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€ º € Chapter Seven: Familiar Faces, Nostalgic Names € º €
KayKay never mentioned the run-in with the man at the movies—neither, she noticed, did Harry. They'd both returned to the jeep, KayKay taking her seat next to Matt in the front and Harry with Madison in the back—they felt shaken, but intact, and it was with reduced enthusiasm that they watched the rest of the movie.
If Matt or Madison suspected that something had happened, they made no indication except for asking Harry where the popcorn was, to which he replied, "Didn't have enough money."
The night had ended peacefully enough: they dropped Madison off first, then Harry and KayKay. After wishing KayKay a good night and kissing her quickly, Matt had driven away.
KayKay and Harry said nothing to each other as they went upstairs and parted at the trapdoor, and in the days to come, Harry acted nearly as if it hadn't even happened.
Still, the event had solidified KayKay's image of him as a friend to be trusted, even perhaps a best friend—and it seemed to prove that Harry was serious about not wanting them to be enemies anymore. Part of KayKay's mind had still been dubious before that night at the drive-in.
A bit more than a week later, KayKay spent a rather enjoyable few days with Madison at the mansion. Certainly, her father seemed like the all-business type, but her mother was very friendly and hospitable, treating KayKay almost like a second daughter.
This was a wonderful experience for KayKay, who hadn't had a mother-like figure since the time her own mother had been murdered. Ten years was quite a long time without somebody filling such a position, but Aunt Janine had done a fine job in KayKay's way of thinking.
In no time at all, September First had arrived, and she, Harry, and Sirius were rushing about in the early morning, making sure they had all of the final things they needed.
They had to take the Knight Bus to King's Cross Station—not the most pleasant experience, but luckily for them, they hadn't had time for breakfast.
Well, actually, Sirius had, but . . . KayKay was under the impression that he could eat a boulder and still be hungry.
So, they stumbled off of the bus a quarter of an hour later, locating trolleys for their trunks and for Hedwig's cage and heading off towards Platform 9 ¾.
Casey trotted alongside KayKay on a leash—well, perhaps trotted and alongside aren't the proper words . . .
It was more along the lines of Casey trying to dart nearly everywhere at once, practically dislocating KayKay's shoulder and earning her several dirty looks from muggles who didn't want to be bothered by an oversized puppy bursting with enthusiasm.
Despite this, Harry and KayKay made it safely (if not sanely) to the magical platform, where the Hogwarts Express was already billowing steam and crowds of familiar faces were chattering loudly, the noise punctuated by the shrieks of owls, cats, and the occasional croak of Trevor the toad.
As they made their way towards the train, KayKay looked around, trying to find Matt—he'd said he would try to come to see her off.
As she looked, a few students glanced at KayKay and Harry and then whispered quickly to their friends, but she tried to pay no heed. She simply yanked Casey's leash to try to get a better control of the canine (who again was trying to greet everyone personally), then lugged her trunk onto the train after Harry.
Finding a compartment was easy enough—Ron and Hermione had already claimed one, and Crookshanks was playing with the hem of Hermione's robes while Pigwidgeon was hooting merrily and flying in countless circles around the room.
"Oh no . . ." KayKay sighed upon seeing the cat—and she was right to feel this way, because Casey immediately tore out of KayKay's grip once and for all and barked wildly, throwing herself towards Crookshanks.
"Crookshanks, no!" Hermione gasped as the ginger cat clawed its way up the seat and tried to launch onto her shoulders. KayKay was trying to catch Casey's leash and restrain her as the puppy jumped up at Hermione, trying to "play" with the cat.
Almost miraculously, Ginny appeared at that moment and Crookshanks leapt from Hermione's shoulder to the redhead's.
"I'll watch him, Hermione, Jessie and Miranda won't mind," she said, taking in the chaos almost immediately. "We're just two compartments down."
As quickly as she'd come, she stepped back out, sliding the door shut just in time for Casey to collide with it, yapping loudly.
KayKay seized this opportunity to take her dog's leash and hand it to Harry.
"Watch her for me, will you? I need to find someone."
"Matt?" he asked, eyes knowing. She nodded, and he glanced at his old watch.
"Better hurry," he told her, "the train will be leaving before too long."
She nodded, slipping out of the compartment and off of the train, where she stood on her toes, trying her best to locate the elusive boy. This time she saw him almost immediately, and she wound her way quickly through the crowd.
"I was afraid you'd give up on me," he said with a grin as she hugged him. "Sorry I'm late."
"Better late than never. When do your classes start?" she asked, stepping out of the hug as they spoke.
"Next Monday. Ah, the joy of being surrounded by peers who I have nothing in common with . . ." he rolled his eyes and shuddered.
"Oh, knowing you you'll make friends fast enough," KayKay replied. "And besides, you can see Harry, Madison, and me on our Hogsmeade weekends."
"I'll especially look forward to seeing you," he said, smiling. "And maybe being around strangers during classes will be more bearable with the promise of being able to see friends like Harry and Madison.
"Speaking of which," he continued in a would-be casual tone, "I notice that you and Harry are getting along again . . ."
KayKay remembered in a stroke of surprise that she never told Matt about Harry's apology in early August.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you . . . he and I mended fences. I mean—we're getting better at not arguing constantly, and we're actually getting along. It's much more bearable to live in the same house as a friend than it is to live with an enemy . . ."
