Author's Note: Note: Because of the increase number of students who got Os on their owls, Karen had to split the 6th year NEWT DEfense Against the Dark Arts class, so Neville and Ron are not in the same class as Harry, Hermione, and Laura. Don't Flame me about that.
Chapter 6: The Attack on Hogsmeade
On Friday morning, four weeks after the first white lion appearance, Laura had double NEWT potions with Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Drake in her class. When they partnered up, Laura and Drake were partners. They both agreed to keep up their act in class and it somehow annoyed her a bit how Drake did it in potions.
"You stupid, Half-blood, you mess it up!" Drake yelled at Laura when she didn't measured the grind wolf's fang right. Laura looked at the potion book and quickly fixed her measurement before she put in it the potion.
Professor Snape then came up to the two Americans, "What seems to be the problem, Miss Eaglehorn?" Laura glared up to him, "It's nothing big, Professor, I just make a measurement mistake, but I fixed before I put it in the potion."
"Well, Miss Eaglehorn, then may I suggest that you don't do it again." He said as he walked away.
"Sure thing," Laura said aloud and then added under her breath, "Professor Stiff." Then He turned and glared at Laura as if he heard her. "Ten points from Gryffindor, one more out burst like that, Miss Eaglehorn, and you'll be having detention with me, understood?" Laura quickly nodded her head.
After Class Harry, Hermione, and Neville catch up with Laura who still couldn't believe Snape heard her called him that. "What did you said or called him?" Harry asked her.
"Professor Stiff." Laura said quickly and all four of them laughed as they went to Defense against the Dark Arts class. Professor Eaglehorn sat at her desk in the front of the room waiting for anyone who was coming in late. "Today, Class, we're going to be learning a counter-curse that's useful against one curse." She began the class.
"Now repeat after me, opistho crunio"
"Opistho Crunio" the class repeated. Professor Eaglehorn smile lightly, "Good, now I need a volunteer…Umm, Laura, will you please come up?" She said as Laura slowly came up to her mother. Laura knew the curse she was going to perform and wasn't ready to do it. "Ok, when your ready, Laura, I want you to counter me."
Laura swallowed her breath and calmly counted down, "Three…Two…One"
"CRUNIO!" Professor Eaglehorn shouted and Laura quickly yelled "OPISTHOCRUNIO!" The curse bounced off of Laura and came right at Professor Eaglehorn, but it was stopped by a barrier protecting her. Laura was shaking but Professor Eaglehorn smiles, "Good job, Laura, you can go back to your seat."
During lunch, Laura sat there, quietly eating, and this began to scared Hermione and Harry. "Is anything wrong, Laura?" Hermione asked her but Laura still was quiet. Then Ron and Neville came up to them. "Hey, how was Defense Class?" Ron asked them. Laura got up and left the table.
"What's with her?" Ron then asked. Both Harry and Hermione explained everything that happened. "And she's been like that since Professor Eaglehorn did that to her." Harry said as Robby sat down beside Hermione.
"Mom did what to whom?" He asked.
"She preformed the Cruciatus Curse on your sister during class." Hermione whispered.
"Wow, and I missed it" Robby said, "Laura was really good at counters back at Salem, so that would have been surprising to see those two in a duel."
All four of them dropped their jaws, "What, Laura was scared out of her wits when Professor Eaglehorn finished." Harry said to Robby.
"Well, I know my mom, and she would never endanger Laura's life, and she knew Laura could do the counter right when the curse is cast and not think about a second later." Robby told them.
"And how's that?" Hermione asked him.
"Because my mom is what you would call an auror, she leads the Defense League in America, and she's been training Laura to take her place since she turned eleven." Robby told them then he started to eat before they could ask him anything else.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were talking about what Robby said during lunch. "If Professor Eaglehorn is the leader of the aurors in America, then what is she doing here?" Ron asked, Harry and Hermione thought about it, and then Harry remember something he over heard Dumbledore tell the order during the summer.
