Disclaimer:: If I owned this, I'd be going to Fall Out Boy on October 1st, but I don't, so I'm not. tear.
OMG! thank you thank you for your reveiws! I love you all! After you've read this chapter why not pop along to my other fanfic and read that? I hope you's are all happy in the big wide world. (i've had sugar, can you guess!?) Fall Out Boy are coming to Auckland in a month and 10 days aproxamately, and my friends are so excited! (I'm not going, I can't afford it) Sorry for the slow update, school exams are in 2 weeks, and I've been working also. The next update will be up by friday, fingers crossed, but you don't really need to worry about that until i finish this absurdly long authors note and you can actually read this chapter, so read on!
LOVE!
Nikole.
Chapter 3: Teacher?
Harry opened his eyes, and blinked hard in the sudden sunlight. He had awoken the same way every day for two weeks. Today was something special, the new Defence teacher would start lessons today. No student had any idea who would be the new teacher.
Harry remembered and then jumped out of bed, and stuffed on his robes and chucked his bag over his shoulder, and rushed downstairs. Hermione was one of the only people at the Ravenclaw table, and she was seated alone, far from everyone else. Professor McGonagall and Professor Sinistra were the only staff at the staff table, and 2 lonely Gryffindors sat at the abandoned Gryffindor table. Colin Creevey and his little brother Dennis waved Harry over as he entered, but he shook his head, and went over to the Ravenclaw table.
"Is this seat taken Miss Granger?" Harry asked the young girl, who was muching buttered toast and reading a book. she looked up, mildly surprised, and smiled. She nodded, and Harry plonked himself down next to her.
"Good Morning" he said, and helped himself to some eggs, and looked over Hermione's shoulder
"Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century? Interesting?" he asked, and she paused from her reading.
"Go and get a copy from the library" she said haughtily, and took another bite of toast.
"Well, I think I will. I'll see you later." Harry said, knowing that she was irritated, he grabbed a bit of toast, took hold of his bag, and disappeared.
"Harry?" she said quietly, but he had already left. She sighed deeply, and considering following him, but instead, she returned to her book.
Defence Against the Dark Arts was first for the Gryffindor fifth years. In the classroom, there were Ministry of Magic posters, and many doilies on the teachers desk, and a vase full of pink roses were atop one of the larger doilies, on the mahogany desk, that faced the class. The students all took their seats, and looked around, waiting for teh teacher. Harry was sitting between Cho and Ron, and was reading Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century, when the teacher entered.
"Oh My Lord! It's Dolores Umbridge!" said Cho and Ron at the same time, and Harry took his eyes off the captivating text for a second, to see a squat, toad-like woman, wearing a hot pink cardigan, and a large pink bow perched on her iron gray ringlets. She reminded him of a toad, and he shivered. She had an aura about her, and he didn't like it.
"I am Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, and I am your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Now, Wands away please, and please take out your individual copies of Defence Unearthed, by William Slinkard." She said, and she took a seat at the desk, as people scuttled around in their bags for their books. Harry swapped Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century for Defence Unearthed and once the class had become slient again, Professor Umbridge looked up.
"Please read Chapter One, there will be no need to talk." she said, and the class sighed. Harry couldn't concerntrate on teh text, and his mind began to wander.
"Miss Chang! please bring that note to me right now!" Shouted the professor, and Cho slowly closed her fist around the corner of the note, and Harry pointed his wand at the parchment, and whispered "Terego" and wiped the note clean.
"Mr Potter!" She screamed, outraged, and Harry swore under his breath. Professor Umbridge had seen him.
"One Weeks Detention! My office, 7pm, starting tonight" she shouted, and Harry nodded. "Now get back to your reading!" and everyone snapped their heads down to their textbooks. Harry was fuming. He hadn't done abything wrong.
"And for you, Miss Chang, 50 points from Gryffindor" Professor Umbridge concluded glaring at all of the students, and for the rest of the class, the students and teacher were silent.
"Harry! I can't beleive that you like, did that for me!" Cho exclaimed, and threw herself into his arms.
"It's okay Cho." he said, and withdrew himself from her arms. "A weeks' worth of detentions is probably better for you than if she had read that note." Harry chuckled, and Cho blushed.
