Grey Part 2
A cruel laugh echoed. Harry clutched his hands over his ears.
"Reducto"
Blood splattered and a head blown apart.
Harry violently turned his body away from the scene. Only to face the headless man again that he killed. It squirmed, like it's trying to say something. Closing his eyes shut, Harry ran away from the spot. He has already seen this very same scene countless times by now. No matter what he does, it keeps repeating.
The cruel laugh echoed once again. Harry clenched his jaws. It was his own voice. Almost mocking him. Harry didn't know what came over him at that moment in the alley but one thing is certain, he definitely rejoiced in having an upper hand once in his life. The fear he saw in that man's eyes reminded him of his own when he faced Voldemort in the graveyard. So helpless, so desperate. Harry never really intended to kill him. It just happened.
The laugh turned hysterical.
Harry frantically shook his head as he kept running. Does he regret it? Yes, he does. Killing can never be justified. But that man deserved it. When Harry read the newspaper the next day, it was all there. Travers. A notorious death eater wanted for many criminal records including numerous murders and rapes. The man would have gone ahead killing many in the future too. Harry saved his own life along with others. How would he know that the man was creating a shield not attacking him? Just then Harry stumbled and fell right on his face.
It didn't hurt nor Harry could feel the cold stone floor. He didn't even dare to open his eyes to check. He just laid there motionless.
The repeated laughing stopped.
And another laugh resumed. This time it's from a different voice.
Harry looked up rather slowly. It's all pitch black. He isn't in Knockturn alley.
"This is hilarious."
His head jerked upwards towards the source of the voice. To his surprise, there's nothing except black. Pitch black. The voice is far different from any other voice Harry has ever heard. Strangely chilling yet uncomfortably familiar.
"You're so much like Antioch, yet you share the same blood of Ignotus. The very brothers who hated each other's guts." Another laugh followed.
Harry could only blink his eyes.
"Don't tell me you also share the talent of that pathetic Cadmus too. That would be too much." The laugh turned hysterical. A ghostly figure emerged right in front of him. Though Harry couldn't see much of its body except its bright white eyes. An involuntary shudder ran through him.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, gathering every ounce of his courage.
"Oh, You already know me. Peverell."
Harry helped himself to stand. His legs shuddered non-stop. Harry looked back at the figure.
"Peverells and their defiance." The figure shook his head. Suddenly a small bright light pierced the darkness from above creating a loud bang sound in the process, surprising both him and the figure.
"Here they come." The voice sounded rather disappointed. Like someone snatching a favorite toy from him.
"We shall meet again, Peverell or rather should I say, Harry Potter." The bright light coming from the hole kept getting bigger.
"You are suppose to be my new master after all."
That's all Harry heard before the bright light made him blind.
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With a jerk, Harry woke up. His whole body was sweating profusely. What a strange dream. Harry wiped his forehead and face with his hands. Almost a week has passed since that day and Harry kept dreaming of those horrible scenes. Harry even tried dreamless sleep potions but to no avail. This dream was different. The image of that figure flashed in front of his eyes. Harry shuddered. Harry doubts who the figure could be. But he has far bigger matters to attend.
Harry still kept his usual appearance in front of others. Daily Prophet downright bombarded the incident on its front page the very next day, only to change its context soon after. Telling people that it is just a small downtown alley murder. What they edited rather quickly is the name of the victim. Travers. A known death eater. Fudge must have used his influence once again. Though he couldn't stop other news outlets from publishing the news openly. Most of the public became apprehensive as well as suspicious of the ministry. The case though died down rather quickly all thanks to minister Fudge once again. Instead of an investigation, he ordered a quick interrogation of the other death eater named Gibbon and accused him of killing Travers. Gibbon was sentenced to Azkaban soon after.
Harry knew he was lucky this time. He has to be careful in the future. Harry spent a great deal of time after that incident trying to balance his coordination with his wand but failed. In the end, Harry decided to buy another spare wand with the help of Dobby. Harry knew it could raise suspicion if he shared this information with others. He didn't even tell Sirius. Soon September 1st came around.
"Have you packed everything you need, Harry," Sirius asked.