"Because Professor Dumbledore feared that if the eldest Eaglehorn stay in America, then she would be in danger." He said
Hermione thought even harder, "But why would Dumbledore think Laura would be in more danger back home then here?"
Then Harry remember about how Neville and Luna reacted when Laura introduced herself on the train, "Because her family, The Eaglehorn Family, is the oldest and most powerful wizarding family in the United States, If Voldemort got a hold of her somehow, then America would fall into darkness and any Death eater over there can come out of hiding and take over."
"Then what about the white lion, we still don't know anything about that beast." Ron said when Laura appeared in front of them. Laura just nodded her head and went to her next class. "She needs to loosen up a bit." Ron then said when she disappeared in the crowd.
"Well, from what Laura's brothers told us, the white lion is an animagus, but they don't know who the lion is." Hermione said as they started down towards Harigd's Hut.
"Why don't we ask Laura to join us tomorrow in Hogsmeade, like you said Ron, she needed to loosen up a bit and we can ask her about the white lion later." Harry said as the three make their way to Harigd's hut for Care for Magical Creatures.
Classes were done for the day for Laura after Muggle studies. She walked up to Gryffindor tower and move up to the Fat lady. "Password?"
"Patronus," Laura said as the Fat lady open the door to let Laura in. The common room was empty as Laura walked up the stairs and placed her school bag on her bed when she got to girls' dormitory. Laura lightly sighed and looked under her bed and pulled out Toby from under it. She knew she would be perfectly ok if play him in the common room since no one was there yet as she walked back down in the common room with Toby in hand.
She sat down next to the fireplace and began to tune him until she got the cord prefect, and began to play. Playing music on Toby somewhat renewed her spirit and brought a smile to her face. She continued to play as the music flowed through the room and past the Fat lady to Harry, Hermione, and Ron who were coming back from Care for Magical Creatures.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron was the first to say as they reached the fat lady. The fat lady smiled, "That music is beautiful, and I think that girl who came in here a little bit ago is playing it." She said.
Harry whispered the password and she opened the door to let them in. Laura was still playing as the three entered the common room. The music continued for at least five more minutes and Laura sighed lightly as she put Toby down beside her chair, "Now that's better."
She heard clapping from behind her and she quickly turned and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Laura's face turned red with embarrassment, "Umm…How long were you guys listen?" she asked
"For about five minutes." Harry said as they sat down around the fire with her. "That was brilliant, how long have you been playing?" Ron asked as Laura picked up Toby again.
"I've been playing guitar since I was seven years old," Laura reply as she played a light tune, "Toby belonged to my father, my mom gave him to me when I turn seven after he died."
"Why called a guitar Toby?" Harry asked her.
"Because Toby was my father's name, and I called the guitar Toby because when ever I play it, I feel like he's there beside me, you know." Laura reply with her playing another light cord.
"Was your father a wizard or a muggle?" Hermione then asked, "Because during potions, Drake…"
"The truth is I really don't want to talk about that." Laura said quickly as she pushed back some of her long raven hair behind her.
The room was quiet for a bit when Ron elbowed Harry, "Laura, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Harry asked as if he remembered what he was going ask.
"I was thinking about it, why?" She said as she forced out a light smile. "If you want why don't you hang out with us?" Ron said. Laura thought for a bit, and then nodded in agreement, "Why not," Laura stood up and yawned when she looked at the clock in the common room, "I think I'm skip dinner and head to bed, I'm not really hungry anyhow." Laura said lightly as she when up to the girls' dormitory.
The White Lion looked up darken school, knowing it couldn't go pass the Forbidden Forest without the wolf coming after it. Then a mountain lion stood beside it and nodded its head. "Is there something wrong, Ghost?" The mountain lion asked.
"Why can't I go near the castle in this form, but in my human form, I can wander without Kar chasing me, I know what I have to do, but I can't do it, I can't show her who I am, not yet at least." Ghost said then mountain lion purred lightly and shook its head lightly
"Ghost, someday you'll have to show her who you are, but when the day comes, I know I can come out hiding and not have to worry about being hunted by Kar and eating every rat I hunt down." Ghost chuckle lightly after the mountain lion said that.