"You mean he said he was sorry for all those things he . . .?" KayKay nodded, and Matt smiled. "Good. It's about time—"
A shrill whistle came from the train and KayKay looked around in surprise. The platform was empty of students—only a few adults remained.
"I have to go!" KayKay said quickly. "I'm sorry, I—"
"Don't worry about it," Matt said quickly. "Have a good year!"
The train whistled again, and Harry leaned out of one of the doors.
"KayKay, hurry!" he said, urging her to come. She looked back to Matt.
"I—" she began.
"Go! You don't want to miss it!"
KayKay nodded, gave Matt a quick kiss goodbye, then dashed for the Hogwarts Express, which was starting to move. Harry held out a hand for hers and helped her hop up and into the train.
She turned and looked back at Matt, waving goodbye as he quickly faded from view and became a speck in the distance. Harry then helped her shove the door shut, and they walked back to their compartment.
They arrived as Ron was asking Hermione a question that they, too, had been wondering about.
" . . . But who d'you think will be the new Dark Arts teacher? I mean, now that Professor Lupin—"
He broke off as he noticed KayKay and his face turned red all the way to his ears.
"I—I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking down as KayKay and Harry found seats. Casey immediately bounded over and jumped onto the seat next to KayKay, laying out and resting her head on her mistress's lap.
"Oh, it's alright, Ron," she said as she scratched behind Casey's ears, although she felt the heavy weight of what had happened settle onto her chest once more. "I mean, we've been wondering too."
"Wondering what?" a new voice asked as the door to the compartment slid open. Everyone looked over quickly to see Madison slipping in.
"By the way, Hermione, I'm supposed to remind you about your meeting with the Head Boy that starts"—she looked at her watch—"oh, say, three minutes ago?"
Cursing quietly and looking quite flustered, Hermione rushed out of the compartment, fixing her hair and straightening her badge as she did so. Madison watched in amusement, then dragged her trunk in.
"Here—need a hand?" Harry offered. Madison nodded gratefully, stepping to one side as Harry helped her lift the trunk and slide it into the overhead baggage rack. Madison gave it one hard final shove, and it banged into KayKay's trunk, making it fall open.
"Oh—sorry!" Madison apologized as KayKay got up quickly and went over to re-pack the things that had fallen out.
"No biggie," KayKay replied, her mind still partially focused on other things, such as Remus. "Nothing broken, anyhow."
Madison bent over to help, picking up a few sets of robes. As she did so, something fell out of the bundle.
"Oh, here, this too," Madison said, handing KayKay the small box wrapped in shiny blue paper. KayKay stuffed the robes into her trunk (needless to say, she was not a very organized packer), then took the box from Madison, confused.
"I don't even remember packing this . . ." she said slowly, studying it. Ron leaned over to look, and took it away gently, studying it.
"It looks like a gift box," he said, handing it back to her.
"Wait!" Madison said, "Didn't Brian Kingstaff give you a present like that at your birthday, when he dropped by?"
"That's right!" she said in surprise. "Wow, I forgot . . ."
She trailed off, unwrapping the gift carefully so that she wouldn't tear the paper. Opening the box, she gave a small, appreciative, "Oh!"
Nestled within was a necklace—a clear pendant cut like a long crystal and suspended on a silver chain. It was—there was no better word for it—enchanting.
"Oh, that's so cool!" Madison gasped, taking it gently in her hand for a better look. "Put it on!"
KayKay looked at the necklace and hesitated—she was dating Matt, and such a gift from another guy was a bit suggestive . . .
But then again, wearing a necklace she'd gotten as a birthday present was perfectly acceptable (as opposed to a necklace given to her for no particular reason) and besides—who on earth was around to perceive it as something more? Matt, if he saw it, would consider it just another piece of jewelry, and Brian had graduated and wouldn't be able to say anything about it . . .
Besides, if the relationship-paranoid Madison was suggesting she put it on, it couldn't be bad at all, could it?
She undid the clasp and fastened it around her neck. Harry, who had been gazing out the window, apparently unaware of the perilous teen drama occurring right next to him, looked suddenly at the compartment door.
Glancing over her shoulder, KayKay groaned inwardly as her third least-favorite person in the world came into view.
"Well, well, well. What have we here? Why it's—"
" 'Potty, the Weasel, and the Mudblood' " Ron said blandly, rolling his eyes. Draco narrowed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe.
"Malfoy, do you realize that you've swaggered into this compartment with the same insults every single time we've ridden this train?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
His calm composure didn't surprise KayKay—but Ron's did. Every time that Draco had popped into view in the past, Ron hadn't cared to keep his temper.
"Enter: the oily kid with no life," Madison snorted. Draco's gaze rounded on her.
"What are you doing here with this Gryffindor filth? You're tarnishing the name of proud Slytherin," he sneered.
"Malfoy, Slytherin doesn't need me to tarnish it's reputation—it does a good enough job on it's own. Now beat it, you're stinking up our air here."
"Who's going to make me?" he asked coldly.
"I am," said a new voice from the corridor. Malfoy looked over his shoulder as Hermione came into view. "Now leave before I give you a detention for provocation and loitering."
Malfoy glared but obviously didn't dare make a retort. He turned on his heel and disappeared, presumably to another compartment.
"Well, just a bit more practice and he'll have the Snape-walk down pat," Hermione commented, shutting the door and locking it with a tap of her wand.
