Chapter 3: Brooms and Potions
The next day was mostly the same as their first day. They had their first Potions class, and nearly right away, he could tell Professor Snape held him in low esteem. Still, he had impressed the greasy haired man with his knowledge of the subject, even impressing further when his Wiggenweld potion turned out nearly perfect. However, Harry had the feeling that while he had made a decent impression, Professor Snape was going to push him even harder from that point on.
Hermione, Ron, and Neville had listened to Harry's quiet advice. Hermione, however, was torn at first. She was a firm believer in going by the book's instructions, yet she also couldn't deny that Harry's advice and tips had produced a higher quality.
"Hermione, potions are as much an art as it is a science. Professor Snape nearly said as much himself. The book only gives the basic recipe. It's like an outline." Harry smiled. "We talked about this one the train, remember?"
"Well…I can't really deny that your tips were good." She finally said. "I'm a little jealous to be honest."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Hermione, school's barely started and I can tell you're going to be top of the class. Well, top witch anyway." He nudged Harry. "This guy here is gonna be your main competition for top spot."
Harry blushed and looked away, muttering "Not in Herbology. Neville will have all of us beat there."
Neville blushed and looked at his hands. "Yeah, well, Defense will be fun too. The three of us have been practicing with toy wands long enough."
Wednesday the odd one out, since they all had astronomy at midnight, up on the astronomy tower with their telescopes. Harry vowed to look up the warming charm if Hermione hadn't already.
Then came Thursday. The day Harry had been looking forward to all week. Flying lessons.
Hermione was clearly nervous. She had the same excitement she had for all things magical, but when it came to actually flying, she became a huge bundle of nerves.
Things were only made worse for her by Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin boy. Harry had met him a couple of times at different events. His family was wealthy, pompous, and believed strongly in purity of blood.
Harry scoffed at that. As if his own mother was weak in comparison. Hermione. Dean Thomas.
Still, that didn't stop the boy from flaunting how he'd practically grown up on a broom. Harry had to admit he was a decent flyer. He was better, though.
Malfoy's words did have its intended affect, however. Hermione was more nervous now, feeling a subconscious need to prove her worth, but Harry also noticed the trepidation in the other muggleborns' faces too.
Malfoy did fall silent, however, at the sight of Professor McGonagal approaching with Madam Hooch, both carrying broomsticks. An older boy was walking with them. For some reason, he seemed excited about something.
Professor McGonagal motioned Harry over, as Madam Hooch kept walking towards the rest of the students. As he approached, Professor McGonagal held out the broom she was holding, and Harry quickly recognized it as his own. Before he could ask, she began speaking. "Now, Harry. Normally, yes, first years aren't allowed to have their own brooms here. However, exceptions are sometimes made. As you know, Charlie Weasley just left Hogwarts last year, and I'm afraid we've had a hard time filling his spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team." She held up a hand when she saw his rising excitement. "Potter, this is as much a privilege and responsibility as it is a boon, you understand? So far, you've shown yourself an excellent student, but if I see a major dip in your grades, we will need to reevaluate. Now, Oliver Wood here is our Quidditch team captain. He asked to see some of your moves, so I agreed to give you a bit of a test during the normal flight lessons. Merlin, I certainly know you don't need them. Your dad's talent, you've got."
Wood looked thoughtful. "James Potter played seeker when he was here, didn't he Professor?" She nodded. He looked back to Harry. "Alright, Potter. Mount up and let's see what I'm working with."
As he took his broom from Professor McGonagal, he saw the other students practicing summoning their broom to their hands. Neville and Ron certainly had it down, and he says that Malfoy too had done it easily. He also noticed that with the presence of the two teachers here, he'd toned down the jabs and barbs. He was, however, more interested in messing about his friends than paying attention to Madam Hooch.
He pushed it from his mind as the first of the other students pushed off lightly into the air. He mounted his own broom and turned to Oliver. "Alright, what would you like to see first? Basic flight or more advanced?"
Oliver raised and eyebrow at that. "Just the basics first. Fly in a spiral circle up once your five feet up, about ten feet up past that mark. Then spiral back down. Fast as you can."
