Title: The Firebrand Chronicles Book Two: After Dark
Summary: No one knew what awaited them upon returning to Hogwarts that year. No one expected a monster to attack the students, and certainly no one expected anyone to assume that Harry Potter was the party responsible. Blaise Zabini certainly didn't. This is his story. Book Two
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter any of its characters or events. They belong to J.K. Rowling
A.N.: Thank you to Gwenlynn for the review, and I also hope it won't take me another five years to write this - maybe if I do one for every Harry Potter book, but After Dark is technically completed :)
Firebrand Chronicles
Book Two: After Dark
Chapter III
The train ride was rather dull and uneventful with the possible exception of the Gryffindor prefect Percy Weasley running around like a headless rooster searching for his youngest brother and Potter.
It didn't surprise me at all that they would hide from him, but then Granger was searching for them as well, and I had to wonder what they were up to that would exclude her from the activity. It did even occur to me that they weren't on the train as all; rather I assumed they were helping Weasley's twin brothers with some hair-braided scheme that Granger wouldn't approve of. But there was no sign of the black haired, bespectacled, scared face, or of the youngest Weasley boy's telltale red hair anywhere obvious that I could see, and I wasn't about to waste my time helping a pushy know-it-all like Granger look. No, I much preferred to spend my time with my own friends who I easily found among the other passengers.
Tracey Davis was a dark haired witch with an olive complexion and bright eyes. She had a quick wit and had saved my hide in astronomy class on more the one occasion. Theodore Nott, or Theo as most people called him, is quite possibly the greatest friend I have ever had. Quite tall and lanky he has a decidedly rabbit-like look about his face, but with his easy manners and giant smile nobody ever seemed to mind. Theo's constant stream of jokes and pranks kept everybody around him amused though he's quite capable of being serious when necessary. We easily found an empty compartment, stowed our belongings, and were just getting settled in when to our surprise we were joined by Lisa Turpin from Ravenclaw. She was a pleasant girl and fully welcome, but we knew she had better friends then us and so her presence had been unanticipated. However, her company was very quickly accounted for when she explained that she had barely managed to make the train in the first place, and she preferred our company to that of Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode who currently occupied the only other compartment containing a free seat, not occupied by the first years. There was another down the other end of the train, but that unfortunately housed the Weasley twins to whom any student under the age of thirteen, and some older, were considered an immediate target. She smiled and pulled her brown hair into a ponytail as she explained herself in a very rational and logical, if bookish, manner. Then there was the added bonus of her love of Bandit who spent the majority of the trip in her lap.
Percy Weasley poked his head into our compartment two or three times during the voyage, still looking for our missing classmates, and Granger visited for about five minute with Lisa, talking so fast that no one had a chance to get a word in edgewise to tell her that no, we did not know where her missing friends were and neither did we care. The train made it to the school and neither of them were found. Draco still burning from the dragon incident from the year before was as antsy as the others. As he proved when I ran into him in the corridor while I was looking for a male only occupied compartment in which to change. Theo and I joined him for the rest of the ride which lasted all of five minutes.
"What could they be up to."
"Forget it," I answered as we all climbed down to the Hogsmeade platform. "We'll know soon enough without getting ourselves into trouble." He only frowned at me and muttered a comment about my lack of ambition, which I pretended not to hear. I knew he thought he was insulting me, but what is ambition without proper time management skills?
I knew better than to expect another boat ride to the castle this trip, a tradition for Hogwarts first years, but what I was not expecting were the thestrals. Theo and I had intentionally let Draco get ahead of us so we could avoid any further conversations about Potter and we were instead following Tracey and Lisa, who were discussing some article they had both read on enchanted hair clips, away from the platform and towards a line of waiting carriages.
"Horseless carriages!" Tracey's voice carried from her location ahead of us, "what fun?"
Horseless? Theo and I both seemed to freeze in shock sharing an uneasy glance. Each knowing the other could see the creatures. I watched as his eyes widened in understanding and he muttered so low that I barely heard the single word. One little word that sent chills down my spine.
"Thestrals."
I nodded that was the only thing the black skeletal creatures in the harness could be. An animal visible only to one who had witnessed death. Witnessed death, I knew why I could see them. Damian's fall. But as for Theo, well I was too polite to ask. If he wanted to tell me he would. Just as, if I wanted to, I would tell him. I didn't want to. Damian, well Damian had been my favorite among my stepfathers. The memory f his death was just too painful, and if the wrong person heard . . .
