I will never deny my affiliation. To do that is to deny my principals. If I am wrong, then I am wrong. If I am persecuted for what I believe, then so be it. It's the risk I have taken willingly. H/Hr is the ship I am affiliated with and it will not change.
As for this story, I decided that another chapter was in order. When I put it up, I am afraid I scared some people when I sarcastically called myself the harsh words used in the interview between Emerson, Melissa and JKR. It was my form of biting back. I was resentful. It was my mistake.
Disclaimer: if Harry Potter were mine, you would be reading this in book form and not on the Internet.
Chapter 4: The Eyes of the Grimalkin
By: Tojot
"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, wake up!" Ron yelled in his ear. Harry woke with a start and ungracefully tumbled from his soft warm bed to the cold stone floor in a heaping tangle of limbs and bed linens.
"Huh?" Harry mumbled sleepily.
"If you don't hurry, we are going to be late for breakfast!" Ron said excitedly, "Look, I'll wait for you down in common room, so hurry up!" with that said he went out the door leaving a dazed and sleepy looking Harry behind him. After bringing himself to full consciousness, Harry showered, dressed, brought his bed linens back onto his bed, and made his way down to the common room. It was deserted, except for Ron and Hermione. The sight that greeted him was very odd indeed. Hermione was staring at Ron with a horrified expression on her face, an uncomfortable silence between them. Once Hermione spotted Harry, the horrified look on her face turned into her regular light smile.
"Good morning Harry." All hints of Hermione's previous expression gone. It confused an already tired Harry.
"Huh?" Harry said dully.
"I guess wandering about the school's Floo Network to have an urgent discussion with the Headmaster at three in the morning is bound to make one dull-witted." Hermione said with a chuckle. Ron stared at her in surprise.
"What, wait? How'd you…" Harry started.
"…Know?" Hermione finished. "I had trouble falling asleep and came down to read by the fire, fell asleep on the couch and was awakened because I had heard a loud thud come from over there." She pointed to where Harry had been knocked over by Dobby. "Oh… you dropped your wand when Dobby knocked you over." She finished handing Harry his wand. He must have forgotten about it.
"Oh, thank you, Hermione." Harry smiled.
"I'm going to breakfast now!" Ron said as he climbed out of the portrait hole, "If anyone would care to join me, come now or go hungry." And the portrait shut behind him, leaving Harry and Hermione alone. Hermione let out what sounded like a depressed sigh.
Throughout the day, Harry's mind was so bombarded with thoughts that he found it difficult to pay attention in any of his classes. Thoughts about the vision from Voldemort last night, Sirius, and what was going to happen at midnight that night. But it seemed to Harry that he wasn't the only one with a lot of distracting thoughts. Hermione seemed to not be taking her normal school day vigor and wasn't paying any attention at all in her classes. Ron told Harry that he was the one who took notes in their History of Magic, Hermione wasn't paying attention and kept avoiding Ron's glares. She kept avoiding Ron, in general. When she avoided anyone, she was normally upset with him or her. Harry had caught her zoning out a couple of times as they were studying library trying to finish a particularly large essay for Herbology on the growth stages of Devils Snare. Harry knew that Hermione to be not focusing on her work it had to be something particularly important.
"Care to speak your mind?" he asked.
"Huh?" Hermione snapped to attention, "…er…well…"
"Hermione, you're zoning out, you never zone out." Harry mentioned.
"I'm sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind." She sighed.
"I find that talking about it tends to help out the situation." Harry advised.
"I don't know…" Hermione said reluctantly.
"Can you at least tell me why you are avoiding Ron?" Harry asked hoping she would answer.
"Um… well…" she stuttered. "Ron…er… proclaimed his undying love for me… this morning." She sounded strained. Hermione now had that same horrified look on her face that she had had that morning.