Harry kicked off the ground and sprang up into the air. He went through the spiral easily enough, coming back down right in front of Oliver in just a few minutes. The older boy nodded.
"Yes, good form. Nimbus aside, you've got a good knack for flight. The Nimbus just helps bring it out more. Alright, Potter, let's see some more advanced moves." Oliver said with a grin.
For the next twenty minutes, Harry dipped and dove, banked and rolled, following out Oliver's instructions. The other students would stop and watch every now and then, most of them now in the air a good height off the ground.
Madam Hooch was down near the ground, going over things with some students still hesitant to kick off the ground too high.
Hermione, Harry saw, seemed to be having fun next to Ron and Neville, smiling and watching him alongside them. Suddenly, without any warning, Malfoy and his friends came barreling past. They'd been goofing off, but had gotten to close to another group and veered away. They crashed into his three friends. Ron and Neville, both skilled with brooms, kept their grips and yelled at the other three. Hermione had tipped too far, and to Harry's mounting horror her fingers slipped. She began to fall, a scream sounding out.
The world seemed to slow. She had easily been more than twenty feet up, and he was a good distance. Madam Hooch had only just looked around, she wouldn't make it. But he could make it.
Harry angled his broom, bent low, and dove. Without thought, without a breath, he slipped beneath his friend, snatching her out of the air and into his broom in front of him. He gripped the broom tightly, one arm wrapped even tighter around Hermione, as he slowed and lowered them down to the ground a few feet from Madam Hooch. Professor McGonagal, having seen the whole thing, was already hurrying over.
Hermione gripped him tightly, trembling. He patted her back gently. "It's alright, Hermione. We're on the ground now."
"Oh my goodness, Miss Granger! Are you both alright?" Professor McGonagal gripped their shoulders tight.
Once certain the two were ok, Madam Hooch took to the air, yelling for Malfoy and his friends, listening as Ron and Neville explained what happened.
Slowly, Hermione stopped trembling, letting the teacher pull her away and looking her over. Tears streaked down her face. But she kept a tight grip on Harry's arm.
"Pott…Harry, I already knew you were a good flyer, but Merlin bless us, you've proved yourself even better. Why I've never…Miss Granger, I know you seem alright, but would you mind if we went to the infirmary, just to make sure? Harry, you'll come with us, if you don't mind." Her eyes grew stern, and she left them with a pat on their shoulders. "Wait here a moment, you two, I want a word with Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle." She marched off to where the three stood, already being berated by Madam Hooch.
Ron and Neville swooped down as Oliver came up. "Harry! Hermione! Are you alright? That was a wonderful catch Harry! By the time we realized what happened, you'd already swooped in to catch her!" His other two friends cheered. Even Hermione managed a small smile, but she was clearly still shaken.
Professor McGonagal stormed back their way, but she softened when she approached Hermione. "Come along now, Miss Granger. Potter, if you'd be so kind as to accompany us up to the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey." She held up a hand to Oliver. "Come talk to me later, Wood. Though I trust for now, you're satisfied with Mr Potter's performance?" And she swept them back inside.
Half an hour later and Madam Pomfrey declared Hermione to be in peak physical health. Harry, however, had been given a brace to wear for the rest of the night, having apparently sprained his left wrist when he caught the girl.
As they left the infirmary, Professor McGonagal suddenly switched to Aunt Minerva. She placed both hands on his shoulders. "Harry, I can't express how proud of you I am right now. I shudder to think what could have happened had you not caught her in time. I cannot wait to see how well you'll do in a school Quidditch match!" She turned to Hermione. "Miss Grang…Hermione, you've been through quite the ordeal today. If you'd like to take tomorrow off, I'd be glad to give a notice to your professors."
She shook her head. "No, Professor! I…I'll be fine tomorrow, honest. Though, I will probably write my mum and dad. Let them know how my week's been. And…and what h-happened today."
Aunt Minerva placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course. I shall be writing them too to explain what happened and assure them you are alright. And I'll be writing your parents too, Harry. I'm just glad a sprained wrist is the worst that came out of this incident. Also, Mr Malfoy has been given a week's detention for that stunt. Deliberate or accident, he knowingly goofed off around those still unfamiliar with a broom." She shook her head. "Alright, run along you two, dinner should be starting soon." And she hurried off.