"You didn't have to Harry. All it said was that Parvati had slept with Seamus Finnigan in the summer." Cho said confidently, then clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified "I wasn't supposed to tell!" she giggled nervously, and when neither Ron nor Harry replied, Cho threw her shiny black hair over her shoulder, and stalked off.
"God Harry, she doesn't act like half a snob. You just saved her from a week of detentions, and she doesnt even thank you properly." Ron said, and he shrugged at Harry, as they exchanged a look. "So what's with that massive book you're always reading?" Ron continued, and they continued walking.
"Hermione was reading it this morning, and she got really grumpy at me, so I thought I would read it to impress her I geuss," Harry said, looking at the stone floor of the corridor.
"That's nice mate. Should try something like that on Lavender, but I don't think she would like to know that I read Witch Weekly." Ron said, and Harry snorted.
"Yeah, for the reverse effect" Harry said, grinning
"Mate, shut up or I'll jinx you." Ron threatened, and Harry couldn't help but laugh.
"Not if I get you first!" Harry said, running around the corner, and grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and throwing it over himself.
"You Used the cloak barstad!" Ron shouted, as he rounded the corner and couldn't spot Harry. Harry stiffled his laughs and pulled out his wand
"Stupefy!" Harry exclaimed, and Ron fell to the stone floor, stunned. People were laughing, and Harry ducked into an empty classroom, remoed the cloak, and went back outside. people were skirting around Ron, and laughing.
"Enervate" Harry said, pointing his wand at Ron's chest. Ron's eyes sprung open, and he saw Harry grinning down at him.
"Truce" Ron said, and grasped the hand Harry was holding down to him. Harry tugged Ron up, and grinning, they made their way to their next class, History of Magic.
That night, Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall, eating a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. She couldn't spot Harry anywhere, she wanted to apologize for her behaviour that morning. She could see Ron, sitting next to Dean Thomas, talking animatedly (probably about Quidditch, or Football), On a whim, she stood up, and walked quietly, nervously to the Gryffindor table.
"Ron?" she said, almost silently, and Ron looked around
"Oh, It's you. Yeah?" he replied, somewhat rudely.
"Hey Hermione, sit down why don't you?" Dean said, shuffling over, so Hermione could fit between them. she quickly hopped over the bench and sat down.
"Hey, Ron, Where's Harry?" She asked him, careful not to sound too desperate.
"Up in the common room, reading some massive book. said he wasn't hungry." Ron said, stuffing his mouth with french fires. Hermione looked appalled.
"What book?" she said, looking around at anything but Ron
"Something about Wizarding Acheivements of some century" Ron said through his food, and Hermione rose her eyebrows.
"Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century?" Hermione asked, flattered that Harry would really actually read it, just becuase she was so deeply interested in it.
"Sound's a bit like it" Ron said, shrugging. At least this time he had finished his mouthful, Hermione thought to herself.
"Thanks Ron" Hermione said, and Ron watched her grin at him, and stand up, and walk out of the Great Hall.
Harry was in the common room, reading Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century. he was really enjoying it, the enjoyment of which Harry had never got from a book. Harry looked up at the clock, it read 6:56.
"Shit!" Harry cursed and closed his book. he took it up to his dormitory, and bolted down out of the portrait hole. he sprinted through the halls, until he skidded ont eh stone as he halted outside Umbridge's office.
"Well, Potter, right on time" she said, her voice low, evil even, and Harry felt the hairs on his neck stand up.
"Good Evening, Professor Umbridge" Harry greeted the teacher, trying to keep his tone light and polite, but all he felt was pure dislike.
"Potter, you shall be writing lines. At that desk. write 'I must not cover for my friends' until I see fit." Umbridge said, pointing one of her stubby ringed fingers at a little desk in the corner, on which a sharp quill and a leaf of parchment sat on.
"Professor, there's no Ink" Harry said as sat down at the desk.
"You will not be needing ink" She replied, smiling broadly at him. he started to write. at the same time he wrote the first letter, he felt a gash on his hand. the nk was red, and there was a cut in the same formation on his hand. he gasped. he was writing his lines in his own blood. it seemed crude, cruel, and illegal. he looked at Umbridge, who was grinning, and looking at him.
Hours past, and the cut got deeper. it stayed, and his blood dripped down onto the desk.
