Chapter Nine
A/N: Okay, so only three reviews for my last chapter? I feel the love guys. . . Sure it wasn't my best, and it took me a while to get out, but sheesh! You're all incredibly lucky that I'm not one of those authors who with-holds chapters for reviews. . . I would like to give my heartiest thanks to Hplova4eva, snappish79, and mexflower3 who actually REVIEWED my past chapter.
Disclaimer: Don't sue me please, as that would put a great kink in my social life.
The whole castle was a buzz with excitement as the last day before the Christmas holidays was fast coming to a close. Many students had opted to go home for the holidays. In light of the events of last year, parents of Hogwarts students were summoning their children home whenever possible, making sure that all their limbs were still in tact.
Professor McGonagall had passed around the sign up sheet for those who would be staying for the holidays. Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly put their names down.
"Don't you always go home for the holidays?" Ron questioned her. "I'm sure you're parents will be wanting to take you to the Bahamas or something. Or maybe Vicky wants you to spend Christmas with him?"
Hermione scowled. "I can stay here for Christmas if I want to Ronald Weasley! What's it to you?"
Ron ears tinged pink. "Nothing. S'different is all."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Okay."
"I want those essays back on my desk first thing at the end of the holidays!" Lupin called after his last class before the break. "Hey Ron, come here a minute would you?"
Ron told Harry and Hermione that he'd meet up with them later, and made his way over to Lupin. "Professor, I swear that today wasn't my fault-"
"I'm sure it wasn't Ron. Please just make sure that whoever is at fault goes and gives Miss Brown the rest of notes from class today. But that is beside the point."
"It is?"
"Yes. I wanted to ask you if anything has improved since our last little chat. Just because I'm your teacher doesn't mean I don't care you know."
Ron was a bit taken aback. Usually it was Harry that Lupin would be checking up on. "I'm fine Professor, thank you."
"You sure? Nothing else you want to talk to me about?"
Ron pondered this for a moment. "Not in particularly. . . I did appreciate you talking to me last time though." he added hastily, not wanting to seem ungrateful. "It helped."
"Well I'm glad to hear that." Lupin smiled. "If you ever need me Ron, I'm here for you. You know that right?"
Ron nodded.
"Good. Well, have a lovely holiday. Don't forget to do that essay, but I'm sure that Miss Granger will see to that."
"Yeah. . . erm. . . have a good holiday Professor!" Ron flushed slightly as Professor Lupin gave him a very knowing looked, and he scurried off out the corridor.
"Ron!" Hermione called as Ron shot passed the place she was waiting for him.
"Ahh!" Ron proceeded to jump a foot in the air. "Don't scare a person like that Hermione!" he grabbed at his heart. "I think you could have well killed me."
"Oh Ron, I would NOT have killed you."
"Seriously maimed me, then."
"Sure."
"Where's Harry?"
"Professor McGonagall told him that she had a note for him from Dumbledore."
"What's that all about?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing bad I hope."
Ron groaned. With Harry, it was always bad. . .
Harry climbed the familiar staircase to Dumbledore's office. What the headmaster wanted, Harry had no clue. He hadn't done anything to merit a detention lately. . . Unless you count provoking Ron to disarm him in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Poor Lavender, she hadn't expected to be hit by a stray spell. She had been knocked cold.
Harry reached the door to Dumbledore's office and he knocked.
"Come in."
"Professor?"
"Harry! Good to see you. Please, sit down." Dumbledore smiled at Harry with his twinkling eyes and motioned to a seat in front of his desk. "Lemon drop?"
"Er. . . No thanks. Um, if you don't mind me asking. . . but, er, what am I doing here?"
"I simply wanted to speak with you Harry. There is no cause for alarm." Dumbledore held up a thin hand.
"Oh. . . okay." Harry wasn't so sure about being called to the headmaster's office to chat. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I understand that you are staying here for the holidays?"
"Yes, I am, sir." Harry was a bit confused by this question. He always stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays. Why was Dumbledore talking to him about it now? After five years at Hogwarts, he now wanted to bring this up?
"And I am correct when I say that Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger will be staying as well?"
"Yes sir."
Dumbledore smiled. "Harry, do you think you could tell me why it is that Miss Granger has decided not to visit her family this holiday season?"
"I- I don't know."
Dumbledore nodded. "And Mr. Weasley, as I understand his family is all coming home for Christmas, and yet he chooses to remain here?"
"Ron hasn't mentioned. . ." Harry began, not really knowing where to end.
"Harry, how many of your classmates do you believe are staying for the holidays?"
"I don't know, sir."
"Ah." Dumbledore smiled at Harry, however the smile did not reach his eyes. "Well, thank you for your time Mr. Potter. I am very glad we had this chance to talk."
"Goodbye Professor."
"Goodbye Harry."
As usual, Harry felt more confused after having left Dumbledore's office than before he had entered. He was sure that Dumbledore had wanted to discuss something for the Order. . . The harder Harry thought, however, the stranger that idea occurred to him. He had not been informed of any Order happenings since the end of last year. As a matter of fact, all of the last summer had passed the same as it always had. He stayed with the Dursley's until he was called to go to the Burrow. He, Ron, and Hermione had then spent a perfectly normal summer together.
Normal. Harry's mind always seemed to travel back to that topic lately. . . Everything had been normal the past couple of months, the past couple of months when it should have been most different. Nothing made sense. Malfoy avoiding him. Voldermort being unusually quiet. Dumbledore making no sense. . . okay, so maybe things weren't as out of whack as they seemed. Harry usually could only make sense of Dumbledore's warnings after it was too late. He was sure it was one of those instances. Harry decided to talk to Ron and Hermione. Surely they could shed some light onto the subject.
"He wondered why we were staying?" Hermione asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah. Strange, huh?" Harry said. "I just can't make sense of it." he placed his head in his hands.
Hermione cast a quick look at Ron, who gave the slightest hint of a shrug. "Well, you know Dumbledore. . ."
"Yeah, it's probably nothing, really. I mean if it were important, he would have told you right? Hey, are you up for a game of ch-"
"But I think he was trying to tell me something. I just don't know what it was he was trying to say."
"Don't worry yourself over it Harry." Hermione begun. "It's the beginning of the holidays. Let your mind take a break."
Harry knew something was up. Hermione Granger telling him to rest his mind and take a holiday was a sure sign of the Apocalypse.
A/N: Not my best chapter, I'll admit. I'm working hard to get another one out to you guys this weekend. Sorry for the far and in-between postings. School is overbearing, and whenever I do get a chance to write, I don't know what direction to take next. I have so many ideas but I can't figure out which one to put first. Any ideas?
As always: Its super hip to review! So be hip: review!