Chapter 16:
Normal Pov
One Week Later
Their departure the following morning was smoother than usual. The Ministry cars glided up to the front of the Burrow to find them waiting, trunks packed; Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, safely enclosed in his traveling basket; and Hedwig; Ron's owl, Pig-widgeon; and Ginny's new purple Pygmy Puff, Arnold, in cages.
"Au revoir, 'Arry'," said Fleur throatily, kissing him good-bye. Ron hurried forward, looking hopeful, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell, sprawling in the dust at Fleur's feet. Furious, red-faced, and dirt-spattered, he hurried into the car without saying good-bye. "Scrougify." Molly said, pointing her wand in the window. Ron was then clean, but still refused to move over for Ginny. On the way to King's Cross, Juliunna kept asking the Auror driver questions.
"What is your main job?"
"To catch You Know Who, mainly. And then other Dark Wizards along the way." One said gruffly.
"Would you say your salary is bad, good, great, or charitable?"
"It's great."
There was no cheerful Hagrid waiting for them at King's Cross Station. Instead, two grim-faced, bearded Aurors in dark Muggle suits moved forward the moment the cars stopped and, flanking the party, marched them into the station without speaking.
"Quick, quick, through the barrier," said Mrs. Weasley, who seemed a little flustered by this austere efficiency. "Harry had better go first, with…"
She looked inquiringly at one of the Aurors, who nodded briefly, seized Harry's upper arm, and attempted to steer him toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
"I can walk, thanks," said Harry irritably, jerking his arm out of the Auror's grip. He pushed his trolley directly at the solid barrier, ignoring his silent companion, and found himself, a second later, standing on platform nine and three-quarters, where the scarlet Hogwarts Express stood belching steam over the crowd.
Hermione and the Weasleys joined him within seconds. Without waiting to consult his grim-faced Auror, Harry motioned to Ron and Hermione to follow him up the platform, looking for an empty compartment.
"We can't, Harry," said Hermione, looking apologetic. "Ron and Jules and I, we've got to go to the prefects' carriage first and then patrol the corridors for a bit."
"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Harry.
"You'd better get straight on the train, all of you, you've only got a few minutes to go," said Mrs. Weasley, consulting her watch. "Well, have a lovely term, Ron. . . ."
"Mr. Weasley, can I have a quick word?" said Harry, making up his mind on the spur of the moment. "Yes Harry."
"Okay, one second. Juliunna, come here." Harry ordered her abruptly. Juliunna skipped to his side curiously, and he leaned forward.
"When you see Malfoy, ask him."
"Oh not this again Harry." Juliunna moaned.
"Ask him what he was buying in the shop. And ask him if he's a death eater. The sooner I prove you, Hermione, and Ron wrong, the sooner I'll stop talking about it." He said. Juliunna nodded with a sigh.
"Alright." She turned around and marched back to Ron and Hermione's side. Together, they walked onto the train. Harry turned away from them and looked to Mr. Weasley, prepared to tell him everything he knew about Draco Malfoy.
…
(After Slughornes Lunch)
As he pushed past Harry into the darkening corridor, Zabini shot him a filthy look that Harry returned with interest. He, Ginny, and Neville followed Zabini back along the train.
"I'm glad that's over," muttered Neville. "Strange man, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he is a bit," said Harry, his eyes on Zabini. "How come you ended up in there, Ginny?" Harry asked. He watched Zabini enter through a pair of double doors and nearly rammed Juliunna to the floor by accident.
"He saw me hex Zacharias Smith," said Ginny. "You remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was in the D.A.? He kept on and on asking about what happened at the Ministry and in the end he annoyed me so much I hexed him? When Slughorn came in I thought I was going to got detention, but he just thought it was a really good hex and invited me to lunch! Mad, eh?" Ginny said. Harry's eyes floated from Ginny's face to Blaise picking Juliunna off to the floor.
"Better reason for inviting someone than because their mother's famous," said Harry, scowling at the back of Zabini's head, "or because their uncle…"
But he broke off. An idea had just occurred to him, a reckless but potentially wonderful idea. He knew it the second Blaise pointed ahead, talking to Juliunna. He was obviously inviting her to go sit in his compartment. Juliunna nodded, and he led her down the hall.
