《Harry Potter and the Prince Hidden in the Shadows》 -5 If you don’t like slow paced books... Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you -4 The book will stop sounding like copy and paste at second volume Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you -3 My goal Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you -2 That’s all Sorry to say this isn''t a chapter. It''s more of a personal rant. I just wanted to say a few things. Ok, so people have been bashing at me about the idea of fanfics or the meaning of a "fanfic". Some say my novel is great, and for those who think that I thank you. Some say my novel is trash and for those I say I hope you find a better book. Some say that what I do here on Webnovel is trash and I should just stop and kill myself. Some say that I am going against what a fanfic means. That I am sticking to the original plot too much, or that the story is boring. Let me state this one thing... Hi. Yep that''s it. Nothing really to say. Ok jokes aside, what I really want to say is ok. It''s fine to hate on me. It''s fine to post bad reviews about my book. Just please put the reason why you don''t like it. Ok, now to get back on topic, about my fanfic. People say they want a fanfic that is different from the original book. Like a story that has a different plot line from the originals. That''s fine, people can create a fanfic that is almost entirely different from the original books. However, I would rather create an original story than write a fanfic that deviates too much. It IS a fanfic, you can write a fanfic with a completely OG storyline but I would THINK that instead of writing that as a fanfic, it would be better to write it as an OG story. I think that that way it would be more effective as a story and as a source of enjoyment. As a writer of a fanfic, my personal goal is to ride on the feeling of nostalgia and introduce change in a slow manner. That way readers can enjoy the feeling of reminiscing of the old books while enjoying the new changes. That is my goal as a fanfic writer and reader. What I''m advocating for is a balance between changes and original. Once again, I don''t care whether or not you guys want me to go fucking die or stop writing. But when you guys give me good reason why my novel is shit, then I''ll care. Cause I''m going to finish the novel to the end, to the very last chapter. To the very final book. For those who want to continue with me, then continue to read. Those who want to fall behind at leave, then go. Go search for a book that will make you want to follow it to the end. That''s it. That''s all. -1 DISCORD LINK Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 1 The Letter On a street located somewhere in England, there lies a house. It sits daintily on the corner with a rather bizarre looking front yard. Firstly, there stood a massive tree of unknown origins standing proud like a forest giant. On this tree was a very contrasting bright neon bird house that seemed to be big enough for two owls. Secondly, right underneath the windows were small little hedges cut into beautiful sculptures of animals. However, these animals were unlike anything ever seen before. One resembled a bird headed horse with wings. Another resembled a lion with a women''s head. The most bizarre part of the house wasn''t it''s appearance, but what existed within. The small family of three, a husband and his wife and a child, lived in the exotic house with an equal amount of bizarreness. The father was a strong handsome man of about six feet tall, and had a very unique passion for anything that had relation to electricity. Why, when you gave him a lightbulb as a gift, he would reveal a brilliant smile that would lit up the street. The wife was as equally extraordinary. While her behavior and actions remained in the realm of mundane, her apparel was not. She was often found walking out to shop for some groceries in robes. Nothing but robes. Whether the season was a hot summer day or a chilly winter morning, she only wore a robe. However, none could point and laugh due to her beauty. Now the boy was special, special indeed. He was known for being intelligent and kind. Extraordinary and handsome, yet at the same time, probably the most ordinary thing in the house. The boy was naturally charismatic and handsome. However, his handsomeness was, to a certain extent, covered by the yet to disappear baby fat present on his face. So he was extraordinarily cute instead. Another thing about him was that no one seemed to be able to despise him. The boy''s name was Arth, short for Arthur. Arth was an adopted child, which came as a surprise to the neighbors as the three seemed to fit like a puzzle. Arth opened the door to the front yard and took a deep breath. Seeing that he had appeared, a friendly neighbor called out. "Good weather we''re having, ain''t that right Arthur?" The boy replied with a smile. "Yes Mr. Watson. It is a nice day we have today." "It almost makes me want to shed these old bones of mine and run around like the young man I once was. You better cherish you life son, less you end up like me." "I''ll make sure to keep that in mind sir." Mr. Watson watched as Arth got down and went towards the tree. "Are you collecting mail again?" "Yes Mr. Watson. My dad said he was waiting for this weeks daily issue to come out for ages." Arth walked up towards the tree and gave a low harmonic whistle. Immediately a great horned owl swooped down and dropped several letters and a daily issue of his fathers favorite news before heading back into the sky. Mr. Watson sighed. "It never ceases to amaze me. How exactly did those parents of yours trained an owl to deliver their mail." Arth smiled. "I do too sir." "Do tell Aria and Maxwell my greetings, and tell your mom that her apple pie''s are absolutely heavenly. My wife and I enjoyed eating it greatly." "I''ll tell my mom that you enjoyed it." "Good son, well better hurry up. Your father probably wants to read that newspaper. Don''t keep him waiting." Arth turned around to head back into his house. "Goodbye Mr. Watson." "Goodbye Arthur." When Arth opened the door, a fragrant aroma hit him causing him to unconsciously feel hungry. With quick yet soft footsteps, Arth hurried his way towards the kitchen. When he entered, he saw a young woman humming as she cooked delightful wonders in her pan. A deep yet cheerful voice called out to him. "You little rascal, Why did it take you so long to fetch the papers? Did a pretty girl pass by?" A large hand rustled Arth''s hair with a rough yet warm touch. Arth pouted playfully at his father. "The next door neighbor was talking with me. If you think I''m to slow, then go fetch it yourself next time." "You little rascal, only eleven but already going against your dad? You need some punishment." The father''s hand reached past Arth''s feeble attempts at defending himself and started to furiously tickle the sides of his stomach. Arth couldn''t keep up the pout as he fell into a series of hysterical laughter. "Can you two boys not horse around at the kitchen." "Yes ma''am." "Ok mom." "Aww You little honey pie, my sweet little darling. Aren''t you hungry, you guys look absolutely starving. Go sit at the table and I serve you a breakfast you won''t forget." The two boys patiently waited at the table. Arth''s dad was reading the daily paper with a smile. "Hey Aria, apparently the boy Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts this year." Aria replied from the kitchen with a questioning voice. "The boy is already eleven? It seems like it was only yesterday when he rose to fame for the first time." Arth tilted his head towards the side. "Who is this Harry boy you constantly talk about?" "He''s a boy your age that''s pretty famous with my friends." "Ok. Oh, I forgot about it but what do I do with the extra letters?" His father nonchalantly waved his hand while lazily reading the paper. "Just leave it on my desk, I''ll read it later." Arth took the letters and went to his fathers work desk. While he was stacking the letters neatly in a pile, a yellowish envelope with emerald green ink caught his eye. Arth couldn''t help but take the letter out and examine it. Mr. A. Kingscrown The very first line on the letter read his and his parents last name. After reading on a bit more, Arth realized that the address written was his own. He flipped the envelope backwards. On the back was a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms. A lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake all encircling a large H. Was this from a relative of his dad? Arth called out to his father. "Hey dad, Do you have a relative by the name A. Kingscrown?" "Not any that I remember, why the random question?" Arth looked back at the envelope. "We just received a letter that has the name Mr. A. Kingscrown and our address written down in green ink." "What?" "The letter is a bit yellow and on the back there is a purple seal with a lion, snake, a badger, and an eagle." Arth heard the sound of a pan dropping and furious feet running towards him. His dad and mom ran into the room with hidden excitement. His father reached out his hand. "Show me the letter boy." Arth complied and handed over the yellow envelope. At the sight of it, the mother let out a gasp. "It is unmistakable." Arth''s father seemed to get even more excited. "It is definitely it honey, our son is one of us!" Arth looked up at the figures of his parents that were trembling with happiness. "What exactly is that envelope?" Arth''s father had put on a face of realization. "I''m sorry Arth, I shouldn''t be leaving you out." "Who is that letter for?" "The letter is for you my son. Go on, open it." Arth skeptically opened up the letter and read. HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) Dear Mr. Kingscrown, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress After finishing the letter, Arth glanced back at his parents who were still radiating excitement. "What does this exactly mean?" "It means, my boy. It means that you have gotten into Hogwarts." His father once again ruffled Arth''s hair, but this time, with a little more passion. "It means... that you..." The whole room brightened up at the smile of his father. "It means that you... are a wizard." 2 Diagon Alley Aria woke up from her faze. "Oh dear, how I wished for this day to come. I wished and dreamt but who knew that it actually would! I must prepare, a party, no a feast!" While murmuring to herself, Arth''s mother ran out the room. A few seconds later, Arth could hear the clamoring sound of pots and pans. Arth''s father chuckled. "Can''t really blame her. She''s been wanting to reveal the truth to you for several years. Instead, she got something even better. You rascal, always the pride and joy of our family aren''t you?" Arth looked up to the smiling face of his father. "What do you mean by wizard? Are you saying that I can do... magic?" The warm brown eyes of his father seemed as though he was looking into his soul. "Have you ever had a moment where you angry and suddenly things start to go your way? Have you ever experienced a miracle beyond scientific explanation?" Arth went silent. Maxwell smiled. "So you have experienced it before, the taste of magic." "Are you a wizard too?" "I am indeed a wizard, and so is your mother, she is a hella good witch." Arth seemingly started to scrutinize the floor as if looking for any trash to pick up. Seeing this, Arth''s father sighed. "What is it my son. Is there something that doesn''t sit well with your mind?" Arth stopped looking down and gazed back into the eyes of his father. "Did you guys adopt me because you knew I was a wizard?" Maxwell''s eyes softened. "My son, we had no idea that you were a mage when we adopted you. In fact, we would''ve gotten you no matter whether you could cast a spell or learn how to operate the electric box muggles call television." "What is a muggle?" "Non magical people, anyways. We don''t care whether you are a wizard or not. You are our son. Nothing less, only more." Arth once again put a smile on his face. Chuckling, Maxwell nudged Arth on the shoulder. "Go on now, celebrate. Your mother is cooking up a feast, can''t be all gloomy on a day for festivity? Can we? Now let''s go stuff ourselves like beasts." Just on time, Aria called out from the kitchen yelling that food had just been served. Arth ran to the kitchen, hugged his mom, sat down and started to wolf the food down. His father soon joined in. "Eat up, we have a busy schedule ahead of us." Arth tilted his head. Seeing this, his father started to explain. "Now that you''re accepted into Hogwarts, we need to get your school materials. Open your letter, there is another sheet isn''t there." In the midst of eating, Arth took out his letter and there was indeed another piece of paper. HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY UNIFORM First-year students will require: 1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) 2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear 3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) 4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) Please note that all pupils'' clothes should carry name tags COURSE BOOKS All students should have a copy of each of the following: -The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk -A History of Magic by Bathilda -Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling -A Beginners'' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch -One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore -Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger -Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander -The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble OTHER EQUIPMENT -wand cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set -glass or crystal phials -telescope set -brass scales Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS Arth looked up from the list with skepticism. "Can we really obtain all of these here? I''ve never even heard of any of these books? And where can I get wand?" His father let out a smirk. "Of course its impossible to find any of these materials, that is, if you don''t look in the correct place." "So where do go to buy these." His father checked the watch and murmured to himself. "I guess we are a bit behind... he leaves for Hogwarts in September... today''s date is... Bloody Hell, it''s already the 29 of July!" With a startling gasp, Mr. Kingscrown whipped out an elegant black stick from nowhere. "Ahhhh, where''s my pen... pen... damn, ACCIO PEN!" There was a slight rattling noise as a pen came zooming towards them from somewhere within the house and landed safely in Mr. Kingscrown''s palm. Hurrying towards a piece of paper, Mr. Kingscrown scrambled a jumble of words onto it at the speed of sound. After he finished, he threw the paper towards the window that magically opened to allow the letter to pass by. "OI KING, TAKE THIS TO HOGWARTS!" In response, the great horned owl from earlier flew out of its neon house and caught the paper in between its two claws. "Oh how could I forget the envelope!" Mr. Kingscrown pointed his wand at another piece of paper and caused it to chase the owl. When the paper came in contact with the letter, the paper enveloped it perfectly leaving behind a perfectly sealed letter. Arth watched all this happen with a flabbergasted gaze. "That was amazing!" Hearing the compliment, Mr. Kingscrown allowed himself to put in a somewhat smug grin on his face. "It is nothing my son, you''ll learn to do the same in your upper years at Hogwarts." "How did you keep it a secret from me all these years? It must have been hard?" Mr. Kingscrown chuckled. "It was indeed hard, I still can''t stand the way you have to wait in traffic to go places. How much easier is it to just Apparate there directly? Your mother, on the other hand, seems to enjoy muggle cooking a great deal." Mr. Kingscrown started to search around the house. "Hmm, where did I put it? Oh, here it is." Mr. Kingscrown took out an old jar that contained a glittery powder. After obtaining the mysterious powder, Mr. Kingscrown walked towards the fireplace. Curious, Arth couldn''t help but ask. "What is that Dad?" "This is what we call Floo Powder, you take a pinch of powder, step up into the fireplace, and throw it down while shouting the name of the place you want to go. Of course, it needs to be a place that''s registered by the Floo Network. It can''t be some random muggle house. It''s mainly used by families with young wizards who can''t apparate." "What is apparating?" "Just think of it as teleporting." Mr. Kingscrown got into the fire place while holding a bit of Floo Powder in his hands. The fire seemed to be doing no harm the him and seemed to playfully frolic around his legs. "Remember, say the name clearly. Diagon Alley." With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose in height to engulf Mr. Kingscrown. The next second, he was gone. Understanding the underlying concept, Arth grabbed a bit a Floo Powder and walked into the fireplace. The insides of the fireplace was surprising neat and clean, the flame had once more turned playful and was warm at touch, not at all harmful. Still in a state of wonder and amazement, Arth threw the powder down. "Diagon Alley." With a lurch, he felt as if he was sliding down a really steep slide. He felt the whirl of the emerald flames going at a pace that churned his breakfast. He tried to maintain his balance all the while spinning and managed to succeed. And then it was over. When he realized the spinning had stopped, he looked up and saw the smiling face of his father. "Welcome to Diagon Alley." 3 A Wand, the Boy, and Raven "Well done my son, I applause you for not falling down at your first experience in Floo Powder travel. It is quite the feat. Means you got a good head and fine balance." "Thank you dad." "Hahaha, I remember my first experience at Floo travel just like it was yesterday. You see, I threw up all over the fireplace after I had arrived, pity that my brother appeared right after I did. Was covered in my bile he was. Never did quite forgive me for that, at least, not until I covered for him the one time he was caught by our mom trying to hex my elder sister''s broom. I said it was he was only trying to clean it for her, for practice when he gets his own broom." "Why would you need a broom?" "You see my boy, in the wizarding world, we have this sport called quidditch. It''s basically like the muggle sports soccer and basketball combined except that you fly around on brooms." "Oh, sounds fun." "It indeed is." Even when he tried to stay calm, Arth couldn''t help but swivel his head around in excitement as his eyes scanned all over the place. He saw many ladies with robes similar to his mother''s, except a bit more flashy, wizards with bizarre clothes and hairstyles. And magic. The was magic everywhere. A young man was waving his wand to control a broom to sweep the floor, a bar had levitating cups that magically refilled, and a shop that had a bunch of weird but equally fascinating creatures. It was quite the sight. Arth had even seen a bear like giant man walking around with a skinny boy around his age who had black hair and round glasses. Mr. Kingscrown guided Arth through the crowd of wizards and witches until they arrived at a narrow and somewhat shabby looking shop. Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. The golden letters that were imprinted over the door were starting to peel, worn from age. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. Mr. Kingscrown turned around and faced Arth. "My son, do you know what the most crucial tool of a wizard is?" "A wand?" "Exactly my boy, I''m so proud to have an intellectual son like you." Mr. Kingscrown grandly gestured at Olivanders with pride and worship. "This shop is probably one of the best wand makers in the entire world. Bought my own wand here when I was your age, and it has never let me down since. Except in transfiguration." Mr. Kingscrown gave Arth ten golden coins. "Go in and buy your wand and after you finish, go to the shop over there. The one that reads Madam Malkin''s Robes for All Occasions. I''ll go get your books and equipments in the meantime. You can use the remaining money to buy yourself something to eat. It''s about time for lunch anyways." Arth glanced at the ten golden coins and frowned. "How exactly does money work here?" Mr. Kingscrown slapped his head in realization. "Sorry Arthur, I forget how much I forgot to tell you about our society. Seventeen silver Sickles to a golden Galleon and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle, it''s easy enough." After handing Mr. Kingscrown his list of books and materials, Arth proceeded to head into the shop. A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as he stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single chair. Arth peeked begins the counter and looked at the hundreds of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. "Good afternoon," whispered a quiet voice. Surprised, Arth gave a quick turn in order to find the source of the voice. An old man stood before him, his bright, pale eyes illuminating like eerie lamps in a dark cave. "Hello, I presume you are here for a wand?" Said the man with his silvery eyes not blinking a single time. "I don''t seem recognize you? What''s your name sir?" Arth quickly responded. "Arthur Kingscrown." The man raised his eyebrows. "Child of Maxwell and Aria Kingscrown?" "Er- Yes. That''s them." The man stared intently at Arth. Arth wished the the man would blink once or twice, it was starting to get a bit unnerving. "Well Mr. Kingscrown, I am Ollivander. Which is your wand hand?" "Er- I''m right handed if that''s what you mean." "Hold the ark out please. Mr. Ollivander measured Arth from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Kingscrown. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard''s wand." Mr. Ollivander let go of his hold on the measuring tape and went of flitting around shelves taking down boxes, all the while the tape measurer measured Arth by itself. "Oak wood and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches. Stiff but strong, take it and give it a wave." Arth took the wand and waved it. It had reached about over his shoulders when Mr. Ollivander snatches it out of his hands and opened another box. "Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." Arth once again raised it near above his head when the wand was once again snatched away by Mr. Ollivander. "Tricky customer, no matter. I''ll find you a wand soon." However, the more wands Mr. Ollivander gave to Arth, the more wands Mr. Ollivander took away. The most concerning thing to Arth was that the more failures Mr. Ollivander had, the happier he became. Soon, Arth got used to the atmosphere of the shop and gazed around the shop, albeit a bit bored. His eyes caught an ordinary black box that looked just like the rest. For some reason though, Arth couldn''t take his eyes off the wand. Mr. Ollivander noticed this and followed Arth''s eye and traced it to the box. He pulled out the box and opened it. "Cedar and wolf hair, eleven and a half inches. Well suited for magic in general." Arth grabbed the wand and felt an indescribable feeling of warmth. The tip of the wand exploded into a blinding blade of white before settling down to pulsing glow. Mr. Ollivander started to clap. "Bravo, oh yes indeed. Very good performance." After paying seven Galleons for his wand, he went to go buy his robes. After he bought three sets of work robes, a hat and some gloves, he found an ice cream shop and ate. He soon found his father in front of a store called Eeylops Owl Emporium. "Hello dad." "Oh hello Arthur. Did you get your wand?" "Yes." "Perfect! Now your only one step away from becoming a fabulous wizard." Arth glanced skeptically into the store. "Why were you in front of an pet store?" Mr. Kingscrown scratches his head embarrassed. "Well, you mother gave you a feast as a congratulations gift, I thought it would be appropriate to buy an owl for you as another gift." "So this is where you got King." Arth was silently reminded of the conversation with Mr. Watson earlier that day... Twenty minutes later, Arth and Mr. Kingscrown left the shop with an additional small black bird that rested on Arth''s head. "Are you sure you want this baby crow? And owl is way more useful, it can carry letters back and forth." Arth happily shook his head. "I''m fine, I quite like this guy. He can always grow and I''m sure he won''t be any worse than an owl. I can always use king to send a letter back when you send me things. And father, it''s a raven, not a crow." "As long as your happy, my son." After that, a month quickly passed and it became time for Arth to go to Hogwarts. 4 Hogwarts Express Arth and his parents arrived at Kings Cross at ten forty five. They were given odd looks due to the attire of Mrs. Kingscrown and the amount of luggage Arth possessed in his cart. The fact that Corvus, the baby raven that Arth had gotten, was sitting proudly on top of Arth''s head also did not help them seem any less conspicuous. "How exactly do we get to platform nine and three quarters? I''ve checked the map beforehand and there was no platform none and three quarters." Mr. Kingscrown let out a slight smile before stating, "If muggles could ride the train at any moment, it wouldn''t be a wizard train wouldn''t it?" "What does that mean?" "You''ll see soon enough darling." Grumbling to himself, Arth started to count the platform numbers as he passed them by. "One... two.... six... seven... eight... and nine." Arth stopped counting and glanced around looking for a platform nine and three quarters. Sadly, he didn''t succeed. He was about to ask his parents once more when he saw a large family of redheads pass by. The eldest boy of the red head family suddenly broke off into a march straight into the dividing barriers between platforms nine and ten. Unable to believe his eyes, Arth focused on the redhead family once more. This time two brothers that looked like twins ran into the barrier and disappeared. He turned around to face his parents. "Do you have to run into a wall in order to reach platform nine and three quarters?" "Yes indeed." The skinny boy with glasses he saw at Diagon Alley seemed to ask the mother of the brothers that had just ran in. After all of the redheads entered the gate, Arth decided it was his turn. He directed his cart to head straight into the barrier. Right at the moment when the cart was about to hit the barrier, Arth closed his eyes expecting and impact. However it never came. Arth opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was lying patiently as young children boarded the train. Checking behind him, Arth saw an iron archway with the words platform nine and three quarters. He had made it. A few seconds later, his parents entered through the archway with a nostalgic smile. "I can still remember our first day on the train." "We shared the same compartment didn''t we? At that time, you were short and scrawny." "But ain''t I strong and handsome now?" "Oh you~." A bit uncomfortable, Arth turned away from the sight of his parents flirting. He wished that he could teleport away when he noticed that a few people were chuckling at his parents. He went off towards the back searching for an empty compartment. When he found one, he proceeded to heave his trunk up onto the train door. With great effort, he managed to get it into one of the corners of the compartment and sat down his chest heaving. A boy with black hair and round glasses poked his head in. Arth and the boy met eyes and awkwardly stared at each other. The boy gave an awkward smile as he said "Hi, the other compartments are rather full, so would you mind if I sit here?" "Er, I don''t mind at all." Seeing the boy struggle with getting his truck in, Arth couldn''t help but sigh. "The trunks are sure heavy, I had trouble too." "Yeah... it... is," the boy said while gasping for air. Arth winced when he saw the boy attempt to lift his trunk up the steps but could hardly raise one end and dropped it painfully on his foot. "That looked painful. Need a hand?" "Yes please," the boy panted. However for some reason, the boy''s trunk was about twice as heavy as his own. The two failed at dragging the trunk and crouched down to rest. "Why... does... your... trunk weigh... so much?" Asked Arth with a pained expression. "I... don''t... really know... either," replied the boy. "Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins that Arth observed at the barrier. "Yes, please," the boy panted. "Please do, this guys trunk weighs a ton. "Oy, Fred! C''mere and help!" With the twins'' help, the boy''s trunk was at last tucked away in another corner of the compartment. "Thanks," said the boy, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. In that moment, Arth''s eyes contracted as he saw a lightning shaped scar on the boy''s forehead. "What''s that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at the boy''s scar. "Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you-" "He is," said the first twin. "Aren''t you?" he added to Harry. "What?" said Harry. "Harry Potter, "chorused the twins. "Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am." The two boys gawked at him, and Harry started turning red. Arth saw this and sighed to himself internally. Fame was not always a good thing. He had read some books over the month and understood a few more things in the magic society. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, his magical feat of making the Dark Lord disappear mysteriously. Although most admired him, he felt nothing but pity. Not pity, but something more on the lines of understanding the pain of losing a loved one. A voice came floating in through the train''s open door. "Fred? George? Are you there?" "Coming, Mom." With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train. Harry sat down next to the window on the opposite side of Arth. Arth pulled up the window and waved at his parents. "BYE ARTH! REMEMBER TO STAY SAFE, AND BE KIND TO THE PROFESSORS! AND STAY AWAY FROM THE WHOMPING WILLOW!" Arth smiled. "KAY, BYE MOM, DAD." "SEE YOU AT CHRISTMAS!" The train began to move. Arth felt a great leap of excitement. He would finally get to explore magic. After reading about it for a whole month, his fingers twitched in anticipation. The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in. "Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat next to Harry. "Everywhere else is full." Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn''t looked. The boy had a black smudge on his nose that was very eye catching. "Hey, Ron." The twins were back. "Listen, we''re going down the middle of the train, Lee Jordan''s got a giant tarantula down there." "Right," mumbled Ron. "Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. And... who were you again?" Asked Fred, or George. "It''s Arthur, you can call me Arth." "Oh, nice. See you later, then." "Bye," said Harry, Arth, and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them. "Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out. "Er, Yes?" "Wow... I thought it was just Fred and George kicking around... do you have that.. you know..." Arth raised his eyebrows. "Scar?" "Yes! Exactly, scar. Thank you... erm..." Arth rolled his eyes. "Didn''t I just introduce myself? It''s Arth." "Oh, thanks Arth." Ron turned towards Harry once more causing Arth to feel a bit complicated. Was his presence that weak? Arth took out a book from within his trunk and started to read. "Do you remember anything from... you know who?" "Nope, only green flashes of light." "Wicked." Harry spoke up. "Is your entire family made up of wizards?" "Yes, except for my mom''s second cousin. He''s an accountant, we never talk about him." "You must know loads of magic already then." Said Harry a bit jealous. "I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?" "Horrible -well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I''d had three wizard brothers." "Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I''m the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I''ve got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left -- Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy''s a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they''re really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it''s no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I''ve got Bill''s old robes, Charlie''s old wand, and Percy''s old rat." Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep. "His name''s Scabbers and he''s useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn''t aff -- I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron''s ears went pink. He seemed to think he''d said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window. Arth, who was keeping quiet the entire time interjected with a nonchalant voice. "Money isn''t everything. You can gain more money than anyone else when you become successful. That is, if you have the talent. And just because others compare you to your brothers, doesn''t mean you yourself have to. No one can be anyone but themselves so just succeed in your own way." Arth turned to face Harry. "And you don''t have to worry about being a failure at magic. Kids aren''t allowed to use magic anyways and some people are in the same boat as you, muggleborns who had no idea what magic was until they recurved their letter. In fact, I''m one of them." Ron gaped in awe. "How do you know so much about us then? You sound like a person who lived with magic his entire life." Arth shrugged. "I''m a muggleborn who has a wizard and witch as adopted parents. I wasn''t aware of magic until recently, my parents didn''t want me to feel left out. However, I lucked out and turned out to have magic powers in me. My parent filled me in about the wizarding world and I also read some books." A smiling dimpled lady slid back the door and asked, "Anything off the cart, dears?" Harry leapt to his feet while Rob quietly murmured something about sandwiches. Arth got up quietly. "I''ll take the lot." "I''ll just have some chocolate frogs." After eating a few, Arth decided he had enough and gave the rest to Harry and Ron. Arth took out a book and started to read. However, after about a few minutes, Arth couldn''t help but take some Bertie Bott''s Every Flavor Beans and joined in on the fun. Soon the compartment was filled with laughter. The door opened and a round faced boy entered. "Sorry," He said. "Did you see a toad at all?" Harry and Ron shook their heads. "You''ll find him eventually. Everything that goes to Hogwarts eventually get found, so don''t worry." Arth had finally recovered from a excrement flavored bean and opened a book swearing to never touch them ever again. "Ok," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him please tell me." He left. "Don''t know why he''s so bothered," said Ron. "If I''d brought a toad I''d lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can''t talk." The rat was still snoozing on Ron''s lap. "He might have died and you wouldn''t know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn''t work. I''ll show you, look..." Ron took out a wand that looked as if it was on the verge of breaking. He was about to cast a spell when the door opened again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville''s lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. "We''ve already told him we haven''t seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn''t listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let''s see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback. "Er -- all right." He cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep. "Are you sure that''s a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it''s not very good, is it? I''ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it''s all worked for me. Nobody in my family''s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it''s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I''ve heard -- I''ve learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough -- I''m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you." She said all this very fast. Ron and Harry looked shocked while Arth raised his eyebrows. "I''m Ron Weasley," Ron muttered. "Harry Potter," said Harry. Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course -- I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you''re in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century." "Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed. "Goodness, didn''t you know, I''d have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you''ll be in? I''ve been asking around, and I hope I''m in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn''t be too bad.... Anyway, we''d better go and look for Neville''s toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we''ll be there soon." And she left, taking the toadless boy with her. Arth sighed. "I''m a just invisible to everyone? Why is that everyone just ignores me?" Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "Umm... sorry to ask, but who are you?" Arth blankly stared disbelievingly at Ron. "I''m just joking mate, just messing with ya." Arth pulled out his wand with a threatening glare. "I might not have a wand but I do know some spells. Want me to test them out?" Ron paled while Harry roared with laughter. Ron meekly gave Arth a pumpkin pasty as a tribute and Arth reluctantly accepted. After talking with Arth, Ron knew that Arth enjoyed wizard news. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It''s been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don''t suppose you get that with the Muggles -- someone tried to rob a high security vault." Arth''s eyes lit up. "Really!? Isn''t Gringotts supposed to be one of the best banks out there?" "Yep, that''s why everyone is scared, they think that you know who was behind it all." Soon after they changed clothes, the door opened once more. Ron complained, "Why does everyone open our door without knocking, can''t you people knock?" Three boys entered, one of whom Harry seemed to recognize. "I heard that Harry Potter was in this compartment. Is it true?" He said while looking at Arth. Happy that he was noticed, Arth let out a smile. "Sorry, But I''m Arthur. Harry is the boy with black hair and glasses." The boy gave an inquisitive look at Arth before moving on to Harry. "Hi Harry, my name''s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. Pleasure to meet you." Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigget. Draco Malfoy looked at him. "Think my name''s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry. "You''ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don''t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry''s, but Harry didn''t take it. "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly. Draco Malfoy didn''t go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. "I''d be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you''re a bit politer you''ll go the same way as your parents. They didn''t know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it''ll rub off on you." Both Harry and Ron stood up. "Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair. "Oh, you''re going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered. "Unless you get out now," said Harry. Ark watched Ron and Harry with a book in his hand. He imagined what would actually happen if they fought, Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than Harry or Ron. "But we don''t feet like leaving, do we, boys? We''ve eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the chocolate frogs and Ron let out an angry yell. However, before they could engage in a fist fight, Arth drew out his wand. "Those are my chocolate frogs. Can you please take your hands off that?" Goyle dumbly stared at Arth before turning back towards Draco. Draco glanced at Arth and his wand before frowning. "Lets go, it''s beneath me to fight against the blood traitor and scar boy." The three boys left, however, they knocked down an assortment of chocolate frogs onto the floor on there way out. Arth silently stared at the frogs on the floor with a sad face. Harry and Ron sat down still fuming. "Can''t believe that guy," said Harry. "I know his family," said Ron. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they''d been bewitched. My dad doesn''t believe it. He says Malfoy''s father didn''t need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." The door opened and Hermione entered. "Why does it look like there was a fight going on in here?" "That''s because a fight almost went down on here." Hermione tilted her head and placed a finger in her cheek. "And you are?" Arth twitched as Harry and Ron attempted to keep their laughter in check. "I''m Arthur, you can call me Arth." From somewhere inside the train, a girl shouted. "LOOK! ITS HOGWARTS!" They had arrived. 5 Sorting Ha A few minutes later, voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes'' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Arth managed to get out unscathed from the crowd. Suddenly, a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and a familiar bear like man came over to the students. "Firs'' years! Firs'' years over here! All right there, Harry?" The man''s big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. "C''mon, follow me -- any more firs'' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'' years follow me!" Arth turned to face Harry. "Is he a relative?" "Nope," said Harry with a grin, "Thats Hagrid. He''s more of a friend." "Figures, I wouldn''t believe you had the same genes even if you let me put you in the Imperius curse." "What''s that?" Arth frowned, "It''s a mind controlling spell that can make you do anything. The Dark Lord used it along with his followers to control people and for entertainment." "How is it used for entertainment?" Harry asked puzzled." Arth darkly stared at Harry. "When I say anything, I mean anything. Forcing suicide was only one of the easiest ways to control someone. I''ll leave it at that." Seeing Ron and Harry shudder, Arth sighed. "Nothing to worry though, it''s banned to use it. Anyone caught will be sentenced to capital punishment." They followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. Arth on the other hand was thrilled. "Dude, look at the scene! The air is fresh, forest is gloomy, the fog looks amazing. Straight out of a horror scene." Harry winced. "I think you should stop. Neville looks like he''s about to puke." Arth turned back, he did seem a bit pale. "Ye'' all get yer firs'' sight o'' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus'' round this bend here." There was a loud "Oooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. "No more''n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Arth, Harry, and Ron were followed into their boat by l Hermione. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!" The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyonestared up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. "Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff. They all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. "Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them. "Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Arth chuckled and turned towards Hermione. "See? Didn''t I tell you? All thing that go to Hogwarts will get there eventually." Hermione gave him an annoyed eye roll. They clambered up a passageway after Hagrid''s lamp, coming out right into the shadow of the castle. Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face "The firs'' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit a basketball court inside it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches with magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. They could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, probably originating from the older students who had gone a different way, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. "Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." She paused to make sure everyone was following along before continuing. "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." She seemed to wait for everyone to fully understand what this meant. That messing up wouldn''t harm only you but your whole house. Arth sighed while glancing at the two seemingly natural troublemakers next to him. Ron and Harry gave him questioning looks and Arth responded with another weary sigh. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville''s cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron''s smudged nose. "I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." After she left the chamber, Harry swallowed nervously. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron. "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Arth snorted. "What would they test you with? If the four houses represent bravery, pride, intelligence, and Loyalty, they would have to make us do a test for each an every one. This isn''t possible as we are sorted one by one and would take a lot of time." "So what do you reckon it is?" "Probably something like a crystal ball that tells you your house or a statue that changes color when you touch it. Since every house has its own color it wouldn''t be hard and be fairly quick as you only need to place your hand on it." Everyone who has been listening to the conversation seemed to visibly relax. Then suddenly, several people behind him screamed. "What the --?" About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -" "My dear Friar, haven''t we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he''s not really even a ghost -- I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered. "New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know." "Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony''s about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Feeling oddly nervous yet excited at the same time, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Arthur let our a gasp of admiration, even though he had read about it in a book, it was still a sight to remember. The room was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. The ceiling was a velvety black dotted with stars. "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in-" "Hogwarts, A History," said Arth who couldn''t resist in intervening. Hermione raised her eyebrows as if surprised before turning away. "Why am I so hated?" Sighed Arth before glancing back to the ceiling. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn''t simply open on to the heavens. An excellent use of magic, thought Ark. He wondered when he would be able to learn it. Arth quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a old pointed wizard''s hat. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat began to sing. "Oh, you may not think I''m pretty, But don''t judge on what you see, I''ll eat myself if you can find~ A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I''m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There''s nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can''t see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you''ve a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You''ll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don''t be afraid! And don''t get in a flap! You''re in safe hands (though I have none) For I''m a Thinking Cap!" The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. "Wow, you really were right, instead of a crystal ball, it''s a hat!" Said Ron delightfully. "I''m going to kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." Arth snorted at the incredibly stupid answer. Harry just wryly smiled. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause. "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. "Bones, Susan!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. "Boot, Terry!" "RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. " Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers. "Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" Arth noticed that the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Most likely people who share some personality traits." "What?" "Nothing." "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor. "Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned. When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. There weren''t many people left now. "Perks, Sally-Anne" "Potter, Harry!" As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. "Potter, did she say? The Harry Potter?" Arth sighed when the hall full of people craning their necks to get a good look at Harry. The pressure that Harry would be feeling right now was something he couldn''t imagine. It took quite a long time before the hat responded. "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry took the hat off and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table while receiving the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he''d seen earlier and waved at Arth and Ron to hurry up. Arth sighed. And now there were only four people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron''s turn. He was pale green by now. Right after he put the hat on, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Arth clapped lazily with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to Harry. "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Arth sighed. Why was he always unlucky. Professor McGonagall cleated her throat before yelling out his name. "Kingscrown, Arthur." Arth walked up to the hat and pout it on gracefully before sitting on the chair. Albus Dumbledore, A man with a hooked nose, and McGonagall all watched on with a raised eyebrow. It was probably because he was too calm. Arth shrugged. Who cares. Arth felt a probing voice in his head. "Who do we have here? A boy who''s blood I don''t recognize, muggleborn?" "Yes," replied Arth calmly. "Hmmm," said the hat. "You have a great mind, you would rise in Ravenclaw, however your sense of loyalty would also place you in Hufflepuff. Yet there is ambition inside of your heart, one that is well hidden yet still exists. But your thrill for adventure cannot be overlooked as well. Which house do you think you belong?" Arth let out a cheeky grin. "If you have read my mind. Then you already no the answer. Stop playing mind tricks and give me the answer." The hat froze. "Interesting, I guess you have a point. What a shame for the other houses, you would have done equally good in all of them. However, I know exactly which house you would flourish in the best. GRYFFINDOR!" Arth took off the hat and saw that out of the entire Gryffindor table, Ron and Harry were clapping their hands off, while Hermione grudgingly did a small clap. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Arth didn''t know whether to laugh or not. "Is he -- a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy uncertainly. "Mad?" said Percy airily. "He''s a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" "Mad often does describe geniuses, and Harry, you are a lot earlier so why are you looking as if you were starved for years?" Harry''s mouth was drooling and honestly, no matter what he said, Arth Didn''t blame him. The dishes in front of them were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. Absolutely delectable looking. With no more words, they feasted. 6 Dormitories At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahem -- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore''s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. "He''s not serious?" he muttered to Arth. "Must be," interjected Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It''s odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we''re not allowed to go somewhere -- the forest''s full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." "And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Arth noticed that the other teachers'' smiles had become rather... Stoney and he soon understood why. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" Arth watched horror as the whole whole school started to sing, awfully. "Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please, Whether we be old and bald Or young with scabby knees, Our heads could do with filling With some interesting stuff, For now they''re bare and full of air, Dead flies and bits of fluff, So teach us things worth knowing, Bring back what we''ve forgot, just do your best, we''ll do the rest, And learn until our brains all rot. Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. By this point, Arth realized that he''d rather be a muggle than sing that song again. "Ah, music," dumbo said, wiping his eyes, which caused visible veins to pop out of Arth''s forehead. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. The people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him. "Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself" A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered instead. "Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. "Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked. "Go away, Peeves, or the Baron''ll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville''s head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. Ron let out a sigh. "What a pity that he dropped his sticks on Neville, he needed those brain cells for the already dreadful memory he has." Harry sniggered while Arth just cooly smiled. "You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron''s the only one who can control him, he won''t even listen to us prefects. Here we are." At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers -- they found their beds at last:The six four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, everyone else pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. Arth sighed. "If you guys are already this tired, how will you last in the school year?" However, no one answered. They had all fallen asleep. Arth sighed again and took out a book. "Why do I get the feeling that staying with these people will make me tired?" A tiny caw sounded from one of the cages. Arth glanced at it and realized it was his Corvus. "Come out here Corvus," said Arth while opening the cage. He fed the happily jumping Corvus some leftover meat that he had purposely snuck from the dining hall. It took Arth a few minutes to realize that what he fed Corvus was chicken. Feeling a bit weird at the sight of Corvus munching happily at the chicken he decided it was best to not mention it. Although the shop owner said Corvus was a normal raven, it showed some signs of intelligence. After skimming through all of his course books once, Arth decided it was time to sleep. He placed Corvus on a small makeshift ledge he had created and watched as Corvus started to roost. He then put away his books and went to sleep. 7 Classes "There, look." "Where?" "Next to the tall kid with the red hair." "Next to the one carrying books?" "Did you see his face?" "Did you see his scar?" Arth sighed. "I don''t know worse, being surrounded for being famous or having to go through people pointing at you like some exhibit." People started to follow Harry from the moment he left the dormitories this morning. This caused Harry to be on edge the whole time. Arth believed, no knew, that if Harry and Ron were left to their own devices in finding their classes, they would get lost like baby lambs. There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn''t open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren''t really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and the coats of armor could walk. Arth could vouch for it since he had seen it in person. In summary, it was very difficult for students to find out how to get to places. Except for a very few individuals. "Ron, that''s the wrong staircase, that''ll lead you to the dungeon." "Harry, that door is actually just a wall, so stop trying to force yourself in." Arth sighed. "Is it really that hard to memorize how to get to classes?" Harry and Ron glanced at each other before facing Arth with a wry smile. "It''s not us who''s abnormal, it''s actually you who memorized the interior of Hogwarts." "Yeah, sometimes, I wonder if you really are an eleven year old like us." A dust colored cat with lamp like eyes appeared and meowed. Arth started to frown. "From now on, you guys will follow my direction. Otherwise we will be late to class." "Can I please kick her once?" Asked Ron flaring spitefully At Mrs. Norris. "That''s animal cruelty Ron." "I refuse to accept that thing as an animal." Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch''s. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she''d whisk off for Filch, who''d appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick. The classes were, in Arth''s opinion, fabulous. They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. It was very relaxing and soothing because Arth had already memorized the location locations of most of the planets and stars already. Plus, the view was breathtakingly beautiful. However, Harry and Ron were totally clueless about most of them, they couldn''t find the star even when Arth described it for them. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Another absolutely amazing class. Easily the most info packed class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. Or that''s what he had heard from older students. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry''s name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight. Arth was starting to have doubts on whether these people were teachers of the best wizard school in the world. All of Arth''s suspicions were blown away when he met Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall was different. She wasn''t a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn''t wait to get started, but soon realized they weren''t going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. While disappointed, Arth just shrugged it off. He doubted he could do it on his first try anyways. After taking a few notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. At first Arth had trouble with transforming the match. "Hmmmm, how exactly does one change wood into metal? Or is it that the sheen is actually wood with silver color? But how does it get the color? And how does one destroy or crest mass? Interesting..." "Shut up Arth, you giving a stronger headache." Harry and Ron didn''t show too much success either. Harry had furrowed his eyebrows while pointing at the match while Ron had accidentally snapped the match in half due to anger. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione and Arth had made any difference to their matches; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile while she complimented Arth on how his had started to resemble a needle. Arth had realized one crucial factor when casting transmigration spells. Screw muggle science. The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell''s lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. In fact, it was Arth''s most hated class. All he did was share personal experiences that seemed to be fake. For an example, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather. For another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went. The class was a waste of time. Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once. Although Arth did help point the way once or twice. "What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge while Arth was reading a book. "Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape''s Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them - we''ll be able to see if it''s true." "Wish McGonagall favored us, " said Harry. "She isn''t that strict." "That''s because you are an abnormal bookworm." A bunch of screeching noises resounded throughout the hall and a bunch of owls descended like holy messengers. Arth had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast. In fact, King, his parents'' Great Horned Owl came with a letter from his mother, which he responded to quickly. Hedwig, Harry''s owl, dropped a letter and ate some food off of Harry''s plate before flying away once more. From the midst of owls, Arth could see a small black bird cawing happily towards him. "Come here Corvus." Like a loyal dog, Corvus landed on Arth''s shoulder and nibbles affectionately on his ear. Ron looked on with jealous eyes. "Wished I had an owl, bloody useful. However, how is it that your crow seems so adorable when compared to owls?" "It''s a raven, did you hear that Corvus, people think you are adorable." After feeding Corvus, a bit of food, he watched as his crow cawed happily and flew out in a wobbly manner. After looking around, he did see a lot of girls eyeing Corvus with curious looks. "My, my, how my crow has grown..." "Yep, he is no longer invisible like you." "!!!" Arth started at Corvus who was receiving more attention by the minute and compared himself to it. He... he felt like dying. People had finally started to recognize Ron as Ron instead of "boy with red hair," while Arth was still "boy with books." Arth wanted to see if there was a potion that could make oneself more visible, or noticeable. Seeing that Harry was engrossed with his letter, Arth leaned in close. "What is it about?" Harry smiled, "Hagrid is inviting me to a cup of tea on Friday at three, want to join." "Sure." "Fine with it, will he have some food?" Asked Ron. "Probably." Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry''s name. "Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new -- celebrity." Harry flushes while Ron started to frown. Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black, cold, and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word -- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. A sign of a good teacher. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don''t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren''t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Arth was starting to get excited. Although a bit cold, Snape was teaching the essence and necessity of potions. Arth looked around to see the others reactions. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows while Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn''t a dunderhead. He should''ve expected this. Ignoring the other students, he wrote down Snape''s speech, word by word, in his notebook. "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Arth flinched as he had almost screamed out the answer. Looking at Hermione furiously waving her hand did not help either. "I don''t know, sit," answered Harry. Snape''s lips curled into a sneer. "Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn''t everything." He ignored Hermione''s hand. "Let''s try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Harry looked as though he didn''t have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. Somewhere in the class, Arth heard Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle laugh. "I don''t know, sir." "Thought you wouldn''t open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" At this point, Arth was on the point of groaning. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling. "I don''t know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don''t you try her?" Arth went pale, just as how Professor McGonagall was one not to cross, Arth was sure that Snape belonged to the same group. A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus''s eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, as expected, was not pleased. "Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren''t you all copying that down?" Everyone started to write down the answers to the questions except for Arth. This did not go unnoticed by Snape. "Did I not make myself clear Mr..." Arth felt like crying. "It''s Arth, Arthur Kingscrown." Snape analyzed Arth with his cold, calculative eyes. "Why are you not copying down the answers Mr. Kingscrown?" "Ah... that''s because I wrote them down while you were speaking." As to show proof, Arth handed his notebook over to Snape. Snape read the contents carefully and suddenly froze. "Why did you copy my speech about the essence of potion making, Mr. Kingscrown?" A bit embarrassed, Arth replied, "It is because I saw importance in your speech professor Snape." Snape looked at Arth with an emotionless gaze before he turned around and continued on with his class. "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter." Harry groaned but didn''t stop writing the information down. Things didn''t improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. Harry and Ron were in a pair next to Neville and Seamus while Arth was paired with Hermione. Arth weakly smiled at Hermione. "Hi..." However, she coldly ignored him. Arth sighed. He started to scan the room for anything entertaining, he was sure that Hermione wouldn''t mess a simple potion up. His eyes froze when he got to Neville. "Ah, wait Neville, don''t add the porcupine quills-" It was too late. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus''s cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people''s shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. "Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Arth winced before turning around to hide his face. However, when he faced the other way, Hermione was gazing into his eyes. Caught off guard, Arth raised his eyebrows. "What?" It took Hermione a while to answer. She turned away and glanced at Neville with a worried expression. "Nothing." Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. "Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. "You - Potter - why didn''t you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he''d make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That''s another point you''ve lost for Gryffindor." Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron causing Harry to shut his mouth. After exiting the dungeon an hour later, they walked towards Hagrid''s with a depressed Harry. "Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape''s always taking points off Fred and George." "I guess," said Harry, with a little bit more vigor. At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid''s voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang -- back." Hagrid''s big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. "Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang." He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. "Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Arth and started licking his face. Happy for the attention, Arth gave him an equal amount of love. "This is Ron, and the other one is Arth." Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. "Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron''s freckles. I spent half me life chasin'' yer twin brothers away from the forest." The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, Ron was immediately depressed as he was expecting good food. They told Hagrid all about their first -lessons. While they were talking, Harry glanced at a newspaper on the table underneath a tea cozy. Harry let our a gasp. "Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might''ve been happening while we were there!" Hagrid seemed to be a bit nervous at Harry''s words. Arth on the other hand, was too busy playing with the dog to intercede. Who cares about a robbery. As they walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes. Harry seemed to be deep in thought while Ron was trying to get rid of the rock cakes. Arth was... reading a book. 8 The Duel Arth had always wanted to fly a broom once in his life. Ever since he was told about quidditch by his dad, he had been hooked onto the game. In fact, he had even bought a book called Quidditch through the Ages. His dream was made reality when he woke up and saw the notice in the Gryffindor common room Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday. Harry and Ron didn''t like it as much when they realized they were sharing classes with the Slytherins. "Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy." "You don''t know that you''ll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy''s always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that''s all talk." "In fact, he might even mess up," Arthur said without looking up from his book. Ron sighed in exasperation, "Can you drop that book for once? What are you even reading?" Arth closed his book. "It''s Hogwarts: a history, you should read it. It''s pretty good." Arth heard someone drop something from behind his back. "You read that old book? I don''t know how can stand it, It''s so boring and useless," said Ron with a disgusted face. "Really? I find it quite interesting." "Is it really, should I give it a try?" "Stop Harry, If you take that one step, you''ll become a book nerd who is as inconspicuous as Arth." "Shut it Ron. Nerds aren''t inconspicuous." "But you are." Arth whipped out his wand and pointed it at Ron. "I''m not doing your homework for you anymore." Arth smirked and Harry laughed as Ron''s face got gradually paler. Arth took this time to look around and saw Hermione picking up some books that had fallen to the floor. She was unlike herself as she was pacing around reading as many books about flying while she still had the time. However, Arth saw this as fruitless, this was something you couldn''t learn by heart out of a book. He looked around and saw that everyone was a bit nervous. Especially Neville. Arth sighed. At breakfast on Thursday, Hermione told those who wanted to listen flying tips she''d gotten out of a book. Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later. Hermione''s speech was interrupted by the sudden arrival of mail. Harry got no mail as usual while Neville had gotten something from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke. "It''s a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there''s something you''ve forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "You''ve forgotten something..." Neville was trying to remember what he''d forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand. Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfay, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash. "What''s going on?" "Malfoy''s got my Remembrall, Professor." Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table. "Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. Arth shook his head. "I swear that something bad is going to happen during the flying lesson." "I hope it''s going to be Malfoy, I could punch him in the face. Might wipe that smug grin off his face," growled Ron who sat down with a loud humph. Arth rolled his eyes. "Just don''t fall for his taunts. Last thing we need is to lose more points." At three-thirty that afternoon, Arth, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance. The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." Arth glanced down at his broom. He could swear that if someone rode it for anymore that thirty minutes, it would snap. "Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say ''Up!"'' "UP!" everyone shouted. Harry''s broom jumped into his hand at once, and so did Arth''s. Hermione Granger''s had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville''s hadn''t moved at all. Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he''d been doing it wrong for years. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -" But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch''s lips. "Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising at a very fast pace. Everyone saw his scared white face look down at the ground, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom. A bone chilling crack resounded as Neville lay facedown on the grass. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight. Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you''ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ''Quidditch.'' Come on, dear." Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him. No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins joined in. "Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil. "Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you''d like fat little crybabies, Parvati." "Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It''s that stupid thing Longbottom''s gran sent him." The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up. "Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch. Malfoy smiled nastily. "I think I''ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find -- how about -- up a tree?" "Lets be reasonable Malfoy, we don''t have to do this." Malfoy sneered. "Oh really, are you going to stop me Mr. Kingscrown." "I don''t think that throwing someone else''s possession onto a tree is rational, especially when they are an unrelated party. Don''t you think?" "I don''t know. But I do know that I don''t like useless crybabies like him. I''m thinking that the forbidden forest is also a nice location." Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn''t been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" Harry grabbed his broom. "No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you''ll get us all into trouble." "She has a point," added Arth. "Please don''t be driven by your anger, be a rational-" However, Harry ignored their warnings. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared. He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned. All Arth could hear were indecipherable words and facial expressions. Harry leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfay like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people started to clap. Seeing the midair fight, Arth groaned. "This idiot, I can''t believe it." Arth grumbled before grabbing his broom. Hermione looked on with horror. "Are you seriously going to chase after them?" Arth wryly smiled. "What else can I do? Let them kill themselves due to a brief moment of spite?" "But you might get expelled." Arth calmly leapt on his broom and gave a slight grin. "I wouldn''t be a friend if I didn''t help him out. A little threat like expulsion won''t deter me." He too blasted off from the ground. On his way up, he started to hear a bit more clearly. "No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called. The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy. "Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground. Arth saw the Remembrall shoot through the air and groaned. He put on a burst of speed, and caught up to the Remembrall. He had grabbed it when he glanced down and saw that his broom was about to snap. With no time to think, Arth threw the Remembrall at Harry who caught it and got as low to the floor as he could. When Arth was about ten feet above the ground, the broom snapped and Arth fell to the ground. Arth tried to minimize the impact by twisting his body into roll and tumbled into a bush. "HARRY POTTER!" Professor McGonagall was running toward them. "Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously. "How dare you - might have broken your neck-" "It wasn''t his fault, Professor -" "Be quiet, Miss Patil." "But Malfoy --" "That''s enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now." It was only after Harry and Professor McGonagall leave, did Arth decide to get out of the bush. Seeing his classmates stare at him blankly. "...So does this mean that I''m not in trouble?" "I can''t believe it," said Hermione. "You actually managed to escape trouble like that?" "That was bloody amazing! Was that you first time?" Exclaimed Ron. "I guess it was, pretty thrilling I would say. I might ask my parents for a broom." Arth stared at the castle with a complicated look while looking at the Remembrall in Ron''s hand. "So what do we do now?" Ron asked. "We can go give the Remembrall back to Neville and wait to see if Harry got expelled." "Bloody shame, Harry was wicked himself too. Would have made a bloody good seeker." Robs face lit up. "Hey Arth, you would make a great seeker too, you reckon you can join next year?" Arth just sighed before standing there waiting for Madam Hooch to come back. It was dinnertime when Harry come back from meeting Professor McGonagall. He told Ron and Arth what had happened when he''d left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he''d forgotten all about it a long time ago. "Seeker?" he said. "But first years never - you must be the youngest house player in about a..." "Century," said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. "Wood told me." Ron was so amazed that he could close his mouth for a long time. "I guess you were right Ron. Apparently Professor McGonagall also noticed Harry''s talent." "Bloody hell I''m right. When do you start training?" "I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don''t tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over. "Well done," said George in a low voice. Wood told us. We''re on the team too - Beaters." "I tell you, we''re going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven''t won since Charlie left, but this year''s team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us." "Anyway, we''ve got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he''s found a new secret passageway out of the school." "Bet it''s that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up. "Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" "You''re a lot braver now that you''re back on the ground and you''ve got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. "I''d take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard''s duel. Wands only -- no contact. What''s the matter? Never heard of a wizard''s duel before, I suppose?" "Of course he has," said Ron. "I''m his second, who''s yours?" "Stop being foolish Ron, he just escaped expulsion and now you want to make him do something else that might get him expelled." Whispered Arth so that Malfoy couldn''t hear. "Trust me, I know what I''m doing," whispered back Ron. "Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We''ll meet you in the trophy room; that''s always unlocked." When Malfoy had gone, Harry looked at Arth questionably. "What is a wizard''s duel?" said Harry. "And what do Ron mean by him being my second?" "Well, a second''s there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry''s face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy''ll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway." "That doesn''t justify why you accepted. I swear you are going lose all of our points," sighed Arth feeling as though tears were about to come out. "You guys make my life so difficult." "Excuse me." They looked up. It was Hermione Granger. "Can''t a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry. "I couldn''t help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying-" "Bet you could," Ron muttered. "-and you mustn''t go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you''ll lose Gryffindor if you''re caught, and you''re bound to be. It''s really very selfish of you." "And it''s really none of your business," said Harry. "Good-bye," said Ron. "She has a point, you should really consider not going to the duel. It could be a trap for Malfoy." Ron weirdly stared at Arth. "You know, you and Hermione sound awfully similar sometimes." Arth shrugged. "Maybe it''s a characteristic of people who are smart." Ron went quiet. Later during the night, seeing that there was a figure sound asleep in Arth''s bed, Ron and Harry quietly snuck out. "Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we''d better go. We might be late." They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can''t believe you''re going to do this, Harry." A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown. "You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!" "I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy -- he''s a prefect, he''d put a stop to this." Furious, Ron was about to grab Harry''s arm and march out when another voice called out. "Is this the part where I join in?" Ron, Harry, and Hermione whipped their head around to identify who the voice came from. In the chair furthest from them, hidden in the shadows was Arth, merrily sipping on tea from who knows where. Hermione paled. "When did you get there? I was waiting for Ron and Harry to sneak out at eleven." Ron unbelievingly stared at Hermione. "You were waiting for us for thirty minutes?" Arth let out a wry smile. "I was here since ten. Did you not notice me wave?" Harry and Ron dropped their jaws. "I guess... I didn''t see you..." Arth silently cried in his mind before turning to the somewhat guilty duo. Harry weakly gave a smile. "Was it not you who was sleeping in the bed?" Arth gave a chuckle. "I just placed a pillow to make it seem like I was sleeping. I knew that you guys wouldn''t check it clearly." Arth narrowed his eyes. "You should thank the gods for your luck, unlike Miss Granger over there who was being lenient, I almost told Professor McGonagall." Harry and Ron let out an involuntary shiver. Ron asked quietly as if he was a prey meeting his predator. "So didn''t you?" "I thought that if I intercede today, you''ll do the same thing at a later time without learning your lesson." Arth sighed in defeat. "So I''m going to let you guys go to show you the consequences of being reckless." "Come on," Harry said to Ron, ignoring the well planned speech Arth had prepared for them. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. Hermione wasn''t going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose. "Don''t you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don''t want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you''ll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells." "You know they don''t car about a word you say? Why do you think I gave up." "Doesn''t mean you have to stay there and watch them mess up." "Oh well, see you guys, hope you can convince them Hermione, I''m going to go back in." Arth was about to go back in when he noticed that Neville was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as he crept nearer. "Thank goodness you found me! I''ve been out here for hours, I couldn''t remember the new password to get in to bed." "Oh Neville, the password is pig snout." "It doesn''t matter," said Neville sadly. "The fat friar went to another painting." Arth froze and then sighed. He led Neville back to where Hermione was still trying to convince the boys to give up. "Go away. We''re not going to drop it, So mind your own business." "All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you''re on the train home tomorrow, you''re so --" "It''s too late," interrupted Arthur with a sigh. "the Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit so we''re locked out of Gryffindor tower." "Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly. "What other choice do we have? We have to go with them." Replied Arth with a gloomy voice. The five of them proceeded to meet up with Malfoy and his goons in the trophy room, with Arth reluctantly guiding the way. 9 Third-floor Corridor They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. Arth seemed to be extraordinarily good at finding the way that wouldn''t get them caught. In about five minutes, they had arrived at the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room. Malfoy and Crabbe weren''t there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand while Arth walked around admiring and reading off of the trophies. The minutes crept by. "He''s late, maybe he''s chickened out," Ron whispered. Arth groaned. "We''ve been had, it''s a trap. Sure enough, someone started to speak In the next room. "Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Harry waved madly at the other four to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door. Neville''s robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room. "They''re in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding." "This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run -he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, who poked Arth in the eye, before crashing into a suit of armor. The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle. "RUN!" Harry yelled, and the five of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following. They swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, due to Arth still experience pain and partial blindness. They ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room. "I think we''ve lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering. "I really want to hit you once, just once. Hard enough to hurt." Glared Arth. Hermione felt the same way. I - told -you," Hermione gasped, struggling for air, "I -- told -- you." "We''ve got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible." "You don''t say?" Arth said with a voice dripping sarcasm. "You were right..." said Harry a bit dejected. "It was a trap." "You realize that now, don''t you? He was never going to meet you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off," said Hermione, to much of their displeasure. "Let''s go," said Arth, all the while still glaring at Harry and Ron. It wasn''t going to be that simple. Harry had managed to lead them somewhere Arth had never seen. They hadn''t gone past more than a few rooms when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. Arth groaned. "Whatever you do, don''t provoke him. Especially you Ron." "What do you mean-" It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. "Shut up, Peeves. Please, you''ll get us thrown out," whispered Harry. Peeves cackled. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties. Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you''ll get caughty." "Not if you don''t give us away, Peeves, please." "Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It''s for your own good, you know." "Get out-," snapped Ron, and was about to take a swipe at Peeves when a hand held him back. "Ron, shut the hell up. I am this close to punching you in the face, so before I snap, be quiet and stay put," said Arth with bone chattering cold voice. Arth turned to Peeves. "Hey Peeves, we meet again." Peeves cackled with delight. "You''re the little boy who told me to throw mud all over the second floor. You were right, the old git did indeed despise that." Hermione gasped. "It was you!" Arth just dismissed it with a wave. "Don''t mind it, it is just a small harmless prank." Peeves narrowed his eyes. "So what do you want smarty warty Arthy?" Everyone had put on a weird face as they discovered a new side of Arth, one that was very mischeivious. "Well, I know that you aren''t going to let us go quietly, but instead of getting us in trouble, imagine if you pulled a fast one on Filch." Interested, Peeves let out a nasty grin. "How do you propose that?" Arth returned the grin, "You give us time to run, attract Filch by yelling that we''re here, and then..." "Then what?" "Tell him nothing." "!!!" Everyone stared at Arth with surprised looks. Indeed this would make Filch very aggravated. Peeves narrowed his eyes in deep though before holding up five fingers which slowly went down one by one. Immediately understanding his intention, Arth signaled for them to run. Sure enough, a few second later, they heard a yell. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR" They ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door - and it was locked. Hermione snarled. "I am SO going to tell your brother after all of this - Alohomora!" The lock clicked and the door swung open -- they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. "Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me." "Say please." "Don''t mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?" "Shan''t say nothing if you don''t say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice. "All right -please." "NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn''t say nothing if you didn''t say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. "Worked like a charm," said Arth, before turning around to inspect the room. "You reckon he''ll, check this room?" Asked Ron with a worried expression. "He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we''ll be okay - get off, Neville! What do you want?" However,they heard the somewhat grim voice of Arthur answer instead. "Well... it seems that we had made a mistake..." "What do you mean-" Harry turned around and saw, quite clearly, what. The others soon followed. They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads, three pairs of rolling, mad eyes, three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction, three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs. It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Arth knew that the only reason they weren''t already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise. "Everyone don''t move, or scream, or do anything that might make it attack us." "HOW ARE WE-" "Silencio." A mysterious force took hold of Ron''s vocal cords rendering him incapable of speech. Arth had enough of Ron''s bullshit, especially when his life was at stake. "Everyone, starting with Harry, exit the door one by one, slowly. No sudden movements, please. I don''t want to die quiet yet you see." Harry slowly opened the door and walked outside, and so did Hermione. Neville, who was a bit too tense, ended up tripping. The dog immediately went to action as it lunged for Arth. Arth bent backwards to make a ninety degree angle between his heels and the back of his head, miraculously dodging the snap of the dog''s middle head, before he led it into a back handspring out of the door. Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn''t see him anywhere, but they hardly cared - all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn''t stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor. "Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces. "Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs. It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he''d never speak again. "What do they think they''re doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does." Arth just coldly glared at Ron and Harry before walking up the stairs to his bed. He could hear Hermione berating them as he left. He got in his bed and closed his eyes, still fuming with anger. 10 The Broom For the next few days, Arth didn''t speak to Ron and Harry. He would use the secret passageways to avoid meeting Harry and Ron when he had to go to class and try his best to stay hidden from them when at the dining hall. However, after a week had passed, Arth started to feel a bit suspicious. He saw that Harry and Ron were actively searching for him to apologize yet they could never seem to find him. Even when he once walked pass them in the corridor, for some reason, he hadn''t been seen. In fact, it was only durning Professor Bin''s class where Arth finally received a letter written by Harry which only simply read. I''m sorry. Arth sighed before writing down ''shut up'' in small and neat handwriting before throwing it back towards Harry. The letter came back to Arth almost immediately. I am really sorry, it was our mistake for not listening to you. I''m sorry too- Ron. Arth scribbled downanother sentence before passing it back once more. Don''t want to hear it. Arth heard the furious scribble of pen before the paper was once more returned to Arth. We have something very important to say, can you please meet us after class ends? Arth sighed before turning around to glare at Ron and Harry. When their eyes met, Ron put on an awkward smile and was waving cautiously while Harry put on a pleading face. Arth could only sigh before turning around to listen to Professor Bin. When the bell rang, Arth packed up his bag slowly, waiting for the duo to appear. Sure enough, they did. "You guys better have a good reason why you''re making me stay and wait for you guys." "It is, I swear," said Harry. "But before that, I just want to say that we''re really sorry." "Yeah. Very sorry, we''ve been repenting." "Don''t want to hear it, so what is it that you want to tell me?" Said Arth with a stoic face. "Did you see what the dog was sitting on?" Asked Harry while getting a gradually more exited. Arth raised his eyebrows. "Are you talking about the trapdoor? Is this about what the dog is guarding?" "...wow, geniuses sure do think alike." Sighed Ron in amazement. "To think it took us that long to realize it too..." "Well," said Harry, "a thing Hagrid told me came to mind when I realized that the dog was guarding something. Hagrid said that Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide - except perhaps Hogwarts." Arth narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying what I think your saying?" "Yes, what if it was vault seven hundred and thirteen was the one that got broken into and the package that Hagrid took out of vault seven hundred and thirteen is now in the trapdoor under the dog?" Arth stared at Harry in amazement. "I''m going to take back all the thoughts of me thinking that you were an idiot, you are a genius Harry." "What about me? I helped a bit." "Shut it Ron, you are still not in the clear." Arth sighed. "It''s amazing and all, but honestly, I don''t see a point in finding out. The headmaster probably knows what he is doing." Ron was flabbergasted. "Don''t you want to find out what is in there?" Arth had finally finished packing up his stuff. "Well I presume that if there is a giant three headed dog standing guard, it''s not meant forchildren like us to put our head into, you know? I almost lost my head last time I did." Ron went silent. "However, I won''t stop you guys, in fact. I''ll even help you guys. As long as you don''t do anything stupid like going back into that room." "Why are you going to help us?" "Because, I''m curious to what it is." Harry let our a hesitant grin. "Does this mean we''re in the clear now?" Arth blankly glanced at the somewhat pitiful faces of Harry and Ron. "Fine," Arth sighed. "Your crimes are forgiven." The three boys walked to their next class with linked arms and, to Arth''s annoyance, a tad bit tardy. The next morning, the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone''s attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. The owls soared down and dropped it right in front of Harry, knocking his plate to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel. Harry ripped open the letter first, then handed the note to Ron to read in glee. A moment later it was passed to Arth. "A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I''ve never even touched one." "Wow," Arth said with an eyebrow raised. "Isn''t that a hundred galleons? Isn''t that very generous of her?" "She must really want to win the cup this year," exclaimed Ron. They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy attempted to seize the package from Harry but stopped when Arth whipped out his wand with an annoyed look. "That''s a broomstick," he said to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You''ll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren''t allowed them." Ron couldn''t resist it. "It''s not any old broomstick," he said, "it''s a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you''ve got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they''re not in the same league as the Nimbus." "What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn''t afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." "It also seems that your father isn''t as great as you said, seeing that you don''t have a broom to flaunt. Or maybe it isn''t that you don''t have a broom? Maybe it''s just because your ashamed to compare your broom, afraid to lose out on the so called insignificant Harry Potter," said Arth cooly. Everyone froze. Ron was staring at Arth as if he was a golden Nimbus. Malfoy narrowed his eyes in absolute fury as he drew his wand, his hand trembling. A bright red flush crept up Malfoy''s face causing him to look a bit silly. Luckily, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy''s elbow, before any pain could be delivered. "Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked. "Potter''s been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly. "Yes, yes, that''s right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?" "A Nimbus Two Thousand, sit," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy''s face. "And it''s really thanks to Malfoy here that I''ve got it," he added. Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy''s obvious rage and confusion. "Well done Harry, it was way better than my comeback," laughed Arth. "Well, it''s true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn''t stolen Neville''s Remembrall I wouln''t be on the team...." "So I suppose you think that''s a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry''s hand. "I thought you weren''t speaking to us?" said Harry. "Yes, don''t stop now," said Ron, "it''s doing us so much good." Hermione marched away with her nose in the air. Arth sighed. "Why are you guys so hard on her? It''s not like she''s hating on you or anything." "She''s a busybody that can''t leave us alone. And her stuck up attitude that makes her look like a know it all," spat Ron. "Really? I find that part about her quiet charming." Seeing that Ron and Harry had put on gagging faces, Arth frowned. "What?" The sound of a book falling down resounded as a familiar girl with bushy brown hair hurriedly ran past them with flushed cheeks. Seeing this sight, Ron let out a face filled with horror. "You reckon she heard us? Please don''t start making out with her, I don''t think I could stand it."Said Ron, which earned him a slight smack on the back of the head. "Don''t be an idiot Ron, I said charming, not love. I won''t date until I''m fifteen, my mom would kill me otherwise." They finally arrived at their dormitories and unwrapped the broom. "Wow." "...Absolutely stunning." Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top. It was a fantastic broom. As seven o''clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. Ron played wizard chess with Thomas, and Arth... read a book. 11 The Troll On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they''d seen him make Neville''s toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry''s partner was Seamus while Arth had Neville to look after. Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn''t spoken to any of them since the day Harry''s broomstick had arrived. "Now, don''t forget that nice wrist movement we''ve been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too -- never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ''s'' instead of ''f'' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest." It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it, Harry had to put it out with his hat. Arth didn''t have such a good time either, every time Neville waved his wand, Arth felt an unexplained feeling of danger. Ron, at the next table, wasn''t having much more luck. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill. "You''re saying it wrong," Arth heard Hermione snap. "It''s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ''gar'' nice and long." "You do it, then, if you''re so clever," Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. "Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger''s done it!" Seeing that Neville was distracted, Arth casted the spell causing the feather to stick to the roof. He watched in relief as Neville clambered around trumping to find it. He didn''t think he would live past the class if he let neville continue to practice. Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It''s no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she''s a nightmare, honestly." Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. They caught a glimpse of her face and was startled to see that she was in tears. "I think she heard you." "So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must''ve noticed she''s got no friends." Arth sighed. "I will be very surprised if you end up getting a wife, you have no talent in reading the hearts of girls." Ron grumbled. "And where did you get that? From a book?" "Nope, from intelligence." That shut Ron up for the rest of the trip. Hermione didn''t turn up for the next class and wasn''t seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls'' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but forgot when he saw where the Halloween decorations. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet. Arth was just about to eat a specifically delicious looking turkey egg when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore''s chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll -- in the dungeons -- thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore''s wand to bring silence. "Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" Arth sadly looked at the untouched whole turkey. He tried to save it for later when Ron grabbed him before he could. "Do you really feel like eating right now? We have a TROLL!" "Who gives a damn, this is probably the safest place for us so let me at least take a leg." Alas, it was too late. "Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I''m a prefect!" Damn it. They walked back to to the dormitories in a manner that reminded Arth of baby turkeys following a turkey mom. "How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs. "Don''t ask me, they''re supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke." "Peeves isn''t that much of an idiot, he wants to cause chaos for sure but he wouldn''t go overboard like this. Dumbledore would expel him out of the castle if he did." They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron''s arm. "I''ve just realized that Hermione-" "Doesn''t know about the troll." Arth said groaning. "Why is it that every time something goes bad, the worst situation happens around a you two." "We need to go warn her," Ron bit his lip. "Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy''d better not see us." Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls'' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them. "Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin while Arth hid in a dark and gloomy corner. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. "What''s he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn''t he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?" "Beats me." "Dumbledore must have sent him on a mission, it''s none of our business. Let''s hurry up and find Hermione and get back to our rooms before we get caught." Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape''s fading footsteps. Ron held up his hand. "Can you smell something?" Arth sniffed and recognized the foul stench, a smell that was like a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. "God damn, I swear that one of you is cursed." They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room. "The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in." "Good idea," said Ron nervously. Arth took a glance at the room and froze. Without a moment of hesitation, he ran into the room and let out a yell. "HERMIONE, IF YOU ARE IN THERE, STAY PERFECTLY STILL! THERE IS A TROLL IN THE RESTROOM! IT REACTS TO SOUND!" He ran out immediately after screaming as the troll lumbered after him into the hall. Seeing that Ron and Harry were standing there, dumbstruck, Arth couldn''t help but want to scream in frustration. "STOP STANDING THERE! RON-" Arth dodged the incoming club with a lunge to the side. "GO FIND A TEACHER! HARRY, YOU GO SEE IF HERMIONE IS IN-" The troll swung again. "THE BATHROOM!" Ron immediately took flight while Harry snuck into the bathroom. Seeing all of this, Arth let out a sigh before dodging the club once more. He whipped out his wand and screamed, "LUMOS!" A bright light radiated from the end of his wand as the troll screamed in pain. While it was blinded, Arth tried to remember any spells that could potentially defeat a fully grown troll. Sadly, although he knew the spells that could, he couldn''t perform those spells quite yet. "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" It didn''t work. Seeing the wooden club, Arth had an idea. "INCENDIO!" The whole club burst into flames and burned the trolls hand. The troll screamed an earth shattering cry of pain and threw away the club before turning around to glare at Arth. Both of them stood still facing each other. Arth let out a wry smile. "This is why I hate being a hero. Ahhh, I want to read a book." The troll gave a snort before charging towards Arth with its arms open. Arth attempted to slide under it, but the troll accidentally slipped and fell causing Arth''s leg to be caught in between the troll''s arm and the floor. As the troll attempts to right itself, its arm grinder into Arth''s leg causing excruciating pain. Suddenly, a spell came into his mind and Arth pointed his wand at the troll''s face. "TENEBRIS CONFODERE!" A thin black projectile erupted from his wand and pierced through the trolls eye and exited at the back of its head. Arth sighed as he put his arm down and lied on the cold floor gasping for air. The pain from his right leg could no longer be ignored and Arth could slowly see his vision starting to darken. He could see a worried Harry running towards him with a crying Hermione following along. The last thing he could remember was tell Harry, "You... Idiot... next time... let''s leave... it... to... the... teach..." Arth saw darkness. 12 New Friend Arthur woke up to the sound of loud footsteps, still feeling pain. Seeing that he was still in the hallway under a dead troll, he concluded that he had passed out for only a few minutes. Arth groaned in pain when he tried to pry the troll off him. Seeing this, Harry ran towards him. "You ok mate?" "Yeah, although it seems as though I have broken my leg." Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape and Ron, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Hermione and Harry. Arth had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. "What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Arth glanced at Hermione, who looked as if she had just cried. Probably because she had "You''re lucky you weren''t killed. Why aren''t you in your dormitory?" Harry looked at the floor with a guilty gaze. Then a small voice came out. "Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me." "Miss Granger!" "I went looking for the troll because I- I thought I could deal with it on my own. You know, because I''ve read all about them." Ron dropped his jaw from behind the teachers and Arth almost forgot that he had a broken leg. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? That was like a house elf slapping his master in the face. "If they hadn''t found me, I''d be dead now. Harry got me out of the Bathroom and Arthur killed the troll. They didn''t have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." "Arthur? Mister Kingscrown is here? Where is he?" Arth let out a bitter laugh. "I''m over here, er... under the troll... think I might have a broken leg." Professor Snape jumped back while Professor McGonagall flinched. "And plus, Granger is lying. She was in the bathroom when Professor Quirrell warned us so she had no clue about the troll. Harry and Ron thought that we should at least try to warn her before going back to the dormitories. However, with our luck, we managed to stumble across the troll heading into the bathroom that Granger was in. Thus this result came to be." "If that''s the case, five points from Gryffindor, for lying to the teacher." Hermione put her head down while Ron glared at Arth. "However, I do see the reason behind your lying, and in fact, I admire it. Ten points to Gryffindor. If you''re not hurt at all, you''d better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." Hermione left happily not before glancing at Arth. Arth gave a weak wave from underneath the troll. Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron. "Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." "Um," said Arth, intentionally raising his voice. "I''m really sorry but can someone please get the troll off me? It''s starting to really hurt." "Sorry Mr. Kingscrown, I''ll get you out of there," Said Professor McGonagall a bit red. "I should''ve helped you earlier, my mistake Mr. Kingscrown." After the troll was removed, Arth tried to stand however winced. "Yep, my leg is definitely broken." "I will take you to Madam Pomfrey, she will fix you up." Arth waved goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and followed Professor McGonagall to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey, a rather nice yet strict woman, mended his bones and told him to sleep. Arth sighed as he was looking forward to eating a turkey leg. "What did I expect, even if she heals my bones in an instant, it is best for me to rest." Arth glanced around for a book, and settled on one called One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. It was only when he had finished the book, did he feel the creeping drowsiness. He put the book aside and turned off the lamp right next to him. The next morning he was released and went back into the Gryffindor common room where Ron, Harry, and Hermione were waiting for him. Arth raised his eyebrows. "I''m guessing that you two are chill with Hermione now?" Harry shrugged. "There are some things you can''t share without ending up liking each other, and surviving a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them." "Though," added Ron, "it would considerably help a lot I she would tone it down a bit." Which earned him a nasty glare from Hermione. "On the bright side, I got someone else who can help us with homework," Ron revealed with a smug look. "You can no longer threaten us with that, because Hermione is just as smart as you. Maybe even smarter." Hearing the compliment, Hermione gave a faint blush before looking at Arth as if she was challenging him. Arth just smiled. "That is great! Absolutely fantastic! Now I have more time to read." Ron dropped his jaw. Arth patted Hermione on the shoulder with a warm smile. "Thanks Hermione, you truly are a great girl. Please do help them out with homework, especially Ron, he might need a little help. And remember, don''t just tell them the answers, or let them copy off of you but make sure he understands the problem and answer. It''ll help them learn." "But that''s not what I wanted-" "He''s right Ron," exclaimed Hermione, "You won''t learn if I just teach you the answers." Seeing Ron groan, Arth let out a devious smile. He was going to go down for food when Arth saw Harry holding plate. On it was a delectable looking turkey leg. Harry scratched his head in an embarrassed manner. "Well, er... yesterday you seemed like you wanted to eat it so, er... I saved some for you?" Arth stared blankly at Harry before giving him a wide smile. "Thanks man, you are one bloody good friend." Arth took the plate and bit some meat off of the leg and ate with a fascinated look. "Even though it''s cold, it still tastes so delectable! Oh how fabulous. Thank Harry, you''re a lifesaver." Harry smiled. "If you really thank me, come and watch my game." Arth stopped gnawing on the turkey bone and raised an eyebrow. "You have your first game? When is it?" "In about a week, on a Saturday." "Ok then, I''ll be there cheering you on." It would be Harry''s first game. 13 First Game As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots. The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship. Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But it barely had any affect. But the news that Harry was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and now everyone had another reason to stare at him. It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn''t know how he''d have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. Arth gave Harry his book, Quidditch through the Ages, to study. Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules ever since Arth and Harry, maybe Ron, had saved her from the troll, which was a blessing for Ron and Harry because she would allow the two boys to copy off of her when Arth wasn''t looking. The day before Harry''s first Quidditch match the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and Hermione had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Arth noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape''s eye. He limped over. He hadn''t seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway. "What''s that you''ve got there, Potter?" "It was Quidditch Through the Ages." Harry showed him. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." Arth got up. "Sir, That is actually my book. I was lending it to Harry because he has a match today. Can I have it back sir?" Snape blankly stared at Arth before handing the book back. "It seems I was mistaken, however, remember that library books are meant to be kept within the school. Five points to Gryffindor, this time, it is a warning." "He''s just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what''s wrong with his leg?" "Dunno, but I hope it''s really hurting him," said Ron bitterly. "You shouldn''t say that about a teacher." "You just don''t know it," said Ron, "don''t you know that you are the only non Slytherin that he treats equally? He barely calls you out for anything." "He must see something inside me that he doesn''t see in everyone else." "Yeah, like you being an undercover Slytherin spy." Arth decided it was worth stabbing Ron in the rib cage with a wand. The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron''s Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy, due to Arth''s influence, but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway. Arth just shook his head at the sight before shifting his focus back to a book. The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheer ful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match. "You''ve got to eat some breakfast." "I don''t want anything." "Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione. "I''m not hungry." "Then give me that sausage, I''m hella starving." Harry passed the sausage over to Arth. "Are you not worried for him?" Said Hermione with a frown. Arth just shrugged. "It really is nothing to be nervous about. If you think about it. The worst thing that could happen is Harry breaking a bone or two. And when it happens, Madam Pomfrey will fix it in a snap. Trust me, I have experience." "Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Can''t run on an empty stomach." "Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages. By eleven o''clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes. Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors. Arth smirked at the pitiful banner and revealed his own. A majestic lion gave out a loud roar causing the whole stadium to go silent. The scarlet banner slowly floated up towards the sky as the lion aggressively snarled at the Slytherins. When the Slytherins returned the roar with a bunch of boos, the lion gave another loud roar but this time, it burst into scarlet flames, causing a lot of Slytherins to jump in fright. Ron stared at the spectacle with wonder. "How exactly did you make that Arth?" All of the Gryffindors around him tuned in to listen. "I used the skin of a dragon for the banner, because it''s fire proof, and dragon blood for ink. I had one of the teachers help me in making the lion move, I was inspired by the moving pictures you see, however, I lacked the skill to do it." "How did you get such a realistic looking lion?" Asked Hermione. "I drew it of course." Everyone dropped their jaws and stared at Arth incredulously. "Are you really a first year?" "Yep, I just read a few course books that cover classes up to the third year. I got the books from my mother, it was from when she was a third year. However, there may be some minor changes to the curriculum so I need to buy next years course books again. It''s better to be prepared isn''t that right?" "Amazing..." Arth was silenced by the deafening cheers that erupted from both sides. The players had entered. Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. "Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Arth noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. "Mount your brooms, please." Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -," "JORDAN!" "Sorry, Professor." The Weasley twins'' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall. "And she''s really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood''s, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he''s going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that''s Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that''s Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he''s blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can''t tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she''s really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. There was a distinguishable roar from the Gryffindor side as the lion once more burst into flame and was smugly Ewing the Slytherins. "Budge up there, move along." "Hagrid!" Arth, Ron, and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them. "Bin watchin'' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn''t the same as bein'' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?" "Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn''t had much to do yet." "Kept outta trouble, though, that''s somethin''," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry. "It''s best to just stay calm and wait until he sees the snitch, might be better if Harry went around flying erratically. Might distract the other teams seeker," said Arth. When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops causing Arth to groan. "Why is he doing that, just pay attention to the snitch you dummy." "Let him off," Ron said rolling his eyes. "He wants to let off some steam." "Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the- wait a moment - was that the Snitch?" A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear. Harry saw it And so did the Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch -all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch. Harry was faster than Higgs and he was going to catch it - Harry put on an extra spurt of speed when- WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below - Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry''s broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life. "Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again. "Ugh, should''ve expected they wouldn''t play fair," groaned Arth. "Send him off, ref! Red card!" "What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron. "Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you''re out of the game!" "But this isn''t soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him. Hagrid, however, was on Dean''s side. "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air." Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. "So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-" "Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall. "I mean, after that open and revolting foul-" "Jordan, I''m warning you -" "All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I''m sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. Arth got up, his face pale. "They need to stop the game." "What do you mean Arth?" "Something''s wrong with his broom." "What?" "I would''ve accepted it if it was one of the older model brooms, but Nimbus Two Thousands don''t just suddenly decide to buck their riders off." Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goalposts, however, his broom was completely out of his control. Harry couldn''t turn it. He couldn''t direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him. Lee was still commentating. "Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor - Slytherins score, oh no..." The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry''s broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying- him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went. Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry''s broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand. Arth almost yelled at Hagrid. "Hagrid, Harry is in danger. Tell the ref to stop the game." "Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered. "Can''t have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can''t nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand." Arth snapped. "IT DOESN''T MATTER HOW IT GOT CURSED OR HIJACKED! WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE STOP THE GAMES NOW!" At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid''s binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd. "What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced. "I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape - look." Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath. "He''s doing something -- jinxing the broom," said Hermione. "What should we do?" "Leave it to me." Before Ron could say another word, Hermione got up. "Hermione, it''s probably not Snape, he might be trying to save him instead- HERMIONE," Arth sighed as she disappeared, clearly not listening to his logic. "What is it with you three hating Professor Snape''s guts?" Ron ignored his remark and turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing. "Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. "I swear, this better work or else we are going to be killed." Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn''t even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well- chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape''s robes. It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row - Snape would never know what had happened. It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom. Arth frowned when he saw Professor Quirrell get knocked down and frowned even more when Harry''s broom stopped bucking around around the same time Snape realized he was in fire. Arth got up and left the stands and headed to the library without anyone noticing. "Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid''s jacket for the last five minutes. Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick - he hit the field on all fours - coughed - and something gold shone from his hand. "I''ve got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion. "He didn''t catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference - Harry hadn''t broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results - Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid''s hut, with Ron and Hermione. "It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn''t take his eyes off you." "Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn''t heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin'' like that?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. "I figured out something about him," he told Hagrid. "I think he tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him, that''s why he was limping. We think he was trying to steal whatever it''s guarding." Hagrid dropped the teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he said. "Fluffy?" "Yeah, he''s mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las'' year, I lent him to Dumbledore- top secret, can''t tell you what." "But Snape''s trying to steal it." "Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape''s a Hogwarts teacher, he''d do nothin'' of the sort." "So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. "Didn''t you listen to Arth? He had some good points about why it wasn''t Snape, where is he by the way?" "What do you mean Hagrid, he is right next to us-" the was no Arth to be seen. Silence filled the hut as Ron scratched his head. "It ain''t my fault, Arth is so... invisible. It''s like he wears an invisible cloak at all times." "Anyways," said Hermione, "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I''ve read all about them! You''ve got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn''t blinking at all, I saw him!" "I''m tellin'' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don'' know why Harry''s broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn'' try an'' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin'' in things that don'' concern yeh. It''s dangerous. You forget that dog, an'' you forget what it''s guardin'', that''s between Professor Dumbledore an'' Nicolas Flamel -" "Aha!" said Harry, "so there''s someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" Hagrid looked furious with himself. 14 Moon Time went by quickly, the Gryffindor''s celebrated in the common room with high spirits, feasting on the food that Fred and George had snuck out of the kitchen. Arth was writing on a piece of paper when Harry and Ron walked up to him. "Arth, where were you? We were at Hagrid''s and we discovered something new." Arth calmly rolled up the paper he was writing on and gave a smile. "About what?" "About the three headed dog." Arth frowned. "Didn''t we agree on not going back there?" Ron held up his hands defensively. "We didn''t, we just found out what it was guarding." "How did you find out?" Arth asked skeptically. "Hagrid told us." "He told you?" "More like accidentally let it slip, but yeah. He told us." "What did he tell you?" Harry adjusted his glasses before speaking up. "We found out that whatever it''s guarding, it involves Nicholas Flamel." "What did you say!" Asked Arth, opening his eyes wide with attention. "Did you say Nicholas Flamel?" "Y-Yeah." Arth took out the scroll he was writing on and wrote a few words on it before closing it back shut. Harry hesitates before tapping on the shoulder of Arth. "Who is... Nicholas Flamel? Hermione is in the library looking for any information but she hasn''t had any progress yet. I swear that I''ve heard of his name but I can''t remember where." Arth woke up from his daze and glanced at Harry and Ron with a complicated gaze. "Nicholas... Flamel... have you ever heard of the legend of a stone that can give everlasting life and riches?" Ron exclaimed while furrowing his brows in thought. "It was... um... my mum told me this story once... it was the sorcerers stone?" "Philosophers stone actually, but anyways, Nicholas Flamel, is the only known alchemist who has recreated it, at least, in the past millennium." Arth carefully inspected their faces before opening his mouth into a slight crescent. "I''m warning you, don''t go back into the third floor corridor, the headmaster knows what he is doing. They don''t need kids like us to butt in." "Chill out will you, we aren''t going to go back we swear." Said Ron, asserting an air of confidence. "I don''t want to die you know. Lets go tell Hermione Harry." Arth watched as the two left the room heading off to look for Hermione. After he had made sure that both of them had gone, Arth slumped down into the chair, visibly tired. "Hahaha, I shouldn''t have stayed up all night..." Arth grumbled to himself and put his books down while placing the paper on the desk. He whistled once to which a black bird answered to. "My dear Corvus." The black baby raven had now essentially grown into an adult. Arth didn''t know if it was what the school fed the owls or if it was just a magic bird thing but Corvus was at least twice the size of a normal raven. "I wonder Corvus, if you are just as smart as those owls." Corvus let out an indignant caw as if he was saying he was way better than them. Seeing this Arth let out a smile. "Ok, go take this to my parents. Also, don''t fight with king when you arrive at the house, ok?" Corvus shook its head up and down before grabbing a letter and taking flight. Arth watched as Corvus flew away, in his hand was a letter he had received from his parents this morning. Hello son, hope you are doing well in school. I just wanted to tell you that your mother and I will be out of the house this Christmas, we want to go skiing in the US. Don''t mind us and enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Trust me when I say their decorations are no joke. We will leave some time after November. Reply back, don''t want to miss your owl, or is it raven? Anyways, stay strong. Arth sighed and folded the letter neatly on top of the paper he was writing on earlier ago.It was just like his parents to go do something muggle like. It was no wonder they adopted him. Arth went into his room and got on top of his bed before closing his eyes. He went over the books he had read in his mind before falling asleep. Time passed by quickly, and mid-December had arrived. Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. Corvus had also somehow managed to battle his way through the storm, which Arth was proud of and gave Corvus a nice hot piece of meat. For next few mornings, Corvus walked around with his chest puffed up and cawed arrogantly at anyone who would listen. No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape''s classes down in the dungeons, where their breath condensed into a visible fog before them. Arth had created a small pendant for himself that contained a white flame which was very efficient for warming himself up. However, he was pressured into telling how he had made it by Hermione, who then proceeded to hand them out to fellow Gryffindors. "I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they''re not wanted at home." Arth would always silently cast a silencing spell on the three whenever they started to blabber a bit too much. He felt that it would cost less effort than actually telling them to shut it. When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it. "Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches. "Nah, I''m all right, thanks, Ron." "Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoys cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose - that hut of Hagrid''s must seem like a palace compared to what your family''s used to-" "...Silencio." Arth casted the spell on Malfoy again wondering when the first spell had worn off before giving a tired glance at Ron and Malfoy. "Can we just be quiet, I''m a bit tired of all this nonsense between the houses. I don''t care if you guys fight when I''m not around but please just don''t fight around me." Arth released Malfoy from his spell, which earned him a glare from Malfoy. "Do you think that just because you took down a troll, it makes you the king of all first years? Well let me tell you, my father is the-" A worn out voice interrupted him. "Silencio." Arth silently gazed at Malfoy who was trying to open his speak with tired eyes. "Go ask a fifth year student to help you get rid of it, I don''t care anymore." With that Arth stumbled away from the scene looking very worn out. Hagrid had a worried look on his face. "Is he ok? He looks very tired, he might be sick?" Ron shrugged. "He says he is ok, that he is tired from going to the library and reading books into the night. Don''t reckon he''s sick though, just tired." Hagrid let out a sigh of relief. "Well that''s good, ain''t to good to be tired all the time though, he needs some rest. Isn''t it almost the holidays? How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked. "Just one," said Hermione. "That''s good, be sure to have fun Hermione. You''ll need that rest." "Thanks Hagrid." "Bye Hagrid." The three of them ran towards the dining hall where Arth was slowly eating a turkey leg. Hermione sighed. "You really should eat something other than turkey, having a balanced diet is good for you." "Mhm." "How late do you stay up. I think that I''m starting to see dark circles spear from beneath your eyes." "It''s ok, I just don''t feel good whenever wintercomes. I feel like I''m always running on low energy. I do feel like sleeping though." Arth glanced up and smiled. "My parents were right." "What do you mean?" "The decorations are beautiful." The hall did look spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the hall, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. Once the holidays had started, Arth was a bit more active. He would spend the day in the library or in the common room spending time with Harry and Ron. Ron also started teaching them wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron''s set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family, in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren''t a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted. Harry and Arth took turns playing with the chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, who didn''t really trust Harry. They kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don''t send me there, can''t you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him." However, when Arth took control, they would immediately quiet down. In fact, even though they weren''t alive, Ron Harry and Arth could feel respect oozing out of the chessmen when Arth played. To be fair, Arth hadn''t lost a single chess match yet, to much of Ron''s frustration. On Christmas Eve, Arth was shaken awake by Ron. Next to him was an equally tired Harry. "Merry Christmas," said Ron to Harry as Arth got out of bed and put on his robe. "You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I''ve got some presents!" "What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry''s. "I would love a turnip, my mother makes delicious dishes with them," said Arth while looking at his pile. "It seems as though I have received a lot of presents." Ron glanced at Arth''s pile and widened his eyes. "How did you get so many presents? I thought that you didn''t have any wizard friends?" Arth ripped open a present and raised an eyebrow. "It''s from my first uncle, I think most of this is from my relatives?" "They send you presents?" "They did come over to our house a couple times. Although I did think they were weird when I met them, at least I know now that it was because they were wizards." Harry picked up a parcel Before giving a skeptical remark. "That''s friendly." "What is it?" asked Arth while opening his presents. "A fifty pence." "How friendly." Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence. "Weird!" he said, "This is money?" "You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle - so who sent these?" "I think I know who that one''s from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn''t expect any presents and - oh, no," he groaned, "she''s made you a Weasley sweater." Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge. "Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine''s always maroon." "Huh," exclaimed Arth, "I think I received one too. How does she know me?" Arth opened the parcel which revealed a black sweater. "I told her about you in a letter once." "It''s pretty nice, I like it. Give her my thanks for me." Arth was in the middle of opening parcels when Ron gasped. "I''ve heard of those," he said in a hushed voice. "If that''s what I think it is - they''re really rare, and really valuable." "What is it?" Asked Arth, a tad bit curious. Harry picked up a shining, silvery cloth off the floor. "It''s an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I''m sure it is - try it on." Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell. "It is! Look down!" Harry was now a floating head. His body body had mysteriously disappeared. "There''s a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!" "I''d give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What''s the matter?" "Nothing," said Harry. Arth let out a wry smile. "At least you got something useful, all I got were pretty knives and a few clothes." Arth revealed ten beautifully crafted daggers and a a black robe that looked as though it was made from the night sky. "Oh, it''s from my third uncle and his wife. Should''ve known, he did seem to be really into daggers." Before he could open more presents, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. "Merry Christmas!" "Hey, look - Harry and Arth got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G. "Theirs are better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry''s sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you''re not family." "Why aren''t you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they''re lovely and warm." "I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head. "You haven''t got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don''t forget your name. But we''re not stupid - we know we''re called Gred and Forge." "What''s all this noise?" Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized. "P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we''re all wearing ours, even Harry got one." "I - don''t - want said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew. "And you''re not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family." They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. The dinner was amazing. A hundred fat, roast turkeys, much do Arth''s delight, mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce, and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. After finishing, they went back to their room to sleep. Arth was just about to go sleep when he heard a creak. He saw that Harry''s bed was empty. Not wanting to waste energy, Arth went back to sleep. The next morning, Harry told him about his night adventure. "You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly. "You can come tonight, I''m going back, I want to show you the mirror." "I''d like to see your mom and dad," Ron said eagerly. "And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, all the Kingscrowns, you''ll be able to show me your other brothers, uncles and everyone." "You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren''t you eating anything?" "Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd." Harry did seemed as if he was... possessed. With Ron covered in the cloak and Arth walking behind them, they had to walk much more slowly and cautiously. They tried retracing Harry''s route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour. "I''m freezing," said Ron. "Let''s forget it and go back." "Yes, it is a bit risky. We might get caught. Every turn we take has a chance of us getting caught." No!" Harry hissed. "I know it''s here somewhere. It''s here - just here, yes!" They pushed the door open. "See?" Harry whispered standing in front of the mirror. All he saw was their reflections. "I can''t see anything." "Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them...." "I can only see you." "Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn''t see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image. "Look at me!" he said. "Can you see all your family standing around you?" "No - I''m alone, but I''m different, I look older and I''m head boy!" "What?" "I am - I''m wearing the badge like Bill used to and I''m holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup a I''m Quidditch captain, too." Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry. "Do you think this mirror shows the future?" "How can it? All my family are dead let me have another look." While the two boys argued, Arth inspected the mirror. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Arthur frowned. "I don''t recognize this language..." Ron and Harry finally decided on a solution. "Let''s let Arth have a try, he hasn''t seen it yet." "Fine." Arth was led to where Harry and Ron had stood. "It''s just a mirror, I don''t care about seeing my family, or my future, just let me go-" Arth froze. Sensing that something was wrong, Harry glanced at Arth. His face had disfigured from his normal casual and slightly bored face into one that was cold and in pain. "... I''m leaving." Without a seconds pause or any sort of explanation, Arth turned around and ran out the door. ''Hi Arthur.'' Arth ran away from the memory that haunted him. ''How was your day Arthur?'' He gradually ran faster and faster, wishing that if he ran fast enough, he could escape the warmth he had once sought. ''It''s ok, I don''t blame you.'' Arth didn''t stop, nor did he pay attention to where he went. He just ran. ''I... I''m sorry.'' Arth tripped, which gave him scratches all over his legs and hands. However, he instantly got up and started to run again. ...hide. Arth wanted to hide, hide away from the thoughts that plagued his sanity. Goodbye. Arth stopped in the middle of a stairway and crouched down. He realized that he couldn''t run away, no matter how much he tried, and he couldn''t hide from something that had already branded itself in his heart. I... Arth sat on the stairs weak with a pain that couldn''t be healed with magic or time. He placed his face in the tiny comfort of his hands, trying to block off all sights on his face. The moon stared into the window that the boy crouched under, as if wanting to reach out towards the boy, to comfort him. Yet the shadows covered the boy absorbed the light, casting a dark cloak on a boy, while silently covering the diamond like tears that slid down and dropped to the floor. 15 Desires The next morning was as ordinary as the last. They got up in the morning, ate breakfast, and lazed around, just like usual. "Want to play chess, Harry?" Asked Ron. "No, go play with Arth." "No, I really don''t want to play with him. Why don''t we go down and visit Hagrid?" "No... you go..." Arth, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, suddenly decided to speak up. "Stop It Harry." "What?" "Don''t do it, I know what you''re thinking. Don''t go back to the mirror." "Why not?" "...It''s not good for you." "Ok, whatever." "I''m serious Harry, don''t go." "..." They sat there in awkward silence until Ron gave an attempt to break the ice. "Soo... anyone wanna play chess?" That night, Harry once again left at night to see the mirror. He entered the room, and saw his parents waving back at him. It was just Harry and his family, the family he could''ve had. "I thought I told you to not come back Harry." Standing in a dark corner was Arth, emotionlessly staring at him. Harry only just realized how demented Arth looked. His eyes were bloodshot and had visible dark circles beneath his eyes. His skin was unnaturally pale while his hair was all disheveled. "... I don''t care." Arth just continued to stare at Harry, causing Harry to shift around in guilt. "...There is a reason why I told you to stay away from this place. Staring into the mirror isn''t healthy." "...what do you mean." Arth took a glance at the mirror. "Do you know what the writing engraved into the frame reads?" "...no." "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, or, I show not your face but your heart''s desire. Do you understand the purpose of the mirror? The reason why I''m telling you to stay away from it?" "... I don''t know." "Let me give you a hint," said Arth with a bland smile. "When you see it, you see yourself surrounded by a family who provides you with love, when Ron stares into the mirror, he sees himself surpassing all of his brothers, being the best of them all." "The mirror... it shows us what we desire." "Yes," said Arth, a shadow seemed to grow on his face, causing him to look as though he was going through extreme agony. "It shows us the deepest desire in our hearts. The more we look into it, the more we earn, the more we fall. Harry, the mirror doesn''t tell the future, nor grant us a wish. It only seeks to show. It is false. It is a fake reality of joy that will only cause you to sink further into madness, until you lose everything. That is why I am telling you to stay away from it." Harry stood up. "Before I go... can I ask you something?" "What is it?" "What do you see in the mirror?" Arth went silent. "I see myself holding a book, a book that holds the answer to everything." Harry let out a forced laugh before putting on his invisibility cloak. "That''s so like you..." He disappeared. Arth blankly stared at the wall across him before speaking out loud. "Professor, I know you are there. You can come out now." Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. "I must say, your eyes are quiet sharp. Or should I say intuition. I had some confidence in my cloaking ability but it seems I was a bit lax." "You weren''t even attempting to hide your presence all that well. You can stop pretending." "... it seems I have really underestimated you, Arthur." Silence filled the room once more. "Can I ask you a question, Professor." "Ask away my child." "What do you see when you look in the mirror." "I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." Arthur stared. "One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn''t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books." "Stop lying, I can tell you are lying." "... a sharp intuition indeed. However, it seems fair as you did the same to young mister Potter." "You are correct. I did lie." "And why is that?" "For the same reason as you." Dumbledore stared into the mirror with a sad look. "It seems that we have a lot more in common than I had thought Arthur. A lot more." He got up from the desk. "May I ask you what you see in the mirror of Erised?" "What a fitting name..." Arth replied as he too got up. "A mirror that shows you your desires, yet spelled backwards to show that it does not show what is up ahead and the spacing purposely rearranged to be incorrect to show it does not tell truths. "An interesting interpretation mister Arthur, however, you did not answer my question." "I see a reality I yearn for, a place I want to return to. I see a dream that only pains me for I know that some things are meant to stay a certain way. Some things shouldn''t be touched. What I see in the mirror, is something that I want, yet also something I want to erase. The thing that I desire, is also the thing that I fear the most." "...The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow." "I do not care, in fact, I''d rather wish it to disappear." "I shall get going, mister Arthur. And do be careful to not get caught." "It''s ok, I won''t get found unless I want to." Arth walked out of the room, calmly and steadily. He walked boldly in the hallway without a care for whether he would get caught or not, however, the shadows seemed to hide him as he walked by. The next morning, Harry stiffly greeted Arthur, which he replied to with a nod. It became a silent agreement to not share what had happened between the two. Harry started to get more busy as Wood started to train the team even harder than before. On day after finishing his practice, Harry came into the common room with a dark look. Ron and Hermione were playing chess while Arth watched from the sidelines. "Don''t talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen - He caught sight of Harry''s face. "What''s the matter with you? You look terrible." Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told them about Snape''s sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee. "Don''t play," said Hermione at once. "Say you''re ill," said Ron. "Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested. "Really break your leg," said Ron. "I can''t," said Harry. "There isn''t a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can''t play at all." "Play legit and win then. Simple as that." Said Arth. "And remember, we aren''t sure if Snape was really trying to kill Harry. He might have been trying to save him." "Sure sure." Arth sighed. At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone''s guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower. Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the counter-curse. Neville''s legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron. "Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he''d been looking for someone to practice that on." "Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" Neville shook his head. "I don''t want more trouble," he mumbled. "You''ve got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He''s used to walking all over people, but that''s no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier." "There''s no need to tell me I''m not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy''s already done that," Neville choked out. "Just curse him back Neville." "I can''t, you know how bad I am with spells." "Don''t you know how terrifying you are? I''d be more scared if you pointed your wand at me than if Hermione pointed hers at me. Trust me, Malfoy would probably get scared too." "You''re worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn''t it? And where''s Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." Neville''s lips twitched in a weak smile. "Thanks, Harry... I think I''ll go to bed. Good night." It was the day of the match. After giving Harry some quick prep talk, they walked back to the stands. "I''ve never seen Snape look so mean," Ron told Hermione. "Look -they''re off Ouch!" Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy. "Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn''t see you there." Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle. "Wonder how long Potter''s going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" Ron didn''t answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch. "You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It''s people they feel sorry for. See, there''s Potter, who''s got no parents, then there''s the Weasleys, who''ve got no money, you should be on the team, Longbottom, you''ve got no brains." Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. "I''m worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville." "Longbottom, if brains were gold you''d be poorer than Weasley, and that''s saying something." "If your attitude matched the amount of talent you had, you would be as strong as Dumbledore." Arth was very close to cursing Malfoy. Both verbally and physically. Ron''s nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry. "I''m warning you, Malfoy, one more word-" "Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry -" "What? Where?" Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet. "You''re in luck, Weasley, Potter''s obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy. Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help. One of them, either Crabbe or Goyle smacked Arth in the head, with his recent bad mood and lack of sleep combined, Arth lost it. Ron and Neville backed away as Arth single handedly kicked all three of their asses. "Do you seriously think you can beat a muggle born in a muggle fight? You should be ashamed, can''t even beat a FILTHY MUDBLOOD in magic so you resort to physical fighting? YOU FILTHY SON OF A-(Massive sensor warning, to graphic to actually write, don''t want to get demonetized.) -YOU TRASH!" By the time Arth had finished, Malfoy was barely recognizable while both Crabbe and Goyle resembled trolls, maybe even uglier. Arth gave a refreshed smile. "Letting off some steam seems to be a great stress reliever, dam I feel great." Ron was dumbstruck while Neville was filled with admiration. Hermione turned around and saw the scene, and felt conflicted on whether she was proud or worried. "What if they tell on us?" "I''ll erase a portion of their memories, I''ve done it before." "When?" "Do you think this is the first time if fought with these three?" Ron swore to never ever again try to piss Arth off. The stands erupted, Harry had gotten the snitch. The Gryffindors partied all day in the common room, Fred and George had once more brought more food from the kitchen. However, Harry had once more discovered a new thing. "So we were right, it is the Sorcerer''s Stone, and Snape''s trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell''s ''hocus Pocus - I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through." "So you mean the Stone''s only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. "It''ll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron. "Can you guys please stop automatically assuming that Snape is in the wrong?" "No one cares Arth." Arth let out a sigh before pulling out a book, feeling a bit refreshed yet still somewhat tired. 16 Mistakes Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they''d thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn''t look as though he''d cracked yet. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell''s stutter. Arth would just silently watch with a blank face. Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer''s Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colorcoding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn''t have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same. "Hermione, the exams are ages away." "Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That''s not ages, that''s like a second to Nicolas Flamel." "But we''re not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all." "What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They''re very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don''t know what''s gotten into me. I mean look at Arth, he''s been studying since before Christmas." Ron turned around in horror. "Is what she said true? Don''t tell me it is." Arth just gave a shrug. "I just went over the course books a couple times. No biggie." "NO BIGGIE? No wonder you looked sick and tired all the time, you weren''t resting but torturing yourself with self given homework." "I find studying quiet relaxing." "And that''s why you were all sick and pale?" "..." "Both if you are monsters, who studies during the holidays?" "People who are successful in life," replied Arth with a grin leaving Ron speechless. Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren''t nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon''s blood or practicing wand movements or while you could hear the constant scribbling of Arth''s quill. They spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work. "I''ll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they''d had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming. "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?" Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat. "Jus'' lookin''," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An'' what''re you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin'' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?" "Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog''s guarding, it''s a Sorcerer''s St -" "Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don'' go shoutin'' about it, what''s the matter with yeh?" "There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what''s guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -" "SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an'' see me later, I''m not promisin'' I''ll tell yeh anythin'', mind, but don'' go rabbitin'' about it in here, students aren'' s''pposed ter know. They''ll think I''ve told yeh -" "You should just not tell us that if it''s that''s important-" "See you later, then," said Harry while hurriedly covering Arth''s mouth. Hagrid shuffled off. "Come on Arth, why you got to ruin it for us, there''s no harm in knowing." "It will if it has anything to do with that dog." "What was he hiding behind his back?" Asked Hermione thoughtfully. "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" "I''m going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who''d had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table. "Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper''s Guide." "Maybe Hagrid is raising a dragon,". Said Arth in a joking manner. "Hagrid''s always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " said Harry. "He might just want to learn about them. We can ask when we meet him later." When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper''s hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused. "So yeh wanted to ask me somethin''?" "Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what''s guarding the Sorcerer''s Stone apart from Fluffy." Hagrid frowned at him. "0'' course I cant, he said. "Number one, I don'' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn'' tell yeh if I could. That stone is here fer a good reason. It Was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s''ppose yeh''ve worked that out an'' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou'' Fluffy." "Ron and Harry led us straight to him. Charming specimen, wish I knew how to calm him down." "Blimey, you met him? Isn''t he quiet the fella? but I''m not going to tell you anything more." "Come on Hagrid, we only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you." Hagrid''s chest swelled at these last words. "Well, I don'' s''pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let''s see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o'' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell -- an'' Dumbledore himself did somethin'', o'' course. Hang on, I''ve forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape." "Snape?" "Yeah, yer not still on abou'' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he''s not about ter steal it." "You''re the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren''t you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn''t tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?" "Not a soul knows except me an'' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly. "Well, that''s something," Harry muttered to the others. Arth frowned. "Hagrid, are you actually keeping a dragon in here, the temperature is too hot for you to say that you like the heat, and it is the optimal temperature for raising baby dragons... no way." Arth ran toward the fireplace. Sure enough, in the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg. "Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That''s er..." "Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must''ve cost you a fortune." "Won it," said Hagrid. "Las'' night. I was down in the village havin'' a few drinks an'' got into a game o'' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest." "But what are you going to do with it when it''s hatched?" said Hermione. "Well, I''ve bin doin'' some readin'' , said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it''s a bit outta date, o'' course, but it''s all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, ''cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an'' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o'' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An'' see here - how ter recognize diff''rent eggs - what I got there''s a Norwegian Ridgeback. They''re rare, them." He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn''t. "Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said. But Hagrid wasn''t listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire. "Hagrid, you do know thatbaby dragons grow fast? It''ll be bigger than your hut after about about a month or so." Suddenly, funny clicking noise started to come from the egg. Visible cracks, webbed the shell. Hagrid hurriedly grabbed the egg out of the fire and placed it in the table. They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched while holding their breaths. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout. "Isn''t he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon''s head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mommy! I''m going to call him Norbert." said Hagrid. "I think he knows his food." Said Ron, "looks as if it wants to take a chunk out of Hagrid." "Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?" Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face. He leapt to his feet and ran to the window. "What''s the matter?" "Someone was lookin'' through the gap in the curtains, it''s a kid, he''s runnin'' back up ter the school." Arthur immediately ran out and pointed his wand at the running figure. "Petrificus totalus." The boy fell down and skidded for a few feet on the floor before coming to a stop. It was Malfoy. Arth dragged Malfoy back into the hut under the gazed of four highly impressed people. "Bloody amazing." Arth scowled before glancing at the petrified Malfoy. "Hagrid, the dragons got to go. I saved you this time however, the more time we waste, the higher chance of us getting found. I''m going to Obliviate his memories so he doesn''t remember what happened, but I can''t do this forever." "Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free." "I can''t," said Hagrid. "He''s too little. He''d die." "I have a brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild! How about it, Hagrid?" "It takes time to reply back so in the meantime, you can stay with the dragon." And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send -an owl to Charlie to ask him. The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found the four of them sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when there was a tap on the dark window. "It''s Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She''ll have Charlie''s answer!" The three of them put their heads together to read the note. Dear Ron, How are you? Thanks for the letter -- I''d be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won''t be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn''t be seen carrying an illegal dragon. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it''s still dark. Send me an answer as soon as possible. Love, Charlie "We''ve got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn''t be too difficult, I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert." "Which two of us will go?" "Harry and Hermione can hide under the cloak, I will stay on lookout." "Yeah, I forgot that Arth doesn''t need a invisibility cloak, cause he is one." Arth stabbed Ron sharply on the side of his rib with his wand. "It''ll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid''s hut because they''d had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he''d been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate. "He''s got lots o'' rats an'' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An'' I''ve packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely." From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded as if the teddy bear was being ruthlessly shredded. "Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!" "Remember, when you hear the sound of a crow, it means there is danger," said Arthur before he disappeared into the shadows. How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. UP another staircase, then another -- even one of Harry''s shortcuts didn''t make the work much easier. "Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. Then a sudden sound of a raven caught Harry and Hermione by surprise. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear. "Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you -" "You don''t understand, Professor. Harry Potter''s coming - he''s got a dragon!" "What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!" It was not until they''d stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig. "Malfoy''s got detention! I could sing!" "Don''t," Harry advised her. "Hmm," a familiar voice materialized right next to them. "I seems as though the memory charm wore off. Well I suppose it was due to happen. I had to cast it a bit weak this time otherwise he would''ve lost some essential parts of his brain. Well, at least he got detention." Arth stopped out from the shadows. "Well, I guess that all we can do know is wait." Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out from the darkness. Charlie''s friends were a cheery lot. They showed Arth, Harry, and Hermione the harness they''d rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. At last, Norbert was gone. As they stepped into the corridor, a raven cried, and Filch''s face loomed suddenly out of the darkness. "Well, well, well," he whispered. "We are in trouble," Harry groaned to Hermione. They''d left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower and Arth was nowhere to be seen. 17 Broken Arth was in the common room waiting for Hermione and Harry to come back. It was already thirty minutes since they had gotten rifle of Norbert yet for some reason, they hadn''t come back yet. Suddenly the portrait opened and a gloomy Harry, Hermione and Neville walked in. Arth leapt up to his feet. "What took you guys so long, I was waiting for you guys for ages." Hermione didn''t say a word and went up to the girls dormitory, while Harry sat down in a chair with a pale face. Neville looked as if he was turning into a corpse as he went up to sleep. "... did you guys get caught?" "... yeah, and we lost fifty points." "...Fifty points ain''t that bad." "Each." "..." "And we have detention." "God f***ing damn it. Did you not here my warning call?" "We did but it was too late?" "WHAT DONYOU MEAN TOO LATE? IT WASN''T LIKE YOU HAD AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK FOR A REASON! ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS STAY QUIET, HOW HARD WAS THAT?" Seeing that Harry was shifting uncomfortably, Arth let out a crazed smile. "Oh come on, don''t tell em you didn''t even bring the invisibility cloak? Harry?" "..." "...I... I''m... I don''t know what to say..." "Then don''t, I feel like killing myself." Next morning, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points thought there''d been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn''t trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!" Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn''t have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren''t as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence. Ron was probably the only one who took their side, Arth had gone completely mute and emotionless. Even Malfoy had started to stay silent around Arth, the coldness and anger radiating from Arth was unbearable to the teachers, Professor McGonagall had called him after class to discuss what was wrong. She eventually gave up when Arth observed her coldly with no intention of talking. Arth spent a majority if his time in the library, reading and studying for exams. It was only after some time did Harry muster enough courage to speak to Arth after the class had ended. "...erm, Arthur. I need to speak with you for one moment." The whole room dropped ten degrees and everyone started to shiver unconsciously. Arth payed no attention and continued to pack. "Arth, please... it is important this time." "..." "Arth... please... if we are still friends, hear me out once." Arth had finally turned around and replied with a frosty voice. "...what is it Potter..." Hearing the formal voice radiating animosity, Harry flinched. "...we can''t really speak here... can you meet us in the common room? After everyone is asleep." Arth turned around and walked away. "... I''ll wait for you..." Later that night, Arth walked down the stairs that led to the common room. He saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione sitting around the fire waiting for him. "What is it that the famous Harry Potter wants to tell me." Harry showed him a pitiful attempt at a smile. "I... I just want to say, I''m sorry." "If that''s all you wanted to say, then our conversation here is done." Arth turned around to go back into the dormitory when Ron blurted out, "Quirrell gave in." "...what?" "He finally gave in and told Snape how to get past his defenses." Arth narrowed his eyes. "How exactly did he say it?" "He was in a classroom and I heard him say "No - no- not again, please," and "All right - all right -" before running out looking as if he just lost something precious. And it sounded as though someone was threatening him." "There is still fluffy, we don''t have to worry about anything." "Fluffy is out too, Hagrid might have spilled the beans to Snape in the bar where he got the dragon egg. He accidentally told the man that the secret to fluffy is to play some music." "As long as Dumbledore is here." "... Dumbledore is gone too, we just checked with Professor McGonagall." "What do you exactly want from me." We need your help, we can''t do this alone, we think that Snape is working for you know who to obtain the philosophers stone. We know this because there was something in the forbidden forest drinking unicorn blood." "... to keep something or someone at the verge of death, yet still alive. God Harry, what have you found." "A lot of things..." said Harry. Arth watched them with a complicated look before sighing. "I still think that it''s better for us to leave it alone." "...what?" Arth turned his face away. "Do you really think that us four can do something against the dark lord? No matter how weak he is, he still is the dark lord. And even if we did, how will you get pass the enchantments that the teachers placed. Sure, "Snape" might know the defenses but do we? How long are you going to meddle in things that aren''t your business?" Ron stood up holding his fists looking like he wanted to punch him. Hermione gave him a look filled with discomfort. Harry just stared blankly. "I won''t help you guys out on this... "adventure". I see no point." "I... I thought we were friends," Harry said while looking betrayed. Arth continued up the stairs. "Sometimes... a friend isn''t someone who has your back, but someone who tells you when to stop. You shouldn''t go the trapdoor Harry, it isn''t your duty." "...I... I can''t believe I have a friend like you..." "Curse me all you want. It doesn''t change anything." "... it will, it changes how I think of you. You are no longer a friend to me." Arth finally stopped and turned around and watched Harry with narrowed eyes. "...do you seriously mean that?" Ron and Hermione tried to stop Harry from speaking however it was too late. "Yes. You. Are. No. Longer. My. Friend." Arth coldly stared at Harry before turning around and walking up the stairs. No one could see his clenched fist that was bleeding due to his nails digging into his skin. When he entered his room, Corvus cam and cawed, as if sending his partners pain. "Corvus, was it the correct the choice? I''m staring to doubt." Corvus just cawed. Arth sighed and walked over to his bed. On top of it was a price of parchment with a bunch of scribbles. He rolled it up and pushed it to the side before sitting on top of his bed. However, his eyes were glued onto the rolled up paper on the floor. He groaned and grabbed the paper tightly in his hands before unrolling it. He read over the contents once before throwing it aside and running out of the dormitories and down the castle. 