Harry nodded in reply as he helped himself with bacon. Sirius looked down at Hedwig who was also munching a tiny piece of bacon. The last month passed away like a blur for Sirius. He did spend quite a lot of time with Harry mainly discussing Harry's parent's life at Hogwarts. Harry was fascinated. That Sirius could tell. Harry even asked about his grandparents quite a lot too. Sirius could feel Harry has matured. Matured beyond his age. The maturity that Sirius experienced only after his Hogwarts years. His godson spent almost half of his time reading. Sirius was glad that Harry was getting serious in his studies. He and Remus also helped him from time to time, clearing some of his doubts. Sirius watched as Harry and his friends laughed at the jokes of the Twins. Just then Kreacher notified them about Moody's arrival.
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Harry waved his hand along with his friends as they boarded the train. Harry could see Sirius in his dog form wagging his tail. Like previous year Harry spent a little time at the station, and they arrived just at the right time.
It didn't take long for Harry to find an empty compartment for himself. Ron and Hermione already left him because of their prefect meeting. Harry flicked his new wand at the door casting a Notice me Not charm. His eyes drifted to his new wand. Made of Yew and Thestral's hair as its core. It's rather comfortable for a wand made as a default. Harry tried asking Dobby who is the maker of this only to find that the maker didn't disclose his identity for some reason. Harry thought about confronting him but decided against it. Doesn't really worth his time.
Some younger students passed by his door looking rather confused. Harry chuckled. Hogwarts this year will be different. Much different than before. He could already guess Fudge meddling in the matter of Hogwarts too. Hogwarts is the base of Dumbledore after all. Harry can't see the foolish minister sparing the obvious. Then comes the matter of his own. How should he go around this year? Harry already has his answer. He'll stay bloody away from this. No matter what. He has much bigger things to do than becoming a third wheel. Harry sighed as he took out a book from his trunk and began reading.
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Distinct chatter
She looked around frantically.
A blast just then.
And this time she screamed. A headless body collapsed a few feet ahead.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw the wand. Dark birch color. Aiming right at her, glowing in an eerie color of green. She watched in horror as the spell left the wand.
The spell instead soared past her. She turned and a grey figure screamed.
Her eyes returned to the caster once again. A laugh echoed in the background.
"Who are you?" A chilling voice asked.
"Daphne," she woke up with a jolt. Grasping for breath.
"Daphne, woke up, It's already past 9. How long are you going to sleep?" Her little sister yelled from the outside of her door. She thanked Merlin that she at least didn't forget to lock her room before sleeping.
"I'm already up, Astoria. Go away." She yelled back after a moment.
"Like you did," she could hear Astoria's laugh as she went away.
Daphne sat straight in her bed. She slapped her face with both of her hands slowly. What's wrong with her? She's been dreaming of the same scene for the past week. This time though the figure finally spoke. She involuntarily shuddered remembering the chilling voice. All this started right after that incident.
Daphne moved around her room to face the mirror. Her hair is such a mess, there are also little dark circles around her eyes. Her eyes fell into the reflection of the newspaper that she put near her study table. She picked up the newspaper. There it is. The news of that incident. Mostly inaccurate yet it is there. Daphne herself doesn't know how she came back to her home that day. It was all just a blur. Tracey was the same though she was a lot saner than her at that moment. They didn't even dare to tell their parents. Tracey copped up a lot better than her. Daphne almost cursed her best friend when Tracey only laughed when Daphne tried asking her why she followed that man? Tracey has always been like that. Daring and courageous. Daphne sometimes doubts why the hat put her in Slytherin.
Deep down Daphne knows why Tracey followed that man. Tracey always wants to be like her mother. Aurora Davis was a brave muggleborn journalist. Daphne was devastated when she heard the news of her death due to an accident just last year. Tracey and her dad were pretty vague about the reason for her death. Daphne suspected those death eaters. It all made sense. Aurora Davis was pretty vocal about death eaters after that tournament fiasco. When Tracey finally revealed why she followed the man that day. Her suspicion became more solid. Even when you are an aspiring future journalist, one just doesn't follow a shady guy in unknown lanes of Knockturn alley, unless you have a death wish. The aftermath reaction of Tracey after hearing the news also indicates the same. Tracey almost laughed when she heard that the man she followed had his head blown apart during the incident. Daphne for her part decided not to drag the topic any longer. It must be sensitive for her best friend. Tracey will tell her about it in time, she always does. That much trust she has in Tracey.