In a minute's time, Zabini and Juliunna were going to reenter the Slytherin sixth-year compartment and Malfoy would be sitting there, thinking himself unheard by anybody except fellow Slytherins. ... If Harry could only enter, unseen, behind him, what might he not see or hear? True, there was little of the journey left. Hogsmeade Station had to be less than half an hour away, judging by the wildness of the scenery flashing by the windows. But nobody else seemed prepared to take Harry's suspicions seriously, so it was down to him to prove them.
"I'll see you two later," said Harry under his breath, pulling out his Invisibility Cloak and flinging it over himself.
"But what're you…?" asked Neville.
"Later!" whispered Harry, darting after Zabini and Juliunna as quietly as possible, though the rattling of the train made such caution almost pointless.
The corridors were almost completely empty now. Nearly everyone had returned to their carriages to change into their school robes and pack up their possessions. Though he was as close as he could get to Zabini without touching him, Harry was not quick enough to slip into the compartment when Zabini opened the door. Zabini was already sliding it shut when Harry hastily stuck out his foot to prevent it closing.
"What's wrong with this thing?" said Zabini angrily as he smashed the sliding door repeatedly into Harry's foot.
"Hold on, let me try." Juliunna said curiously.
Harry seized the door and pushed it open hard; Zabini, still clinging on to the handle, toppled over sideways into Gregory Goyle's lap, and in the ensuing ruckus, Harry darted into the compartment, leapt onto Zabini's temporarily empty seat, and hoisted himself up into the luggage rack. It was fortunate that Goyle and Zabini were snarling at each other, drawing all eyes onto them, for Harry was quite sure his feet and ankles had been revealed as the cloak had flapped around them; indeed, for one horrible moment he thought he saw Malfoy's eyes follow his trainer as it whipped upward out of sight. But then Goyle slammed the door shut and flung Zabini off him; Zabini collapsed into his own seat looking ruffled, Vincent Crabbe returned to his comic, and Malfoy, sniggering, lay back down across two seats with his head in Pansy Parkinsons lap. Harry lay curled uncomfortably under the cloak to ensure that every inch of him remained hidden, and watched Pansy stroke the sleek blond hair off Malfoy's forehead, smirking as she did so, as though anyone would have loved to have been in her place. The lanterns swinging from the carriage ceiling cast a bright light over the scene: Harry could read every word of Crabbe's comic directly below him.
"Hi Draco." Juliunna said loudly, sitting next to Blaise. Draco didn't move his head from Pansy's lap.
"Hello Juliunna. I asked Blaise to get you after lunch. How are you doing?"
Harry felt that Draco should really get away from Pansy fast. Pansy was smirking at Juliunna, who he was almost sure she was itching her hand towards her concealed wand, hidden in her pocket.
"I'm doing fine." She said icily. Blaise looked between Juliunna, and back to Draco and Pansy.
"Something happened that I don't know about."
"Juliunna thinks its completely justifiable to kiss Ron Weasley." Draco said, sitting up, frowning deeply.
Harry bit back the laughter that waned to burst from his mouth.
"And you think this is okay? This cow in a sweater?! Resting you head on her fat thighs like a freaking pillow. You don't fight a right with a wrong. And this is just seriously, seriously wrong. " Juliunna snapped, and Pansy gasped. Blaise bit back the chuckle, but he couldn't help but snort. Draco glowered at Juliunna.
"Drop him and I'll drop Pansy."
"What? We're friends!" Juliunna snapped. "Alright then. So are Pansy and I." Draco smirked. He snuggled into Pansy's lap. Juliunna looked like she was about to hex him into oblivion. Draco seemed to notice this, for he turned to Blaise.
"So, Zabini," said Malfoy, "What did Slughorn want?"
"Just trying to make up to well-connected people," said Zabini, who was still chuckling at Juliunna. "Not that he managed to find many."
This information did not seem to please Malfoy. "Who else had he invited?" he demanded.
"McLaggen from Gryffindor," said Zabini.
"Oh yeah, his uncle's big in the Ministry," said Malfoy.
"Someone else called Belby, from Ravenclaw."
"Not him, he's a prat!" said Pansy. Juliunna rolled her eyes.