"What?" Harry managed to choke out. Harry felt his stomach tie itself in an uncomfortable knot and he couldn't understand why. This news came as a shock to Harry, even though he had seen little hints here and there. Hermione gave a weak smile that soon turned into a pained frown.
"I have known that Ron has had a crush on me since the Yule Ball our fourth year." Hermione explained.
"And what are your thoughts on the matter?" Harry asked uncomfortably.
"I'm flattered surely… but I am afraid I'll hurt him if I tell him that I don't feel the same way he does for me. I only want to remain just friends with him." She answered quietly. The knot in Harry's stomach loosened.
"I'm sorry…" Harry said feeling slightly ashamed and his mouth felt dry. "I shouldn't have pried into your love life."
"Harry, it's okay, in truth I really don't have a love life with the lifestyle I lead." Hermione chuckled sadly as she picked up her Arithmancy textbook. "Thank you, Harry, I do feel better now." She then set right to work.
They finished a little after 8:30. Dinner had ended half an hour before. Harry's stomach growled loudly as they were leaving the library.
"Oh dear, I guess we did miss dinner. " Hermione said.
"Is it possible to go beg something off the House-Elves?" Harry asked.
"I guess so." Hermione gave in when her own stomach growled. "If it wouldn't trouble them too much."
Harry lay on his bed, his curtains drawn, listening to the quiet snores of his dorm mates which had announced ten minutes ago that they were sound asleep. Harry lay there trying his hardest to stay awake. His eyelids threatened to close and not open till morning. Harry thought time had slowed down all evening, that someone was playing a nasty joke on him with a Time Turner. The marble portkey rested enclosed in his left hand. The pocket watch in his right read 11:57 PM.
11:58 PM
11:59 PM
12: -at that instant Harry felt that familiar tug around his navel, his hand glued to the marble as it pulled him along to his destination. He shortly landed with a thud on the carpeted floor of McGonagall's office. Harry also heard a soft thud beside him. It was then that Harry remembered that McGonagall mentioned that he wasn't going to be learning alone. He sat up to see who it was. And his jaw dropped. She was sitting there staring back at him with her deep brown eyes, utter surprise written all over her face.
"Erm… Professor McGonagall…"
"Yes, Miss Granger."
"Why is Harry here too? Is he the other student learning to become an animagi?" Hermione asked. It was indeed Hermione. Harry now couldn't understand why McGonagall made him keep the secret from her when they where going to learn it together anyway. Harry got up off the floor and helped Hermione get up.
"He is." She said briskly. "Now I still want you both to keep this whole thing a secret. I hope you both trust each other to never speak of the other."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then looked back at McGonagall and nodded. The Professor soon started the lesson, telling them that they had to learn the basics before any major training took place. Not to mention, she had set homework to do; they had to choose an animal for the other before they finished learning the basics and rules. A tiring hour and a half later, McGonagall sent them back to their dormitories and their beds. All Harry could manage to do was pull his robes off and pull on a pair of pajama pants leaving his chest naked. After stowing the marble portkey in his bedside table, Harry dove into his four-poster bed and welcomed sleep to overcome him and his tired body.
He awoke the next morning feeling sore and tired, but okay. Ron had already left for breakfast and Neville was the only one left in the room, pulling on his school robes across the room. Harry decided to get up and get ready for the day, though reluctantly. On his way down to the common room Harry encountered Hermione. She looked just as tired as he felt.
"Good Morning, Harry." She yawned as they climbed out of the portrait hole
"Are you sure?" Harry questioned looking out the windows in the corridor. It was raining… hard.
"You're right, it's lousy." She said quickly. "I am glad about not being the only one doing animagus courses." Hermione added in a very quiet whisper.
"I am too." Harry yawned. "But the nights are going to be murder." He chuckled.
"I agree." She said, "but it is all for the best, isn't it? Nobody will know right? And it might help for when you have to go up against Voldemort."