Daphne and Tracey were both best friends since they were like ten years old. Daphne still remembers the party at Malfoy's where both of them caught each other rolling their eyes at Draco's bragging at the same time. Their friendship clicked almost instantly. Daphne considers Tracey more likely her sister, even her whole family would agree. Her mother adores Tracey like she's her own child. Astoria shares all her trouble first with Tracey and then with her. She prefers it this way. Her father similarly counts Tracey as his daughter. Just like both Tracey's dad and mom liked her more than Tracey. Daphne smiled a little at the thought.
Her father Cyrus Greengrass is a loving yet serious person. Many consider him one of the best businessmen in Britain. He uplifted their family business to new heights after he took over it. Her mother Isabella Greengrass similarly is a great mother, one could ask for. Fairly intelligent and a competent potioneer. She looks after their potion business and helps her father in the family business. Her eyes involuntarily looked up at the family photo that was hanging in her room. Both of her parents smiling, she waving her hands in the photo and Astoria being Astoria grinning and jumping in the photo.
Shaking her head, Daphne moved towards the bathroom. No need to ponder about it any longer. She already missed her breakfast.
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"Are you ready dear?" Her mother asked.
"Yes, mother. I'm ready." Daphne replied after she finished giving a last look at her trunk. Unlike previous years, her father said they will apparate to the station instead of taking floo. Daphne sighed. Tracey will meet them there.
Her father entered the living room, dressed in his formal business suit like usual. His face was straight as he looked over at them. Daphne knows this face very well. This is the face he makes when he's unsure about something. He still smiled at her. Daphne smiled back.
"Ready to go." Her father extended his left hand in silence. Daphne nodded as she gripped it tightly. The next moment, she felt a similar sensation of apparition. Opening her eyes she was immediately greeted with the sight of busy Kings cross station. Her mother and sister apparated right after them.
"Stay close" her father ordered as he motioned them to follow him. Her father has been apprehensive lately. Daphne's mind flashed back to the events of yesterday. Her father called her to his office. Which he rarely does unless it's some important matter. Her father pushed the newspaper in her direction.
"What do you think of this news, Daphne."
Daphne looked at the newspaper. The very same newspaper that she kept a copy of in her room. Daphne pondered for a moment. Before she could say something her father started speaking.
"Being a businessman, I already know this Daphne. Something is going on under the surface. The general public is apprehensive and one can also feel the uneasiness in the black market too. All of it only indicates one thing." Her father stood up from his chair.
"The Dark Lord is indeed back." Daphne looked down. She already suspected it. There are just too many indicators.
"You know very well where we stand in this war, right." Her father continued. Daphne nodded. Her family is always renowned for their neutrality. They belong to the neutral faction.
"You'll hear many things at Hogwarts too. Try to keep your head down. We don't need to antagonize any of the two factions unless it's out of our hands." Daphne nodded in agreement. They need to do what is best for their business. She needs to be extra careful this year. The uneasiness she felt before just got doubled.
"Daphne" she snapped out of her stupor. She shook her head as a brown hair girl slammed into her.
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Thanks to his spell nobody disturbed him till now. Opening the door of the compartment, Harry started walking toward the toilet. He already changed into his Hogwarts robes. Due to his recent growth Mrs, Weasley was adamant about getting him new robes. Harry sighed. Lost in his thoughts Harry slammed into someone, knocking the person to the ground.
"I'm sorry, I didn't…" Harry froze midway as he looked at the person.
"Daphne, what happened?" Another voice called out. Soon the owner of the voice joined them. Harry's eyes widened once again. What the heck? Harry soon controlled his expression as the girl helped herself up. She turned to face him. Harry blinked for a moment. Her eyes narrowed at him.
"Look where you're going, Potter." The girl that crashed into him earlier said. Her voice is Icy.