"And Longbottom, Potter, and that Weasley girl," finished Zabini.
Malfoy sat up very suddenly, knocking Pansy's hand aside.
"He invited Longbottom?"
"Well, I assume so, as Longbottom was there," said Zabini indifferently.
"What's Longbottom got to interest Slughorn?"
Zabini shrugged.
"Obviously something that you don't have." Juliunna smirked. Draco glared at her.
"Potter, precious Potter, obviously he wanted a look at 'the Chosen One,'" sneered Malfoy, "but that Weasley girl! What's so special about her?"
"A lot of boys like her," said Pansy, watching Malfoy out of the corner of her eyes for his reaction. "Even you think she's good-looking, don't you, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please!
"I wouldn't touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like," said Zabini coldly, and Pansy looked pleased. Malfoy sank back across her lap and allowed her to resume the stroking of his hair.
"You know Malfoy, if you don't want this one, I'll take her off your hands." Blaise said airily. Juliunna chuckled, and Harry rolled his eyes. Malfoy glared at him, but recovered his facial expression in a second.
"I wouldn't bet on it. She only likes blood traitors."
"I liked you. Or at least I did before you started acting like an arse." Juliunna snapped. Draco took a big sigh, and turned back to Blaise.
"Well, I pity Slughorn's taste. Maybe he's going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favorite of his. Slughorn probably hasn't heard I'm on the train, or-!"
"I wouldn't bank on an invitation," said Zabini. "He asked me about Nott's father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he'd been caught at the Ministry he didn't look happy, and Nott didn't get an invitation, did he? I don't think Slughorn's interested in Death Eaters."
Malfoy looked angry, but forced out a singularly humorless laugh.
"Well, who cares what he's interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher." Malfoy yawned ostentatiously. "I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what's it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?"
"What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?" said Pansy indignantly, ceasing grooming Malfoy at once.
"Well, you never know," said Malfoy with the ghost of a smirk. "I might have err… moved on to bigger and better things."
Crouched in the luggage rack under his cloak, Harry's heart began to race. Juliunna raised a suspicious eyebrow at Draco's tone. What would Ron and Hermione say about this? Crabbe and Goyle were gawping at Malfoy; apparently they had had no inkling of any plans to move on to bigger and better things. Even Zabini had allowed a look of curiosity to mar his haughty features. Pansy resumed the slow stroking of Malfoy s hair, looking dumbfounded.
"Do you mean —"
Malfoy shrugged.
"Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don't see it as that important these days. I mean, think about it. ... When the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many OWLs or N.E.W.T.S anyone's got? Of course he isn't? It'll be all about the kind of service he received, the level of devotion he was shown."
"And you think you'll be able to do something for him?" Asked Zabini scathingly. "Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet?"
"I've just said, haven't I? Maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for," said Malfoy quietly.
Crabbe and Goyle were both sitting with their mouths open like gargoyles. Pansy was gazing down at Malfoy as though she had never seen anything so awe-inspiring. Juliunna looked horrified.
"I can see Hogwarts," said Malfoy, clearly relishing the effect he had created as he pointed out of the blackened window. "We'd better get our robes on."
Harry was so busy staring at Malfoy, he did not notice Goyle reaching up for his trunk; as he swung it down, it hit Harry hard on the side of the head. He let out an involuntary gasp of pain, and Malfoy looked up at the luggage rack, frowning.
Harry was not afraid of Malfoy, but he still did not much like the idea of being discovered hiding under his Invisibility Cloak by a group of unfriendly Slytherins. Eyes still watering and head still throbbing, he drew his wand, careful not to disarrange the cloak, and waited, breath held. To his relief, Malfoy seemed to decide that he had imagined the noise; he pulled on his robes like the others, locked his trunk, and as the train slowed to a jerky crawl, fastened a thick new traveling cloak round his neck.
Harry could see the corridors filling up again and hoped that Hermione and Ron would take his things out onto the platform for him; he was stuck where he was until the compartment had quite emptied. At last, with a final lurch, the train came to a complete halt. Goyle threw the door open and muscled his way out into a crowd of second years, punching them aside; Crabbe and Zabini followed.