"I guess so." Harry finished as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. Just as usual, Ron was stuffing his face full again. The day went well. That evening, Harry heard Ron grumble that there was a prefect meeting scheduled for Friday at five in the morning to Hermione and Ginny. Hermione suggested that they turn in early tonight only to make Ron grumble more.
"Sometimes, I question why Professor Dumbledore ever made you a prefect, Ron." Hermione hissed. Harry knew that another row had started.
"It should be obvious." Ron started, "That he trusts me to be responsible and lead the students."
"Both of which you seem to be lacking." Hermione shot at him angrily.
"I am not!" Ron exclaimed indignantly.
"Sorry, Ron, but I must agree with Hermione on this at the moment." Ginny added. Harry had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"If I was, then why did I get chosen over Harry?" Ron added in his defense.
"I think that Dumbledore would've chosen Harry but couldn't because Harry had and still has too much on his plate to worry about than having to worry about the responsibility of being a prefect." Hermione said heatedly. Harry was impressed.
"How did you know?" Harry asked in surprise. Ron looked as though he had been slapped in the face.
"I kind of guessed." Hermione explained with a sigh. "Seemed to be the only logical reason at the time. The troublemaker theory didn't seem to equate with me for some reason. I knew it had to be more than that."
"Great, so everyone is against me? When I get an honor, I find out that it was given to me because someone else was too busy to take it." Ron spat.
"Oh, shut it Ron. We all know you're in competition with our brothers, but is it really fair to be in competition with your best friend too, especially when we know he hates to compete with you?" Ginny growled at him. "Just be glad you even got the badge, it shows that Dumbledore has put some trust in you, too. Personally, I would've loved to not be chosen. It means I have to be a good girl, which I don't always like to be."
Silence greeted the end of this persuasive speech with shocked and awed stares.
"Sorry, I guess I have been a real prat." Ron said quietly. "But how can I help it?" He asked.
"I always find it best to just be yourself." Hermione said, "And be grateful for what you have." Her tone changed, "Now, it would be best if we go to bed now or we're going to pay for it in the morning. Goodnight. Coming Ginny?" Harry watched as she stood up.
"No, I'm waiting for someone and I'll be up later." Ginny said.
"Okay, Goodnight then." Hermione said as she disappeared up the girls' staircase.
"I'm going to bed early too." Harry yawned as he stood up.
"But you don't have to wake up early." Ron said.
"I have detention with Snape tomorrow night, who knows how long he will keep me?" Harry explained. Harry was tired from last nights Animagus lesson, but he knew he couldn't talk about it to Ron or Ginny. The detention that he had with Snape was the best excuse that Harry could come up with.
"Oh yeah, right. I guess I'll come to bed too since we have tryouts tomorrow. G'night Ginny." Ron said as he followed Harry up the boys' staircase.
As Harry climbed into bed he remembered that he also had to find an animal that would fit Hermione's personality. He knew at that moment that it was going to be highly difficult and that he would have to do it in the morning. His brain didn't seem to be working properly at the moment, due to that lack of sleep from the night before. Harry's mind went blissfully blank when his head hit the pillow, though Hermione's tune had gotten stuck in his head again. He didn't know why he kept remembering it. Many would think that there was nothing truly special about the simple little tune once they heard it, and forget it. But for some reason the tune seemed to lift his spirits slightly and make things bearable. Somehow, Harry had this feeling that it would be impossible for him to forget the song. Neville was last to the boy's dormitory, coming in just as Harry started drifting off to sleep.
Harry woke to whispering inside the still dark dormitory. He could pick out two figures hassling Ron in the bed next to him.
"Come on Ron, we have a meeting to go to!" he heard Hermione whisper. "If you don't hurry up we're going to be late!" The other figure was Ginny as she was dragging a reluctant Ron out of bed. Ron moaned in frustration. Hermione came over to Harry's bed when she noticed that he was awake too.