" 'Snape walk'?" Madison echoed.
"Haven't you noticed?" Ron asked, "The way Snape stalks down the hallway—"
"Black cloak billowing out behind him . . ." KayKay added. "Does he get his robes a foot too long, or . . .?"
"Do we want to know?" Harry asked, ending the topic. "So, Hermione, who's Head Boy?"
"Terry Boot—you know, Ravenclaw," she looked a bit indifferent. "Could be worse."
"I'm surprised you aren't Head Boy, Harry," Madison commented. Harry shrugged.
"Why would I want to be Head Boy? I wouldn't have time for anything else." Harry said, although there was a certain tone to his voice to suggest that he too was surprised that he wasn't chosen for the position.
"Well, all the better for us, then," Ron said. "We'll need lots of Quidditch practice this year—last year was a bit hectic. We'll also have to reconfigure positions, now that Dawn is back but Megan is gone."
KayKay felt a small lurch—she'd forgotten that Dawn would be back on the team since the victims of last year's attacks were back to normal.
"Well, Ron—I can always—I mean, it would probably just be easier if I left the team so you can do normal tryouts—"
"Absolutely not. You're a member of the Gryffindor team and I plan on you remaining one. We'll re-try the positions with our current team, shift some people around if necessary, and then start training. If I can't make the best team in the school with who we already have, then I'm not a good captain."
KayKay smiled to herself. She hadn't wanted to give up Quidditch, not now that she knew how fun it was—absurd, considering she'd been afraid of flying until last year.
"Hey, KayKay, where'd you get that necklace? It's beautiful!"
KayKay was about to answer Hermione when the witch with the food cart stopped by with her customary, "Anything off the trolley?"
This put a break in the conversation as everyone bought some food and sat down to eat. KayKay, having not eaten yet, was ravenous, tearing open a Cauldron Cake quickly and eating half of it in one bite.
Table manners weren't a very high priority for her at the moment, obviously.
º º º º º
As the train cut it's way through the countryside, the sky turned dark, and what had started as fluffy clouds at King's Cross developed into a pounding gale. Madison and Hermione played Exploding Snap on the floor, while Ron set up a chessboard and challenged KayKay to a match.
She was mildly surprised, seeing how he normally played against Harry, and she might've taken him up on the offer were it not for the fact that she didn't feel like being trampled as she was certainly not the best of players.
So, she declined, leaving Harry to be trounced, and she dug around in her trunk until she found a book to read.
Thus, they passed the long ride with little noise, just the arguments between Harry and his chess pieces and the occasional bang of the playing cards. Outside, lightning shot across the sky and rain splashed against the window.
KayKay eventually got bored with her book and set it aside, glancing at her watch before pulling a set of robes from her trunk.
"We should be there soon," she explained, closing the trunk and yanking the robes over her head. The other four packed away their games and followed suit, beginning to talk regularly once more.
"I hope the Sorting doesn't take too long, I'm starving."
"Oh, you're always starving, Ron."
"I can't help it, Hermione—I'm a growing boy."
"You mean groaning boy," Madison interjected, rolling her eyes.
The train arrived at Hogsmeade station shortly after, and although they were reluctant to step into the rain, the five departed, KayKay wrapping Casey's leash tightly around her wrist in order to maintain control of the puppy (who couldn't seem to care less about the inclement weather).
Icy water was coming down in sheets, drenching every student after only a few steps. Hagrid was barely audible as he shouted "Firs' Years! Firs' Years this way!" over the booming thunder.
As if angered by the presence of so many children, the sky began to send down small hailstones when the older students were about halfway to the carriages, making Second Year and Seventh Year alike sprint the rest of the way.
Leaping into the closest carriage, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Madison, and KayKay shut the door quickly and leaned back against the upholstered seats. Before anyone could stop her, Casey shook her fur out, splattering all of them with bits of mud, water, and ice.
Everyone glanced at KayKay, but thankfully no comments were made. As they wiped flecks of mud from their faces, the carriage swayed against the gusting wind.
It was a relief when they reached at castle and KayKay was able to unclip Casey's leash and allow her to run up to Gryffindor Tower (what the dog easily regarded as "home"), under the direction of Sir Nicolas.
As they wandered into the Great Hall, KayKay grabbed a fistful of hair and wrung it out, before shaking it out of her eyes and looking down to her robes and attempting to get some excess water out of them as well.
"I'll see you guys later," Madison said, separating from the Gryffindors to go sit with the Slytherins.
"Bye," KayKay said, glancing up only briefly before going back to her feeble attempts to get dry. To either side of her, Harry and Hermione were doing the same. It wasn't until they'd seated themselves at the Gryffindor table that they stopped.
Shaking her hair out of her eyes again and looking up to the Head Table, KayKay froze upon seeing who held the seat for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
She immediately began nudging Hermione, who was seated right beside her.
"What?" the girl finally asked when KayKay progressed from nudges to elbowing. She followed KayKay's gaze to the Head Table. "Whoa," she commented uncharacteristically.
This made Ron and Harry, who had been talking to Seamus Finnigan, look up. Ron looked merely enlightened and returned to his conversation after a quick glance. Harry, however, furrowed an eyebrow at the sigh out their new teacher.
His gaze, KayKay noticed from the corner of her eye, had darkened, and with it was carried an expression she couldn't decode.