Harry made to head down to the great hall, but a tug on his sleeve stopped him. Hermione stood, eyes downcast, one hand outstretched to clutch his robes. "Thank you, Harry. I…I was so scared. And then you caught me…just, thanks." Her eyes came up to meet his, glistening.
"Anytime, Hermione. Well, I…I mean I'll catch you, anytime, but…but let's work on making sure you won't fall off so easily next time, yeah?" He bumbled through a reply.
She gave him a weak smile and looked away. "I'm not sure I…I want to go near a broom again. Not after…well. Shall we go see what's for dinner?"
Harry looked after her as she hurried past him. His thoughts had been on several things, dinner, his first week's letter to home, but it all came to a halt. Instead, thoughts drifted through his head on how to help his friend overcome her newfound fear of flying.
Dinner was eventful as the rest of the day. Word had naturally spread through Gryffindor House, and more than a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs glanced their way.
Most offered words of encouragement to Hermione, while others merely looked on in curiosity. A few, though, mostly Slytherin, shot glares. As if Hermione had somehow been at fault. These quickly looked away if they saw Harry looking in their direction.
After finishing the little homework they had for the day, Harry sat down with a blank sheet of parchment. Neville and Ron had gotten out a chess set, and Hermione was torn between watching wizard's chess for the first time and writing on her own letter.
He decided to begin with what had happened that day, then worked his way from the beginning of the week up to that point. He ended it with the exciting bit: that he would be on the House Quidditch team, playing seeker. That particular bit excited him and was cause for nervousness. Something he conveyed in his letter. After all, his dad had been on the team when he was here, at Hogwarts, playing the same position.
He finished the letter, having written two full pages by the time he was done. Hermione had finished hers as well, setting it aside to now challenge Neville at a game of chess. Ron sat to the side, staying quiet for the most part, but ever now and then he'd make a small suggestion to Hermione or Neville.
Hermione frowned as one of her bishops was clunked over the head and dragged off the board. "It's a bit…barbaric, isn't it?"
Ron scoffed. "Would you rather be playing gobstones? Getting a face full of foul smelling liquid shot in your face for every wrong move? Though it can be fun too."
"I suppose you do have a point." She crinkled her nose at the thought. One of Neville's pawns was getting dragged off the board.
Harry moved closer to them. "How'd you let her corner you like that, Neville?"
The boy sighed as his king threw his crown down and stomped off the board. "I'm not rightly certain. Coulda sworn I had her two turns ago."
Ron nodded. "That was when I warned you to let her take your bishop. Would've opened your queen to counter and get her in check. Ah, well. How bout it, Hermione? Feel like a game against me?"
She shook her head. "No thanks, Ron. I think I'm going to head up to bed. I want to get up a bit earlier than usual to send my letter off to mum and dad." She gathered up her things while Ron put away his wizard's chess set. Neville had stretched, heading for the staircases.
Harry nodded. "That was my plan too. The getting up early part. Just finished mine. Can't wait to hear what they have to say!"
"Odds are, Harry," Fred started as he sat down nearby.
"Is they already know." George finished, joining them as well. "After all, Fred and I made the suggestion to McGonagal. S'why she was late to your birthday party I expect, Harry."
Harry blinked at them. "You made a suggestion to get me playing Quidditch a year early?"
Fred shrugged. "Consider it one of our birthday presents. Though I admit, we also thought we could really use you out there. All the times we've played at our home. Harry, every time you played seeker, your side nearly one. And that wasn't even with a proper snitch half the time, just us chucking apples and whatnot."
George pulled out a parchment. "And this is our other gift. It's served us well, but we think it's time it got back to you. I daresay, you've more right to it than we do."
Harry eyed the parchment suspiciously. "And what exactly is this?"
Fred leaned in conspiratorially. "Just tap it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' Then you'll see it. Once you've finished with it, tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed.' But wait till you're up in your room for the night, alright?" He gave Harry a wink. "And with that, we shall bid you adieu."
