Chapter 24

A Creature And A Teacher

Ginny was flabbergasted. What did Hermione mean? It couldn't be… Harry's parents were dead; rather ARE dead. They've been dead for almost 15 years, maybe even more so why would they come back now; of all the times to return?

"Hermione, are you sure? What if it's just a theory or something… maybe you need to rest," Ginny suggested quickly. She couldn't or wouldn't believe it; they just couldn't be alive.

Hermione looked up at her, her eyes flashing with deep anger and betrayal, "what? Do you think I'm a loony now do you?"

"Mione, of course not," Ginny said quickly, "I just can't believe it."

"Well, believe it Ginny. I have reason to believe that Mrs. Potter is living in this castle as someone else if not the cat. But Ginny," Hermione's voice softened, "you must not tell anybody this. Please Ginny, if Harry found out from us he would be furious and if we told Ron and Harry found out we told everyone BUT him…he would be beyond angry."

Ginny nodded numbly aware that the light of dawn was rushing into her dormitory.

"Dumbledore told me some things," Hermione stated snapping Ginny out of her trance, "he said that they've been back for months! Even before the year began. He said that James and Lily were animagus… I wonder when she learned… anyway, they were planning on telling Harry at the end of the year after the end-of-the-year feast. I just needed to tell someone Ginny, it's been so hard to hold it all in for me."

"I understand Hermione. Don't worry, I won't say anything to anybody; not even mum but I suppose she already knows."

Hermione smiled and got off the bed, brushing away all the stray tears running down her face.

"Look at the time!" she exclaimed, "Four o'clock in the morning. Might as well just go on into the common room, how about we go down then and maybe just talk or something?"

Ginny smiled and got off the bed with Hermione and walked into the common room.

Harry stood with a fair amount of superiority about him in front of a group of Death Eaters.

They had their heads bowed; their ghost white masks remained on their faces as they kneeled on the ground.

"Bella, news," Harry ordered in a hissing sort of voice. Harry felt sick as the… sound came out of him mouth.

One of the many death eaters stood up and the once beautiful Bellatrix Lestrange pulled it over her head.

A maniacal smile grew on her face as she gave her news.

"My Lord, we think we have found a loophole in the Hogwarts protection wards. If we can get only one of them down, we can go through a secret passageway that Pettigrew says he and his friends used to use. We can find Potter… it will lead us to a hallway and we should be able to snatch him easily but we can only fit two or three of us in the passageway," Bellatrix said smiling broader as she saw Voldemorts snake face.

Harry could feel his face twist into an eerily hollow smile, "that is amazing news Bella. You shall be rewarded for your faithfulness. Now, Rookwood, come here…we need to straighten some things out."

Another death eater stood up in the back of the round room. He shakily walked around and fell to his knees at Harry's feet.

"You have failed me and you know what happens when I spot failure, don't you?" Harry sneered, hissing as he said the words.

Rookwood looked up, with his mask still covering his face and said, "Yes my Lord. I deserve anything that will come to me for failing you."

The words seemed well rehearsed but it still please Harry/Voldemort.

"Good, well then. Let the pay back begin I suppose," Harry smiled happily as he said the word, "Crucio."

Rookwood's screams flooded the room and Harry was thrown out of Voldemorts mind.

Harry was screaming when he awoke. The silencing charm around his bed was working well since no one in his dorm seemed to hear his screams. Harry pushed himself up to the sitting position and felt his shirt drenched with sweat. He wiped his forehead and looked around.

He hadn't had one of these kinds of dreams almost all year… why now? But one thing stood out in Harry's mind; could they really break down the wards?

Harry walked down to the Gryffindor common room after splashing large amounts of cold water. He sat in one of the comfy arm chairs and slumped down happily enjoying its squishy-ness.

He looked deeply into the fire. It was soothing as the flames moved slowly up and down up and down up and…

Ginny and Hermione walked down the dormitory stairs after changing into fresh clothes and were surprised to find someone sitting in an armchair.

They walked quietly to the spot where Harry was sleeping. His right arm was propped up on the arm of the chair and his head was lying across his hand.

Ginny smiled as she brushed his impossibly messy hair away from his forehead. Her smile faltered as she found sweat at his hair line. What was he sweating about?