"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry," Harry replied slowly as he cast a glance at both of the girls.
"Excuse me," Harry then quickly sidestepped both of them and bolted out of the scene, leaving the girls perplexed.
"Is that Potter?" Tracey finally asked.
Daphne sighed.
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Forget about the toilet Harry immediately locked the door of his compartment as soon as he entered it. His heart was racing. He almost lost his composure back there. Who would've thought the first person he would see in Hogwarts will be the very same person who might be the sole witness of that incident. Her name is Daphne. Harry tried remembering her name before but failed. Judging by their expression they didn't really recognize him but Harry still saw something click in the eyes of that Daphne girl. He needs to be careful around them. The only potential witness of that incident. The other girl and the death eater both were knocked out before they could see anything. Harry feared that the girl that arrived later must have seen his face when he opened his cloak that night. Apparently, that is not the case. A huge relief.
Harry doesn't know much about both of the girls apart from that they are Slytherins. That's also a problem. He and Slytherins never saw eye to eye. And now they have another potential threat against him. From now on he needs to tread mindfully. Sighing, Harry picked up another book from his trunk. It's now high time for him to get a start in his Occlumency. A tough year is ahead and Harry can feel it.
The rest of the journey passed like a blur. He was so engrossed in his books that only the loud horns shook him out of it. Grabbing his trunks and belongings, Harry stepped out of the train. A refreshing sight of the Hogsmeade welcomed him. Thank Merlin it's not raining like his first year. Harry waited near the gate for his friends. And soon they joined him along with Neville and some blonde girl with quirky glasses.
"Harry, where have you been? I searched the whole train for you." Hermione interrogated him. Harry smiled and mouthed her later. He said his greetings to the rest of his friends as Neville introduced him to Luna. Ron kept talking to him about how boring the prefect meeting was. Soon they joined in the waiting line of other students for carriages. Harry spotted the two Slytherin girls as they climbed up in a carriage right ahead of him along with Draco and his gang. Draco as usual sneered at him just like the rest of his gang. Harry's eyes caught the eyes of the girl that bumped into him earlier. There's no expression on her face. She kept a straight blank face as she stared at him. At last, she crooked her nose and broke eye contact, and laughed at something that Draco said pointing at him.
"Ignore them, Harry," Hermione warned him from his side. Basically, she doesn't need to. Harry is already past that stage. Harry only shook his head slowly.
The next carriage arrived shortly.
What are these? Harry eyed the horse like things. He didn't see them before. Always thought the carriages are magically moving. Harry took a few steps near the animal. It has eerie white eyes, which are looking directly at him. Its body is skeletal and its wings are similar to a bat's wings. His hand reached towards it involuntarily. The creature for some reason felt familiar to him. He began to pet it.
"Hey, Ron, What are these?" Harry asked as he continued to pet the animal slowly.
"What" Harry looked at Ron in confusion.
"These" indicating towards the animal. "These winged horse like creatures, what do you call them?"
"Mate, are you okay? I see nothing here." Came the reply confusing Harry further. His friend climbed up to the carriage muttering something under his breath.
Harry shook his in bewilderment. He followed his friend and entered the carriage.
"I can see them too"
Harry looked up at the girl sitting in front of him.
"They are Thestrals" the girl kept her eyes on the creature. "Only those who have seen death can see them."
Harry watched in silence as the Thestral started pulling their carriage.
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Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfil my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you …
Let the Sorting now begin.
Harry listened closely to the last half of the song. Just as the song ended, the great hall erupted in claps and muttered whispers. Harry clapped alongside the students. The song os different prior to his previous years. This is not just a song, it almost felt like an advice to him.
"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious. Harry shrugged in response.
The sorting of the first years began. Harry silently observed the great hall. Most of the students seem obvious. But Harry could feel a little tension from the students mostly from the upper years. His eyes followed a student as she went ahead to sit along with the Slytherin table. As the sorting ended Dumbledore started the feast with a clap of his hand.
Harry filled his plate with much needed food. His appetite has improved greatly since last year. Harry ate the food with much delight. When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the
Headmaster.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said
Dumbledore. He started on his usual warnings for junior years and special context from Mr. Filch too.
