... A Requiem for Sadness ...
- V -
Unravel
Once Harry put away his things he sat on his bed. He absently stroked his new pet while he rummaged through the mass of thoughts in his head. During the war he had lost his owl Hedwig, and though he never thought to replace his beloved owl having his new pet helped him out immensely, especially when he had no one to talk to.
The cat was found in the aftermath of one of the few open attacks the Death Eaters made on muggles. Harry had visited the site only because it had targeted his muggle family, and he paid his respects by surveying the damage the area had suffered and helping with cleaning the area up. Harry had heard a noise near his foot. Underneath a fallen branch in a small depression in the ground, the kitten had been trapped for days. Bloody and starving, it had been a poor sight. Those wide frightened amber eyes had won him over at once.
Harry looked at the animal purring next to him. Finding a name had been terribly difficult. Harry liked cats enough, but he never thought himself a cat lover. Also, the cat was long haired and black – a beautiful yet ominous creature. At first this made Harry nervous. He had grown up with the superstition that black cats were a bad sign. When the cat healed from his injuries it was obvious. The cat's fur turned a brilliant white where his scars had healed, and one such marking lay just above its right eye.
Harry chuckled as he remembered when he had first heard someone refer to his pet as The Cat Who Lived, although it had been terribly annoying at the time! No, he had finally decided on a name, a name taken from his family that seemed all too fitting.
"Sirius." He called softly. The feline answered with a big yawn, showing his long white fangs before snapping his jaw shut. Sirius then proceeded to ignore Harry and clean himself once again.
"Harry." A quiet voice called.
Harry whipped around and gaped at the person standing in the doorway.
"Ron!"
The redhead looked emaciated, but much better than he had looked the last time Harry visited him, no more than a week ago. Harry jumped off his bed and welcomed Ron with a light, friendly hug.
He's still so thin!
"When did you get in?"
"Just now. That bloody Granger decided that missing the first day was the end of the world." Ron voice was quiet, but had more life now.
"Herm is here?"
"In the common room waiting." Ron lifted up something he had in his hand. It was the same note that Harry received.
"I don't know what Snape wants, so don't ask."
"Snape… as Headmaster… I reckon I'll have to get used to that!"
Fighting the urge to rush down to meet Hermione, Harry stayed and took his friend's shoulders.
"So, you're doing better?" Ron looked away. His eyes became distant for a moment. Harry couldn't even tell if the other was breathing.
"I don't know." He whispered. "I don't think about it… well, I try not to."
Silence hung around them for a moment. Ron shifted uncomfortably.
"You know what?" Harry asked. Before Ron could answer Harry wrapped his arms around his friend once more, this time more urgently. "I've really missed you!"
"I… uhh… I missed you too" Ron's arms encircled Harry's torso in return. Ron sniffed once during the embrace. After another moment of silence Ron spoke.
"You think we can... " Ron swallowed, "you know… stop acting like girls now?"
"Err, right!"
They let each other go.
"Boys!" Hermione exclaimed breathily from somewhere behind Ron. She stepped up between them with glistening eyes. The girls' arms snaked around the two of them at once.
"Oh, blimey rotten hell!" Ron cursed.
--
When the trio approached the doors to the Great Hall, no one was in sight.
"See! Why did you drag us here early?" Ron whined.
"Oh, don't be such a brat. Being early is better than being late. And being on time is useless unless you plan to arrive precisely at an exact time, which is astronomically improbable."
Harry chuckled while Ron made a face. It felt so good being with the two of them again, almost like old times.
Just then the doors parted.
"Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasly… How wonderful to see the both of you. I only heard of you arrival a moment ago." Snape regarded them pleasantly. "Mr. Potter, and you two may enter. It seems that some of those invited are indeed anxious."
Behind the Headmaster a couple of students had already arrived and were sitting among a small group of chairs in the middle of the Hall – much to Hermione's chargin! Harry, Ron and Hermione each provided their invitations, now blank, to Snape, and entered the hall. As they came closer, they recognized the other students.