"Go back to sleep, Harry." She whispered calmly in his ear. "You don't need to attend this meeting and I am sure you need your sleep." Harry smiled sleepily up at her in dim light that came up from the common room. "We'll see you later." She finished and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she left the room. Due to the other boys sleeping and Ron groggy enough not to notice, no one had seen the kiss or Harry blush slightly, especially in the still dark dormitory. Harry soon drifted back to sleep with a silly grin on his face.
Harry awoke a couple hours later, got cleaned up, dressed and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast feeling in lighter spirits than usual since his Godfather's murder. He really didn't know why, but he had decided to keep it to himself what happened earlier with Hermione. Like it was a secret.
When he sat down next to Ron at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, Ron looked rather surly. Hermione, who was sitting across from Ron, on the other hand, looked quite normal. Ginny, who was sitting beside Hermione, looked rather ill.
"So what happened at the prefects meeting?" Harry asked as he dabbed marmalade on his toast. Ron groaned and his look got surlier. Ginny whimpered.
"Oh quit it, Ronald! At least you didn't get stuck with the ferret like Ginny." Hermione scolded. "Professor Dumbledore is pushing for a bit of school unity. He has mixed up the patrolling pairings so we can get to know each other better. I think it was a great idea. Though, I do feel sorry for Ginny right now." Ginny turned even paler.
"She was put with Malfoy." Ron explained.
"Who where you placed with?" Harry enquired of Ron and Hermione as he bit into his toast and passing the marmalade to Ginny, who indicated she wanted some.
"I was put with Hannah Abbott." Hermione said. She was probably ecstatic that she wasn't put with Pansy Parkinson.
"Oh, why did I have to be put with Luna Lovegood…" Ron complained. A moment later, a spoonful of marmalade, spoon and all, came hurtling toward Ron's face and hit him with a splat. It was Ginny, all illness forgotten, now looking absolutely furious.
"At least Luna doesn't insult you every chance she gets!" She hissed as she got up and went over to sit by Neville, Dean and Seamus.
"I'm sorry, Ron, but you deserve it mate." Harry said as he watched Ginny sit in between Dean and Neville.
"Deserve what?" Ron asked as he wiped marmalade off his face with a napkin.
"THIS!" Harry said and he promptly hit Ron in the back of the head.
"Oww…" Ron glared at him as he rubbed at the spot where Harry hit him, "What'd I do?"
"You were thinking of only yourself again, Ronald." Hermione said icily. "If I were you, I would apologize. And besides, even though Luna may be unusual… she is still a nice person."
"She's right mate." Harry stated. "So when do you both have to do your rounds?" He asked Hermione, since Harry knew Ron wasn't going to answer him.
"Ron has his on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Mine are Tuesday, and Friday. He has more because he doesn't have as many classes as I do." Harry was able to catch the double meaning in Hermione's last words. In truth, Hermione did have more classes than either Harry or Ron, but he knew she was talking about their animagus class together.
Classes went on highly uneventful throughout the day. But at dinner, Professor McGonagall came into the Great Hall with a hint of urgency in her stern demeanor. Some how it had drawn the attention of Harry and he alerted Ron and Hermione. They all watched as the Deputy Headmistress marched over to the headmaster and whispered something in his ear that made his eyes go wide and drop his fork with a clang. This information was important enough to make Professor Dumbledore stand up and completely forget about his half-eaten lemon tart. Nobody else seemed to notice as Dumbledore followed McGonagall out of the hall.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked.
"I don't know." Harry said. "Want to go investigate?"