18 Holes Harry finally reached the last chamber, he had passed the devils snare, caught the key, won a chess match, and solved the riddle. He had abandoned two of his friends and lost one of them on the way here. He was not going to fail. He saw a figure standing in front of a familiar mirror. He rushed out and pulled out his wand. "It''s over Snape. You are caught, you won''t get the stone. Dumbledore will come in a few minutes." The man turned around but it wasn''t Snape. It was Quirrell. "You!" gasped Harry. Quirrell smiled. His face wasn''t twitching at all. "Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I''d be meeting you here, Potter." Harry felt sick, it was another thing that Arth had gotten right. "But I thought... Snape..." "Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn''t his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn''t he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" "I did." Harry and Quirrell turned around and saw that there was a person in the shadows watching them with emotionless eyes. There were signs of burns on his robes and skin and his hair was all messed up, probably due to how fast he had to run here to catch up with them. It was someone who Harry couldn''t forget. "...Arthur." However, Arth just ignored him he continued to stare at Quirrell with an omniscient gaze. "Your plan was quite good, your act was even better. However you still had a lot of holes." Arth slowly took out his wand and started to spin it on his fingers. "Firstly, your lessons, while I first thought they were the blabbers of a broken man, you would sometime let meaningful information slip. I wouldn''t find it suspicious if it was only that but the things you said because you could have read off of information from the course books. However, none of them where in any books." Arth stopped swirling his wand and held up a finger. "That was one." Arth held up another finger. "Second hole was the quidditch game. When Granger headed off to light Snape on fire, I was scanning the stands for any other suspects. Sure enough, you were staring at Harry, unblinkingly. Also, Ron and Hermione didn''t notice but when she knocked you over, Harry had recovered his control, there was a five second interval between Harry recovering his broom and Snape getting distracted. This, I knew that Snape was in the clear." Quirrell let out a nervous laugh. "Quite smart aren''t you. Why did you not tell the teachers of your suspicions." "I was planning on leaving you alone, I had my trust in the other teachers'' enchantments, plays, they wouldn''t believe me even if I told them. However, the idiotic person right next to you decided he wanted to go on an adventure. I''m here to get him out safely." "Arth..." "Shut it Potter, I don''t want to hear it." Arth finally gave an indication of knowing that Harry existed. Arth turned back to Quirrell and raised his third finger. "Third hole, your ambitions. Professor Quirrell, before you met the "Vampires" in Romania, you were timid, but not scared and absolutely terrified. Someone who had an aspiration to become someone big. And with your brilliant mind, a couple of vampires wouldn''t be enough to traumatize you. So that means that something else changed who you were." Quirrell went white as he started to mutter to himself. "Number four, the ridiculous turban that you started to wear after you were traumatized, you are hiding something under it. And what Harry saw during the night he had detention in the forbidden forest. Unicorn blood. Sound familiar?" Arth held up his final and last finger. "Five, the manner in which you speak to me right now contradicts how you should talk if you are traumatized. So that means someone is controlling your mind, or at least partially influencing it. So, after all of this, will you still choose to stay silent, Mr. Dark Lord." Quirrell froze, before giving a wicked smile. "Impressive, I shall allow you to speak to my true self. Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. The turban fell away. Then he turned slowly on the spot. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell''s head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. Arth smirked. "So this is what the great Lord Voldemort has become, a mere shadow of his former self. How low you have fallen." The face coldly smiled. "Indeed, shadow and vapor ... I have form only when I can share another''s body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds.... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own...." "Faithful? Don''t joke around, more like host. You are controlling the mind of Quirrell, forcing him to do your bidding." "It doesn''t matter," the face hissed. "All that matters is that I get to rise once more and become the person I used to be, no, even stronger than what I used to be..." "Yet your entire plan seems to focus on getting the elixir of life, produced by the philosophers stone, but tell me, lord Voldemort, can you get the stone?" Silence ensued the chamber as Voldemort narrowed his eyes, from the back of Quirrell a head of course. Arth gave a smirk. "The mirror behind you, is called the Mirror of Erised. The words above it: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Also meaning, I show not your face but your heart''s desire. You desire the stone Lord Voldemort, you desire it so much, yet the mirror doesn''t give you what you want, it only shows you your desires. Only someone who wants the stone but not use it can take it out." Seeing that Voldemort was looking at him and Harry with dangerous eyes, Arth smiled. "Too late, none of us will be able to take it out. I do not wish for eternal life, thus the stone holds no appeal for me. Harry doesn''t want you to get the stone, so he doesn''t desire to take it out. You want the stone, but you seek to use it, thus you also cannot take it out. It''s game over Voldy." Voldemort closed his eyes in anger before opening them with a smile. "I like the way you think, would you like to join me in my rise to power? I will promise you anything you wish." Arth just shrugged. "Nah, sounds like too much work." However, Voldemort chuckled. "Too bad, it''s too late." "What do you mean-" Arth froze as he saw that the face was trying to rip out of Quirrell a head. Quirrell screamed before falling into the floor, and the floating face flew straight towards Arth. Arth tried to avoid it but it was too late, the face entered his body and Arth felt excruciating pain in his head. "Join me and become my loyal sergeant." "NO, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" "Do not resist, I offer great power." "I DON''T WANT POWER!" "Then what do you seek? No matter, I''ll find it myself." Arth felt as though his memories were being played like a video. A little boy with black hair surrounded by his family at the dinner table. A boy standing all alone in his house, no one in sight. "GET OUT!" A boy hiding inside a cupboard is watching through the crack as his- Arth let out an inhumane scream that caused Harry to pale in fear. He started to bang his head onto the walls and floors. Arth started to bleed from his head, nose, and eyes. "GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!" The whole world collapsed as Arth slowly saw his vision give up on him. The last thing he could remember was a face disappearing into the air and the worried expression of Harry rushing towards him. 19 Surprise Letter Arth woke up in a familiar room. It was the hospital wing. He groaned as he sat up, still feeling the pain from being possessed by a Dark Lord. "Damn, It seems as though getting possessed by a dark lord is something I can''t really defend against, at least not yet." Professor Quirrell was in a bed next to him, still in a coma. However, it seemed as though he was in peace, his face no longer seemed to be haunted. Perhaps getting the ugly bruise off from the back of the head really did help in curing PTSD. The door suddenly opened as a silver haired old man walked in. It was Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiles at watched Arth with a twinkle in his eyes. "It seems you have woken up, Mr. Kingscrown. How was your little expedition to the chambers three days ago?" "It was a little too exciting for my taste. So it''s been three days already?" "Yes, in fact, your friends have visited you many times." "...I don''t have any friends," said Arth his eyes narrowing. "My child, I do not wish to barge into your business, however, isn''t the definition of a friend someone who cares for you? Of course friends can be a little stone headed but it does not mean they are bad." "... there are many definitions to friends." "But most of them mean a companion doesn''t it?" "..." Dumbledore walked towards the bed and sat down on a small chair next to Arth. He fixed his gold rimmed glasses before continuing. "Well enough of the personal talk, what I''m here for is this." Dumbledore took out a scroll from the air and opened it with a smile. "I do say Mr. Kingscrown, I was quite surprised when a slightly oversized raven interrupted my flight back to the school. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left." "Hmmm, so how is Harry? He isn''t hurt is he?" "It seems that you still do consider them your friends." "... it was just a moment of impulsiveness." "I heard from Professor McGonagall that it was around the time Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger got detention, I reckon you were there with them on that night? Just to make things less complicated, I already knew that Hagrid raised a dragon in his hut if his." "...I might have been out for a walk. Is the stone safe?" "The stone is indeed safe, of course, it is still inside the mirror. My colleague wishes to meet you, in curiosity and as in thanks." "I see, how about Quirrell? Is he ok?" "He is alright. Although, he might want to go St. Mungo''s to recover, having a dark lord in your head for an extended amount of time is probably not good for one''s mental health." Arth glanced at the floor before frowning at Dumbledore. "The Dark lord is going to try other ways of coming back, isn''t he? There are many other ways to recover a physical body other than the elixir of life." "Yes, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. Nevertheless, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power." "It is better to prepare for the worst than tell sweet lies to provide baseless comfort." "... now let''s return to the main topic, I am interested in how you know so much about Quirrell and how exactly you had obtained it. This isn''t exactly something from a textbook." Arth glanced at the scroll In Dumbledore''s hand. "It was simple really, after Harry''s accident at his first quidditch game, I started to suspect Professor Quirrell. So I asked the teachers about any information they had on Quirrell. What were his favorite hobbies, did he have any family left members, any close friends. If I found anyone who knew Quirrell on a personal level, I would send messages and ask them questions about his personality, mindset, dreams and aspirations. I would collect all of it and compile it together to create an understanding of the character that people call "Quirrell", or at least, the one before he got possessed. I spent many days in the library reading books about magical creatures and fantastic beasts, I spent some time on vampires too. However, none of those beasts showed the same symptoms as Quirrell, so I turned towards dark magic and curses." "We''re those books not in the restricted area?" "Some rules can be broken." Arth let out a sigh. "It was very terrifying, descriptions of torture, best way to summon a devil, how to create an existence that lives yet nothing but alive. However, it paid off. In one of the books there was a spell, a mind possession spell that described similar symptoms. Change in personality, mind impairment, overall decrease in ability." Arth started to smile with an expression that was dark and grim. "However, this meant that something had possessed the mind of Quirrell, someone who had dabbled in the dark arts and had sufficient power in dealing with a, although timid, brilliant defense against the dark arts teacher. Someone like the Dark Lord." Arth took out his wand and startled to swirl it. "It all started to make sense from then on, the last place where Voldemort was sighted was in Albania, Quirrell had gotten traumatized in Abkhazia, Quirrell who never wore a turban started to wear one after his trip, his side effects, his different personality, his tendency to speak to himself. All of this confirmed my speculations." "... why did you not tell any teacher?" "Would they believe in a child? Would they believe me when I said the Dark lord was possessing one of the teachers? Even if they did, what would they do? Kill him? Arrest him? Make it so that Voldemort escapes and comes back with another person to carry out his duties? Plus, I didn''t want to attract attention to myself." "You do seem to escape attention very easily, maybe an inborn talent?" "Probably, who knows? Magic is mysterious." "My last question, how did you get past all the enchantments placed to guard the stone. I can''t understand how you managed to get past all of them." "I whistled my way past fluffy, quite a charming dog, I can see why Hagrid adores him. I burned the devils snare, grabbed the key using the broom. The chess board had missing pieces so I had to win using the pieces I had, I met Ron and Hermione along the way and told them to get out. I killed the troll which had woken up, and solved the riddle but the potion was already empty." "So How did you get past it?" "I casted a full body shield spell to somewhat protect me from the flames and endured my way through." Silence ensued the hospital wing as Arth and Dumbledore stared at each other. "Well, Mr. Kingscrown." Dumbledore got up from his seat. "I did enjoy the talk we had today, it was quite interesting, however, I must be off." "Goodbye Mr. Kingscrown, and I do hope you get back together with Mr. Potter and his friends." Arth watched Dumbledore leave with an emotionless face. When the door closed, Arth closed his eyes and went to sleep, he was tired and wanted to rest as much as he could before he couldn''t. He embraced the darkness. Arth made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey''s fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin''s winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table. Seeing the sight only made him sigh. It had almost been Gryffindors, alas... When Arth walked in, there was a sudden hush and then everybody started talking at once. He sat down at an empty seat at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were staring at him. Arth was uncomfortable and realized for once that maybe remaining inconspicuous was a good thing. Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The stares died away. "Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man''s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts.... Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two." A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. "Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. The Slytherins'' smiles faded a little. "Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... "First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..." Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. "...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house forty points." Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall''s giant chess set!" At last there was silence again. "Second, to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house forty points." Hermione buried her face in her arms, Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves, they were a hundred points up. "Third, to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "For pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse realized that they had went from lost to second, thirty points behind Slytherin. Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent. "There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom." They was another burst of applause, although they had not gotten first place, they were still happy with what they had got. Harry and Hermione looked relieved as everyone started to warm up on them. Everyone started to prepare to feast when Dumbledore cleared his throat once more. "I am not finished yet, we still have one more." Slytherins started to become visibly worried and Arth started to have a weird feeling in his gut. "There is another form of courage, when you know of every risk you will take, every danger you will face, every chance that might cause death. I award Mr. Arthur Kingscrown, fifty points, facing danger even when he knows everything about it for the sake of his friends is something not everyone can do." Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Everyone started to get up and cheer for Arth, however, his eyes where somewhere else. Arth saw that Harry was staring at him from a couple seats down with a sad face. He gave a wry smile and gave a thumbs up to Arth before sitting back down. Arth sighed not knowing what to do anymore. "Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold, the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall''s hand, with a horrible, forced smile. It was probably the most exiting day in the entire year. The year ended fairly well, almost everyone had passed their exams, Hermione and Arth held the best grades among the first years. Arth has finally received an apology from Harry on the way back to King''s Cross. He walked into Arth''s compartment while looking all nervous, behind him were a nervous looking Hermione and Ron. Harry took a deep breath before speaking. "Hey Arth, I wanted to say I''m sorry. I''ve been an ass to you all year, I had ignored many of your warnings, I gave you hardships one after the other. That night we faced Quirrell, I realized how much you had actually done while I was playing around. I just want you to understand, I''m sorry. I truly am." Arth kept his bland face for a few seconds before cracking a smile. "I''m sorry too man, I should''ve kept my cool. It''s mostly my fault for over reacting. I mean, I already knew that you wouldn''t listen to me anyways, so I wasn''t that angry. I just wanted to... How do you put it... scare you a little?" Harry dropped his jaw while Ron tried to quiet the laughter he was holding back. Hermione rushed into Arth and gave him a bug hug, her eyes red. Arth raised and eyebrow as he sent a questioning look at Ron and Harry. Both of them shrugged their shoulders in response. They sat in the compartment just like old times and where having fun with every flavor beans when a tapping sound came from the window. It was King. Arth opened the window and let the owl in, and saw that King had a letter attached to his leg. Arth opened it. "Hello son, my boy Arthur, This is your parents speaking, or is it writing? Our business that we had to finish during Christmas has not yet ended, so we were wondering if you could stay at a friends house? I''m really sorry but we''ve been holding out on a lot of things since we took you in and now all of that work is starting to catch up. It ok though, the work is quite enjoyable, do take care of yourself, we will come pick you sometime during the summer. Love, your parents. Arth read the letter with a dumbfounded look. He smiled wryly from the letter and glanced at his friends. "Errr..." Arth scratched his head with a somewhat shy and embarrassed look, which made him look like an innocent child. "Do any of you... happen to... umm... have a place I can stay at during the summer?" Volume 1 End 20 The Burrow It was early morning when a young boy with pitch black hair and obsidian eyes exited the house. The house was anything but normal. It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic. Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard. The boy grabbed some chicken feed and threw it at the chickens. He glance towards the sky with a gaze full of pity. "Mrs Weasley will kill you guys. Hope you can survive her wrath..." After school had ended, Arth asked his friends if they had a place he could stay. Harry said no because his aunt and uncle would never allow it, Hermione was a growing girl so Arth refused, so that left Ron. He was given a Bill''s old room, which was quite nice, to sleep in and helped Mrs. Weasley do chores whenever possible as repayment. he would even entertain Ginny, the younger sister of Ron. Today, Fred, George And Ron had gone off to fetch Harry because they noticed something wrong. Harry hadn''t been answering to any of their letters which was highly suspicious because Harry would never not respond to a letter, it was his only connection to people like him, wizards. So Ron and the twins thought it would be a fantastic idea to go fetch Harry on a flying car, and leave Arth as a sentry. His role was to make sure that Mrs. Weasley did not find out about them leaving. He was starting to get used to Ron''s thirst for excitement and adventures. The terrifying part was that the moment the boy''s left the house, Mrs. Weasley came stomping up the stairs with a frying pan and questioned Arth thoroughly. Arth pretended that he had no clue and only just woke up, to which Mrs. Weasley let our a warm smile to. She then ran off holding a frying pan muttering about killing. It was the first time Arth realized that a frying pan could be so threatening. Arth heard the sound of a car engine and turned his face to the sky. The sky was a dark blue color and a tiny bit of yellow was starting to show up in the horizon. In the middle of the sky was a flying Ford Angela. They had returned, in fact, Arth was able to make out their conversation. "Now, we''ll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, ''Mum, look who turned up in the night!'' and she''ll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car." "I don''t think that will work, people don''t just appear in other peoples bedrooms." The four of them jumped. "Arth, I thought you were on guard, why are you here... oh no don''t tell me." "Yep," answered Arth with a sigh, "you three are officially screwed." Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house. "Here she comes." They wheeled around. Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind- faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger. "Ah, "said Fred. "Oh, dear," said George. Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket. "So," she said. "Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice. "Have you any idea how worried I''ve been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper. "Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to ¡ª" All three of Mrs. Weasley''s sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them. "Beds empty! No note! Car gone ¡ª could have crashed ¡ª out of my mind with worry ¡ª did you care? ¡ª never, as long as I''ve lived ¡ª you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy¡ª" "Perfect Percy," muttered Fred. Arth winced, he could almost visibly see the game over screen appear in front of him. "YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY''S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred''s chest. "You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job ¡ª" It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away. "I''m very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Come in and have some breakfast. Arth, if you''ve finished feeding the chickens, you can come in have breakfast too." "Thank you ma''am." She turned and walked back into the house and they followed her like obedient children. The kitchen was small and rather cramped. Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like "don''t know what you were thinking of," and "never would have believed it." "I don''t blame you, dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. "Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we''d come and get you ourselves if you hadn''t written back to Ron by Friday. But really, flying an illegal car halfway across the country ¡ª anyone could have seen you ¡ª" She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background. "It was cloudy, Mum!" said Fred. "You keep your mouth closed while you''re eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "They were starving him, Mum!" said George. At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again. "Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She''s been talking about you all summer." "She really wanted to meet you. She told me while we were talking about school," said Arth while wolfing down the sausage. "Yeah, she''ll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother''s eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time. "Blimey, I''m tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I''ll go to bed and ¡ª" "You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It''s your own fault you''ve been up all night. You''re going to de-gnome the garden for me; they''re getting completely out of hand again ¡ª" "I already did that yesterday Mrs. Weasley." "Oh, thank you my dear, if only Ron would learn a thing or two from you." Ron bent over to Harry. "She''s been like that all summer, every time Arth does something, she starts comparing him to me. But that might just be because Arth is good at housework, like literally a pro. Surprising really, expected him to only be able to read." Arth heard this and smacked Ron in the back of the head. Harry smiled before asking with a curious gaze. "What is de-gnoming" "You basically catch a small little man and spin the around before throwing them across the lawn." "What the-" "It''s ok because they don''t feel pain... probably." Just then, the front door slammed. "He''s back!" said George. "Dad''s home!" Mr. Weasley was slumped into a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children''s. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn. "What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned..." Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed. "Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly. "All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn''t my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that''s the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness..." "Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George. "Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it.. Of course, it''s very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking ¡ª they''ll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they''ll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it''s staring them in the face...But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn''t believe ¡ª" "LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?" Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Arth didn''t know how Mrs. Weasley managed to make anything in her hands look like a killing machine. "C-cars, Molly, dear?" "Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly." Mr. Weasley blinked. "Well, dear, I think you''ll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if ¡ª er ¡ª he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth...There''s a loophole in the law, you''ll find...As long as he wasn''t intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn''t ¡ª" "Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren''t intending to fly!" "Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?" He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped. "Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron''s told us so much about ¡ª" "Your sons flew that car to Harry''s house and back last night!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?" "Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I ¡ª I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley''s eyes, "that ¡ª that was very wrong, boys ¡ª very wrong indeed..." "Let''s go, before things get nasty." Said Arth with a wry smile. Ron nodded his head in agreement. "Come on, I''ll show you my bedroom." They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap. "Ginny," said Ron. "You don''t know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally." "In front of THE famous Harry Potter, it''s nothing unusual," said Arth with a smirk, causing Harry to blush in embarrassment. They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD''S ROOM. Harry pointed at Ron''s wall that was covered in posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically. "Your Quidditch team?" Asked Harry. "The Chudley Cannons, Ninth in the league." "It''s a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I''m right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he''s always banging on the pipes and groaning..." This is the best house I''ve ever been in." Ron''s ears went pink. "Ok stop this, if I didn''t know you guys on a personal level, I would think that you two are gay for each other. Like seriously." Ron and Harry responded by picking up the nearest thing they could find, a pillow, and smashing Arth in the face. 21 Deviations About a week after Harry had arrived at the Burrow, they heard from Hogwarts. They went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table. The moment she saw Harry, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Arth sighed in response and grabbed many napkin. "Don''t worry Mrs. Weasley, I got this." He cleaned up the mess on the floor and patted Ginny on the head. "It''s ok Ginny, everyone makes mistakes. Just be careful next time." Ginny shyly nodded her head and have her thanks before sitting down. Arth took the bowl from her and washed it before adding more porridge. "Letters from school just arrived," said Mr. Weasley, passing Harry and Ron identical envelopes of yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you''re here, Harry ¡ª doesn''t miss a trick, that man.Everyone has one actually." he added. Arth took the letter from Mr. Weasley and opened it. SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart 43 Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart Fred, who had finished his own list, peered over at Arth''s. "You''ve been told to get all Lockhart''s books, too!" he said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan ¡ª bet it''s a witch." At this point, Fred caught his mother''s eye and quickly busied himself with the marmalade. "That lot won''t come cheap," said George, with a quick look at his parents. "Lockhart''s books are really expensive..." "Well, we''ll manage," said Mrs. Weasley, but she looked worried. "I expect we''ll be able to pick up a lot of Ginny''s things secondhand." Arth clapped his hands in realization he ran upstairs and came back down with a box. "Mrs. Weasley, my parents told me to give you this, they said it was a Thank you gift for taking care of me like I was one of your children." "Oh dear you don''t have to." "They insisted." Mrs. Weasley took the box and opened it. Golden coins started to rain down from the box, and everyone stared. George leapt up in surprise. "T-those are all Galleons... blimey, that''s like a hundred." "We can probably get Ron a new wand and buy new copies of all of our course books." Fred grabbed Arth''s hand and shook it many times. "I never knew your family was loaded Arth, can''t believe that gave away a hundred Galleons." Arth smiles wryly, "I didn''t know either." Mrs. Weasley uncomfortably glanced at the box before giving it back to Arth. "I''m sorry dear, but I can''t except it. It''s too much." Fred and George got out of their seats. "Are you insane woman? That''s a hundred Galleons!" "That''s exactly why I can''t take it." She snapped. Arth just smiled and handed it back. "For these past three months, you were like a mother to me. I refuse to accept your refusal, take it Mrs. Weasley, or I''m going to give Ron 50 Galleons worth of chocolate frogs, it''s better for you to use it than him." Seeing the smile on Arth''s face, Mrs. Weasley flushed and took the box. Fred sighed. "I should''ve been born handsome, maybe mother would love me more." Fred got hit on the head with a frying pan. Ron ignored the screaming and opened the letter from Hermione. "She''s going to Diagon Alley next Wednesday, apparently." "Well, that fits in nicely, we can go and get all your things then, too," said Mrs. Weasley, starting to clear the table. "What''re you all up to today?" "Nothing." "Well you can help me with chores, Arth dear, you can rest, you have already helped a lot. Especially with the money." Arth sat down in one of the comfy chairs and watched as Harry, Ron, Fred, and George all grumbled as they went off to work. Mrs. Weasley came with a cup of coffee and served it humbly to Arth. He took the cup and swirled the coffee twice before drinking. Feeling like a king, Arthur watched as everyone except him started to clean around the house. Seeing the dirty look from Ron, he smirked and sipped the coffee elegantly once more. He then took out a book and read. Mrs. Weasley woke them all early the following Wednesday. After a quick half a dozen bacon sandwiches each, they pulled on their coats and Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot off the kitchen mantelpiece and peered inside. "We''re running low, Arthur," she sighed. "We''ll have to buy some more today...Ah well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!" And she offered him the flowerpot. Harry stared at them all watching him. "W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered. "It''s Floo powder, take a bit in your hands and throw it into the fire, don''t stutter and say Diagon Alley. Think of it as fire teleportation." Arth watched as Harry disappeared into the flame before doing the same. When he opened his eyes, he was in Diagon Alley once more. Underneath him was Harry. Arth sighed and pulled him up. "Don''t worry, it happens all the time, at least you didn''t throw up." Although he did look a bit pale. Seeing that his glasses were a broken, Arth took out his wand and repaired it. After all of the Weasleys met up, they proceeded to head towards Gringotts Bank. When Mr. Weasley met Hermione''s parents, he rushed up towards them with a eager smile. Something about Mr. Weasley reminded him of his father. Back outside on the marble steps, they all separated. Percy muttered vaguely about needing a new quill. Fred and George had spotted their friend from Hogwarts, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to a secondhand robe shop. Mr. Weasley was insisting on taking the Grangers off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. "We''ll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," said Mrs. Weasley, setting off with Ginny. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!" she shouted at the twins'' retreating backs. An hour later, they headed for Flourish and Blotts. They were by no means the only ones making their way to the bookshop. As they approached it, they saw to their surprise a large crowd jostling outside the doors, trying to get in. The reason for this was proclaimed by a large banner stretched across the upper windows: GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30P.M.to 4:30P.M. "We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he''s written almost the whole booklist!" Arth frowned. "I read his books and they weren''t that great, mostly over exaggerated." Hermione instantly stopped squealing and shrugged. "If you say so, you must be right." Ron squinted his eyes. "Is Arth really that handsome? I thought witches only listened to handsome men. I mean Arth is decent looking, but is he better than Lockhart?" "Ron, that''s sexist. And if you put it that way, wizards are the same. I know where your eyes were when that pretty witch passed us. And I''m just going to say that it was somewhere a child shouldn''t be looking." Ron flushed. "Plus," said Hermione who was trying to get rid of her blush from Ron''s comment. "You should look in the mirror, you aren''t much to look at either." Ron and Harry learned a new lesson. In the minds of some women, looks are law. After spending some time convincing Mrs. Weasley that the signatures weren''t worth it, the left the shop and headed back home. A few weeks later, it was time to go back to school. 22 Yellow Moon They arrived at King''s Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station. "Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier. Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed. "I''ll take Ginny and you three come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told them, grabbing Ginny''s hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone. Harry and Ron followed after them and crashed into the barrier and bounced backwards. Arth narrowed his eyes. "The barrier is closed?" Arth checked his watch. There were only two minutes left. Ron started to panic. "What do we do? Why is the barrier closed? What do we do?" Harry places his trolly in front of the wall and pushed with all his might, yet it had no effect. Arth noticed curious gazed focusing on the three of them and sighed. "Stop it you two, we are starting to draw attention to ourselves. Just calm down and let''s wait for your parents to come out." Three seconds...two seconds...one second... "It''s gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train''s left. What if Mum and Dad can''t get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?" Harry gave a hollow laughed. "The Dursleys haven''t given me pocket money for about six years." Arth checked his pockets for any spare change. "I''m out too, damn." Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier. "Can''t hear a thing," he said tensely, "What''re we going to do? I don''t know how long it''ll take Mum and Dad to get back to us." They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig''s continuing screeches and Corvus sitting on Arth''s shoulder. "I think we''d better go and wait by the car," said Harry. "We''re attracting too much atten ¡ª" "Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!" "What about it?" "We can fly the car to Hogwarts!" Harry hit the head of Ron. "Are you an idiot?" "Sorry, just said it as a joke, don''t have the confidence to drive it anyways..." Arth sighed. "At least you have the room to joke around. We only have to stay here and wait... unless." "Unless what?" Arth grabbed his trolley and started to push it somewhere, Harry and Ron attempted to follow. They stopped when they walked to the back of kings cross. "What do you think you are trying to do?" Asked Harry, genuinely curious. Arth took out his wand before replying. "I''m going to try to Apparate." Ron let out a gasp. "Are you mad? You are only twelve! You aren''t allowed to Apparate until you are sixteen even if you can." "I think I might be able too," said Arth with an obviously uncertain voice. "What if you splinch yourself? What will you do?" "I''ll deal with it when I get to it." Harry tilted his head in confusion. "What is Apparate, and what is splinching?" "Apparate is when you teleport and splinching is when you leave a part of your body behind." Harry glance worriedly at Arth, "can you really do it?" "Of course I can-" Arth froze. This wasn''t like him. He wasn''t usually this reckless, he needed to calm down. "Maybe... we should wait?" Arth had noticed that he was having increasingly more moments where he acted more and more reckless. And he knew the reason why. "God damn that Dark lord who enjoys reading the mind of a child," he muttered under his breath. "What?" "Nothing," said Arth while putting away his wand. "I just realized how stupid I was being." They walked to back to the barrier feeling a bit gloomy with their trolleys. They sat in front of the barrier while sighing. Corvus was flying around snapping at any mosquitoes that dared to come near Arth. Suddenly, Arth felt as though he was being stared at. He glanced up and pulled out his wand. There was a flash of red light as a small creature with large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls fell to the floor with a stunned look. Harry let out a yell. "Dobby!" Ron frowned. "Are you talking about the mad elf that took away your birthday presents?" "Yes! It was this elf." "He was stoping us from entering through, he must be really determined to make sure you stay away from Hogwarts this year." Arth nudged Dobby with his foot. "You reckon he can take us to school? He is a house elf, and house elf''s have stronger magic than wizards, in theory." "Doesn''t hurt to try, he won''t hurt any of us for sure." "He almost got me killed by the Dursley''s..." Harry muttered, but still allowed Arthur to dispel the curse. "Rennervate." There was another flash of red light. Dobby''s eyes started to flutter as he regained consciousness. When the elf saw Harry, it immediately prostrated himself. "Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice, "Dobby is happy to meet the Harry Potter here sir. However, you must not go to Hogwarts." Ron and Arth stared at each other with dumbfounded looks. "It is dangerous at Hogwarts this year sir, terrible things will happen." Harry let out a sigh. "Dobby, I need to go, Hogwarts is my life." "It will not be Harry Potter''s life when Harry Potter dies- BAD DOBBY! BAD DOBBY!" The elf grabbed a book and started to punish himself with it. Ron looked around nervously, but then realized that no one had seemed to know that they existed. "What is going on-" Arth interrupted before he could finish. "It was me so don''t mind it, now Dobby, I don''t care that you need to punish yourself. Your masters aren''t here so have no need for punishment. Now, tell me, why can harry not go to Hogwarts?" Dobby turned around like a delicate doll and stared at Arth with a curious gaze. "Sir is very interesting. Dobby has been found by sir and has been stunned by sir. Dobby does not understand how he was found? Will sir tell Dobby how he was found?" "Instinct." "Sir is very great, however, Harry Potter must not go to Hogwarts." "Well we are still going to go, even if you try to stop us, Dobby." "Dobby can''t have that sir, Dobby has read sir''s letters to Harry Potter. The red hair is Sir Ron and the other is sir Arthur. Dobby need for Harry Potter''s friends to disappear." Dobby gave a snap and Arth felt as if space around him was bending. He saw that Harry was trying to reach out, yet Dobby stopped Harry before he could grab onto any of them. Arth knew what was happening, he was being Apparated. Arth reached for his neck, where the pendant that he had received from his parent lied. The pendant transformed and turned into a chain, which Arth threw towards Harry. The chain wrapped around Harry and dragged him towards Arth. Seeing the surprised look on Dobby''s face, Arth gave a smile. "Thanks Dobby." In the split second they were teleporting, Harry came loose from the chain and they separated. Ron had disappeared a long time ago. Arth landed with a crash onto the cold hard compartment floor and winced before getting up. "I swear that that boy is innately cursed with bad luck." Arth was going to continue his complaints about Harry when he realized that he wasn''t the only one in the compartment. "... is that you Ginny?" "Yes, why did you appear in mid air? Did you not ride the train?" There was a red haired girl and a somewhat unique looking blonde girl staring at him with curious gazes. Arth dusted his clothes and proceeded to sit down. He checked off all the things he had. "The barrier closed on Harry, Ron, and me. There was a house elf blocking it, we somehow managed to trick the elf into teleporting into the train, I''m starving. Can I have some of that pumpkin pasty?" "Of course," Ginny blushed. "It was bought with the money you gave us." Arth took a pasty and started to munch on it. He gave a glance at the blonde haired girl and let out a smile. "Hi, I haven''t introduced myself. Arthur Kingscrown, you can call me Arth. I''m a second year. I reckon that you are a first year?" The girl let out a smile before replying in a sing song voice. "Luna Lovegood, What makes you think that I''m a first year?" Arth continued to gnaw on the pasty with vigor. "You look a bit tense, a typical sign of being nervous. If you were a second year or above, you wouldn''t be nervous but excited, however, this is bit of a stretch so I needed more solid evidence, your first year books that are sticking out." "Amazing," the girl had a glimmer in her eye. "Do you happen to be in Ravenclaw? You seem like the type of person to be in Ravenclaw. The type of person to seek out knowledge in the middle of the night when you are supposed to sleep or search for "Wow, that''s pretty accurate. However, I''m in Gryffindor." "What a shame, you would''ve prospered in Ravenclaw." "Yep, I''ve heard that a lot. But in the end, I was sorted into Gryffindor." "You must have been destined to be in it, everyone has a place where they belong. Mine is to find the elusive Crumpled Horn Snorkack." Arth was now genuinely interested in her, he took a better look. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of Butterbeer corks. Her hair was dirty blonde and she had a constant dreamy look that made one wonder what exactly she was thinking. "Is there something wrong? Is it a Wrackspurt... They''re-" "-invisible. They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy," Arth finished while taking in a deep breath. "Do you happen to read the Quibbler-" "My father is the publisher and editor. Xeno-" "-philius Lovegood, I should have known." "...Aren''t you quite the oddity? Most people consider it as a rubbish magazine," said Luna as her odd but charming smile grew larger. "One man''s trash, another-" "-Man''s treasure. How about the existence of a Crumpled Horn Snorkack and Blibbering Humdinger?" "Many people consider them to be fake due to never being spotted, however, every year we are discovering more and more species. Just because it is not visible to the naked eye-" "-Does not mean that they do not exist," Luna finished in perfect harmony. Arth stared into her brilliant silver eyes and Luna stared into his eyes that carried the beauty of the night sky. They watched each other with surprised looks before bursting into laughter. Luna was giggling in a matter while holding a smile that brought light into the compartment. "Well, It seems that our minds have been intertwined with the strings of an unknown beast." "Indeed, we have found a new creature that hasn''t ever been seen before. My pleasure in sharing the opportunity with a delightful person such as you." "I guess that means that we are friends." "I agree, it seems as though we have already become friends in this short amount of time we have shared." "Umm... what is going on? Arth? Luna? I''m confused." "It''s ok Ginny, it''s something not everyone is able to understand." Luna suddenly got up, her necklace of butter beer caps chiming like bells. "It seems that we have almost arrived. If you do excuse me, I''m pretty sure that we should get dressed. Pleasure meeting you Arthur." "Pleasure meeting you too Luna." Arth watched as Luna went out of the compartment in a dreamy matter. "...are you in love Arth?" "...nah, just feel as though someone who can understand me has finally appeared." 23 Second Year Song Arth finally met up with Ron and Harry when they got of the train. Harry had landed in the compartment where Hermione and Neville were in. Ron in the other hand, didn''t have the same amount of luck. His upper lip busted and his right eye black, Ron wasn''t looking too good, his temper was bad too. He had landed in a compartment, in Malfoy to be exact. When Ron appeared in the compartment, he appeared right on top of Malfoy, knocking the daylights out of him. The rest of the Slytherins decided to take vengeance by beating the shit out of Ron. "I SWEAR HARRY! IF THAT ELF APPEARS IN FRONT OF ME ONE MORE TIME, IM GOING TO KILL HIM!" "Hahahaha..." Arth was about to say something but decided to stay silent when he saw the big black bruise on Ron''s eye. The familiar sight of Hagrid calling for the first years put a smile on Arth''s face. He was scanning the first years when he saw a blonde girl waving towards at him. He waved back. Ron hooked his hand around Arth''s shoulder and smiled with a teasing voice. "Is that your girlfriend that I''ve been hearing about from Ginny? She looks... unique." Hermione accidentally stepped on Harry''s foot causing him to yell in pain. Arth smiled back. "She is very unique, and while she is charming, she is not my girlfriend. She is a friend. And get off me, you didn''t take a shower in the morning." Hermione let out an inaudible sigh. Seeing Harry slowly backing away from him with disgusted looks, Ron felt wronged. "It was because I woke up late, if i took a shower, we would''ve been late to Kong''s Cross." "Well It didn''t matter because we missed the train." They watched as the first years followed the path towards the lake. "You think anyone will get attacked by the giant squid?" "Probably not, he is very gentle." "How do you know Arth, you never met him." "... " "...no way, you met the giant squid?" Arth ignored the astonished look on Ron''s face and glanced towards the path he was walking on. "I wonder how the second years get to the schools? I heard from Fred that we go their by magic carriages that can move by themselves." "That''s probably true, last year I asked some third years. And they say we get there by self driving carriages." Arth squinted his eyes and let out a frown. "It seems that they lied to us, they are just coaches pulled by horses. "What?" Ron, Harry, and Hermione turned to look at where Arth was looking. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. There was something reptilian about them, they were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister yet mystical and amazing. "What horse, the coaches are by themselves." Arth frowned before he felt enlightened which didn''t provide him any satisfaction. "...It''s a Thestral." "Oh," exclaimed Hermione. "No wonder we can''t see it, oh..." "What is a Threstral?" "...An animal that you can''t see unless you have experienced death." Replied Hermione. Ron had an uncomfortable look as he stared at Arth. "Doesn''t that mean that you... you..." "It was my family, my real ones." Arth gave a wry smile seeing that Ron was starting to look as though he made a huge mistake. "It''s ok, I don''t remember them all to well." They got into the coach and silently stared at each other with awkward faces. This continued on until they reached Hogwarts. Corvus let out a caw and perched himself onto Arth''s shoulder. It started to clean itself with a hint of magnificence and a little bit of charm. "... Arth, How did your Raven get so big? Ravens don''t grow to be bigger than an owl." "I don''t know honestly, it might be a mutation to being around magic too much, look. Corvus, shrink." Corvus let out a happy caw before slowly shrinking into the size of a normal crow. "What you saw before was how big it can get currently and this is his smallest form. Really special honestly." Arth sighed when he saw Harry glance at Hedwig with an expectant look. Ron ruefully glared at his rat. "That''s cool, all my rat does is eat and sleep. Useless little bugger." They entered the school and made their way to the great hall. They were met with the very familiar night sky ceiling. They sat down in the Gryffindor table and waited for the first years to enter. The doors opened and the first years streamed in with nervous smiles. Some looked like they were about to cry. The first years stood nervously in front of the tables and waited until Professor McGonagall came out and brought with her a very familiar hat and a stool. The room went silent and the hat started to sing. "Welcome to Hogwarts, I''m the guide, But don''t you just scream and get surprised, I look like I''ve been had by an angry cat, No matter cause I am your sorting hat. Keep your thoughts no need to expose Don''t worry, I am not some lethal dose, Put me on and I''ll take a look inside, I can sort you in or you can roll a dice. There''s Gryffindor , a mighty fine guy, If you are a coward, you can say goodbye, His daring, nerve and chivalry, Would make people look at him lovingly. Hufflepuff, was a nice young lady, Anyone, anything, she would take them, not maybe, That Hufflepuff was loyal and truest friend But her stubborn will was impossible to bend. Beautiful but wise, Ravenclaw She can see almost every flaw If you have a brain that''s better than mine With Ravenclaw is where you''ll dine. Slytherin was a cunning old fellow He''ll only accept those who aren''t so mellow, You must have ambitions and dreams to find Or else you''ll get the boot on your behind. So little first years and put me on I''m not like those four, I''ll finish by dawn, But I don''t want to hear you retorting, My only redeeming feature is sorting." 24 Polar Opposites After hearing the song, everyone started to clap for the hat and the first years seemed as though they had calmed down greatly when compared to their previous attitude. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. Arth watched on with a slightly bores expression. He only perked his head up when he heard Luna being called up. "Lovegood, Luna." There was laughter in the room when people saw how bizarre the girl was. She still had her wand on her ear and wore her signature dreamy look on her face. Her Butter beer cap necklace rattled each step she took. Ron raised an eyebrow. "That''s the girl your into? Isn''t she quite... the unique one." "Yes she is, and she is just a friend." "Sure." Luna put on the hat, which immediately screamed Ravenclaw. Luna took off the hat, patted it on the tip a few times before going over to the Ravenclaw table. A few first years later was Ginny. She was sorted into Gryffindor, just like her entire family. Dumbledore got up and said something that Arth didn''t bother to listen too, he was waiting for empty plates in front of him to become full. At last, Dumbledore stood up. "I see that most of you have hungry wolves in your eyes, let us not waste any more time. Dig in." The nostalgic plates became, once again, filled with heavenly delights. All sorts of dishes, sausages, toast, steak, meat, vegetables, and turkey. Beloved turkey. Arth reached out and gracefully plucked a turkey leg from the mountain of legs. He bit off a small portion and sighed. "How I missed you... my dearest meal." "Hahaha, I forgot how much you liked turkey legs, should''ve gotten my mum to make you some over the summer, said Ron before turning to a piece of steak. "Excellent." Hermione took small sips of potato soup while Harry was chomping down on sausages. Arth was on his third turkey leg when a person came up from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. Arth tilted his head backwards and the whole world seemed to be flipped upside down. He recognized the blonde hair and silver eyes that were staring down at him with a smile. "Hello, sorry to interrupt. May I join your table?" Arth noticed that people were silently laughing at Luna with amused looks. "Sure, why not. Harry mover over and make some room." Luna sat down right next to Arth and stared at the turkey leg on his plate. "That seems to be very good, mind I have a bite?" "No problem, feel free to. There''s plenty to go around." Perhaps shocked that someone had voluntarily joined the table of another house, the laughter stopped. Dumbledore watched them from afar with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. Narrowing his eyes at the Ravenclaw table, Arth asked with an amicable tone. "So what bring you here Luna?" Luna took a bite out of the turkey, decided it was good, and ate a bit more before answering. "Nothing, I just wanted to eat with my friend. The people over there don''t really appreciate my style of dressing. They also think that the Quibbler is a pile of rubbish. I can tell when I am not welcome, so I decided to excuse myself. Besides, being with you is way more interesting. It''s like having a friend." Arth gave a charming smile before poking Luna''s head. "You little dreamer, I thought we were already friends." Luna rubbed her forehead with a rueful expression. "It seems so, I''m sorry. I must''ve forgotten. I never had a friend you see." "Well, I am honored to be your first." Hermione wore a frown on her face. "The Quibbler? Isn''t that the magazine famous for having... wacky ideas?" Instantly, the surrounding air tensed up as sparks started to fly between the two girls. "It isn''t wacky, it''s my fathers lifetime work." "Well, your father isn''t exactly one who relies on facts, is he?" "What facts do you need? The horn of a Crumple Horned Snorkack?" "Snorkacks don''t exist. They are just delusions from wizards who mistakenly saw an creature that resembled the Crumple Horned Snorkack." "Why do you know that? Just because there is no proof that it exists doesn''t mean that it doesn''t exist. We all thought the Blibbering Humdinger didn''t exist." At this point, Ron nudged Arth in the shoulder and whispered in a quiet voice. "You reckon we should stop the two? They seem like that they are about to kill each other." Arth shuddered before replying, "You think I''ll survive if I intercede? I think I''ll be killed first." Arth focused back to the girls. "They don''t exist! They never did. The point is that the Quibbler is rubbish. Don''t you agree Arth." Seeing that the argument had turned toward him, he could only try his best to appease both sides. "I think that the Quibbler has some intersecting ideas." Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "Exactly, IDEAS. Not Facts but IDEAS. Facts are the way to life." "Facts come from ideas. Why do you think the term Invention exists?" "Ideas are uncertain, you can place your hope on it and it might bite you in the back later. Facts will give you comfort and safety." "You are just a boring book person, people need to have adventure, go out and discover things they haven''t." "They can only go out and adventure when they have enough knowledge to keep themselves alive." "What if they meet something that they don''t know how to counter? What will they do? If they need to rely on facts, they will just die like the little pitiful things they are. If they held creativity in their heads like THE Quibbler, then they could possibly understand that can''t be found in book." "Isn''t that a bit stretching it? The Quibbler is not just about information on "creatures" but also hard to believe stories such as "Grindelwald- Romantic Affair with the Greatest Wizard in our Time". Is that what you call helpful?" "The Quibbler accepts all stories in order to help those who were unable to share their opinions to the public. We believe that instead of hiding one truth, it''s better to reveal nine false ones. If one of them turn out to be true, then it becomes invaluable." "Doesn''t change the fact that you and your father are dreamers." "Hmph, you are only a boring girl who keeps her nose in a book all day." "Arth, tell her that she''s wrong." "He won''t, Arth is my first friend, isn''t that right. She is the one being a stiff, old fashioned, stubborn girl." Arth stared at the night sky ceiling with a gaze that looked incomparably wise. So this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. "Can... can we just eat..." "How can you think of eating when there is something more important to do?" "I hate to agree, but now is not the time to eat the dishes of delight." Arth sat there in the middle, blankly staring at his plate full of turkey legs, while the two girls fought each other verbally. He sent a silent plea of help to Ron and Harry, who to his horror, turned away as if they had seen nothing. These two girls were as compatible as fire and ice. The exact polar opposites. 25 The Second Teacher When Hermione and Luna stopped bickering, the four of them rose and went down the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower. They walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armor, and climbed narrow flights of stone stairs, until at last they reached the passage where the secret entrance to Gryffindor Tower was hidden, behind an oil painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she said as they approached. "Er ¡ª" said Harry. "It''s alright, I got it," said Arth. "I overheard it from Percy while he was talking. Wattlebird." They entered the all to familiar circular common room, the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs. Arth sighed. "Damn I missed this place. These chairs were always the best to read a book in." "They are pretty comfortable, but Arth. You still haven''t made a decision, Loony or me?" Arth ignored Hermione''s look and walked up towards the male dormitories. They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still hearing the grumblings of Hermione, and gained the peace of the staircase. "I''ve never seen Hermione like this," said Ron, "she wasn''t even this agitated when she was waiting for her exam grades. And to Hermione, grades are more important than life." "Yes, she seemed a little too agitated, but the first year girl Luna, I can''t believe that she actually fought in equal terms with Hermione. Unbelievable. I never thought that someone who looked so... ditzy could be so fierce." "Hahaha..." They walked up, right to the top, and at last reached the door of their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. They entered the familiar, circular room, with its six four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds. Corvus was sitting on the bed frame ledge while cawing at Arth with an excited look. Arth threw the leftovers of a turkey leg into the air, Corvus caught it with delight before proceeding to eat on Ron''s bed. "AHHH! NOOO! MY BED SHEETS!" "Calm down Ron, it''s only a few grease marks." "Do you want to trade beds with me then?" Asked Ron with a murderous look on his face. "Why would I, it''s your bed." "..." "Well, it''s going to be a hard day tommorow, let''s get to sleep Harry." "...but my bed-" "Goodnight Harry, Ron." "Goodnight Arth, Ron." "...Goodnight Arth, Harry." Arth signaled to Corvus, who immediately obeyed and flew towards Arth. After rubbing his head a few times on Arth''s face, the Raven hopped on top of the bed frame and began to roost. Arth closed his eyes and slept, soundly and silently, while ignoring the sound of Ron cleaning his bed. The next morning, the three of them got out of bed, two of them were apparently still in sleep mode. Seeing the groggy Harry and Ron, Arth sighed. "Come on boy''s, let''s get moving. Early bird gets the worm." Ron groaned. "Early bird dies from exhaustion. Why do we have to get up so early in the morning." "It''s good for the mind and body." Arth led the two sleepyheads down to the great hall where breakfast was being served. Hermione was already eating breakfast at the table. When she saw the trio, she waved furiously indicating for them to sit next to her. Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. Arth took his and saw that they had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. They left the castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept. As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair. There was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and her fingernails. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming. "Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to take care of plants! But I don''t want you running away with the idea that I''m better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..." "Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self. There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before ¡ª greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Arth caught a whiff of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. "Well then, Professor Sprout, I shall take my leave. If you have any questions, please do ask." Professor Sprout curtly nodded her head before was standing behind a trestle bench in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored ear muffs were lying on the bench. She said, "We''ll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To nobody''s surprise, Hermione''s hand was first into the air. "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state." "Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?" Hermione''s hand narrowly missed Harry''s glasses as it shot up again. However, Professor Sprout decided to chose someone else. "Mister Arth, Do you care to explain?" "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," he answered. "However, underdeveloped mandrakes will at most knock you out." "Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young. As mister Arth has mentioned, they will not kill, only knock out." She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows. "Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout. Arth grabbed a fluffy pink earmuff and watched as there was a rush to grab earmuffs that weren''t pink and fluffy. "I wonder why people don''t like pink earmuffs. They are so comfortable." "It''s because they care about their looks Arth." "When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right ¡ª earmuffs on." Professor Sprout put a pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs. Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs. "I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Five to a tray ¡ª there is a large supply of pots here ¡ª compost in the sacks over there ¡ª and be careful of the Venemous Tentacula, it''s teething." She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder. They were joined at their tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy Harry knew by sight but had never spoken to. "Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter...And you''re Hermione Granger, always top in everything, and Ron Weasley, best mate of Harry Potter... and you are?" Arth sighed. He was getting used to it. "I''m Arth, Arthur Kingscrown." Justin let out a yell. "You''re the guy who figured out that Quirrell was being possessed by You-Know-Who... bloody amazing man. I admire you for it." But you didn''t know my face until a minute ago, Arth wanted to retort. That Lockhart''s something, isn''t he?" said Justin happily as they began filling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I''d have died of fear if Id been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and ¡ª zap ¡ª just fantastic." "Really?" Said Arth with an eyebrow raised. "I found him particularly egotistical, however, most egotistical people have the skill to back them up." "I''m sure your right. My name was down for Eton, you know. I can''t tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart''s books I think she''s begun to see how useful it''ll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family..." After that they didn''t have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn''t. The Mandrakes didn''t like coming out of the earth, but didn''t seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth. Arth was the only one who had relative ease in planting the mandrakes. A little too much. The mandrake babies would start to cry when they felt the warmth of the sun but immediately calmed down when they saw that it was Arth who was handling them. In fact, the mandrakes would only cry when Arth let go of them. Professor Sprout awarded thirty points to Gryffindor for it, calling Arth a genius. By the end of the class, everyone was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traveled back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall''s classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. He turned his beetle into a button, but everyone else seemed to have trouble, excluding Hermione. Harry had not even changed the beetle in any way. Ron was having far worse problems. Every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick gray smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn''t pleased. She really wasn''t. They went down to lunch, where Ron''s mood was spoiled by Hermione''s showing them the handful of perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration. "What''ve we got this afternoon?" said Harry, hastily changing the subject. "Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Arth. "With the egotistical blonde man." They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again. Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes before Arth noticed that Harry was being closely watched by a boy. The boy was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went bright red. "All right, Harry? I''m ¡ª I''m Colin Creevey," he said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I''m in Gryffindor, too. D''you think ¡ª would it be all right if ¡ª can I havesaid breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I''m in Gryffindor, too. D''you think ¡ª would it be all right if ¡ª can I have picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully. "A picture?" Harry repeated blankly. "So I can prove I''ve met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone''s told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you''ve still got a lightning scar on your forehead and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures''ll move." Arthur nudged Ron in the shoulder. "Here comes the Harry Potter fan club. You reckon we can make money off of selling Harry''s signed autographs?" "We might, there might be a few witches who are into that thing." Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It''s amazing here, isn''t it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad''s a milkman, he couldn''t believe it either. So I''m taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it''d be really good if I had one of you," he looked imploringly at Harry "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?" Seeing that Harry was confused, Arth sighed and took the camera from Colin. "I''ll take the picture so go stand next to Harry." Arth placed the camera and looked through the lenses. "Get together, even more, closer. That''s good. Now Harry, smile. No, not like that smile naturally. Yes there we go. Colin, stand a little bit taller." Arth frowned. "There''s not enough lighting... Ron, Hermione, can you give me some lighting? The spell is Lumos." Ron and Hermione lighted up their wands and stood there, causing Arth to get irritated. "Have you guys never taken a photo before... Hold it up high, above my head... Keep it perfectly still." Finally satisfied with the lighting, Arth once more looked into the lenses and the camera let out a loud click. He checked the film and clicked his tongue. It could''ve been better. "I don''t like this photo, I''ll take another one. Harry will sign the photo after I''m done, I promise." He was about to take another photo when he heard a drawling voice. "Signed photos? You''re giving out signed photos, Potter?" Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy''s voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. "Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter''s giving out signed photos!" "No, I''m not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy." You''re just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe''s neck. "Jealous?" said Malfoy, who didn''t need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don''t want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don''t think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself." "Surviving the attack from a Dark Lord does though, you wouldn''t know, your entire family were enslaved by him, according to your information. You can''t really consider yourself famous can you? Or maybe it''s infamy." Malfoy was dumbfounded, unable to speak a word. Harry gave a small smile as thanks while Ron patted him on the back. Malfoy finally recovered and narrowed his eyes. "Shut up Kingscrown, my father was never a slave-" "Are you implying that your father wasn''t enslaved by the Dark Lord? Are you saying that your father willingly joined the Dark Lord in battle?" Arth smirked while drawing his wand. "Watch your words Malfoy, one toenail out of line, and you might have to celebrate your father''s birthday in Azkaban." "What''s Azkaban?" Arth could heat Harry ask. "Wizard prison Harry," answered Ron. "It''s where they keep Evil wizards like you-know-who supporters." Malfoy flushed in anger before taking out his wand. The two of them were about to duke it out when. "What''s all this, what''s all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who''s giving out signed photos?" "Harry Potter! Nice to meet you." said Lockhart, his smile bright enough to burn a hole in an eyeball. "I should''ve know it was you. Who else would have enough fame to sign photos. Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can''t do better than that, and we''ll both sign it for you." Colin took his camera from Arth and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes. "Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who looked like a cornered animal. "He is a bit egotistical isn''t he?" Said Hermione with an eyebrow raised. "Yep, What kind of teacher jumps at the opportunity to sign a photo?" Said Ron with a disdainful look. They had reached Lockhart''s classroom and saw that Harry was already in a seat at the very back of the class, where he busied himself with piling all seven of Lockhart''s books in front of him. The rest of the class came clattering in, and Arth, Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of Harry. "You could''ve fried an egg on your face" said Ron. "You''d better hope Creevey doesn''t meet Ginny, or they''ll be starting a Harry Potter fan club." "Shut up," snapped Harry. "You really should Ron, they wouldn''t make a fan club, they would make a religion," said Arth with a smug look as if proud of himself. Harry gave a particularly nasty look. When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom''s copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front. "Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly''s Most Charming Smile Award but I don''t talk about that. I didn''t get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!" He waited for them to laugh; a few people smiled weakly. "I see you''ve all bought a complete set of my books ¡ª well done. I thought we''d start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about ¡ª just to check how well you''ve read them, how much you''ve taken in ¡ª" When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes ¡ª start ¡ªnow!" Arthur looked down at his paper and read: 1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart''s favorite color? 2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart''s secret ambition? 3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart''s greatest achievement to date? On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to- 54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart''s birthday, and what would his ideal gift be? At that moment, Arth knew, that this class was going to be a load of bullshit. 26 Tunnel Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class. "Tut, tut hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples though I wouldn''t say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhisky!" He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Arth had his head on the table as he contemplated life. "...but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions good girl! In fact," He flipped her paper over. "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?" Hermione raised a hand. "Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so to get down to the real business-" He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it. "Now be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm." The whole room stared to tense up do to nervousness. "I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them." As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover. "Yes," he said dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies." Ron let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn''t mistake for a scream of terror. "Yes?" He smiled at Ron. "Well, they''re not ¡ª they''re not very ¡ªdangerous, are they?" "Don''t be so sure! Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!" The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them. "Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let''s see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags, books, and Neville''s ear and threw them out of the smashed window. within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling. Arth groaned before closing his eyes in frustration. "Come on now ¡ª round them up, round them up, they''re only pixies," Lockhart shouted. He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!" It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too. The pixies were gradually getting closer when Arth opened his eyes and said in a tired voice. "Stop it at once." The room went silent as the pixies stopped and turned around to look at the source of the voice. When they caught sight of Arth, they froze as if terrified. "Go back into the cage." The pixies made a mad rush towards the cage and obediently sat in there not making a sound. Arth stared at Lockhart and frowned. "Is that good enough?" Lockhart froze before giving a bright smile. "Yes, well done my boy. Very professionally handled by a boy your age. I would''ve done it better, if my love for these tiny creatures didn''t prevent me. Now- all of you have learned something today. Looks can be deceiving-" The bell rang and everyone got up and left. Harry, Ron and Hermione caught up to Arth with amazed looks. "Dude, I never realized that you could speak to animals!" "I didn''t." "But didn''t you just command the Pixies-" "I told them to stop, it''s more of a talent, I am-" "A Nature Animagus," finished Hermione. Ron was mind blown. "You can turn into an animal!" "Nope, she doesn''t mean that animagus, she means the other one." "There is another definition?" Asked Harry. "Yes," Replied Arth. "The first kind is the one that is well know, shapeshifters or people who can change into an animal, an Animagus. The second kind is a Nature Animagus, although they do have the ability to transmigrated into an animal, there are more well known for having a influence over the decisions of living creatures." Ron frowned. "Does that mean that Arth could be controlling our minds this very second?" Arth let out a snort when he saw the terrified look on Ron and Harry''s face. "If I really was controlling your mind, I would have made you guys smarter. Plus, it''s more like the power of suggestion, I can order weak creatures around with ease, like the pixies. Higher grade creatures will respect my opinion, like the mandrakes. A high level monster like a dragon could ignore me altogether." "Wow..." said Harry. "That''s cool. Does that mean I''m a Nature Animagus? I''ve talked to snakes before." Immediately, the three of them frowned. "What? Did you just say you can talk to snakes?" "Is there something wrong?" Arth frowned and glanced at Hermione and Ron who had similar faces on. "Harry, Do you know why the Slytherin symbol is a snake?" "No... why- don''t tell me..." "Yes," said Hermione. "Salazar Slytherin was known for his ability to talk to snakes and to make it even worse, Voldemort is one of the last descendants of Slytherin." Harry looked dumbfounded. "Are you trying to say... that the person who killed my parents... is my distant relative?" Arth nodded his head slowly. "It''s okay Harry, old wizard families are interconnected by blood." Said Ron. "In fact, if I trace my ancestry all the way down the line, I''m probably related to Malfoy." Hearing those words gave Harry some comfort and Arth could see Harry relaxing his muscles. However, Arth knew that Harry was still bothered by it. For the next couple of minutes, they walked to their next class in silence. The next day, Harry had to leave early due to quidditch practice, and Arth escorted him along the way until they had to separate. Arthur went to the library while Harry went down to the field. Arth was scanning the bookshelf''s for anything he hadn''t read in the first year when he saw a tuff of blonde. Smiling, Arth walked up to the girl and gave her a poke. "Hello Luna, early mourning isn''t it?" Luna rubbed the spot Arth had poked before smiling back. "Hello Arth, fancy meeting you. Did you also get up because of the Marthendals?" "Nope, what are Marthendals? Are they a new type of creature?" "They look like monkeys with pale faces. They live in the water but do come out oftentimes to play, I thought I saw one staring at me through the window. I came down to escape it. Their gazed have hallucinating effects you see." "Hmmm, did it come from the Quibbler? Might have missed that issue..." Luna gave a bright smile. "Nope, it''s from the newest issue, I get free copies of them remember? I can lend you it if you want." Arth received the newest edition of the Quibbler with a grin. On the front cover was THE QUIBBLER by Xenophilus Lovegood written in big red letters. There was a picture of a hideous monkey like creature with creepy eyes. Arth read the magazine once normally and proceeded to flip the Quibbler upside down before continuing to read. Seeing this, Luna raised an eye. "How peculiar, may I ask why you are reading the magazine upside down?" Arth flipped the page before answering. "There is a section in the book where I need to read it upside down. Don''t you already know that?" "...of course, I was right to choose you as my first friend." "I''m honored." After both of them had finished with whatever business they had in the library, they proceeded to get up and leave. Luna, however, seemed to be going the opposite direction from the exit. Curious, Arth stopped her and asked. "Why are you going this way? Isn''t the exit the other way?" Luna tilted her head as her blonde hair swished side to side. "Oh right! My bad, I forgot that you were in a different house. Well... I guess it won''t hurt to tell, but don''t tell this to anyone else. It''s a Ravenclaw secret." Luna lead Arth towards a non conspicuous bookshelf with a dreamy but excited look plastered on her face. She tapped into the right hand corner of the bookshelf before stepping back. A wide tunnel that could fit two people side to side appeared. "It''s a secret passageway... but where does it lead to?" "You will see..." They entered the tunnel and walked through for a bit when the tunnel shut close behind them. Arth took out his wand. "Lumos." A bright white light bursted from his wand and illuminated the tunnel. Luna took off the glasses she was about to put on. "Magic do have many uses don''t they, they make wonderful products such as the Nightroscope go out of use." "I wouldn''t say that, the Nightroscope is useful when opting for secretive missions. A glowing wand is conspicuous after all." They reached the end of the tunnel where a clear film blocked there path from exiting the tunnel. "Just step into the barrier, it is just an illusion." Arth complied and stepped through the tunnel. To the side of him was a large bronze door with an eagle shaped door knocker located in the middle. "A witch with unsurpassed talent or a wizard with unparalleled potential, which is stronger?" Arth glanced towards Luna who was looked as though she was walking through a wall. "Where are we Luna?" "We are in front of the Ravenclaw Tower." "Makes sense that the people who seek knowledge will have a hidden passage to the library... so do you guys not have a password?" "Oh no, you''ve got to answer a question," said Luna. "What if you get it wrong?" "Well, you have to wait for somebody who gets it right," said Luna. "That way you learn, you see?" Arth couldn''t help but sigh. "How interesting... now I regret being in Gryffindor." Arth glanced at the eagle, a slight curve was starting to form upwards on his mouth. "Talent is not a measure for power, only a tool for measuring potential. unless I am given more information, I will have to say that the two of them are equally matched." The eagle went silent before responding with a monotone voice. "Well reasoned." The door opened and Arth walked into the Ravenclaw Common Room. 27 Three Questions Arth entered the Ravenclaw Tower with a hint of expectation. It was a wide, airy room with windows that provided a mountain side view, there were bookcases that held countless amounts of books, so much that they started to spill onto the floor. There was a domed ceiling above them painted with the colors of dark blue and black, giving off the aura of the endless sky during the dark. The most striking difference was the silence. The Gryffindor common room was always packed and noisy, everyone thought that being loud was the best way to spend time. In the Ravenclaw Tower, it was more of a soft quiet sound, like the flight of an owl. It wasn''t the silence that made you uncomfortable and uneasy, but the one that reminded you of a warm, homey library, a place of learning and books. Even when it was early in the morning, people were out silently reading books in the comfy chairs. There was an occasional sound of a page being flipped that brought a sense of rhythm. Luna came from behind with a dreamy look. "It''s a sight to see isn''t it. