Many Thanks to all those who Reviewed Chapter Three! Please keep up the wonderful comments.
Chapter Four
School back in Session
At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets. Harry and Ron had to half carry Faykan as he was still shaking with pain, and it reminded Harry painfully of their arrival last year.
"Firs' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.
"All right, you four?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them were shunting them away along the platform. They slowly followed the rest of the school out onto a rough, mud track where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students. Faykan kept looking toward where a horse would have been placed to pull the carriage, but Harry was too focused on making sure his friend didn't fall, as he was still seemed very weak. Harry could only assume that they were pulled by an invisible horse, because when they climbed inside and shut the door, the coach set off all by itself bumping and swaying in procession.
The coach smelled faintly of mold and straw. Harry felt better since the chocolate, but still slightly feeble. Ron and Hermione kept looking at Faykan and him sideways, as though frightened one or the other might collapse again.
As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Harry saw two more towering, hooded dementors standing guard on either side. Faykan started to moan loudly in pain again. He almost fell forward in his seat, but Ron caught him while Harry tried to make him more comfortable, running a hand across Faykan's back to try and relax the shuddering boy. A wave of cold sickness threatened to engulf Harry again; he finally leaned back into the lumpy seat and closed his eyes until they had passed the gates. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Hermione was leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Hermione and Ron got out. Harry helped lower Faykan and then stepped down himself in time to hear a drawling, delighted voice calling from one of the other carriages.
"Was that you Undol, screaming your head off on the train like you were being gutted?"
Nott elbowed past Hermione to block Ron and Harry, who were still supporting Faykan up the stone steps of the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously.
"Shove off, Nott." said Ron, whose jaw was clenched.
"Did you have a fit too Potter?" Nott continued loudly, ignoring Ron, "Was Longbottom telling the truth when he said you both fainted when the scary, old dementor came on board?"
"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage.
Nott gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the dilapidated suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no… err, Professor," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle.
Hermione prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry, and the four of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, and into the cavernous entrance hall. It was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors.
The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Harry followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potter! Undol! Granger! I want to see you three!"
Harry and Hermione turned around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd. Harry fought his way over to her, with Ron holding Faykan up with an arm around his neck. Harry had a feeling of foreboding; Professor McGonagall had a way of making him feel he must have done something wrong.
"There's no need to look so worried, I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasley."
Ron let Harry take Faykan's weight and stared as Professor McGonagall ushered the other three away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor.
Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned them to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you and Mr. Undol were taken ill on the train, Potter."
Before Harry could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, came bustling in.
Harry felt himself going red in the face. It was bad enough that he'd passed out, or whatever he had done, without everyone making all this fuss.
"I'm fine," he said, "I don't need anything, Faykan is the one who needs to be looked at, not me!"
"Oh, it's you two, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you've both been doing something dangerous again?"
"It was a dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall.
They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly.
"Setting dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Harry's hair and feeling his forehead. "They won't be the last ones who collapse. Yes, he's all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate…"
"I'm not delicate!" said Harry crossly.
"Of course you're not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now checking Faykan, who looked close to collapsing again.
"What does he need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply, looking toward Faykan. "Bed rest? Should he perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"
"At the least, they should all have some chocolate, but in Mr. Undol's case… I've never seen such a bad reaction… Oh my!" she had lifted his shirt to expose the terrible red wound, if anything it looked like it had gotten worse since the train.
"This boy needs to go to the hospital wing, immediately," Madam Pomfrey said, conjuring a stretcher, and then passing some chocolate to Harry and Hermione, "Here, you need to eat this."
"I've already had some," said Harry. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us."
"Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"
She bustled out, pushing the now floating stretcher ahead of her.
"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.
"Yes," Harry replied firmly.
"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."
Harry went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who left for the hospital wing, muttering to herself as she guided Faykan's stretcher. He had to wait only a few minutes; then Hermione emerged looking very happy about something, followed by Professor McGonagall. The three of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall.
It was a sea of pointed black hats; each of the long House tables was lined with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles floating over the tables in mid-air. Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three legged stool out of the hall.
"Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!"
Professor McGonagall strode off toward her empty seat at the staff table, while Harry and Hermione set off in the other direction, as quietly as possible, toward the Gryffindor table. People looked around at them as they passed along the back of the hall, and a few of them pointed at Harry. Had the story of his collapsing in front of the dementor traveled that fast?
He and Hermione sat down on either side of Ron, who had saved them seats.
"What was all that about? And where's Faykan?" he muttered to Harry.
Harry started to explain in a whisper, but at that moment the headmaster stood up to speak, and he broke off.
"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..."
Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."
He paused, and Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had said about Dumbledore not being happy with the dementors guarding the school.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises… or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Harry and Ron glanced at each other. "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.
Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from Harry, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.
"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Harry among them. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.
"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed in Harry's ear.
Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Harry was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. It was beyond anger; it was loathing. Harry knew that expression only too well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Faykan and sometimes Harry.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another, stunned. Then they joined in with the applause, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Harry leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.
"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to stop clapping, and as Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"
~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~
At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed. The students started to file away up to their common rooms, chatting amongst themselves, already getting back into the spirit if Hogwarts.
Severus started to get up, ready to set off to his own quarters when he caught Albus' eye. He waited while the rest of the students and teacher cleared away until finally it was just him, Albus, Minerva, and unfortunately, Lupin.
"Now, Professor Lupin, please inform us as to what actually occurred on the train concerning Mr. Undol and the dementor." Albus said as he led them all up to the Hospital Wing. Lupin finished recounting what had happened as they entered, and they saw that Poppy had her hands full trying to just get the boy to lie still. Undol was on top of one of the beds furthest from the door, bare-chested and crying out every time Poppy tried to inspect the hideous gash on his chest, thrashing around deliriously.
She turned as the group of teachers arrived, and Severus went to help her hold the boy down, grabbing his arms while Lupin took his legs to prevent him from kicking. "I haven't seen anything like it headmaster," she said worriedly, "it appears to just be a simple stab wound, but the way it keeps inflaming… I couldn't get the poor boy to let me look at it properly, he's just in too much pain, even after a pain relief potion."
"Did you try dreamless sleep Poppy?" Severus asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"He is asleep Severus." She replied, looking even more worried, "Whatever caused that injury, it was very powerful and very dark. I doubt anyone could completely heal that wound Albus."
The old headmaster wasn't listening however; he was studying Undol's face. Slowly he walked up and opened one of the boy's eyes, revealing the blue orb that had now lost its piercing radiance, darkened over with pain, despair and… Severus raised an eyebrow, did he see remorse in the boy's dilated eyes. Surely not…
"Marvelous thing memories…" Albus said, ignoring the ragged sounds of the boy's breathing, as he had long since stopped trying to convulse ever since Poppy stopped trying to touch the wound. He was lying almost peacefully on the bed, occasionally shivering from the cold of the room, "I think, that whatever caused this much pain to young Mr. Undol, placed a curse upon the wound that returns that torment whenever the memory is stirred."
Minerva gasped; "Surely you don't mean to say that the boy's memory is causing that much residual pain?" she choked.
"That is exactly what I think. Dementors are powerful dark creatures, living off all the worst memories that people possess, and thereby forcing those memories to the forefront of our minds…"
"So what can we do about this?" Severus finally asked what was on all of their minds.
"Nothing…" Albus said sorrowfully, "we can only try and keep Mr. Undol away from the dementors as long as they are here at Hogwarts. Hopefully the pain will not be as severe if he distances himself from them."
Severus looked down again at the flaming red mark on the boy's torso. It did seem to be finally looking better than when they had come in; and Undol was now sleeping fully, content within the blackness of dreamless sleep.
~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~
Draco was starting to really despise some of the other Slytherins. Nott had been 'entertaining' the other third years with a very bad rendition of what had occurred on the train the night before. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered and passed their table, Nott did his impression of a swooning fit and roared with laugher with the others. The fact that Harry had also collapsed on the train had gone rather unnoticed by the majority of the school because of the wild rumors about Faykan. Apparently he was attacked by the dementor and was now dying in the hospital wing, but Nott made it a point to remember, only to mock and degrade the Gryffindors even more.
"Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooooo!" Draco shuddered inwardly, remembering that his father had actually considered pledging Draco to her when they were children. Thankfully, Lucius had waited and realized what poor breeding she turned out to be, and therefore had dropped the idea.
The three Gryffindors had settled themselves by the two Weasley twins, who handed them their schedules. Nott was still reciting about the train ride, and Draco finally decided to go and ask Harry directly what had happened.
As he approached he heard one of the twins recounting one time that their father had had to go to Azkaban and the dementors. Harry turned as Draco stood next to him, and nudged Hermione to make room for Draco to sit.
"Where's Faykan?" Draco asked, hoping to get straight to the heart of the matter.
"Hospital wing still…" Harry said darkly, and then explained about the ugly wound that had flared up, causing Faykan to become delirious with pain. Ron jabbed Harry in the side, and both he and Draco turned to see the subject of their conversation entering the Great Hall.
Nott called out, "Not going to start screaming again are you Undol? Need someone to keep the mean old dementors away?" as Faykan passed, but he was ignored. He settled down between Harry and Ron and accepted his schedule, "Oh, we're starting some new subjects today," he said slightly disappointed. Ron asked if he remembered what had happened on the train and afterword, but Faykan shuddered at the mention of the dementor and pressed a hand over his chest, asking for it not to be mentioned.