Ron and Hermione nodded and got up from the table with Harry. They hid themselves within an alcove in the entrance hall to eavesdrop on the scene. The Headmaster and McGonagall stood in front of the open doors, waiting. What was odd about this scene was that the front entrance framed an odd mist though it was warm and still daylight outside. The mist did not come inside the entrance hall. From the mist stepped a tall figure wrapped in a thick traveling cloak of blue and white. When this figure lowered their hood it was obvious that this person was fully clad in an ornate suit of armor. Two belts were worn: a thick, metal-plated leather belt on which a silver sword, a knife and a wand hung and a thick white fur belt that nothing hung from. The suit made no clinking, no rattling, and no noise at all. The figure reached up to remove the crested helmet. The figure turned out to be a beautiful woman who looked like she was in her early twenties with a wild mane of long golden hair. She wasn't human because no human woman could look like that without great magical modification, even though the differences were quite subtle. Even though they were where they ought to be for a human face, her ears were pointed and her face had an odd look to it. Harry was soon reminded of a large cat; all she was really missing was fur.
"Albus, tis good to see thee." The woman greeted the headmaster with a warm hug. " And Minerva, tis good to see thee too, good friend." McGonagall also received a warm hug.
"Avi, I was under the impression that you wouldn't show up till Sunday." McGonagall stated. Harry heard Hermione gasp.
"Due to the fact mine brother was poorly watching the Portal, proved to be my luck indeed." The woman smiled. "Methinks due to that fact, it cut short my journey by two days."
"So your journey was fine I take it?" Albus asked.
"Nay, Albus, for I was followed to the borders, and from whence they realized that they could not go any farther they shot at me! Tis a burden to have a bounty on thy head, mind thee." The woman grimaced. "But I was not slowed."
It was just their luck that Ron had to sneeze at a time like this. For when he did, the woman named Avi turned her gaze immediately upon them.
"Methinks, we are being watched, Albus." Avi said with a hint of amusement in her voice as she walked over to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were hiding. Her penetrating silver gaze was slightly creepy. Harry knew Hermione felt the same way, since she shuddered.
"Avi, I would like you to meet Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger." Dumbledore introduced.
"Ah…" the woman smiled, " So these three be the ones ye talk highly of in thy letters, Albus."
"Yes," He told her and turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "I would like you to meet your next Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and a good friend of mine, Professor Avyllynn Gryphon. She is also the our most elusive member of the Order due to the fact that she hasn't been around for a while."
Hermione gasped once again then squeaked, "You wrote Handbook for Self-Defense I and II,our assigned books?"
"Aye, that I did, young miss." Professor Gryphon said kindly. Up close her face looked tired and weary.
"Avi, when do you wish to be introduced to the school?" McGonagall asked.
"Sunday, would be a fine day." Gryphon answered as she turned away from Harry. "For now, I wish to rest and regain my strength and vigor that my travels hath robbed me of." She finished heavily.
"Avi, I noticed you did not come with any bags or trunks, did you not come prepared?" Dumbledore asked.
"Er since my homeland's war, I have not been living at home. When I received thy summons I came immediately. All I have, I have on mine own back." Gryphon answered.
"Than I shall arrange a trip to Diagon Alley for you tomorrow."
"It would be mostly appreciated, Albus. I thank thee for thy kindness. For now I wish to find my bed." Gryphon replied. Harry noticed that the odd mist at the door had mysteriously disappeared.
"Do you remember where it is?" McGonagall asked.
"Aye, goodnight." Gryphon said as she walked off towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts wing. Harry, Ron and Hermione watched as she disappeared up the staircase.
"I do believe that all three of you have someplace you need to be." Dumbledore said from behind them calmly.
"Oh that's right, Quidditch tryouts!" Ron exclaimed, "I'll see you two tonight."
"Maybe sooner." Harry heard Hermione say under her breath. But Harry did not bother to ask her about it, since he remembered that he had a detention to get to that started in two minutes according to the pocket watch he had pulled out of his pocket to look at. He quickly bolted down the steps leading to the dungeons.
Author's Note:
I thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. Please let me know in review form if you liked or hated this chapter. I need to now. I also promise that something big is coming up in the next chapters. Thank you again. If I get a good number of reviews, Chapter 5 will get up sooner. The Almost Foiled Attack.