"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Slightly less enthusiastic applause followed.
Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the –"
He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, 'Hem, hem,' and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech. Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Her voice is high-pitched and girlish. Who the hell is this woman?
"I think I've seen her at the Ministry before," Neville whispered from his side. Now it makes sense. So minister Fudge has decided to send a spy to Hogwarts too. They are just obsessed with Dumbledore, aren't they? What follows in her speech is about how much the ministry values students' education and how much they are worried about irregularities and dangers Hogwarts students faced in the past few years due to the lack of responsibility of some. Clearly indicating towards Dumbledore. Prof. McGonagall's eyes twitched. This is interesting. This year will be interesting. Harry almost smirked.
"Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
Harry clapped alongside others as the pink woman finished her speech. He caught the eyes of the said woman who smiled at him and Harry smiled back even if rather forcefully.
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Daphne entered the defence classroom with Tracey. As usual, they are among the first students to enter the classroom. Daphne and Tracey sat down at their usual spot near the left side of the room. Soon many students entered the classroom and took their seats.
"Well, good afternoon!" Their new Professor said, when finally the whole class had sat down.
A few people mumbled 'good afternoon' in reply.
"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge". One
more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.
Tracey nearly snorted aloud from her side. Daphne warned her with a silent glare.
"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."
Many shared a troubled look. Defence was always a subject with a practical approach. Daphne put her wand back and pulled out her quills. She watched as the woman waved her hand and words appeared on the board.
"Defence Against the Dark Arts; A Return to Basic Principles"
What follows in her lectures is a rather dull line to line interpretation of the book. No explanation or anything. Daphne could spot many troubled faces among the students as they were forced to read the books line by line. Suddenly Granger raised her hands.
"Any problem, miss,"
"Granger ma'am, I've got a query." Granger finally couldn't stop herself. Among her year it's Hermione Granger that takes her studies pretty damn seriously than any other. No way she'll remain silent on this. Her eyes trailed to her companions. Beside her, the Weasley boy looks equally offended by Umbridge's way of teaching. What caught her eyes is that Potter wasn't sitting with them, rather he was sitting in the back of the class alongside the Longbottom boy. His eyes silently observing the scene, no valid expression on his face.
Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.
"I've got a query about your course aims," said Granger.
"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of fake sweetness.
"I don't," said Granger bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."
And an argument began between Granger and Umbridge. Most of the Slytherin just enjoyed the show. Daphne for her part wanted to complain the same but the situation didn't allow her. Weasley, Longbottom, and several others came to Granger's rescue. What is shocking is that Potter remained silent. Daphne noticed several times that Granger almost pleaded with Potter with her looks. She narrowed her eyes. Something is definitely odd with Potter.
"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about." Professor Umbridge finished as she stood in the middle of the class.
"Isn't that right, Mr. Potter?" Almost every head turned towards Potter. Who for some reason stayed silent up until now. Potter stood up rather naturally and cleared his throat.
"Yes, you are right, Professor." Shocking almost every student present inside the class. Even the eyes of Umbridge are large like saucers. The whole class went silent.
"I mean You may be right, Professor, after all, you are more qualified than us in this matter and know fully well what is right for us students. That being said, I still think some practical exercise won't do any harm. After all, there's a practical mark in the OWL exam too." Potter smiled as he finished speaking. Every single head kept their gazes fixated on either Potter or on Umbridge.
Professor Umbridge coughed. "Yes, of course." Potter caught her off guard that's for sure. Daphne herself was impressed with his manipulative answer. He gave valid reasons directly rather than arguing.
"I'll look into it and we will see what can be done." Umbridge finally said as she smiled, a rather forced one. "Any other questions?"
Multiple students shook their heads. And the class resumed.
A/N:
Let's just see how long I can keep this up. I've two more chapters planned out and one is almost half finished. June will get 3 chapters including this. The next chapter will be on 15th June. I've my mid-sem right after that. And I've not even touched my syllabus yet. I'll also get my semester results that day. Wish me luck.
Anyway enjoy the chapter.