DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

SECOND CHANCE

CHAPTER 3: THE REVIVAL CEREMONY


The chattering died down when the lights dimmed. McGonagall stood up and the Great Hall went dead silent. In the corner, Professors Flitwick and Sinistra were Hovering a pearl-white coffin toward the pedestal in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Please rise from your seats."

Slowly but surely, the sound of shifting chairs filled the silence as a thousand students rose from their seats.

"What're they playing at?" Oliver, nudging Bell, hissed. 'Wasn't that Dumbledore's coffin?'

Bell shrugged, looking as confused any everyone else.

"Please give Professor Vance your full attention," said McGonagall sternly, with a look that was just daring anyone to disobey her. "I expect full participation. Professor Vance?"

The cloaked wizard appeared from the shadows and stood next to the Assistant Headmistress. He waved his wand promptly, and the casket that housed the deceased Headmaster flung open.

"Horace."

An old, corpulent man with a protruding stomach stepped onto the pedestal, sprinkling an ashen, crystallized powder into the coffin. He then retrieved two vials from his robes and set them next to Vance. Oliver straightened in his seat to get a better look. Vance, the wizard who Wood had seen earlier, was circling around the Dumbledore's casket with one of the vials. Within moments, he'd set down a seal around the coffin. In the cloak of darkness, Wood could hear him muttering what seemed to be a long and difficult incantation.

"Aumento, alcoolici di vecchio" (A/N: Rise, Spirits of Olde)

The sky shook with the oncoming of a rolling thunder, causing several first-years to scream.

"Risparmi il savant di vecchio ordine" (A/N: Spare the Savant of the Olde Order)

The four House tables started to shake on their own accord. The chairs hovered into the air but no one had performed the Hovering Charm.

"Abbia questo scopo me" (A/N: Serve this purpose to me)

Wood heard several people gasp. The coffin had illuminated a piercing, sky blue beam. Professor Vance stood above the coffin, holding his wand on his right hand.

"E I'anima sará rimborsata!" (A/N: And the Blood will be repaid!)

Wood instantly regretted sitting at the far end of the table when half of the Great Hall broke out in groans, stifled screams, and gags. But it was obvious what had triggered the response from the students when Wood heard Dean Thomas blurt out, "the bloke bloody stabbed himself!"

From his vantage point, the cloaked wizard was on his knees. His body had completely given away and his arm was arched in an angle that allowed blood to drip freely into the coffin. The seal he'd made on the stone floor had turned scarlet and glittered in a way that it looked like it was moving.

The ceiling had also changed. The evening sky was still as pitch dark as before, but the blue beams emanating from the pearl-white coffin illuminated the entire Great Hall with its eerie brightness. Then, as it were a grand finale, the blue light beams vanished all together, and the Great Hall was covered in darkness for a brief moment before the floating candles lit themselves.

As the lights in the Great Hall came back on, the entire Hogwarts mass stared, stunned. Even the Aurors were taken aback by the scene: the hooded wizard, who, in fact, was probably only a few years older than Wood himself, was being helped up by Dumbledore, who, according to hundreds of eyewitnesses and the Ministry of Magic, died last term. The young wizard tilted his head slightly before muttering something to Dumbledore, who smiled in return. He then gave Dumbledore another inscrutable look before allowing two Aurors to steer him back to his seat.

After that, every set of eyes was on Dumbledore.

"Welcome, students of old and new, to Hogwarts' first and hopefully last Revival Ceremony. I ask that you brave another ten minutes of this old man's rambling. Now, it is with great pleasure…"

"Isn't he supposed to be dead?" was the question on everyone's mind.

"…an old colleague of mine whom I can safely say I trust with my own life…"

Dumbledore held up his hand.

"…Has agreed to assume the position left vacant by Professor Snape, who is currently indisposed…"

The angry buzzing erupted amongst the three House tables. Marcus Flint, along with a handful of others at the Slytherin table, scowled and looked away.

"Potions?" Oliver asked.

Bell shook her head. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"…please give a warm, Hogwarts welcome to Professor Vance."

The Great Hall broke into applause. Dumbledore waited for silence before continuing.

"Seeing as most of you either were here last term or have read the Daily Prophet in the last three months, it goes without saying that Hogwarts has been unprepared for the threat of Lord Voldemort. For that, I take full responsibility. Starting this year, there will only be four-day courses every week," - cheers broke out - "Fridays and Saturdays will be used for Defense sessions taught either by Professor Vance or myself, Sundays will be spent at your own leisure. Tryouts for House Quiddich team will be held in September. Team Captains have been selected by Head of House. Graduates, please gather in front of the staff table after the feast. Without further ado, let the feast begin!"

