Chapter 15 - A Good Nights Rest, Before Detention
By: Zero Star (zrostar)
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Harry awoke before the sun, bright and refreshed for the first time in weeks. It was amazing! He was even up before the rest of his classmates. Maybe he could run a few laps around the quidditch pitch before the rest of the school was up.
He gave a greatful yawn at the unknown cause and quickly dressed.
When he reached the common room, he found Hermione had fallen asleep on one of the large red sofas. She hadn't even made it to her room last night. The book Ron brought her laying across her chest. The book she had been reading laying on the coffee table.
Harry moved forward quietly, so not to wake her. The title of a well worn book was 'Supernatual Dreams and Dream Curses' by Morpheus Baku.
"Poor Hermione..." Harry felt a pang of guilt. "You do all this work for us, and we rarely even notice."
His guilt deepened as he noticed several sheets of notes from the dream guide were written up in her hand writing. No wonder she had been so grumpy lately, she was working hard to help and they kept ignoring her.
"I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise." Harry gave her a tender smile and covered her with one of the many Gryffindor blankets.
Now, back to Quidditch! It was a weekend, they would be sleeping late anyway.
----
It was a gray misty morning. A light fog hung in the air. Harry enjoyed the damp scent and the haze on his swift ride to the playing field.
He lapped the grounds several times, testing his speed and turning. On his 5th lap, he nearly fell off his broom as a red streak zoomed in front of him.
"Oh, pardon me, Mr. Potter. I didn't realize any students were awake yet!"
Harry squinted. Somewhere in the lower part of the fog was a vaguely familiar voice.
"Professor Lethe?" Harry called out.
"Ah and a good memory too, I see."
The red streak had slowed and circled slowly beside him. Harry was shocked to see his gruff defense against the dark arts teacher on a broomstick, Lethe wasn't exactly young, but to be racing around the Quidditch field... that was amazing!.
"Uh... Good Morning, sir." Harry finally pressed out. Noticing the word 'Olympia' in faded silver letters written across the opposite broom.
"Care to race a bit?" The older asked, a youthful wry grin spreading across his face.
"Oh sure!" Harry agreed with a laugh.
And the two were off! Had the castle been in it's normal active state, students and staff alike would have seen two red blurs speeding across the grounds. Harry in his Gryffindor Quidditch robes, and Lethe in his own red garb.
They were neck and neck for nearly 15 minutes, circling around turriots and towers, diving through arches in the walkways. Even dive-bombing Hagrid's chickens.
Harry grinned at his compeditor and pushed his firebolt for all it had. The broom shot forward at an amazing rate, heading back to the quidditch pitch, when Lethe suddenly caught up to him. They crossed the unofficial finish line together.
Harry was in awe. "But Firebolts are the fastest brooms ever built! How did you do that!"
Lethe smiled sadly. "An old trick I learned... off a younger gentleman, actually. Cast a propulsion charm on your broom just before the finish line. Although I think that move is illegal now. Thanks to him!"
Harry raised a curious eyebrown. "Famous Racer?"
"Kind of, yes... Broom Racer, Quidditch player, flying instructor. If it came to broomsticks or flying, he was the man to ask. I miss him."
Oh my god... Thought Harry. He couldn't have meant the missing professor. "Sir, was he a flying instructor at Hogwarts?"
Lethe smiled sincerely and glanced at the horizon. The first rays of morning were just starting to breath through the fog. This seemed to have caught the old Gryffindor by extreme surprise. He acted paniced for a moment before refocusing his thoughts.
"My goodness, look at the time! I should be going. Thank you for your time Mr. Potter, perhaps tomorrow I'll see you again. Oh, and give a warm hello to your little friends for me." Lethe gave a half bow, from his broom before speeding away as fast as possible back to the castle.
"Strange..." Was all Harry could say.
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On his way back in the tower, to put away his precious firebolt and to change, the other Gryffindors were starting to awaken.
Ron slowly stretched and yawned. Opening one blurry eye, then the other.
"Ah! Harry you're awake!" Ron sat up in shock.
"Good morning, Ron." Harry grinned, putting on his Weasely sweater.
"Are you alright, mate? You look - you look good..." Ron turned his head at an odd angle, as if Harry had suddenly become a very interesting puzzle piece.
"I'll explain later. I think we owe some appologies to Hermione."
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At the breakfast table, Hermione seemed grumpier than usual, even though Ron and Harry were making an extra attempt to be nice to her. She didn't seem to fair well in the "up all night" senario, unless she was studying.
"I heard music last night." Hermione mumbled, half to herself. "Right before I fell asleep."
"So did I." Ron and Harry stated in unison.
"It was peaceful," Harry thought back on it. "It sounded familair..."
"I fell asleep." Ron said, placing more butter on his toast. He grew drowsy just at the memory. "Ow!"
Something sharp had jab ron in the chest, when he remembered he had a chocolate frog card in his pocket, from last night.