"Do me a favor." I hissed, "There're enough rumors floating around about my family already, don't mention I can see them."
"If you do the same thing for me!" he agreed without a moment's hesitation.
We spat on our palms and shook to seal the mutual promise and then forcing smiles made our way to the buggy and climbed in after the girls.
"What was that all about?" Lisa asked the moment we were seated.
"What was what?" Theo feigned innocence.
"That whole shaking hands thing like you made a pact or something- "
"Probably some prank Theo's planning to pull or something," Tracey sighed leaning back in her seat, "whatever it is, it's safer not to know." Fortunately for us Lisa listened to her.
The carriages soon pulled up one by one to the front steps of the castle, where we all disembarked and made our way through the entrance hall to the Great Hall and found seats at the house tables.
"I wonder what the song will be this year?" a fourth year girl chirped as she took a seat with her friends across from me and Theo at the Slytherin table. "It may be only a hat, but it sure knows how to write poetry."
"You mean it sings a different song every year?" I asked stupidly. Logically it made sense, but I had never before wasted my time thinking about the hat.
"Of course it does," she answered sticking her nose in the air, "what else has it to do?" as she spoke the first years filed into the room forming a line at the front, the old rickety hat was produced and placed on a stool and a rip near the brim that served as a mouth opened as the hat began to sing:
I may not be that beautiful,
I may have gained no fame.
Yet, I assure you one and all,
I do have one fine brain.
T'was given me by Gryffindor
who swept me off his brow,
to sort you was the chosen goal
that's what will happen now.
Don't be afraid to put me on.
I'll look inside your head.
A little bit of rummaging,
and to your house you're lead
I might place you in Gryffindor,
where they are brave and true.
Full of daring, nerve, and courage,
that lot fears nothing new.
Or perhaps in wise Ravenclaw,
where you will test your brain.
Where they have quick wit and learning,
and knowledge is their gain.
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
where friendship has strong ties.
I assure you that in that house
loyalty never dies.
And don't forget strong Slytherin,
ambition among friends
was never wasted in that house,
they will not fail their ends.
Try me on, I'll look in your head,
and then unblock your mind.
I'll choose the perfect house for you
and place you with your kind.
The entire hall applauded and the sorting began, though the Slytherin table turned towards whispered conversations about the where-a-bouts of Professor Snape. We had all noticed that he was missing as well.
"I bet he's gone to find Potter and Weasley," Draco hissed from several seats away, "they weren't on the train after all."
"Ohh, won't they be in trouble!" Pansy squealed, dissolving into a rather high pitched giggle that led to Tracey covering her ears.
We found out soon enough. The meal had barely started when he strode in to the hall and up to the head table where he spoke quietly to the headmaster. Unfortunately the entire hall hushed in order to hear and the words, "flying car," and, "whopping willow," echoed. By the end of the feast there wasn't a single person present who hadn't heard what had happened, and Dumbledore fortunately, or unfortunately for Potter and Weasley, confirmed the rumors when the meal was done.
"May I have your attention please." He shouted over the din, and the hall for the second time that night was completely quiet. "I have some announcements to make before we head off to bed. First Gilderoy Lockhart has kindly agreed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year." The man in question rose and waved and quite few girls sighed, several swooned, Pansy among them. Theo shot me a rather horrified look.
"Second, our caretaker Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors, and all frisbees, flying disks, and so forth are only to be used outside. Also first years are to note that the dark forest is forbidden to all.
"Finally, as you may have all heard earlier this night, a car was in fact flown into the whopping willow. Now for obvious reasons the tree is extremely unhappy and I must advise you all to stay away from it. I would not want to find that anybody has lost and eye or worse." I had never before heard Dumbledore sound this serious or severely disappointed before.
Potter, however, had only succeeded in adding to his fame and Weasley no doubt would be basking in the limelight as well. Probably what they had both wanted. I had no doubt that those two were the culprits because, as far as I knew, every other student had been accounted for.
"Now," Dumbledore continued in a much more cheerful voice, "as well have all stuffed ourselves it is time to head for bed." It was with a certain degree of happy pandemonium that the students filed out of the hall that night, conversation centered around, not the new DADA Professor, but the sheer guts it must take to fly a car into Hogwarts.
As I lay under the covers that night I could only wonder what grandfather would say if I had tried to fly our car onto the grounds. I'd probably very quickly find myself without an inheritance.