Chapter Seven: Strange Happenings

Harry awoke and headed to the Great Hall. Professor Lupin handed out the timetables for Griffindor and they were off for class. Rumors went around the school about the Quiddich World Cup and how it might be cancelled if people continue dying, as well as Quiddich in their school. The rumor was that Blaise Zabini was going to become the Slytherin Seeker now that Malfoy had left the school.

Classes were the same as always. They had Transfiguration right before lunch and Double Potions with the Slytherins after lunch. Defence Against the Dark Arts ended the day. The group entered the Transfiguration class after Charms and one of their free blocks.

'I can't believe it. We are just reviewing and we have no homework in Charms!' Hermione whined as Harry and Ron grinned about this good news.

The transfiguration room had not changed much, except there was no Professor McGonagall. Only Aberforth Dumbledore.

'Welcome class! As you see, we don't have any books! All the knowledge you are going to use for this year's course is in here!' Aberforth said as he tapped on his head, 'I know everything you need to know and we are going to learn about animagi. I will teach you about the art of becoming an animagi and by the year, I hope that everyone will be able to become an animal. Then we can register you up and you will be allowed to do it. But before any of that happens we need to make sure you remember everything you need to know. We are going to start with transfiguring your desks. Everybody get out and try to turn your desk into a pig. Like this.'

Aberforth flicked his wand and his desk became a pig and it began running around the room squealing. With another flick, it was a desk again. The class was spent trying to master this and nobody got it. Hermione's was a pig with legs of the table, and some others weren't even transfigured. Ron's didn't work that well, nor did Harry's. Both were still desks but they squealed like pigs.

'All right class, that is all for today. Class dismissed, but Harry, may I have a word?' Aberforth asked as all the students left the classroom. 'Mr. Potter, I just want to tell you that my brother always talked about you and how you wouldn't let people be hurt. I heard that during the Tri-Wizard Tournament you saved someone from under the lake even though they weren't the one you needed. And at King's Cross I saw you try and stand up to the Death Eaters. I knew you wanted to fight, but you have more important things to tend to so I stunned you. I am sorry Harry, but you were to angered to convince.'

'But why? I could of had them. I almost had Snape too but Mad-Eye stopped me.'

'Ah yes, I heard about that. You see, my brother believed that everyone could change their ways.' Aberforth told Harry.

'And you saw what happened. He thought Snape deserved a second chance and would change, but he was wrong!'

'I know. I told him not to trust that man but Albus said that Severus had changed, and I took his word for it. If only he had listened to me.' Aberforth sighed, and then sat down, 'Harry, you may go.'

Harry left and began walking the corridors, remembering that he had Potions. Harry climbed the stairs and made it to the seventh floor. He walked by the wall where the Room of Requirement sat and a door appeared. He entered it, and it was just the way he left it when he hid his Potions book the previous year. Harry grabbed the book and left when he heard a scream from a guy. Harry rushed, wondering what could of happened and he got to the stairs outside of the Slytherin Dormitories. At the same time, Ron and Hermione, as well as Professor Slughorn and Lupin rushed to the scene. They all saw someone laying on their back, wide eyed, it was Zabini.

'He is dead, most likely the killing curse.' Lupin said, looking shocked, 'Ron, go to the great hall and inform Professor McGonagall and then escort Griffindor back to their common rooms. It isn't safe in the halls today.'

'Our new seeker is dead? It must of been someone involved with Quiddich.' said Slughorn, 'That kid could really fly a broom.'

'No, it wasn't anything to do with that. It was something more than that. The Slytherin students didn't like him because he wasn't like the rest of them. He was like an outcast from the rest of them.' Harry said to Slughorn.

Professor McGonagall ran towards them, and looked at Harry, 'Did you see it?'

'No professor, I was on the seventh floor and heard a scream. I came down as fast as I could and Ron, Hermione, Professor Slughorn and Lupin just arrived as well.' Harry explained.

