"A Child's Hope" by Canopus Carina
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Key: "speech" 'thought' /emphasis/ *parceltongue* ~Letter~
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Severitus Challenge.
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Chapter Twenty: School Begins
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"It feels as if time has just stopped!" Ron complained as he looked down on his empty plate. "When are they getting here?"
"It's been five minutes since the last time you asked," Hermione said rather rudely, clearly on edge from his constant bickering, "do the math."
Ron didn't answer as he was thinking, trying to figure out how much longer, "what was the original time you said?"
"I don't know," she answered sarcastically, "what was the time?"
Harry, knowing that he shouldn't get into the middle of that stupid conversation, just tried to relax by leaning back and closing his eyes. In nineteen minutes, exactly, which Ron still didn't know, the Great Hall doors would open up and all of the students will cause more noise than should be possible and be too cheerful. Didn't they care that his godfather was dead? Of course not, they knew him as an ex-convict that just got his innocence back, something he should have had in the first place.
"Harry, are you even listening to me?" Ron asked, waving a hand in front of his best friend's face.
"Oh, what?" He asked, snapping out of his thoughts, "what did you say, Ron?"
"I was asking you if you thought more about DA? Do you know the teacher this year?"
"No, I don't so I can't really say anything, but maybe we could continue DA even if the teacher is good? Because you can always get more training, which will really help. It wouldn't hurt as long as our grades aren't affected or the teachers might think that we're up to something."
"Well, now I'm proud of you, Harry," Hermione said happily, "thinking of your studies before extra activities. I actually think it's a good idea," she said, dropping her voice to barely a whisper, "the Order might need some help one day," and then going to normal volume, "and it could help with our careers later. All the training could do us some good."
"I thought as much."
"Imagine us as Aurors," Ron said slowly, "we'll basically be paid for stuff we already do naturally. Fighting crime and going on missions just like our usual adventures."
"But Ron," Hermione argued, "our little adventures, as the two of you are partial of calling them, aren't anything compared to what real Aurors do daily. We'll be lucky if we get out alive with the other missions."
"Hermione, don't be so pessimistic," Ron whined.
"I'm just pointing out that we have to think about the dangers that Aurors have to deal with everyday and that we can't compare it with out 'adventures'. But I do agree that the DA training will do us good and that it will, in the long run, help us get better for our later jobs."
After hours on end, or how it seemed like, the Great Hall doors opened and the students poured into the Hall. Some wondered why there were already four students sitting at the tables but others just shook it off, quickly grabbing a seat. Soon after, the scared, little first years followed Professor McGonagall to the three legged stool with the beat-up Sorting Hat.
The Sorting, like usual, seemed so longer than when it was themselves in the 'hot seat'. But isn't that how time is? You want it to speed up, and it will go excruciatingly slow, but when you want all time to stop, it just does the opposite. To Ron especially, the time until the precious food came was doubling instead of going smaller.
"Another year has come to us," Dumbledore said to the silent room, "and I hope that your minds are ready for information to be absorbed. And I know that you are probably wondering who is the unlucky victim for this years Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Unfortunately, she isn't here right now because she is working on a project for me right now. I can assure you that you will not be in danger from her as I have worked with her numerous times, and yes, she has been checked for any type of duplicating charms and/or potions.
"Her name is Professor Nymphadora Tonks, but don't tell her that I called her that or she'll get after me, not bothering with the fact that I'm the Headmaster. However, we do have someone returning to us this year. Remus Lupin has agreed to help with the security around Hogwarts, but will be kept away from students during the full moon. If there is any parent that wants to disagree to this arrangement, please contact me and not him.
"As returning students might have been wondering, Professor Umbridge's Decrees and Bans are taken away and will no longer be in place. Hogsmeade trips, to those third year and older, will continue though there won't be as many this year and extra security will be enforced. Those who have not heard, namely first years, Voldemort has indeed risen from the dead which is why there is the need for the extra security.
"Make sure that you do not put yourselves in harm's way and make sure you learn lots, just like school is suppose to me like," he continued with a kind smile. "Now that the dark and gloomy information is over, lets dig into that food, shall we?"
At the end of Dumbledore's speech, he stood up and left the room, leaving behind a bunch of talkative students and slightly confused teachers. He's never left before the feast was over. Professor McGonagall's instructions rang through his head as Harry started to fill his plate with food.
"I'll leave after I eat, that way it doesn't look as if I'm going to Dumbledore, okay," Harry said, looking as inconspicuous as possible.
"Okay," Ron answered.
They continued eating like usual, nothing different, nothing suspicious. No, it wasn't them that were acting suspicious, it was the three people that came to them, one from each house (except Slytherin). When those people left the Gryffindor table, some others would glance over to them as if asking a silent question. The answer was always the same as the 'information' was passed down the tables, a small shrug.
Now this normally wouldn't have been seen as there were many people that stood up to talk with someone from another house. But Severus Snape was looking at his son, even though the boy in question didn't know that yet, and saw this seemingly innocent act. 'I wonder what that is about...'
* * * * *
From Canopus: How do you like it so far? My AIM is K091288 and my YIM is c_carina@sbcglobal.net, feel free to IM me (but tell me who you are). If you want me to tell you when a new chapter is up, just tell me in a review.
Question for Chapter Twenty-One: Should Snape figure out about the DA?
Houses: If you don't know what house you should be in, I found a sorting that actually has questions that matter (unlike harrypotter.com). I have the web address on my bio, it's really good!
Contact: If you want me to send you a notice when I update the story, please put your email address on a review. Anyone who wants to talk, whether it's just a 'hi' or you don't understand something, my AIM is K091288 and YIM is c_carina@sbcglobal.net
* * * * *
Key: "speech" 'thought' /emphasis/ *parceltongue* ~Letter~
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Severitus Challenge.