"Oh hey." He smiled, reading it.
"Hermione, is there anything we can do for you? Just name it." Harry determined to let her know they cared. Even if Ron didn't act like it.
"Well, actually." She looked innocently at the both of them. "I've arranged to have a tour of all 4 portrait rooms when Professor McGonagall get's the chance. I'll be able to see that painting you were talking about and maybe see a few others Hagrid mentioned had returned. Maybe even talk to Professor McGonagall about our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Harry and Ron looked at each other as Hermione smiled smugly.
"Oh and here." Hermione handed Harry the book on dreams the notes stuck inside of it. "Seems you aren't the only one having bad dreams, Harry."
"Who else?!" He wanted to know.
"Remember those four psychic first years, the blonde ones? Well, they can't sleep a wink. Sounds like the Headmaster in speaking with Professor Snape about a sleep aide fo them. Terrible dreams, like the ones you've had. Some of the staff can't sleep. Even other students are having a problem."
"What?" Ron butted in. "What kind of problem? They are all having the same recurring dream?"
"Not the same dream, Ron. But similair dreams. Just the other night, the Slytherin blonde said she had a dream that she was talking to a ghost. He was polite enough, considering he was bound with chains. One of her sisters says she keeps having dreams about being trapped at the bottom of the lake, while another still was having nightmares of being trapped in a shadowy place. Now, if you'll excuse me. I should be going to the library."
Harry swallowed, what could be powerful enough to give the whole school nightmares?
"Thanks." Harry choked, refurring to the book and notes.
He and Ron sat in a strangled silence for several moments.
"So, who did you get?" Harry elbowed, in an attempt to lighten conversation.
"Wha? Oh, my card."
The front of the chocolate frog card portrayed a cheeky looking fellow, with a young face but hair grayed with age a trace or two of red still remained.
Ron drew a smug expression and read it in the way a brittish report might. "His name is Esus Jacobi. Once a teacher at the famous wizard academy of Hogwarts, he served as the Head of Hufflepuff for many years. Jacobi is a nature lover and one of the few celtic druids left in modern magical society. He is best known for his famous talents in summon staff weilding and enchanted archery. Although friends contests his amazing temper to be his greatest power."
They laughed. "Sounds like your mum, Ron! What's a summon staff?"
"Yeah tell me about it... a summon staff, is like a wand, but harder to get a hold of. The wizard who chooses a staff has to go on a little quest and find the wood himself. It's a very involved process. Staffs are mostly used for battle."
"Ah." Harry nodded.
The two finished their breakfast talking of quidditch, far to busy to notice the menecing black figure approaching them.
"Potter! Weasely!" Came a familiar snarl, although a bit to close for comfort.
The two froze, afraid to look up. Snape had somehow gotten directly behind them with out either noticing, his pale, hollow face hovered between them.
"I'm pleased to inform you that you two will serve me a detention at your next conveniance. Especially you... Potter." Snape spat Harry's name as if it were a fatal insult.
"M-may I ask w-why, Sir?" Ron froze as Snape slithered a cold morbid hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed painfully hard.
"Because a certain pair of disrespecting Gryffindors need to be taught how to follow the rules." Harry winced in extreme pain, Snape's grip was growing tighter, his other hand firmly on Ron's shoulder. "Because the two of you need to learn the hard way in what it means to violate crufux and what the punishment for vandalism entails, to the letter!" His angry breath hissed in their ears.
"Vandalism?" Ron squeeked. "W-when, w-where?!"
Snape suddenly released them, but the feeling of the painful grip still lingered.
"I'm so very glad you asked me that, Mr. Weasely." His voice suddenly very calm and silken. "You see, I've been having trouble sleeping lately. So when I am struck with a bout of insomnia I decide to walk the halls of the school at night, but last night, I noticed something awful on my rounds."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Harry's face turned red, and Ron looked as if he were about to be sick.
"I noticed THIS!" From within the folds of his black robes Snape withdrew a candy wrapper. The words 'chocolate frog' easily readable across it.
Ron swallowed hard.
"So you see, boys. I know it was you, and there is no avoiding it. Will tonight be a good time for your sufferance in detention?" Snape gave them the nastiest smile to date.
"Yes, sir." The two trembled.
Harry mouthed three words at Ron. I'll kill you.
"Good." He pulled away from them. "Potions Classroom tonight, at 6 - no, 8 o'clock. And if either of you even think about breaking our little engagement... I will have you both exPELLED!" He flung vile spit particles at them with the last overly enphesized syllible.
Harry and Ron looked at each other in horror and disgust.
Snape strode away, pausing briefly at the Ravenclaw table, dropping a colorful sash into the lap of a raven haired first year. He patted her head and whispered "If Mr. Filch sees this again, you'll have a detention." He then continued out of the hall. Harassing Ron and Harry seems to have made his day.
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I love writing about snape. He's just a fun character.
11-23-02