'Well, I cancelled the remainder of today's classes and everybody except Slytherin has been sent to their Common Rooms, only because the body was over here. Once it is transfered somewhere else, we can get them in there. Remus, go to the Griffindor Common room, and Horace, please collect your students.' The two professors left and Harry stood with Hermione as they walked with her, escorting the body away. As soon as the body was hidden, they walked to the entrance hall. 'Potter, please show me the map so we can see if anyone has left their dormitories, or haven't returned.'

Harry took the map out and showed it to her. The only people outside of the common rooms was them. Everyone else had gone to their common rooms.

'Okay Potter, Granger, you two are to head back to the Griffindor common rooms immediately.' McGonagall told them strictly.

The two didn't think twice about doing anything else and quickly headed to the common room. They entered it and Lupin walked up to Harry and Hermione ran off to join Ron on by the fire.

'Harry, do you have any suspicions on who it might of been? Did you check the map to see if anyone had left the common rooms?' Lupin asked Harry.

'Yes, I checked the map. Nobody was out, and I think anyone could of done it. Most likely a Slytherin. They could of followed Zabini out and cursed him there, and enter the common room again.'

'Well, Harry, you know how I sent you that letter last night? Now that we are all stuck inside of the common rooms, let me tell you what I wanted to tell you.' Lupin began walking towards the common rooms and they made it to the stairs to the boys Common rooms, 'Me, Sirius, and James found this on one of the days that Peter was supposedly visiting his mother. Look. Lionheart.'

A statue of Godric Griffindor began to shake and move slowly. Lupin entered the room behind it, followed by Harry and then it closed behind them. 'lumos' Instead of the wand making light, candles came to life in the room. The room was big and it had a table shuffled with papers, and a fireplace on one side. In the middle was a big bed, about twice the size as his four poster bed.

'We figured it was a old room that had been forgotten. I bet every house has one of these but they do not know.' Lupin explained to Harry, 'Go on, I will head upstairs and transfer your trunk here if you want. You will be safer in here than anywhere else.'

Harry nodded and began to think about the information he had just learned. No one knew about this room. No Death Eater. This was a safe spot for Harry. Harry looked next to his bed, a window that was only able to be seen from one side unless opened. Harry turned around and his stuff had appeared out of no where, and looked out of the window once again. He could see Hagrid's hut from where he was. It was so close, yet so far. Harry ran to his trunk and looked next to it. There is what he was looking for. His Firebolt, which he had recieved from Sirius Black in his third year. Harry walked to the window, holding his Firebolt, and climbed out of the window, Firebolt in hand, and then sat upon it. Harry flew down and landed beside Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door.

The door opened up and Hagrid was standing there. 'Whadda' ya want? Oh its yeh Harry. Shouldn' yeh be in school?'

'Yes, but I wanted to come visit. I haven't talked to you since the day...' Harry stopped and saw Hagrid look down, saddened, because he knew exactly what Hagrid was about to say.

'So, shouldn' yeh be in class righ' now Harry?' Hagrid asked, and Harry then realised that Hagrid didn't know.

'Well, no. Class was cancelled after Zabini was murdered.'

'Murdered! Who would think of such a thing?' Hagrid shouted.

'No one knows. It could be a teacher, student, it could even be an intruder.'

Harry returned back to the common room and the latest talk was about suspicions on who killed him. There was no leads to anything or evidence, so there was no way it could be proven true, and Veritaserum was not allowed to be used unless they had evidence. All the houses and teachers were called down to the hall in order to have dinner and then go off to beds and nobody talked at all.

'It has come to our conclusion that someone was worried about competition in the Quiddich season this year and killed off the Seeker of Slytherin. Yes, that is right, Mr. Zabini had just became the Seeker. But we cannot administer anything to make people tell the truth and Quiddich has been banned from school.. Or will be if one more incident like this occurs.'

When the feast was finished, Harry and Hermione did their usual corridor patrols and headed back to the Griffindor Common room, only to find Ron Weasley waiting for them, laying on the marble floor, wand in hand.