"You go on," Malfoy told Pansy, who was waiting for him with her hand held out as though hoping he would hold it. Juliunna scoffed. "I just want to check something." Draco said with a smile.
Pansy stared at Juliunna. "You heard him."
"That doesn't apply to me. I, unlike you, are at a higher post."
"Ha!" Pansy laughed.
"Your going die laughing." Juliunna muttered. Pansy left, scowling. Now Harry, Juliunna, and Malfoy were alone in the compartment. People were filing past, descending onto the dark platform. Malfoy moved over to the compartment door and let down the blinds, so that people in the corridor beyond could not peer in.
"I have to tell you some-!"
Juliunna interrupted him angrily. "Harry was right. You obeyed him!"
"Wait." Draco said. He moved forward and gripped both of her hips. Harry turned over, embarrassed, and stared at the wall.
"I did it for you. We won't be safe to talk in Hogwarts for a while. I'll tell you now. The Dark Lord… He used Legilimency on me. He realized that we were… Together. Or sort of together, whatever you want to call it. He offered me something I couldn't deny." Draco said. Juliunna leaned forward, frowning.
Draco whispered something that Harry couldn't hear.
"(Whisper)… Yeah. He said he'd allow me to officially date you."
"What?!" She snapped.
"Yeah. You know, ask you to be my girlfriend. I say that, because I know you wouldn't like it if I sprung up marriage, because he really offered up a betrothal. Marriage, you know." He added. Harry snorted, and both Juliunna and Draco looked over to where Harry was hidden.
"I know what it means." Juliunna said, looking back to Draco. "Would you like to be my boyfriend?"
"What? Were you listening?" He said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes or no? Because if you say no, I'm going run straight to Blaise. He's rich, he's handsome, he's suave-!"
"Yes!" Draco snapped. He grabbed her face and kissed her promtly on the mouth.
"Alright, are you coming sweetheart?" Juliunna asked, turning away from him.
"I'll meet you there. I have to deal with a pesk." He smirked. Juliunna nodded, and within seconds she was gone, the door shutting behind her. Harry turned around.
Draco bent down over his trunk and opened it again.
Harry peered down over the edge of the luggage rack, his heart pumping a little faster. What had Malfoy wanted to hide from Pansy and Juliunna? Was he about to see the mysterious broken object it was so important to mend?
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Without warning, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry, who was instantly paralyzed. As though in slow motion, he toppled out of the luggage rack and fell, with an agonizing, floor-shaking crash, at Malfoy's feet, the Invisibility Cloak trapped beneath him, his whole body revealed with his legs still curled absurdly into the cramped kneeling position. He couldn't move a muscle; he could only gaze up at Malfoy, who smiled broadly.
"I thought so," he said jubilantly. "I heard Goyle's trunk hit you. And I thought I saw something white flash through the air after Zabini came back. . . ."
His eyes lingered for a moment upon Harry's trainers.
"You didn't hear anything I care about, Potter. But while I've got you here . . ." And he stamped, hard, on Harry's face. Harry felt his nose break; blood spurted everywhere.
"That's from my father. Now, let's see. . . ."
Malfoy dragged the cloak out from under Harry's immobilized body and threw it over him.
"I don't reckon they'll find you till the trains back in London," he said quietly. "See you around, Potter ... or not."
And taking care to tread on Harry's fingers, Draco Malfoy left the compartment.
Harry could not move a muscle. He lay there beneath the Invisibility Cloak feeling the blood from his nose flow, hot and wet, over his face, listening to the voices and footsteps in the corridor beyond. His immediate thought was that someone, would surely, would check the compartments before the train departed again. But at once came the dispiriting realization that even if somebody looked into the compartment, he would be neither seen nor heard. His best hope was that somebody else would walk in and step on him.
Harry had never hated Malfoy more than as he lay there, like an absurd turtle on its back, blood dripping sickeningly into his open mouth. What a stupid situation to have landed himself in... and now the last few footsteps were dying away; everyone was shuffling along the dark platform outside; he could hear the scraping of trunks and loud babble of talk.