"Good night, Harry!" George said with a wink and a grin. "And make good use of it!"
Hermione was still waiting at the foot of the girl's stairs. She reached forward and squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you again, Harry. For being my friend, and for saving me."
"You're welcome. And if you need to talk about…about what happened, I'll try my best to listen." He replied.
She gave him a soft smile and darted up the stairs. Harry turned and headed up to his own dorm. Ron and Neville were already dressed in their pajamas. Ron raised an eyebrow. "What'd my brothers want?"
"Oh, turns out they talked to Professor McGonagal over the summer about Quidditch tryouts. And well, Oliver Wood seemed impressed enough by my flying too." Harry said. He glanced nervously at Ron, but his red headed friend only shrugged.
"I'll admit I'm a bit jealous, but then Neville and I have seen you fly. Truly fly. And you're great, mate! You taking Charlie's old spot as seeker?" Ron asked excitedly.
Harry grinned and nodded. Dean and Seamus looked a bit stunned. "Am I hearing right that Harry's on the Quidditch team?" Seamus asked, growing as excited as the others.
"We were all wondering why they had you off to the side at first, but then you really showed your stuff with your flying! Was spectacular!" Dean was saying. "Could you give me some pointers sometime? I'd love to get a better handle on a broom."
The five boys spoke for a bit longer about Quidditch before they all climbed into their beds, drawing the curtains. Harry waited until he heard the others drift off to sleep and pulled out the parchment Fred and George had given him. He tapped it with his wand and quietly intoned, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
Words appeared along the top, and a grin broke across his face at the familiar names of "Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs". The Marauders' Map. And what a map it was! Nearly every detail of Hogwarts was laid out before him. Several secret exits out into the village of Hogsmeade. Passageways Harry was sure most students probably didn't know about. And most amazing, there were dots with names. A list of everyone in the grounds. It was clear his father, Sirius, and Remus had made this map, but he wondered how they'd managed such a feat of magic. Had they'd tied the map into the very wards of Hogwarts somehow? He grinned. This would come in so handy for him, Ron, Neville, and Hermione. His eyes flicked up to the girl's dorms. He found her dot, in bed. He wondered if she was able to sleep alright. He tapped the parchment again, quietly muttering, "Mischief managed." And the map was blank once more. He shoved it under his pillow for now, stuck his hand out to place his glasses on the nearby table, and laid back into his bed. Sleep came quickly. And so did the dreams.
He was flying, soaring high in the air. Hermione sat behind him, hands holding tight to his shoulders, her face beaming beneath the moonlight.
A shadow crossed over the moon, darkening the stars. Harry looked up into the face of a great venomous green snake with red eyes. He clamped his own eyes shut, throwing himself to the side as the great, fang filled mouth crashed down to where he'd just been.
A three headed dog snarled at him, but a song sang out around them, and the dog quieted. A man stood before a strange mirror, glaring and cursing.
Dark green marble surrounded him, lit only by light that filtered down from somewhere above, as though they were deep underwater. An ornate mirror, adorned with a dragon curled about its frame, stood across from him. The surface rippled like a pond, and Harry tipped forward into it, stepping into…
He awoke suddenly. He felt fully refreshed and awake. Yet the latter part of his dream clung to him. He crawled out of bed, quickly dressed, and grabbed his quill and the finished letter. He went down to the common room and hurriedly wrote as much as he could about the dream into the letter to his parents. This was the second time he'd had that dreamed and it was so vivid. He toyed with the pendant around his neck. Were they connected somehow? He'd tell his parents, but he might go speak with Aunt Minerva too. He doubted this was something to worry Dumbledore about. He finished the add on, looking it over. He quickly added on that he would try speaking to Aunt Minerva about it. He finished up, signed it with his love, and sealed the letter.
"Oh! Good morning, Harry." Hermione said as she entered the common room. She raised an eyebrow, and Harry noticed the small bags beneath her eyes. "I thought you'd finished it last night?"
"I did." Harry nodded. "But I had to add something last minute. Come on, I'll tell you about it on the way to the owlery."