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I still think that it is one of the most beautiful places in Hogwarts." Arth walked over to the bookshelf and picked out a book. It was a book he had never read before. He picked up another one and again, he didn''t recognize the title. Arth placed the book down. "If... if every book in here is something I haven''t read... it would last me for a bout two years... with those I still haven''t read in the library... that''s seven years worth of books covered." Arth turned around and gave Luna a hug. "Thank you, this.... this is amazing. Thank you for showing me this." Luna blushed, maybe due to the suddenness of the hug, but it could also be because of her inexperience in matters similar to this. "Isn''t this what friends are for?" Arth grinned and ruffled her hair before claiming a seat with a book in hand. Luna absentmindedly touched the part of her hair that Arth had ruffled before sitting down right next to him. As time went by, the sun began to rise and more and more Ravenclaw a began to come out of their little comfort zones. They stumbled into the common rooms with drowsy eyes and the first thing they saw was black and gold. There was a somewhat familiar girl sitting in one of the chairs while reading a book. Her silver eyes were dreamy and curious while her golden hair spilled down the chair. She looked as though she was focused on her book and yet at the same time somewhere far away. Right next to her was a raven haired boy with the night sky as eyes. His hair was somewhat long and his skin was a natural pale. He was hard to notice at first, but once he caught their eye, it was hard to look away. He had a naturally hidden aura that gave people a warm feeling, as if one was reading in front of a cozy fire. One of the older Ravenclaw students, an Asian girl, can over to investigate. "Umm... hello?" Arth closed his book gently before turning to the Asian girl. "Hello, how may I be of assistance?" The girl hesitantly spoke with an uncertain voice. "Are you a first year? I don''t think I''ve seen you around here before." "Oh no. I''m a second year, Arthur Kingscrown." "Cho Chang, Are you... really a Ravenclaw?" "What one is thought of as, is not always his truth." "Excuse me?" "He''s saying that he isn''t a Ravenclaw," said Luna without looking up from her book. "He isn''t a Ravenclaw, which is what you thought he was. However, this can also mean that although he is in a different house, he belongs in Ravenclaw, was that right Arth?" Arth held up a thumbs up before continuing on with his book. Cho Chang frowned. "Is this even allowed? I thought joining into a different house wasn''t allowed. Did you tell him the answer to the riddle Luna?" Arth stood up and gave a stretch. "Nope, I solved it myself. Seemed very interesting." Arth glanced at the clock and raised his eyebrows. "Would you look at the time. It''s already nine, I''ll get going. See you Luna." "May the Margs leave you in peace." "Hahaha, I hope so too." Arth was about to leave when a sudden figure blocked his way. Arth frowned. "Is there something bothering you?" "Yes," said a female Ravenclaw student, "I wish to challenge you to the Three Questions. I refuse to believe that you entered by solving the riddle. You cannot be as intelligent as Ravenclaws while you are in a different house." "Wow, that is a very stereotypical thing to say. I would expect better from a Ravenclaw, Arth paused for a bit with a curious gaze. "however, you have piqued my interest. What exactly is this Three Questions you have challenged me too." Luna spoke answered while still on her chair. "the Three Questions is an old Ravenclaw tradition. It''s basically ask three questions each, whoever can''t answer their opponents question the most loses. However, you need to provide an answer to the question you asked. Otherwise, the other party wouldn''t learn." Arth let out a smile. "That''s seems fun, well then, I accept." People from all years started to gather around as they watched the battle begin. They made a circle around the two and waited. The younger students quietly watched on with excited expressions while the older students wore a smile on their face. Arth did an elegant bow towards the third year Ravenclaw student and smiled. "May I have the honor of knowing the name of the person who is challenging me?" "Marietta Edgecombe, I shall start off." She stood tall with her chest puffed out, acting as if she was superior to him. "What is the quickest way to get something you want?" Arthur let out a cheeky grin. "Your voice." "Wrong." "Actually, you are the one who is incorrect." The whole room froze in tension. Marietta frowned. "What?" "You see," Arth explained. "You asked me the fastest way to get what you want. That is your voice. When you call out to someone to get something, it happens instantaneously." Marietta smirked. "Well, you are wrong. You don''t need to ask for something when you can summon it. The summoning charm will get your stuff the quickest." The whole room started to clap but stopped when they say that Arth''s hand was up. "I beg to differ. The summoning charm is indeed a quick way to get your stuff but it''s only on certain items." "What do you mean?" "The summoning charm can only summon physical objects, it has no affect on the intangible." Marietta started to stutter. "B-But that''s not what I asked-" "No, it IS what you asked. You asked for the quickest way to get things you want. What if the thing I want is something I can''t get with a spell? I can get a broomstick with a summoning charm, I can also get a broom by asking Madam Hooch. However, what if I ask for the assistance of an individual? Do I summon him to do things? Or do I ask him?" "But what if they refuse-" "It doesn''t matter if they refuse, all that matters is that asking for it has a chance of success and that it will get things done quick." "But then the summoning charm is also validated, it can''t do things sometimes, people get rejected sometimes. We are thus, equal-" "That''s where you are wrong. You see, if I ask for something, there is a chance I can get it no matter what it is. However, if you tried to use the summoning spell on, let''s say for an example, to date a guy you like, there is a zero percent chance of that happening. Thus, my answer wins because it is the quickest method that is able to function in all situations. Let us move on to my first question now." The whole room was silent. 28 Fame is bad, Harry Potter is bad The room watched on with increasing interest. The first years were in absolute amazement while the older students watched on with a hint of fire in their eyes. Arth causally took out his wand and twirled it in his hands causing Marietta to flinch. "My first question, what is most effective way to cast magic in any situation?" Marietta visibly relaxed at the easy question. "You are belittling me. You need to hold your wand steady and clearly say your spell with clear and projecting voice." As if expecting praise, she held her head high and a couple of first years started to clap. However, some of the older students groaned. Arth had his trade mark smile on. "Wrong." It was as if a bucket of water was poured onto Marietta. "What?" "You are wrong. That is not the correct answer to my question." "What? How! There is no way-" "What is the most effective way to cast magic in any situation?" "Exactly, you need to hold your wand steady and clearly state your spell-" "What if someone casted a silencing charm on you? What will you do? Say the spell?" The clapping stopped. Speechless, Marietta dumbly watched as she squeezed her head for anything she could use to retort back. "... but that''s only one situation, there are many others-" "I said, in my question, ANY situation. Including this one." Marietta stopped talking at once. "You see, if you can cast spells without the need to speak, then you can cast spells even while under the silencing charm." Everyone watched on while holding their breaths. "However, even this isn''t the answer. Cause I can disprove it by stating: what happens when someone disarms you?" "You... can''t cast any spells?" Arth''s grin grew larger. "Wrong again. The answer is to cast spells without a wand or any incantation." Several students who looked like they they were in their seventh year abruptly stood up. Their faces couldn''t hide their immense surprise. "...is that even possible? To cast spells without words or a wand?" "It is, in fact, everyone in here has done it before." Everyone gave a start when they realized that they, the observers, had been drawn into the challenge. "Impossible! I''ve never experienced-" "Have you, my dear fellow student, have you ever made things happen when you were scared or angry? Anything... magical?" "..." "Wands, and chants, are but tools that allow us to control our inner potential in a manner that requires less effort. However, these aren''t necessary. For example, we can cast spells with a wand while in total silence. And we do this, not because we want to challenge ourselves or deepen our knowledge of the magical art, but for efficiency." Arth circled Marietta, who was standing still due to shock and revelation. His eyes resembled that of a predator... or perhaps the eyes of a teacher. "When participating in a wizards duel, do you scream out the name of the spell you are casting so that your opponent can block it before counter attacking? Do you tell your opponent that you are about to cast a spell? Or do you play smart and cast the spell silently and watch as your unprepared opponent struggles to identify and block your spell?" Arth put away his wand. "Onto the subject of wands, wands are honestly inefficient in battle as well. When your wand is not at hand, it takes about one second to take it out and point it at your opponent. Meanwhile, your opponent can take this opportunity to attack." Arth stopped circling Marietta right when they were back in their original positions. "You might be thinking that "what if we have our wands our continuously, we wouldn''t have to worry about taking out our wands fast enough." Well... That is also ineffective. By constantly having your wand out, you will increase the guard of you opponent, keeping him on edge and aware of your every move. What you want to do is catch him by surprise, and win." Marietta raised her head and for the first time, there was not fear or disdain, but amazement, maybe even reverence. "Thus, the best, most efficient way to cast magic, is to cast it without a wand, and without a chant. And to prove it, I shall provide an example." Arthur raised his hands as the disorganized books began to tremble and float. With a snap, all the books began to rearrange themselves in neat rows that were alphabetically organized in their own subject. "Now," said Arth with a playful smile. "What is your second question? Or may I have the honors of starting the second round?" Marietta trembled. She was shivering as if her very core was destroyed. She spoke with a quiet voice. "...I concede..." "Very well- What?" She spoke up a little bit louder with an expression of defeat. "I give up. I concede. I don''t want to continue, it''s obvious that I have less knowledge than you." Arth watched as she left to go back into her room. He felt as if he had been stunned by a stunning spell. Luna walked up towards him with a book held up to her chest. "I never really liked that girl... um... Mary-" "Marietta." "Ooh, Yes, That was her name. I never relain liked her because she said the Quibbler was all wack and false stories. I don''t like her face either. It isn''t a very pleasing sight you see." Arth raised his eyebrows at how very blatant Luna was. He glanced around at the silent crowd around him before giving a wave. Several waved back. He made his way to the door and exited the common room. He could hear that the Ravenclaws behind him had finally started to talk. Arth groaned before slapping himself in the cheek. "Remember Arthur. Fame is bad, hidden is good. Don''t let that ghost dark lord change your personality. Next time, remember, Arthur doesn''t want to become like Harry Potter. Once more, Arthur doesn''t want to be like Harry Potter." Finally feeling satisfied, Arth went into the secret tunnel that led to the library. 29 Mudblood Arth made his way out of the library and towards the great hall. There, he saw Hermione eating a simple salad. He walked up and sat right next to her. "How is today going?" Asked Arth causally, grabbing a banana from a plate. "Same as usual, are you going to go down and watch Harry''s quidditch practice?" "Um... I don''t think I was going to. Why?" "If you want, do you want to go with me to cheer Harry on? Ron''s joining me and... you know what I mean." As if summoned, Ron stumbled into the great hall looking a bit... unintelligent. His head was disheveled and he yawned in a dumb manner. Arthur sighed. I''m sorry my friend, but with the way you behave, I wonder if you can ever get a wife... Ron stumbled over like the clueless sheep he was and sat down right next to Arth. "So... how are you Arth?" "Ok." "And you Hermione?" "I''m doing fine, thank you." "So... are you coming with us to watch Harry''s game? Hermione is coming." Seeing the pitiful face of Hermione, Arth could help but give in. "...Fine." Instantly, Hermione''s expression brightened while Ron gave a thumbs up. "Okay, let''s head down after I finish this. Man I''m starving." After they three of them had finished eating, they went down to the quidditch field, where they saw the Gryffindor quidditch team comping out from the lockers. The sun was up completely now and remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. The air was damp and cool, a weather that was great for reading. Seeing that Harry was glumly walking towards their way, Ron raised an eyebrow. "Aren''t you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously. "Haven''t even started," said Harry, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade they had brought out some of the Great Hall. "Wood''s been teaching us new moves." "What kind of "teaching moves" takes two hours?" Frowned Arthur. "The wood kind." Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. Hermione watched this with a somewhat amazed gaze. "He really is a good flier isn''t he?" "Yep, he definitely is," answered Ron. "Although, I think Arth would do fine too." Arth shook his head. "Nah, I don''t like being in the center of attention." ((AUTHOR: *COUGH* don''t point me out on this)) They were about to focus back onto Harry when they heard the sound of a camera clicking furiously to their left. Ron groaned while Arth gave a weak smile. "Hi Colin." "Arth! Look what I''ve got here! I''ve had the photo developed, I wanted to show it to you, you know, because you took it and all." Colin handed over the stone I tire that Arth had took, Harry smiled weakly back at him from the photo while Colin Creevey was jumping around in an excited manner. "Harry must be brilliant. He was the youngest House player in a hundred years- did you know that? I''ve never flown. Do you reckon it''s easy? I''ve asked Harry all these questions but he seemed to be to preoccupied to answer..." "Well, Harry is indeed a brilliant seeker," said Arth with a warm smile. "And flying... flying is easy for some and difficult for others. You''ll understand when you have your first flying lessons from Madam Hooch." Visibly excited, Colin began to take pictures of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. In fact, Colin took so much photos that the team started to notice him. "What''s that funny clicking noise?" called Fred as they made their way down to the grass. "Look this way, Harry! This way!" Colin cried shrilly. "Colin, shhh, your being a distraction." "Who''s that Arth?" said Fred from across the field. "Its a Gryffindor, don''t worry," yelled Arth with a tired look. "What''s going on?" said Wood, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. "Why''s that first year taking pictures? I don''t like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program." "He''s in Gryffindor, Arthur confirmed it for us. Plus the Slytherins don''t need a spy, Oliver," said George. "What makes you say that?" said Wood testily. "Because they''re here in person," said George, pointing. Arth frowned after hearing the words of George and turned to look at where he was pointing. Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, Sleek black broomsticks in their hands. "I don''t believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We''ll see about this!" Wood shot toward the Slytherins in a furious manner with the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in tow. "...we should go to," said Hermione before dashing off towards Harry. Ron and Arth followed. "Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!" Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood." "But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!" "Ah," said Flint. "But I''ve got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. ''I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker''. " "You''ve got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?" And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy. "Aren''t you Lucius Malfoy''s son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike. "Funny you should mention Draco''s father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he''s made to the Slytherin team." All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors'' noses in the early morning sun. "Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" ¡ª he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives ¡ª" sweeps the board with them." None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits. "What''s happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren''t you playing? And what''s he doing here?" He was looking at Malfoy. "I''m the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone''s just been admiring the brooms my father''s bought our team." Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him. "Good, aren''t they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." The Slytherin team howled with laughter. "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent." The smug look on Malfoy''s face flickered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat. There was an instant uproar. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You''ll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint''s arm at Malfoys face. However, the older Slytherins got to him first. A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out and hit Ron in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass. "Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap. The Slytherin team were paralyzed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. The Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Everyone let out an involuntary shiver. They felt as though the whole world seemed to regress back into the ice age. When they tried to identify the source, they were surprised to find that it came from a black haired boy right next to them. Silence ensued as Arth sent waves of icy wrath towards a pale Draco. His eyes changed from their original brilliant night sky to an endless dark abyss. Everyone felt themselves shrinking back a bit. Arth snarled at Draco. "Apologize." "W-What?" "Apologize." Draco let out a laugh that couldn''t hide his fear. "Why would I ever Apologize to that blood traitor and that filthy mudblood-" Arthur snapped. 30 Ran This is a story of a boy. A boy who lived his life filled with secrets. At a young age, his life took a hit that no child should ever bear, the loss of an entire family. Luckily, before anything else bad could happen, he was accepted into new family. However, this did not let the boy forget about his old family. To make it worse, his new parents were unlike him. Although they acted normal in their presence, they would have habits that would have no logical explanation. It was as if two people who lived with magic for their entire life suddenly lost all magical power. His father had a fascination for electronics. His mother seemed to be unfamiliar with the use of cooking utensils. Over the years, these flaws disappeared, however, the boy still remembered. He remembered everything, even the things he wanted to forget. When the boy turned 11, he realized that his suspicions were not wrong. His parents were indeed extraordinary. It all started with a letter, an invitation, an acceptance letter to a school of magic. Yes, it was magic, the secret that was kept from him from his parents. The secret that used to create an invisible boundary inside their family. The boy was happy, he had finally opened the barrier between his parents and himself. However, seeing the joyful expression on his parents, he did not feel pride or happiness. He felt bitter. He had thoughts that a child, no, something even an adult shouldn''t have. How long had his parents had to hide something they loved all for the sake of him? "It doesn''t matter, you are our son. We will always love you." He knew it, but it did not help. He thought of what would have been different if he was born as their son, their real blood son. Would they have taught that version of him magic? Would they love him even more? Would they have been happier? At that moment, the boy felt a sense of jealousy, jealousy towards a boy who didn''t exist, a boy who was his parents true son. Of course the boy his It well, he was mature enough to know that jealousy was a poison, especially when it was focused towards something that he could never be. So he kept it hidden, locked away in a prison, tied up so no one could ever realize exactly what was going on in his head. For a while, he forgot about that jealousy, and he was happy. But even that happiness was short lived. While in his first year at the school, his ears caught the voice of a group of kids while he was in the library reading. At first the boy tried to block The voices of the noisy groups, he was quite interested in the subject he was currently reading, however, he heard an unfamiliar word come out from one of the noisy boy''s mouth. The boy knew that what was just uttered was something derogative and hurtful. However, his curiosity got the better of him, his thirst for knowledge had to be satisfied. Curiosity killed the cat. The boy, upon discovering the meaning of the word, once again froze. The feelings he had locked away had once more resurfaced, but this time stronger. He was a filthy wizard, one that did not deserve the love and care he received from his parents. He started to hate himself, he started to hate his life, however, he could not hate his blood. His previous family always lingered around his head like a drug, something unpleasant yet hard to forget. It did not help that at that time, Christmas was looming and his parents had written that they did not have enough time to spend Christmas together. It made it so much worse. For a couple days, the boy struggled with insomnia and depression. However, he calmed down quickly. Once again, like everything he had wanted to forget, he locked it away with chains of false reassurance saying how his parents loved him no matter what he was. And he knew it, he always knew it. His chains were strong, they could contain anything within, yet a small stimulation from the outside would break all the chains down. His personality became more irregular, he would be calm at most times, yet he would be explosive at others. He would feel like hiding away, yet he also had a desire for fame, a desire to prove to himself that he was worthy of the love he had received. Then he saw the mirror. All of the protection and walls he had built fame crashing down. The one memory he hated and despised the most came back like a fifty meter tall wave. The thing he desired and feared came to his eyes once more. He felt hesitant, all of the strength and intelligence seemed useless before the never ending nightmare. He couldn''t fight his way out, nor could he think towards his escape. He was devoured by pain and sorrow. He was trapped. He was scared. He was bitter. He was desperate. Then came a chance. One of his friends had left him in anger, his friend had thought that he was doing the right thing. The boy thought differently. He said it was too risky, too dangerous. But they wouldn''t listen. He watched as his friends left, and a chain cracked open. He thought to himself, what if... what if this was his moment to show his true brilliance, to prove his worth, to become the pride of his family. He felt ashamed, he wasn''t rushing towards his friends to help them, but for his own selfish reason. It was ok to be selfish, the boy muttered to himself. He was still a child, no amount of brain could stop it. So he chased after his friend, and saw that his suspicions were correct. He confronted the dark lord and explained his thought process, everything, his brilliance, his intelligence. The boy was overwhelmed with pride that he made mistakes that shouldn''t have been made. He was caught off guard by the dark lord and got possessed. Once more the memories resurfaced. He felt the old pain come back, and the boy fought against it, and won. Barely, yes, but he won. He felt regret, but there was a part of him that was satisfied. The part of him that he himself had hated. The part that screamed for fame and acceptance. The part of him that despised the term, mudblood. 31 I Feel Refreshed Smack. No one said a thing, for everybody was equally speechless. Another smack. The Slytherins finally realized that there was a very furious Arth murdering a somewhat small in comparison Draco. Arth had Draco by the shirt and one hand was continuously striking the small delicate nose of poor boy. "G-get off me!" "Apologize." "Why the fuck-" The punches started to rain down harder and faster. Marcus and a few other boys attempted to get Arth him. "Oi, get off-" Arth swing his arm back, his fist catching the side of Marcus''s face, sending him sprawling. "That little mother fucker! Get him boys." Seeing that the Slytherins where attempting to gang up on Arth, the Gryffindors prepares to join in on the scuffle, however, they soon stopped and stared. Arth was holding out pretty well on the seemingly unfair battle of seven verses one, or since the seeker, Malfoy was already incapacitated so maybe it was six verses one... But it was nonetheless an unfair battle. Yet the pitiful Slytherins were getting massacred. Arth had abandoned the rag doll like Malfoy and turned around to catch the fist of the nearest Slytherin. Surprised, the Slytherin boy attempted to release himself but GeForce he could, Arth got up and pulled. The boy was flung towards Arth who then proceeded to knee the boy in the chest. The boy let out a sound that resembled a bag losing air before crumpling to the four. Five verses one. Angry, the other five proceeded to tackle Arth. On grabbed his right arm, another grabbed his other arm. Two people proceeded to hold tight to Arth''s right and left leg respectively. one of them gave a vehement kick to his side, and Arth heard a faint snap. Marcus popes his neck threateningly and walked up towards Arth. Seeing this, Harry, Ron, and Hermione tried to stop them, but the rest of the Gryffindors held them back. "Don''t you see? He needs help!" Screamed Hermione. "Yeah! He''s our friend, we can''t just let him get his ass kicked." "He did look pretty wicked-" "Ron!" "-thats right! We need to save him." "You started this fight, everything we do is self defense." Wood gazed at Arth with a interesting gaze. "It''s ok, right now, if we do nothing. The Slytherins will take a massive drop in reputation and points. Even if Arth started it, they did fight back. Plus-" Wood added seeing the furious gaze in Hermione''s eyes. "I don''t think that he''ll necessarily lose... call it my quidditch instinct." Fred frowned. "But Wood... this has nothing to do with Quidditch?" "...shut up George." "I''m Fred. Honestly, do you call yourself a quidditch team captain when you can''t even identify your players?" "..." Marcus ignored the comedy show that was taking place a few meters away and stared at Arth. "Quite pitiful how it can be considered self defense when there was seven of you and your enemy was a single second year, in sorry, a second year muggleborn. Quite pitiful, if I do say so myself." "Shut it Kingscrown, I wouldn''t be so cocky, looking at the situation you are in." "I could say the same to you. Who needs seven people to beat up one person-" Marcus hit Arth on the side of the face with enough force to cause Arth to have a busted lip. When he recovered, Arth glared up at Marcus with blood dripping from his mouth. "You''re lucky that I can''t use magic, with what you guys showed for intelligence, it would be easier than putting down my wand." This caused Marcus to smack Arth again in the same spot. Seeing that Arth was wincing, Marcus grabbed Arth''s hair and dragged him near his face. "Do you understand now?" He whispered. "You are not the one in power right now, its me. Now you better shut that hole of yours, before I make you throw up something more unpleasant that slugs." Seeing that Arth went silent, Marcus let out a satisfied smile. "Finally you realize that I am the-" Arth interrupted by smashing his head into Marcus''s face. He then suddenly jerked back, catching the four Slytherins off guard and escaped the deadlock. He bent down and spun around with his leg out, knocking them down to the floor. He sent two quick kicks towards two boys before quickly backing off. Three verses one. "It seems the tides have changed Marcus. What a pathetic lot you people are. Why would you give me a chance to fight back? You should''ve incapacitated me first." Feeling wronged, Marcus wanted to howl. We had four people on you! If that wasn''t suppression for you! What do you want? A giant? The other two boys got up and went to the side of Marcus. One of them whispered quietly into Marcus''s ear. "Should we give up?" "Shut up! We can still win." The two boys glanced at the four Slytherins sprawled on the floor and sighed in defeat. They let out a mighty war cry before charging towards Arth. Three seconds later, they joined the others on the floor. Now Marcus felt fear, his face was pale and he was trembling. Seeing that Arth was gradually getting closer, he started to stutter. "Hahaha... let''s talk about this Kingscrown... were fellow students right? Let''s stop all this violence and settle it like true respectable wizards-" Arth sent a merciless blow to his crotch, causing Marcus''s eyes to bulge out. Something in his eyes died out and his body fell as if something precious was destroyed. The watching Gryffindor boys let out a shiver. How merciless. Hermione rushes towards Arth and took out a handkerchief. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? Of course you are hurt, what am I saying, here let me wipe the blood off of your face. Why would you do such a reckless thing?" Arth stood still as husband being scolded by his wife and watched on with an awkward face. It was only until Fred, or George, not very important which was who, let out a dog whistle, when Hermione realized that what she was very romantic. She blushed and stuttered that they were only friends yet didn''t stop wiping the blood off. Arth glanced at the bloody handkerchief and frowned. "Wait, I know a spell that can take out the blood. Don''t want to stain your precious handkerchief do we? I mean, it was for me after all." Seeing that Hermione was blushing again, Arth gave a small smile, but immediately froze afterwords. He slowly took out his wand and stared at it unbelievingly. His wand was located in the pocket that was located on his side. The place that was kicked. Arth took out his broken wand and groaned. He threw the wand aside and went back towards the unconscious Slytherins to vent his anger. 32 Chocolate Frogs Arth had finished with his third round of torture- no, discipline when professor McGonagall stomped out onto the field with a furious look. "What is going on here! It looks like a war zone here- is that Marcus Flint with a head on his crotch- My god! Why is everyone covered in blood?" Arth noticed his blood covered fists and muttered. "Scourgify." The blood on his fists and robes disappeared like a lie. A really good lie too. After making sure there was no evidence of violence, Arth finally answered Professor McGonagall. "Nothing Professor McGonagall, Nothing at all." "How would you explain-" Professor McGonagall indicates furiously towards the half dead slytherins with a trembling finger. "-the condition of the students in the floor?" Arth shrugged. "They fell down?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "I suppose they all had quite a nasty fall? From their brooms I suppose?" "Yes, they must have fallen off while practicing, Professor." "I see... however, it doesn''t make sense for all the members of Slytherin''s quidditch team to fall off their brooms, does it? I mean, they are the best in their houses respectively," said Professor McGonagall while fixing her glasses. "Maybe they are the best in their house, just not the best overall." Fred and George whistled while Wood sent a thumbs up. Ron was still throwing up slugs. "Do I look that stupid to you Mr. Kingscrown?" "Not at all Professor, not at all." Arth casted a memory charm on all of the Slytherins one by one while mumbling under his breath. "I can see that you are casting spells on them quite clearly." "What do you mean Professor, I am just a second year student with a broken wand, how am I supposed to cast an advanced spell without my wand Professor?" Chimed Arth looking as innocent as a child who got caught writing a book past bedtime. At was only after he had finished casting a memory spell on the seventh person did Arth stop mumbling. Professor McGonagall glanced at the Slytherins and back towards Arth before sighing. "Mr. Kingscrown, follow me. We will go see the headmaster about this. And please, someone take Ronald Weasley to the hospital wing." Arth calmly walked behind Professor McGonagall and followed her up towards the headmaster''s office. They went into the Gargoyle Corridor where Professor McGonagall proceeded to walk towards a gargoyle in the hall. "Chocolate Frogs." The gargoyle leapt aside, revealing a slowly ascending circular staircase. Arth couldn''t help but click his tongue at the simple password. Once they reached the top, Professor McGonagall knocked thrice in the door and waited. "Come in." Professor McGonagall opened the door and guided Arth in. Arth walked in and did a double take. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tainted wizard''s hat ¡ª the Sorting Hat. There was a crimson bird, the size of a swan, roosting on top of a table. Right behind it was Dumbledore. "If it isn''t my good teacher Minerva, why do I have the pleasure of meeting you this early in the morning." Professor McGonagall started to rant. "Well headmaster. I was looking out of my window, it is quite the lovely day you know, when to my horror, I saw students in the quidditch field fighting! Fighting with there bare fists like muggles! No sight of the dignity of a wizard! And when I go down to stop this nonsense myself, there were seven students unconscious, with one still physically marring them." "Who?" Dumbledore seemed to have finally noticed the tiny Arth behind a fuming Professor McGonagall. "Hello Mr. Kingscrown, it seems that trouble follows wherever you go." "It seems so headmaster." "Well, if I may ask, why did you attack them?" "I do not know sir, because I did not attack them. They fell down by themselves." "Stop this nonsense and tell-" "It''s ok Minerva, you may exit. I am able to handle this quite well." Professor McGonagall pursed her lips before heading outside the office. Dumbledore let out a small smile while turning to Arthur. "Well Mr. Kingscrown, how are you dating since your rather... exciting adventure from last year?" A wry smile formed on Arth''s face. "Actually, I''ve been doing poor." "Really? In what way." "I''ve changed." Dumbledore froze and frowned. "I''m what way do you mean?" "There''s a new part of me that is violent and rash. Some part of me that doesn''t exist, or didn''t influence me greatly until I was possessed by Voldemort." "How... disturbing." "Yes, I am not myself at times, yet I cannot control myself. There are things that come to mind constantly, things that I shouldn''t think about." Dumbledore went quiet for a bit before taking out his wand. He placed the wand near the temple. There was a silvery glow as a thin wisp of darkness slowly extracted itself from Arth''s head. It let out a screeching scream before vanishing into nothingness. Arth winced. His head felt as though he had just chewed on a particularly strong mint for a long period of time before heading outside in the middle of winter and taking a deep long breath. It was only until now, did Arth realize how much of his mind was actually affected. Feeling clearheaded, Arth let out a self deprecative smile. "It seems that I was affected much more than I thought." Dumbledore waved it off easily. "You should feel proud Mr. Kingscrown, not many wizards could stay as sane as you were after experiencing the power of Voldemort first hand. Now that the problem is solved, let us move on to the matter you came to me for, why did you attack them?" Arth decided on whether to tell the truth or not. He decided to be candor for once. "... they called my friend a name sir. A name that should not be uttered." "And whom was this said to?" "Hermione Granger." "Ah," sighed Dumbledore. "I can imagine what word they used to call her. I can see why you got offended, after all, you can probably relate very much to miss Granger." "Yes sir." "However, this is not what I wanted to hear. Please tell me the events in detail." Arth sat down on a chair and proceeded to explain. 33 The Mistake "I attacked Malfoy first, because he was the one who insulted Hermione." "Why would you resort to physical violence? Wouldn''t using magic have been more efficient?" A sly smile formed upon Arth''s lips. "I was considering using magic however, I knew that using magic against another student to solve conflicts would''ve gotten me a free ticket out of Hogwarts. While fist fighting isn''t ok, it will bring about less consequences that casting a stunning spell on seven people." "Interesting way of thinking." "Plus, if the Slytherins complained about how I beat them seven versus one, then they would''ve been ridiculed on how they lost a fight when they had an overwhelming advantage." "How did you exactly win against seven people? It is not that I am doubting your abilities but please understand that it is hard for me to believe that a second year beat a group of kids when most of his victims were at least twice the weight of the perpetrator." "I wouldn''t say they were victims sir." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I just received a letter from madam Pomfrey stating the extent of the damage done to the Slytherin team. While they can indeed be healed, it would have caused no small amount to them." "I guess I did go a little overboard..." "A little? I do say it was a tad bit more than a little, but no matter. People often times do need a moment to vent their anger and frustration. But I must ask, why did you cast a memory charm on all of them?" "I decided that it was better to eliminate any chances of getting in trouble. Plus, I didn''t want them to become wary of me." "And why do you wish that?" "First of all, I found it troublesome. Rumors would start to spread and it would be a pain to deal with the consequences. Plus, they won''t come back to pick a fight if they are wary of my strength. How will I relieve my anger?" "However, did you not use magic on other students? Isn''t that punishable by expulsion?" "That is indeed true, however, they can''t prove it without it benefiting me." "What do you mean by that?" "You see, during the scuffle, one of the boys broke my wand-" "That means that you casted the memory charm without the aid of a wand! You managed to achieve something that most adult wizards can''t do!" "So even if they do prove that I had altered their memory, when I get expelled, I can use the fact that I can cast spells without a wand to get a job." "The Ministry of Magic''s Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be delighted to have you join their ranks." There was a twinkle in Dumbledore''s eye as he stared at Arth from across his table. "Fascinating, absolutely brilliant. I haven''t seen a mind like yours in a century!" "Why thank you headmaster." Dumbledore took a quick glance at his clock. "Well, after hearing your exciting mind process, I believe it about time you go back to your friends, they must be worried sick." Arth got up and did a fancy little bow. "Then I shall excuse myself." When Arth had reached the door, Dumbledore called out. "Mr. Kingscrown, I shall make sure that you will not be expelled for your recent fiasco, however, whether you get detention or not is up to your house teacher. And one more thing, you made a mistake." Arth winced before going down the stairs. Professor McGonagall would never let him off without at least serving detention. However, what exactly did Dumbledore mean by I made a mistake? When he reached the common room, he was swarmed by a crowd of Gryffindors. "Arth! I heard that you beat the Slytherins seven to one!" "Arth! You are a bloody legend! Can''t believe you beat the Slytherins by yourself." "Is it true that you broke sixteen bones?" Arthur then realized the crucial mistake he had made. He had erased the minds of Slytherins, but forgot to erase the minds of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. With the Weasley twins gossiping like middle age women, the whole school probably knew what Ahmad happened. It entirely wasted Arth''s effort to wipe the minds of the Slytherins. Arth groaned before staring at the crowd in front of him with a tired gaze. "Hey Fred!" Fred glanced over from the corner where he was once more singing a ballad of his achievements. "What is it Arth? Do you also want to hear the song I made?" "Did you tell the whole school about my fight?" "Nah, we only got to our house. Was thinking about telling the whole school during lunch." Arth sighed in relief. It seems that he only had to wipe the memories of the Gryffindors. With a dangerous glimmer in his eyes, Arth stared at the crowd with his hands raised up. The air teemed with power and everyone started to unconsciously back away from Arth. "What are you trying to do mate?" "...Is this some kind of joke? It''s not funny." Arth ignored the scared gazes of the Gryffindors as he attempted to create an area of effect memory charm. However, he failed. Arth gave up and sighed. The air slowly went back to its normal state. "That was a joke right Arth? Cause that was really scary." Still ignoring Fred, Arth rolled his eyes before mumbling to himself. "Guess I have to do it the hard way... one by one." Arth turned towards Fred and muttered in a clear voice. "Obliviate." 34 Filch Arth, at first, tried to obliviate people one by one. However, he was met with resistance by the more experienced sixth and seventh years. So he had to change it up a bit. "Confundo!" "GOD DAMN! HIW THE HELL CAN YOU USE MAGIC SO WELL WHEN YOU DON''T EVEN HAVE A WAND?" "I practice?" "WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN-" The people who were hit by Arth''s Confundus charm started to attack the other Gryffindors with the very spell that hit them. "WHY IS NEVILLE SO GOOD AT CASTING SPELLS? ISN''T HE SUPPOSED TO BE BAD?" "Well, Neville just has a severe case of stage fright, otherwise, he is a pretty good wizard. Plus, when I confunded him, I confused him to think he can cast a confundus charm by implanting my experience with the charm. Does that make sense?" "NO IT DOESN''T!" However, no matter what Arth had said, it was still pretty surprising to see the usually trembling Neville one handedly massacre one fifth of the Gryffindor house. After everyone was confunded, Arth obliviated them one by one. It was nearly lunchtime when Arth finished obliviating the whole Gryffindor Common room. He stretched his arms and yawned. "Its only noon yet I''m already this tired. How am I going to survive the entire day..." Arth glanced back at the Gryffindors behind him who resembled brainless zombies: "The confundus charm should wear off in about a hour or so-" Arth clapped his hands in realization. "Harry, Ron, And Hermione have yet to be obliviated! Dammit! Where are they?" He could trust Hermione not to spread the story, and even Harry, he knew the consequences when you get fame. However, Ron was the problem. He did not trust Ron to keep a secret. If Ron didn''t have slugs coming out of his mouth, the whole school would probably know. Well, he would take care of Ron sooner or later. Arth got out of the common room and walked down towards the great hall. He had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out, "There you are, Kingscrown." Professor McGonagall was walking toward them, looking stern. "You will do your detention this evening." "Can''t you show me a bit of mercy and not give me detention?" "The rules are rules Mr. Kingscrown." Arth clicked his tongue. "So what am I doing, Professor?" said Arth. "You will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch," said Professor McGonagall. "And no magic, Arth ¡ª elbow grease." Arth let out a smirk. Cleaning? That''s my forte. "Remember, eight o clock sharp." Arth watched as Professor McGonagall left and saw from the corner of his eyes that Hermione and Harry were waving at him from the table. "How did it go?" Arth raised an eyebrow. "How did what go?" "You know, your trip to the headmaster''s office." "Oh that, Dumbledore is a good guy. He didn''t expelled me, he just wanted to hear what had happened." "That''s great," said Harry who looked visibly relieved. "So that means your Scott free." "Actually, Professor McGonagall came by and gave me detention." "What?" Hermione bit her lip before reluctantly stating, "Well it''s only fair isn''t it. He did break several rules." Harry stared aghast at Hermione. "How could you say that! Are you a Gryffindor or a Slytherin?" "N-no, I didn''t mean it like that! I meant-" "It''s ok Hermione, I know what you meant. Plus, I know I deserve detention, probably something worse. Plus, what I have to do for detention isn''t that bad." "What do you have to do?" Asked Harry and Hermione. "All I have to do is clean the trophy room with Filch. No magic, only elbow grease." Harry groaned. "That''s going to be horrible, one on one time with Filch? Nasty." "Nah, cleaning is my forte, it''s going to be a hell of a time." Hermione sighed in exasperation. "You never cease to surprise Arth, most people hate cleaning. I wonder why you enjoy cleaning and organizing so much?" "I have OCD. I hate it when things aren''t organized and dirty. Why do you think the first spell I ever learned was a cleaning one?" "Really?" Said Harry. "I''ve seen your desk and it''s covered by books constantly." "I have the books organized by name, authors and genre." Replied Arth while rolling his eyes. "And who do you think makes the beds in the morning?" "The house elves?" "Yep, why would I ever make your beds. There might be nasty things hiding beneath the bed sheets. Can you pass me the eggs?" Saturday afternoon seemed to melt away, and in what seemed like no time, it was five minutes to eight, and Arthur was making his way down the trophy room. He opened the door and walked in. Argus was waiting for Arth, in his hands was a bucket of elbow grease. "Ah, here''s the little rule breaker !" he said. "Come on boy, get to it." "Thank you sir." Arth grabbed the bucket and a cloth and started to rub. In a few minutes, a trophy was shining brighter than a lightbulb. "...at least someone understands the art of cleaning amongst you icky students. However, you missed a spot." "I did?" Arth looked over and found a tiny spot where his rag had failed to scrub. Arth turned his head and dropped his jaw at Filch in awe. "...amazing, how did you see that from that distance?" Looking a bit smug, Filch gave a smirk before replying. "Your technique is good, however, your experience is lacking. Clean the school for twenty five years and you''ll reach my level. How do you think I find enough reasons to give out detention slips to random student?" Arth gave an applause. "Now now, hurry up and get to it, finish cleaning the next trophy." Filch''s voice became almost visibly warmer and kinder and he would sometimes give out some helpful cleaning remarks while Arth scrubbed. For the first time in a quarter of a century, Filch acres friendly towards a student. 35 He is a good guy "You know, I keep a pair of chains in my office, I keep them nice and clean. In fact, I polish them until they shine every single day." "How nice, what for?" "Well to hang students up and beat them of course!" "Hmmmm." Arth gazed at Filch with sympathy. "What kind of students did you meet for you to have a desire to beat them up?" "Well, in my third year here, that was twenty two years ago, there was a boy who thought it was terribly amusing to transform a swarm of frogs. It took me a week to catch all of those stinky little gits." "How horrifying." "Even worse, the frogs secreted a thick slime that wouldn''t go away easily." "Oh no." "Yes, at that time, if the headmaster didn''t stop me, I would''ve grabbed him by the ankles and whipped him head to toe." "Yes, That would''ve been a nightmare to clean." "Of course, however, there is more. My tenth year here, a sixth year thought it would be amusing to get rid of all the HAIR on Mrs. Norris, the poor thing was shivering for weeks." "How dare he do such a heinous deed! Does he not have a heart! All living creatures must be cared for!" "Yes! That time, I secretly captured the kid and brought him into my office. I had one ankle tied to a chain when the headmaster came in and stopped me." "I would''ve just whipped him. Cats must be loved no matter what." "Yes, I would''ve at least vented my anger a bit. Every time I saw my cat shiver, I wanted to storm into that filthy slytherin''s room and beat him." Arth suddenly froze and focused his gaze on his task. "... it''s seems that we have ran out of trophies to clean." Filch also woke up from their conversation and frowned. "What a shame... we had such a thing going... I don''t think I''ve talked to anyone like this in forever, except for Mrs. Norris if course." "Mrs. Norris can talk!" "She can''t but when I tell her my problems, it''s almost as if she can talk back." "Animals do that sometimes." Arth got up from his crouched position and stretched. "Well, Mr. Filch, It seems that sadly, I must take my leave." "It was a pleasure meeting you Arthur, you are nothing like those bratty students." "Well, I''ll see you around." "You should get detention more frequently, I''ll tell you more interesting things about the school. I did clean the school for twenty five years." "Thank you for the offer, I''ll consider it." After saying his goodbyes to the surprisingly meaningful story of Filch and his hatred for students, Arth gad to say that Filch was not at all that horrible of a guy. Although, his desires to chain up students and whip them were a bit overboard... they aren''t without reason, entirely. Plus, his cat was cute. No matter what Ron and Harry said about the cat. It was adorable. He especially loved her dust colored fur. It was a calming dull color instead of a vibrant wild color. Just his favorite type of color scheme. Arth made a small detour to the hospital wing. Ron waved happily at him. "Hi Arth, never expected you to be the first one to visit me, I reckoned that hermione or Harry would''ve dropped by by now." Arth smiled. "How are you doing?" "Well," said Ron putting his finger towards his chin. "I''m pretty much alright. I just have this constant queasy feeling that makes me want to barf." Ron gave a frown. "However, it''s very weird." "What do you mean?" "You see, the spell that I would''ve casted would''ve been the slug barf spell. However, they casted on me before I could." "It''s as if an author made some changes to a plot but realized that he had to change the storyline yet wanted to see you suffer so made it so that someone casted the spell at you before you could." "I don''t really understand?" "It''s an inside joke." "Oh, ok." "Anyways-" Arth placed his hand on Ron''s head. "What are you doing Arth? This is a bit weird-" "Obliviate." Ron''s expression changed as though he had his memories reorganized before turning to face Arth. "Do you know what happened after I got hit with a slug barf spell? I can''t seem to remember anything after?" "Ah, we just broke up naturally. I mean, we had to carry you to the infirmary." "Hmmmm, I feel like I just forgot something bloody amazing..." "It must be a dream." "...maybe." Mission success. Target has been neutralized. Arth said his goodbyes and left for the common rooms. When Arth arrived at the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Hermione were waiting for him. "How did it go?" Hermione asked. "Filch didn''t whip you with chains did he?" "Did he make you clean the whole trophy room many times over?" Asked Harry. "Nope, I just cleaned it once. He couldn''t pick out any spots I missed." Said Arth with a slight smile. Seeing that the two visibly relaxed, Arth couldn''t help but add in a bit of extra information. "Plus, Filch isn''t that bad of a man." Instantly, Hermione and Harry snorted. "Yep, he is the best person in the whole school." "If he isn''t bad, then Voldemort donated to charity." "No really, Filch isn''t bad." "It''s ok Arth, we get it, you are ok, we won''t bother you anymore. Well, I''m going to go up and sleep. Goodnight you two." "Goodnight Hermione." "Goodnight Harry, Goodnight Arth." "...I wasn''t lying though." "Goodnight Arth." Said Hermione, a bit forcefully this time. "...Goodnight Hermione." Satisfied, Hermione went up towards the girls dormitory. 36 Magic October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid''s pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds. Oliver Wood''s enthusiasm for regular training sessions, however, was not dampened, which was why Harry was never to be found. Ron was in the Common room playing wizards chess with Seamus and Dean. Arth and Hermione decided to take a trip to the library. On their way there, they met a familiar ghost. Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath, "...don''t fulfill their requirements...half an inch, if that..." "Hello, Nick," said Hermione. "Hello, hello," said Nearly Headless Nick, starting and looking round. He wore a dashing, plumed hat on his long curly hair, and a tunic with a ruff, which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed. "Is something bothering you?" "Ah," Nearly Headless Nick waved an elegant hand, "a matter of no importance...It''s not as though I really wanted to join...Thought I''d apply, but apparently I don''t fulfill requirements..." In spite of his airy tone, there was a look of great bitterness on his face. "But you would think, wouldn''t you," he erupted suddenly, pulling the letter back out of his pocket, "that getting hit forty-five times in the neck with a blunt axe would qualify you to join the Headless Hunt?" "Uh..." Hermione turned to face Arth with a look that showed that she had no idea what to say. "I mean, nobody wishes more than I do that it had all been quick and clean, and my head had come off properly, I mean, it would have saved me a great deal of pain and ridicule. However-" Nearly Headless Nick shook his letter open and read furiously. "We can only accept huntsmen whose heads have parted company with their bodies. You will appreciate that it would be impossible otherwise for members to participate in hunt activities such as Horseback Head-Juggling and Head Polo. It is with the greatest regret, therefore, that I must inform you that you do not fulfill our requirements. With very best wishes, Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore." Fuming, Nearly Headless Nick stuffed the letter away. "Half an inch of skin and sinew holding my neck on, Harry! Most people would think that''s good and beheaded, but oh, no, it''s not enough for Sir Properly Decapitated-Podmore." "I mean he has a point," interrupted Arth. "And I''m not saying that I think you aren''t headless, I just think that you really can''t participate in some of the activities." Seeing the furious look on Nick, Arth sighed. "However, I think that I might be able help you with the nearly aspect of your headlessness." "What?" Hermione and Nick both stared at Arth with an incredulous expression. "How are you going to help him? He''s already dead? No offense Sir Nick." "None taken." Replied Nick with a tip of his hat. "Nick is a ghost, and he is intangible, you can''t just rip his head off." As if an idea had just come to mind, Arth stared at Nick. "Have you tried pulling your head off?" "Why would I ever do that? I am a ghost! I am not like you living people who can tear off a piece of clothing off of yourself." "So did you try?" "No. As I said, why would I ever try-" "Then try, cant hurt can it? You are already dead." Nick rolled his eyes before pulling his left ear. His head came right off his neck, and when he pulled, the head... came off. Just joking, of course it didn''t, why would it? He was a ghost. Annoyed, Nick threw his head back on and raised an eyebrow at Arth. "Are you happy now?" "Hahaha, it was worth a try, I mean, if the answer was that simple, it would have been wonderful. But apparently, I have to use my brain for this..." Arth stared intently at Nick before taking a swing at him. His fist went through the startled ghost like the ghost never existed. "Was that necessary?" Nick whines However, Arth ignored it and continued to punch at Nick, but this time, Arth did so while thinking of magic. Not any incantations, but magic, pure magic. His hands were covered in a thin hazy sheet of something as they flew towards Nick. Thud. Arth felt resistance for the first time and saw the sight of a surprised Nick being sent flying. "Oh! It worked." Unable to comprehend what had just happened, Hermione watched on with an amazed look. "Arth! What did you just do? Did you just touch Nick? He is a ghost!" "Yes, he is a ghost." "You know what I meant. How did you do it?" "Well... it was just a thought but I asked myself, how exactly do ghosts form?" "Huh?" "I mean think about it. What are ghosts made out of? Air? Particles? An unknown element? Well if you think about it... ghosts aren''t made up of air. Cause air can''t phase through walls like ghosts." "But you are using science alongside magic, those two don''t go along you know." "No, who said that?" "The professors, the books-" "Did anyone do extensive research on this subject? Is science contradictory with magic?" "Yes, Actually. There have been many cases where-" "They did it wrong, they didn''t devote their entire intelligence to it. Magic cannot contradict muggle science, it works together with it." "Then how do you explain changing a needle into a match? They are composed of two entirely different elements yet they can change into each other using magic. This can''t be true." "Yes it can." "Even if you can prove it, how do you explain conjuring spells? Or even conjuring fire. This directly contradicts the law of conservation of mass-" "Matter cannot be destroyed nor created. Yes I know that already. but it doesn''t matter." "What do you mean?" Hermione asked with her brows furrowed. Arth laughed before smiling at Hermione. "Basically, in simpler terms... Magic is matter." 37 Beheading "Where is the proof?" Asked Hermione with her arms folded to her chest. "I need to see the solid evidence." "Well the proof is right in front of you." Arth said throwing his head towards Nick. "Ghosts are the best proof of this." "How? I don''t understand? Aren''t ghosts just made out of nothing?" "Well, if we apply science to it-" "We can''t, because it''s magic." "Yes we can, it''s just that people haven''t found the correlation between the two." "So are you saying that you, a twelve year old knows more that an experienced adult mage?" "In the realms of mortal science, yes, probably." "...fine I''ll hear what you have to say." "I find all of this quite confusing and amusing at the same time, please continue," said Nick, straightening his clothes. "Ok, so first of all, can you agree that we can use magic?" "Of course, we are witches and wizards." "How do we use magic?" "With spells-" "Wrong, you can cast spells without verbal incantations." "...then with determination." Said Hermione with an increasingly exasperated look. "Ok, so what is magic then?" "What?" "What is magic." Hermione folded her arms and but her thumb in deep thought. After about five minutes, she answered. "Magic is the manifestation of if our will and desire." "Yep, that''s basically it. But how does magic do this?" "...because it''s magic?" Seeing Arth smile and shake his head, Hermione gave off a depressed aura. She had on a face of upmost reluctance as she said the words. "...I don''t know." "So, let me make a hypothesis. Magic is something special people can use to bring forth their wishes into reality, it can make heat, make things move and a bunch of other things that seem illogical." Arth gave a charming smile. "However it is not. Imagine it like this, magic is a type of energy. It is everywhere, above us, under us, in us. And when we describe magic as this special type of energy, it can create other forms of energy, it all makes sense." Arth lit up a ball of fire in his hands. "Energy cannot be creates not destroyed. Only changed. Wizards use magic to convert it into other forms of energy. When we conjure fire, we change magic into thermal energy. When we use spells like expelliarmus, it converts magic into kinetic energy." Arth extinguished the ball of fire and smiled at Hermione and Nick. "So do you agree so far that everything seems to make sense in both magic and science?" "... yes." "I still do not know what you are leading towards. What is kinetic energy by the way?" "Energy of movement. Anyways, I have just explained how magic and science can make sense together. To answer your first question, let me repeat what I said." Arth glanced at Nick. "Ghosts aren''t made up of air particles, nor are they made up of any known material or gas. Gases don''t have the ability to go through walls. So right now, when we think about it, ghosts deny every aspect of muggle science. How can ghosts exist with a visible form yet have no substance whatsoever? Well, the answer is simple-" "Ghosts are made up of magic... oh my god. You are a genius Arth." Arth snapped his finger in delight. "Exactly Hermione! And you have to remember, that only wizards can become ghosts, which mean people who can use magic. And remember, what did I say earlier?" "Magic is a type of energy, and energy is matter! So ghosts are made up of something!" "Now recall when I punched Nick, what was different about me?" Hermione''s expression got brighter and brighter as she started to piece more and more ideas together. "You had a thin layer of light on your hand- that wasn''t light! It was magic! With a magic covering, you could touch a ghost, something that has no substance! This means that ghosts do have substance! Ghosts are made up of magic!" "Yes! Last question, what are Ghosts?" Hermione excitedly grabbed the shoulders of Arth and started to furiously shake it. "Ghosts are the consciousness of dead people, no the consciousness of Wizards who have the ability to manipulate magic, thus people who can create themselves a body made up of magic!" "So that means, Nick isn''t permanently in a state where he can''t change at all. Magic can be changed. We can touch him, so we can change how he looks, so we can behead him." Arth stopped for a moment and frowned. "I can''t believe I just said we could help someone by beheading. It''s the French Revolution all over again." "How do we change him?" "Well it''s simple, we have three options. One-" Arth raised a finger while glancing at Nick, specifically his neck. "We can try to tear it apart just like how Nick attempted to do so earlier, with more force. However, we don''t know if it''s possible or not, and it might bring pain to Nick in ways we don''t know of yet." "Two," the second finger went up, "we can use the Reducto spell on Nick with once again, unknown consequences." Arth held up his third finger. "Lastly, Nick can change his body himself." Hermione let out a gasp of understanding while Nick frowned. "Is that even possible?" "Were you not listening to a thing I said?" "I was listening, however, listening and understanding is a whole different matter." Arth sighed. Why couldn''t everyone be like Hermione and understand his thoughts? "I''ll explain in simpler terms. You are a wizard. Your body is made up of magic. Use magic to change your body." "I don''t have a wand though?" "You can cast magic without a wand." "But I haven''t used magic in four hundred ninety nine years." "Just try." "What if something goes wrong?" "Do you want me to tear off your head for you? Or are you going to do it yourself?" "Arth, you are beginning to sound like a bandit." "..." Nick straightened his shirt and put on a brave face. "I shall listen to you once and attempt to cut off my head." "Arth, you just peer pressured someone to behead himself." "I know Hermione, I know. Oh Nick, Remember, instead of casting a spell, just let your emotions loose, just express your feelings of when you were rejected by the headless hunt. Channel your inner desires and let your magic lose." The whole hallway lit up with light. 38 Second The blinding light slowly fade away, like a gradually dying fire. Hermione squinted her eyes. "Why is his head still on?" Nick had come out looking as though he was still perfectly normal, albeit a bit paler than a ghost should be. In fact the only abnormal thing about him was his face. Nick wore a bright cheerful smile. "It''s alright! Actually, I am amazed!" "Did your head come off?" "No! It didn''t!" "Then why are you so excited?" Asked Hermione. "Because-" Nick grabbed his left ear and pulled causing his head to fall off and dangle. "I got the amount of skin still holding my neck together to reduce by half a millimeter!" Arth frowned. There was half a inch of skin remaining on Nick''s neck. Half an inch was about thirteen millimeters. Thirteen divided point five is twenty six. Nick had to repeat the process twenty five more times. And by the sight of how tired Nick seemed to be, he wasn''t going to finish in a long time. "Hermione... plan B." "What?" "I''m going to decapitate Nick." "What!" "His head will fly off." "I know what you meant! Why?" "It''s inefficient to let Nick sever his head by himself. I''m going to help him." "You aren''t going to let him cut his own head off?" "He''s going to take too long. I''ll make it happen faster." Arth grabbed the pendant on his neck and stared at Nick like a lion stalking his prey. The pendant grew into a four foot long sword and the blade started to glow with a menacing glare. "What is that!" "It''s polymorph metal. It can change into any shape I want it to." "That is classified as a weapon! That''s against the rules! Where did you even get it?" "It was a gift from my parents. Anyways, it''s going to help a lot when I behead Nick." "Didn''t you say there might be unknown consequences?" "But then again, there might not be any." "Excuse me, may I offer my opinion? It is my head we are talking about after all." "Instead of a week of spending effort to get rid of half an inch, I can finish it today." "Arth! You aren''t being yourself! Stop it now!" "Nope, I''m perfectly fine. I''m just curious of what would happen if I did cut his head off though... it''s never been done before. It''s absolutely fantastic." "... never mind. You are Arth." "Ummm, can you not ignore me please?" "So will you allow me to cut off his head? I''ll show you my notes and you can compare." "!!!" Hermione gave in. Arth smirked before turning to face a somewhat scared Nick. He never knew there would be a time where he would see a ghost scared. They were dead after all. "Now look here boy, you can''t just go around cutting off other people''s heads. It''s very disrespectful-" There was a flash of steel as Arth sheathed his blade in a nonexistent sheath. "...wait a minute, why are you putting away your sword before you even swung it?" Exclaimed Nick with a received expression. "I thought your were going to cut off my head-" "¤ª¤Þ¤¨ ¤ï ¤â¤¦ ¤·¤ó¤Ç¤¤¤ë." "What?" However, before Nick could ask what Arth had just said, his head fell to the floor. Nick''s face froze in surprise as it phased through thefloor. His headless body also fell towards the floor but stoped right before it hit the ground. Hermione checked the headless still body of Nick with a worried look. "... do you think we killed him?" Arth had a guilty look on his face. "Oops." Hermione glanced at the body with a scared look. "What are we going to do Arth! Is it murder if the victim was already dead? Will we get sent to Azkaban? Should we hide the evidence?" Arth stared at the body before deciding. "Let''s hide the body by shoving the body into the floor and hope that it doesn''tfloat back up." "Oh no, what do we do." Arth prepared to shove the body into the floor when he saw the body move ever so slightly. Arth changed his mind and decided to punch Nick in the gut. The body flew away as a head appeared from the ground, indignant. "Now why did you do that? Now I''m going to have a hard time fetching my body back." "Why did you pretend to be dead?" "Well... I wanted to teach you a lesson for cutting off my head, and I wanted to see your reactions. Plus, it was funny." Arth grabbed Nick by the hair and squinted down the hallway that was opposite towards where the body had flown off too. "...Ahaha... my friend, it was my mistake, a friendly joke. Come on my friend please have mercy-" Arth threw the head in the air and covered his leg in magic. When the head floated down near the floor, Arth let loose a hard kick causing the head to disappear almost instantly. Arth dusted his pants off and grabbed the confused Hermione''s hand. "What just happened." "We got played." "... I feel as though my emotions have been cheated." "I know, it''s alright. At least we know that he''ll have a hard time finding his body-" A small circular object went past them with a mind boggling speed. "Thanks Arth for assisting me! Do you want to come to my death day party? I want to thank you for helping me achieve in of my dreams. I''ve always wanted to finish the job-" Nick''s head went through a wall, blocking off all sound. Hermione and Arth froze while staring at the spot where Nick had disappeared into. "..." They glanced at each other before simultaneously sighing, which caused them both to giggle. "I never knew sir Nick was such an amusing fellow." "That half a inch of his must have caused him to feel terribly itchy. It''s like he is an entirely different person." Hermione giggled. "So are you going to his death day party? He did invite you. What even is a death day supposed to be like?" "... I really don''t want to go but I also want to know what a death day party is like... would you mind accompanying me to a party, mademoiselle?" Asked Arth doing a charming little bow while extending his hand. "...it would be my greatest pleasure, monsieur." Replied Hermione with a graceful curtsy while taking Arth''s extended hand. The both of them laughed while they made their way towards the library. 39 Deathday Party "A deathday party?Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" said Ron, who was halfway through his Potions homework and grumpy. "Sounds dead depressing to me..." "Seriously, why would you go to the deathday party, it''s on the day of the Halloween feast. Are you saying that you are willing to give up a good meal for a sketch party?" By the time Halloween arrived, Arth did indeed hesitate on whether or not he should go to the deathday party. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid''s vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment. In the end, however, his curiosity got the better of him. So at seven o''clock, Arth and Hermione walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons. Ron and Harry split up from them while shaking their heads. "Bloody insane I tell you. Do you even reckon they will have food for the living? Isn''t it just a gathering of ghosts?" "I dunno..." Ignoring their remarks, Arth and Hermione continued along. The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick''s party had been lined with candles, too, though the effect was far from cheerful: These were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. The temperature dropped with every step they took. As Hermione shivered and drew her robes tightly around herself, Arth heard what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard. "Is that supposed to be music?" Arth asked while frowning. They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes. "My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome...so pleased you could come..." He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside. It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer. "Shall we have a look around?" Arth suggested with a sparkle in his eyes. "Careful not to walk through anyone," said Hermione nervously, and they set off around the edge of the dance floor. "It might be taken as a sign of disrespect." They passed a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, a cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. Harry wasn''t surprised to see that the Bloody Baron, a gaunt, staring Slytherin ghost covered in silver bloodstains, was being given a wide berth by the other ghosts. "Oh, no," said Hermione, stopping abruptly. "Turn back, turn back, I don''t want to talk to Moaning Myrtle ¡ª" "Who?" Asked Arthur. "She haunts one of the toilets in the girls'' bathroom on the first floor," said Hermione. Arth raised an eyebrow. "Sounds delightful." "Yes. It''s been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it''s awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you ¡ª" As if realizing what she had just said, Hermione blushed a furious shade of crimson. However, Arth was too distracted to notice "Is that... food?" On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. On it was an assortment of very unappealing cuisine. The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mold and, in pride of place, an enormous gray cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming words. SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-PORPINGTON DIED 31ST OCTOBER, 1492 Arthur watched, amazed, as a portly ghost approached the table, crouched low, and walked through it, his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the stinking salmon. "Can you taste it if you walk though it?" Arthur asked him. "Almost," said the ghost sadly, and he drifted away. "I expect they''ve let it rot to give it a stronger flavor," said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis. "Hmmm, Do you reckon that it''s possible?" Arth had barely turned around to ask another question, however, when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them. "Hello, Peeves," said Arth. Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face. "Heello Arthy, Nibbles?" he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus. "No thanks," said Hermione. "Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," said Peeves, his eyes dancing. "Rude you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!" "Oh, no, Peeves, don''t tell her what I said, she''ll be really upset," Hermione whispered frantically. "I didn''t mean it, I don''t mind her ¡ª er, hello, Myrtle." The squat ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the glummest face hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles. "What?" she said sulkily. "How are you, Myrtle?" said Hermione in a falsely bright voice. "It''s nice to see you out of the toilet." Myrtle sniffed. "Miss Granger was just talking about you ¡ª" said Peeves slyly in Myrtle''s ear. "Just saying ¡ª" "Just saying ¡ª saying ¡ª how nice you look tonight," said Hermione, glaring at Peeves. Peeves just let out a maniacal giggle. Myrtle eyed Hermione suspiciously. "You''re making fun of me," she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her small, see-through eyes. "No ¡ª honestly ¡ª didn''t I just say how nice Myrtle''s looking?" said Hermione. "Don''t lie to me," Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face, while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. "D''you think I don''t know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!" "You forgot pimp-" "Silencio." Arth decided that now would be an optimal time to stop Peeves before things got out of hand. Peeves grabbed his throat and struggled to set himself free. Seeing the indignant look on Peeves'' face, Arth let out a sigh. "Stop looking at me like that, I''ll tell you something interesting. Peeves stopped and gave an indication that he was listening. "Professor Lockhart absolutely loves his books and looks. He would be devastated if someone did something to his books." As if inspired by Arth''s information, Peeves gave a salute before zooming off to god knows where. Arth didn''t forget to release Peeves from his spell. "Did you just set Peeves loose on a teacher?" "I never told him to do anything a Hermione. What are you talking about?" Arth said with a mischievous smile. Hermione returned and equally naughty smile. "Oh! I see, your right. You are innocent." Arth glanced at the sight of pale figures dancing to screeches and pondered before turning towards Hermione. "My lady, do you care for a dance?" Hermione blushed red before replying happily. "It would be my greatest honor, my lord." 40 Piano Arth grabbed the blushing Hermione and took her to the ghostly ballroom. Seeing the other ghosts'' dance, Arth grinned charmingly at Hermione. "Do you know how to waltz?" "How to what?" "Waltz." "... No." "It''s pretty simple really." Arth stood straight as a board and faced forward. "Step one, Face one side of the room. Stand with your feet hip distance apart." Arth took a step forward with the elegance of a high rank noble. "Step two, put your left foot forward." He took another step so that his two feet were now parallel. "Step three, place your right foot forward so it is parallel to your left foot. Your feet should be side by side, a bit more than hip distance apart and then move your left foot to meet your right foot." Arth then took a step back. "Step four, go back with your right foot. Then, move your left foot back so it is parallel to your right foot. Make sure your feet are side by side, with some distance between them." Arth joined his feet together before stopping. "Finally, Place your right foot next to your left foot. This will end the basic steps of the waltz." Arth gave a charming smile. "Simple enough right?" Hermione furrowed her brows in deep thought before nodding her head. "Yes, I think I got it down." "Ok, let''s do this." Arth grabbed Hermione''s hand and led her towards the dance floor. He placed his right hand on her shoulder-blade and grasped her right hand with his left. "Place you hand on my shoulder and we shall dance. I''ll be the lead, you can follow." Arth took a step forward, and Hermione accidentally stepped on his shoe. "I-I''m sorry." "It''s ok, really. You just need to get used to it. Remember, you are starting by taking a step back." Arth slowly guided her around in a square while gently guiding her with his right hand. "Yes, that''s it. Keep it up, you are doing good." "I-I am?" "Yes, you definitely quickly improved." Hermione had gotten the basics down after about five minutes and the two of them were dancing in the room while staring at each other in a dazed manner. They danced in the same simple pattern until Arth sighed. "If only the music was better." "W-What?" As if waking up from a daydream, Hermione gave a flustered reply. "I thought that it was personally good though?" "...the music?" "...oh, I thought you meant something else, the music is terrible." As if trying to hide something embarrassing, Hermione covered her red face. "Do you mind sitting down for a while? Let me go see if I can do anything about the music." "... ah." Hermione deflated like a balloon and wore a face that showed how disappointed she was. "...okay, I''m fine. Just... come back fast." Arth raised his eyebrows before waving her off. He made his way down towards the ghostly musicians and interrupted their... art. The screeching noise came to a halt and all of the musicians stopped and glared at him. "Why do you interrupt our song?" "What does You of the living need from the celebration of the dead?" "You do not belong." "Begone." Met with a surprisingly strong retaliation, Arth let out a wry smile. "Ummm... I was wondering if you could perform a song that was a bit... a bit more... musical." Instantly, the room went silent before the ghosts let out a wail of anger and wrath. "How dare you criticize our talent in music? What does the living require from us Already dead folks?" "You sat question our skills? We are far older than you boy and more experienced." "What do you know of sadness? Today is a deathday party, we are best to play sorrowful music." "What we believe to be the saddest melody is this tune, it is something that the living do not understand." Arth gave a slight frown. "I can play a tune that is sad. And also a tune that is equally as... painful as this one." The ghosts shook their fingers in anger as they screeched, causing the whole room to stare. "If you think you are so better than us, then prove it, I refuse to believe that what you say is true." "I agree with her. What can a little hatchling do in the face of experienced artisans! This is a serious offense!" Arth sighed. "Give me a... a piano and I''ll prove it." The lead ghost stared at Arth with a burning look before pointing towards a dusty piano in the corner. "Fine, I shall give you a chance. However, if it does not explain the true meaning of pain and despair, then you shall suffer." "... Deal." Arth made his way towards the piano with a hesitant look in his eye. How awfully convenient that there was a piano at a deathday party of all things. How fantastic. It must have been some sort of higher being playing a trick on him. Arth glared at the ceiling before sitting down on the piano. He opened the piano cover and blew off the dust. He played a few notes causing the ghosts to snort in disgust. "He dares to challenge us with that measly amount of skills? How laughable." Arth hovered over the piano keys while slightly trembling. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had touched a piano. A very long time. While his eyes were still closed, Arth placed his fingers on the keys and started to play. 41 Music Like a lie, the first few seconds of his song were fleeting, the notes themselves resembled elusive angels. No one paid too much attention to it. They just went around talking to each other in a slightly lower voice. Soon, however, the ghosts one by one stopped what they were doing and focused on the source of the music. They heard the soft, almost ghostly sounds coming from the piano, and strained their ears in order to hear it better. However the sound still eluded their minds as it usually did. It was an addictive drug that was given out in small amounts, they wanted more, yet they only could receive a few notes before realizing that they had to concentrate again. They couldn''t lose themselves in the music. Then, the music gradually got louder. It was no longer the elusive snake but a singing bird.One that was happy and content. All of the ghosts couldn''t help but feel as if they were also happy. They had this urge to dance around with each other. The music was influencing their minds, yet they didn''t care. But as quickly as it had come, the song switched tempo, now it was a raging lion. The sound was at its loudest, piercing the heavens and soaking the floor. Perhaps even the people in the great hall could hear it. It was faster, louder, and deeper. More radical. The feeling of happiness disappeared immediately and filled with rage and anger. The ghosts felt like throwing the tables over and tearing at each others'' throat. Some ghosts, especially the bloody baron, closed their eyes and trembled. The song grew louder and louder until... it stopped. It was ten seconds before the song continued with another chime of another key. The song had become quiet and slow again. But it was a different silent. A quiet and depressed quiet. A man who had lost his everything. Arth continued to play, his eyes still closed. His face etched with sorrow and pain. He just let out his feeling and emotions. For music was like that. His finger rose and fell gracefully, the keys did not feel like mechanical objects, but heavenly instruments. He was not playing a song, but playing a story. The tempo went on for another five minutes, but no one complained of the repetition. In fact they wanted more. They wanted to relive the pains they had, Remember the pains of living, something that they had forgotten in a long time. The song now ever so slightly switched, maybe a key or two, however the effect was enormous. From silent acceptance of life, to the joy of fulfillment, to rage of anger, and to depression and sadness. All the way to melancholy. Everyone took a deep breath and trembled when it happened. Arth began to cry. Tears slowly dropped down his face, one by one in an albeit slow manner. However, with the tears came a change in quality. The song was no longer a song, nor a story, but the actual existence of a man''s life. A man''s sorrow. One by one, the ghosts joined Arth with the crying, for tears couldn''t help but drop. Ghostly tears of sadness dropped towards the floor and disappeared as if they were seeking warmth in the core of the world. The ghosts now regretted listening to the song. They wanted to stop. They wanted to forget. But each note was another addictive drug that they could not escape. The song ever so slightly changed four times before falling into a repetition of the same line four times. Each repetition was quieter than the last. A mother''s cry. A whimper of a baby''s. The sigh of an old man. The final breath of a man. And then silence. The death of the man. Everyone held their breaths as Arth sat there, in front of the piano in a paralyzed state, letting his tears drop down from his face. Even when he stood up, no one dared to move. Arth opened his eyes for the first time and everyone could still see the sadness and melancholy that existed within his eyes. "I... I call this song, The Man." Arth gave a bow before leaving the floor and going into the crowd. There was a soft applause, one filled with respect and a lingering sadness. Hermione ran towards Arth and gave him a hug. "Are... are you alright?" She asked with a quivering voice and a face still dripping with tears. Arth gave a wry smile before wiping the tears off her face. "It''s ok. it''s just that the song got to me. Emotions are what brings life to a song." Hermione but her lip as if she did not believe him before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the tables filled with food. "... lets god Nick is about to give his speech." Hermione dragged Arth along towards the table and sat down. Nick came over with a slightly glassy look in his eyes. "... my friend.... that was an amazing piece. A work of art." "Thank you Nick. I''m glad you enjoyed it. When are we going to start the speech?" It''s nearly time for my speech-" They, and everyone else in the dungeon, fell silent, looking around in excitement, as a hunting horn sounded. "Oh, here we go," said Nearly Headless Nick bitterly. Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly like Fangirl''s at a concert. The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted, rearing and plunging. At the front of the pack was a large ghost who held his bearded head under his arm, from which position he was blowing the horn. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd (everyone laughed), and strode over to Nearly Headless Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck. "Nick!" he roared. "How are you? Head still hanging in there?" He gave a hearty guffaw and clapped Nearly Headless Nick on the shoulder. "Welcome, Patrick," said Nick stiffly. "Live ''uns!" said Sir Patrick, spotting Arth and Hermione and giving a huge, fake jump of astonishment, so that his head fell off again. "Very amusing," said Nearly Headless Nick darkly. "Don''t mind Nick!" shouted Sir Patrick''s head from the floor. "Still upset we won''t let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say ¡ª look at the fellow ¡ª" Nick trembled furiously and grabbed his head. Seeing this, Sir Patrick laughed. "What are you going to do Nick, dangle your head to my death-" A flying object interrupted his speech with a great amount of force. The object caused Sir Patrick to go flying back into the wall from which he had come from. The ball was Nick''s head. 42 The writing on the wall Sir Patrick appeared back out of the wall with a pale face. "H-how! What! W-why is your head off!" Nick rolled his eyes. "Because I''m headless, duh." "B-But you are Nearly Headless Nick!" "Was. Now I''m Headless Nick." "Impossible! This can''t be!" "Well It doesn''t matter." Said Nick with an annoyed face. "I don''t want to join the headless hunt anymore. You people are rude and disrespectful." "B-But it was your wish to join the hunt-" "I said I changed my mind." "But-" Arth took this as an opportunity to sneak out of the party with Hermione in tow. Arth was very cold by now, not to mention hungry. "I can''t stand much more of this," Hermione muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor. However, the orchestra played music in a dead panned manner, which caused the already terrible screeching to become even worse. "Let''s go," Arth agreed. "The music is going to kill me, and I''m starving as hell." They backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles. "Pudding might not be finished yet," said Arth hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall. "I hope they have some turkey left over too." "What is it with you and turkey, seriously. It''s like you are addicted." "It''s good." They were making their way down the great hall when they heard a scream. Arth and Hermione glanced at each other once before rushing towards where the sound came from. When they arrived, they saw that there was already a gathering of people. "Move out, get away! What''s the problem." Hermione tried her best to force her way through the crowd but no one was listening. "Move." The people who were clumping together let out a shiver before making way for Arth and Hermione. Arth coolly made his way towards the scene. Hermione stared on with a jealous look. "... your skill sure does incite my jealousy." "Why? It doesn''t even work that well." "Didn''t it just work like really well?" "It''s because it was something simple. Otherwise, they would just ignore me-" Arth froze as he had finally seen what was causing the commotion. Something was shining on the wall ahead. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches. THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE "What''s that thing ¡ª hanging underneath?" Asked Hermione with a slight quiver in his voice. As they edged nearer, Arth noticed that there was a large puddle of water on the floor which was unusual. When Arth got closer, he realized what it was at once and frowned. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker''s cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends. More and more people were joining them by the minute. The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. The people who were already there stood in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then someone shouted through the quiet. "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You''ll be next, Mudbloods!" It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat. Arth hit Malfoy with a body petrification spell and left him alone. Idiotic Malfoy who never learns his lesson... probably Arth constantly erased his memory. Arth sighed before turning towards a petrified first year. "Someone go tell Filch his cat has been attacked." "M-m-me?" "Yes, or tell someone else to do it." Arth analyzed the petrified cat with a worried look. He reached out to touch it, only to be stopped by Hermione. "Arth! Why would you touch her! She is dead-" "She isn''t, she''s only petrified. I don''t know why but she isn''t dead." "What?" "She isn''t. It only looks as though she is dead but she is petrified." "How do you know?" "There are no external wounds on her body and she wasn''t old enough to die of natural causes. She is also to unnaturally stiff, even if it is rigor mortis and the way she died is weird." Arth ignored the protesting Hermione and reached out to feel Mrs. Norris''s fur. "If she was dead, she would''ve fallen to the floor instead of hanging on the torch bracket. And she seems almost peaceful, not panicked or in pain." There was a sound of shuffling of feet as the first year boy and Filch came stumbling in. "What''s going on here? What''s going on?" Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. "My cat! My cat! What''s happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on the students around him. "You!" he screeched. "You! You''ve murdered my cat! You''ve killed her! I''ll kill you! I''ll¡ª" "Filch. Your cat is ok. She isn''t dead." "... Arth?" "Yes it''s me. Calm down and let''s talk about this." Everyone stopped and stared in amazement as Filch listened to the words of a student. 43 Petrification Before Arth could say another word, Dumbledore arrived and rushed into the crowd. "Argus!" Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Arthur and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket. "Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Kingscrown, Miss Granger." Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. "My office is nearest, Headmaster ¡ª just upstairs ¡ª please feel free¡ª" "Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockhart''s darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Arth saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. Arth sighed. How narcissistic did a man have to be to have this many pictures of himself? The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. The tip of Dumbledore''s long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris''s fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her ¡ª probably the Transmogrifian Torture ¡ª I''ve seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn''t there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her..." Lockhart''s comments were punctuated by Filch''s frowns. "My cat is petrified, not dead." "What?" Lockhart had a face filled with confusion when he heard the words. "Impossible," he exclaimed as he stared at Filch who looked tired. Filch was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed. "This all reminds me of very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story''s in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once, however, please understand that your car is indeed dead." The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net. Filch flinched upon hearing these words and glanced at Arth with a pitiful gaze that said a simple message. Why did you lie to me. At last Dumbledore straightened up. "You were right. She''s not dead, Argus," he said softly. Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented. "Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "Oh god! Oh god! I wanted to hope, but I had my suspicions that... she had passed." Filch sent a grateful look at Arth. "She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore- "Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart, however, he was majorly ignored. Arth frowned once more. This teacher has no sense of dignity and shame. "But how, I cannot say..." Ask him!" Muttered Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Arth. "No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced ¡ª" "Oh, I''m not saying that he did it, I''m saying that he might know a few clues. He is the one who told me that Mrs Norris was still alive," Filch mumbled. Dumbledore froze before turning towards Arth. "Ah yes, I was planning on speaking with you. Mister Kingscrown, Do you know anything, anything that might have been the cause of this? That is the reason why I called you here. I''m sure you have some brilliant ideas in that head of yours." Arth gave a wry smile. "I only have guesses, but sadly, and fortunately, I wasn''t there at the scene when Mrs. Norris was attacked. I had only arrived after hearing a scream." "Can I hear your guesses on this matter?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye. "Well, we know that the cats been petrified but how? The cat was found hanging on a torch while looking at the ground. The first thing we need to find out is whether she was petrified by a spell or by some other means." Arth took a few steps forward before turning around and staring at the professors. "First case, if it was a spell, then it is likely one of the older students that casted it on the poor cat." Arth gave Filch a sympathetic look. "I''m not trying to be rude but there are some students who particularity dislike Mr. Filch. However, I do not think this is the case. Mrs. Norris is a well trained cat that can detect mischievous behavior from a mile away, I find it hard to believe that Mrs. Norris would get stunned by a student. Especially without getting noticing the student." Professor McGonagall raised her brow. "And why do you think the cat was attacked unexpectedly?" "It was because of the manner she was found." Arth answered immediately. "Mrs. Norris was found staring at the floor." Arth suddenly pointed to the right and everyone followed. "See," Arth said with a smile as the heads that turned to the right slowly focused back into Arth. "All it takes is a slight moment and you will be instinctively be drawn towards the source of origin. If it is a spell, then there would be sound and Mrs. Norris would glance towards where the sound came from. But she didn''t, which leads me to believe that she was attacked by something other than a student." Arth suddenly changed as his face became emotionless and cold. He stared at Dumbledore with an emotionless expression. "Enemies of the heir beware. Chamber of secrets. We both know what that means don''t we Dumbledore." All of the teachers frowned as they started to give Arth a second look. "I know you know what I''m talking about. And I do hope that this is some cleverly hidden prank by a student or else..." Arth let out a sigh that made him seem like an old man. "Hogwarts is in grave danger." 44 Legend of the Chamber of Secrets For a few days, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone''s minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Arthur had seen him scrubbing the message on the wall with Mrs. Skower''s All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone. Arth even tried to help him clean it, yet it was in vain. When Filch wasn''t guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like "breathing loudly'' and "looking happy." "What a poor man," Arthur said with sympathy. "I wish I could really help..." "Why?" Asked Ron angrily. "You haven''t really got to know Mrs. Norris and honestly, we''re much better off without her." "I found her smart and adorable." Said Arth with a frown. "Hahaha, sure. Whatever, they''ll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he''s got time to Petrify Filch before he''s expelled." "Oh shut it Ron. He is a good guy. He just had some bad experiences with students." Harry raised an eyebrow. "How did you get on friendly terms with Filch? Isn''t he know to hate all students?" Arth gave a warm smile. Holy light came from the heavens and blessed Arth with heavenly might. Arth''s handsome face only served to enhance it, making it as though Arth was a merciful angel from heaven. "I am but a human being who looks at one''s heart and wishes. I give everyone a chance to repent and forgive." "Yeah right." Ron said while Harry roared in laughter. They made their way down the library. The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing but reading. They went to the back of the library to work, Ron was measuring his History of Magic homework, while Harry was scribbling extra lines in his essay. Professor Binns had asked for a three foot long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards." "I don''t believe it, I''m still eight inches short said Ron furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll. "And Hermione''s done four feet seven inches and her writing''s tiny." "Hahaha, you think that''s a lot? Arth did five feet with minuscule hand writing that looks artistic." Harry boasted. "It isn''t even you paper, stop boating about it. speaking of Hermione, where is she?" asked Arthur. "Somewhere over there," said Ron, pointing along the shelves. "Looking for another book. I think she''s trying to read the whole library before Christmas. "That my friend, isn''t easy to do, I''ve read about 40% already. And there are like ten thousand of books in here." Harry had an aha moment and told them about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him. "Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot," said Ron, scribbling away, making his writing as large as possible. "All that junk about Lockhart being so great." "That I agree with. I''m starting to think he is a fraud." Said Arth. Suddenly, Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them. "All the copies of Hogwarts, A History have been taken out," she said, sitting down next to Harry and Ron. "And there''s a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn''t left my copy at home, but I couldn''t fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books." "Why do you want it?" said Harry. "She wants it to read the legend of the Chamber of Secrets," Arth answered before glancing sympathetically at Hermione. "I would lend mine to you but Dean and Sean wanted to borrow mine first." "What''s that?" said Harry quickly. "That''s just it. I can''t remember," said Hermione, biting her lip. "And I can''t find the story anywhere else ¡ª" "What a shame," said Arth, "I would tell you but I''m feeling a bit lazy right now, I''ll tell you after classes are over." "Hermione, let me read your composition," said Ron desperately, checking his watch. "No, I won''t," said Hermione, suddenly severe. "You''ve had ten days to finish it ¡ª" "I only need another two inches, come on ¡ª" Harry subtlety took Arth''s scroll out from his bag and started to copy while in amazement, to which Arth laughed at. The bell rang. Ron and Hermione led the way to History of Magic, bickering. History of Magic was the most fascinating subject on their schedule. Professor Binns, who taught it, was their only ghost teacher. Ancient and shriveled, many people said he hadn''t noticed he was dead. He had simply got up to teach one day and left his body behind him in an armchair in front of the staff room fire; his routine had not varied in the slightest since. He had been speaking for half an hour when something happened that had never happened before. Hermione put up her hand. Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed. "Miss ¡ª er ¡ª?" "Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," said Hermione in a clear voice. Dean Thomas, who had been sitting with his mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of his trance; Lavender Brown''s head came up off her arms and Neville Longbottom''s elbow slipped off his desk. Professor Binns blinked. "My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise like chalk slipping and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers ¡ª" He stuttered to a halt. Hermione''s hand was waving in the air again. "Miss Grant?" "It''s Granger. Please, sir, don''t legends always have a basis in fact?" Arth couldn''t help but clap in admiration. 45 Unexpected Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement. "Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he had never seen a student properly before. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale ¡ª" But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns''s every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. "Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see...the Chamber of Secrets... You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago, the precise date is uncertain, by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution." He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued. "For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school." Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise. "Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic." There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn''t the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns''s classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed. "The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible." Hermione''s hand was back in the air. "Sir ¡ª what exactly do you mean by the ''horror within'' the Chamber?" "That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice. The class exchanged nervous looks. "I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster." "But, sir," said Seamus Finnigan, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin''s true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?" "Nonsense, O''Flaherty," said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven''t found the thing ¡ª" "But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you''d probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-" "Just because a wizard doesn''t use Dark Magic doesn''t mean he can''t, Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore ¨C" "But maybe you''ve got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn''t-" began Dean Thomas, but Professor Binns had had enough. "That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!" "Just because there is no factual evidence, doesn''t mean it''s real," interrupted Arth. "in fact, just because there are facts, doesn''t mean that they are true either." "What do you mean by that Mr-" "Kingscrown. And to answer your question, I''m saying that history books often tell lies." "Impossible! How could they-" "Who are the people who write history books?" "People who are highly respectable and would not tarnish the great history of wizard kind on a whim-" "Who got these historians to write? They need to at least have support if they want to write. Especially in the old days where power was law." "People who were obviously influential at the time-" "Would these influential people like it if what the historians wrote portrayed them as evil? Merciless? As a bad ruler?" "..." Professor Binns froze in shock. "Well?" Arth said teasingly. "O-of course not! They would not like to hear such words, however-" "Since these historians are under the these people, would they offend their superiors for expressing the truth or write false tales of their greatness in order to curry favor?" Professor Binns- ... Everyone else- ... Arth-;) For the first time since two years ago, the teacher pet duo, who would never interrupt while teaching, decided to go a bit rogue. 46 No ones safe "I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony," Ron said as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. "But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn''t be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I''d''ve got the train straight back home..." "That''s where you are wrong, you would live on the streets all alone because your parents would disown you." "...I can''t deny it." "D''you really think there''s a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione. "I don''t know," she said, frowning. "Dumbledore couldn''t cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be ¡ª well ¡ª human. Plus, like Arth said, they way she was attacked was so weird." As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened." "That''s where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered. They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted. "Can''t hurt to have a poke around," said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues. "Well it can, the thing that attacked the cat could attack us all at this moment. But you know what, let''s do this," said Arth with a sarcastic voice. Scorch marks!" Harry said. "Here ¡ª and here ¡ª" Come and look at this!" said Hermione. "This is funny..." Arth got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside. "Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" said Hermione wonderingly. "No," said Arth, "have you, Ron?" He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run. "What''s the matter?" Asked Arth. "I ¡ª don''t ¡ª like ¡ª spiders," said Ron tensely. "I never knew that," said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. "You''ve used spiders in Potions loads of times..." "I don''t mind them dead," said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. "I just don''t like the way they move..." Hermione giggled. "It''s not funny," said Ron, fiercely. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my ¡ª my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick...You wouldn''t like them either if you''d been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and..." He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh. "Dude, sympathies man." Said Arth with a sympathetic face. "Hmmm, why is the floor flooded?" Asked Harry. "I dunno, why don''t we follow it?" Said Ron while shrugging his shoulders. "It comes from here," said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch''s chair and pointing. "Level with this door." He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he''d been burned. "What''s the matter?" said Harry. "Can''t go in there," said Ron gruffly. "That''s a girls'' toilet." "Oh, Ron, there won''t be anyone in there," said Hermione standing up and coming over. "That''s Moaning Myrtle''s place. Come on, let''s have a look." "Hermione, it''s still the girls bathroom." Ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign and Arth''s complaints, she opened the door. It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Arth had ever set foot in, and trust him, he had been in a lot of bad ones. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges. Hermione put her fingers to her lips and set off toward the end stall. When she reached it she said, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?" Harry and Ron went to look. Moaning Myrtle was floating above the tank of the toilet, picking a spot on her chin. "This is a girls'' bathroom," she said, eyeing Ron and Harry suspiciously. "They''re not girls. I''m fine with the other boy, he is cute." Myrtle blushed while stealing glances at Arth. "Yes," Hermione agreed before freezing. "Wait no, I meant. I dint mean it that way- stop looking at me like that." Harry and Ron were staring at Hermione with weird looks, causing her to blush furiously. "The point is, I just wanted to show them how er... nice it is in here." She waved vaguely at the dirty old mirror and the damp floor. "Ask her if she saw anything," Harry mouthed at Hermione. "What are you whispering?" said Myrtle, staring at him. "Nothing," said Harry quickly. "We wanted to ask-" "I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" said Myrtle, in a voice choked with tears. "I do have feelings, you know, even if I am dead-" "Myrtle, no one wants to upset you," said Hermione. "Harry only ¡ª" "No one wants to upset me! That''s a good one!" howled Myrtle. "My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!" "We wanted to ask you if you''ve seen anything funny lately," said Hermione quickly. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween." "Did you see anyone near here that night?" said Harry. "I wasn''t paying attention," said Myrtle dramatically. "After Nick''s deathday party, I came hear while thinking of how... dashing that boy over there was-" Myrtle gave a shy smile at Arth, causing him to smile wryly. "-after he stopped Peeves from bullying me and then... I realized that he was alive and I was..." "Dead," said Ron helpfully. Myrtle gave a tragic sob, rose up in the air, turned over, and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water all over them and vanishing from sight, although from the direction of her muffled sobs, she had come to rest somewhere in the U-bend. Harry and Ron stood with their mouths open, but Hermione shrugged wearily and said, "Honestly, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle...Come on, let''s go." "That''s not why we''re are surprised." Said Harry while sharing glances with Ron. "It''s about Arth." "Is he that handsome?" "Listen up everybody." "All the men out their with mothers, sisters-" "Female friends and lovers-" "Hide your girls because Arth is coming-" "He''ll take them away from you with just a smile-" "Hell c*ckhold you from a mile-" "No girl is safe-" "Humans, animals and ghosts are his prey." Arthur felt as though he could cast the killing curse. 47 Genius After Arthur calmed down, they decided to get out of bathroom and go back to the common room when a loud voice made all four of them jump. "RON!" Percy Weasley had stopped dead at the head of the stairs, prefect badge agleam, an expression of complete shock on his face. "That''s a girls'' bathroom!" he gasped. "What were you ¡ª?" "Just having a look around," Ron shrugged. "Clues, you know ¡ª" Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Arth of a a very toad. "Get ¡ª away ¡ª from ¡ª there ¡ª" Perry said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don''t you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone''s at dinner ¡ª" "Why shouldn''t we be here?" said Ron hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!" "I know," said Percy fiercely, "butdo you think the others will think the same way if they saw you? Your reputation would drop and you might even get in trouble!" "You don''t care about me," said Ron, whose ears were now reddening. "You''re just worried I''m going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy ¡ª" "Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I''ll write to Mum!" And he strode off, the back of his neck as red as Ron''s ears. Arth waited for Percy to dissipate at before speaking. "I mean, we were in a girls bathroom. He does have a reason to be angry." "Shut up Arth, if it''s because of the song I said earlier, I already said I''m sorry?" "What do you mean? What song? I''m just worried for you my friend. I don''t want your family relationships to sour." "... you sarcastic little-" "Ooh. No naughty words my friend. This is a learning facility." "..." When they arrived at the common room, Ron was still in a very bad temper and kept blotting his Charms homework. When he reached absently for his wand to remove the smudges, it ignited the parchment. Fuming almost as much as his homework, Ron slammed The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 shut. "Wow, let me help you with that," said Arth. He un-ignited the paper and restored it to top top condition. "...thanks." "No biggie. You really shouldn''t cast spells when you are emotionally out of hand. Things can get... fiery." Hermione sighed before she closed her book with a slam. "Who can it be, though?" she said in a quiet voice, as though continuing a conversation they had just been having. "Who''d want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwart''s?" "Let''s think," said Ron in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?" He looked at Hermione. Hermione looked back, unconvinced. "If you''re talking about Malfoy ¡ª" "Of course I am!" said Ron. "You heard him ¡ª ''You''ll be next, Mudbloods!''¡ª come on, you''ve only got to look at his foul rat face to know it''s him ¡ª" "Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically. "Look at his family," said Harry, closing his books, too. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he''s always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin''s descendants. His father''s definitely evil enough." "They could''ve had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son..." "Well," said Hermione cautiously, "I suppose it''s possible..." "I find it highly improbable, he ain''t got the brains not the will to do it and keep it a secret if he did." Said Arth, not looking up from his book. Harry snorted. "You''re right, how could it be Malfoy? Who do you think it is Arth?" "Well, if it isn''t just a prank and there is an actual heir of slytherin, it''s either going to be a person who doesn''t go to the school or a person who isn''t a slytherin." "What?" Said all three of them with a confused look. Hermione habitually raised her hand. "Why would it be like that? Wouldn''t you suspect slytherins the most?" Arth sighed and put down his book. "That''s exactly why I don''t think it''s a person from slytherin. It''s too obvious. Chamber of secrets that can only be opened by "Slytherin''s heir". Kind of an automatic assumptions won''t you think? Something that would find blatantly obvious to the point you would be stupid if you didn''t consider it." (AN: This bugged me a lot in the original novels. Like why did everyone suspect Harry of the attacks when he was in Gryffindor? No one knew he was a parseltongue at that time yet still everyone thought it was him? Just because he found Mrs. Norris first. And yeah Hermione and Ron who were there were totally accomplices. That''s it :) bye) "So... are you saying that you are stupid?" Said Ron with a dumb look on his face. "I''m saying that the heir of slytherin would be an idiot to open the chamber if he is a slytherin." "...but don''t you have to be the Heir in order to open it? How would it work?" Arth rolled his eyes. "If its a secret word or a hidden button, then all the heir has to do is control someone to open it. Then, even when the person gets caught, the real culprit is still on the loose." "You... you fucking genius." 48 Unfair Game "It doesn''t even need to be a secret mechanism. It could be as simple as spilling the blood of the Slytherin descent. Then only the heir and those he trusts will be able to open the chambers." Arth said nonchalantly. "The point is that the heir could have many different ways to open the chamber. And it might be too specific that just going around tapping the walls while shouting revealio." "So what do we do? All I''m understanding is that this ain''t simple to solve." Said Ron while furrowing his brows. Arth smiled. "I don''t know either, and I don''t care that much either." "Let me guess, because we should leave it to the teachers." Said Harry with a wry smile. "Yep, you got it." Hermione nodded her head. "Reasonable. I mean if professors throughout the years couldn''t find it, what makes us think that we can." "Precisely. I mean, if anything, Dumbledore has a higher chance of finding it than us. So we, little innocent students, should just sit back and relax." "... what if we get attacked by the monster?" "Then I give you full permission to do the opposite of relaxing." A couple days later, things had gotten calmer. Although people were still talking about the attack on the cat, no one visibly scared. Oh how a period of peace can make people complacent... Arth shook his head looking at the carefree students and made his way to his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Professor Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him. It provided a fair good amount of joy for both Arth and Ron. Harry was hauled to the front of the class again, this time acting a werewolf. If he hadn''t had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it. "Nice loud howl, Harry ¡ª exactly ¡ª and then, if you''ll believe it, I pounced ¡ª like this ¡ª slammed him to the floor ¡ª thus with one hand, I managed to hold him down ¡ª with my other, I put my wand to his throat ¡ª I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm - he let out a piteous moan ¡ª go on, Harry ¡ª higher than that ¡ª good ¡ª the fur vanished ¡ª the fangs shrank ¡ª and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective ¡ª and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks." The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet. "Homework ¡ª compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!" The class began to leave and the four of them attempted to leave as quickly as possible. "I swear, this class is becoming more of a joke by the minute. I''ve already read all of his books, his personality doesn''t match the way he portrays himself in his... novels." Arth grumbled. "What kind of homework makes you write a poem about a teacher? And how narcissistic do you have to be to assign it?" Harry grumbled. "You have it good, at least you don''t get humiliated in front of everybody. Try acting like a werewolf for once." "No thanks Harry, I already have enough character development. You on the other hand, need a lot more of it." Arth frowned. "Speaking of development, don''t you have a quidditch game this Sunday?" Harry groaned. "Yes... it''s going to go bad..." "It ain''t that bad." "Their entire team have better brooms than Harry, who has one of the best brooms ever." Sighed Ron before noticing the pale look on Harry''s face. "Oh, um... I didn''t mean it like that." "No... it''s ok, I already knew it." Harry stumbled towards the dormitories with a face that made Harry look as though he was about to puke. Arth sighed and hit Ron on the head. Hermione hesitated before following. "You idiot." "You are so insensitive sometime." "Ow! There was no need for that mate," growled Ron with a guilty look. Arth sighed. "Let''s hope it doesn''t impact Harry too much." Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while probably thinking about the coming Quidditch match. Seeing this, Arth sighed. "Cheer up you little bugger. You are going to just fine." "No I''m not, I''m going to fail miserably." "You said that your first game, and look what happened, you won." "..." Arth sighed and continued to read his book. After half an hour of lying there with Harry finally got up and headed down towards the great hall, and Arth followed. When he went down, Arth found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. Arth sighed. "It''s just a better broom, how much of a difference can it make?" As eleven o''clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. They came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. "The weather doesn''t look to good today," said Arth with a sigh. "And the attitude of our team isn''t that great either. I reckon that were going to lose." "... come on, it can''t be that bad." "They looked as though they were going to a funeral, and with that attitude, it is going to be." Arth said while rolling his eyes. "I don''t get it. It''s only a faster broom? No need to lose hope." Rob sighed. "I know mate." Arth glared at the field with narrowed eyes. "If we want to win, then Harry need to catch the snitch. Fast." 49 The Rogue Bludger "Arth?" "Yes?" Arth turned around a saw a blonde haired girl coming over his way. "Oh, Hello Luna, nice to meet you here." "Oh yes, it is nice to meet you here too, the Wrackspurts inside the castle were getting a bit too excited you see, I thought it was a good idea to get some air. Oh, I''m supporting Gryffindor by the way... although it seems a bit unfair doesn''t it." "Very." As the players walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary. It was a very familiar sight. "On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three...two...one..." With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. The first few minutes were ok, until the Slytherins started to score in mass. Soon the score became 60 to zero. Arth switched his view towards Harry instead. Harry and Malfoy started to have what looked like a one sided verbal battle, with Harry being the one who was silent. Harry ignored Malfoy and dodged a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him. George gave Harry a thumbs up before streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Arth saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again. Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry''s head. Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. Arth could see the Bludger whistling along behind him. Arth frowned. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible... Arth glanced at the other Bludger that was being ping ponged around by the Slytherin beaters. He winced when he saw a Bludger hit Angelina square in the stomach. Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course. "Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed. It had started to rain. "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero." The Slytherins'' superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it. "The freaking Bludger is rigged." Said Arth with a groan. "I swear Harry has a trouble magnet attached to him." "What? No way!" "Look. It''s as if the Bludger has a deep rooted hatred for Harry." "Hmmmm, It seems so." George signaled to Wood and tried to stop the Bludger breaking Harry''s nose at the same time. Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch''s whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger. There was a lot of arguing from within the Gryffindor team before they decided on what to do. Wood had a complicated expression while Fred, George and Alicia flew off with an angry and concerned look. The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch''s whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air with the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Harry suddenly turned himself upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. Arthur could hear laughter from the Slytherins and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly Arth froze. "It''s the god dam snitch." "What?" "The snitch." "Where." "Above Malfoy''s ear." "Impossible!" Said Ron, But then he saw it ¡ª the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy''s left ear ¡ª and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn''t seen it. "...I swear, if Malfoy doesn''t know about the switch being on his ear, he will be the dumbest person I have ever met in my life." "Nah, he should notice any moment now-" But Malfoy didn''t. But Harry did. Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch. WHAM. He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack. Harry swerved out of the way, before diving for the shimmering, the snitch. Arth could almost see what malfoy was thinking in his head. "What the ¡ª" Malfoy gasped, careening out of Harry''s way. Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him. "... he is the biggest idiot I''ve ever seen." Harry took his hand off his broom and made a wild snatch, and fell off his broom. With a splattering thud Harry hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle. Overall, he looked pretty bad. Arth, Hermione, Luna, and Ron made their way down the stands and towards Harry. But someone had beaten them to the chase. "Oh, no, not you," Harry moaned. "Doesn''t know what he''s saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. "Not to worry, Harry. I''m about to fix your arm." "No!" said Harry. "I''ll keep it like this, thanks..." Harry attempted to sit up, but failed. Arth heard a familiar clicking noise nearby. "Harry probably doesn''t want a photo of this, Colin," he said with a sigh. "Put the camera away." "Ohhh... um, ok." Said Colin Who begrudgingly put his camera away. "Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It''s a simple charm I''ve used countless times-" "Why can''t I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth. "He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn''t help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I''d say-" "Is this really the time to feel happy Wood? Your seeker has been injured." "Your right! I should be worried about our brilliant seeker who won us a lost match!" Said Wood with a bright smile. Arth turned his eye towards Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight, almost like a father who was desperately fighting to save his child. Or a wounded lion protecting his cubs. "Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves. "No ¡ª don''t-" said Harry weakly. "Professor Lockhart, I think it''s best for us to leave it to Madam Pomfrey with his injury." "Oh it''s ok Arth my boy. I am also an experienced professional. Leave it to me and he won''t be pain in his arm in an instant." "I''m not questioning your skill, I just think that-" But Lockhart wouldn''t listen. He was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry and Arth who was standing in between the two. The spell slightly deviated from its original path due to the heavy rain and instead of Harry''s broken Arm, it made its way towards Arth. Arth opened his eyes wide as the spell hit him on the hand. Instantly, a strange and unpleasant sensation started at Arth''s shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated. "Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. However, it might have also been influenced by the fact that Mr. Kingscrown has no broken bones to begin with. So it''s perfectly understandable that my skill is not in the question. Right?" Arth wanted to retort back when the strange feeling came back and assaulted his other arm. This feeling came back twice more and soon Arth had no feeling in his Arms and legs. Arth couldn''t hold himself up anymore and fell face first into the mud. There was inaudible yelling coming from where Arth''s face was within the mud before silence. "...Ah, I must be a little too excited today. My magic is acting quite uncontrolled. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing I think it''s best to let Madam Pomfrey shine in the spotlight for once. And as for you Arth-" Lockhart looked around before spotting the tow worried girls next to Arth. "Ah, Miss Lovegood, Miss Granger, would you escort him? ¡ª Madam Pomfrey will be able to ¡ª er ¡ª tidy him up a bit." Hermione and Luna sent a glare at Lockhart before picking up Arth and dragging him across the field with a stunned Harry in tow. Arth was covered in mud head to toe and was stupefied. It wasn''t until they had reached the hospital wing when Arth decided to speak up. "...That teacher... is a god dam fraud." 50 Dobby Madam Pomfrey wasn''t at all pleased. "You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second ¡ª but growing them back ¡ª" "... Madam Pomfrey, I didn''t have any broken bones." "What? They why did he get rid of your bones?" "...he missed Harry and hit me instead." "..." "You will be able to grow my bones back, won''t you?" said Arth desperately. "I''ll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Arth a pair of pajamas. "You''ll have to stay the night... both of you." "Um... Madam Pomfrey, I cant change my clothes." "..." Harry didn''t know whether laugh or be mad. Hermione waited outside the curtain drawn around Arth''s bed while Ron helped him into his pajamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless limbs into clothes. "Does he think everyone likes him?" Ron growled as he pulled Arth''s limp fingers through the cuff. "If Arth had wanted deboning he would have asked." "Cant believe a teacher can be like that." said Hermione. "And it doesn''t hurt anymore, does it, Arth?" "No," said Arth. "But I don''t feel anything else either." As he did sort of a jiggle with his torso, his limbs flapped around pointlessly. Hermione and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled Skele-Gro. "You''re in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business." So was taking the Skele-Gro. It burned Arth''s mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron and Hermione to help Arth gulp down some water. "We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch Harry made. Malfoy''s face...he looked ready to kill..." "Yes, I''m so happy that Harry won. Now I''m sitting here on the bed with no limbs. As a human flesh toy." Harry gave a cheerful smile. "It is kind of weird now that you think of it. If Lockhart was any better with his aim, then you would be down in the common rooms celebrating while I would be here with a boneless arm. That Bludger was out for blood." "I want to know how they fixed that Bludger," said Hermione darkly. "I don''t think it was the Slytherin''s. They don''t have the brain cells nor the bravery to do that. Plus, from the way they were dominating us, they didn''t need to do it." "...Then who?" The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry. "Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George. "I''ve just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn''t seem too happy." They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry''s bed and were getting started on what promised to be a good party. Hermione came over to Arth''s bed and sat down. Arth gave a wry smile. "I guess Harry has a higher priority than me." "Aww, lookie here. Is the very adult like Arth jealous?" Teased Hermione. "It''s ok, they still care about you, just know that they are excited because they won the game." Arth sighed and stared at the ceiling with a lonely gaze. "... you reckon they brought me a turkey leg?" "..." Hermione just say there with he mouth wide open before giving a small sigh. "I should''ve know that that was what you wanted... lucky for you, I know you very well." Hermione took out a nearly wrapped box from within her bag and presented it towards Arth. Arth tore the wrapping off and gave off a smile of delight. "Oh I love you Hermione." Hermione blushed a deep rose color, however, Arth was too focused on his turkey leg to notice. Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "These boys need rest, one of them has one hundred and twenty six bones to regrow! Out! OUT!" And Arth and Harry were left alone. Arth groaned. "I seriously don''t know what''s worse. Drinking skelegrow or the pain of regrowing bones." "Probably the regrowing. At least the skelegrow is gone after it goes down your throat." "Well reasoned." The two of them were silent after that. Hours and hours later, Arth woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness due to the screaming of one of his friends. "Get off!" Harry said loudly. Arth groaned. "Will it kill you to let people sleep? I''m trying to regrow my arms here." "Dobby!" "What?" There was a house-elf peering at Harry through the darkness. It had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose. "Harry Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn''t you heed Dobby? Why didn''t Harry Potter go back home after repeatedly hearing his warnings?" Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby''s sponge away. "What''re you doing here?" Arth said. "I''m here to warn Harry Potter sir." "You''d better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you." Said Arth while rolling his eyes. "And trust me, I''m not as soft as Harry over there." Dobby smiled weakly. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking pathetic. "However, mister Harry Potter''s friend is quite the wizard. Dobby can not believe that mister friend managed to take Sir Harry Potter with him to Hogwarts. Very dangerous yet very skillful." "Complements won''t affect me Dobby." Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and while ignoring Arth, said, "Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make ¡ª" "Your Bludger?" said Harry, anger rising once more. "What d''you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?" "Not kill you, sir, never kill you!" said Dobby, shocked. "Dobby wants to save Harry Potter''s life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!" "Oh, is that all?" said Harry angrily. "I don''t suppose you''re going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?" "Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord''s power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sit...And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more." Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry''s water jug from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby..." Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I knew it, you know that the chamber of secrets were open ring this year didn''t you, Dobby? You also know who is releasing it, don''t you? Who is your master Dobby. Don''t make me repeat it, who is your master." 51 Hidden Secre Dobby let out a nervous giggle that sounded almost maniacal. "Sir is very smart, Dobby made a mistake in telling information that Dobby shouldn''t have said." "So Dobby," said Arth with narrowed eyes. "Who is your master, he must be behind all of this nonsense." "Dobby cannot say, ''tis against the sacred laws of house elf''s." Arth sighed. "I know, I shouldn''t have even tried. Well, you already gave me enough hints." Harry raised his eyebrows. "He did? All that sounded like was him complaining and calling himself bad." Arth rolled his eyes. "He said that history shall repeat once more, which means that this has happened before." "And?" "What do you mean and? Since it''s been open before, we can surely find a record of it." "How?" "... we can look back into old newspapers to find out when the chamber of secrets was last opened and see if anyone was caught." "Why newspapers?" Arth stared at Harry as if he could not comprehend why Harry couldn''t comprehend. "... the chamber of secrets opening would''ve been a big deal, right? So the newspapers very likely did a report on it." "Ohh. I see." Said Harry before frowning. "Where are we going to get the old newspapers? They don''t reprint old papers don''t they?" "... have you. It been to the old newsletter section in the library?" "We had something like that?" "...I never should''ve asked. What was I expecting." Arth suddenly went quiet and went deep into thought. "Why are you warning Harry Dobby?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "You aren''t a muggleborn aren''t you?" "You are right! I''m not Muggle-born ¡ª how can I be in danger from the Chamber?" "Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen ¡ª go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, ''tis too dangerous ¡ª" "I''m not going anywhere!" said Harry fiercely. "One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she''ll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened ¡ª" "Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not ¡ª" Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Arth heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside. "Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack and he disappeared into thin air. Harry slumped back into bed, while Arth frowned. His eyes were fixated on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer. Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed. "Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of their beds and out of sight. The both of them lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. Arth heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath. "What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed. "Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs." "There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter." Arth frowned and tilted his head slightly to get a better look. It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera. Arth snuck a glance at Harry and saw that his complexion was pale. "Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey. "Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think...If Albus hadn''t been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate¡ª who knows what might have¡ª" The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin''s rigid grip. "You don''t think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly. Dumbledore didn''t answer. He opened the back of the camera. "Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey. A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Arth caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic. "Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted..." "What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently. "It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again." Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore. "But, Albus...surely...who?" "The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how..." Arth narrowed his eyes. Arth had a feeling, no, he was sure that Dumbledore was hiding something. The question is not who, but how. Dumbledore knew who the heir was, or he had suspicions. Otherwise, he wouldn''t disagree with Professor McGonagall. Secondly, Dumbledore asked how. This meant that the person Dumbledore was suspicious of had no way of opening the chamber of secrets currently. Which meant even Dumbledore didn''t know how to stop the attacks from reoccurring. Lastly, Dumbledore knew that the chamber of secrets had been open before, so did the teachers. They were hiding something. Arth let out an almost inaudible sigh. There were just too many hidden secrets everywhere. 52 Suspicions "I''m going to kill him." Growled Arth with a menacing glare. "I''m going to strangle his neck." "Who? Gilderoy Lockhart or Dobby?" "Both." Arth had just exited Defense against the Dark Arts class with a very grouchy expression. When he had entered the class, Lockhart gave a obvious flinch. "My boy Arthur... how are you doing?" Arth coldly narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Thanks to you." "No need to be angry, accidents do happen. The rain interrupted my concentration and you should''ve never stopped me from healing Harry. I do say the bravery to stand up is quite commendable, however, it is quite idiotic to stop a teacher from helping a friend. In fact, we were lucky that only a couple of bones were removed." Arth was speechless. He trembled with wrath as he walked along to his next class. Harry, Ron and Hermione quietly excepted his rant. "All he had to do was say I''m sorry! That would''ve made me feel at least somewhat sympathetic." "... you were going to forgive him?" Asked Harry with an incredulous gaze. "Of course not! He got rid of all of the bones in my limbs. You know how it feels like to know you have arms but can''t control them? It''s as if your mind is inside of a doll that can''t move. It''s horrible." Arth spat on the ground. "And do you know what he said instead of a sorry? He said that I shouldn''t have gotten in the way! That I ended up causing Harry to feel more pain? More like I saved Harry from getting his arm removed!" Arth frowned at the people who were avoiding their group. "And to make it even worse, people are starting to think that Harry is the god dam heir! Just because Harry didn''t like the fact that Colin took a picture of him when he had a broken arm! Can you believe these idiots?" Everyone flinched when they heard these words and started to move along at a faster pace. "How could Harry be the Heir? He was at the god damn hospital wing? You think he magically mended his bones and petrified someone? Can you people use your brains a bit?" "Arth... calm down. I''m ok." "Ok? Your being framed for god''s sake! Framed based on a baseless rumor." Arth groaned. "People honestly think that you would petrify a cat and a camera boy? Do they think that you are going to be the next dark lord or something?" Hermione bit her lip. "I wonder what the monster can be? It must be powerful if it can go around undetected..." Arth rolled his eyes. "You think the teachers don''t have their suspicions?" "What do you mean? Are you saying that you have an idea on what the monster is?" Arth sighed. "It isn''t that hard. Just a bit of reading would provide many answers." Hermione looked up at Arth and asked with a curious state. "So what do you reckon the monster is?" "Well, all we know so far is that it can petrify people and that it''s related to slytherin. So I''m guessing that the monster has some relation to a snake. That way, it makes sense that Slytherin''s heir can control it. Plus, the basilisk can go decades without food." Arth glared at the wall. "The first and obvious suspect is a basilisk." "Why? Don''t basilisks kill with a sight? Shouldn''t the cat and Colin be dead instead of petrified?" "Yes but none of them stared into the eyes of the basilisk directly did they?" Hermione let out a gasp of understanding while Ron narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" Before Arth could answer, Hermione beat him to it. "There was a puddle on the floor on the night when Mrs. Norris was attacked. And she was found looking at the floor! And Colin was found with his camera up to his face! He must''ve seen it through the camera!" Ron went pale. "Are you saying that there is a giant snake with death eyes roaming around the castle?" Arth rolled his eyes. "Well, I considered the basilisk but ruled it out." "Why?" "Well how would it travel around? It''s a giant snake for gods sake. If it goes around slithering through hallways, it wouldn''t be undetectable would it? How else would it travel? Through the plumbing pipes? Why would the pipes be big enough to hold a giant snake? It''s not possible." "Couldn''t Slytherin have made the pipes large on purpose? To let the basilisk travel easier?" Arth gave a mocking response. "I guess the other three founders were blind were they? ''Hey Slytherin, why are you building the pipes large? It''s like you are trying to allow big animals to travel in the school sewer system.''" "... well if you put it that way, it does sound dumb." "Anyways, Next suspect is a cockatrice, however, it would have even more difficulty traveling through the school than the basilisk so that''s also out." Arth took out a book and tried to calm himself down by reading. "Next would be a Medusa or Gorgons. Both are related to snakes, both can petrify." "Snake ladies with killer looks?" "A little weird way of phrasing it but ok." Arth flipped to the next page. "The gorgons have a mostly human appearance, so they would have an easier time getting around but they are conspicuous. Medusa''s can shape shift to an extent however they can''t survive without food for a long time." "What''s a Gorgon and Medusas?" "Basically the Greek myth of Medusa you probably heard about except Medusa is basically a stronger Gorgon with more power." Hermione frowned. "So what are you saying is the monster?" "What I''m saying is that we can''t know? There are too many animals that can petrify, with eyes, poison, sound, electrical impulses. We can''t rule out animals other than snakes to. You never know. And then it could be a creature that we haven''t discovered yet. All we know is that direct eye contact probably isn''t the best idea, and you should always stay in a group more than two. The monster seems to have a habit of attacking when there is no one around." Arth closed his book and sighed. "However, I need to thank Dobby for one thing." "What?" "He made it easier in identifying who is the heir." "Who?" "Well, Dobby knew that the chamber of secrets were going to open this year, he also knew that Harry was going to be in danger even though he isn''t a muggleborn." Hermione''s eyes lit up. "That means whoever is the heir has something against Harry!" Arth smiled. "And who, in the entire school, has a deep found hatred for Harry?" "...Snape?" Suggested Ron with a blank look. Harry froze and narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to say what you think you are?" Arth smiled. "Yes, although I hate to believe that he has the skill to pull it off, our most likely suspect as the heir of Slytherin, is none other than Draco Malfoy." 53 Assassin "Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically. "Look at his family," said Harry. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he''s always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin''s descendants. His father''s definitely evil enough." "They could''ve had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son- I''ve got it!" said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must''ve opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he''s told dear old Draco how to do it. It''s obvious." "Well," said Hermione cautiously, "I suppose it''s possible..." "But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly. Arth lit up with excitement. "I know a way, just wait a bit." He said before running off in excitement. Ron stared at the quickly retreating Arth with his mouth open. "Can you actually believe how quickly he can disappear? I swear he has a natural invisibility spell on him." "He might have a Dissipating Aura." Said Hermione with her eyebrows scrunched. "Wassthat?" Said Harry, as clueless about magical things as ever. "It''s a kind of disposition that makes it hard for your presence to be conspicuous. Unless he focuses on marking himself there, he will naturally seem like an extra. In other words, he basically seems natural and blends in with the background." "That must suck." "It''s actually pretty useful, when you learn to control it, it becomes very handy in assassinations. In fact, there was a research done that showed that most of the famous assassins in history had this disposition." "So Arth is a born assassin?" "Yes." "Bloody hell, that''s kinda cool," said Ron while giving another glance at the hallway that Arth had disappeared into. "So how are we going to get Malfoy to confess?" "There might be a way," said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We''d be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect ¡ª" "If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won''t you?" said Ron irritably. "All right," said Hermione coldly. "What we''d need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it''s us." "But that''s impossible," Harry said as Ron laughed. "No, it''s not," said Hermione. "All we''d need would be some Polyjuice Potion." "What''s that?" said Ron and Harry together. "Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago ¡ª" "D''you think we''ve got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" muttered Ron. "It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He''s probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him." "This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me," said Ron, frowning. "What if we were stuck looking like three of the Slytherins forever?" "It wears off after a while," said Hermione, waving her hand impatiently. "But getting hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called Moste Potente Potions and it''s bound to be in the Restricted Section of the library." There was only one way to get out a book from the Restricted Section: You needed a signed note of permission from a teacher. "Hard to see why we''d want the book, really," said Ron, "if we weren''t going to try and make one of the potions." " "I think," said Hermione, "that if we made it sound as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance..." ""Oh, come on, no teacher''s going to fall for that," said Ron. "They''d have to be really thick-" Ron froze. "Ah, I forgot. We do have a stupid teacher." Harry frowned suspiciously. "You don''t mean Lockhart do you?" "Exactly who I''m talking about." Said Ron with a smug smile. Twenty minutes later, they acquired the book. "I don''t believe it," Harry said as the three of them examined the signature on the note. "He didn''t even look at the book we wanted." "That''s because he''s a brainless git," said Ron. "But who cares, we''ve got what we needed." Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the three of them bent over the damp- spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head. "Here it is," said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed The Polyjuice Potion. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. "This is the most complicated potion I''ve ever seen," said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Well, they''re easy enough, they''re in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves... Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn ¡ª don''t know where we''re going to get that ¡ª shredded skin of a boomslang ¡ª that''ll be tricky, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into." "Excuse me?" said Ron sharply. "What d''you mean, a bit of whoever we''re changing into? I''m drinking nothing with Crabbe''s toenails in it ¡ª" Hermione continued as though she hadn''t heard him. "We don''t have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last..." Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry. "D''you realize how much we''re going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that''s definitely not in the students'' cupboard. What''re we going to do, break into Snape''s private stores? I don''t know if this is a good idea..." Hermione shut the book with a snap. "Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. "I don''t want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don''t want to find out if it''s Malfoy, I''ll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in." "I never thought I''d see the day when you''d be persuading us to break rules," said Ron. "All right, we''ll do it. But not toenails, okay?" "How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again. "Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days...I''d say it''d be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients." "A month?" said Ron. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" But Hermione''s eyes narrowed dangerously again, and he added swiftly, "But it''s the best plan we''ve got, so full steam ahead, I say. We just need to tell Arth when he gets back." "Tell me what? And where were you guys. I''ve been running around looking for you guys for the past ten minutes." Arth had come back from god knows where looking as though he had just gotten in a fight. "Oh, we were just going to tell you that we have a plan to interrogate Malfoy. Were going to use the poly juice potion." "What? We don''t need to do that." "Why!" Replied Hermione with an annoyed look. "Do you not want to take the risk?" Arth had a weird look on his face. "I didn''t mean that, I meant that it would be stupid to do that when I got everything set up already." "What do you mean set up?" Arth raised an eyebrow. "What else would I be talking about? The Malfoy Interrogation." "What?" Said Hermione, Harry and Ron simultaneously. "Oh just follow me to Myrtle''s Bathroom, I got everything set up. You''ll understand when we get there." "What about Malfoy?" "Oh don''t worry. He''s there too." "What? How?" "What do you mean how? I just nicked him from the slytherin common room." When Arth was out of ears range, Ron leaned towards Hermione''s ear and whispered. "Is it just me or does it seem like Arth will become an assassin in the future." Harry and Hermione Just wryly smiled in response. 54 Mother’s Sweets He didn''t know when he arrived, nor how long he was in there, only darkness. He would stare and scream into the darkness and tug at his restraints, yet they were all useless. The darkness stared back, silently. "MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!" He twisted around but the restraints held strong. "MY FATHER HOLDS A RESPECTABLE POSITION IN THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC! HE WILL IMPRISON YOU ALL WHEN HE FINDS ME IN THIS STATE!" The boy didn''t even know how he got in this state. He was talking to his minions Crabbe and Goyle in the warm and cozy Slytherin Common room. "So how''d you attack the Camera boy Draco? Just like the cat." The boy looked around lazily and saw that there were a decent amount of people in the room. "Shut up Crabbe, you are being too loud." "Sorry." "And how many times do I have to tell you? I''m not the Heir of Slytherin. All I know is that my father has something to do with it." The boy smirked. "If I knew who it was, then I would help them with the job. I''d want to see that filthy mudblood know it all petrified, maybe even dead." The boy stopped and pondered for a bit. "And also that arrogant mudblood next to the famous Harry Potter. Ooh do I want to see that calm expression wiped off his face." Crabbe and Goyle nodded their heads, albeit a bit slowly. "So do you have any idea on what the monster is?" The boy sighed. "I swear, if your heads were any slower, I''d think they were going backwards. How many times did I tell you. My father didn''t tell me anything. All he told me that Potter and mudbloods would suffer." The boy felt a slight chill in the room and shivered. "Damn, I feel like there is a ghost in here, come in Crabbe, Goyle. Let''s go to the dormitories. I bet it''s warmer there." They got up to head up to the dormitories when Crabbe and Goyle suddenly fell down to the floor with a long piece of chain entangling both of their legs. "What the?" The boy turned around to look for the hidden assailant. Everyone else in the room also got up due to the commotion. However, they couldn''t find anything. Suddenly, a bottle fell onto the floor and exploded into a cloud of white smoke that caused the boy''s throat to itch. "The hell-*cough*" The smoke then transformed into a dark black color that completely blocked off sight. "Crabbe? Goyle?" The boy was a bit scared when the two boys didn''t reply back. He could still hear the sound of his breathing which meant that it wasn''t that he couldn''t hear, but that Goyle and Crabbe had fainted. "Those useless idiots. I swear that they aren''t going to make it pass twenty years of age." The boy grumbled and called out to the other Slytherins. They responded back. Everyone was in a similar situation. They had their sight entirely robbed. The smog was so dark that they couldn''t see their hands in front of them. It was a weird feeling. Knowing that your hand is in front of you yet being unable to see it with your eyes wide open. Not many have experienced true darkness. There was a thud and a yelp of pain which caused the boy to freeze. Soon enough, another thud and yelp resounded throughout the smog. One of the older kids attempted to identify the assailant. "What the hell is going on?! Lumos! LUMOS! What isn''t it working-" Another thud. Another scream. The boy was now terrified. He attempted his best to stay quiet. However it was futile. "Ah, here you are. I''ve been looking for you." The boy felt something coming from behind.It grabbed his clothes and pulled fiercely, causing the boy to fall down on his knees. "Get your hands off me you-" "Hmmm, it appears that you really can''t see me... interesting. Although it would be great if sound was eliminated too... oh well." The boy felt a cloth being forced on top of his mouth. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn''t get it off. The other person was too strong. "Yelling won''t do much, in fact, it''ll help me out more if you yell more. It''ll make the chloroform work faster." The struggle lasted for nearly four minutes, and each breath the boy took was making him feel weaker and weaker. Worst of all, the chatterbox assailant wouldn''t shut up. "I guess it was true after all... Chloroform doesn''t work as fast as it does in the movies. What a shame... hey, can you hear me? Are you unconscious yet? Can''t you do me a favor and just faint already. I have other things too do. Hmm... should I wipe everyone''s memory of this? I should shouldn''t I? Oh well, I''ll do it when you''re unconscious." The boy felt a hand slipping into his pocket. "Oh, score. A chocolate frog. Thanks man." The boy wanted to cry. That''s the sweets my mother gave me... The boy recognized the persons carefree voice, but didn''t know who it belonged to. His head was starting to hurt. "Ah, screw this. This is taking too long. I''m going with plan B. I should''ve done this in the first place. Stupify." There was a small red flash that was quickly replaced with darkness. And that was the last thing the boy saw other than darkness. 55 Beaten Pig "What is this?" The four of them had arrived at Moaning Myrtle''s Bathroom at a leisurely pace. In one of the stalls was a pale skinned blond boy who was trembling. His eyes were shut and he would mutter from time to time in a hollow manner. "What did you do to him," gasped Hermione in horror. "You didn''t break his mind did you... that might get you expelled!" Arth rolled his eyes. "It''s nothing to fret about. It''s just a bit of chloroform and a couple Confundus charms... and maybe a tad bit of hallucinatory potions." Ron stared at Arth with mixed feelings of awe and fright. "I would hate to be on the bad side of you... what is chloroform?" "A muggle chemical that causes one to black out. I don''t advise using it. It''s performance isn''t satisfactory." "Where did you even get that?" "Oh I just carry a vial of it with me wherever I go. Old habits." "Old habits?" Hermione shrilled. "Old habits from what?" "You know, stuff." Harry knelt down in front of Malfoy and waved his hands a couple of times in front of his face. "How will we interrogate him when he is unconscious? Do we need to wake him up?" Arth smiled. "No need for that. Just ask him a question and he''ll mumble the answer right out." Arth gave a weird smile. "I drugged him with a truth potion. Not as effective as Veritaserum but good enough to do its job." Arth checked his pendant which had transformed into a stop watch. "However, I reckon the truth potion will wear off in about five minutes. You better start asking." Harry poked Malfoy in the cheek once before coughing once to clear his throat. "Are you the Heir of Slytherin?" There was a few seconds of silence before Malfoy mumbled his answer. "...I''m not." "Do you know who the Heir of Slytherin is?" "...no." Harry frowned and gave a worried glance at the rest of them. "...we were wrong, Malfoy is innocent." "Then who can the Heir be?" Said Hermione with a worried look. "We need to know who the Heir is in order to be able to stop him from hurting anybody else..." Arth sighed. "Ask him if he has any relation to the Heir of Slytherin." "Why, it''s just going to give us the same answer." "It won''t, trust me." "Fine," Harry turned to face Malfoy once more. "Do you have any relation with the Heir of Slytherin?" However, the answer Harry was expecting didn''t come out. "...Yes." "What do you mean by yes?" "... I have relation... with the heir." Harry, Ron, And Hermione froze in shock. Arth decided it was best for him to take the reigns now. "How So?" "... my father told me... the chamber of secrets... would open this year." "Are you saying that your father already knew that this was going to happen?" "...yes." Arth smirked. "Bingo, suspect has been comprehended. Last question, do you have a house elf?" "...yes." Harry widened his eyes. "You can''t be serious-" "Do you," Arth ignored Harry and continued to ask questions, "Malfoy, happen to have a house elf named Dobby?" "...yes." "Is there any clue that can help us find the Heir?" "...no." Hermione sighed. "So all we did was confirm that Malfoy and his father had a part in this entire fiasco." "Pretty important if you ask me," said Ron while shrugging his shoulders. "At least we have a lead." Arth frowned. "No, Hermione is right. This was a waste of time." "What do you mean Arth? We know that Malfoy is involved in the attacks. We just need to turn him in." Arth sighed. "Didn''t you hear him? He said he wasn''t the Heir of Slytherin, it won''t do anything if we lock him up. The real attacker is still somewhere in this school." "How are we going to find them?" "That''s the problem." Answered Hermione with a grim look. "Even malfoy has no idea on who it is. We might as well think it''s anyone other than us five." "So were back to square one?" "Yep." Ron groaned. "This detective business is killing me. Why can''t it be as simple as one two three?" "Because this ain''t some novel Ron. It''s reality." Snapped Arth. He took a glance at his clock pendant. "Malfoy should be up in about three... two... one." Malfoy gave a slight shiver as his eyelids started to flutter as if they were about to open. "What do we do with him? I mean we can''t just let him go? He would become suspicious of us." Arth shrugged his shoulders. "I can''t cast another memory spell on him, or else he will lose some brain cells." "We can''t just leave him alone? What if he tells on the teacher?" Said Hermione with a worried glance. "...There is a way to erase his memory." Said Arth with a tiny bit of excitement. "How?" "We do it the old fashioned way. Beat him until he forgets." There was silent in the bathroom as everyone stared at Arth like he was a monster. "What? It works, it''s efficient too. It can be used as a very effective stress reliever too." Harry gave a wry smile. "I should''ve known." "Yep, messing with Arth is akin to bloody suicide." Argh rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, don''t tell me you don''t want to hit him a couple times. Trust me, it''ll be fun... plus-" Arth had a mischievous look in his eyes. "The victim''s body will naturally remember the beating when his mind does not." "What does that mean?" "You''ll understand soon enough." Hermione looked a bit hesitant. "What if Malfoy starts to scream?" Arth furrowed his brows. "Myrtle." "Yes?" A girl flowed out of a sink and quickly hovered around Arth. "What do you need me for?" "Can you do me a favor and cry as loud as you can?" Myrtle''s expression went dark. "Another person who wants to see me in misery? I thought you were better than this-" Arth gave his most innocent and charming smile possible and put on his lying face. "I just think that you are pretty cute when you cry..." There was silence for a few seconds until Myrtle gave a loud wail. "WHY COULDN''T I BE BORN IN THIS TIME PERIOD INSTEAD OF BEING A GHOST! ITS SO UNFAIR!" With that, she went outside of the bathroom wailing at the top of her lungs. Over her wails, were the barely discernible sounds of a pig being beaten to death. 