Ron and Hermione would think that he had left the train without them. Juliunna would be innocently waiting on the platform with Draco, greeting him with a smile and no idea of what he had done. Once they arrived at Hogwarts and took their places in the Great Hall, looked up and down the Gryffindor table a few times, and finally realized that he was not there, he, no doubt, would be halfway back to London.
He tried to make a sound, even a grunt, but it was impossible. Then he remembered that some wizards, like Dumbledore, could perform spells without speaking, so he tried to summon his wand, which had fallen out of his hand, by saying the words 'Accio Wand!' over and over again in his head, but nothing happened.
He thought he could hear the rustling of the trees that surrounded the lake, and the far-off hoot of an owl, but no hint of a search being made or even (he despised himself slightly for hoping it) panicked voices wondering where Harry Potter had gone. A feeling of hopelessness spread through him as he imagined the convoy of thestral-drawn carriages trundling up to the school and the muffled yells of laughter issuing from whichever carriage Malfoy was riding in, where he could be recounting his attack on Harry to Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson. Or not, if Juliunna was with him.
The train lurched, causing Harry to roll over onto his side. Now he was staring at the dusty underside of the seats instead of the ceiling. The floor began to vibrate as the engine roared into life. The Express was leaving and nobody knew he was still on it...
Then he felt his Invisibility Cloak fly off him and a voice overhead said, "Hello, Harry."
There was a flash of red light and Harry's body unfroze; he was able to push himself into a more dignified sitting position, hastily wipe the blood off his bruised race with the back of his hand, and raise his head to look up at Juliunna, who was holding the Invisibility Cloak she had just pulled away.
"How'd you find me?" He breathed with relief. She smiled at him.
"When Draco came out, he was smirking. I told him I had to wait till everyone was off as a Prefect, with the excuse that if he had actually came to the meeting, he would have known the new rules, and made him go on without me. I walked in, and there was a tip of your boot exposed. Come on, we better run and jump." She said, as the train windows became obscured with steam and they began to move out of the station. "Come on, we'll jump."
Harry hurried after her into the corridor. She pulled open the train door and leapt onto the platform, which seemed to be sliding underneath them as the train gathered momentum. He followed her, staggered a little on landing, then straightened up in time to see the gleaming scarlet steam engine pick up speed, round the corner, and disappear from view.
The cold night air was soothing on his throbbing nose. Juliunna was looking at him; he felt angry and embarrassed that he had been discovered in such a ridiculous position. Silently she handed him back the Invisibility Cloak.
"I can fix your nose if you stand still." She said softly.
Harry did not think much of this idea; he had been intending to visit Madam Pomfrey, the matron, in whom he had a little more confidence when it came to Healing Spells. But Juliunna's wand seemed strong, and she was too. So he stayed stock-still and closed his eyes,
"Episkey." She said, pointing her wand at the tip of his nose.
Harry's nose felt very hot, and then very cold. He raised a hand and felt it gingerly. It seemed to be mended.
"Thanks a lot!"
"You'd better put that cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school," Juliunna said, still unsmiling. As Harry swung the cloak back over himself, she waved her wand; an large, sneaky and transparent snake erupted from it and streaked off into the darkness.
''Was that a Patronus?" asked Harry, who had seen Dumbledore send messages like this.
"Yes. Hermione taught me in the Prefects carriage. I'm sending word to the castle that we're alive and well. You know, so they don't freak out. Come on, we'd better not dawdle."
They set off toward the lane that led to the school, Juliunna smiling brightly.
They trudged up the dark, deserted lane, following the freshly made carriage tracks. Harry looked sideways at Juliunna under his cloak. She was smiling happily, looking sideways at the dark sky and stars. Harry didn't want to talk about Malfoy right this moment, and so they tramped on through the cold night in silence, the long cloak whispering on the ground behind them.
Having always traveled there by carriage, Harry had never before appreciated just how far Hogwarts was from Hogsmeade Station. With great relief he finally saw the tall pillars on either side of the gates, each topped with a winged boar. He was cold, he was hungry and he was quite keen to climb into a warm bed and sleep. But when he put out a hand to push open the gates, he found them chained shut.
"Alohamora!" he said confidently, pointing his wand at the padlock, but nothing happened.
"That won't work on these," said Juliunna sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Dumbledore bewitched them himself."
Harry looked around, "We could climb a wall," he suggested.