"Wonder what he wants from us?" Oliver said, passing the bowl of mashed potatoes and peas to Lee Jordan.

Katie shrugged. "Sounds important."

"Never mind that," said Angelina Johnson, looking dreamily at the staff's table. "I wonder if there's a Mrs. Vance…"

"Aren't you with Fred?" asked Lee.

The black Chaser flushed. The aforementioned wizard had looked in her direction and smiled.

"Huh? Oh. Sure, spinach rolls."

She passed the plate to Katie, who gave her a quizzical look. Of the three original Gryffindor Chasers, Alicia Spinnet was the only one who ate in total silence. Having been her Quiddich Captain for five years, Wood knew she was deep in thought about something. She'd been like this before, mostly before important Quiddich matches or Potions exams.

Wood pondered this before the sound of Katie Bell's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, isn't that Harry?"

Oliver looked at the staff's table. There he was; his former Seeker who had earned him the long sought after Quiddich House Cup. From what he could see, the Boy-Who-Lived was discussing something with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"He certainly has grown into his frame," Oliver said approvingly. It was true; his former Seeker had finally put on some meat to his skinny frame. "Hey, Potter!"

The Boy-Who-Lived held up his hand and continued his conversation with Vance, who grinned slightly and muttered something to Harry while giving Oliver a pointed look. Oliver was no expert of lip reading, but he could tell Professor Vance was praising Harry for something.

Harry trotted over Oliver's group and squeezed in between Alicia and Angelina.

"Thank Merlin, I'm starving!" Harry exclaimed, looking at the food with wolfish enthusiasm.

"How've you been, Potter? We didn't see you during the Ceremony."

"I was running an errand for Vance. And I caught the very last part of it."

"I didn't know Revival Rituals existed," Oliver continued, toying with his goulash.

"They don't," Alicia said suddenly, looking up from her plate. "At least, according to the Ministry's understanding."

"FOOD!"

Ron dove in between Parvati Patil and Lee Jordan, grabbing everything in sight. Moments later, Hermione Granger took the seat across from Ron, an area deemed 'the safe zone'. Unfortunately for Wood and Harry, they were smack dab in the front seats of the 'splash zone'.

"Where were you two?" Oliver asked, wiping gravy off of his face.

"Patrolling the first-year line," Hermione said with a dignified air.

"Vance's orders," Ron added in between bites. "Really powerful wizard, according to Bill. The scars he got from Fenrir Greyback last year? Fixed them up in a jiff."

"Well, he seems competent," Hermione admitted, though the tone she was using hinted that she had her suspicions.

"Come off it," said Harry, popping a piece of steak in his mouth. "We've known him the entire summer. He's all right."

"You thought the Half Blood Prince was all right," Hermione retorted, working on her cream soup.

Harry froze.

Ron, for the first time in the conversation, stopped eating in mid bite.

"What're they talkin' bout?" Oliver asked, watching the trio yell at one another about some Half Blood Prince.

"He turned out all right in the end, didn't he?" Hermione yelled, taking on both of them.

"Oh, that's rich! You're defending him?"

The argument continued for most of the meal. An hour later, Dumbledore stood up from his chair and was met with immediate silence.

"Now that you have eaten to your heart's content" – at this, all the dishes vanished from the tables – "off to bed! Rest your young minds, for tomorrow they will be punished and overtaxed."

Oliver and his former Quiddich team (excluding Harry) marched to the front of the staff's table where they were joined by familiar faces. Dumbledore had already left, but Vance was there waiting for them to settle down.

"A bigger group that I'm used to," he said to himself, counting the heads. "By a show of hands, who here has achieved over seven OWLs?"

The majority of the group raised their hands; Wood, Flint, and Davis were not among them.

"Okay, not a total lost cause," Vance joked, ignoring the looks several of the female group were giving him. "And who here has taken and passed with Exceeding Expectation in N.E.W.T. Charms?"

A little over half.

"N.E.W.T. Transfiguration?"

Two out of five.

"N.E.W.T. Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Next to nil.

"Ah," he breathed, scanning down his clipboard at the margin labeled 'Alicia Spinnet'. "A Ministry Hit Wizard. Witch, I mean." Ignoring the look on the blonde witch's face, he continued to peruse the list.

"Um, Professor…?"

"Oh, yes, that is all. You may leave," he said offhandedly, still studying the clipboard.

The crowd dispersed in different directions. Oliver was at the Great Hall's entrance when he noticed Alicia was still glaring at Professor Vance.

What was that about?