56 Rebirth "That was refreshing." Said Arth while stretching his arms. Hermione wore a worried look on her face. "Do you think it''s going to really work? I mean if he regains his memory, then all of us might be expelled." "It''s ok, even if he does remember, he''ll be to afraid to tell a teacher. I mean if I went through that... I would be scared for life." Ron stopped and turned to face Arth. "I''m starting to think that us erasing his memory was doing him a favor." Harry couldn''t help but nod in agreement. "Honestly though, I thought Arth would be the worst and scariest, but it turns out it was Hermione instead." The three of them shivered. "Bloody nightmare." "It was pretty frightening." "I never want to get on her bad side... especially in a bathroom." Hermione flushed red with embarrassment. "It was an accident! I already told you guys." "That makes it scarier." Said Arth with a wry smile. "What you did to malfoy... made me want to give him a turkey leg and cheer him up." "...was it that bad?" "You basically humiliated him, broke him, and killed off his will with one swoop." said Arth. "It was an overkill." It was a heartbreaking sight. The four of them were trying to inflict physical trauma onto Draco, Hermione slipped over a puddle and grabbed the nearest thing she could find... Draco''s hair. Draco started to scream painfully as his head was dragged onto the floor along with Hermione. "Oh no! I''m so sorry-" The toilet that Draco was sitting on suddenly decided to throw up its contents all over the place. Draco, seeing this, gave a pleading look towards Arth, his eyes resembled that of a wounded soldier with a burning desire to live. However, it was too late. The filthy contents washed over Malfoy like an unstoppable wave, covering him head to toe with brownish yellow... things. Still defiant, Malfoy desperately tried to hold his breath, but inevitably, he had to breath. Upon smelling the rancid smell, he instinctively gagged, causing some of the... things to go in his mouth. Malfoy let out the sound of a dying whale as he slumped to the puddle of... things with a defeated look. His eyes no longer held any will to live. Arth had to wait for the broken toilet to stop spewing out... things before he went over to Malfoy, cleaning the filth on the floor along the way. When he saw the sight of the near dead Malfoy, he let out a sigh. With a wave of his hand, he cleaned up all of the filth from his body and clothes and gave Malfoy a big warm hug, one filled with pity and sympathy. "I''m sorry man. It wasn''t what I wanted." Malfoy gave a slight tremble. "I... All I can say is I''m sorry." By this time, the potion that Arth created had worn off, and Malfoy was definitely able to see once more... yet Malfoy continues to stare into the vast emptiness with glassy eyes, as if he had never known what sight was in the first place. "That... as a fellow human... what you went through...." Malfoy began to contract over and over again as if he was holding back his sons. "I''m sorry... I''m sorry." Malfoy closed his glassy eyes and pulled his head back towards the heavens. A sparkling tear slowly seeped out from the corner of his closed eyes. Harry and Ron also decided to join with solemn faces. "I... I." "Shh, child. I understand. Don''t speak. It''s ok." "I... don''t feel... so good." "...it''s ok... it''s alright.... I promise, everything is going to be alright." "I... I...don''t think I can do it...." "..." "I don''t want... to continue on." Harry fell down to his knees and placed his wand on his chest. Ron followed his lead. "I... want to.... I want to forget." Malfoy finally turned around towards Arth and stared at him with an indescribable face filled with pain. "Please... please make me forget." "..." "Arth.... please.... I beg you..." "As... as a fellow human... I beg of you..." "..." Arth raised his trembling hands towards the head of Malfoy. Seeing this. Malfoy closed his eyes and gave a pained smile. His hair was clean, his clothes were clean, his soul and digestive system were not. He wished for purification, for cleansing. He wished to forget and start anew, like a snake shedding his skin. Arth placed his hand on the forehead of Malfoy and whispered in a tiny voice that was almost inaudible. "Obliviate." Malfoy gave a slight shudder as his face slowly morphed from a pained face to a refreshed smile. As if he had been reborn. Arth gently picked him up and carried him out of the bathroom, and placed Draco in an empty classroom. Mystical light came from who knows where and fell upon Malfoy, as if pitying his past and celebrating his new life. Arth, Harry and Ron, turned around and placed their wands over their hearts and knelt, giving Malfoy the ceremonial wizard salute given to those who had fallen honorably in battle, before leaving the boy to sleep peacefully in the classroom. At that moment, Arth, Harry, and Ron couldn''t help but admit that Malfoy looked like a sleeping prince in a fairytale, his platinum hair shining like a beacon of hope. Arth gave one final glance back at Malfoy. "Our enmity truly was a hinderance to what could have been a true friendship. However, I see now what a man, what a great person you are. I mourn for your suffering and celebrate your rebirth... I swear, the next time we meet. I shall show you warmth and kindness." It was Harry''s turn. "Malfoy..." Harry said with a complicated look. "I hated you, however, what you experienced was something no man should''ve suffered." Then Ron. "I''m sorry... I hope you have a bloody good life this time." And finally Hermione. "... Arth, can I have my wand back?" 57 No A week later, Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited. "They''re starting a Dueling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn''t mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days..." "What, you reckon Slytherin''s monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest. "Could be useful," he said to them as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?" "Depended on what they are going to teach." Said Arth. "If it''s going to be all that nonsense about attacking first and waving your wand, I might just not go." "... it sounds interesting so I might go..." said Hermione with a small voice as she sent furtive glances at Arth. "So are we going or not?" "I guess we are." At eight o''clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited. "I wonder who''ll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young ¡ª maybe it''ll be him." "Oh, your right. It would be great to have a professional teach us. Now that would be interesting." Said Arth with a content look. "I''m fine with however it is as long as it''s not ¡ª" Harry began, but he ended on a groan. Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black. Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!" He straightened his robes and revealed a dazzling smile. "Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions ¡ª for full details, see my published works." Arth couldn''t help but curse underneath his breath. What a shameless sellout. "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don''t want any of you youngsters to worry ¡ª you''ll still have your Potions master when I''m through with him, never fear!" "Wouldn''t it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry''s ear. Snape''s upper lip was curling. "No, Snape is one of the best teachers in Hogwarts, just because you don''t like him doesn''t mean I don''t." Said Arth with a sigh. Hearing this, Ron and Harry wore disgusted faces. Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." "I wouldn''t bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. "One ¡ª two ¡ª three ¡ª" Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent. Snape cried "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. "Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm ¡ª as you see, I''ve lost my wand ¡ª ah, thank you, Miss Brown ¡ª yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don''t mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy ¡ª however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..." Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I''m going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you''d like to help me ¡ª" They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first. "Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter ¡ª" Harry moved automatically toward Hermione. "I don''t think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let''s see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger ¡ª you can partner Miss Bulstrode." Snape honed his eyes onto Arth with an undecipherable gaze. "As for you, Mr. Kingscrown, you can partner up with Mr. Nott." The four of them separated and mat up with their dueling partners. Harry gave Malfoy a nice bow, confusing Malfoy a great deal. Arthur also gave a silent salute before facing his opponent. He was tall, thin, and looked weak. He could also be considered to be "rabbity" in appearance. His face was calm and his eyes half a smidgen of intelligence. "Hello, I''m Theodore Nott." 58 Oppugno Arth gave a slight smile. "Hello Mr. Nott, I''ve heard many things about you." Theodore raised his eyebrows. "I do not see any reason why you should, may I ask how?" "No need to be humble, many know of your brilliance in potion making." "I''m flattered to hear it. However, the same can be said about you." Arth raised his eyebrows. "What about me?" "Your intellect isn''t some hidden secret, plus, rumors about a certain boy who invaded into the Ravenclaw tower are starting to spread." Arth cursed himself inwardly. Why did he have to go flaunt his intelligence to the whole word. What a childish thing to do. Arth gave a smile and pushed the thought out of his head. "It is just a rumor, anyways, may I ask you for a duel?" Theodore raised his eyes as if still skeptical before answering. "Sure, standard style I presume?" "That would be fine." Arth and Theodore faced each other and gave a small bow. Before turning around, Theodore frowned. "Take our your wand, we are about to duel." Arth waved it off with a smile. "There''s no need to." Seeing the look in Theodore''s face, Arth realized at once that he had misunderstood. With a wry smile, Arth explained to Theodore. "I didn''t mean to offend you, the phrase came out wrong. What I meant to say is that I don''t have a wand to use, a couple of your-" Arth sent a glance towards Malfoy who was facing off against Harry, "house members broke it durning a scuffle in the quidditch fields." Theodore frowned. "I do not wish to be given a handicap, although I realize that I am not a professional dueler, it does not suit me well to fight against someone who is at a disadvantage." Arth shrugged. "Nothing we can do can we? All I can say is please go easy on me." Theodore sighed. "I guess you have a point, I''ll try to hold back..." Ten seconds later, Theodore was on the floor. He was eagle spread on the ground while wearing a disbelieving look on his stunned face. He got up and gritted his teeth. "Again." Arth just smiled. "Sure." Arth and Theodore faced each other once more before doing a bow. Arth''s was a nice and elegant bow while Theodore''s was a curt one. They turned around and took a step. "One." Said Arth calmly. "Two," Replied Theodore with a fire burning in his eyes. "Three." Theo swung his wand above his head and pointed it at Arth. "Cadere!" However, Arth calmly waved his hands. "Protego." An invisible shield formed in between the two and the spell rebounded off towards Lockhart. With a magnificently terrified face, Lockhart slipped to the floor. Seeing that his first spell didn''t work, Theodore let out another one. "Expelliarmus." "Protego. Expelliarmus." However, it was once again effortlessly blocked by Arth. He even counter attacked causing Theodore to roll to the side in an attempt to dodge it. "Why-can''t-I-hit-you?" Yelled Theodore while blasting a spell each time he paused. "Well, you are saying you incantations our loud so I know what to expect and your eyes give away where you are aiming at." "The-hell! How-do-you-Have-time-for-That?" "It''s a skill, you can learn if you practice." "..." Lockhart finally recovered from the spell and tried to stop the two with a forced smile. "Now boys, it''s great that we are getting excited over dueling but I think it''s best for us to calm down and-" One of Arth''s spell seemed to deviate from its course and straight for Lockhart''s face. Lockhart saw this and went pale. He immediately dropped to the floor. Arth clicked his tongue. He had missed. "DON''T-STARE-ELSEWHERE-WHEN-YOU-OPPONENT-IS-IN-FRONT-OF-YOU!" Theodore was now getting angry as he took out some potion bottles and threw it at Arth. Arth just sighed. "Daydream potion? Effective but only if it hits." Arth grabbed his pendant and threw it up into the air. The pendant transformed into three spinning daggers. He focused onto the three flying bottles. "Oppugno." The daggers changed direction mid way and zoomed towards the bottles. With a loud shine, all three bottles blew up, leaving a cloud of smoke in between Arth and Theodore. Arth shook his head. "Inefficient, throwing bottles mid duel is suicidal-" "Expelliarmus!" A jet of red emerged from within the smoke and hit Arth in the chest. With a bang, he was sent flying. Theodore held a triumphant gaze as he gasped for air. He was about to gloat towards Arth when three daggers fell right at him, making a small triangle around him. A transparent wall formed around him, casing him inside a firm barrier. Disbelieving, Theodore sent a gaze towards Arth who was getting up from being hit. Arth gave a smile. "Well done, nice play you had going, using the fog to disrupt my sight then hitting me with a spell. It was my fault for underestimating you. It seems that both of us had the same idea." Theodore wanted to cry. If that was him looking down on him, what would he be like when he was serious? Arth looked around and saw chaos. "Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart. A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Arth leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. He made sure to be a bit rough when throwing her off Hermione. "Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan..." "Careful there, Miss Fawcett...Pinch it hard, it''ll stop bleeding in a second," "I think I''d better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let''s have a volunteer pair ¡ª Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you ¡ª" "A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We''ll be sending what''s left of Finch- Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville''s round, pink face went pinker. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile. "Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room. "Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops¡ª my wand is a little overexcited¡ª" "Wands can get overexcited?" Asked Arth with a peculiar look. "I never knew that... unless it''s him lying again." Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. Harry looked nervous. "Three ¡ª two ¡ª one ¡ª go!" he shouted. Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!" The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor. "Don''t move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I''ll get rid of it..." "Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight towards Arth. 59 Different Race There were screams from frightened students as they backed off and watched the show. Arth, in the other hand, was delighted. "Oh my, isn''t this a Night Fang Serpent. How fascinating." Arth reaches out for the snake and the snake complied. It gave a low hiss that sounded like it was happy and slithered up his arm. Arth couldn''t help but smile. "Your scales are absolutely beautiful. Your scales are also cool and nice to touch. What a beauty." The snake rubbed its head around Arth''s neck. Hermione spoke with a pale face. "Arth, I think it wants to bite your neck." Arth rolled his eyes. "Do you think this is twilight or something? Why would a snake be a vampire?" "But it looks like it wants to bite you, I''m just worried." "There''s nothing to worry about, it''s just a Night Fang." "But aren''t Night Fangs known for their aggressive behavior?" "Well this one would never hurt me. Isn''t that right, you adorable little snake." The snake flicked its tongue in at out. "you literally met it five seconds ago." "Fate is a mysterious thing." While the conversation continued, Harry has a weird look on his face. Arth noticed this and had to ask. "What is it Harry. Is there something weird on my face?" "...is the snake a girl?" "Hmmm... good question, let me check." Arth changed his pendant into a probe and probed the snake. While Arth was identifying the snakes gender, Harry wore and even weirder look on his face. After a few seconds, Arth Replied. "It is a girl." "Ok, that explains it." "Explains what?" Ron clapped his hands together with an enlightened face. "Harry! You speak Parseltongue right? Tell us what it''s saying." Harry hesitated on whether to explain or not but seeing the curious look on Arth''s face, he decided to give in. "Well... the snake really really likes you. And-" Harry strained his ears. "It feels embarrassed that you probed it." Arth froze and quietly put away the probe. "...it also said-(MASSIVE SENSOR WARNING FOR THE KIDS WHO DIDN''T LISTEN TO MY *PARENTAL SUPERVISION ADVISED* WARNING. GET OUT YOU NINE YEAR OLDS, GO WATCH PEWDIEPIE. And for you adults out there, don''t worry, you will satisfied in the fourth arc. I think.)- And it wants to be with you forever." Arth hesitated before slowly removing the snake from his neck. He walked over to Malfoy and gave him the thrashing snake that seemed desperate to stay with Arth. Malfoy dumbly received the snake and Arth gave a pitiful expression. "...it''s your snake so you can have it." Before malfoy could reject his offer, Arth took off, with Hermione and Harry and Arth following him. They soon arrived at the library where Arth crouched down and looked as though he was crying. The other three tried their best to comfort him. "It''s ok mate, I would be scared too if that happened to me. Who knew that snakes could get into humans. I mean I''ve heard of insane people having a thing for furries but snakes? Unbelievable." "Ron!" "I''m just saying that I''m supporting him. It''s just that if he ever decides to go for something... non-human, I''m going to remove my association with him. I just can''t do furries man, it''s not my thing." Hermione sent a glare at Ron before turning to Arth. "You should be careful Arth, I think you should be a little less noticeable-" "Then he would disappear from existence. I think the him right now is perfectly fine-" "Ron." "Sorry." "As I was saying," Hermione said after punching Ron in the gut. "It would better if you became a little less noticeable. You wouldn''t be bothered as much, you''ll have more peace and quiet, you''ll be able to relax, I''ll have less competition, and you get to focus on other things." "Hermione, I think you just repeated the same benefit in different ways." "Don''t be silly, Harry." "And What was the part about there being less competition?" Hermione blushed. "It''s nothing." "Really? I think it''s something-" "Shut up Harry, if you''re so inquisitive, then why don''t you and Ron do your homework yourself." "Ah... sorry." Hermione ignored the other two boys who were trembling with fright and placed her hand on top of Arth''s head. "It''s ok Arth, just remember, I''m with you." Arth finally sighed. "The hell are you three talking about?" Hermione have a start. "W-were you not crying?" "Why would I cry?" "Because a snake got attracted to me? The hell would I be concerned about that?" "Why wouldn''t you?" "Well the snake can love whoever she wants, I''m just not going to return her love back. Plus, instead of being scarred or depressed, what ever you people thought I was in, I''m curious." "Curious about what?" "Well about my ability?" "Which one? The dissipating aura or the nature animagus?" "Nature Animagus of course. And you think I have Dissipating aura? Not a bad thought." "It was me who though if it." "Well done Hermione, that might explain why I''m not noticed." Arth pulled out a book. "Well what I was thinking, is that instead of a nature animagus having the power to influence living organisms, I think it might be more of mana itself." "What do you mean?" "Well, then it would explain why animals and girls seem to like me all the time." "Those seem like living creatures to me, although from what I''ve seen, girls should belong to a different race than males." "That''s sexist Ron. Look at Hermione." "That''s exactly why I think girls are a different race." "Then say Hermione instead of all of the females." "Fair point." "..." 60 Randomness "So what do you mean by it would explain why animals and girls like you?" "Well, not just girls but also guys-" "The hell! Are you saying that you''re gay?" "..." Seeing the ice cold death glare sent by Arth, Ron immediately tried to fix his mistake. "Ahaha, just a joke, carry on." Arth flipped a page before answering. "What I was trying to say is the previous accounts of Nature Animagus all have a similar characteristic." "What?" "They were all pretty popular with people and animals, even plants. And they were all excellent mages." "So? isn''t that the definition of a Nature animagus?" "But that only explains it for living things, what about dead things?" "Are you talking about Myrtle?" "Of course I''m talking about her, don''t you think it''s weird how a ghost can take fancy to a boy? I mean, I''m not that handsome at I?" "I can agree with that, if you were handsome, then Harry and I would have girls hitting on us too." "...well I''d say that he''s way better looking than you." Mumbles Hermione. "What you say?" "Nothing." Arth closed his book and brought out another one. "And snakes have different desired characteristics than humans, so why would it fancy me?" Arth stopped flipping pages and pointed to a paragraph in the book. "Right here, it says, Theory of Mana. Mana is the substance ofthe living, dead can and the magical. All things are naturally attracted to it. The living will have an unconscious longing for those with higher mana concentrations. The dead prefer those with certain mana characteristics that will cause them to like them more, magic will naturally come to those with a surplus of mana. By Joan Katherine Roole." Arth started to speak in an excited manner. "Doesn''t everything seem to fit? Natural Animagus'' are people with a mana that gives a friendly vibe to everything. that''s why spells come to me naturally." "So that''s why your so talented?" "Probably." "So your basically a cheat?" Arth wrinkles his nose. "Actually, I''d say it''s a curse." "What do you mean?" "Well, by the term, liked by anything, we mean everything. From animals to humans to disasters to luck. Basically, if it has a chance to happen." "Is that why you got hit with Lockhart''s deboning spell?" "..." Ron frowned. "Then why is it that Draco hates you?" Arth sighed. "Didn''t you listen to me? My power is more like a gentle suggestion. If the opponent has a strong mind or animosity towards me, it''s hard to influence them. On the other hand, if the thing has a weak mind and a positive opinion about me, influencing them becomes easier." "So are you saying that Mrytle has a weak mind?" "Basically." "And the snake probabaly also had a weak mind because it was a snake." "Yep." "And Hermione is easy to influence because she likes you." "I-I DO NOT!" Hermione sent a punch towards Ron''s gut. Arth closed his book. "Well now that my curiosity is satisfied, what do you guys want to do?" There was a couple seconds of silence. "Do homework?" Said Hermione, to which Harry and Ron groaned to. Next morning, the snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the last Herbology lesson of the term was canceled: Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey. Arth was teaching Harry about his homework in the Gryffindor common room, while Ron and Hermione used their time off to play a game of wizard chess. "For heaven''s sake, Harry," said Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron''s bishops wrestled her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Do you even pay attention in class? Your worse off then Ron." "don''t pick on me just because you''re losing to me in a game of chess." "..." Arth gave a wry smile. "I feel like a teacher right now." "Well, you basically already are one, maybe you should teach at Hogwarts when you grow up." "Hmmm." Arth pondered to himself. "That actually isn''t a bad idea, however, I don''t want to teach kids. Sounds like a lot of work, would rather do experiments or explore." "Typical Arth." Arth glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, it''s time for me to go." "Go where?" "To go explore the school. I want to find all of the secret passageways before I graduate, I might even find the chamber of secrets along the way." "With who?" Asked Hermione with an inquisitive look. "With Luna, she wanted to roam with me because she said that she didn''t have people to talk to in Ravenclaw." Hermione gave a hmph as one of Ron''s pawns became a second queen. "...hope you have fun." "I will, enjoy yourselves you three." Arth left the Gryffindor Common room and entered into a hidden hallway to the right. It wasn''t really a hidden hallway but a randomly changing hallway, however, Arth had already predicted its randomness. Just a couple of calculations. The hallway would now lead him towards the library. Arth made his way down the hallway and out into an unfamiliar hallway. "...It seems that I still need to work on perfectly calculating the randomness of the hall way." Arth soon eventually made it to the Ravenclaw tower. 61 Ghostly attack The eagle door knocker let out its usual cool female voice. "Is there a difference between living and existing?" "Existence goes far beyond the extent of one lifetime." "Well reasoned." Arth entered the familiar Ravenclaw Common room. In one of the arm chairs sat a blonde haired girl with an upside down Quibbler magazine in her hands. Arth gave a smile. "Hey Luna, you ready to set out?" "Oh?" Luna looked up from the Quibbler and let out a delightful smile that caused the whole room to become a couple shades lighter. "Well hello Arth, is it that time already?" "Yes it is." "Well, shall we venture forth to seek new wonders that may be presentable in this school?" Arth and Luna left the Ravenclaw common room side to side. Some of the older Ravenclaws whistled. Art raised an eyebrow. "Now why do they think that is necessary?" "Oh don''t mind it, they''ve been teasing me about it ever since you first came to the tower." "Ooh, was it rough?" "Actually, it was quite pleasing. People would actually try to talk to me you see. Although the teases were getting a bit annoying, it was fun." "Hope you are enjoying life." "What about you? Are you enjoying life." "I''m doing fine." "Ok." The two of them walked around the school in silence. However, both of them were wearing bright smiles on their faces. It was only a matter of time before they started to converse with each other once more. "Ooh, Arth, I never saw that room before! Do you think it might be something special?" "Ah it''s nothing Luna, it''s a fake wall pretending to be a room. It comes to this location a couple times during the day to trick students." "Fascinating. How about that one?" "That''s a closet. It''s where Filch keeps his mops." Arth pointed at a wall in the far side. "Do you see that wall over their?" "Yes, what about it?" "It''s actually a fake wall. In reality, it is a big door large enough to be a wall." "Amazing. Where does it lead to?" "It''s a shortcut to the Great hall. Quite useful when you don''t want to be stuck with the crowd." "I''ll remember it." "Oh right, another place to go to is behind the mirror on the fourth floor. It leads out of school into hogsmead, but I like to go their to read sometimes. The room is pretty spacious and has a nice quiet atmosphere. The room was falling apart so I did some renovation on it though." "You should take me there sometime." "Ok, I will." They continued along the way when they met a giant of a man. Hagrid''s face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn''t possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands. "Hello Arth?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. "Why aren''t yeh in class?" "Canceled," said Arth, getting up. "What''re you doing in here?" Hagrid held up the limp rooster. "Second one killed this term," he explained. "It''s either foxes or a Blood-Suckin Bugbear, an'' I need the Headmaster''s permission ter put a charm around the hen coop." He peered more closely behind Arth from under his thick, snowflecked eyebrows. "May I ask who that girl behind yeh is?" Luna stepped forward and introduced herself. "Hello, I''m Luna Lovegood. Pleasure to meet you." "Pleasure to meet yer too. Are you a Gryffindor?" "No, I''m actually a Ravenclaw." "Hmm, surprising, people don''t usually associate with others from different houses. Well it''s Arth so what can I expect." "Are you saying I''m weird?" "I''m saying your a special one.l Arth gave a wry smile before glancing at the dangling Rooster. "You probably want to hide that before Lockhart''s sees it. He''ll probably offer to cast a protective charm around the rooster pen and end up killing the chickens instead." "Yer probably right." "When he comes, it''s going to be hard to shake him off. Better hurry Hagrid." Hagrid started to look around nervously. "Yer right on that one Arth, reckon I should hurry along now. See yer later. And keep that girl some good company." As unbelievable as you would seem to find it, Hagrid managed to run off quicker than a quidditch player on a broom. Arthur glanced at the clock. "Oh, it seems as though it''s almost time for my classes. I guess I should go get my books-" Arth froze. His eyes were fixated on a spot a few meters away from him. Luna shook Arth several times to catch his attention. "What is it Arth? Why did you stop speaking? Did the magglebys get your tongue?" Luna followed Arth''s gaze and also froze when her sight reached the point where Arth was staring at. Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And that wasn''t all. Next to him was another figure. It was Peeves, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His usually mischievous face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin''s. "...fuck." Arth couldn''t help but spit out a vulgar word. 62 Rumors Arth trembled before slowly nudging Luna in the arm. "...go get the teachers." Luna nodded her head slowly before staggering off to alert everyone of what had happened. Arth closed his eyes and sighed, his clenched fists trembling with an unknown emotion. "God damn it." Arth opened his eyes once more and his gaze had become apathetic. He looked up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. "This is so god damn complicated." Should he find out who the culprit was? Should he identify the monster? These were the things Harry had asked him when the Chamber of Secrets opened for the first time. "It''s more complicated than that." It wasn''t that he didn''t want to, Arth knew that a part of him was screaming to solve this legendary secret. It was who he was. "But none of it makes any god damn sense." A hidden entrance that no one but the heir could activate. A monster that can survive years without feasting. A monster that can travel in the school virtually undetected. A monster that petrifies, a monster that can stop a ghost. A monster that cause spiders to act unnaturally. "All these signs resemble the ones of a basilisk but how can a fifty foot long snake run around the school undetected?" It can''t be a basilisk, not even magic can make a giant creature invisible. Nor can basilisks survive for a thousand years without any food. Even if they were in a hibernation state, something as big as a basilisk would need an exponentially large amount of food to sustain it. Arth froze. "Hagrid''s roosters." Hagrid told him that his roosters were being killed off. The cry of a rooster is fatal to the ears of a basilisk. Arth furrowed his brows even more. "...is the creature a basilisk?" Every fact he discovered would lead to the fact that a basilisk was the most likely suspect for the attacker, yet every piece of logic and reasoning went against the fact that the basilisk was the perpetrator. None of this made sense. Seeing the basilisk indirectly. The cat saw through the puddle, Colin through his camera, Justin and Peeves through each other. Going around undetected. Invisibility does not erase the sound you make, the pipes are to small for a basilisk to travel through. Hunger. They could survive off of rats, but how many rats could feed a fifty foot long snake? A commotion was getting louder and louder as it approached Arth. Crash ¡ª crash ¡ª crash ¡ª door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Peeves. Arth found himself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. After a few discussions made within the teachers, Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Peeves. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to a student with instructions to waft Peeves up the stairs. This the student did, fanning Peeves along like a silent black hovercraft. This left Arth and Professor McGonagall alone together. "This way, Kingscrown," she said. "ARTH!" There was a scream as Luna bursted through the crowd and attempted to get to Arth. Professor McGonagall stopped her before she could get too close. "Professor McGonagall! I can vouch for Arth! He didn''t do it! I was with him! Don''t listen to the rumors!" Arth frowned. What rumors? "This is out of my hands, Lovegood," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "Would you please excuse us. We need to go to the headmasters office." However, Luna wouldn''t listen. "Arth! Promise me that you will come back." Arth sighed. "Calm down Luna, I''m not going anywhere." Luna seemed to visibly calm down. "Tell then that the rumors aren''t true." "What rumors-" "Now let''s move along." Arth left the trembling Luna and walked away with Professor McGonagall. "Lemon drop!" she said. the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. As he and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Arth heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, Arth saw a familiar oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. 63 Nabakza They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. "Doesn''t it seem like I come here often Professor?" Said Arth in an attempt to make the mood lighter. "Now is not the time to make jokes Kingscrown." Replied Professor McGonagall with a stern look. Arth sighed. "What are the rumors even about?" "You''ll understand it soon enough." Arth sat there silently for a few seconds before taking out a book. "Put that book away Kingscrown. Prepare yourself for what''s to come." Arth sighed once more before putting away the book. "I don''t know why I''m here when I did nothing wrong." "Just because you don''t think you did anything wrong, doesn''t mean others don''t." Arth narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying someone suspects me of being the heir?" "..." Arth frowned and decided to wait patiently. A soft weary voice came from within the room. "Come in." Professor McGonagall opened the doors and led Arth inside. The room was just like how it was when he had first entered. Mysterious and amazing. However, the magnificent red swan had turned into an old wrinkly bird. It looked as though it was dying. In front of the desk was a portly little man, with rumpled grey hair. He wore a lime green bowler hat with a pinstriped cloak. Behind the desk was an all to familiar old man. Dumbledore. "Hello my boy Arth. It seems as though we are fated to meet." Arth gave a small smile. "It seems like that doesn''t it, although I would love to know why I am here today." "Are you telling me you don''t know?" "Know what?" The man with the green bowler hat stood up. "I reckon that''s about enough Dumbledore. He doesn''t need to know anymore." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I believe that my student has every right to know why he is in the headmasters office without any warning." "Does it matter?" "It matters very much, especially for the boy." The man hesitated before sitting back down with a sigh. "Fine." Arth gave a quick glance at the green bowler hat man. "So may I ask who this is?" "Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." Said the man while tipping his hat. "Ok." Arth sent a weird look at the minister before setting his gaze back into Dumbledore. "So why am I here?" Dumbledore gave a light sigh. "A misconception. A very big one too and fear my boy. Fear of the unknown." "Can you explain in a way so that even clueless readers can understand?" "You have rumors about you boy, and recent events caused these rumors to go out of proportion." Arth rolled his eyes. "I know I have rumors about me, what kind of rumors is what I want to hear." Dumbledore gave another sigh. "Rumors that you are the next dark lord in making." Arth let out a disbelieving laugh. "On what terms? I didn''t even know people knew I existed." "They don''t. In fact, except for the Ravenclaws, Gryffindors and a select few people, Almost no one knows of your appearance." Arth frowned. "Then how do they create rumors about me if they don''t know how I look?" "Well you see my boy, it''s a part of your friends fault. His fame precedes him." "...what does Harry have to do with this?" "Well," said Dumbledore. "People know that Harry has three friends who surround him constantly. Ms Granger and Mr Weasley. However, for some reason, many people cannot remember the face and appearance of the third. Quite magical." Fudge gave a sigh. "And very frightening too. Imagine it, someone who you know exists yet can never seem to spot. With all of this nonsense going on, people think you are suspicious my boy." "...ok? So? Why is the minister here?" Said Arth while pointing at Fudge. Fudge gave a cough before sending Dumbledore nervous glances. "Well my child, there has been a lot of complaints towards the ministry. Parents sending letters right to left, people who experienced the first time and didn''t want their children to go through the same process of fear." Arth narrowed his eyes. "These parents want to stop it. And they aren''t willing to back down." Fudge tightened up his tie before speaking. "I''m afraid that we will have to take you and Hagrid into our custody-" "This was not what we agreed on Cornelius." Dumbledore spoke in a calm but powerful voice that told everyone that he was not pleased. "I have told the court many times, Hagrid is an innocent man that was wrongfully accused. And even more than that is the boy. He is still a boy. The fact that we are sending him there based on a childish rumor is nonsense." Fudge wearily shrugged his shoulders. "My hands are tied Albus. The parents are worried and they want a quick solution. They don''t want any loop holes and want threats to become neutralized." Fudge sent a glance at Arth. "No matter how small they may seem." Arth frowned, sensing something very wrong. "Where are you exactly taking me?" It was fudge who answered. "We... we are taking you to Azkaban." 64 Reversed "I''ve said this before," said Dumbledore with a hard tone. "I will not allow a student of mine to be taken away to a prison for criminals." Fudge sighed. "I know that you would say that Dumbledore. However, I don''t have a choice here. The parents are scared, I receive ten howlers on a daily basis. My position is being threatened." Dumbledore frowned. "Your love for power is clouding your sight from the light. You do not care for the right or wrong, only your title as minister." Fudge went red as he clenched his trembling fists. The atmosphere tensed up as Fudge stared at Dumbledore with animosity. "A little harsh for you to say that, considering I''m trying to stop the attacks from hurting another student." "At the cost of an innocent boy." "We don''t know if he''s innocent or not." "Well he is innocent until proven." "Well I say that it''s better to arrest a hundred then let one escape." "Then why not arrest the entirety of the slytherin house? I mean it is Slytherin''s Chamber of secrets and Slytherin''s heir. Not Gryffindor''s." Fudge opened his mouth to speak yet no words came out. Seeing this, Dumbledore let out a smile. One that was not whatsoever friendly. "Ahhh, It appears that you have had this thought. Now I wonder why you changed your mind about this... I recently heard of a tale that Lucius Malfoy gave a generous donation to the ministry. Maybe that has something to do with this nonsense? I also heard That Lucius''s son Draco has a thing against our boy Arthur over here." Fudge went pale. "Are you accusing me of bribery?" "I am only suggesting." Said Dumbledore. "However, most of the time, my suggestions become true." "Dumbledore, I want you to remember that I am the Minister. Not you." "And I am the Headmaster if Hogwarts. And this is my school and he is my student." "The problems you have are ones that you cannot solve." "It doesn''t matter, I will not allow you to forcefully take my student away without evidence." "I can, I am the minister. Do not force my hand Dumbledore." Dumbledore got up causing Fudge to flinch. "I remember a young man, excited to work for the good of wizards. A fair man who was reasonable and just. A man who would send me letters filled with questions on how to run as minister." "Y-you dare!" "I remember people telling me to take your position. Remember that I could''ve taken it from you. Do not be controlled by power Fudge." "Is that a threat?" "No, it is a warning. Fudge, you will never be the best minister we have, but do not go down in history as our worst." Silence ensued the room as two influential figures faced off with each other. In this silence, Arth hesitantly raised up his hand. "What is it boy." Asked Dumbledore after a couple seconds of silence. "Do my parents know of this?" Fudge wiped some of the sweat off of his forehead before answering. "Naturally they do not know of this manner but please understand that they will be notified of this matter the moment we get in contact with them." "So basically after I am imprisoned." "...that is correct." Arthur furrowed his brows deep in thought. "I''m terribly sorry to say this but we have no other choice. Please understand that parents are worried. People are scared. They want all potential threats to their children secured and locked behind bars." "So my parents aren''t one of these parents are they?" "..." "My parents would want to see me behind bars too?" "..." Arth sighed. "I guess the ministry prioritizes the voice of many instead of the well being of one." The minister blushed in shame. Arth Stared at the floor for a couple minutes before a the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand. "It wasn'' Arth, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin'' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir ¡ª" Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere. "it can''t''ve bin him, I''ll swear it in front o'' the Ministry o'' Magic if I have to." "Hagrid, I ¡ª" "¡ª yeh''ve got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never ¡ª" "Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people." "Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Then why are there talkings of the minister arriving at Hogwarts-" Hagrid saw Fudge standing in front of the desk. "Oh... um. My bad. I''ll wait outside then, Headmaster." Before Hagrid could walk out, Fudge stopped him. "Actually Hagrid, I need you to stay here." Hagrid stopped. "Whatcha need me for Minister?" "Well, some of your old... acquaintances remembered that you are working at Hogwarts and with all of these incidents going on recently, they can''t help but... remember the past." Hagrid went pale. "Yer not going to take me to Azkaban are yeh." "I''m sorry but yes we are." Hagrid went silent. Arth took this moment to raise his hand once more. "Yes, What is it now." With a wry smile, Arth said with a calm voice. "I want to go to Azkaban, May I go?" 65 Azkaban Everyone was silent, for no one could comprehend a thing. They all stared at the black haired boy with a dumbfounded look. "Mr. Kingscrown ... you do realize that Azkaban is a prison, right?" Asked Professor McGonagall. Arth tilted his head sideways. "Yes, What about it?" "You do realize that Azkaban is a place where only the worst of criminals reside?" "Yep." "Do you not fear it?" "Why would I?" "It is a place were the most heinous criminals are taken so the treatment there is equally horrible." "I''m not a criminal so why would I be afraid?" Said Arth with an underlying confidence. Professor McGonagall, Fudge, And Hagrid dropped their jaws. Dumbledore was starting to curve the end of his lips. "B-but there are dementors! And they-" "Yes, they feed upon our happiness and what not, still not a reason to be terrified. It''s not like they''ll kiss me or anything." "Y-Yes... That is true." "Plus," Arth gave an excited smile. "I always wondered what it would feel like standing next to a dementor. I''ve heard so many tales about it but never actually experienced it you see." Arth reaches out his hands towards Fudge. "So how about it? You help me see a dementor, and I help you by going to Azkaban. A win win situation." Fudge hesitated on wether or not he wanted to take the seemingly mischievous boy to a place full of criminals. Hagrid interrupted before Fudge could take his hand. "Yeh don''t know what yer going ter go through, Yer never bin their. It''s ''orrible, the most god forsaken place in the world." "That''s exactly why I want to go. When would I get another chance?" Hagrid went silent. Dumbledore chuckled. "I do not know why I was worried about you my boy. I should''ve expected that you wouldn''t have been effected by this little, adventure." Dumbledore massaged his temples. "It seems as though I am getting to old." Arth snorted. "Old is an understatement." "Mr. Kingscrown!" "It''s ok Minerva. It is but a harmless joke." Arth once more offered Fudge his hand. "So is that a yes or no?" Fudge debated on wether or not he should take the boy''s hand before shrugging and grasping it enthusiastically. "Yes." Suddenly, Fudge felt himself shiver as he had felt a bad premonition. He started to second guess if he had made the correct decision or not. Arth grabbed Hagrid''s arm and glanced at Fudge with a charming gaze. "Oh, do we have to be in a prison cell? Isn''t there a guest room?" Flustered, Fudge hurriedly answered. "Oh um yes we do, however, since no one wants to stay their, it is currently quite empty." "Oh good, then can Hagrid and I stay there?" "N-no, you must stay in the cells like the other prisoners-" "But we are suspects aren''t we? Not yet confirmed culprits? So I don''t see why we can''t have a guest room." "Y-you see-" "I agree with Arthur here. I believe, as a child, the boy needs to be separated from the full experience of a prisoner. It''ll be enough as long as he stays put inside the prison. Plus, our game master Hagrid can keep an eye on him while they''re there." "B-But-" "Oh come on Cornelius, you can surely do at least that much as a minister. Surely you have enough power." Egged Dumbledore with a twinkle. Fudge went red as he stuttered in response. "I- of-of course I can." "Great!" Arth pulled Hagrid out of the office with a bright smile. Fudge followed them with a stammer. "W-where are you guys going?" "To azkaban? Isn''t that where you''re taking us?" "Y-Yes?" "So lets go already." "N-now?" "Yes now, when else?" Arth froze. "Ah, can you notify my parents- actually, I''ll do it myself." Arth gave a low whistle. After a few short seconds, a small black raven happily cawed his way over to the right hand shoulder of Arth. Arth took out a piece of paper, scribbled a foot long letter in ten seconds and tied it to Corvus''s leg. "Go take this to Mother and Father. And remember to come to Azkaban instead of here. You got it?" Arth scratched the bottom of Corvus''s neck who responded by cawing once more. With a flurry of wings, Corvus was off. Arth waved his hands before turning to face Hagrid and Fudge. "Ok, I''m about done and ready to go. Are you Hagrid?" Hagrid shuddered. "Me don''t know, last time me went there, was the most ''orrible thing I''ve ever experienced." Arth gave Hagrid a sympathetic pat. "It''s alright. It''ll be better this time." With a energetic gaze, Arth gave Fudge a smile. "Shall we go now?" 66 Azkaban 2 It was probably the gloomiest place in the world. It was silent all around, for no living thing wanted to break the cold dead silence. Only an occasional maniacal laughter or heart wrenching scream would shatter the silence, leaving the mind feeling like broken mirror. Even the land it was located on was dead. The only sight to see were dark grey jagged rocks that radiated unfriendliness and hostility. The sea beside it would crash into the rocks with a mighty force, sometimes dragging down a piece of the cliff with it. Even when still, the water was painted in a blend of colors that made one recall a petrified sea. The only other thing that might have caught the eye was the gigantic building that was located near the cliffs. The building was tall, immensely so, for the eye could not reach the peak as it was covered by the dark grey clouds. It was shaped in a triangular prism that was placed vertically. It''s shadow casted out into the sea for hundreds of feet, causing one to feel an innate suppression, a rejection of will. It''s walls had a red brown rusty color to it, as if the blood of the dead prisoners haunted its walls. The occasional windows would only serve to let out darkness instead of light. The glint of light reflecting off of a bloodshot eyeball was the only indication of a living presence. That and the hooded figures. If there was one thing that was more terrifying than the atmosphere, it was the masses of black hooded creatures floating around the building. The hooded creatures looked vaguely humanoid, they had the same shape. Head, arm, and hands. However, where their faces should''ve been there was shadows. And the there was the cold. The frost biting, bone chilling cold. Not the cold that you experience when it snows or rains, but the cold you feel as you slowly freeze to death, or the cold you feel as your body slowly loses your heat. The cold you feel when you know you are going to die. The hooded creatures stood upright, floated around or entered into the prison occasionally to do something. Every time they did, another scream would prince the silence. Suddenly, the hooded figures started to twitch, as many of the idle hooded ones got up from their spots and ever so slowly inches towards the thing they sensed. A newcomer. In the far distance, a group of small boats made their way towards the island all the while battling the waves. On them were about ten people. A rather big man with a bushy beard, a man with a green top hat, and a young boy with black hair and pale skin. The rest aren''t that important so no need to describe them. On the boat, the boy was leaning out of the boat so far out that it looked as though he was going to fall out. "Hagrid! Look at the waves! It looks exactly as though it is from a horror film!" "Arth... me think it''s.... best... for yer to... stay- BLURK-" Hagrid threw up into the murky waters looking a bit green. The vomit was quickly swallowed up by the water and disappeared immediately. "Oh Hagrid, it''s not that bad. I heard from Harry that you already rode a boat before." "That''s... not the... problem..." "Oh is it like PTSD?" "Was....that?" "Post traumatic stress disorder. A disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event." Arth sent a glance at Hagrid. "Considering that you were sent here as a child I reckon it''s PTSD. But its alright Hagrid. It''ll be better this time. All we have to do is stay put on the island and not piss off the dementors." Arth squinted his eyes. "Speaking of dementors, I think I see a couple floating around their... they are exactly like what the books described them as." The dementors slowly started to gather around the boat all the while staying away at a distance. The only thing separating them from the Dementors was a thin wisp of silver that hovered like a mist. Arth glanced at the one casting the spell. "Can you cast a corporeal Patronus or is a non corporeal Patronus the best you can do?" The man gave a wry smile. "Unfortunately, a non corporeal Patronus is the best I can do..." "Oh... what a shame." The man wearing a green bowler hat gave a light cough. "Enough now boy, we have arrived." The boats let out a soft thud as it hit the dock. "Welcome to Azkaban." 67 Not Into "Oooh, can I touch them?" "Please don''t, they really don''t like physical contact." "What happens if I do?" "...the last time someone touched a dementor, he got swarmed and got literally drained of any positive emotion. He died the very next day." "They didn''t kiss him?" "The dementors found it to be too light to give him a quick... end." "Hmmm... fascinating." Arth slowly drew back his hands from one of the dementors who were guarding the prison. Seeing this, Fudge sighed. "Can you act like a child and have some awareness on what you are doing? You do realize that these aren''t some random house dog?" "Of course they''re not some dog, they''re dementors." "..." Arth tilted his head. "I wonder why the dementors suck out the happiness out of people... maybe it''s because they want to find happiness and feel jealousy towards people who are happy?" Fudge gave a dry laugh. "That is Impossible, dementors simply do not have the same emotions as us-" "We don''t know that for sure so don''t go on and say it''s false." "..." Hagrid was wearing a melancholic look as he surveyed the land before him. "..." Arth stopped joking around and quietly patted Hagrid on the head. "It''s alright Hagrid... we''re only going to be here for a few days. It''ll be behind us in a few short moments." Hagrid let out a sigh. "Yer right, we''re only gonna stay here for a bit. Me wonder why everything seems so different compared to last time. Musta be because of you Arth." Arth gave a small smile. "No problem." Arth quietly leaned in close towards Arth. "You reckon I could get a sample of the cloaks the dementors are wearing?" Hagrid went pale. "I also want a piece of their skin and know how they look underneath their cloaks." Fudge gave a small sigh. "Did I make the correct decision to bring the kid here? I feel like he will bring the whole prison down in some way..." Fudge glanced at the dementors and frowned. "I wonder why the dementors are so still and obedient, usually they go wild when there is fresh prisoners to be given..." Seeing the almost orderly behavior of the dementors, Fudge couldn''t help but frown once more. They entered through the massive prison gates and saw the inner workings of the building. The floor was the same color as the walls, and the only light source was the gloomy sunlight from the windows. Some of the cells would contain murmurs that were previously inaudible from the outside. Every little movement that the prisoners made would echo through the hallways creating an eerie atmosphere. Of course, Arth wasn''t daunted by this at all. "So where is the guest room? We have beds right?" "Yes." "Oooh, fascinating. Is that how a dementor eats." As if noticing that it was being mentioned, the dementor in question immediately stopped draining its prisoner and stood up straight and still. "Is this the normal behavior of a dementor? I read that they were usually wild... was the book wrong?" Fudge shook his head. "No, usually they are wild and untamed. For some reason, they seem awfully obedient today... gives me the shivers." "Hmm, when is dinner? I''m starving." "It will be in an hour. You can wait in the meantime. Just don''t go wandering off somewhere wherever. There are people in here that may give you nightmares, sights that are so terrifying that even adults find it horrible." "Ok." After Fudge and the guards turned their backs, Arth immediately blended into the shadows and disappeared. The dementor who was standing alert slowly turned his head following the almost undetectable Arth with a blank gaze. Arth made his way up the prison, often peeking inside the cells to see the prisoners. Most of them were just sitting still looking dead and hollow while muttering to themselves. Some were insane, laughing hysterically while crying. However, there was one thing Arth couldn''t put his finger on. He didn''t feel the draining effect that everyone else felt. He read that being next to the dementors would cause negative and horrible thoughts to surface however he felt nothing. Honestly, he didn''t think the dementors were that bad. If he ignored the chill they produced, they were just big black cloaked figures. Suddenly, while Arth was passing a cell, a pale hand reached out for him. Arth calmly avoided it and sent an inquisitive look at the owner of the arm. Inside the cell was a couple, man and woman. The man was in one of the corners, staring into space while the woman was reaching out towards Arth with a smile. "Hello boy, it''s been so long since I found an innocent one. Oh how I want to break you." Arth raised his eye. "Hi, I''m not into older women." 68 Dead The lady froze and glared at Arth with a murderous gaze. Arth finally got a good look at the prisoners, the woman had a gaunt and skull-like face, but it was clear that she used to be a great beauty. The man beside her was a tall, thin man with a blank stare and very dark hair. The lady grasped the bars with a ferocious look. "What did you say?" "I said I''m not into older women." The lady lunged at Arthur only to be blocked by bars. "You little brat! You think I have a thing for a child? The only one who can satisfy me is the Dark Lord himself! You dare compare yourself to him? You dare-" "Calm down Bella, screaming won''t solve anything." "Shut up Rodolphus. You are the reason why we got caught. I told you that we should''ve ended it quickly but nooo, you wanted to break the both of them. I told you that we could always play with the muggles but you had to do it on a couple of useless wizards." "We''ve been through this multiple times. It wasn''t my fault, the hell was I supposed to know that the aurors were on our tail?" "Well because of your silly mistake, the time the lord requires to recover has increased! Oh my powerful Dark lord, how I wish to revel in his glory once more." Arth raised an eyebrow. "I think you are going crazy miss and sir." The woman smiled. "You are right, we are going insane from not being able to serve the dark lord and helping him." Arth clicked his tongue. "Well you sure are lucky that the dark lord is still out there huh, imagine if he had died." "What do you mean?" "Well he tried to steal the sorcerers stone last year, haven''t you guys been reading the news?" "..." "Oh wait, you guys are prisoners, that was an insensitive question. My bad." "..." "Can I please kill him? Do what we did to the couple." Rodophus snapped. "If you can torture him then do it. Hell why don''t you break us out while you''re at it." "Don''t get bitchy with me." "You want to fucking go?" "The dark lord is the only one for me!" "Then go over to your dark lord and divorce with me! The dark lord can have you if he wants." "Fine! Divorce with me." "I will." Arth knocked on the bars to catch their attention. "Um excuse me but you can''t really divorce while you are in prison. You have to get out first." "..." "..." "I mean first you have to file a petition and sign a Temporary Order, if you have a child-you don''t have child do you?" Seeing the blank look on the couples face, Arthur decided they did not. Well, if you don''t have a child then that''s one less step. Next is Service of Process, you need proof that both of you want to divorce. After you''ve done that, you can move on to the Response stage. Here you can decide on who owns the land and how much of the money one receives." Arth sat down and took out a book from within his bad. "Let''s see... ah, next step is to negotiate on anything you disagree on. If you can''t come to an agreement then you need to go to trial." Arth flipped to the last page. "Finally, the Order of Dissolution. After that is finished, then you two will be officially divorced. Seems a bit impossible if you guys are imprisoned inside of Azkaban right?" Speechless, the two stared at Arth with blank faces, as if confused by what was going on. Arth put away his books. "Hmmm, may have your names?" Arthur glances at the name plate next to the cells. "Bellatrix And Rodolphus Lestrange I see... yeah, that really is going to be hard for you two to divorce. You two are in a high security cell so I do wish you luck. You are probably going to stay with each other for the rest of your lives." Arth left the stunned couple and continued his journey. He could hear a huge commotion behind him as soon as he left. "YOU-(Another massive censoring because I honestly don''t want to write-or is it type?- too many cuss words and plus the words she use are too graphic to explain in words.*lol, that was a contradictory but who cares* imma end this censoring now. Enjoy~)-IM GOING TO CUT OUT YOUR BONES FOR MAKING FUN OF ME LITTLE BRAT!" Arth walked up the stairs that lead to the next floor and said hello to a couple of other prisoners. The greeting he received weren''t often friendly. As he slowly reached the top, Arth stopped and peeked into a cell. In there was a Black haired man sitting quietly on the floor. Arth peeked in the cell and knocked on the bars a few times. "Hello?" The man didn''t respond. Suddenly, a voice from across the cell spoke up. "Don''t even try, he is dead." 69 Food Arth immediately turned his head to face the person who had just spoken. The man had a gaunt, sunken face, waxy skin, yellow teeth, and long, matted hair. His expression was different from all he had seen so far. Not blank, not insane, not sorrowful, not fearful, nor dead. He looked as though he was bored. The man threw his head at the body and sighed. "He''s been dead for a day. I think it was last night. The dementors are going to move him out tomorrow morning." Arth sent a glance at the body with pity in his eyes. "That''s depressing." "It is... you don''t happen to have anything interesting do you?" "Uhhh..." Arth opened his bag and took out a book. "This book is about the theory of elemental magic, it talks about how to cast spells by harnessing the elements of the old." "Not interested in anything study related." "Hmmm.... how about this one? It''s a romance novel." "Don''t like sappy romance." "Mmm... then perhaps a book about adventuring?" "That''s sounds good, hand it over boy. I''ve been dying of boredom for twelve years." "Oooh, that''s an awfully long period of time isn''t it." "It is." Arth raised his eyebrows. "I''m surprised that you lasted this long. Most of the people here seem to go insane the first year here. I read it in an article." The man let out a laugh. "Well you''re right about that, most criminals can''t stand the atmosphere. They either end up going quiet or just dying, as the case with that man over there." "So why are you so different sir? Why is it that you seem sane?" The man went quiet. Seeing the change in the mood, Arth decided it was about time for him to go. He was pretty hungry after all. Plus, an hour had passed and dinner was probably ready to be served. Arth went down the stairs and made it to the guest rooms. Hagrid was lying on one of the beds. His impressive stature made the sight almost comical as the bed furiously squeaked under the weight. Arth couldn''t help but laugh. "Hagrid, I think you need a bigger bed." Hagrid gave a wry smile. "It''s the biggest bed they have. Dinner is ready, go stuff Yerself up." "Ok." Arth made his way down to the kitchen, and a somewhat delectable smell made its way to his nose. He started to pick up his pace. The cafeteria was white in contrast to the rest of the prison. It was clean and tidy, although there was a little bit of dust here and there, overall it was pretty homely. That is, only if you forgot the existence of black shadowy figures flying about just outside the door. And the bone chilling cold. Fudge was sitting at the table looking a bit uncomfortable. The other seven wizards had the same expression. "I hate it, I swear this place is not a place where a person can live." "I know right... I constantly have these reoccurring memories... none are good." Arth frowned. He didn''t experience any of that when he went near a dementor. He only the cold aspect of dementors but nothing else. Arth made a mental note to research why this was so later. Soon, the food was placed on the table. There was bread and soup, although they smelled ok, they looked very plain at first sight. Arth picked up a spoon and took a dog into the soup. He frowned. Nasty. Arth put down his spoon and picked up a bread and chewed on it. Tastes like rubber. Arth sighed and put down the bread. Everyone else was following in suit, especially the Minister. With a frowning face, Fudge got up and picked out four people. "Us five will go back and return to the ministry, we will come and retrieve you two when matters have been cleared up." The three wizards who had been chosen to stay reluctantly sent their fair wells. After the five people left, silence once more took a hold of the room. Everyone stared at each other awkwardly as their plates of food and bowls of soup lay untouched. Arth got up. "I can''t have this. Where is the kitchen? I''m going to cook my own meals." One of the wizards pointed to where the kitchen was at and Arth followed his directions and entered the kitchen. There were three old witches silently stirring a bowl of soup. Arth tried to get their attention. "Um excuse me?" "..." "Can I use the kitchen to cook my own meal?" "..." "Hello?" "..." "I''m going to use the kitchen ok?" Seeing that the ladies remained as unresponsive as ever, Arth decided to take it as a sign of yes. Arth rolled up his sleeves and put on an apron. He walked towards the cubists where the ingredients were so placed and cracked his neck. "Ok, shall we get started." 70 Hells Kitchen So I''ve read some of your comments and I thought why not. So enjoy this chapter. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The three Aurors watched silently as the boy they were supposed to "guard" walked off into the kitchen. Honestly speaking, they all thought the boy was insane, or at least partially wrong in the mind. Anyone who could stand being next to the dementors wasn''t human. They wouldn''t be as concerned if the boy at least gave symptoms of being effected, however the boy was still smiling and laughing like he was still at school. That was very abnormal. To make things even worse, the three of them had been left on the prison to take care of the boy and the big man for Merlin knows how long. One of the Aurors gave a heavy sigh while giving the soup a taste. "Great, just my luck. Just got married and was going to go on a honeymoon when I get a call saying I have work... and what do I do instead of happily spending time with my wife? Go to the biggest hell hole in the world." "Calm down, we are Aurors. We go wherever they need us to go. It''s what we signed up for." "I know that you are a brilliant wizard Kingsley, however even you can''t deny that this is a place no man should be. I mean look at the food, it''s absolutely horrible. Makes me miss my wife''s cooking." There was a commotion in the kitchen and the three Aurors got up to investigate. As they got closer, they could hear the boy yelling at the top of his lungs. "THE HELL IS THIS? DO YOU GUYS EVEN UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF HYGIENE? WHY IS THE COOKING POT COVERED IN RUST? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?" "U-umm Sir... w-we us-usually cook for t-the prisoners s-So-" "ARE YOU SAYING THAT PRISONERS AREN''T PEOPLE TOO? YOU PEOPLE ARE UNFORGIVABLE! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO CALL YOURSELVES COOKS! WHAT YOU ARE DOUNG IN THIS KITCHEN IS NOTHING THEM A DISGRACE!" There was a clang of a pot falling to the floor. "WHAT IS THIS!" "I-it''s our o-oven sir." "I KNOW ITS AN OVEN! I''M ASKING YOU WHAT THE THING INSIDE IT IS?" "B-bread?" "NO YOU BLIND IDIOT! WHAT DO YOU EVEN USE YOUR EYES FOR? THERE IS A GOD DAMN FIRE ROACH NEST ON THE CEILING OF THE OVEN! YOU KNOW WHAT FIRE ROACHES DO TO YOUR BREAD?" "..." "I''M ASKING YOU! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO TO THE BREAD YOU MAKE?" "I..." "ANSWER ME YOU PIECE OF ROTTON FLESH CARVED OUT OF A DYING GIANT!" "It... makes it h-healthier?" "YOUR RIGHT BUT IT MAKES THE GOD DAMN BREAD TASTES LIKE TRASH! YOU KNOW WHAT TRASH TASTED LIKE? HERE HAVE SOME!" "N-no I wish to d-decline-" "I SAID HAVE SOME!" "P-please don''t-" There were screams of refusal and a shuffling of feet as pots started clang wildly.It was obvious that someone was attempting to force another someone to do something. There was a muffled scream and the sound of a person gagging. Then a swallow. The three Aurors stopped in front of the closed kitchen door and hesitated. Suddenly, there was the sound of someone throwing up and a nasty smell filled the air. "YOU LIKE HOW THAT TASTES? DO YOU?" There was only the sound of crying that answered. "ANSWER ME!" "N-no sir..." "THEN MAKE IT AGAIN AND THIS TIME MAKE IT TASTE GOOD YOU GOD DAMN PARTICLES OF VAPORIZED DEMENTOR FEED!" "Y-Yes sir-" "SAY IT AGAIN YOU LITTLE SENSITIVE CHILDREN!" "YES SIR!" "GOOD! AND SOMEONE GOD DAMN FIX THE BLOODY FIRE ROACH NEST!" The three Aurors decided to head back down to their seats, albeit a little shaken. "Are... are you sure that that was a child? Seems more like a veteran chef teaching his assistants how to cook." "Definitely a child. Second year at Hogwarts." "Just listening to it made me feel like I was listening to satan punishing sinners." "That is Hell''s kitchen right there." "Never, I repeat never, get on that kids bad side, or cook him something that is horrible. I can''t believe that a person as happy to go like him could change into a military instructor in a split second." "The boy must love good food. Or else why would he get so angry." Another bout of yelling began. "WHAT IS THIS? I TOLD YOU TO REMAKE THE SOUP? EHY FOES IT STILL TASTE LIKE TRASH?" "T-the ingredientswe have a-aren''t of good quality-" "THEN GO GET SOME!" "B-But this is Azkaban, h-how do we buy-" "WHO SAID TO BUY? GO CATCH IT YOURSELF!" "C-catch What?" "FISH! THERE IS A GOD DAMN SEA OUTSIDE SO GO USE IT! USE THAT BRAIN OR GO DIE! WE DON''T NEED IDIOTIC USELESS FREELOADERS LIKE YOU IN OUR SOCIETY!" "B-but we don''t have fishing poles-" "YOU ARE A GOD DAMN WIZARD! USE YOUR WAND FOR HEAVEN SAKE!" Kingley let out small chuckle. "I think staying here in Azkaban might serve to be interesting." 71 Ramblings of a Man A man, no need to know anything about his origins, sat in the dark cell with a diary in his hand. The diary read- Day 1 Today is the first day of my prison sentence... the diary I''m writing in was from my wife... I wonder how she is doing. The air here is terrible, absolutely horrible. The dementors are dementing. I have ten years left until I can leave... I will make it. ... Day 57 It''s terrible, very terrible here. This is a place no man should live or even be in. The dementors aren''t the worst thing in here, it''s the piece of shit they give us to eat. I can''t stand it. I miss my wife''s cooking. I can still make it out alive. ... Day 371 I... I can''t... it''s to horrible... I... I miss my family so much. ... Day 1084 I CANT! FOOD IS TOO HORRIBLE! SAVE ME! THE MORE I EAT I BECOME SOMETHINGBPESS HUMAN! ... Day 2190 I can''t make it... I''m going to die... I regret attacking those muggles... I should''ve contained my anger... ... Day 2555 I want to die. Kill me ... Day 3001 iNhJivV. have.h VahbC VH. AcCv. c.Can''t Bb bB. bj zdVN. help H CThBvHikbCadFV NbJ ... Day 3107 ... There was a clang outside the cell but the man ignored it and continued to mumble to himself quietly. It was nothing new, it was time for him to eat. The man ignored the meal he was served as he instinctively knew that the thing he was served wasn''t actually meant for consumption, more as a punishment for sinning. "Hey, you. Eat up." The man paid no attention to the cook''s voice, for it was a ritual for the cook to ask him to eat. And he refused, always. This was his routine the man thought. In Azkaban, routines can keep you sane. It keeps you going. The feeling of letting repetition run your mind instead of thinking numbs the pain of reality and depression. He was hungry though. And the food smelled especially delicious today. No. The man dug his fingernails into his palm. The pain brought him back to reality. At first, the man would rush towards the food, expecting something different from yesterday''s meal. However, after a couple months, his hope and desire was replaced by disappointment. For all of the years he had spent in the prison, the food had never changed. The same brick and the same pool. He wasn''t, he told himself, he would never ever let himself hope again. Cause when hope doesn''t prove to be good enough, despair is what embraces you instead. But it smelled so good... But he wouldn''t eat. He didn''t want to be disappointed. "Oi, you. Come out and eat." The man frowned. Usually, they leave the food on the floor, not wasting a single thought on whether the food was eaten or not. They didn''t care if the prisoners died. One less cell to visit every day. Who cares about the life of a criminal? The man gave a weak chuckle. That''s right, I''m not a person, I''m a criminal. I deserve to rot away in this prison. There was another clamor and a new voice. "What''s going on here?" It was a beautiful voice. Young, full of vigor, seeming with intelligence and confidence. Something that was rare in Azkaban. "S-Sir! I w-was distributing t-the food!" "Is he eating?" "N-no sir! I-I I''m attempting to g-give him the f-food sir!" "You useless son of a bacteria in the rear end of a dying Acromantula. Go down to the kitchen and await my orders." "N-no p-please Sir, g-give me a s-second chance." "I SAID GET OUT YOU IDIOTIC SHRIMP DICK!" The man hesitated. This wasn''t the Azkaban he was used to. "Sorry sir, it was rude of me to scream in front of your cell like that." Was he talking to me? Why? No one would want to talk to a criminal like him. He must be talking to someone else. "Oh my, you look absolutely starved. God damn those momma boys who can only wear an apron. They deserve to eat the things they make for the rest of their lives. And to add to that the living conditions here, it''s absolutely horrible. Inhumane." The man flinched and started to tremble. Who was this boy who could understand his feelings and his pains? Why was this boy here? Is this a dream? A nightmare? In Azkaban, happy dreams are the ones that people fear the most. For they disappear the very moment you wake up and see a hooded figure leaning closer to your face. There was a the click and a creak. A sound almost unfamiliar to the man. But he heard familiar sounds too, footsteps. The footsteps got louder and louder until it stopped right next to the man. "Are you ok?" The man looked up and froze. A boy, twelve years of age, beautiful black hair and night eyes, snow white skin, and an angelic face. The boy smiled and pushed a bowl of rich, creamy soup towards the man. A heavenly light came down from the heavens and peeked into the tiny window of the cell, just barely illuminating the boy. Just like an angel who came to rescue sinners. "Here eat some, and I promise, it''s better than what they gave you before." The man took the bowl and started to cry. 72 Misunderstanding Harry was in the Gryffindor common room watching Ron obliterate Hermione in chess when Neville came running in through the painting with a pale face. Or at least a paper face than usual because Neville usually had a pale face. Neville attempted to speak however ended up tripping on the carpet and falling face first towards the ground. A few people started to laugh lightheartedly. Harry ignored this and went over to help Neville get up. "Come on Neville, calm down a bit." "N-no! It''s important!" "What is?" "Arth is going to be taken to Azkaban!" There was dead silence, even those who were laughing at first stopped and stared unbelievingly at Neville. "What?" "Arth is arrested for being suspected as the heir of slytherin!" There was a shrill scream and everyone turned their heads to find the source. In Hermione''s hand, a slowly dis forming queen was struggling to escape the grasp of Hermione. The culprit herself asked with an almost faint voice. "Arth is being taken to Azkaban?" As if almost afraid to answer, for Hermione looked as if she was about to break, Neville hesitantly replied. "Y-Yeah." "... but why?" "W-well, you know of the rumors right? The rumors about Arth." "...yes." "Well, apparently, now even some of the parents think he is suspicious and might have the qualities of being the next you-know-who." Harry frowned. "That''s stupid, Arth would much rather read a book or look at animals than terrorize the world." "I-I know right?" Hermione rubbed her hands on her temple and asked in a tired voice. "...so why are they still blaming Arth?" "W-well, people actually don''t know how Arth actually acts, or even how he looks." Hermione groaned. "That dumb Dissipating Aura of his just had to get him in trouble." Ron raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Bloody hell, even then, they can''t just take a student out of school based on rumors right? That must be illegal or something." Hermione Replied almost instantly. "Actually, the ministry has the ability to take a student out of school if it is determined that the student is a threat in any way." "But Arth surely doesn''t hold that much threat to the ministry does he? Or at least not enough to cause him to get sent to Azkaban?" Neville gave a nervous look at his back before resuming. "I heard that someone paid the Minister off, a big amount too. He said he was concerned about the WellCare of the students." Harry growled. "It has to be malfoy, I mean, he is always going on about how rich his father is and how his father is a school governor." (Might be Wrong, idc, someone do a fact check) Hermione let out the most un-hermione like growl possible. "I''m going to smack that blonde boy in the face the next time I see him." "Calm down Hermione, so where is Arth?" "He is being taken away, the Minister has come to pick him up. People saw him." Hermione, Harry, and Ron immediately jumped to their feet. "What are we waiting for? Let''s go already!" Before they could, Percy walked in looking glum. "Don''t, you guys shouldn''t go stop them." Ron immediately let out an outrage. "What do you think you''re doing Percy? Stop being an idiot and get lost! He is my mate and I''m going to bloody save him!" Percy gave a sad look towards Ron. "Do you really think that Dumbledore would allow this?" Ron froze. "In fact, from what I''ve heard from the paintings, Dumbledore was about to go all out in letting Arth stay in the prison." "Then why didn''t he?" "Because Arth offered to go to the prison himself." "Why would he do that?" Percy sighed. "It was to prevent Dumbledore from doing anything risky that might cause him to lose his job as headmaster." There was the sound of a sharp intake of air as everybody froze in shock. "Think about it, Dumbledore is probably the only thing that''s holding the monster back. The moment he is gone, there will be dead muggle borns. Arth probably knew this, he is smart after all. He didn''t want to risk everyone''s life just to stay in school. So he decided to sacrifice himself." Harry fell to his knees and Ron slowly slumped into a chair. Hermione began to mutter to herself. "... he went to Azkaban to protect Muggle-Borns. He went to Azkaban to protect me..." Everyone in the common room silently went off to their own way, trying to slowly absorb the information they had just heard. Percy took off his glances that were moist in the corners. "...he is a bloody hero, Arth that is." Far away in Azkaban, Arth sneezed. 73 A Week Later A boat was traveling in gray waves, rocking dangerously as if about to rip over. In the boat were five men. One of the men had rumpled gray hair and an anxious expression, and was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime-green bowler. The man stared at the huge building that stood tall and marveled in its change. The once rusty red walls have become obsidian black and the stormy clouds parted directly above the prison to reveal a beautiful breathtaking night sky. The prison had lost its overall... evil aura. In its place was a calm, but cold feeling. The feeling you feel at the dead of night. Fudge and the other four mages couldn''t help but mutter to themselves. "How is it possible for a place to change this much in a week?" The most unnerving part was that the dementors, who where usually swarming all over the place, were nowhere to be seen. The boat let out a skidding sound as the bottom of the hull scraped along the rocky sand bottom and everyone excited the boat and made their way to the entrance of the prison. Fudge inadvertently clicked his tongue. "It seems that there has been a change in the inside as well." The floor was repainted in a luminescent white while the walls were painted to match the theme on the outside. The cells seemed to be darker, and the four of them couldn''t determine whether or not the cells held any prisoners. Another unnerving thing was the silence. Usually, there would be an occasional scream or sob that reverberated throughout the entire prison. However, now there was only silence. Nothing could be heard, not a muttering, nor the sound of a breath. Just total utter silence. Fudge let out a shiver. "What exactly did that boy do to this prison?" Suddenly, Fudge felt an unnatural shiver running up his spine, he swirled around to find the source only to realize that it came from a pair of glowing white eyes from within a cell. Fudge gave a sigh of relief. "So there are prisoners inside the cells, good golly was I frightened." "... who are you? Did the prince send you?" Fudge furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Who? Prince? Who are you talking about?" The man gave a soft snort. "Not from the prince it seems, no need to bother with you anymore." With those words, the man closed his eyes and once more blended into the shadows. "What an... oddball. staying in Azkaban sure does take a toll on your sanity doesn''t it..." The five of them continued to walk up the floors one by one, searching for the other five people they had left behind a week ago. However, the more they climbed, the more unnerved they became. Everyone was silent and still, hiding in the shadows of their stares while intently watching the five people walk by. A few asked them the same question as the first, and immediately lost interest when they received the same answer. They finally made it to the guest rooms where a huge man was sleeping in one of the beds. "Hagrid?" The man didn''t answer, for he was too busy sleeping. One man was found, yet the other four where missing. The five of them continued their way up until they reached the very top. Before the sight that greeted them, they froze in terror. Hundreds of dementors were standing guard at the top of the tower, still, as if they were knights awaiting orders from their prince. Fudge couldn''t help but swallow. "So that''s where they where... but why?" Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed and got louder. Along with it came the sounds of voices talking together. "Ohh, So that''s the reason why people use wands and say verbal spells... it helps retain focus and increases power... I didn''t know that." "It''s an easy mistake to make. Although non verbal casting is very effective, when you seek for control and power, it''s best to use verbal incantations. And once your at a high enough level, you can shout out an incantation to offset your opponent and shoot out an entirely different spell. It''s common in real life battles. Thus, powerful wizards don''t rely on incantations or listen to the opponent''s incantation." "Then how do they counter each other''s spell?" "By reading the mana fluctuations." "Oooh, thanks Mr. Shacklebolt." A black haired boy and three adult men were walking closer and closer to the five people. Fudge, seeing them, gave a sigh of relief and got up. "Hello there Arth, I''m back, how has your-" The moment Fudge took a step forward, the dementors all flinched and turned their heads toward Fudge causing him to falter and stop. They slowly made a blockade around Arth as if protecting him. "Oh come on, there''s no need to do this, go away, I said go away. Do your job and stop following me." The dementors immediately complied and backed off. The boy finally saw the five trembling people and waved with a big smile on his face. "Hello there Minister, is it already time to go back to Hogwarts?" 