"No, you couldn't," Juliunna said flatly. "Anti-intruder jinxes on all of them. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer. According to Remus and Tonks. In fact, Mad Eye mentions that to me every time we see each other. He thinks I'm still a Death Eater." Juliunna said with short laugh.
"Well then," said Harry, starting to feel annoyed at her lack of helpfulness, "I suppose we'll l just have to sleep out here and wait for morning."
"Someone's coming down for us," said Juliunna. "Look."
A lantern was bobbing at the distant foot of the castle. Harry was so pleased to see it he felt he could even endure Filch's wheezy criticisms of his tardiness and rants about how his timekeeping would improve with the regular application of thumbscrews. It was not until the glowing yellow light was ten feet away from them, and had pulled off his Invisibility Cloak so that he could be seen, that he recognized with a rush of pure loathing, the up lit hooked nose and long, black, greasy hair of Severus Snape.
"Well, well, well," sneered Snape, taking out his wand and tapping the padlock once, so that the chains snaked backward and the gates creaked open. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance."
"I couldn't change, I didn't have my —" Harry began, but Snape cut across him. "Come along Juliunna. Your in no less fault then Potter."
"I meant for Hagrid to get the message," Juliunna said, frowning.
"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like you and Potter here, so I took it instead. And incidentally," said Snape, standing back to allow Harry to pass him, "I was interested to see your Patronus."
Juliunna flushed darkly. "Yeah?"
"Impressive as it may be, I must ask, have you been performing magic during the summer? It's impressive if you just started today, even if it is weak." He smirked. She growled. "I can't believe I missed you, Severus." She said sarcastically.
"Nevertheless of your parentage, sweetie, your father knows that I will show you no less respect then I should for a student. Twenty points from Slytherin."
Snape did not speak for a minute or so. Harry felt as though his body was generating waves of hatred so powerful that it seemed incredible that Snape could not feel them burning him. He had loathed Snape from their first encounter, but Snape had placed himself forever and irrevocably beyond the possibility of Harry's forgiveness by his attitude toward Sirius. Whatever Dumbledore said, Harry had had time to think over the summer, and had concluded that Snape's snide remarks to Sirius about remaining safely hidden while the rest of the Order of the Phoenix were off fighting Voldemort had probably been a powerful factor in Sirius rushing off to the Ministry the night that he had died. Harry clung to this notion, because it enabled him to blame Snape, which felt satisfying, and also because he knew that if anyone was not sorry that Sirius was dead, it was the man now striding next to him in the darkness.
"Fifty points from Gryffindor for lateness, I think," said Snape. "And, let me see, another twenty for your Muggle attire. You know, I don't believe any House has ever been in negative figures this early in the term: We haven't even started pudding. You might have set a record, Potter."
"I don't understand. Harry was late for a fault other then his own. He was temporarily petrified and left on the floor. There is no reason he should be punished." Juliunna said, striding in step with Snape, who pretended not to hear her.
"I shouldn't have to punish Slytherin House too much. So much for bringing pride to your ancestors." Severus smirked at Juliunna.
"Your punishing us out of spite! Draco stunned Harry and left him under the invisibility cloak!" Juliunna snapped at him. "Do you hear me?!"
"Another ten points from Slytherin, for accusations and insults to a fellow classmate." He said airily.
"Accusions?!" Juliunna shrieked. She looked mad, almost feral. Harry grabbed her by the shoulder and shook his head no.
"Do you see the blood on his face?!" Juliunna shrieked, pointing at Harry. Harry felt his face. It was sticky. Snape sighed. "Oh my, another twenty points from Slytherin. Wait till I write home to your father-!"
"Argh!" Juliunna screamed. She stomped ahead, Harry still being dragged along by the tight grip on her.
"I suppose you wanted to make an entrance, did you?" Snape continued. "And with no flying car available you decided that bursting into the Great Hall halfway through the feast ought to create a dramatic effect. And I bet you would have loved the attention, Miss Riddle. I bet your bursting to walk in there and announce that you're the Daughter of the Dark Lord."
"I hate you, so much." Juliunna whispered, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"You can both think about that in detention. Do consider it, won't you?" Snape said softly, smirking. Still Harry remained silent, thought he thought his chest might explode. He was as angry as Juliunna, though he had a little more self control on his anger.