"I wonder why he's down here," Ginny wondered out loud. Hermione sat on the other side of Ginny and seemed to be thinking.

"What if he had a dream? Like last year… but wouldn't his dorm mates hear him?"

Ginny looked up from Harry and to Hermione.

"I don't know… let's check the dorm. We have to be quiet though, Ron'll wake up and not let you leave the dorm," Ginny said smirking as Hermione turned pink.

Leaving Harry in the chair, they tip-toed up the stairs of his dorm and into the room. It was interesting to see Ron drooling all over the pillows, Neville snoring almost as loud as Ron, Seamus sucking his thumb, and Dean muttering about Parvarti.

They chuckled as they made their way to Harry's now empty bed. Upon inspecting it, they found it was drenched with sweat and the blankets were twisted furiously. Ginny sat in it while Hermione stood thinking.

"Hermione, what do you suppose he was dreaming about?" Ginny asked, pulling Harry's pillow to her chest.

Hermione didn't answer.

"Hermione? Hello? Are you there?" Ginny asked. Hermione still didn't answer. Ginny got off the bed and went straight to her face.

"Can you hear me?" she said loudly.

Hermione looked at her oddly, "of course I can hear you. I'm not deaf."

Ginny chuckled, "well you didn't hear me when I was on the bed."

A sudden realization hit the two girls.

"Silencing charm…," they said together.

They rushed down the dorm stairs to see Harry still asleep.

Ginny shook him awake and he looked surprised to see her standing in front of him… at 4:15 in the morning.

"Gin, what are you doing?" Harry said tiredly.

Ginny put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, "what do you think you are doing with a silencing charm around your bed? If you screamed bloody murder no one would hear you! What if you got hurt or something and no one was able to hear you!"

Harry was once again surprised, "how did you find out about that?"

Ginny's hands dropped and she blushed as she said, "me and Hermione went up into your dorm."

Harry chuckled.

"Look, Harry, just take the charm off your bed, okay? We hate that we have to worry so much about simple things. If you had a nightmare no one would mind… everyone has them," Hermione reassured Harry. He bashfully looked down.

"Uncle Vernon didn't like it when I had nightmares," he mumbled mostly to himself. The two girls managed to hear it and their faces became hard with anger.

"Uncle Vernon, eh? Well, he was a horrible man Harry. You are allowed to have nightmares you know," Hermione said angrily thinking about how she would to ring that mans fat neck.

Harry nodded, "okay."

"Okay," Ginny said smiling.

The next day of classes was especially hard for the two Gryffindor girls. During defense class, they could be seen avoiding eye contact with the professor and for once in Hermione's life; she wanted to sit as far away from the teacher as possible.

Harry and Ron found this odd but ignored the signs of discomfort Hermione got whenever Harry would talk to the professor.

They soon made it to Care of Magical Creatures where Hagrid was ecstatically waiting for the class. The weather, now slightly warmer in the month of February, was cooperating with the school so they finally were able to have a lesson without having to stuff themselves into Hagrid's small hut.

The sixth year students found a happy and excited looking Hagrid waiting for them.

"Over 'ere all. Today were goin' ter be studyin' these here beasts," Hagrid's voice boomed over the crowd of kids. He pointed to a box close to the edge of the forest, "In that there box is a lethifold."

The box shook, scaring the kids.

"Who 'ere can tell me 'bout a lethifold?" Hagrid asked. Hermione's hand shot up to no ones surprise. Hagrid smiled and called on the enthusiastic girl.

Hermione took a deep breathe and smiled happily, "Well, a lethifold has the root word of 'lethum' or 'letum' in Latin which means death. A lethifold will normally be found in the tropics and they are very rare. They will attack when a person is asleep and they will smother the person until the eventually run out of air, then… they eat them whole and no one will know what happened to them if they didn't know it was that creature."

Hagrid beamed happily, "Wonderful Hermione! Ten points ter Gryffindor!"

"Now, fer the rest of the class, watch that there lethifold through 'ere," Hagrid said before sending the class to observe the creature.

"I think Hagrid went off his rocker with this one," Ron commented as they cautiously walked towards the box.

Harry looked at Ron oddly, "I think Hagrid has always been off his rocker a bit Ron; not doubt about that one."