As if feeling her stare, Harry looked back at KayKay, gave a careless shrug, and rejoined his previous conversation. Still, KayKay noticed that his eyes flickered back to the Head Table frequently, and each time they did so that same expression passed briefly over his face, like a wave of water.
Only a few minutes later, the doors to the Great Hall banged open. A large gust of damp wind swept through the room as Hagrid and the First Years entered, followed by Professor McGonagall and the Sorting Hat.
KayKay sat forward in her seat with anticipation. She'd never heard the Sorting Hat's song before, but had been told of it, and she was pleased that this year she'd be able to witness the Sorting.
The new students appeared nothing short of petrified—they huddled close to each other, dripping water and ice as Hagrid seated himself at the Head Table and McGonagall placed the battered brown hat on a three-legged stool.
Only booms of thunder interrupted the hush that had fallen over the Great Hall. All eyes were on the Sorting Hat as the rip at its brim opened wide and it sang.
Many, many years ago,
With magic freshly sowed,
A quartet of wizards strong
Came to these halls of old.
They shared a great ambition,
A dream to call their own,
To educate young magic folk
In whom great promise shone.
So they gathered to them pupils
Whose desire was pure and strong,
Each teacher favoring different traits
In their selected young.
"The wisest!" said fair Ravenclaw,
Who above everything
Preferred those students eager
For quick wit and learning.
"Those determined!" argued Slytherin,
Master of cunning,
For he preferred the pure of blood,
And others he'd be shunning.
"The bravest!" insisted Gryffindor,
His favor resting on
Those courageous, those chivalrous,
(Not to mention, quick for fun).
"Those most loyal and hardworking"
Was Hufflepuff's decree,
"Ones unafraid of toil
And of working on a team."
And so each year I sort you lot
Now that the four are gone.
So have no fear, sit right down,
And proudly put me on.
I'll place you right where you belong,
(As it is my job to do)
Get ready, get set, and here you go—
Your House is waiting for you!
The Hall burst into applause, and the hat tipped its point in acknowledgement before straightening as McGonagall unrolled a scroll.
"When I call your name, come forward and sit down to be sorted. Anticole, Joseph!"
A boy with brown hair separated from the group, looking mildly anxious. The hat sorted him easily, shouting "RAVENCLAW!" to the hall, much to the boy's apparent relief.
"Bleuvord, Lorel" was the first to be placed in Slytherin, and the girl tossed a lock of hair out of her eyes before walking calmly and proudly to her table.
Lorel was followed by Jennifer Chinksor, who was sorted into Slytherin after a bit longer of a pause from the hat. However, after hearing that she was to join Slytherin, Jennifer wrinkled her nose, then smiled and flounced down the steps, looking over her shoulder at her fellow First Years.
Another student was added to Ravenclaw's number, by the name of Ryan Copper. A few turns later, Michelle Dotson joined Hufflepuff, and Alex Ellington, a blonde boy, joined Ravenclaw, along with Anne Frebrie.
KayKay began to get a bit restless until "Iyam, Samuel" was sorted into Gryffindor to loud applause. The boy hurried over to their table and sat down in an empty space near Neville Longbottom.
The next person to be sorted into Gryffindor was a girl named Katri Novel, who bounded happily over the table as KayKay joined in the applause.
At about that time, Ron complained that he was hungry (again). By the time Hermione had shushed him, Laura Pestlov was hurrying to the Hufflepuff table.
KayKay's mind began wandering again, brought to attention now and then by applause as someone was sorted into Gryffindor. Cat Smallthun took a seat next to her, while across the table, Zachary Stirom sat down in the empty space by Harry.
Despite Hermione's exasperation at Ron's complaints, KayKay was starting to agree with the redhead—she was starving. Everyone in the Great Hall clapped as "Zantile, Socra", the last to be sorted, hurried to the Ravenclaw table and found a seat.
The whisperings that had begun as Professor McGonagall carried the stool and hat away stopped abruptly as Dumbledore stood. He radiated the same energy as KayKay always remembered, a friendly smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, his white beard standing out in stark contrast to his deep violet robes studded with yellow stars.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he said cheerfully. "I have only two announcements before we begin our feast this evening. The first is that Kamikaze Krazyglue is now banned from classrooms and corridors."
The corner of the headmaster's mouth twitched, as if he was trying to suppress a smile at what was obviously Filch's request.
"Secondly, I am sorry to report that Professor Lupin will not be returning to teach this year. However, I am happy to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"
Dumbledore indicated the professor to his right, who stood up, grinning sheepishly and waving as another wave of whispers swept the hall.
"Professor Kingstaff, it would seem that we can't keep you away from Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling humorously.
Brian nodded his head slightly to Dumbledore, looking as if he was trying very hard not to laugh as the teachers at the Head Table applauded politely, joined soon after by the students.
KayKay clapped numbly, staring at Brian in surprise. She was sure that since he'd graduated the year before, she really wouldn't be seeing him—in fact, she'd been counting on it.
The ex-Head Boy had seemed somewhat . . . er . . . interested in her (although, it may have simply been friendliness), and now the fact that he was going to be around constantly for her final year made her slightly nervous.
It was as if she was part of a bad movie, with the people that were (or had previously been) interested in her. First, there was Harry: who in the movie would be portrayed as the "tragic hero", the victim of fate, pushed to a snapping point.