Ron glanced down at the schedule in his hand, and widened his eyes, "Oh, Hermione I have your schedule… wait a second… you have three classes set for this morning at nine o'clock…"
Hermione snatched it away, telling Ron to not be silly, and asking how someone could be at three places at once. Draco caught Faykan's eye as he looked over at Hermione suspiciously, but deflected Ron's protests about her schedule by reminding them that they had to get to North Tower for Divination. They all got up and left. Seeing Hagrid in the entrance hall, they waved at him, knowing that they would see him after lunch at his first lesson. Draco parted with them to go to his Arithmancy class with a smile and a wave.
~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~
"Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."
Harry's impression of the divination teacher was of a large, glittering insect. He, Faykan, Ron, and Hermione were settled around one of the many round tables, with Faykan and Harry in armchairs while Ron and Hermione were settled on the smaller poufs.
Professor Trelawney delicately rearranged her shawl and continued, "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you... Books can take you only so far in this field..."
At these words both Harry and Ron glanced, grinning, at Hermione, who looked startled at the news that books wouldn't be much help in this subject. Faykan was staring past Professor Trelawney into the fireplace.
"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, who almost toppled off his pouf. "Is your grandmother well?"
"I think so," said Neville tremulously.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Neville gulped. Professor Trelawney continued placidly. "We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man."
Parvati gave a startled look at Ron, who was right behind her and edged her chair away from him.
"In the third term," Professor Trelawney went on, "we shall move on to the crystal ball, if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice, and around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever."
A very tense silence followed this pronouncement, but Professor Trelawney seemed unaware of it.
"I wonder, dear," she said to Lavender Brown, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair, "if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"
Lavender, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot from the shelf, and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney.
"Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading… it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October."
Lavender trembled.
"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink. Drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer. Wait for the last of the tea to drain away, and then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of 'Unfogging the Future'. I shall move among you, helping and instructing."
When Harry, Faykan, Hermione, and Ron had their teacups filled, they went back to their table and tried to drink the scalding tea quickly. They swilled the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then drained the cups and swapped over, Ron with Hermione and Harry with Faykan.
"Right," said Ron as they all opened their books at pages five and six.
"What can you see in mine?" Faykan asked quietly to Harry
"A load of soggy brown stuff," said Harry. The heavily perfumed smoke in the room was making him feel sleepy and stupid.
"Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the gloom.
Harry tried to pull himself together.
"Right, you've got a crooked sort of cross..." He consulted Unfogging the Future. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering', sorry about that, but there's a thing that could be the sun... hang on... that means 'great happiness'... so you're going to suffer but be very happy..."
"You need your Inner Eye tested, if you ask me," said Ron from across the table, and they all had to stifle their laughs as Professor Trelawney gazed in their direction.
"My turn..." Faykan peered into Harry's teacup, his forehead wrinkled with effort. "A falcon, no surprises there… deadly enemy, Voldemort, blah… blah… blah…" he turned the cup slowly and continued to look.
"A club… meaning an attack, well not if I can help it," he said with a smile. Harry noticed that he wasn't even consulting the book.
Professor Trelawney had moved up behind Faykan, looking over his shoulder as he read the cup, but he hadn't noticed yet.
"A skull, danger… whatever that's not out of the ordinary for us isn't it Harry," Faykan continued with a small laugh.
He turned the cup a final time, and Professor Trelawney, who was definitely reading the cup over his shoulder gasped loudly, startling Faykan into dropping the cup. It smashed on the table.
"What is it, Professor?" said Dean Thomas at once. Everyone had gotten to their feet, and slowly they crowded around Harry and Faykan to listen.
"My dear," Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically as she looked at Harry, "You have the Grim."
Faykan scoffed loudly, while Harry asked, "The what?"
He could tell that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand; Dean Thomas shrugged at him and Lavender Brown looked puzzled, but nearly everybody else clapped their hands to their mouths in horror.
"The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried Professor Trelawney, who looked shocked that Harry hadn't understood. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen… the worst omen, of death!"
Harry's stomach lurched. That dog on the cover of Death Omens in Flourish and Blotts; the dog in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent...
Lavender Brown clapped her hands to her mouth too. Faykan rolled his eyes dramatically and spoke up, "Even if it was the Grim, Professor, it doesn't necessarily mean that Harry will die. Besides…" he looked up at Trelawney, "I highly doubt the accuracy of divination in general, there are far too many cases of self fulfilling prophecies and other utter nonsense…"
Professor Trelawney surveyed Faykan with a look of confused disappointment.
"You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I think I have a far better understanding of the workings of the Inner Eye than you do, despite your obvious affinity for it…"
"Well, have you all finished deciding whether I'm going to die or not?" said Harry, taking even himself by surprise. Now nobody seemed to want to look at him.
"I think we will leave the lesson here for today," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest voice. "Yes... please pack away your things..."
Silently the class took their teacups back to Professor Trelawney, packed away their books, and closed their bags. Even Ron and Faykan were avoiding Harry's eyes.
"Until we meet again," said Professor Trelawney faintly, "fair fortune be yours. Oh, and dear," she pointed at Neville, "you'll be late next time, so mind you work extra hard to catch up."
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