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty: School Begins
* * * * *
"It feels as if time has just stopped!" Ron complained as he looked down on his empty plate. "When are they getting here?"
"It's been five minutes since the last time you asked," Hermione said rather rudely, clearly on edge from his constant bickering, "do the math."
Ron didn't answer as he was thinking, trying to figure out how much longer, "what was the original time you said?"
"I don't know," she answered sarcastically, "what was the time?"
Harry, knowing that he shouldn't get into the middle of that stupid conversation, just tried to relax by leaning back and closing his eyes. In nineteen minutes, exactly, which Ron still didn't know, the Great Hall doors would open up and all of the students will cause more noise than should be possible and be too cheerful. Didn't they care that his godfather was dead? Of course not, they knew him as an ex-convict that just got his innocence back, something he should have had in the first place.
"Harry, are you even listening to me?" Ron asked, waving a hand in front of his best friend's face.
"Oh, what?" He asked, snapping out of his thoughts, "what did you say, Ron?"
"I was asking you if you thought more about DA? Do you know the teacher this year?"
"No, I don't so I can't really say anything, but maybe we could continue DA even if the teacher is good? Because you can always get more training, which will really help. It wouldn't hurt as long as our grades aren't affected or the teachers might think that we're up to something."
"Well, now I'm proud of you, Harry," Hermione said happily, "thinking of your studies before extra activities. I actually think it's a good idea," she said, dropping her voice to barely a whisper, "the Order might need some help one day," and then going to normal volume, "and it could help with our careers later. All the training could do us some good."
"I thought as much."
"Imagine us as Aurors," Ron said slowly, "we'll basically be paid for stuff we already do naturally. Fighting crime and going on missions just like our usual adventures."
"But Ron," Hermione argued, "our little adventures, as the two of you are partial of calling them, aren't anything compared to what real Aurors do daily. We'll be lucky if we get out alive with the other missions."
"Hermione, don't be so pessimistic," Ron whined.
"I'm just pointing out that we have to think about the dangers that Aurors have to deal with everyday and that we can't compare it with out 'adventures'. But I do agree that the DA training will do us good and that it will, in the long run, help us get better for our later jobs."
After hours on end, or how it seemed like, the Great Hall doors opened and the students poured into the Hall. Some wondered why there were already four students sitting at the tables but others just shook it off, quickly grabbing a seat. Soon after, the scared, little first years followed Professor McGonagall to the three legged stool with the beat-up Sorting Hat.
The Sorting, like usual, seemed so longer than when it was themselves in the 'hot seat'. But isn't that how time is? You want it to speed up, and it will go excruciatingly slow, but when you want all time to stop, it just does the opposite. To Ron especially, the time until the precious food came was doubling instead of going smaller.
"Another year has come to us," Dumbledore said to the silent room, "and I hope that your minds are ready for information to be absorbed. And I know that you are probably wondering who is the unlucky victim for this years Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Unfortunately, she isn't here right now because she is working on a project for me right now. I can assure you that you will not be in danger from her as I have worked with her numerous times, and yes, she has been checked for any type of duplicating charms and/or potions.
"Her name is Professor Nymphadora Tonks, but don't tell her that I called her that or she'll get after me, not bothering with the fact that I'm the Headmaster. However, we do have someone returning to us this year. Remus Lupin has agreed to help with the security around Hogwarts, but will be kept away from students during the full moon. If there is any parent that wants to disagree to this arrangement, please contact me and not him.
"As returning students might have been wondering, Professor Umbridge's Decrees and Bans are taken away and will no longer be in place. Hogsmeade trips, to those third year and older, will continue though there won't be as many this year and extra security will be enforced. Those who have not heard, namely first years, Voldemort has indeed risen from the dead which is why there is the need for the extra security.
"Make sure that you do not put yourselves in harm's way and make sure you learn lots, just like school is suppose to me like," he continued with a kind smile. "Now that the dark and gloomy information is over, lets dig into that food, shall we?"
At the end of Dumbledore's speech, he stood up and left the room, leaving behind a bunch of talkative students and slightly confused teachers. He's never left before the feast was over. Professor McGonagall's instructions rang through his head as Harry started to fill his plate with food.
"I'll leave after I eat, that way it doesn't look as if I'm going to Dumbledore, okay," Harry said, looking as inconspicuous as possible.
"Okay," Ron answered.
They continued eating like usual, nothing different, nothing suspicious. No, it wasn't them that were acting suspicious, it was the three people that came to them, one from each house (except Slytherin). When those people left the Gryffindor table, some others would glance over to them as if asking a silent question. The answer was always the same as the 'information' was passed down the tables, a small shrug.
Now this normally wouldn't have been seen as there were many people that stood up to talk with someone from another house. But Severus Snape was looking at his son, even though the boy in question didn't know that yet, and saw this seemingly innocent act. 'I wonder what that is about...'
* * * * *
From Canopus: How do you like it so far? My AIM is K091288 and my YIM is c_carina@sbcglobal.net, feel free to IM me (but tell me who you are). If you want me to tell you when a new chapter is up, just tell me in a review.
Question for Chapter Twenty-One: Should Snape figure out about the DA?
Houses: If you don't know what house you should be in, I found a sorting that actually has questions that matter (unlike harrypotter.com). I have the web address on my bio, it's really good!
Contact: If you want me to send you a notice when I update the story, please put your email address on a review. Anyone who wants to talk, whether it's just a 'hi' or you don't understand something, my AIM is K091288 and YIM is c_carina@sbcglobal.net