Then there was Matt . . . Matt would be the "funny one", the one who was easy to talk to about anything because they had so much in common. (Not to mention, every good movie needs an awesome song.)
And finally, there was Brian. He would probably be called the refreshing intellectual who was there to lend a hand and who was just a bit off-the-wall in order to add some fun to the film . . . and to choreograph the dance sequence.
KayKay jumped as there was a sudden burst of noise. The plates had filled with food and everyone was filling their plates and chattering noisily.
KayKay pushed her silly thoughts to the back of her head.
If you don't watch out, you're going to turn your entire Seventh Year into a pathetic romance. What happened to the old you, who scorned relationships and scoffed at "feelings"? she chastised herself, reaching for the bowl of mashed potatoes. Bring on the action! Bring on the adventure! Bring on the fun and make this the bloody best year of your life!
Nodding firmly, she spooned a large helping of the potatoes onto her plate and drowned the white mountain in gravy before adding some chicken to her plate.
"How can someone who just graduated turn around and teach the next fall?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Hey, this is Hogwarts, remember?" Harry said, reaching for the gravy boat. Only a few drops dribbled out onto his potatoes. He looked at it, then at KayKay, who smiled innocently and distracted herself with asking Seamus to pass the rolls.
"Still," Hermione continued, "you'd think he'd have to go through some sort of training or schooling or something . . ."
"Hermione, you know Dumbledore. For him, doing exceptional is enough. I mean, Professor Lupin . . ." Ron trailed off, his eyes flickering towards KayKay before he busied himself with his plate of food. His ears were rather pink.
KayKay sighed. The one thing she could think of that would put the biggest damper on her year would be walking into that Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and seeing someone besides her uncle teaching up at that podium.
She rearranged her food on her plate, not having much of an appetite anymore. It was a great relief when the food faded from the tables and Dumbledore stood.
"Now that we have all eaten our fill, I would say that it's time for bed—after, of course, singing the school song!"
KayKay was among the few that looked confused, (most of the other confused persons were in lower years), but there was a glimmer of recognition on the faces of others.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and waved his wand, sending a gold ribbon into the air, which twisted to form words.
"Now, pick your favorite tune . . . ready? And . . . go!"
The hall burst into hundreds of different notes. KayKay herself chose the tune for The Star-Spangled Banner.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until out brains all rot."
The pandemonium straggled off at different times since everyone was singing a different song. Finally, when all the noise had settled, Dumbledore waved his wand to make the magical words disappear into wisps of smoke.
"Oh music, sweet music." Dumbledore sighed happily. "Well, goodnight! Off you go!"
Again, the volume in the room rose as scraping benches and chattering ensued. KayKay trudged up to the Tower with her fellow Gryffindors, where she had to nudge Casey off of her bed before she could crawl in.
Too drained for thought, but not tired enough for sleep, she stared up at the shadowy top of her four-poster, glancing at her clock occasionally.
11:37
12:03
12:52
1:13
It was sometime after "1:34" that she drifted off, plunging into a dreamless, fitful slumber.
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Harry woke up tired the next day. He hadn't slept very well at all—and when he had, his dreams were crazy. One, for instance, included him being gay and he, Madison, KayKay, Matt, Brian, Sirius, and two strange random girls going swimming.
Bloody bonkers.
Still, he couldn't get back to sleep—which was perhaps a good thing since he was already late. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, and it seemed that Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan had already left. Neville was pulling on his robe over his uniform and tie.
A loud snore from the pile of blankets on the bed next to him revealed quite easily where Ron was. Sighing, Harry forced himself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom.
When he came back out, Ron was still sleeping. Resigning himself to the fact that he'd have to be the one to wake his friend, Harry decided he might as well do the thing properly. He sent a blast of icy water from his wand at Ron.
"Augh!" Ron sputtered, sitting up immediately, water dripping from his hair. Smirking to himself, Harry opened his trunk and pulled out his clothes.
"What was that for?" Ron demanded, trying to wipe his face with the wet sheets from his bed.
"Someone had to wake you up," Harry said simply.
"But why'd you have to get me all wet?!"
Harry yanked his shirt over his head and glanced over at Ron. "Would you believe it if I told you that I already tried everything else?"
"No," the redhead said stubbornly. Harry laughed.
"Well, in that case you're right," Harry replied, looking in the mirror as he put on the red-and-gold tie that completed his Hogwarts uniform. "Either way, you're up now and you're going to be late if you just sit there."
Mumbling something about "Revenge" and "Fred and George's products", Ron got out of bed and began throwing things in his trunk aside while searching for all the parts of his uniform. Harry just shook his head with a grin.
"I'll see you at breakfast, Ron," he laughed, opening the door and going down the stairs. He had just reached the bottom and was starting across the Common Room when someone with bushy hair collided with him.
"Sorry, Harry!" Hermione said hurriedly, not breaking her stride. "I've got to go, I'm late—couldn't find my badge . . ."
As quickly as she'd come, she was gone, rushing out of the portrait hole.
"Good morning!" he shouted after her retreating back. She made no indication that she'd heard.
"Good old Hogwarts," Harry sighed, continuing at his more leisurely pace. A few moments later, there was a loud bark, followed by the yowling of a highly offended cat. A blur of orange-ginger fur shot between Harry's legs, racing for the portrait hole, followed shortly by a golden-yellow blur that nearly knocked him over as it followed the cat's exact path.