"Potter, lets see how it's sunken in." Umbridge said, and she cackled. her laugh, was like electricity, flaring through his body.
She took his hand, and looked at the cut.
"Tut.Tut." She said, clicking her tongue. "Hmm. Well, again tomorrow night same time" He took this as his dimissal, and he walked as quickly as he could to the door. The wooden clock by the door, with pink detail, and ginger kittens running around the face, read 11:12pm.
The library was pretty much deserted. Madam Pince stalked the shelves, and Hermione Granger was leaning over a book. Harry was no-where in sight, and it was nearing midnight. I can't beleive he skivved off. He never promised he'd come, but I thought he would. Hermione couldn't read the text on her page. She was trying so hard to concerntrate, but her thoughts would flick to Harry. Tha library door opened, as tears sprung to Hermione's eyes.
"Hermione?" Harry was behind her.
"Harry?" she sniffed, and Harry threaded his arms around the girl in front of him.
"Are you crying 'Mione?" he whispered, and she shook her head.
"No" she said, wiping tears from her cheeks.
"'Mione, I had a detention, I thought you'd have heard." he said, sitting next to her and taking her hand in his. Her hand was warm, and he instantly felt warmed by it, until she gave a small, petrified scream.
"You're--You're Bleeding!" she exclaimed, shaking. Harrys hand was swollen and red, blood was dripping from it onto the table.
"Oh, Yeah. Umbridge made me write lines for my detention..." he quickly told her the story.
"Oh! that's cruel, surely, she'd never be able to do that! If Dumbledore knew, he'd freak!" she said, still shaking violently.
"'Mione, I'm not going to tell him. He's got... Other things on his mind" Harry said. The truth being, of course, that Dumbledore hadn't talked to him in months. He had been to Grimmauld Place numerous times, to talk to Sirius, but never, never had he attempted to talk to Harry, always arriving when Harry was in bed, or busy, and when Harry had been allowed to leave the Dursley's, it had not been Dumbledore who had told him, but Cho, who had heard it from her parents, who were aso in The Order of the Phoenix.
"Harry--" Hermione started, looking at Harry in a way she knew all to well, the 'I know I'm right' look. Harry looked into her eyes, and was comforted, but his anger did not lower.
"No" he said, in a finalising way. Hermione dropped it.
"So, Ron told me that you were reading Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century?" she said and she smiled.
"Yeah, you seemed so captivated in it, so I thought I'd see what was so great about it" he said, and he looked at his hands.
"That's really nice Harry" Hermione said, and she looked at him, watching his hands. The Clock in the library struck midnight.
"The Library is closed!" snapped Madam Pince, emerging from behind the bookcase. Hermione got up slowly, stuffing her books into her backpack.
"Here, I'll walk you back to the Ravenclaw Tower. Hop under my Cloak" he said, taking his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket, and throwing it over the two of them
"An Invisiblility Cloak? They're really rare!" she whispered excitedly, running her fingers over the inside of the cloak, feeling the silkiness of the material. Harry merely nodded, and took out his Marauders map.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good. It's the Maruaders Map. Shows the locations of everyone in Hogwarts. See, Mrs. Norris is on the seventh floor, Filch is on the second, and we're on the fifth." he pointed at the offending dots as he spoke to her.
"It was made by my dad, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, when they were at Hogwarts, It's amazing! See, they were all unregistered animaguses, except for Lupin. Since he was a werewolf, his nickname was Moony. My dad could transform into a stag, so he's Prongs, and Peter could become into a Rat, Scabbers to be precise, Ron's old Rat, and he was called Wormtail. Sirius tranforms into a dog, that looks like a grim, and his nickname was Padfoot." Harry explained to the carefully listening Hermione, and they found themselves outside the Ravenclaw Common Room. Harry checked the map
"It's clear Hermione." He said, smiling at the latter, as she looked up to him, gazing intently into his eyes.
"See ya Harry" she said, and extracted herself from the cloaks silky depths. She was staring up at the portrait, and Harry silently tip-toed up to her, and left a tiny kiss on her cheek.
Hermione shivered, and felt at her cheek, perhaps it had been the draught in the corridor, but she had felt something on her cheek, and thinking hat maybe Harry had something to do with it, she climbed into the portrait hole.