Hermione listened quietly as Harry explained to her the dream he'd had twice in a week, even tapping into a little of what his parents had warned him about. However, he avoided telling her just how connected that he personally was with the alleged disappearance of Voldemort, telling her instead that Voldemort had targeted both his and Neville's parents. He was silently grateful that Neville had broached that topic so recently.
She was silent as she picked out a school owl and began tying her letter onto its leg, but Harry could see her mental gears turning as he called Hedwig down. He gently stroked his snowy owl, who preened and looked at him as though he'd been wrong to not have come to her with a letter till now.
As the owls took off, Hermione finally spoke up. "I can't really deny that there might be some connection between that room in your dream, and your pendant. You don't suppose that strange room with the mirror is here at Hogwarts, do you? I mean, it doesn't sound like any architecture that matches anything we've seen in the school so far. I think you should talk to Professor McGonagal about this. Twice in a week can't just be coincidence."
"Hey, Hermione." She turned to him. "How would you like to go out to the Quidditch pitch this weekend and practice some flying. We could keep it low and slow. Nothing to out there, just real easy."
She bit her lip. "I…I dunno if I'm ready to try a broom again just yet, Harry. But thank you. I'll think about it, alright?"
Harry gave her a smile and patted her shoulder. "Come on. Breakfast should be starting soon. We've got double Potions this morning, right?"
"Yes. Then it's Astronomy, lunch, and History. Then I believe we will be free till Monday. Two free periods. My guess later in the year it will be for studying and homework, though right now it'll be good to have a break." She gave Harry a small grin. "We could study ahead!"
Harry shook his head, chuckling. "Oh sure! Can you imagine Ron's reaction to that suggestion?"
Hermione chuckled along. "'Study ahead?! Are you mental? Aren't classes bad enough?'" She laughed. "That sound about right?"
"Blazes, Hermione." Harry laughed. "I've known Ron a long time, and I can tell you, those are all things he'd say!"
She stuck her nose in the air. "I do try to pay attention to everything, Harry." Her eyes took on a hard glint. "I've got to." She said quietly, almost to herself.
Harry didn't look at her, but rather stretched and put his hands behind his head. He looked up at the ceiling and said, "But you don't have to do it alone, you know. Whenever you need help, just ask, alright? My mum's always reminding me that asking for help is not showing weakness." He glanced at her. "Besides, next year we'll have Miriam. Even if she ends up in Ravenclaw, or dare I say Slytherin, she'll have your back for sure."
Hermione blinked at him. "You really think she'd be in Slytherin?"
He quickly looked around. "The Sorting Hat actually told me I'd do well in Slytherin. Listen, obviously my siblings and I are decent people, or at least mum and dad did their best with us, but we've all had to be a bit crafty. And cunning. Remember, we grew up looking to the older Weasley's, Ron's older brothers Bill and Charlie, plus the twins. Miriam and I had to get cunning. Patrick follows in the twins' footsteps."
Hermione shuddered and chuckled. They entered the Great Hall, noticing a few other students were also starting to trickle in. The tables were still empty, though the pleasant smell of breakfast was growing stronger. They sat down near their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. "What exactly does his older brothers do? Charlie just left Hogwarts last year, right?"
"Yeah, he did. He's off in Romania now. Headed off nearly straight away after last year. His girlfriend, Tonks, is quite worried, last I heard from Uncle Sirius. He's working at a dragon preserve. Oh! That reminds me! We should go visit Hagrid! He's the groundskeeper, and gamekeeper, here! He and Charlie got on really well from what I understand." Harry said, pouring himself some orange juice as the table began to be covered in breakfast items. "As for Bill, he's Ron's oldest sibling, he works for Gringotts, the wizard bank, as a curse breaker. I can't decide if I'd like to be a curse breaker like him, travel the world on adventures, or be an Auror like mum and dad. Though I suppose there's Quidditch too."
"I'm not sure what I'd like to do, yet. Though I suppose we've still got loads of time to decide things like that. Oh, there's still just so much for me to learn about!" Hermione moaned, ladening her plate with eggs, toast, and a couple slices of bacon. She watched Harry for a moment, nibbling on a piece of toast. "Would you really help me with flying?"