Harry watched as Crookshanks bolted to the right, followed closely by Casey, whose paws skidded slightly on the stone floor of the hallway.
This is going to be quite a year, Harry thought, finally getting out of the Common Room with no more bodily harm. He made it all the way down to the entrance hall before something else happened.
"Why it's Potty-Wee-Potter!" Peeves was hanging upside down in the air, cackling and swinging a bucket more commonly used when Filch mopped the floor.
"Don't—" Harry began, but it was too late. Peeves flipped over and dumped out the full bucket. Harry managed to leap far enough to the left so it didn't go all over him, but it splattered the hem of his robes.
Laughing still, Peeves swerved and flew off. Harry shot another annoyed look in the poltergeist's direction before picking up his bookbag (which he'd dropped in his haste to avoid the sudsy water.)
"Hi, Harry" The clatter of rapid footsteps echoed in the room, and Harry looked over his shoulder, where Madison was running quickly across the hall.
"No—wait, don't—" he started quickly. But it was too late. Madison slipped on the wet and soapy floor and went flying into Harry, knocking them both to the ground.
"Owww . . ." Madison groaned softly, sounding very out of breath. Harry, who'd landed on his back, popped himself on his elbows. Madison had landed on her stomach, and she pushed herself up with her hands.
They glanced at each other and burst out laughing. Madison was shaking so much that her hands slipped and she landed on the floor again, which only made them laugh harder.
This was how they were when KayKay and Hermione came out of the Great Hall, hurrying for classes.
"Harry! Madison! Stop fooling around, you're going to be late!" KayKay said, sounding exasperated.
"What our first class?" Harry asked, trying to control his laughter.
"Potions," she replied, making a slight face. "And Madison, you have it with us too. Come on, hurry up!"
"Yeah, we don't want to start the year by getting points taken right away." Hermione added.
Harry stood up and grabbed his bag. His efforts to keep from being doused by Peeves didn't matter now: his whole backside was wet due to falling into the puddle. At least his robes were black—it'd be hard to tell.
What he could tell was that this was going to be a very interesting year, indeed.
Little did he know how interesting.
º º º º º
The four teens trudged out of the dungeons and up towards the Great Hall. Their first N.E.W.T. Potions class of the year had gone better than many of their other Potions classes.
Which wasn't saying much.
True, they'd arrived on time—but Snape was immediately searching for any reason to take points away from them.
He began by commenting on the state of the armadillo nails KayKay was grating, and took that chance to dock Gryffindor five points.
"Stupid, greasy, vile—" KayKay muttered at his retreating back before Harry held his hand in front of her mouth to quiet her.
"Insulting him won't get us back the points, just make us lose more," he whispered, adding some dragon's blood to his and Hermione's potion. "Just—"
"KayKay, are you done with those armadillo nails yet? We should be putting them in right about now." Madison, who hadn't seen the confrontation between Snape and KayKay, was stirring the cauldron with one hand while holding out the other for the ingredient.
KayKay sighed and brushed the grated nails off of the wooden cutting board and into the pot. Harry looked at the directions on the board and then began getting the next ingredients for his and Hermione's potion.
It was another twenty minutes before Snape seized his next opportunity. He took five more points from Gryffindor because the potion wasn't the right shade of green.
When Hermione began to explain that it was only dark because they had yet to add newt spleens, and that when they did it would become the correct light green, he took another ten points.
It clearly wasn't their worst Potions class, but it certainly wasn't an encouraging way to begin the school year.
"You are so lucky that you don't have N.E.W.T. Potions," KayKay told Ron as she dropped her bookbag carelessly and flopped into a seat at the Gryffindor table.
"Hard morning?" he asked casually, taking a rather large bite of potato salad.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," she replied, looking rather appalled at Ron's eating habits.
"Wha' 'appened?" he asked, no bothering to swallow first.
"Well, first of all, he . . ."
Harry tuned KayKay out, not really wanting to think about Snape more than necessary.
Just one more year, just one more year . . . he told himself, looking around the Great Hall lazily. His eyes skipped past the teachers, but then went back quickly. There were fewer teachers at lunch than there should've been. True, Professor Trelawney generally didn't come down for meals, but there were two empty spots . . .
Professor Kingstaff wasn't there either. Harry wondered why. He ate meals in the Great Hall for seven years when he was a student, and, as far as Harry could tell, was sane, ruling out the possibility that he had the same reasons as Trelawney.
It didn't particularly bother Harry that Brian—it was hard to think of him as "Professor"—wasn't in the Great Hall with everyone else, it simply made him curious.
"Hermione, what other classes do we have today?" he asked, pulling his gaze away from the empty seat at the Head Table and focusing them back on his friends.
"Er . . ." she reached into a pocket and pulled out her timetable. "Wait, here's yours—but it looks like we have Transfiguration, and then Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Harry took the paper she held out for him, glanced at it, the folded it and put it into his own pocket.
"Speaking of which, you should eat before you run out of time," KayKay said, nodding at Harry's empty plate before taking a sip of lemonade.
Harry checked his watch and saw that she was right. He immediately took a sandwich from a large platter and began eating, knowing full well that McGonagall, although fairer than Snape, was not one whose class you wanted trot into late.
º º º º º
Transfiguration had gone decidedly better than Potions—they were on time, and the topic was pretty interesting too . . . glamours and other disguises.