He knew that Snape had come to fetch them for this, for the few minutes when he could needle and torment Harry and Juliunna without anyone else listening.
They reached the castle steps at last and as the great oaken front doors swung open into the vast flagged entrance hall, a burst of talk and laughter and of tinkling plates and glasses greeted them through the doors standing open into the Great Hail. Harry wondered whether he could slip his Invisibility Cloak back on, thereby gaining his seat at the long Gryffindor table (which, inconveniently, was the farthest from the entrance hall) without being noticed. As though he had read Harry's mind, however, Snape said, "No cloak. You can walk in so that everyone sees you, which is what you wanted, I'm sure."
"You make me so angry. One second." Juliunna snarled, turning to Harry. She lifted her wand to Harry's face. "Tergeo." Harry felt his face, which was now smooth and soft.
"Did I authorize that piece of magic Miss Riddle? No. Thirty points from Slytherin."
"Like I care." She said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go." She said to Harry, grabbing his arm. She pulled him away from Snape, and together they strode forward fast. People had barely had the chance to stare before Juliunna had sat down next to Ron and Hermione. Harry followed suit.
"Harry, Juliunna." Hermione said happily. In the next second, Juliunna had buried her head into her folded arms on the table, bursting into angry tears.
"What happened?"
"Not now." Harry growled.
"But-!"
"I said not now Hermione!" Harry snarled deeper. There were people nearby, trying to eavesdrop and see what was going on. He leaned over and patted Juliunna's back softly as she sobbed into her arms.
He hastily looked away toward the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was miming the shattering of a nose to raucous laughter and applause. Harry dropped his gaze to his treacle tart, his insides burning again. What he would give to fight Malfoy one-on-one...
"So what did Professor Slughorn want?" Hermione asked.
"To know what really happened at the Ministry." said Harry.
"Him and everyone else here," sniffed Hermione. "People were interrogating us about it on the train, weren't they, Ron?"
"Yeah," said Ron. "All wanting to know if you really are 'the Chosen One' —"
"There has been much talk on that very subject even amongst the ghosts," interrupted Nearly Headless Nick, inclining his barely connected head toward Harry so that it wobbled dangerously on its ruff. "I am considered something of a Potter authority; it is widely known that we are friendly. I have assured the spirit community that I will not pester you for information, however. 'Harry Potter knows that he can confide in me with complete confidence,' I told them. 'I would rather die than betray his trust." Harry smiled at the end of it, and looked over to Juliunna. She gave a loud exhale, and then obviously fell into a deep sleep.
"That's nor saying much, seeing as you're already dead," Ron observed.
"Once again, you show all the sensitivity of a blunt axe," said Nearly Headless Nick in affronted tones, and he rose into the air glided back toward the far end of the Gryffindor table just as Dumbledore got to his feet at the staff table. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly.
"The very best of evenings to you!" he said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room.
"What happened to his hand?" gasped Hermione.
She was not the only one who had noticed. Dumbledore's right hand was as blackened and dead-looking as it had been on the night he had come to fetch Harry from the Dursleys. Whispers it the room; Dumbledore, interpreting them correctly, merely smiled and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve over his injury.
"Nothing to worry about," he said airily. "Now ... to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you . .."
"His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer,"
Harry whispered to Hermione. "I thought he'd have cured it by now, though ... or Madam Pomfrey would've done."
"It looks as if it's died," said Hermione, with a nauseated expression. "But there are some injuries you can't cure... old curses…and there are poisons without antidotes. . . ."
". . . and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.
"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Slughorn"— Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waist coated belly casting the table into shadow — "is a former colleague of mine who has agreed resume his old post of Potions master."
"Potions?"
"Potions?"
The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.
"Potions?" said Ron and Hermione together, turning to stare Harry. "But you said —"
"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"No!" said Harry, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction. He did not care; he was staring up at the staff table, incensed. How could Snape be given the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after all this time? Hadn't it been widely known for years that Dumbledore did not trust him to do it?
"But Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!" said Hermione.