Cho Chang sat with Dean Thomas and the Patil girls. There was also Nevile Longbottom who looked up and saw the trio first. Pansy Parkinson and Markus Flint were the only ones from Slytherin and made no fuss at all over the newcomers. Hannah Abbot seemed to staring off at nothing at all. Justin Finch-Fletchley gave a polite wave. Luna Lovegood sat alone keeping an eye on everyone.
Lavendar Brown and Seamus Finnigan, came in shortly after Harry and his friends sat down. Ernie MacMillan arrived a few minutes before the allotted hour. Zacharias Smith arrived a few minutes late, looking rushed and seemed worried about any possible punishment that might ensue from the new Headmaster.
"Please have a seat, Mr. Smith. We are expecting a few more students still." Soon after, the rest of the chairs filled with more students. After some time no one else showed up. Harry noticed that Snape was pacing slowly around the group. As the Headmaster made a pass behind where he, Ron and Hermioine sat an empty chair caught his attention.
He's expecting someone else.
Suddenly Harry knew who it was. He watched Snape come around the other side of the group and stop. He was staring at the door.
"You're late, Mr. Malfoy." All the gathered students turned. Draco sneered at them all. His blond hair was somewhat disheveled and his face was reddened. He wore a heavy full length robe.
"I had just read your… invitation… only a moment ago." His voice was oddly low and calm. He looked away from Snape and spied the empty chair. "And don't call me that ever again."
A chill ran down Harry's spine, and by the looks on everyone's face they all felt it too. For a long second the room lost all its warmth. Draco grabbed the chair and pulled away from the group before sitting down. Ron muttered something under his breath.
Snape cleared his throat to signal the beginning of the meeting as much as to quiet those before him.
"Since I have gathered you all here at this late hour on your first day back, which has been undoubtedly long, I shall be brief." Severus stepped into a break in the circle of students before continuing.
"Since coming to this position, I have faced many dilemmas. I won't bore you all with the details, but I will tell you that an idea came to me a short while ago that would help with more than one of the issues. I have just received confirmation from the Ministry of Magic of its support on this regard.
"I am initiating a new program that will, under normal circumstances, be offered to only seventh year students. However, for this inaugural year, I am allowing all of you in this group the choice of participating."
Snape studied some of the faces before him. Most were curious, others were wary.
"To put yourself at ease, your decision is just that – your decision. You can choose freely, and make that choice based on whatever reasons you may."
"Get on with it! Tell us of your new program before we miss our first classes," Grumbled a voice from behind Harry. Snape threw an icy glare over Harry's head at Draco. Yet he said nothing to the Slytherin.
"I would like all of you to participate in Hogwarts' first Wizard to Muggle exchange program. For a portion of your school year you may live in a designate muggle community and live as Muggles while continuing most of your studies–"
A bark of laughter startled everyone even Snape. The riotous mirth erupted from the blond boy behind Harry and his friends.
"THAT is your new program?" Draco stood up.
"That it is… Draco." Snape voiced evenly.
"You and your great plans! What is this one supposed to accomplish? Reveal us to the muggles so that they can start coming to Hogwarts like it was some vacation getaway?"
"Actually Draco, it's supposed to do the exact opposite." Snape stepped towards the rebellious youth, who was now right behind Harry.
"This program will allow seventh year students, more specifically you students a reprieve from these halls, as, I'm sure you don't need reminding, they hold many, many memories – some very horrific!
I specifically choose you, this group of students, so that each one of you may take advantage of the time away… to mend broken spirits and perhaps morn the passing of loved ones in peace."
Snape's voice boomed over Harry's head. In its absence the only sound was of Draco's labored breathing from behind and some nervous movements from other students. The room was not only cold now, but incredibly tense. Harry was shivering. He wanted to be anywhere but between Snape and Malfoy, but to move would most likely mean drawing all the tension towards him. Time ticked away slowly before anything happened.
"You'll have a couple of weeks to think about this, in the meantime if you have any questions or concerns please come see me."
Draco huffed and stomped off out the door. As he whirled towards the entrance, a rush of air swept passed Harry. He detected a faint mix of odors. Out of the mélange, Harry picked out something akin to a fragrant wine.