's quite alright." Dumbledore said calmly. "I'm rather glad he's gone actually… I hope you didn't listen to what he said about you parents?"
James said nothing. Dumbledore continued. "They are great people James. Really great people." With that he swept from the dungeons leaving James, Sirius and an empty desk.