"I thought he was!" said Harry, racking his brains to remember when Dumbledore had told him this, but now that he came to think of it, he was unable to recall Dumbledore ever telling him what Slughorn would be teaching.
Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, did not stand up his mention of his name; he merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the applause from the Slytherin table, yet Harry was sure he could detect a look of triumph on the features he loathed so much.
"Well, there's one good thing," he said savagely. "Snape'll be gone by the end of the year."
"What do you mean?" asked Ron.
"That job's jinxed. No ones lasted more than a year. . . . Quirrel actually died doing it. . . . Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death. . . ."
"Harry!" said Hermione, shocked and reproachful.
"He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year" said Ron reasonably. "That Slughorn bloke might not want to stay long-term. Moody didn't."
"Dumbledore cleared his throat. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not the only ones who had been talking; the whole Hall had erupted in a buzz of conversation at the news that Snape had finally achieved his heart's desire. Seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted, Dumbledore said nothing more about staff appointments, but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.
"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."
The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke. Harry glanced at Malfoy. Malfoy was not looking at Dumbledore, but making his fork hover in midair with his wand, as though he found the headmaster's words unworthy of his attention.
"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that you teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."
Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.
"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"
With the usual deafening scraping noise, the benches moved back and the hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall toward their dormitories. Harry clapped Juliunna on the shoulder hard. "I think you have to show the fist years where to go." He said.
"Thanks." She said sleepily.
Harry, who was in no hurry at all to leave with the gawping crowd, nor to get near enough to Malfoy to allow him to retell the story of the nose-stamping, lagged behind, pretending to retie the lace on his trainer, allowing most of Gryffindors to draw ahead of him. Juliunna walked over to the Slytherin table for all of the lost looking first years.
"First years. Follow me." She yelled aloud. Harry watched the curious first years hurry to follow her.
Hermione darted ahead to fulfill her prefect's duty of shepherding the first years, but Ron remained with Harry.
"What really happened to your nose?" he asked, once they were at the very back of the throng pressing out of the Hall, and out of earshot of anyone else.
Harry told him. It was a mark of the strength of their friendship that Ron did not laugh.
"I saw Malfoy miming something to do with a nose," he said darkly.
"Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry bitterly. "Listen to what he was saying before he found out I was there . . . ."
Harry had expected Ron to be stunned by Malfoys boasts. With what Harry considered pure pigheadedness, however, Ron was unimpressed.
"Come on, Harry, he was just showing off for Juliunna….
What kind of mission would You-Know-Who have given him?"
"How d'you know Voldemort doesn't need someone at Hogwarts? It wouldn't be the first —"
"I wish you'd stop saying' that name, Harry," said a reproachful voice behind them. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Hagrid shaking his head.
"Dumbledore uses that name," said Harry stubbornly
"Yeah, well, that's Dumbledore, innit?" said Hagrid mysteriously.
"So how come yeh were late, Harry? I was worried."
"Got held up on the train," said Harry. "Why were you late?"
"I was with Grawp," said Hagrid happily. "Los' track o' the time. He's got a new home up in the mountains now, Dumbledore fixed it — nice big cave. He's much happier than he was in the forest. We were having' a good chat."
"Really?" said Harry, taking care not to catch Ron's eye; the last time he had met Hagrid's half-brother, a vicious giant with a talent for ripping up trees by the roots, his vocabulary had comprised five words, two of which he was unable to pronounce properly.
"Oh yeah, he's really come on," said Hagrid proudly. "You'll be amazed. I'm thinking' o' trainin' him up as me assistant."
Ron snorted loudly, but managed to pass it off as a violent sneeze. They were now standing beside the oak front doors.
"Anyway, I'll see yeh tomorrow, firs' lesson's straight after lunch. Come early an' yeh can say hello ter Buck — I mean, Witherwings!"
Raising an arm in cheery farewell, he headed out of the doors into the darkness.
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Harry could tell that he was experiencing the same sinking feeling as himself.
"You're not taking Care of Magical Creatures, are you?"
Ron shook his head. "And you're not either, are you?"
Harry shook his head too.
"And Hermione," said Ron, "she's not, is she?"
Harry shook his head again. Exactly what Hagrid would say when he realized his three favorite students had given up his subject, he did not like to think.