Most of the class was devoted to note taking, and they did have homework, but with the promise of a practical lesson at their next Transfiguration class, they were optimistic.
Just a few moments before the bell rang, they quickly scribbled down the homework topic ("List and discuss situations in which glamours are needed to disguise the face and explain the steps for the basic Glamour spell."), and shoved their things away.
"Well, at least that wasn't too bad," KayKay said after they'd left.
"It's fascinating though, isn't it?" Hermione chattered, "I personally can't wait until Thursday to try the spell . . ."
"So don't," Madison said, shrugging. "You're bright, you can figure it out."
"You know a spell that alters physical features shouldn't be tried without someone qualified—"
"Hermione, you're the smartest student in this school!" Ron said incredulously. "If anyone should worry, it isn't you . . ."
"Why are we arguing about whether or not Hermione does extra schoolwork?" Harry spoke up above their voices. They all stared at him.
"Oh, honestly!" Hermione sounded exasperated, "He's right, you know . . ."
"Of course I am!" Harry joked, "Aren't I always?"
"You wish!" KayKay laughed, giving him a shove through the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Her laughter stopped almost immediately, however.
Harry looked back curiously, just in time to see her slip the necklace she was wearing into the collar of her shirt so it was hidden.
"Come in, come in, don't hold up traffic now." Harry's gaze snapped to the front of the room where Brain—er, Professor Kingstaff—Brian?—whoever—was standing at the front podium, a slight grin on his face.
Harry moved towards the table they normally sat at during lessons and set his bag down before taking a seat. KayKay had been right. It was very strange not having Remus be the one standing at the front of the classroom.
Ron, KayKay, Hermione, and Madison were filling the other seats at the table. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw that KayKay looked as if she might cry.
He rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile when she looked at him. The corner of her mouth twitched up in what must have been an attempt to smile back, but she seemed to give up on it and just stare down at the table bleakly.
º º º º º
Thus passed most of the first week. Potions was always unbearable, Transfiguration was a challenge, but interesting, Herbology and Charms went as well as ever, and Care of Magical Creatures—well—Hagrid hadn't brought in anything life-threatening yet, but Harry was afraid that it was simply a matter of time.
Professor Kingstaff turned out to be a rather good teacher. He was certainly as friendly as Remus had been, but in his own right. He liked to joke around with the students—probably because he still felt a bit like part of them.
He obviously remembered what it was like being a student, because there was rarely a lesson in which they didn't do hands-on work. The first few classes were devoted to jinxes, curses, and protection shields. Kingstaff said that they'd be doing practice work with the spells for the first few weeks of school, then begin focusing on applying what they'd learned to dueling.
Yes, he did take points sometimes—he was more like a teacher than a student in that right—but he was fair about it and didn't take many . . . except for when he heard the term "Mudblood". Every time a Slytherin so much as uttered the insult, he'd take points, increasing the amount depending on how many times he'd already caught the person before.
This made him quite a bit less popular among most Slytherins, but the respect for him from other houses skyrocketed.
Of course, it helped that over half of the girls in their year gazed at him as if they would have liked nothing better than skipping past the relationship of "Professor-Student" and onto something more like "Boyfriend-Girlfriend".
Although this had been highly annoying when Lockhart was the teacher, it was easier to ignore when Brian was teaching. Hermione, KayKay, and Madison regarded the swooning of the other girls their age with disdain, which was a relief to Ron and Harry.
Only one thing still bothered him about the new teacher—he oftentimes wasn't at meals. Sometimes he was, but more often his place would remain empty. Harry didn't seem to be the only one to notice this—students often looked at the gap in the seating and whispered about it to their friends—but no rumors were circulating. Normally, at Hogwarts, there would be many by this point. Perhaps it was simply because nearly everyone liked his class.
So, the weekend arrived and everyone basked in their two-day freedom. The Gryffindor Team had the promise of Quidditch practice to look forward to in the upcoming week, during which Ron would rotate positions if necessary and see if anyone had practiced over the summer.
Harry felt content again. He was back with clusters of people his own age who were worried about the same things as he was, excited about the same things as he was, and (at least in the case of Gryffindor House) practically like family to him.
€ º € º € º € º € º € º € º €
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go:
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna' be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna' be where everybody knows your name.
You wanna' go where people know,
People are all the same,
You wanna' go where everybody knows your name.
Wow, lots and lots to say today! Oy!
So, of course, the Warner Brothers message boards (the forum where I post nightly) decided to . . . º ahem º . . . "improve" the boards. Guess what that means!
They deleted my thread! (As well as most long ones). Almost two-hundred pages . . . twenty-five posts/replies each . . . priceless moments . . . all gone. Out the window. º points with finger ºLook at that, it's fluttering away!
Okay, end of rant. A lot of people e-mailed me, wondering if I was going to (translation: begging me not to) quit the story./ My simple answer?
HECK, NO!
Man, I am WAYYY to attached to my story to just abandon it. There's some scenes I've waited for two years to write, d'you think I'm about to stop now that I'm so close?
Well, the message forums seem to be functioning again, which means I'll be reposting all the previous chapters before I can get new stuff out . . . but I'll still be typing in the meantime. Maybe I'll finish chapter eight by the time I'm ready to post it!