Harry looked at her sharply, but before he could answer, Ron sank down beside him. "Course he would! He helped Neville overcome his fear of flying!"
"That's right, he did." Neville said, taking a spot next to Hermione across from Ron. "Had something similar happen to me, Hermione. One of my uncles thought it'd be fun to teach me to fly when I was real little. Barely caught me in time when I slipped off the broom. My mother was furious. Dad had to hold her and gran back."
She took a sip of pumpkin juice. "I just…I dunno right now." Her eyes darted to the Slytherin table as a particular blonde haired boy entered. "Though if Miriam gets sorted into Slytherin, she'd have to deal with the likes of him, Harry."
Both Ron and Neville choked. "Are you nuts?" Ron hissed. "He'd be begging us for help!"
Neville nodded. "Miri isn't one to be crossed lightly. It's even worse when Ginny gangs up with her." He waved down Hermione. "Look, she's not a mean girl, or anything like that, it's just…"
Harry smirked. "She can handle her own. Though I still look out for her, you know? Point is, I wouldn't worry too much about her if she does wind up in Slytherin, but my bet is Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."
"The Hat offered me Ravenclaw, you know." Hermione said quietly.
"Not too surprising. You're not top of the class for nothing." Ron said, buttering another slice of toast. "Or you would be if not for Harry."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I've got to get an edge before Miri starts, just like she's got to get as much an edge as she can against me, cause then Patrick starts the year after."
Hermione smiled. "They sound like fun. I can't wait to meet them."
Neville gave her a grin. "Well, we are a fun lot! Oh yeah, Lexie starts next year too, don't forget!"
"Lexie?" Hermione asked.
"Alexis Black. Practically a cousin of Harry's." Ron said. "If anyone would be in Slytherin from our lot, I'd say it'd be her."
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but the mail began arriving. Owls poured into the Hall from windows set high above, and he saw his father's owl, a screech named Hector, swooping down to him. "Well, hullo Hector! Got a letter for me?" The owl stuck out his leg, and Harry pulled off the letter. With an affectionat nibble of his finger, the owl took off. He unrolled the letter and began reading.
'Harry,
Minerva wrote to us yesterday about what happened with Hermione, and we cannot stress how proud we are of you! From the sounds of it, you've been a good friend to her. To be honest, your mother and I have become something of friends with her parents. Your mother went to visit them last night to make sure they weren't too worried. She said they were both relieved and proud to know their daughter has a friend like you looking out for her.
And congrats on becoming Gryffindor seeker! I especially couldn't be prouder of you, Harry! I knew you'd follow in my footsteps, though I didn't think you'd make the team till your second year. At least until Minerva talked to us over the summer. We'd wanted to tell you, but had to keep it hush. Minerva didn't want you getting too excited right off the bat. Hope your classes have been going well. We await your first letter eagerly!
Love, Dad and Mum'
Harry folded the letter, smiling. He looked across the table to find Hermione reading a letter of her own. She looked up and held it out to him. "My parents sent a letter in response to Professor McGonagal's. They wrote something for you."
Harry took the letter and began to read.
"Harry,
We may have only met briefly at Platform 9 and 3/4, yet we have talked at length with your parents. We cannot thank you enough for looking out for our daughter. Hermione has already mentioned how much she values your friendship, and we are glad that hers was not misplaced! Please, continue being a good friend to her.
Many thanks and gratitude,
The Grangers."
He smiled and handed the letter back to Hermione. She took it and packed it back into her bag. "Well, I believe we've got double potions today. I wonder what potions Professor Snape will teach us today."
Two hours later as they packed their things up after class, Harry came to a conclusion. Professor Snape didn't dislike him. The man hated him. The logic was sound: after showing skill above the rest of his year, Snape had apparently decided that first year potions to be too easy for him, and had instead set him to work on a potion Harry was certain was meant for third year classes. Still, by the look on Snape's face, he figured he'd done well enough on it, for a first attempt.
Hermione wasn't entirely convinced and seemed under the impression that the professor had simply given him a challenge to better grasp of where Harry's skill level was at. Ron sided with Harry, but Neville was torn between Harry's conclusion and Hermione's.