"Thanks, Grayclaw, you've always know how to cheer me up." Ghost said as both of them disappears into the forest as they both when back to their human forms.
Laura, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were walking down the street in Hogsmeade looking in at different stores. Laura bought some candy at Honeydukes for her brothers and Laura stopped at the post office to have some letters deliver to some of her friends at Salem while in return two of them sent letters to her.
"So who are Kate and John?" Harry asked as Laura read one of the letters. "They're two of my friends and teammates back at Salem." Laura said as she continued to read on. "Teammates, you mean…" Ron began to say when Laura nodded her head, "Yea, I played Quidditch back at Salem, I was the seeker on my team."
"You mean your house team, right?" Harry asked but Laura shook her head as she pocketed the letters, "No, since Salem has five houses, there's an extra team to keep everything equal with players from every house on the team and that was the team I played on, along with Drake, but I can explain it more later if you wish."
Harry nodded his head as they continued to look around. Then Harry began to rub his head around where his scar is in pain. Laura looked at him, "Harry, are you ok?" she asked when the air felt colder then it was. Harry looked up and Laura did the same thing. Then they both looked at head as students began to run away from four black hooded figures. "Umm…Harry, are they what I think they are?" Hermione said, and then both Laura and Harry pull out their wands.
"Expecto Patronum!" both Laura and Harry shouted at the four hooded figures, and a silver Stag went charging from Harry's wand and Laura's was a silver lion then leap at the dementors. "Run now!" Laura yelled as all four of them began to run up towards the castle with the crowd of students.
Harry was the first to make it up to the castle, follow by Ron and Laura, but Hermione was not where in sight. "Where's Hermione?" Harry said as he was trying to catch his breath. Laura looked around a bit, "She was behind me…I…I thought she was, she might of got lost in the crowd." Laura said, and then an eagle owl flew out of the Forbidden Forest and drops a letter in front of them. It was addressed to the eldest Eaglehorn. Laura started breath heavily as she opens it up and a wand falls out of the letter. Both Harry and Ron recognize it to be Hermione's as Harry picked it up. Laura looked at the letter and it reads:
We have your mudblood friend, surrender yourself to the dark lord and we promise not to harm the mudblood.
The letter was crumble up in Laura's fist, and her eyes burn with a fury that both Harry and Ron never saw within her before. Then before Laura could say anything, she ran into the Forbidden Forest with Ron and Harry following behind her. "No! Don't follow me!" Laura roared at them, and both of them stop, "Why not?" Harry protested, "She our friend too!"
"Hermione is in danger because they want me and if you two or even Hermione got hurt because of me, I…I wouldn't forgive myself." Laura said with her back turned towards them and her fist still balled up. "I need you two to keep my mother from following me. I need to do this alone."
Laura went running into the Forbidden Forest dropping the letter she had balled up in her fist when Karen came running down from the castle. "I just heard about the attack, Where's Laura...is she ok, boys?" she said looking afraid. Harry picked up the letter and handed it to Karen and she began to read it. "No…Laura…She wouldn't…She couldn't…" Karen said with the letter shaking in her hand. When Karen finally realized what happened, "I'm going in after them." But Harry and Ron stood in her way.
"Laura said she had to do this alone, Professor, Laura thinks she can get Hermione back without surrendering herself to Voldemort." Harry said, Karen sighed and began to cry a little a bit. "I almost lost her twice alright, and I don't want anything to happen to her or lose her." She said, but Harry saw the reason Laura wanted her mother not to follow her. "Professor, I think Laura want you to protect her brothers, I believe that both Hermione and her will be back safely." Harry said.
Karen nodded in agreement, "I know she will…Laura would do the same thing for me or her brothers if we're in danger." Then all three of look into the forest and hope both of them will make it back alive and safe.
End Notes: If you guess Hermione was the one to get captured, then good for you and have a cookie, don't worry thought the next chapter is the rescue and maybe the lion's name reveal, who knows. Stay tune.