But, to put everyone's minds at ease, only three things will stop me from writing this story, and they are:
1. God sending a bolt of lightning down at my computer and telling me to quit. Or even just plain telling me to quit.
2. Amnesia.
3. My untimely death.
If it is the second or third, my friend Maggie will receive a floppy as indicated by my will (hmmm, maybe I should write one of them, then). On this floppy will be the full outline of the remainder of this story, which I would have her post on my storyboard and on here.
However, as I don't plan on kicking the bucket any time soon, we don't have to worry about that, now do we? º grins º Of course not! Now, on to business!
TheSugarPlum: I'm glad I could make you laugh! I particularly enjoyed writing that part . . . and it's also fun to say aloud with your friend (who doesn't read your story and has no idea what's going on but thinks it's hilarious anyhow).
And I agree, cereal that's sugar-frosted and dipped in chocolate sounds SOOO GOOOOD . . . but as a snack, not with milk and a spoon º makes face º
And cold pizza is ONLY the best thing on Earth!!!
Heehee, Play Dough. I love Sirius. He's just too much. And that Play Dough line was fun . . . almost as fun as the gay-cowboy part in HoV. I don't think I'll EVER laugh at my own stuff more than I did with that one . . .
And Harry . . . well, I personally would've taken that "Never-Be-Grown-Up" comment as a semi-compliment. But then again, we've already established that I'm weird. And I love how sheltered of a life Harry lived with the Dursleys . . . sad, yes, but it makes otherwise boring situations (aka bowling) a bit more fun.
(And I agree . . . me want bowling alley!!!)
STORY TIME: Okay, the Possessed Phantom Chicken (of Doom), is part of a toy of my nephew's. He's a bit over one year old, and quite a while ago he got the crawl-through tunnel that looks like a barn and has little hanging plastic animals at the openings. Most of them are your average cheap plastic with stickers, but there's also . . .
THE CHICKEN. º Matrix-ey voice booms out across webpage and Calli jumps before glaring at the disembodied narrative voice º
So, this chicken is supposed to light up and play "Old MacDonald" whenever someone hits it/bumps it/touches it, etc. (Not the words, just the notes, which means at the one part it plays the same note about twenty times in a row. VERY annoying.)
However, here I am, typing stuff at night, and it likes to randomly play . . . I'll be all alone, it'll be in the other corner of the room, NO ONE will be anywhere NEAR it, and it'll start playing . . . and playing . . . and PLAYING . . .
I drowned it once. Put it in the shower and let the water run for a few minutes. When I took it out, it couldn't play. Even when I tried to MAKE it. I celebrated. The Possessed Phantom Chicken (of Doom) had been defeated.
Or so I thought.
About a week later, I was alone on the computer again when it started playing again. CONSTANTLY. It's evil, I tell you, and it's out to get me!!! And it's gaining supporters!!! My dog has a chew toy that looks like a pig and oinks when you squeeze the nose . . . I was in the kitchen, working on (what was it? Writing a paper? Reading a book?) My nephew was in the playpen. My dog was by the counter, sprawled out. The pig was on the other side of the room.
AND IT BEGAN SNORTING ALL ON IT'S OWN!!!
Creepy. Very creepy. If it weren't for the gate blocking the stairs, I'd be afraid to sleep.
Okay, end of story time! Glad you asked? Heehee.
siriusfanatic: Whoa, three days! I'm honored . . . really, I am, that's not sarcasm. I'm always blown away when people devour my story . . . thank you!
So, you're a H/K, M/M person too. I think there's some sort of club now . . .? Heehee, that seems to be the opinion of almost EVERYONE on WB . . . and probably a lot of people here, too.
I update . . . well, as soon as I can. It's ABOUT every two weeks, but now that school and all of the resulting activities have started, that time frame is bound to increase a bit, for which I am sorry.
I'm glad that the songs at the end help tie up the chapter . . . sometimes I'm afraid they don't quite fit, and I'm left floundering for a song that'll work with the chapter. Other times, I know the song way ahead of time. (For example, I already know the song of thje last chapter . . . and no, I'm not telling! Heehee!)
PS: Now you have me wondering what a chair WOULD look like if people's legs bent backwards! Dang it!
xAnonymityx: I'm going to skip your shipper comments because, obviously, we address them plenty on the boards.
Ha! I have reached the pinnacle of my career! I have forged someone to switch from a spinny-chair to a stool because they fall too much!
. . . and still, I'm broke. º sighs deeply, then shakes away stray thoughts º
Whatever.
And, I found that castle I loved to death! The one that made me laugh for thirty hours straight and fall over! It took me about two hours, since I couldn't remember when you'd posted it, and all the posts are scrambled, but I did it! And when I'm further along on my new thread, I'll repost it for ya'!
Because I love it too darn much!
Nick: Yes, I DO still read the reviews, every single one of 'em, and still respond. I'll keep typing away! Thanks!
SO! Reviews-review is done, and I have one more announcement. If you normally read this on the WB message boards, the "homepage" link in my bio now has the new link for the thread I just started. Huzzah! Go WB! (Not).
Oh, wait! I lied, I have two MORE comments. I forgot this in the last chapter, the "What Friends Are For" song is by Chris De Burgh. Thanks, Chris, for not suing me for all I own. This chapter's song is (if you couldn't tell) from Cheers. That'd be a fun one to learn on the piano, I think.
Okay, I really am done now. Until next time!