Harry scoffed at her. "You've been doing nearly as well as me, and he still only had you do the same potion as the rest of the class."
She rolled her eyes at him. "I only just began learning potions, Harry. You've already said you'd been helping your mum with potions since you were real young. Ron and Neville also said they never had the same grasp on them as you do. Not to mention how good you are with Charms and in Defense. Even History, and you barely pay any attention…although, I have seen you reading our textbooks. And other books you've checked out from the library."
Ron laughed. "Yeah, Harry. You've almost got as many books out as Hermione does." He lowered his voice and muttered. "Though I'll admit that you at least make it all sound interesting when you talk of it."
Hermione chewed her lip. "I'll admit that Professor Binns really doesn't strive to make his class a bit more appealing. He just gives us the straight facts from the book."
The rest of their day seemed to go by quickly. Hermione had decided to head to the library, but Ron and Neville headed out to the grounds.
Harry briefly thought he should head down to Hagrid's hut sometime this weekend to visit him. For now, he headed to Professor McGonagal's office, knowing that she had an hour free this time on Fridays.
He knocked on her door and opened it when he heard her call out, "Come in!" She looked up and smiled. "Ah, Harry! What can I do for you?"
"Well, my mum and dad said to come to you if I noticed anything strange. I've already sent them a letter this morning, but I felt I should come talk to you." He said, taking a seat.
Her face had taken a more serious look as he spoke. "And is this about a suspicious person, something you may have…stumbled upon, here in the castle?"
"No, Aunt Minerva." Harry shook his head. "It's…a dream I've had. But I've had it twice now." And we went on to describe both dreams, how the first time was just the room with the mirror, and how the second had a jumble of things leading up to the mirror room.
She was silent a moment, studying him as he sat across from her. "In the second dream, you mentioned three events leading up to the room with this mirror. Can you describe them any better than you've already mentioned? Any details you may have missed?"
Harry thought a moment. "I was thinking of taking Hermione flying this weekend, after…after what happened with Malfoy yesterday. It was something I was thinking last night before sleep. But the rest of it…I mean, I've heard of cerberuses, of course. But I've never seen one in person before. And…I feel the serpent may have been a…a basilisk. At first, I felt it may have represented Lord Voldemort. The more I think on it, the more I think more of a basilisk though." He finished.
She nodded in thought. "Harry, I wouldn't worry too much about this right now, alright? I'm not saying to ignore this…dream. But dreams of this nature can be complex. I've no doubt this room with the mirror does indeed exist somewhere, though I've never stumbled across a room of that description here in the school. But as the Headmaster would say, I wouldn't dare claim to know all the secrets of this castle. However, if you do decide to go searching around the castle, I must insist you avoid the third floor corridor. Renovations on it are proving to be quite tricky, and it's not the safest at the moment." Her face softened. "Thank you for coming to me with this, Harry. You said you already sent a letter to James and Lilly?" He nodded. "Good. If you continue having these dreams, if you see anything more than you already have, I want you to come see me straight away. I don't care if I have a class that morning, I still expect you to come to me straight away. You understand?" Harry nodded again. "Now, run along. I've got a class beginning soon."
"Thank you for hearing me out, Aunt Minerva." He said. She waved him off with a small smile, but as the door closed behind, he briefly caught a thoughtful yet worried look cross her face. He paused out in the hall. He debated internally: Ron and Neville were out on the grounds somewhere, but Hermione was up in the library. He frowned. She'd been keeping more to the castle since their disastrous first flying lesson. He nodded and was about to pull out the Marauders' Map to double check, when a voice called out to him.
"Oi, Potter! There you are!" Oliver Wood called out to him. "I knew first years have two free periods on Fridays. I don't have any classes till after dinner, so I thought we'd go down to the Quidditch pitch for a bit. See how well you really do. What'd you say?"
"Oh! Sure! Yeah, that sounds great!" Harry replied, pushing down a small bit of frustration.
"Excellent! Official training won't actually start for another couple weeks, but I'm hoping to get a few exercises together with some of our other team members before then. Maybe get a head start on the other Houses, eh?" Oliver grinned. He led Harry down the hall and out of the castle.