74 Back "W-what did you Do to the dementors?" "Oh the dementors? Nothing really." "Are you sure?" Fudge gave a skeptical glance at the almost soldier like behavior of the dementors. "Dementors don''t usually act like this, no, they never act like this. They are usually wild and barely controllable." "Well that''s because you never really treated them right." "What do you mean treat them right?" "Well you see, apparently dementors eat positive mana, or emotions of the "soul", especially positive ones." "What?" "Oh I forgot, I have this theory that all magic is caused by using mana from the world." "Huh?" "Basically, magic and spell casting is basically the manipulation of mana, simple right?" "Uh yes?" "And while experimenting on dementors during my time at Azkaban-" "E-experimenting?" "You know the usual DNA sampling, looking at their anatomy, taking off their hoods-" "You took off their hoods!" "Oh yes, it''s quite interesting really. Apparently they don''t have faces at all, in fact, opposing popular belief, they don''t have mouths either, or at least physical ones." "What?" "Well you see, their mouths are only visible when they want to feed, but when they are not, they basically don''t have a mouth at all. It''s like a whirlpool that appears in a bathtub when you drain water. In simpler terms, when the dementors are hungry, they create a black hole that creates a suction. It''s what we call the "mouth"." "Ummm..." Fudge naturally had many questions such as what the fuck was DNA testing and how he could study the anatomy of a dementor and most of all how in the world did Arth manage to take off the hood of a dementor. Sadly, Arth provides no answers. "So why are you here?" "... there has been an attack at Hogwarts, a boy from Ravenclaw now lies in the hospital wing petrified." "Oh, so it means that taking away Hagrid and me proved to be ineffective." "...yes." "Which also means that we are innocent, right?" "...yes." "And both Hagrid and I deserve an apology for being wrongfully sent to Azkaban." "..." "Mister Minister?" "...that is correct." Arth reaches his arm out and held out his palm. "Well?" Fudge stared at the hand with a confused look. "What is this?" Arth raised an eyebrow. "I''m ready to receive my apology." "Yes, the ministry promises to provide an apology letter to both you and Hagrid. It''s just that we need some time to prepare-" "I don''t give a dam about an apology letter, just hand over the money." "Excuse me?" "Hand over the money." "For what?" "My apology. I want money. Give." "I-I do not understand, the ministry will-" "Give me money before I sue you for imprisoning a minor in a prison meant for convicted criminals, for arresting two people without a strong valid reason, causing mental damage to a child who was wrongfully accused, and accepting a bribe." "..." "So will you hand it over?" "..." "Hello? Time is running out~" With a face looking as if he was about to cry, Fudge slowly took out his wallet and placed ten Galleons on Arth''s outstretched palm. "Only this much? I want more." Fudge started to tremble as he put another ten gold coins on top of Arth''s hand. "Make it double and I''ll forget that this ever happened." Fudge very unwillingly took out another twenty Galleons and placed them on Arth''s hand. Satisfied, Arth placed the Galleons in his pocket and gave a warm smile towards Fudge. "Now that everything is settled, shall we go back to Hogwarts." "... yes, let''s get you out of here as soon as we can." As Arth began to leave, the dementors began to become restless. Arth rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, you aren''t some motherless ducklings who can''t live without a mother duck, go do your job properly." The dementors immediately complied and dispersed into the air. Once more, the five newcomers were surprised. As Arth walked down the floors, the once quiet prisoners would slowly get up from the shadows and salute. "Oi, you people, no need to salute me you know?" The prisoners yet still saluted one by one, from every floor. Suddenly, a voice came from one of the cells. "Hey boy, it seems you are going to leave this place. I do say thank you for the books and the higher quality food. Here, take the book back." A book came flying out of the cell and arth caught it effortlessly. "I''m glad that you enjoyed it." Fudge gasped. "Isn''t that Sirius Black?" "I suppose it is." Arth continued down the floors and went down quite a while when a pale white arm protruded from a cell. Arth easily dodged it again and sighed. "Come on Miss Bellatrix Lestrange, can you not try to grab me at least once? That''s child molestation." Bellatrix just gave a creepy giggle. "Come over here Arthur~ I want to eat you up so bad~" "I thought that you said you were going to stay loyal to the Dark Lord?" "He is number one, you can be number two." "I don''t really like that, remember? I''m not into older women." "I don''t care, I''m going to make you like me." "... mister Fudge? Isn''t this sexual harassment? Can I file a complaint?" "...she already has a lifetime sentence." "Dam, oh well. Let''s just move on." As Arth left the cell behind, everyone could hear the loud voice of a women screaming behind him. "I SWEAR I''M GOING TO GET YOU AND YOU''LL BE MINE! I''LL ESCAPE FROM HERE AND I''LL GET YOU!" "SHUT UP WOMAN! DON''T SPEAK TO THE PRINCE LIKE THAT!" "YOU SHUT UP YOU SOFT C**K UGLY A** B***H!" Arth ignored the commotion and continued on. After collecting Hagrid from the guest rooms, they excited the prison once and for all. Arth stretches his arms and took a deep breath. "Now that vacation is over, I should go back to figuring out what and who the Heir of slytherin is." 75 Hard "Ah I already want to go back..." The moment Arth had arrived, every student stopped and turned to look at him. After, they stepped aside to make room for his passing. All of them wore faces that resembled those of civilians welcoming back military heroes after a long war. Somber and respectful. It was good and all but Arth wanted to know why they were acting like this. Acting so differently. Especially the Slytherin''s. Most of the Slytherins had bruised faces and were glaring one thousand degree daggers towards Arth, making him feel very uncomfortable. "I wonder why they look like that..." Probably another quidditch scuffle. Or maybe they fell for the trap he had installed underneath the third couch in the Slytherin''s common room. It did indeed cause bruises, however, not to this extent so maybe not. Corvus sensed the hot stares and immediately left his shoulder to go rest in the Owlery, while cawing excitedly. Arth wondered why Corvus was so overjoyed to be back. It wasn''t because of good food because Arth made sure to roast Corvus a nice tasty perch every time he caught one from the sea. Hagrid had already left Arthur to go to his hut to feed fang. Hagrid seemed to love the fact that he was out of Hogwarts. His completion did indeed get better. Arth on the other hand was starting to miss the dementors. At least they were silent and not uncomfortable. They also listened and were pretty adorable. Arth couldn''t understand why people hated them so much. "I need to write a book about Azkaban, and dementors. People need to know that every book out there about Azkaban is actually a fraud." Arth silently walked towards the common room all the while being surrounded by students and drowning in the solemn atmosphere. He arrived at the fat lady and tried to enter however Arth very quickly realized that he didn''t know the new password. Arth decided to test his luck. "Umm, Twittlebug?" "Wrong." "Threeshar?" "Wrong again." "Wargol?" "Can you not randomly guess the password?" "Can you let me in if you know I''m a Gryffindor?" "The rules are rules." "And I''m going to keep guessing." "Stop it, it''s annoying." "Is it against the rules?" "...no." "Then I''ll keep on guessing." The fat lady sighed and decided to leave her painting in frustration. Arth clicked his tongue. "Now how am I supposed to get back?" Arth glanced around and smacked his hand onto his palm before taking a u turn into a wall towards his right. "Hehehe, lets see if My predicting skills are on point this time." Arth walked in feeling pretty confidant before smacking face first into a dead end. Arth groaned. "Can you please be nice for once and take me where I want to go?" There was a slight rumbling sound as the passageway shifted. "Thank you." Arth continued to walk when he realized that the hallway lead back to the Gryffindor common room. "..." Arth smacked the wall once. The hallway moved once more. Arth, this time, slowly walked through the hallway and was suddenly enveloped in darkness. The next thing he knew, he fell out of a ceiling. Arth groaned. "God damn it! Why is it so hard to predict randomness!" Grumbling, Arth got up and realized that he was in a bathroom. Without any urinals. Arth froze. "..." He heard footsteps and started to mentally panic. He was in the god damn women''s bathroom. A suicidal thing to do when the girls around you could perform spells. Based on the data he collected from his mother and Hermione, women are at least 25% more accurate and powerful when provoked. Although he had a lot of holes in his data and a small amount of subjects, he didn''t want to take any chances. Especially when a simple misspell could make him have a buffalo sprout out of his chest. The footsteps got louder and Arth started to panic even more. He could clearly hear the female voices and could tell that they were no simple first years but experienced students in their fifth or sixth year. Even better. "Ah screw it. For once, I''m counting on you so don''t fail me my stealth ability." Arth disappeared into the shadows the moment the door to the girls bathroom opened. 76 Warmth Luna woke up from her bed feeling drowsy. She yawned and stretched her arms before exciting the bed. She rubbed her eyes a few times before getting out of her bed. She stumbled to the bathroom still a tad bit sleepy and brushed her teeth and took a quick shower. At this point, Luna had cleared her mind expelling all drowsiness. She picked up her necklace of butterbeer caps and placed it on top of her neck. She glanced around and realized that her dorm mates had already left the room. She reckoned she woke up a little late. She glanced at the clock and realized that she was indeed late for breakfast. It couldn''t hurt to be late once in a while. She headed downstairs and immediately noticed that there was a group of students gathering around at one of the couches. "... did they find a wrackspurt?" Luna, being curious, made her way down to the group. She attempted to look over the shoulders of the students however she was still a tad bit too small. "Would you mind moving a bit? I do want to see what is happening but I can''t seem to see over you." The people turned back and immediately gave room for Luna when they saw her face. Luna went closer for a better look and gave a small gasp of delight. On one of the couches was a black haired boy sleeping nice and sound. He looked quite handsome, however still more adorable as he still had some baby fat on his face. Just like an angle, Luna thought. Luna was about to stroke Arth on the head when Arth started to move about with his eyes closed. Arth got up from the couch and stretched his arms before opening his eyes. Luna could see his clear black eyes fill up with surprise before immediately becoming calm. One of the things she admired about him. "Hello Luna, What a lovely morning it is." "Hello Arth, I''m glad to see you too. It''s nice to see you after so long." "Ahahaha, it''s only been a week you silly." "It''s been quite boring without you you see. I don''t really have anyone else I talk with on a regular basis." "What a shame, I wonder why? I find it very enjoyable talking with you. In fact, it almost always makes my day." It was another part of Arth that Luna liked. He understood her and enjoyed her presence. Luna knew how other people saw her as, weird and unusual. However Arth was the first person other than her father and mother that considered her ideas and opinions without thinking them as out of the world. "Why are you sleeping on the couch? Don''t you have a bed in your dorm?" "Oh yes, I do however I just arrived from Azkaban yet it seems that I wasn''t provided with the new password so I decided to go here instead. However, I miscalculated a few halls and stairways and it ended up becoming night. After reading a few books, I guess I fell asleep." Luna giggled. He was also very funny, and she liked that. "What an Arth thing to do." "Hahaha, I''ll take it as a compliment." Arth ruffled his messy black hair and made a soft exclamation. "I forgot to return the library books, dam. Hey Luna-" Luna saw Arth glanced at the clock before turning back towards her. "You wanna go with me to return my library books? After we can go to breakfast." "Sure, if you are alright with going with me." Arth got up did a gentlemanly now. "It would be my greatest pleasure to be with your presence." Luna laughed again. "You''re so funny." "Thanks, I think of it as one of my charms." Arth lended a hand towards Luna. "Shall we depart?" Luna stared at his hand before smiling brightly and placing her hand over his. "Yes, I wouldn''t mind." An older student let out a dog whistle. Luna strangely didn''t feel bad about it though. She watched the back of Arth as he pulled her out of the Ravenclaw commons room. He honestly was almost perfect. Smart, nice, funny, handsome, not very shy nor aggressive. The way his eyes twinkled like the starry sky whenever he had an idea. The way his beautiful black hair would wave every time the wind blew. The way he would always smile and joke around in a light hearted manner. The way he would always sigh when he got exasperated with his friends yet still cared for them. He was indeed the perfect friend that Luna could ask for. Luna frowned. For some reason, Luna felt as if the word friend was... Alien to her. She was somehow dissatisfied with the word "friend". She stared at Arth''s back again only to meet her eyes with his. He smiled. "What are you looking at?" "Nothing really." "Oh really?" "Yes." "Ok then, let''s go in the passage then already. My long beloved turkey legs have missed my stomach." She laughed once more. "Then let''s not hesitate and speed up shall we?" If she didn''t like the term friends, what was she looking for? Luna pushes aside all the thoughts in her head and walked into the tunnel, with Arth guiding her in front, holding inter her hand. All she could think was that he was warm. 77 Diary Arth finally met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione during breakfast who were very excited to see him. especially Ron. Ron was treating Arth with a level of respect that exceeded his own parents. "Why are you treating me like this? In fact, why is everyone treating me like this?" "Say no more Arth, say no more. You are a bloody hero man, bloody good hero?" "Ok, seriously. What is going on?" "Nothing man. Nothing." Arth sighed and decided to ignore it. "So what''s been going on since I was gone?" "A boy was attacked, we got some homework, and Harry found a diary." Answered Hermione. "What do you mean diary?" "The diary he found on the floor." "Why is that so important?" "It''s not really that important, it''s just that Harry seems to taken a liking to it. There''s nothing in it too, it''s blank." "It just bugs me. I feel as though there is a connection between the book and me." "Huh..." Arth raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "Hand over the diary for a second. I wanna check it out for a bit." Arth took the diary and turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London. "The owner must''ve been Muggle-born," said Arthur thoughtfully. "To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road..." "How do you even know that?" said Ron. "Did you memorize a map of England or something?" "Yeah, I did in fact. For fun." Ron decided to shut up. "It might have hidden powers," said Arth, taking the diary and looking at it closely. "If it has, it''s hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it''s shy. I don''t know why you don''t chuck it, Harry." "I wish I knew why too," said Harry. "I wouldn''t mind knowing who Riddle was either." Arth frowned. "Riddle?" "Yeah," Replied Ron. "The owner''s name is T. M. Riddle." "Hang on," said Arth. "That name is familiar... Oh I remember, T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago." "How on earth d''you know that?" said Harry in amazement. "Because I cleaned the trophy room remember?" "You remember that? That was like ages ago!" "I have good memory." Arthur stared at the diary for a while before brightening his face with excitement. "This might be it." "What?" said Ron. "Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn''t it?" he said. "That''s what Malfoy said." "Yeah..." said Ron slowly. "And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly. "So?" "Oh, Ron, wake up," snapped Hermione. "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled fifty years ago. We know T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. Well, what if Riddle got his special award for catching the Heir of Slytherin? His diary would probably tell us everything ¡ª where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature lives in it ¡ª the person who''s behind the attacks this time wouldn''t want that lying around, would they?" "That''s a brilliant theory, Hermione," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. There''s nothing written in his diary." Hermione shoved her hand back into her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser. "It''s a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley," she said. She rubbed hard on January first. Nothing happened. Arth took Hermione''s wand. "It might be invisible ink." He explained. He tapped the diary three times and said, "Aparecium!" "I''m telling you, there''s nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn''t be bothered filling it in." "But why would a diary from fifty years ago randomly appear?" "I dunno, he forgot it and people didn''t want to pick it up?" Harry took the diary back from Arth and put it into his bag. "I''ll just keep it then. Can''t hurt right?" Arth rolled his eyes. "Let''s just all go to the trophy room together ok? We have enough time anyways." They headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle''s special award after they had their fill of breakfast. Riddle''s burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn''t carry details of why it had been given to him. However, they did find Riddle''s name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys. "He sounds like Percy," said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Prefect, Head Boy...probably top of every class ¡ª" "You say that like it''s a bad thing," said Hermione in a slightly hurt voice. "I forgot we had two top of the class people with us." "You are just jealous that you can''t have our brains," said Arth with a smirk. "Nah, thinking too much isn''t really that fun." "Thinking can also keep you alive?" "Then why do instincts and reflexes exist?" "Then why did monkeys eventually become humans?" "I don''t know, how am I supposed to know that?" "It''s because the dumber ones got eaten up by the predators and the smarter ones lived to reproduce. Eventually, the smarter apes became dominant and created a race called humans." "..." 78 Valentines The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on the one Ravenclaw boy called Micheal Corner and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. "The moment their acne clears up, they''ll be ready for repotting again," Arthur heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won''t be long until we''re cutting them up and stewing them. You''ll have Mrs. Norris back in no time." Arth was now well known as there were posters of him all over the school. They were obviously made and spread by the Weasley twins as their signatures sat boldly on the bottom right corner of the posters. They all had a picture of Arth that was posed to look strict and valiant. However, picture would crack a small smile when you stared at it long enough. Arth couldn''t help but think that he was pretty handsome. Compliments to his blood mother and blood father. They were also of the handsome and beautiful type. Lockhart, to Arth''s great disgust, seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Arthur had overheard Lockhart telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration. "I don''t think there''ll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him." "How... great if you." Replied Professor McGonagall dryly. "You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won''t say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing..." He tapped his nose again and strode off. Lockhart''s idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth. Arth woke up early as usual and went down to eat breakfast. When he pushed open the doors, he though he had entered the wrong room. The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Arth stood there shocked for he was not expecting anything like this. Arth glanced at the teachers table and froze once more. He decided that it was best to ignore everything he had seen and to quickly finish eating and go. However once he sat down, he realized that the plates were empty. It seemed as though Professor Lockhart wanted to wait for everyone to arrive before starting breakfast. More and more people started to arrive and some teachers did too. Arth could tell by the look on Professor McGonagall''s face that Lockhart had kept this event a surprise. Soon, Ron, Hermione, And Harry arrived. Ron was looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles. "What''s going on?" Harry asked him, sitting down and staring at the empty plate in front of him. Arth pointed to the teachers'' table. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where he sat, Arth could see a muscle going in Professor McGonagall''s cheek. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro. "Happy Valentine''s Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-five people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all ¡ª and it doesn''t end here!" Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly- looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. "My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn''t stop here! I''m sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you''re at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I''ve ever met, the sly old dog!" Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison. All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry. "Oi, you! ''Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to them. Harry tried to escape, desperately too. The dwarf, however, cut his way through the crowd by kicking people''s shins, and reached him before he''d gone two paces. "I''ve got a musical message to deliver to ''Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way. "Not here," Harry hissed, trying to escape. "Just listen too it," Arth said while trying to hold back his laughter. "It''ll be entertaining." "He''s right, stay still!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry''s bag and pulling him back. "Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging. With a loud ripping noise, Harry''s bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything. Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor. "What''s going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. "What''s all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy Weasley arrived. Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor. "Right," he said, sitting on Harry''s ankles. "Here is your singing valentine: His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair is as dark as a blackboard, I wish he was mine, he''s really divine, The hero who conquered the Dark Lord" Arth fell to the floor laughing while Hermione and Ron sent sympathetic gazes towards Harry. The dwarf got off of Arth and pulled out a letter. Looking around once, the dwarf asked in a ugly merry voice. "Is there an Arthur Kingscrown in here? I can''t seem to find him." Arth froze and slowly faced Harry. Harry had a burning flame in his eyes as he pointed towards Arth. "That''s him. That''s Arthur." "Thank you my boy. I''ve got a musical message to deliver to Arthur Kingscrown in person." Arthur paled before taking out a black potion bottle. "Oh hell no." He threw the potion on the ground and the whole hallway became covered with black smog. 79 I know Short AN here. This chapter might be scuffed. Might have messed things up. However enjoy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Arth spent the rest of the day running away from the ugly Cupid dwarves. "Ah! There he is! Arthur Kingscrown, stop and receive your- someone stop that man!" During charms class. "Excuse me? I have a valentine''s poem for Mr. Arthur Kingscrown, is he here." "Ah yes, he sits right over there- oh, there he goes..." The weird thing was that There wasn''t just one dwarf out to get Arth, but several. It was as if Arth was being chased by another dwarf the moment he lost one. And he couldn''t get his god damn ability to activate. The only reason why he hadn''t been caught yet was because of the randomly moving staircases. Arthur has to just plain out skip class in order to avoid being caught. However, the dwarfs were smarter than he expected. They started to group up and march around together. Instead of singing in front of Arth, they decided to sing out loud over and over again at all over the castle before moving on to the next. "His eyes are as black as a dead fishes eye, His hair is the color of obsidian dye, He looks like he would make a great host, He walks around like a ghost." "...F**k." "With hair so sleek, like a dog''s fur, His face so fair that it will incur My heart to beat when he is around However he is never to be found." "...why are they all about me being hard to find." The dwarves would even start to make their own songs. "We''re off to find the boy, So hard to find, like a forgotten toy, With hair the color of black, To prove our skills don''t lack." Arth honestly preferred the songs that were premade than the dwarfs made themselves. "Now all I have to do is not get caught and not run into the Slytherin monster." Arth fell back into a wall and disappeared just as the dwarfs came marching near. He appeared out of another wall and took a left turn and opened the door. "Now everybody, do not forget that- oh hello Mr. Kingscrown, I see that you have come back." "Hello Professor Flitwick, I have come back." "Sit down Mr. Kingscrown and you may choose to listen or not, I know that you probably know what my old brain is teaching in that brilliant mind of yours." "Ahaha, Thank you." Arth sat down best to Ron and Hermione with a tired look. "I hate these dwarfs." "So does Harry." "Oh be quiet, at least you guys get valentines, Hermione and I haven''t even gotten one yet." "I don''t really care about all this. I find it quite silly and distracting." Replied Hermione. "Well how high and mighty you are Miss Granger." Said Ron sarcastically. "Please forgive our immature minds for wishing to have a significant other. You are going to be alone and survive by reading books." "If it means sticking with a child like you, then I would takes books over you any day." Arth sighed. "Stop bickering won''t you?" Harry decided to speak up. "Hey, I found something weird." "What?" "The diary I found, it''s abnormal." "Why?" "Remember when I dropped my bag? Well when I did, I smashed my ink bottle and everything got covered in ink." "So?" "The diary is the only thing that isn''t covered in ink." "Must have been luck, unless the dairy is one of those fancy ones that people have that erase themselves when anything other than words are written in them." Said Ron sagely. "It is a muggle diary though?" "He could''ve had it enchanted." "Maybe." Harry nodded his head absentmindedly while staring at the book. After, Harry didn''t show up for lunch. Arth and Ron decided to go search for Harry and decided to start with the dormitories first. Arth and Ron entered through the dormitory door and saw Harry on his desk sweating. "There you are," Ron said. However Harry was quiet. He was sweating furiously while jerking here and there. "Oi mate, get up. What the hell is wrong with you?" "Is he... taking drugs?" Harry certainly looked as though he was in a land that wasn''t here. Suddenly, Harry let out a yell and fell to the floor. Harry sat up. He was sweating and shaking. "You ok?" said Ron, looking at him with concern. "It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago." "What?" Arth raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yes, I know that. Did I forget to mention? Hagrid was accused and sent to Azkaban as a child, however the accusation is completely false as the pet that Hagrid kept was an Acromantula. And Acromantulas can''t petrify with a glance." Harry and Ron dropped their jaws. 80 Four months "How do you know this?" asked Harry with a frustrated look. "Well I was with Hagrid at Azkaban for a week, with the main reason being both of us being suspects of being the heir. He told me about this about the third day we were there." "So this book is basically a fraud?" "Yep, however it is intriguing how a diary can show you a memory from fifty years ago. Also the fact that the diary somehow appeared the moment we needed more information..." "So what should we do with it?" "Well we can hand it in to the teachers and explain everything." "Won''t we get in trouble?" Asked Ron. "Stop being stupid. Why would they punish us for turning in a suspicious object. It''s a very logical thing to do even if it turns out to be useless." "You''re right!" "I know." Harry hesitated. "I...I think I want to hold onto the dairy for a little longer." Seeing the look on Arth''s face, Harry quickly defended himself. "-But the moment another attack happens, I''ll turn it in." Arth sighed and gave Harry a tired look before finally replying. "...Fine." Four months had passed since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. During March, several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy. "The moment they start trying to move into each other''s pots, we''ll know they''re fully mature," she told Harry. "Then we''ll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing." The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously. "...it could affect our whole future," she told Arth, Harry and Ron as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks. "I just want to give up Potions," said Harry. "We can''t," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I''d''ve ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts." "But that''s very important!" said Hermione, shocked. "Not the way Lockhart teaches it," said Ron. "I haven''t learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose." Arth rolled his eyes. "You got a point there however I think it''s still an important class to take." "You think that Lockhart can teach?" "I think that it''s the class that matters, not the teacher. Plus I''m hoping for him to get sacked and leave so we can have a better teacher next year." Neville Longbottom had been sent letters from all the witches and wizards in his family, all giving him different advice on what to choose. Confused and worried, he sat reading the subject lists with his tongue poking out, asking people whether they thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than the study of Ancient Runes. Arth shared his view. "I think Ancient Runes is better for you... I mean it''s pretty easy, I''ve already learned some of it on my own. Since Arithmancy is more number related, I don''t think you''ll like it." Dean Thomas ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his wand at the list, then picking the subjects it landed on. Hermione was stressing out on what to choose as she sat in one of the chairs and muttered to herself. After ten minutes of her almost indecipherable muttering, Arth gave some advice. "Just sign up for everything if you want Hermione. That''s what I''m going to do." Hermione then immediately decided to sign up for everything. Gryffindor''s next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff. Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so Harry had almost no free time whatsoever. One evening, Harry came into the dormitory looking as if he saw a ghost. Arth looked up from playing chess with Ron lazily and raised an eyebrow at Harry. "What is it Harry?" "The diary. It''s missing." Arth frowned and got up. "Surely you didn''t lose it?" "I didn''t, I put it in my bag while I was in quidditch practice and the next moment, it was gone." Arth frowned. "Someone must''ve taken it." "But who?" "I dunno. Probably the one who brought it to school in the first place." Harry glances at the floor with guilt. "I should have listened to you and turned it in." Arth patted Harry on the shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. "It''s ok Harry. That diary was full of false accusations anyway. It''s no big deal." "Is that what you really think?" "Of course not. What do I say every time. Listen to what I say for god damnit." 81 Double Enjoy the early chapter. /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/ They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze. "Perfect Quidditch conditions!" said Wood enthusiastically at the Gryffindor table, loading the team''s plates with scrambled eggs. "Harry, buck up there, you need a decent breakfast." Arth patted Harry on the shoulder as he was still looking slightly glum. As they left the Great Hall to go and collect Harry''s Quidditch things, when Harry suddenly widened his eyes in shock. "The voice!" said Harry, -looking over his shoulder. "I just heard a voice saying that it was going to kill did you?" Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. "What? I didn''t hear nothing." Arth frowned. "How can you hear something that we can''t-" Arth froze in shock and revelation. Hermione also clapped a hand to her forehead. "Arth! I think I''ve just understood something! I''ve got to go to the library! Arth follow me!" Arth nodded to give his consent and they sprinted away, up the stairs. "What do they understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from. "Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head. "But why do they got to go to the library?" "Because that''s what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library." "Isn''t Arth a walking Library though?" "That''s why Hermione is always around Arth." Replied Ron smartly. "You''d better get moving," said Ron. "It''s nearly eleven ¡ª the match¡ª" Harry raced up to Gryffindor Tower, collected his Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but his mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as he pulled on his scarlet robes in the locker room, his only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game. The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics. Harry was just mounting his broom when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone. Harry''s heart dropped like a stone. "This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick. "But, Professor!" he shouted. "We''ve got to play ¡ª the cup ¡ªGryffindor ¡ª" Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone: "All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!" Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her. "Potter, I think you''d better come with me..." Wondering how she could possibly suspect him this time, Harry saw Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd; he came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry''s surprise, Professor McGonagall didn''t object. "Yes, perhaps you''d better come, too, Weasley..." Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being canceled; others looked worried. Harry and Ron followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren''t taken to anybody''s office this time. "This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack...another double attack." Harry''s insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered...Madam Pomfrey was bending over a girl with long, bushy hair. "Hermione!" Ron groaned. Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy. "They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don''t suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them..." She was holding up a small, circular mirror. Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione. "I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case." "What about Arth?" Harry weakly asked. "Excuse me?" "Arthur, he was with Hermione at the library." "Have you seen him at all after the attack?" "No, we haven''t." Professor McGonagall went pale and rushed out of the hospital wing leaving Ron and Harry numb. Five hours later, it was confirmed. Arth had gone missing. 82 It’s time The other victim was a sixth-year girl with long, curly hair. A Ravenclaw called Penelope Clearwater. However, no one except Percy Wesley and her friends seemed to really care about her. They were occupied with another thing. The disappearance of Arthur Kingscrown. No one knew where he had gone. It was as if he had never existed in the first place. All traces of him disappeared. Professor McGonagall guided the numb Ron and Harry back to the Gryffindor Common room where she made an announcement. "All students will return to their House common rooms by six o''clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward." She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately. "That''s four Gryffindors down, counting in Arthur who is missing, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff, " said the Weasley twins'' friend Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven''t any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn''t it obvious all this stuff''s coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin ¡ª why don''t they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause. Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn''t seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned. "Percy''s in shock," George told Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl ¡ª Penelope Clearwater ¡ª she''s a prefect. I don''t think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect." But Harry was only half-listening. He didn''t seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved out of stone. He also couldn''t help but feel a sense of loss at the realization that Arth has disappeared. For the first time in his life, Harry felt powerless. He felt as though he was useless and unable to do anything without the help of his smart friends. He felt alone. And the feeling choked him, as if a hand had grabbed his heart and was slowly squeezing it tighter and tighter. Ron blanket walked over to Harry and sat down right next to him. "It can''t get any worse can it?" How wrong he was. The next morning, another piece of news had people fearing for their future. Dumbledore has been suspended from his position as headmaster. With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn''t look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled. One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Draco Malfoy was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. Harry didn''t realize what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Malfoy, Harry overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle. "I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore''s the worst headmaster the school''s ever had. Maybe we''ll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won''t want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won''t last long, she''s only filling in..." "I''m quite surprised the Mudbloods haven''t all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn''t Granger, but I bet that the pretty boy Arth was killed." The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy''s last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed. "Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don''t care, I don''t need my wand, I''m going to kill him with my bare hands ¡ª" "Shut up Ron!" Hissed Harry. "Stop being reckless! We can''t afford to be stupid now! We have no one to take care of us now." Ron glared at Malfoy before forcibly turning his head around to look at Harry. "So what do you want to do now?" Harry went silent as he put his head down deep in thought. What would Arth do? Harry glanced at Ron with a grim face. "I think," said Harry, more quietly still, "it''s time to get my dad''s old cloak out again." 83 Dark Green The moment Arth and Hermione realized what they were facing, they paled and groaned. "That''s such bullshit." "...this is impossible. How are we supposed to beat that?" "It isn''t, especially not us. Maybe Dumbledore could do something but not two little second years." "Couldn''t we tell a teacher?" "I mean we could however, we don''t have proof and we don''t even know how to get the chamber. All we can say is what the monster is. And then what? We''ll just end up causing the school to shut down." "Oh you''re right. That wouldn''t be good." "And that is why we are going to tell the teachers." "What! Why?" Arth silently stared at the book I''m his hand with a serious face. "I believe that it is better to protect lives by shutting down the school then risk more lives by being selfish." "Arth..." Arth sighed. "I''m going to God damn miss the turkey legs." Hermione gave a hollow laugh. "How can you say that in this situation." "What are you two talking about?" A sixth year girl who was sitting to the left of them had come over to talk. "I''m sorry, I just couldn''t help but overhear your conversations and I had to come over to talk." She held out her hand towards Arth. "Penelope, Penelope Clearwater." "Arthur Kingscrown." "Hermione Granger." "Yes I heard of you, especially you," she said while giving a glance at Arth. "Yes, I would reckon." Said Arth dryly. "So can you repeat what you said once more?" "Sure, however all of it is on this page. The rest is self explanatory." Arth showed her the book in his hand and Penelope paled in fear and shock. "Are you trying to say that-" "Yes I am, which means that all of us are close to death." "Oh my god, you are going to tell the teachers right?" "Yes." "Great." Arth felt a tingle down his spine. His instincts screamed that something or someone was near. And it did not have friendly intentions. "... does it seem a little too quiet here?" Asked Arth in a quiet voice. "I mean most of the students are at the quidditch match so I reckon that it would be." Replied Penelope. Arth groaned. "And here we are in a library all alone in a quiet library." "...are you saying that we might get attacked?" "We probably look like three fat and juicy turkey legs on a golden platter to the monster right now." "What is it with you and turkey legs?" "It''s just that me and a certain someone really likes turkey legs. You can''t blame us, it''s very delicious." "Huh, really? I should try some during dinner then." "I recommend it." "Can we Please talk about the creepy monster that maybe stalking us right now? We can leave turkey legs for the future." "Actually, we should talk about the turkey legs because it might be the last time we get to talk about it. I mean when else would we able to talk about it again?" "..." There was silence in the library. The type of silence that said that there was something lurking within the shadows. Or the bookshelf right next to you. Whichever you prefer. "So what should we do now." Asked Penelope. "Well, we could first look around to see if the monster is there." "And how will we do that?" There was a rummaging noise as Penelope took out a mirror. "We can use this, at east then we won''t die immediately." "Great." Hermione took the mirror and started to scan around the vicinity. "There''s nothing to our right or left. I''m going to check out back now-" Hermione stopped speaking and suddenly stiffened up. Slowly she fell to the floor like a stone sinking in a lake. Arth sighed. "So we are being stalked... damn, why did it have to be right when we could''ve explained everything?" "... Ahahaha... I should''ve tried turkey legs the night before. Now I can''t stop thinking of them even in my last moment." "Lol." Arth drew in a deep breath. "You should use the mirror to see the monster. The monster won''t take you if you get petrified." "I know... what about you?" "I''ll be following right after you." "... let''s try to make it out alive..." "Yeah." "Lets meet each other when the mandrakes are finished growing." "...yeah." Arth closed his eyes as he heard another low thud. When he opened his eyes once more, there was silence. He looked around the library and realized just how lonely and quiet the library seemed. He chuckled to himself. "Would my stealth save me from the monster?" Arth reached for the mirror that was clutched in Penelope''s hand when he felt a slight movement on his neck. Arth froze as the feeling become stronger and started to construct on his throat. Arth struggled to set himself free from the thing around his throat however he was too weak and the thing was to strong. Arth''s vision slowly got darker as he ran out of air. The last thing Arth saw was a dark green tail that looked like the end of a small lizard or tiny snake. 84 Scarle Arth woke up from the darkness feeling as though he was high on drugs. His head hurt, he felt as though the world was spinning around, and he felt as though he was missing something. Arth really didn''t like this feeling. He never did. Arth let out a groan and opened his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. "So this is what the chamber of secrets look like..." To be honest, Arth was expecting something a little more extravagant. Maybe a torch here and there, or even a couch maybe. Considering who was living here. But maybe he was stretching it a bit. Arth attempted to get up when he realized that he was tied up. His hands were bound behind his back and his arms were tied down by a rope that wrapped him many times. He could walk about ten feet before he was stopped by the chain. Arth tried to get out using magic but he realized that he couldn''t. Mana seemed to escape him when he tried to cast spells. "Hmmm... it''s smarter than I thought." Arth heard the sound of scales scraping past concrete and swiveled his head towards the source of the sound. A five foot long snake was lazily making his way towards Arth with its eyes closed. Arth couldn''t help but be fascinated. "What an elegant snake. I''ve read it in a book but it sure looks even more mesmerizing in person." The snake was a beautiful dark green and glimmered every time it moved. Even the only darkness couldn''t seem to hides its brilliance. The only abnormal part about the snake was it''s closed eyes but Arth already knew the reason for that. Arth tore his gaze away from the snake and stared into the darkness. "Are you going to come out? We both know that you are there, no need to hide." There was a giggle from the shadows as a humanoid figure stepped into the light. She had hair the color of roses and white skin that resembled a pearl. Her red lips contrasted from her skin and formed an arrogant smile. Her eyes were yellow and had slits. Just like a snake. She spoke in a voice that could be compared to the devil''s temptation. "I am surprised that someone as smart as thou still exists within this age. I was beginning to think that only idiots were still alive." Arth raised an eyebrow. "I am flattered, Egle, Queen of Snakes." The girl frowned. "I do not enjoy being referred to Egle." "Then what do you go by?" "I... do not know." "Did Salazar not name you when he put you here?" The girl frowned again. "Salazar was thy ancestor''s master. I am not thy ancestor, thus I shall not take on her name." Arth chuckled. "Then I suppose I should give you one?" The girl waved it off. "Do what thou want, I do not care for a name." Arth unconsciously glanced at her hair and smiled. "I guess that was a yes, I shall call you Scarlet." "It is not a bad name. I approve." Arth gave a slight smile and sat down on the floor while still being tied up. "So what do you mean by ancestor? I didn''t know that Egle could reproduce on their own." The girl scrunched her face in anger. "Do not refer to thy as if I am an animal." "Oh, sorry about that. Got carried away by my curiosity." The girl nodded her head before titling her head sideways. "We have the ability to mate with the opposite gender however when we lack one, we can make up for it by shedding." "Shedding?" "We sacrifice our old bodies to give birth to a new and healthy one. This requires the mother to die while when we mate, both mother and child can live." "So like a Phoenix?" "Indeed." Arth analyzed the girl up and down before opening his mouth. "So how old are you?" The girl frowned and took out her fingers and started to count in a cute and adorable manner. After sometime, she replied in a cool voice. "Twelve." "How coincidental. I am also twelve." "I do not care." Arth recalled the book he was reading before he got strangled by the basilisk. Egle, queen of snakes. A branch of humans that have the ability to control any serpent. They also have the ability to reduce or increase the size of a snake while also being given the ability to transfigure into one. They are known for their beautiful appearance and scarlet red hair. They were pushed to the brink of extinction when wizards started to kill them in fear of their powers. They are highly intelligent and dangerous as they have an arsenal of snakes that they can control. Arth narrowed his eyes. He had to be careful. 85 Hungry "Can I ask you a question?" "What is thou question?" "Why me?" "I do not understand." "Why did you bring me here?" "... do not ask me, ask the basilisk, for it is the one that decided to bring thou here." Arth glanced at the basilisk that had its eyes closed. It was now at his feet snuggling comfortably. "... it must be because I am a Nature Animagus. The way it closes its eyes, it must be trying to prevent the both of us from becoming petrified." Arth glanced at Scarlet. "Is it a girl?" "No, he is a male." "How old is it?" Seeing Scarlet frown before taking out her hands to count once more Arth sighed. "It''s ok, I don''t need to know." "I refuse, I shall figure out the answer to thou question." Arth felt like mentally groaning at the sight of the girl counting with her fingers. She was honestly a child. A child who didn''t want to admit defeat no matter what. Arth ignored Scarlet and focused on the Basilisk. The basilisk seemed to be able to move perfectly fine, even without its eyes which was pretty surprising considering it was a sight predator. Arth wondered if it had any heat pits, or maybe even something else. He also wondered how long the snake would be if it was reverted back to its original size. The Basilisk was cool to the touch, which was obvious because snakes were cold blooded and the temperature of the chambers were pretty cold. The scales were pretty smooth in contrast to their rough appearance. Arth sighed. Why is it that every book on anything interesting is always filled with holes and false information. It was clearly seen that the basilisk wasn''t as aggressive as put in the books, they also had self control, however, then again it might all be because of the presence of an Egle. Arth focused on the flickering tongue of the basilisk and had a weird thought. If my nature animagus powers cause everything to be attracted to me, why does it differ so much between ganders? Females want to "take care" of him as seen with the nightfang serpent. Makes seemingly want to take a good bite out of Arth, as seen with fluffy. Then theoretically, this basilisk should want to eat me right now, however it isn''t. There must be more to this Nature Animagus stuff. Arth twisted around while being bound tightly be the ropes. At this time, Scarlet had finally finished her counting. "The basilisk is a thousand and twenty three years old." Arth let out a gasp of surprise. "You counted all the way to a thousand?" "Yes." "Wow, impressive." "It was nothing." Arth dumbly shook his head. He couldn''t believe how stubborn this snake lady was. She was so stubborn that he was amazed. On second thought, how much time had passed for her to count all the way up to a thousand? It was hard to tell time in the chambers. Arth felt his stomach rumble. "...is there anything to eat by any chance?" Scarlet tilted her head to the side. "Are thou hungry already? I''ll get thou something to eat." Scarlet transformed into a blood red snake with beautiful scales before slithering off into the darkness. Soon, she came back with food. Food meant for snakes that is. In her hand was a squirming rat. She held out the rat and offered it to Arth. "Does thou want some?" Arth stared at the rat in horror. "You want me to eat that?" Scarlet tilted her head sideways. "Is it not what thou humans eat?" "No! We would never eat sewer rats." "Is this bad?" "Yes! Sewer rats are covered in bacteria and fleas, so many diseases could be contracted from a single rat!" "Is that so?" Scarlet glanced at the rat before morphing into a snake once more and consumed the rat in one swallow. "Does thou eat fish then?" Scarlet pointed to the ceiling. "Right above thy is a plethora of fish that thou can consume." "I suppose... you don''t have fire don''t you?" "We do not need fire." Arth sighed. "I guess sushi isn''t that bad to have... I''ll take some." Scarlet disappeared once more into the shadows, leaving Arth alone with the basilisk. Bored, Arth glanced at the basilisk and observed it in more detail. Arth was examining the closed eyes when the basilisk started to shift around. It then opened its eyes and stared directly into Arth. 86 I’ll show you Chapter is below, scroll down if you want. So, there was a comment from someone, idk who but that person said that J.K.Rowling failed to explain anything in her books. And I was like- *snap* THATS IT! My fanfic was created to not only serve as enjoyment, but to question the original plot of the Harry Potter series and reason with it and make it slightly more logical.(Azkaban mini arc was me blowing off some steam. A vacation for me and Arth. It was very forced.) Anyways, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter. /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/ Arth froze and started to panic and closed his eyes. The only thought in his head was- Fuck, I''m screwed. However, seconds had passed and Arth could still feel his heart beating. He was still alive. Arth carefully opened his eyes once more and had his heart stop again. The basilisk was staring directly into his eye. But Arth realized that he wasn''t at all dead, even when he very should be. Arthur then started to spin the gears in his head. "What exactly makes the basilisk''s eye so deadly?" Arth stared into the yellow eyes of the basilisk without blinking. "Since I looked into the supposedly deadly eyes of a basilisk without dying, it means that the basilisk has the power to control its death stare... or maybe that is a power it gains as it grows." Arth let out a gasp. "If it can control when it can activate its death stare, then it might be able to control the power of its glare." Arth froze. "And that means that all the attacks that had happened so far were a result of the Basilisk controlling its strength? This means that my original idea of indirect eye contact with a basilisk causing petrification being false! It isn''t indirect eye contact that causes petrification but the snakes control!" The basilisk let out a small hiss as if delighted that someone had appreciated its greatness. "Just what is it that causes the basilisk glare to be so deadly? It can only be activated when meeting eye to eye... eyes... petrification... eyes, that''s it! Eyes are the window to the soul! The human soul is a bundle of mana! The snake is utilizing magic to petrify the souls of people causing them to seem as though they had turned into stone!" Arth felt immense pride for figuring out how the snake activated his death glare and couldn''t help but want to leap up in joy, if he wasn''t tied that is. Ever since he had come up with the mana theory, every illogical thing seemed to unravel itself as possible. It was wonderful. Arthur then realized something. "If the snake uses mana to kill people, then can''t I become immune to its glare if I block off its mana from entering through my eyes?" Arth felt like he had just surpassed the realm of human knowledge. "So let''s get everything organized, basilisks release mana waves through their eyes and target their opponents eyes to kill. Since mana can be stopped by mana, I can technically not die from a basilisk stare... but I have to calm down. This is a hypothesis... I need to get experimenting right now." Arth got up excitedly before falling back down. He had forgotten once again that he was tied up. Arth decided that he could wait a little bit more. Scarlet finally appeared with a large fish in her hands. Seeing her wet clothes, Arth realizes that she had actually went fishing in the lake. Arth stared at her with disbelieving eyes. "Did you just go swimming in the lake?" Scarlet titled her head. "Did I not say that I was going to get thou some fish?" "No, but you actually went to fish in the lake?" "Yes." "Jesus, isn''t it freezing in the lake?" "I do not know? I don''t pay attention to the cold." Arth could tell that she was lying by the way her movements seemed to be dull. Snakes were cold blooded, and Egle''s probably went by the same rule. They would get weaker the colder they got. Seeing the stubborn look on Scarlet''s face, Arth let out a sigh. "You should go warm up." "No, I am fine. Thou should eat." "...it would be better if I cooked it." "I will cook for thou." Scarlet dragged the fish to a relatively dry area before washing the fish with magic. She grabbed a somewhat sharp stone from the floor and used it to cut the fish. After she removed the organs and bled it out, she ripped off a portion and presented it to Arth. "Thou eat." "...you call this cooking?" "Is it not?" Arth felt a part of him scream in frustration. You call this cooking? If it was a dish called "rip out a chunk of raw fish and eat it" then maybe I would understand. Arth sighed before easily removing the ropes binding him. Scarlet widened her eyes. "How did thou escape thy bondage?" "Don''t word it like that, it''s misleading." "In What way?" "...forget it." Arth glanced at the fish on the floor and cracked his neck. "Can you light a fire? I''m going to show you what real cooking is." 87 TN Scarlet frowned. "What''s Wrong with the food I brought?" "First of all, it''s very outdated, who eats raw fish unless you are making sushi?" "What''s sushi?" "Basically raw fish with rice." "Oh." "Secondly, you didn''t even cook it." "Is what I did not cooking?" "It isn''t. Give me a fire and I''ll show you." Scarlet ignited a fire on the floor which Arth tended to. However the fire quickly died out. Arth frowned. "Do you know why I can''t use magic?" Scarlet raised an eyebrow before glaring at the basilisk. "Stop your fooling around and release him." Arth could''ve sworn that the basilisk let out a snort in disdain. Even so, Arth slowly felt the feeling of magic comping back to him. His eyes brightened. Power to negate magic, controllable death glare, and great mana control... basilisks really are under researched aren''t they? Arth pushed away his inner scientist away as he was currently a cook. He transfigured a piece of rock into a long stick and stabbed the fish with it. He then casted a fire spell onto the floor and placed the meat over the flame. Arth wanted to click his tongue. He lacked spices which would end up affecting the flavor however he supposed he could work with it. Scarlet curiously glanced over his shoulder. "What manner of cooking is this? I have never seen a sight so puzzling." "When was the last time you had grilled fish?" "What is grilled?" Arth suddenly felt pity for the Egle. How sad it must be to live in the chamber and survive on rats and uncooked meals. "...that answers my question. Don''t worry, I''ll show you what it is soon enough." Arth glanced back at the grilling meat with a new found fervor in his eyes. Let''s give this poor child the greatest meal in her life. A few minutes later, a pleasant aroma spread throughout the chambers. Scarlet doubtfully stared at the plate of grilled meat in front of her. "..." Just by smell alone, the grilled fish surpassed everything she had made for herself. It was utterly incomparable. Like comparing a chicken to a dragon. Scarlet picked up a fork and gently stabbed at the fish. The fork easily went into the fish like butter and a stronger aroma released itself from the cut. Scarlet gulped before picking up a small piece and placing it into her mouth. Scarlet froze and closed her eyes. Tears started to come out uncontrollably. Arth decided it was best to give her a pat on the back. As if persuaded by Arth, Scarlet regained her mind and started to dig into the fish. Arth procured his own plate and started to eat with her. The basilisk also got its own share. The three of them started to eat happily together inside the chambers. After a few minutes, the plates had been cleaned off. Arth made the dishes disappear and sighed. The basilisk was wrapped around his neck like a scarf while Scarlet gazed into the distance as if she was contemplating life. Arth stared at his hands and sighed once more. These hands... are a sin. They create things that are too heavenly in this world... Ah... what a sin. Arth got up and sighed. He was about to walk away when he heard a voice. A voice that didn''t belong to Scarlet. And it was speaking in a weird language that resembled hissing. Arth froze and the basilisk and Scarlet flinched before standing up straight. From within the shadows, a person was walking while muttering in the weird language. When the person stepped into the shadows, Arth frowned. It was Theodore Nott. And in his hands was a a very familiar diary. 88 Self Tie Arth called out hesitantly. "Theodore?" No response. "Hello? Mr. Nott? Can you hear me?" More silence. Arth immediately knew that something was wrong about Nott. Something about the way he looked at Arth was different. Plus, when considering where they were, the only logical explanation Arth could come up with for this wasn''t a happy thought. "Nott, you were the heir of slytherin?" Nott continued to stare at him blankly, as if he was a hollow puppet taking orders from a puppet master. Arth continued to find ways that would get Nott to speak, to no avail. Seeing this, Scarlet frowned. "Enough, it is useless. There is nothing that thou can do for him. He will not listen nor respond to you." Arth frowned. "What is wrong with him? Why is he so... lifeless?" Scarlet had on a face that revealed her uncomfortableness. The basilisk started to puff up defensively. "He is under the control of the heir, don''t mind him." "Theodore is being mind controlled?" "Yes, do not worry, the heir will come out soon enough." Arth glanced at the diary In Theodore''s hand. "What does the diary have to do with the heir of slytherin?" Scarlet looked conflicted. "I...I cannot answer this. All I can say is wait and watch." Theodore finally opened his mouth and whispered in a different language. Scarlet frowned and replied in the same language. This continued on before scarlet sighed and pointed towards the basilisk. Arth widened his eyes as the basilisk in front of him grew to a size that was immense. Arth reckoned that it was over fifty feet long. Then, right when the growth of the basilisk was about to come to a stop, scarlet pointed at the basilisk again causing it to grow smaller. Then she proceeded to speak at Theodore with an annoyed look. Even though Arth couldn''t speak the language they spoke in, he could understand the meaning. She was asking him, are you happy? Or, in her case, are thou happy. Theodore blankly stared at the shrinking basilisk before turning around and disappearing into the shadows. Arth heard scarlet curse. "...that little parasite of a man, if not for the respect I have for thy mother, thou would''ve already been dead." Arth raised an eyebrow. "Feisty much. What did he ever do to you?" Scarlet threw her eyes towards Arth and replied in a angry manner. "Be quiet human. You do not understand the pain thy family had to go through because of his ancestor." "Technically, you are also a human." Seeing the look on Scarlet''s face, Arth realized it would probably be in his best interests if he shut up. Arth stroke the head of the basilisk and sighed. "Why are Egle''s so difficult and stubborn?" The basilisk stared at Arth as if sympathizing with his pain. Figures. The basilisk did have to stay with generations of Egle''s. Arth narrowed his eyes towards the direction where Nott disappeared to. Based on the tone of the conversation that had just happened, Arth could figure that Scarlet and the heir of slytherin had a not to friendly relationship. He also suspected that the diary had something to do with the state of possession Theodore was in. Arth pieced all the facts in his head and came to a realization that maybe it was the diary that was the heir of Slytherin. He recalled how Harry had told him that writing into the book was like speaking to an entirely independent person. He then recalled how Nott looked in comparison to how he looked when Arth met him during the dueling club. He looked pale and weak. What could he do? How would he escape? What would help him survive? Arth stood their thinking for some time before deciding that it would be best to tie himself up again and wait for someone to come save him. Or to die slowly in a dark and gloomy chamber. His options were limited. The snake watched this with eyes of confusion, it had seen many people being dragged into the chamber of secrets throughout its life, however, it was the first time he had seen someone voluntarily tie himself back up. After Arth finished tying himself up, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. 89 Never Happen Fucking pissed. Accidentally deleted the chapter I wrote. Had to write it all over again. That might be why this chapter seems so lifeless. I had a good solid chapter finished but it went all away. It was pretty long too. That''s why this chapter is short. Cause I want to commit death. And I''m sick. Fuck. /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/ Arth experienced what it was like to lose all sense of time. He would eat, sleep, wake up, cook and repeat theses four consistently. After having an initials taste of Arth''s cooking, scarlet and the basilisk refused to eat anything else. So Arth became the head chef of the chamber of secrets. After about a week of this bland repetition, Arth decided to remake the chamber of secrets.He first created a torch that burned on a self replenishing fuel and placed them along the walls. He made sure to dim the lights so there was enough light to see around yet was still dark and gloomy. It was a secret chamber after all. He added a finishing touch by making the flames burn an emerald green. Since it was Slytherin''s color. Arth for the first time set his eyes on the chamber of secrets. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. There was a giant face at the end of the chamber. It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard''s sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. "Salazar Slytherin," Arth whispered in awe. After he finished lighting up the whole chamber, Arth opened up a small area hidden behind the statue where he created a bed for himself. If he was going to wait for someone to save him, might as well get comfortable. The bed was of good quality, and Arth no longer had to tie himself onto a pillar. Arth would often wake up on his bed intertwined with the basilisk and Scarlet in her snake form. Another thing Arth accomplished was creating a informatory book about basilisks and learning parseltongue. He would have mini lessons during the time he was awake and sit in front of a handmade desk and converse with scarlet. At first it was hard to pronounce the snake like words however arth soon got the hang of it. He could now speak to the basilisk. Apparently, the basilisk was called Bask and his favorite hobby was to sing a song that Salazar Slytherin has taught him. It went like: Kill this time...let me rip...tear... It wasn''t a pretty. Arth got the goosebumps from listening to it. While waiting for the people who were going to save him to arrive, Arthur had a lot of questions. Such as how was his parents doing? How was Corvus? Knowing his parents, they would probably attempt to tear down the entire school. Corvus would probably cry. Arth had a sudden thought. What are the chances that Harry and Ron figure the puzzle out? Low. What if Harry and Ron do figure it out and attempt to enter the chamber of secrets by themselves? They would be suicidal idiots. But it probably would happen. 90 I can cook Everything was normal until that one day. It started with a series of loud sounds that resembled explosions that shook the entire chambers. At that time, Arth was sleeping. He woke up to the sight of dust crumbling down from the ceiling and thought that he was going to die. "HOLY FUCK!" Arth presses a button on the side of his bed that caused the bed frame to morph into a metal dome. He then casted a bubble head charm on himself for air and dragged Scarlet and Bask underneath the protection with him. After a few minutes of a repeated snake bites, Bask was already awake so he did not get frightened by the sudden hand grab that Arth did, Arth realized that the coast was clear and that he was not going to die by being squished to death by a collapsing chamber. By now, Scarlet has turned back into her human form and rubbed her jaw while glaring at Arth. "Can you please not grab me like that while I''m sleeping? I do not particularly enjoy being forcefully awakened in such a manner." Arth had corrected Scarlet''s grammar over time as it somewhat ticked him off that she was using a mixture of old and new English to speak. "Because of you, my jaw now hurts." Arth rolled his eyes. "It''s not my fault that you bit me." "Actually, it is your fault for me biting you." "Maybe the first bite but why did you have to bite me the other four times?" "One was for waking me up, another was for touching me, another was for roughly handling me, and lastly because I wanted to." "...so how exactly am I to blame for causing your jaws to hurt?" "You made me want to bite you." "You see here Scarlet, this is a result of your short sightedness. You did something that had undesired consequences. You can''t blame me for your own mistakes-" "Silence you blabbering before I bite you again." Speechless, Arth sent a wrongful gaze at Bask, who returned it with a sympathetic gaze. Arth exited the metal dome and analyzed his surroundings. There was minimal damage done, the chamber was only shaken up a little. However, what caused Arthur to frown was that the explosions happened again a few minutes later. Arth could only sigh. "What the hell are they doing up there? Did Neville blow up the school during potions class?" "Who is this Neville you speak of?" "A talented boy with severe stage fright." "That is never a good combination." "Yep, it isn''t. I wonder what is causing all of these explosions?" "I don''t know." "I know you don''t know." "I don''t care that you know that I don''t know, I''m going to say it again. I don''t know. If you open your mouth one more time, I will bite you." "...that''s unfair." Arth got bit. Arth was about to threaten Scarlet that he wasn''t going to cook her any food when he heard the sound of the stone gate opening. Arth, Scarlet, and the Basilisk froze and stared at the entryway. Theodore was standing in front of the entry way looking paler than Headless Nick. He took a couple steps forward before falling face first onto the floor. Next to him was the diary fluttering around looking especially ominous. There was a burst of light as a handsome young man stumbled out of the diary. The boy looked about sixteen years of age, his hair was black just like his. And the he was handsome and charming. The boy got up and patted himself off before giving a smirk. "Hello Egle, Hello Bask. Nice to meet you again." Scarlet frowned while Bask submissively Bowes his head. And of course, all of this was in parseltongue. Scarlet hissed in anger. "Do not call me by that name." "I will call you by whatever I want." "Do not think you can control me because you controlled my mother." The boy glared at Scarlet in an almost inhuman way. "I controlled your mother, I can control you. After all, you two are one of the same. Just a lonely Egle enslaved by my ancestor." Scarlet hissed furiously however did nothing. The boy turned his face towards Arth and said with a curious smile. "Now who here can explain to me why there is a student in here? And why is he still alive?" Arth gave a smile before bowing. "Hello sir, I am Arth. Please don''t kill me. I can cook delicious food." 91 Sixty "What?" The boy had a confused look on his face. "What did you say?" "Please don''t kill me?" "No, not that. The other thing." "Hello, I''m Arth?" "The other OTHER thing." "I can cook?" The boy snapped his fingers. "Yes, That. Why do you think that by saying those words I won''t kill you?" Arth went speechless. "Um... I can cook well?" "Well I can''t eat, at least not right now. I''m a memory, Preserved in a diary for fifty years. I exist yet barely." "Oh, ok." Arth and the boy stared at each other awkwardly. "So... I guess you are Tom M. Riddle?" There was a flash of surprise in Riddle''s eyes. "And my I ask how you realized?" Arth gave a smirk. "Do you know Harry Potter? I pretty sure you do, you talked to him after all. He told me about you." "Ah yes, I remember. The magical boy who defeated the great and all powerful Voldemort." Arth raised an eyebrow. "Was that sarcasm I heard? And how do you know so much about the Dark Lord for a memory from fifty years ago?" Riddle gave a creepy smile. "Well, that''s an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose." "And?" Arth said a bit exasperated. "Are you going to explain or am I going to be stuck here learning nothing? And explain that-" Arthur pointed at the comatose Theodore, "-pitiful mess and explain why he is still alive? I mean I''m sure that you are going to kill him off because he is probably useless baggage." "You act arrogantly for someone who was about begging for mercy minute ago." "Times change, and I''m pretty sure that as a memory you can''t really do much to me. So I''m less terrified." Riddle went silent for a few seconds before speaking up. "The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. The boy has been writing in it." "What else are you supposed to do with a diary? Throw it?" Seeing the speechless look on Riddle''s face, Arth smirked. "So what did you do to the boy? Possess him? Suck out his soul?" "In a matter of fact, yes I did." Riddle bent down and caressed Theodore''s head. "You see, as a memory, I do not have enough power. A memory will always be a memory. However, when a memory receives a soul, the memory no longer becomes a memory, but it becomes a full fledged soul." Arth narrowed his eyes. "How exactly did Theodore receive the diary? It''s a fifty year old relic, it doesn''t just appear randomly." Riddle gave a smirk. "This can be credited to none other than the boy''s parents themselves." "What?" "The boy himself told me, a man called Lucius Malfoy came over to his house during the summer and handed the boy''s parents a small diary. The diary was then passed on to the little boy who then brought it to school. I assume that Malfoy and the parents used to be my followers at one point in time. Quite ingenious of them to hand it to their own child in Slytherin. Who would expect? And how easy it would be to pass on? It was their own child." Riddle''s expression took a turn. "I''ll admit that there were some faults. The boy didn''t write into the diary at first. He lost all interest in the dairy the day he received it. It all happened when the boy accidentally spilled his ink bottle onto the diary. Curious, the boy started to investigate the secrets of the book. That is when I appeared." Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn''t suit him. "However, the boy remained wary, even after I talked to him and charmed and and spewed compliments at him, he remained vigilant. Even then, I eventually got him." Arth did an inner fist pump at this. "The short moments he poured his soul to me were enough for me to control him for short periods of time. This continued until the boy suddenly started to pour more of himself into the diary. The day he lost a duel to a boy called Arth." Arth stopped fist pumping. "If I say so myself, I''ve always been able to charm the people I needed. The boy was frustrated, he wondered why he lost to a boy his age, he vented into the diary. He told me about his life, about history, about the world. Soon, I became his best friend. So Theodore poured out his soul to me, and his soul happened to be exactly what I wanted... I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of his deepest fears, his darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than Theodore. Powerful enough to start feeding Theodore a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her..." Riddle paused as if in thought. "Although, he never gave his entirety to me, so there was always a barrier that stopped me from fully possessing him. I would receive fragments of his memory but not everything." Riddle stopped caressing Theodore''s hair and got up. "One day, Theodore dropped the dairy onto the floor. A total accident. I was furious. I had to start all over, find a new host. That''s when the Harry Potter came in. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was him, the very person I was most anxious to meet..." Arth frowned. "So you fed him the lies about Hagrid?" "Yes, I did. Honestly, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn''t possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance...as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!" "Narcissistic, aren''t you. But I have to agree, people are stupid." Arth put a finger on his lips in deep thought. "What I can''t understand is why you care so much about Harry and the Dark Lord." Riddle went silent, as if deep in thought before answering. "Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that Harry¡ª a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent ¡ª managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did Harry escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort''s powers were destroyed?" "That has nothing to do with you, it was way before your time." "Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, and Harry Potter is the one who defeats the future me." Arthur gasped in surprise. "Voldemort was over sixty years old at the peak of his power?" "What?" Riddle was confused once more. 92 Here "I mean think about it. The diary is fifty years old, and you are sixteen. So that would mean that the Dark Lord would''ve been sixty six when he died." "What are you taking about?" Arth slapped himself on the face. "Your right. I''m an idiot. It wouldn''t be sixty six, it would be fifty five, since he was defeated eleven years ago. I''m such an idiot." Riddle still looked confused. "I don''t think we''re in the same page here." Arth sighed. "Well of course were not on the same page, you are a memory in a dairy from fifty years ago while I am a living person in reality. If we wanted to be on the same page, then either I would have to go back fifty years or you would have to completely materialize into current reality." Seeing the still confused face of Riddle, Arth sighed. "Just forget what I said. Let''s get to the important part. Why are you here?" Riddle gathered his composure before speaking in a hesitant manner. "I am here because it is the time for me to leave. I am but a mere hour away from becoming completely integrated into this world. All I need to do is find a new host and I shall be back into this world once more." Arth frowned. "What''s wrong with using Theodore?" Riddle shook his head. "He has given me all he can. I can no longer absorb any more of his soul, for he has not opened it enough to me." "It''s been bugging me since a while ago but can we use the term Mana instead of soul?" "Huh?" "Mana, you don''t know what that is?" "Wha-" "Oh right, you probably don''t, it''s my theory after all." "What are you trying to-" "It''s my theory that everything is made up of mana, from rocks to people all the way to the magic we cast." "Can I Please-" "I first though of it when I was trying to identify what exactly a ghost was made out of." "I do not want to hear-" "What exactly was a ghost made out of? It can''t be a physical element as they can pass through anything physical. So the obvious answer was that it had something to do with magic." Arth stopped the stuttering riddle from speaking. "It makes sense then because only wizards can become ghosts. It also explains why Headless Nick got affected by the Basilisk stare, that is if my theory is correct. Since the basilisk death glare is basically shooting a massive wave of mana through your eyes, the basilisk can harm a ghost. And since mana is everywhere, ghosts can pass through walls. It''s like stabbing water. The mana in a ghost gives way for the physical object." "..." "So that brings me back to the question why do I call souls mana? Let''s go back to the ghosts, what are ghosts, in the simplest of terms?" "... souls." "Exactly, So that means souls are made up of mana thus why I wish to call souls, mana." Riddle wore an expression of surprise and started to clap. "How brilliant, wonderful reasoning and well thought out logic. I am very impressed." Arth did a dainty little bow. "Thank you. So what were you saying? You need a new host, right?" Riddle smiled. "Yes. I need a new host in order for me to fully materialize." Arth chuckled. "Then I must be on my way now." Riddle, Scarlet, and Bask stared dumbly at Arth. "What do you mean?" Arth sighed. "It would be stupid to stay here, wouldn''t it?" "What?" Arth pointed at Riddle and said in the most primitive way possible. "He needs new host. Only host is me. Me run. You understand?" Faces of realization dawned on Scarlet''s and Bask''s face while Riddle cursed inwardly to himself. "What are you doing! Get him!" Scarlet hesitated while Bask started to uncomfortably squirm. Riddle narrowed his eyes before repeating in parlseltongue. "Get him." Scarlet shuddered before waving her hands towards Bask who started to exponentially grow. Arth was about to run for his light when there was the sound of the stone door opening. Harry and Ron came running in while screaming. "ARTH! YOU ARE ALIVE!" Arth inwardly groaned. "It seems that those two boys are suicidal idiots after all." Shortly after Harry and Ron, three more people entered. One had a slightly disheveled blonde hair and a strained smile, while the other two were very familiar to Arth. His parents were here. 93 Obviously You know what? Fuck it. Here is an extra chapter for y''all. A make up for yesterday. Enjoy /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/ "STEP AWAY FROM MY SON, UNIDENTIFIED SNAKE MONSTER AND THE BLURRY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD BOY! PLEASE COMPLY OR ELSE I WILL- Aria, am I allowed to blow up the chamber?" Aria sighed. "No we are not, remember? We got told off by Dumbledore for using the explosion spell in school grounds." "However this doesn''t count as school grounds does it?" "Just don''t use explosions. Just in case." "Ok, um... GET AWAY FROM MY SON BEFORE I HEX YOU! That works right?" "I think that''s appropriate." Arthur let out a sigh of relief. At least Harry and Ron are a little more sensible than I thought. They brought adult mages with them. This won''t be as terrible. I wish I had my bag with me right now... oh well, will have to make this work. Riddle coldly glared at Aria, Maxwell, Ron, Harry, And Lockhart before turning around to stare at Bask. "I didn''t want to do this as it would be a waste of a strong ally however it seems that you bring me no choice." Riddle raised his hands and slowly faded away like sand in the wind. At the same time, Bask closed his eyes and started to shudder. When Bask opened his eyes again, it was as if he was an entirely different person. "It seems that I can not control the basilisk''s glare yet," Bask hissed in parseltongue. "Oh well, this will be enough. Egle, attack now." Scarlet hesitantly raised her hands and pointer them at the others. Arth paled and yelled at the other group. "RON AND HARRY! DISTRACT THE GIRL IN RED FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN! FATHER, MOTHER, AND LOCKHART COME AND ASSIST ME WITH THE BASILISK!" Aria and Maxwell immediately took out their wands and started to cast spells on the basilisk while Lockhart tried to run. Riddle, seeing the fleeing Lockhart thought that he was leaving to gather reinforcements and attacked. Arth grabbed the pendant on his neck and groaned. "And I guess I''ll cut out its eyes... sorry Bask." The pendant transformed into a gleaming dagger and Arth sprung into action. While Riddle was distracted with the spells that his parents were casting, Arth ran alongside the snake''s long body until he reached the head and stabbed Riddle in the eye. There was an unnatural scream as the Basilisk screamed in pain and flung Arth off its eye. Before Arth fell to the floor, he yelled Arresto Momentum, causing him to gently land on his feet. "That''s one eye down, one more to go." Maxwell was beaming with pride all the while fighting the basilisk. "THATS MY BOY! NOW GET THE OTHER ONE!" "ALREADY ON IT!" Arthur clicked his tongue. His pendant was still stuck in the eye of Bask/Riddle. He raised his hands and stared at the basilisk. "TENEBRIS CONFODERE!" A thin needle like blade shot out from the ground and struck the Basilisk. Arth couldn''t help but sigh. Even though the power he used was several times greater than when he used it against the troll, it seemed as though it couldn''t even scratch a basilisk. Makes sense. Arth figured. One is a king of snakes while the other is a dumb troll. Arth was about to cast another spell when he realized that he couldn''t use magic. Damn it. Arth turned around and yelled at his parents and Lockhart. "DON''T STARE INTO HIS EYES, I THINK THATS PRETTY CLEAR AND DON''T RELY ON MAGIC TOO MUCH! IT CAN STOP YOU FROM USING MAGIC!" His father yelled back. "DOESN''T THAT SEEM A BUT UNFAIR?" Arth shrugged. "MAYBE!" Arth took a glance at the battles that were going on. Scarlet was battling with Harry and Ron in a way where both sides unenthusiastically hurled spells at each other. The basilisk aka Riddle had lost an eye and was trying its best to insta kill anyone who was idiotic enough to stare at its remaining eye while his father and mother battled the snake with their eyes blindfolded. Lockhart was still running around trying to escape from a rampaging Basilisk. Arth sighed. "...I bet that Lockhart is going to die." Sure enough, Lockhart tripped and fell face first onto the floor. When he turned around he stared directly into the Basilisk''s eyes and very obviously died on the spot. Arth went silent. "...fuck." 94 Second Riddle Arth couldn''t help but sigh. If all the things he said not to do, Lockhart just goes ahead and does it. Arth wasn''t even sad, just very disappointed. Lockhart made Ron look like a smart man, and that was dying something as the only thing Ron could do without messing up was chess. Not a very useful skill, especially when thinking about the future. Arth glanced towards to see how Ron and Harry were faring. Scarlet and Harry where still "fighting" while Ron has put down his will to fight and was sitting on the floor watching the rest of them fight. Arth took it back, Ron was the most useless person he had ever known. At least Lockhart was useful as bait. Arth ignored Ron and focused on the real battle. The dark green basilisk still only had one eye, gladly, for Arth wasn''t sure if the textbooks forgot to mention if basilisk''s had regeneration or not. His parents were holding off quite well, even without their eyes or magic. Arth was now beginning to doubt that his parents were normal, even among wizards. Arth glanced at the pendant still stuck in the basilisk''s eye and sighed. He tried casting another spell but it was still disabled. Arth frowned. If this continued on, they were all going to die. As if sent by the gods, Music started coming from somewhere. Everyone whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Arth''s scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Arth felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar. A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock''s and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. It was Fawkes the Phoenix. A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Arth stared and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye. The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry''s cheek, gazing steadily at the basilisk. A patched, frayed, and dirty hat lay motionless at Harry''s feet. Arth raised an eyebrow. "The sorting hat?" The basilisk lunged, and Harry grabbed the hat. There was a flash of silver and everything went still. Harry had somehow obtained a sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent''s mouth. However he was bitten in the process. "oh no." Groaned Arth as he ran towards Harry. Basilisk''s were poisonous. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into Harry''s arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. Arth grabbed Fawkes and ran over to Harry. He then took out the fang and held the Phoenix over the wound. "I command you to cry." Fawkes indignantly stared at Arth before crying. Riddle has materialized once more. "...Phoenix tears... I should have known. And the sword of Gryffindor. Oh how I underestimated Dumbledore." Arth ignored him. "However, it is too late, I have fully materialized. The world will shake in fear as Voldemort has risen once again-" "Stupify." "Protego." "Tenebris Confordere." "Protego." Magic was back. Arth stood up and battled with Riddle. His parents watching on the sidelines unable to do anything as Arth and Riddle were fighting almost side to side. "Expelliarmus-" Arth said. However Riddle beat him to it. Riddle pointed his wand beneath his school robes and blasted aa spell at Arth. Arth tried to protect himself however realized that he couldn''t. He turned around and saw that Bask was still alive, taking away his magic from him one last time. Arth was hit by the spell and got blasted back a couple meters. His father and mother immediately ran towards him concerned. Riddle gave a laugh before twirling his wand once. "Goodbye Arth. We will meet again. And you too Harry Potter." With those words, Riddle warped away. Seeing his concerned parents approach, Arth groaned. "We are so fucked." 95 Secret spell Some of y''all are going to hate me for this chapter. Lol, I already sense the hate. /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/ "You ok son?" His dad picked Arth up with one hand and shook the dust off of him. "Thanks dad, I think I''m fine, if not for the fact that I''ve released a future dark lord into the world." "Great. That''s nice to hear." A unknown object slammed into Arth almost causing him to fall once again. It was his mother. "I was so worried! Dumbledore sent us a letter that you were sent to Azkaban and that you went missing after an attack! And then the fact that we didn''t see you that much during the summer! I thought that it would be the last time that we saw you would be the day we handed over the money that we meant for you to give the Weasley''s." His mother then took a different turn. "YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD FOR HEAVEN''S SAKE! DON''T GO AROUNT TYING TO FIND ANCIENT MONSTERS! YOU HEAR ME!" Arth froze. "Uh... ok?" "Honey, we talked about this. Arth didn''t choose to get taken away by the monster-" "Shut up Maxwell when I''m talking or I will have you sleeping outside the house." "...yes ma''am." Arth sent a disappointed look at his father. His father had lost all of his previous calm and cool appearance and had become small in the wrath of his mother. "Anyways, I''m so glad that you are still alive darling." "Ah... ok." Arth gave an awkward hug to his mother before breaking off. Arthur sighed. "Well, shall we go up now?" His father frowned. "What do we do about... this?" He said while indicating towards the carnage. "Well we can''t really do anything about it can we? Let''s just go up and rest. I could use one." "What should we do with Lockhart?" Arth sighed before walking over to Lockhart. "We should take his body with us, the least we can do." As Arth got closer, he frowned before gasping in surprise. "I can''t believe it. Lockhart is still alive!" "What!" "How!" Arth took Lockhart''s pulse. "...yeah. He is only knocked out. He must have fainted from fright. I can''t believe it." Arth sighed. "This day is just getting even better. First we lose to Riddle, Bask dies, and now Lockhart is still alive. Now if I didn''t place a tracker on Riddle, that would''ve made me feel suicidal." Everyone froze. "What?" Arth sighed. "I said "This day is getting better" in a sarcastic tone. Understand?" "The other thing." "You know what? I''m not having this conversation again. You ask me what I need to say." "The part about the tracker." "Oh... that part. Makes sense, I just thought it was obvious." Harry sighed. "In What way would it be obvious?" Arth rolled his eyes. "Considering all those times I hit him, you think I wouldn''t be able to place a tracking measure?" "But how?" "Simple, using my mana to imprint it into him." "What?" Arth sighed. "I created a spell that helps me track people. Let''s just leave it at that since nobody will understand anyways." "But it''s pretty important." "Fine," Arth snapped. "I implanted a spell inside of Riddle while he was fighting me at the end. It was an invisible spell and since I don''t have a wand to point, Riddle didn''t see me cast it as I whispered the spell. Thus I planted a nearly undetectable tracking spell on a man that escaped. Happy?" Arthur glanced at the ceiling. "Now the real question is how we are going to get out of here." Scarlet got up and raised her hand hesitantly. "I can lead us out." Arth''s father and mother raised their eyebrows. "You are the girl who was fighting together with the basilisk and school boy. Why are you helping us." "Cause I never liked that boy. And because I was forced to." "How can we trust you?" Scarlet just snorted before transforming into a snake and slithering up Arth''s leg. Arth sighed. "It''s ok mom. She is safe... I think." "If you say so..." Replied hi father losing all interest immediately while his mom nudged him in the arm. "...are you going to introduce her?" "She is Scarlet, she is an Egle." "Ohhhh. That''s pretty cool." "Yep. Shall we go now" Arth took one last look at the chambers and sighed. "I should collect the basilisk venom the next time I am here..." 96 Book 2 End Ok, I need to get my shot together. I''m sure a lot of y''all can agree that Arth is not really staying in the shadows... so Here comes the reboot. Next book is a new beginning. Arth will be more invisible. Enjoy. /¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª/ Arth and his parents, along with Ron, Harry and an unconscious Lockhart And Theo exited the Chamber of Secrets with the help of Scarlet. They made their way through the hallways of the school and towards Dumbledore''s office. Along the way, many students stopped to look at the sight of the worn out (slightly bloody) group of people. Some people saw Harry and started to whisper in a crazed frenzy. Then they would analyze each person in the group and whisper more. Arth was spectacularly ignored. People slipped their eyes Right over to the next person whenever they glanced at Arth. He was glad of course, Arth had enough fame. Finally, They made it to a large gargoyle standing still as a rock. Arth yelled "Lemon Drop." And the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. They walked up the staircase and knocked twice before pushing the door open. Inside Dumbledore''s office were three people talking heatedly at each other. Dumbledore with his long white beard, Cornelius Fudge with his signature green bowler hat, and a pale blonde man who resembled Draco. The blonde man was currently glaring at Dumbledore. "So!" he said "You''ve come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts." "Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me the other day. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They''d heard that Maxwell Kingscrown''s son had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to fear that Maxwell would... go wild. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too...Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn''t agree to suspend me in the first place." Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury. "So ¡ª have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?" "We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile. "Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?" Dumbledore shrugged. "Why not ask the people who are standing in front of the door looking as though they had come out from a battle? They look like they might know a thing or two." Lucius turned around and paled. "Maxwell? Aria?" Arth''s father let out a smile, however, Arth could feel a tiny bit of murderous intent. "Hello Lucius, how are you doing?" "...great. Why are you here? This is a learning environment for children... and I''m pretty sure you two have exceeded the age of learning... if not putting account your mentality." Arth''s father scoffed. "However my child was announced dead in the school. I presume as PARENTS I hold the right to investigate the matter myself. Do you disagree?" "Although I can''t argue, I do find it a bit... extreme to perform as you did. You caused severe damage to the school." Arth''s father smirked. "Nothing that a few Galleons can''t solve. Just like your... donations." Lucius frowned. "What are you implying Maxwell." Arth''s father shrugged. "I don''t know, maybe I''m saying that you should watch out. You forget that some people can out bribe you." Lucius went pale. Harry placed the dairy on the desk with a loud thud. "This... is the cause of the attacks. A boy called Riddle was possessing others to open the chamber of secrets." Dumbledore frowned. "I see... I suspected... but to this point..." Arth sighed. "I doesn''t even matter, the diary is useless now. Riddle escaped." Lucius went even paler. "We are leaving Dobby." Arth, Harry, and Ron did a massive double take. There was a small elf covered in bandages trailing behind the hem of Lucius''s robes. This could only mean one thing. Arthur sent a glance at the back of Lucius''s back before turning around to look at Harry. Harry was also looking at Arth. Apparently they had the same idea. Harry ran off with the diary while taking off his sock. Arth watched him go with a slight smile. The rest of the year went by fast. There was a great feast, everyone who had been petrified was fed the mandrake potion and recovered to perfect health. Hermione cried while hugging Arth, Harry, and Ron. Gryffindor was awarded 100 points for saving Arth and Theodore, which put them in first place for the second year in a row. Arth watched Harry, Ron, and Hermione get on the Hogwarts Express while he watched on with his parents. Harry waved. "See you next year Arth! And if you want, you can call me." Arth smiled. "Ok. Have fun." Harry groaned. "I don''t even think that''s possible." Arth chuckled before giving Hermione a big hug. "Enjoy yourself and don''t get petrified again." Hermione blushed before pinching Arth in the side. "Don''t get kidnaped by snakes." "Ahahaha... I won''t." Arth felt something squeeze his arm in anger and let out a wry smile. Luna came over and hugged Arth quickly before running away onto the train. Lastly, Arth slapped Ron in the back. "What was that for?" Ron scowled. Arthur just smiled brightly. "Get smarter." As the train left Hogwarts, his mother grabbed his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "So when will you introduce us to her? Is it the Egle girl? The brown hair? Blonde?" Arth groaned. Book 2 End. 97 Admission Arthur Kingscrown was a highly unusual boy. He was a handsome boy the age of thirteen and had soft black hair and starry black eyes. He was often overlooked as his presence was thin, due to reasons that the neighbors could never make any sense out of. He had a book always on hand and was often seen walking around while reading. His parents where no less strange. Maxwell Kingscrown was the boy''s father, he had a hobby of collecting electric ware, while the mother would shape her bushes into tiny creatures of the myths. Recently, the family was seen with a new addition. A crimson haired girl with white skin and blood red lips. She was a very beautiful child that would always follow Arth around anywhere. Many of the neighbors would stare at the girl every time she went out of the house with Arth, making the already obscure boy invisible. Arthur stretched out his arm and let out a great yawn. He was currently laying down on a black mattress with books sitting at his feet. The sun was shining through his windows, livening up the room. Arth closed the book he was reading and got off the bed. He placed the book back into the shelf and proceeded to walk out of the room. Downstairs, his mother was cooking along with Scarlet, the red haired girl Arth had met quite unusually the year before at Hogwarts. Scarlet''s companion Bask, who passed away the year before due to a series of unfortunate events, had kidnapped Arth and taken him to a secret chamber hidden within the school. There, Arthur met Scarlet and became friends. Scarlet was an Egle, or snake queen. She was the heir to a descendant of witches that had the ability to manipulate snakes. After Arth had escaped from the chamber of secrets, Scarlet had followed Arth home, with the permission of his mother of course. Upon discovering that Scarlet was the same age as Arth and had no experience with magic, Maxwell Kingscrown sent a letter to the headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore a Letter asking if Scarlet could be appointed as a student. A letter came back the following week stating that Scarlet had been enrolled into the school. Arthur then made its his duty to make sure Scarlet was up to date with the given course, which he did in a professional manner that no mere student could produce. Soon, Scarlet was taught all of the basic knowledge one needed for the third year. Ever since then, Scarlet would pursue other hobbies, such as cooking. Arth sat down at the table and smiled. "Are you getting any better at cooking?" Scarlet gave a scowl. "I am still learning. I will eventually master this skill. Do not rush me." Arth laughed in response. Scarlet, while she had a talent for eating, had trouble in cooking. Although she could make basic dishes, they were never of the amazing quality, much to her ire. A black raven came in through the open window and settled down on Arth''s shoulder, a handsome tawny followed right behind it. A few seconds later, Errol, the Weasley''s owl came crashing into the room. On their legs were four letters. Two of them were from his best friends Hermione and Ron while the remaining two were from Hogwarts as both letters carried the Hogwarts crest. Arth opened the Hogwarts Letters first. Dear Mr. Kingscrown, Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King''s Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o''clock. Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. A list of books for next year is enclosed. Yours sincerely, Professor McGonagall Deputy Headmistress The other letter held the same content except that it was for Scarlet. Arth took out the Hogsmeade permission slips and threw them into the air before yelling at his dad who was working at his room. Papers then made their way towards the "Dad! The Hogsmeade forms are in." His dad called from the other room. "Got it! I''ll sign it once I''m done with my work!" Scarlet poked her head out from the kitchen and asked with a curious gaze. "What is Hogsmeade?" Arth gave her a bright grin before answering. "It''s a village that we can visit for relaxation. I heard it''s pretty nice." His mother called out from the kitchen with a humorous tone. "I remember Hogsmeade. Oh the memories... make sure to get some butter beer. It''s fantastic, a student favorite." Arth and Scarlet both answered with loud a "yes" before sitting down at the table. Arth decided to open the remaining two letters. One was a letter and the other a news- paper clipping. The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank." The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend. Arth scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn''t show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. Arth couldn''t have thought of a family more fit to earn the lottery than the Weasleys. Although Arth''s parents had given them money last year, Arth new that it was far from enough. Dear Arth, It''s amazing here in Egypt. Bill''s taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn''t believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn''t let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who''d broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I couldn''t believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it''s gone on this trip, but they''re going to buy me a new wand for next year. Oh, By the way, what should we get harry for his birthday? I''m confused on what to get him... you reckon he will like a sneakoscope? Arth chuckled before writing a reply. He then tied it to Errol''s leg and sent him off, after a nice long drink. Arth then scrunched his eyebrows deep in thought. What''s should I get Harry? 98 Knight bus A young boy, about thirteen years of age, had just stormed out of his little house with a heavy trunk trailing behind him. The boy stopped to sit down on the street, attempting to take a breath. The boy scowled before glaring at his surroundings. He felt as though he was being watched. The boy took out a wand and whispered "lumos" causing a glowing orb of luminescent light to dimly light up the street. He held it high over his head and saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes. The boy stepped backward. His legs hit his trunk and he tripped. His wand flew out of his hand as he flung out an arm to break his fall, and he landed, hard, in the gutter ¡ª There was a deafening BANG, and the boy threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light ¡ª With a yell, he rolled back onto the pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where the boy had just been lying. They belonged, as the boy saw when he raised his head, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled The Knight Bus. For a split second, the boy wondered if he had been knocked silly by his fall. Then a boy in a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began to speak loudly to the night. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Arthur Kingscrown, and I will be your assistant conductor this eve ¡ª is that you Harry?" Harry let out a confused groan. "Arth?" The conductor took off his hat and revealed a familiar face. The boy had black hair and eyes that resembled the night sky. The boy held his hand out and helped Harry up. "What are you doing on the floor Harry? I do say that we could''ve almost killed you. I don''t reckon summoning the Knight bus while you are on the floor. Not very safe." "What are you doing here?" "Well..." Arth gave a charming smile. "It''s sort of an job. I help out when they need help you know? The original conductor, Stan Shunpike, is out with his girlfriend right now so I was called over to help. Plus the extra cash I get is pretty good. Need help?" Arth glanced at Harry who was struggling to get his trunk onto the bus. "Um, yeah. Please." Arth snapped his fingers and the trunk slowly levitated into the bus. "Come on in, and where will you be heading too?" Harry stuttered. "Uhhh... how much to get to London?" "Eleven Sickles," said Arth, "but for fourteen you get a hot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an hot water bottle and a toothbrush in the color of your choice." "Wow..." Harry rummaged once more in his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some silver into Arth''s hand to which Arth gave a goofy grin. "Come on board. And welcome to the Knight bus." There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I''m pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep. "You have this one," Arthur whispered, shoving Harry''s trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Harry, Ern." Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry, who nervously flattened his bangs again and sat down on his bed. "Blast off, Ern," said Arth, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie''s. There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Arthur was watching Harry''s stunned face with great enjoyment. "This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? In Wales?" "Ar," said Ernie. "Pretty fast isn''t it Harry?" "How come the Muggles don''t hear the bus?" Asked Harry. "They never notice anything, even if they do, they''ll think it was a figment of their imagination."Replied Arth before taking a glance at his watch. "Best go wake up Madam Marsh, We''ll be in Abergavenny in a minute." Arth passed Harry''s bed and disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous. Ernie didn''t seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn''t hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed. Arth came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a traveling cloak. "Here you go, Madam Marsh," said Arth happily as Ern stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus. "Oh thank you my dear, I''ll make sure to come as often, you were such a charmer." "No problem Madam Marsh, I wish you a good day!" "And to you as well my boy." There was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way. Harry wouldn''t have been able to sleep even if he had been traveling on a bus that didn''t keep banging loudly and jumping a hundred miles at a time. His stomach churned as he fell back. Arth had unfurled a copy of the Daily Prophet and was now reading. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. "That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the Muggle news!" "Sirius Black," Arth Replied, nodding. "Cornelius Fudge told the Prime minister to be carful the other day. Sirius Black is apparently a very bad wizard." Arth handed the newspaper to Harry to read. "Pretty scary guy, if you have any questions, I''ll be glad to answer. I reckon I have a little more knowledge on him since I met him personally during my trip to Azkaban. Honestly thought he was a decent person. Didn''t talk to him much though..." The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry lay, restless and miserable, on his feather bed. After a while, Arth served himself and Harry a warm mug of hot chocolate. One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go. Finally, Harry was the only passenger left. "Right then, Harry," said Arth, clapping his hands, "where to in London?" "Diagon Alley," said Harry. "Ooh, What a coincidence, was going to go there myself," said Arthur. "My shift is over you see, Ern will go fetch Stan now. Hold tight . . ." BANG! They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus''s way. The sky was getting a little lighter. Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley. "Thanks," Harry said to Ern. He jumped down the steps and helped Arth lower his trunk and Hedwig''s cage onto the pavement. "Well," said Harry. "Bye then!" "Bye Ern! Have a good night!" "You too Arthur." There was another BANG. Arth and Harry were about to go in when they heard footsteps approaching them. "There you are, Harry," said a voice. Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. 99 Meeting Arth and Harry spent the rest of the summer break in Diagon Alley, where Arth would help Harry finish the rest of his homework. Arth''s entire family were living in the Leaky Cauldron due to some reasons given by his parents when he told them that Harry had ran away from his home. During the daylight hours, Arth, Harry, and Scarlet would go out together exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, They would occasionally sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue''s Ice Cream Parlor, waiting to Harry to finish his witch burning essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave them free sundaes every half an hour. Harry had found a new crush while walking around Diagon Alley. It was the brand new Firebolt, the latest and fastest broom available for purchase. Arthur would have to pull Harry off the window every time they walked past Quality Quidditch Supplies. They had other things to do and Arth didn''t think that wasting money on a broom was a efficient way to use money. They went to the Apothecary to replenish potions ingredients and they visited Madam Malkin''s Robes for All Occasions and bought new robes. Harry and Arthur were getting too tall and Scarlett needed a new pair for herself. Most important of all, Arth had to buy his new schoolbooks, which would include those for his new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes. Arth got a surprise as he looked in at the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold embossed spellbooks the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively. As they entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward them. "Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books?" "Yes," said Arth, "I need two Monster Book of Monsters-" "Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing them aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books'' cage. With great effort, the manager managed to get two books free from the cluster of snaps and flying pages. "I''m never stocking them again, never! It''s been bedlam! I thought we''d seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility ¡ª cost a fortune, and we never found them. . . . Well . . . is there anything else I can help you with?" Arth handed his, Harry''s and Scarlett''s list over to the manager. Harry saw a book about death omens and started to act unusually. "Oh, I wouldn''t read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You''ll start seeing death omens everywhere. It''s enough to frighten anyone to death." Harry leaned over to Arth and whispered in a small voice. "I... I think I saw the dog on the front cover of the book the day we met on the Knight Bus." Arth shrugged. "Must have been a stray." Arth woke on the last day of the holidays feeling excited. He got up, dressed and exited the leaky cauldron with Harry and was just wondering where they would have lunch, when someone yelled his name and he turned. "Harry! HARRY!" Sitting outside Florean Fortescue''s Ice Cream Parlor was Ron looking incredibly freckly And Hermione with her signature brown hair, both waving frantically at them. "Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you''d left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin''s, and ¡ª" "I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I''m staying at the Leaky Cauldron?" "Dad," said Ron simply. Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge. "Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice. "I didn''t mean to," said Harry while Ron roared with laughter. "I just ¡ª lost control." "It''s not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I''m amazed Harry wasn''t expelled." "So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn''t know why Fudge let me off, does he?" "Probably ''cause it''s you, isn''t it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I''d hate to see what the Ministry would do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they''d have to dig me up first, because Mum would''ve killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We''re staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King''s Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione''s there as well!" Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things." "Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?" "We''ve got all our books ¡ª" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two." "Do I even exist to you guys?" "Arth!" Hermione let out a shriek of delight and gave Arth a bear hug. "Ah, So I do exist." "Arth! Why are you here?" "Dunno, just staying around with Harry and Scarlett." "Scarlett?" Right on time, Scarlett speared from the corner and walked over to Arth. While yawning, Scarlett grabbed Arth''s hand and rubbed her eyes. "Is it lunch already? What are we having for lunch?" Hermione blankly stared at Scarlett with a confused look. At that moment, Arth realized that Hermione never saw or heard about Scarlett as she was petrified for most of the year and Scarlett had curled up around his arm for the rest. "Ah, that''s right. You never met her. Hermione, this is Scarlett. Scarlett, Hermione." Scarlett and Hermione stared at each other with blank stares. Scarlett narrowed her eyes before lending a hand towards Hermione. "...nice to meet you." Hermione glanced at the hand before grabbing Scarlett''s hand fiercely. "...nice to meet you too." Arth had an involuntary shudder. 100 Departure Scarlett and Hermione broke apart and the air around them went back to normal. Hermione opened her purse and counted her coins. "I''ve still got ten Galleons. It''s my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present." "How about a nice book?" said Ron innocently. "No, I don''t think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry''s got Hedwig, Arth has got Corvus and you''ve got Errol ¡ª" "I haven''t," said Ron. "Errol''s a family owl. All I''ve got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don''t think Egypt agreed with him." Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers. "There''s a magical creature shop just over there," said Arthur, "You could see if they''ve got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl." Harry, Hermione, and Ron went into the shop while Arth and Scarlett waited outside. Arth took out his Unfogging the Future book and read while Scarlett stared at the owls with a predatory gaze. Soon, Harry and Ron came out chasing after Scabbers who disappeared almost instantly. A few minutes later, Hermione came out with a big ginger cat. The cat''s ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. It was oddly cute Arth thought. It was as if it was so ugly that it became adorable. Such as a mutt or another flat faced dog race. "He''s gorgeous, isn''t he?" said Hermione, glowing. "Yes it is... can I hold it?" "Sure, it''s name is Crookshanks by the way." "What a very suitable name." Ron and Harry finally came back from chasing Scabbers. At the sight of Crookshanks, Ron scowled. "You bought that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open. "Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron. "He didn''t mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione. "And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How''s he going to get it with that thing around?" "That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron''s hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what''s the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he''d been in there for ages; no one wanted him." "I wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron. Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put four tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, four Kingscrowns, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses. "How''re we getting to King''s Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding. "The Ministry''s providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley. Everyone looked up at him. "Why?" said Percy curiously. "It''s because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there''ll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them ¡ª" "¡ª for Humongous Bighead," said Fred. Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding. "Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice. "Well, as we have a pretty large group of people now, my car can''t really fit all of in it can it?" said Mr. Weasley. "And as I work there, they''re doing me a favor." Mr. Kingscrown raised an eyebrow. "Did Cornelius assign this? He talked to me before about how he was going to assign some wizards to protect Harry." Mr. Wesley went pale. "Maxwell, now is not the time to be saying those things-" "The boy has to know. It''s about him after all." Replied Mr. Kingscrown coolly. "I-I agree with you on that however the ministry-" Mr. Kingscrown sighed wearily. "Yes I know. I won''t speak out of hand again." There was awkward silence as Mr. Weasley attempted to fix the atmosphere. "So yes, we have cars. They will come to pick us all up tomorrow morning." "Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you''ve all got between you? A nice sight you''d be on the Muggle Underground. . . . You are all packed, aren''t you?" "Ron hasn''t put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He''s dumped them on my bed." "You''d better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won''t have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy before going upstairs to pack. The next morning, they dragged their trunks out the leaky cauldron and got into five cars. They somehow managed to squeeze all of their belongings into the tiny trunk compartments and set off to Kings Cross. When they arrived, Mr. and Mrs. Kingscrown gave Scarlett and Arthur a big hug before waving them goodbye as they got on the train. 101 The Gif Steam was billowing from the train; it had started to move. Scarlet frowned at the crowded compartment and transformed into a snake before crawling up Arth''s arm. Soon, Harry, Ron, And Hermione came barging in. Arth raised an eyebrow. "Hello." "Hi Arth. There wasn''t any other compartment so-" "Yes I understand, but please be quiet. We have a person sleeping right next to us." Arth three his head at the man sitting fast asleep next to the window. Harry, Ron, and Hermione curiously glanced at the man. The Hogwarts Express was usually reserved for students and they had never seen an adult there before, except for the witch who pushed the food cart. The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard''s robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and ex- hausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray. "Who d''you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window. "Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once. "How d''you know that?" "It''s on his case," Arthur replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man''s head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters. "Most likely the new defense against the Dark arts since Lockhart resigned after what happened last year." "Well, I hope he''s up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn''t he?" A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment. "What''s that noise?" said Ron suddenly. "It''s coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry''s robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron''s hand and glowing brilliantly. "Is that a Sneakoscope?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look. "Yeah . . . mind you, it''s a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol''s leg to send it to Harry." "Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly. "No! Well . . . I wasn''t supposed to be using Errol. You know he''s not really up to long journeys . . . but how else was I supposed to get Harry''s present to him?" "Stick it back in the trunk," Arth advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it''ll wake him up." He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneako- scope into a particularly horrible pair of Uncle Vernon''s old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it. "Talking about birthday presents, did you receive mine Harry?" Harry immediately brightened up. "Yes, I did actually! It was amazing!" Arth let out a satisfied nod. "Well of course, it took me an a week worth of effort to make it." "Make what?" Harry raised his arm for everyone to see. There was a silvery colored watch like mechanism that rested on his wrists. Where the dial of a clock should have been was a thin sheet of metal that had a sleeping lion engraved onto it. Harry lifted the thin metal sheet and revealed a beautiful dial with intricate hands. The hands would make a delicate clicking noise while the hands spun smoothly with no break. It was beautiful. Too beautiful to be made by a student. Ron jealously glanced at the watch. "Why do I not have one? I''m thirteen too." Arth chuckled. "I''ll make you a different little toy for your next birthday. It''s March first isn''t it?" Ron blushed. "You don''t have to, I was you know, just playing around." Arth clapped Ron in the back before giving a wide smile. "Ok, I won''t give you a birthday present then." Everyone stared at each other silently before bursting into laughter, only to be immediately silenced by the movement of the sleeping Professor. "Ron," hissed Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be careful . . ." "I wasn''t the only one laughing Hermione!" Replied Ron indignantly. "Shut up Ron! You are going to wake him up!" But Professor Lupin was still fast asleep. The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. "We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window. The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down. "Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I''m starving. I want to get to the feast. . . ." "We can''t be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch. "So why''re we stopping?" The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows. Arth, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments. The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. A bone chilling cold grasped the entire train, a type of cold that Arth was very familiar with. "Dementors." 102 Soft sensation "What''s going on?" said Ron''s voice. "Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!" "Wait here, I''ll go check it out." "What did you say Arth?" Harry saw the faint outline of Arth getting out of the compartment and leaving them to be. "Arth! Where are you going? Come back! At least tell us where you are going!" But he was already gone, melting into the shadows. "My god, he really needs to tell us a thing or two before he disappears. Ain''t that right Harry?" Harry sighed. "I''m sure that he knows what he is doing, he is Arth after all." Harry took a look around the dark train. "D''you reckon we''ve broken down?" Asked Harry. "Dunno . . ." There was a squeaking sound, and Harry saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out. "There''s something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard. . . ." The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Harry''s legs. "Hello? I''m sorry, I''m Neville Longbottom-" "Neville?" "Harry! I-" Ron let out a pained yelp. "Sorry ¡ª d''you know what''s going on? ¡ª Ouch ¡ª sorry ¡ª" "We''re as lost as you Neville," said Harry, feeling around in the dark and pulling Neville up by his cloak. "Just sit down Neville." There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks. "I wonder when Arthur is going to come back? he should be back by now right? I''ll go check." came Hermione''s voice. Harry felt her pass him, heard the door slide open again, and then a thud and two loud squeals of pain. "Who''s that?" "Who''s that?" "Ginny?" "Hermione?" "What are you doing?" "I was looking for Arth." "Come in and sit down." Harry felt something land directly on his lap and realized with a sudden jolt that it was Ginny. After a few seconds of silence, Harry decided to finally speak up. "Ginny!" said Harry shyly. "I''m here!" "Harry! I-I''m sorry! I''ll get o-off right now!" Harry felt the thing get off and sighed in relief. However, Harry felt a little bit of regret as the soft sensation was still lingering in his lap. She is Ron''s sister Harry. You are not allowed to think like that. Harry grumbled to himself for being an idiot when an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke. "Quiet!" Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last. Harry could hear movements in his corner. None of them spoke. There was a soft, crackling noise, and a light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary. "Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him. But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin''s hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry''s eyes darted downward. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was black and sleek, as if someone was wearing a black glove. But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Harry''s gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak. And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart. He felt as though he was about to die. As if he would never be able to be happy again. Harry''s eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn''t see. He was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder. Then the dementor spoke. In a cold, dead, monotone voice, the dementor turned its head around the compartment. "I sense the lord. Where is he." Then the screaming began. 103 The Dementors Arth exited the compartment with a raised eyebrow. Dementors on the Hogwarts train? Why? Arth frowned. It must have been because of the recent news about Sirius Black escaping. It was to only thing that would make sense. However, for dementors to appear on the Hogwarts train, it would mean that the Ministry suspected that Black would come to Hogwarts. Arth was reminded of what his father said yesterday. "The ministry is trying to protect Harry from Sirius. That would explain everything. Why Fudge was so lenient towards Harry for blowing up his aunt. Why they provided cars to Mr. Wesley. Why there were dementors on the train." Scarlett slithered off his arm and transformed back into a girl. "What are you talking about. And what is this unnerving feeling?" Arth tilted his head. "What unnatural feeling? Are you talking about the cold? Although it feels slightly chilly, it''s not that bad." Scarlett stared at Arth like he was a monster. "Do you not feel as though happiness is being drained from your soul?" "Not really." "..." Scarlett sighed. Arth ignored her and continued to walk forward when he saw a hooded figure standing in his way. Arth squinted his eyes before speaking in an uncertain voice. "Is that you Alfred?" The hooded figure trembled before turning around. Sure enough, it was a dementor. Alfred the Dementor. The hooded figure immediately attempted to do a kneeling position which was weird to look at as Alfred was floating a good two inches off the train floor. "M-My Lord! I was not aware of your presence! Please forgive my insolence!" Arth sighed. "Stand up, you look like you are about to trip on mid air. And didn''t I not tell you to stop calling me Lord?" "My Lord is our Lord." "My god, I said don''t call me lord!" "Apologies, My Prince," Replied Albert while getting up from his pitiful bow. Arth massaged his temples before asking Albert. "Who else is here?" "Dolorem, Sebastian, William, And a couple others, My Prince." "How is the search for Sirius Black going?" "How amazing! My Prince is too intelligent!" "Shut up and answer me." "The search is negative, My Prince. But do not worry, we will find him eventually." Arth sighed. "Alright, you are dismissed, and take everyone else off as well." "Your wish is my command." Albert gilded out of the train while calling out with a cold rattle like sound. Immediately, three other hooded figures appeared and glided off the bus. Before they disappeared, they did a terrible little bow towards Arth, causing Arth to wince. Arth turned around and saw a very uncomfortable looking Scarlett staring at him. "...how can you stand being with that... thing? It felt as though the whole world was enveloped in a freezing darkness..." Arth tilted his head. "Was it really that bad?" "...it was worse. I don''t know how you can stand talking to them." "They aren''t that bad you know? Annoying yes, but bearable." Arth recalled his very first trip to Azkaban. The dementors were at first quiet and shy, however, after a few days, the dementors wouldn''t shut up around him. They would constantly pour praises, ask for rewards, and pester Arth all day and night. It was very annoying. Among them, they were four especially active dementors which were given the names Sebastian, Alfred, William, And Dolorem. Respectably, these four were also the strongest Dementors in the prison. They could make the other dementors obey and heed tot heir commands, they would also get first dibs on food. Arth began to suspect that the reason for the sudden human like qualities of the dementors were because of his mana, as he would feed them some every time they did something good. The more he gave him, the smarter and more talkative they got. Arth made a mental note to himself. Research the effects of feeding a dementor a Nature animagus''s mana. The lights came back on with a sudden pop and everyone could see once more. Arth sighed before heading back to the compartment where his friends where waiting. "I hope they are doing all right?" Scarlett scoffed. "Only a weird monster like you would be unfazed by those dementor things." Arth ignored her and opened the door only to see a collapsed Harry on the floor. 104 Chocolate "Why is Harry on the floor looking as if his soul has been sucked out by a demon?" Asked Arth in a very confused manner. "Dunno, he saw that... thing and went sort of rigid and fell out of his seat and started twitching." Said Ron giving Harry a quick glance. "It was terrible." Arth frowned. Hooded figures meant dementors, but why would Dementors cause Harry to collapse. Arth bent down and checked Harry''s pulse. "He is still alive-," Arth opened Harry''s eye. "- and he is having a light non-REM sleep." "Can you fix it?" Asked Ginny from the corner. Arth pulled up his sleeves and gave a charming grin. "Sure I can, I dabbled a bit in muggle health care." Arth rearranged Harry so that he was in a sitting position before cracking his knuckles. Arth stared at Harry for a good five seconds before proceeding on to straight out smacking Harry''s face. There was a yelp of pain and surprise. Ron winced. "Was that necessary?" "No, however it''s very effective." Replied Arth. Harry opened his eyes and glanced around in a dazed matter. "W-what?" "Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously. "Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door. "What happened? Where''s that ¡ª that thing? Who screamed?" "No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still. "But I heard screaming-" A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces. "Here," he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece. "Eat it. It''ll help." Harry took the chocolate but didn''t eat it. "What was that thing?" he asked Lupin. "A dementor," answered Arth before Lupin could reply. "One of the dementors of Azkaban." Everyone stared at him. Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow before starting to hand out the rest of the chocolate to everyone else. He then crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket. "Eat," he repeated. "It''ll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me . . ." He strolled past Harry and disappeared into the corridor. "Are you sure you''re okay, Harry?" said Hermione, watching Harry anxiously. "I don''t get it. . . . What happened?" said Harry, wiping more sweat off his face. "Well- that thing- the dementor- stood there and looked around- and he spoke and then- and you- you-" Said Neville while stuttering, clearly disturbed. "I thought you were having a fit or something," said Ron, who still looked scared. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching-" "And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked toward the dementor, and pulled out his wand," said Hermione, "and he said, ''None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.'' And then the dementor just moved away..." "It was horrible," said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?" "I felt weird," said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "Like I''d never be cheerful again. . . ." Arthur, at this moment, gave a quick glance at Scarlett who was staring at him with a smug look that said ''I-told-you-So''. Arth sighed. It seemed he could no longer ignore his different reaction to the dementors when compared to normal people. Arth added the subject to his mental to-do list before turning around to face Ron. "You said that the dementor spoke, how did its voice sound like?" Ron gave an involuntary shiver before answering. "It was monotone, like a dead corpse trying to speak. It was as if he had no human emotions." Arth clicked his tongue. That''s Sebastian probably. Albert did say that Sebastian and William would be here. Sebastian was a quite child who couldn''t really explain his own emotions. He was like a caring older brother of the four. Basically a Kuudere. "But didn''t any of you ¡ª faint?" said Harry awkwardly. "No," said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again. "Ginny was shaking like mad, though..." Professor Lupin had come back. He paused as he entered, looked around, and said, with a small smile, "I haven''t poisoned that chocolate, you know..." After seeing Harry eat the chocolate, Professor Lupin smiled. "We''ll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Professor Lupin. "Are you all right, Harry?" "Yes..." Harry muttered. They didn''t talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville''s pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets. "Firs'' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Arth, Scarlett, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake. 105 Erm... Professor? "All righ'', you four?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them was shunting them away along the platform. Arth, Scarlett(Who once more became a snake), Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the school along the platform and out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, each pulled by thestrals. The coach smelled faintly of mold and straw. Harry looked better since the chocolate, but still seemed a bit pale. Ron kept looking at him sideways, as though frightened he might collapse again. As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Arth saw two more towering, hooded dementors, standing guard on either side. The air became slightly chilly as Arth narrowed his eyes at the dementors. It wasn''t one of the four he remembered. Alfred, William, Sebastian, And Dolorem must''ve been somewhere else. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Hermione was leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Hermione and Ron got out. As Harry And Arth(with Scarlett attached to his arm) stepped down, a drawling, delighted voice sounded in his ear. "You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?" Malfoy elbowed past Hermione to block Harry''s way up the stone steps to the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously. "Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron, whose jaw was clenched. "Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old dementor frighten you too, Weasley?" "Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage. Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the delapidated suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no ¡ª er ¡ª Professor," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle. Arth raised an eyebrow. "It seems that this new defense against the dark arts teacher will be better than our last." "Wasn''t that bloody obvious?" Said Ron with a snort. "Anything is better than Lockhart." "Oh be quiet and move along, you''re holding up the line Ron." said Hermione as she prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry. The five of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors. The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Arth followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! Kingscrown! I want to see you three!" Arth, Harry and Hermione turned around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd. She was a stern-looking witch who wore her hair in a tight bun; her sharp eyes were framed with square spectacles. Arth fought his way over to her with curiosity. For what reason would she call him over? "There''s no need to look so worried, I just want a quick word in my office," she told them while chuckling at Harry''s terrified face. "Move along there, Weasley." Arth shook Scarlet off who let out an angry hiss before begrudgingly transforming back into a human. Professor McGonagall let out a gasp of surprise. "An Animagus? At this age?" Scarlett tilted her head in confusion and turned her head towards Arth for clarification. Seeing this Arth sighed. "She is Scarlett, an Egle." Professor McGonagall recovered from her shock and glanced at Scarlett with a entranced gaze. "So she is the new third year student that was recently enrolled... how fascinating... an Egle... basically a natural born animagus... how fascinating..." "Um Professor?" "How much does she know about transfiguration I wonder..." "Professor?" "She needs to get sorted into her house..." "Professor? Can you hear me?" "I wonder which house... it must be slytherin considering she transformed into a snake... however her animal form doesn''t necessarily determine her house..." Arth sighed. "...Hermione, can you capture Professor McGonagall''s attention for me?" Hermione nodded. "Professor McGonagall?" "Yes? What was that Granger?" Hermione sent a glance at Arth before answering. "Should we get going?" "Ah, Yes. Pardon my moment of distraction... let''s move along then." Arth felt like crying. 106 Time Turners Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned Arth, Harry and Hermione to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter." Before Harry could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, came bustling in. Harry went red. "I''m fine," he said, "I don''t need anything-" "Oh, it''s you, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you''ve been doing something dangerous again?" "It was a dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall. They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly. "Setting dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Harry''s hair and feeling his forehead. "He won''t be the last one who collapses. Yes, he''s all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate ¡ª" "I''m not delicate!" said Harry crossly. "Of course you''re not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now taking his pulse. "What does he need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should he perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?" "I''m fine!" said Harry, jumping up. "Well, he should have some chocolate, at the very least," said Madam Pomfrey, who was now trying to peer into Harry''s eyes. "I''ve already had some," said Harry. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us." "Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we''ve finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?" "Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply. "Yes," said Harry. "Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger And Mister Kingscrown about their course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together." Harry quickly got up and left the room leaving the four of them alone in the office. Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses before speaking to the two of them. "Mister Kingscrown And Miss Granger. I''m sure that by now that you two are very curious why I have singled you out from the crowd, preventing you both from enjoying the feast." Arth raised an eyebrow while Hermione flinched. "It is a very simple matter, your schedules will be a bit different than the other students as both of you have signed up for more classes than possible... there is just simply not enough time." Hermione went pale. "That is why-" Professor McGonagall gave them a warm smile, "for my two most brilliant students, I have decided to...bend some rules." Professor McGonagall handed Hermione a small hourglass pendant. "This is a time turner, each time you turn the hourglass you will go back one hour in time." Arth gasped. "You got us a time turner! How did you even get them? Aren''t these heavily restricted by the ministry?" Professor McGonagall smiled. "Let''s day I had to write many letters and call some old favors. Anyways, I trust that the both of you will be responsible and use this solely to get to your classes. I do not want to hear a word of you two abusing it in anyway. Now lets go back to the feast shall we? Mr Potter is waiting." The four of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall. It was a sea of pointed black hats; each of the long House tables was lined with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles, which were floating over the tables in mid- air. Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three-legged stool out of the hall. "Oh," said Hermione softly, "we''ve missed the Sorting!" "I wonder which house Scarlett got sorted into?" Arth muttered. They sat down near Ron, who had saved them seats. "What was all that about?" he muttered to Harry. Arth started to explain in a whisper, but at that moment the headmaster stood up to speak, and he broke off. Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. He had several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose. He was often described as the greatest wizard of the age. "Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast." Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises ¡ª or even Invisibility Cloaks." Arth glanced at Harry and snickered. "Harry, I think he is talking about you." Harry in turn responded with a middle finger. 107 Scarlett Draco "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said. Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from them, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Arth nodded to Dumbledore''s words. Dementors were very unforgiving. Especially Sebastian. One time in Azkaban, a prisoner insulted Arth, and the very next moment, Sebastian grabbed the prisoner by the throat and almost performed a dementor''s kiss. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound. "On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Arth just clapped silently. "As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties." Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another, stunned. Then they joined in with the applause, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Harry leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was rubyred in the face and staring down at his enor- mous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard. "We should''ve known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?" Arth frowned. "I thought that the book was interesting... it''s an ingenious concept really." "Oh shut up you book worm. I don''t want to be tainted by your geekiness." "It would do you some well if some of Arth did rub off on you." Hermione said distastefully. "It would make you a little more bearable I suppose." Harry and Arth chuckled at the wronged look on Ron''s face. Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, and they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth. "Well, I think that''s everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!" The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Arthur, suddenly ravenous, helped himself to every turkey leg he could reach and began to eat. It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, how- ever, were eager for it to finish so that they could talk to Hagrid. They knew how much being made a teacher would mean to him. Hagrid wasn''t a fully qualified wizard; he had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year for a crime he had not committed. It had been them who had cleared Hagrid''s name last year. At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and they got their chance. "Congratulations, Hagrid!" Hermione squealed as they reached the teachers'' table. "All down ter you three," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as he looked up at them. "Can'' believe it . . . great man, Dumbledore... came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he''d had enough... It''s what I always wanted..." Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away. Arth had finally spotted Scarlett sitting alone at the Slytherin table and gave a smile. Just as expected. Arth went over to the slytherin table and sat right next to her, earning some hateful glares from the Slytherin''s. Arth ignored them. "Hey Scarlett, how are you doing?" Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I''m doing fine, I see that this is the famous turkey leg that you told me about. I have to say that they are quite good." Arth wore a smug look that said I-Told-You-So. Arth felt a hand tap on his shoulder and turned around. It was Draco Malfoy half glaring at Arth, half staring at Scarlett with a engrossed look. Draco snapped his focus back onto Arth and gave a snarl. "What are you doing here Arthur? Don''t you know it''s only pure bloods allowed? Who invited a filthy mudblood like you?" Arth raised an eyebrow. Draco was being especially toxic today. He glanced at Scarlett who was next to him and came to a realization that almost made him laugh. Draco has a thing for Scarlett. To be fair, Scarlett was a beautiful young girl and it would be surprising if no one was attracted to her but for Draco to be attracted to Scarlett? How laughable. Scarlet frowned and rugged on Arth''s arm. "What is a mudblood?" Draco, eager to impress, quickly responded before Arth could answer. "It''s a word used to describe the worst of wizards, a muggleborn mutant like him. Those who have impure blood, less magical talent than those with pure blood like ours." Arth snickered when he saw the frown on Scarlett''s face. "Is that so." She said. "Now may I ask who you are?" "I am Draco Malfoy, a pure blood wizard," He turned back to Arth with a disdainful smirk. "You''ll soon find out some wizards are much better than others. You don''t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Scarlett''s, but she didn''t take it. Arth sighed. He just had to use the same line he used in his first year. What an idiot. Scarlet turned around and faced Arth with a questioning gaze. "Can I slap this annoying person?" 108 Start of the third year "W-What?" Draco has a stunned look on his face and glanced back at Crabbe and Goyle as if wanting confirmation on what had just happened. Scarlett rolled her eyes again. "I said can I slap this annoying person." "S-surely you can''t be talking about me?" Scarlett frowned. "Who else would I talk about?" Malfoy started to stutter. "B-But I''m in Slytherin just like you." "So? What does the house we are in have anything to do with this? Why should I associate with an annoying person like you? Just because we are in the same house?" "Y-Yes, that''s how it is usually." Scarlett held her head up high. "Well I don''t care, I''m going to talk to the people I want and not talk to the people I don''t want to talk to." "B-But." "Shut up." Malfoy was silenced immediately while looking lost and confused. Shaking from trying to hold in his laughter, Arth got up and coughed. "Well, I''m going to go to my house, see you later Scarlett." "What?" Before Arth could go, Scarlett grabbed his sleeve, preventing him from going. "Where do you think you are going?" Arth raised an eyebrow. "I''m going to my dorm, why?" "Are you not going to stay with me?" "I can''t, we have different houses remember?" "What!" Scarlett looked stunned. "We have to be separated?" "Yes." Draco once more attempted to join in the conversation, but ultimately failed. "That''s right Scarlett, you belong with us-" "I have to be in the same place as this annoying guy?" "!!!" At this point, Arth was beginning to feel truly sorry for Draco. Draco''s feeling were being thrown around like an electron in an atom. "Erm... yes?" "I don''t want that. I''m going to change houses right now." "Scarlett, just go. You need to make new friends. Not every slytherin is Draco." "Not everyone in that house is as arrogant and annoying like him?" "Um... yeah." "Ok, I''ll give it a try." Draco was on the verge of tears. Arth hesitantly waves his hand. "...well, I''m going to go. Have fun." "Ok, bye Arth." As Arth left, he could see Scarlett immediately throwing Draco a disgusted look before moving away from him. A couple slytherin girls immediately started to flock her which made her frown. Arth sighed. "Was it a good idea to let Scarlett by herself? Oh well, I guess everything will solve itself eventually." Arth joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase, along more corridors, up more and more stairs, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower. A large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, "Password?" "Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password''s ''Fortuna Major''!" "Oh no," said Neville Longbottom sadly. He always had trouble remembering the passwords. Through the portrait hole and across the common room, the girls and boys divided toward their separate staircases. Arth climbed the spiral stair with until he reached his familiar, circular dormitory with its six four-poster beds. Arthur took out a book from out of his back and started to read. Immediately, Corvus came from somewhere and landed on top of his head. He let out a sharp caw before nesting on his hair. Soon, there was a loud ruckus and five boys came rushing in. It was Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, And Neville. Arth sighed. "Must you guys be so loud? I''m trying to read here." "Oh come on Arth, you read all the time, you can afford to put one down." "Yeah Arth. Come on." Arth sighed and took out his wand. He flicked it once and the book in his hand immediately flew away and organized itself. Arthur has gotten a new wand after what had happened last year when the slytherin quidditch team broke it. He pondered on whether or not to get a new wand but ultimately decided to get a new one after listening to Kingsley''s advice. Magic is easier to control with a wand. "What are y''all planning on doing? It better be worth it cause you guys are making me stop at a very interesting point in my book." "Just a card game or two... you want to join?" "Sure... what game?" "Blackjack." "...be prepared to lose." The six boys spent the rest of the night howling in laughter while playing card games in celebration for the start of a new year. 109 Full Schedules When Arth woke up the very next day, he felt something heavy on his arm. He glanced down and saw a very familiar scarlet color. It was Scarlett. Arth just yawned and got up like it was nothing. She must''ve snuck into his bed like usual. After a couple of months of this happening repeatedly, Arth reckoned it would be surprising if she didn''t. Arth shook Scarlett awake who answered in an almost incoherent manner. After a few more shakes, Scarlett had enough mental awareness to transform into a snake and crawl up onto his arm where she fell asleep once more. Arth chuckled. Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. As they passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter. "Ignore him," said Hermione, who was right behind Harry. "Just ignore him, it''s not worth it..." "Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooo!" Arth glanced at Malfoy and sighed. Although Draco was acting arrogant, Arth could see the hidden pain in his eyes. They dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George Weasley. "New third-year course schedules," said George, passing them over. "What''s up with you, Harry?" "Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on George''s other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table. George looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror again. "That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn''t so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn''t he, Fred?" "Nearly wet himself," said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy. "I wasn''t too happy myself," said George. "They''re horrible things, those dementors. . . ." "Sort of freeze your insides, don''t they?" said Fred. "You didn''t pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice. "Forget it, Harry," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he''d ever been, he came back all weak and shaking... They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there." Feed places a finger on his chin. "Now that you think about it, didn''t Arth stay there for about a week or so? How was it? Azkaban that is?" Arth shrugged. "It was bearable." Harry, Ron, And Hermione all have Arth a pitiful look before patting him on the back. "It''s alright mate, we understand. We won''t embarrass you in front of everybody." "Seriously, it was alright. The food was bad but that was solved." "It''s ok Arth. We understand. I thought that Azkaban was bad before but... after meeting with the dementors... it must''ve been terrible." Arth sighed. Why did no one ever listen to his words? "Anyway, we''ll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?" Hermione was examining her new schedule. "Ooh, good, we''re starting some new subjects today," she said happily. "Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they''ve messed up your schedule. Look ¡ª they''ve got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn''t enough time." "I''ll manage. I''ve fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." "But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o''clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o''clock, Muggle Studies. And-" Ron leaned closer to the schedule, disbelieving "-look! underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o''clock. I mean, I know you''re good, Hermione, but no one''s that good. How''re you supposed to be in three classes at once?" "Don''t be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won''t be in three classes at once." "Well, then ¡ª" "Pass the marmalade," said Hermione. "But ¡ª" "Oh, Ron, what''s it to you if my schedule''s a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I''ve fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." Still dissatisfied, Ron reaches for Arth''s schedule, but before he could, it disappeared. Ron glared at Arth. "Give me your schedule." "Don''t have it." "Don''t be silly, you have it. How else would you get to your classes?" Arth just smiled. "I already memorized it." Ron gave up. 110 The fat Knigh Hagrid entered the Great Hall wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absentmindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand. "All righ''?" he said eagerly, pausing on the way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs'' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five gettin'' everythin'' ready... Hope it''s okay... Me, a teacher... hones''ly..." He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat. "Wonder what he''s been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice. "Probably something interesting." Arth said with a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Well Hagrid''s And your definition of interesting is different from people like us." Ron said with a grumble. "We all remember what happened last time Hagrid said something was cute. A three headed dog, a dragon, and a giant talking spider." "Oh come on, the dragon was cute." "The dragon attempted to burn down Hagrid''s hit. And that''s not the point. The point is all of them had a potential risk to kill someone." The hall was starting to empty as people headed off toward their first lesson. Ron checked his course schedule. "We''d better go, look, Divination''s at the top of North Tower. It''ll take us ten minutes to get there..." They finished their breakfasts hastily, said goodbye to Fred and George, and walked back through the hall. As they passed the Slytherin table, Malfoy did yet another impression of a fainting fit. The shouts of laughter followed them into the entrance hall. The journey through the castle to North Tower was a long one. Two years at Hogwarts hadn''t taught them everything about the castle, and they had never been inside North Tower before. "There''s ¡ª got ¡ª to ¡ª be ¡ª a ¡ª shortcut," Ron panted as they climbed their seventh long staircase and emerged on an unfamiliar landing, where there was nothing but a large painting of a bare stretch of grass hanging on the stone wall. Arth let out a grin. "I know a short cut. Y''all want to take it?" "NO!" The last time arth said he had a shortcut, they ended up exciting out of a closet covered in dust. "Come on, I swear it will work this time. This one is slightly less random then the last one." "Never. We are already late, a few more won''t cause any harm." Harry was watching the painting. A fat, dapple-gray pony had just ambled onto the grass and was grazing nonchalantly. A moment later, a short, squat knight in a suit of armor clanked into the picture after his pony. By the look of the grass stains on his metal knees, he had just fallen off. "Aha!" he yelled, seeing them. "What villains are these, that trespass upon my private lands! Come to scorn at my fall, perchance? Draw, you knaves, you dogs!" They watched in astonishment as the little knight tugged his sword out of its scabbard and began brandishing it violently, hop- ping up and down in rage. But the sword was too long for him; a particularly wild swing made him overbalance, and he landed face- down in the grass. "Are you all right?" asked Hermione, moving closer to the picture. "Get back, you scurvy braggart! Back, you rogue!" The knight seized his sword again and used it to push himself back up, but the blade sank deeply into the grass and, though he pulled with all his might, he couldn''t get it out again. Finally, he had to flop back down onto the grass and push up his visor to mop his sweating face. "Listen," said Arthur, taking advantage of the knight''s exhaustion, "we''re looking for the North Tower. You don''t know the way, do you?" "A quest!" The knight''s rage seemed to vanish instantly. He clanked to his feet and shouted, "Come follow me, dear friends, and we shall find our goal, or else shall perish bravely in the charge!" He gave the sword another fruitless tug, tried and failed to mount the fat pony, gave up, and cried, "On foot then, good sirs and gentle lady! On! On!" And he ran, clanking loudly, into the left side of the frame and out of sight. Arth sighed. "Are y''all seriously going to trust this guy more than me? I''m pretty sure that my predictable random shortcut is more accurate that this Knight." "We don''t know that do we? Plus, we have nothing to lose anyway." "Fine." 111 Divination They hurried after him along the corridor, following the sound of his armor. Every now and then they spotted him running through a picture ahead. "Be of stout heart, the worst is yet to come!" yelled the knight, and they saw him reappear in front of an alarmed group of women in crinolines, whose picture hung on the wall of a narrow spiral staircase. Puffing loudly, the four of them climbed the tightly spiraling steps, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last they heard the murmur of voices above them and knew they had reached the classroom. "Farewell!" cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some sinister-looking monks. "Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!" "Yeah, we''ll call you," muttered Ron as the knight disappeared, "if we ever need someone mental." "What did I say," said Arth with a smug grin. "My shortcut of randomness would''ve have worked just as fine." "You are also mental." "The smartest and brightest of humans were all considered mental in their time." "What in the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" "This generation of people holds stupid people like you." "People call them NORMAL people." Arth smirked. "And normal people are stupid." Ron sighed in defeat. They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Ron nudged Arthur and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it. "''Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher,''" Harry read. "How''re we supposed to get up there?" Arth sighed. "Seriously? There is a trapdoor." As though to rub it in even more, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry''s feet. Arth shook his head and started to climb the ladder. "After you," said Ron, grinning, so Harry climbed the ladder first. "Wimp," Harry muttered before climbing. They emerged into the strangest-looking classroom he had ever seen. In fact, it didn''t look like a classroom at all, more like a cross between someone''s attic and an old fashioned tea shop. At least twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire that was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups. Ron appeared at Arth''s shoulder as the class assembled around them, all talking in whispers. "Where is she?" Ron said. A voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice. "Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last." Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings. Other than that, she looked plain. "Sit, my children, sit," she said, and they all climbed awkwardly into armchairs or sank onto poufs. Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat themselves around the same round table. "Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye." Nobody said anything to this extraordinary pronouncement. Professor Trelawney delicately rearranged her shawl and continued, "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field..." At these words, both Harry and Ron glanced, grinning, at Hermione and Arth, whom both heavily relied on books. "Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. "It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, who almost toppled off his pouf. "Is your grandmother well?" "I think so," said Neville tremulously. "I wouldn''t be so sure if I were you, dear," said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Neville gulped. Professor Trelawney continued placidly. "We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man." Parvati gave a startled look at Ron, who was right behind her, and edged her chair away from him. "In the second term," Professor Trelawney went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball ¡ª if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever." A very tense silence followed this pronouncement, but Professor Trelawney seemed unaware of it. "I wonder, dear," she said to Lavender Brown, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair, "if you could pass me the largest sil- ver teapot?" Lavender, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot from the shelf, and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney. "Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading ¡ª it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October." Lavender trembled. Professor Trelawney then faced the crowd and faced Arth. "Beware a clash of Scarlett, Gold, And Brown." Arth raised an eye. "Ok?" 112 The incorrect seer "Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, help- ing and instructing. Oh, and dear-" she caught Neville by the arm as he made to stand up. "-after you''ve broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I''m rather attached to the pink." Sure enough, Neville had no sooner reached the shelf of teacups when there was a tinkle of breaking china. Professor Trelawney swept over to him holding a dustpan and brush and said, "One of the blue ones, then, dear, if you wouldn''t mind . . . thank you. . . ." When Arth and Hermione had had their teacups filled, they went back to their table and tried to drink the scalding tea quickly. They swilled the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then drained the cups and swapped over. They both opened their books at pages five and six. "What can you see in mine?" Arth asked. "A bunch of soggy brown tea leaves," said Hermione. The heavily perfumed smoke in the room was making them feel sleepy and stupid. Hermione was visibly getting frustrated. "Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the gloom. Arth spoke in a soothing voice. "Hermione, it''s alright... calm down and let your imagination take over." "...you''ve got a shaky sort of three leaved clover. That means you''re going to have ''Happiness'' but there''s a thing that could be... a rock?" Professor Trelawney whirled around as Harry let out a snort of laughter to their right. They seemed to be laughing over the contents of their teacups. "Let me see that, my dear," she said reprovingly to Ron, sweeping over and snatching Harry''s cup from him. Everyone went quiet to watch. Professor Trelawney was staring into the teacup, rotating it counterclockwise. "The falcon... my dear, you have a deadly enemy." "But everyone knows that," said Hermione in a loud whisper. Professor Trelawney stared at her. "Well, they do," said Hermione. "Everybody knows about Harry and You-Know-Who." Arth stared at her with a mixture of amazement. He had never heard Hermione speak to a teacher like that before. Professor Trelawney chose not to reply. She lowered her huge eyes to Harry''s cup again and continued to turn it. "The club... an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup..." I thought that was a bowler hat," said Ron sheepishly. "The skull... danger in your path, my dear. . . ." Everyone was staring, transfixed, at Professor Trelawney, who gave the cup a final turn, gasped, and then screamed. There was another tinkle of breaking china; Neville had smashed his second cup. Professor Trelawney sank into a vacant armchair, her glittering hand at her heart and her eyes closed. "My dear boy... my poor, dear boy... no... it is kinder not to say... no... don''t ask me..." Arth frowned. "What is it? Is Harry going to die or something?" "My dear," Professor Trelawney''s huge eyes opened dramatically, "you have the Grim." "The what?" said Harry. "The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried Professor Trelawney, who looked shocked that Harry hadn''t understood. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen ¡ª the worst omen ¡ª of death!" Everyone was looking at Harry, everyone except Arth and Hermione, who had gotten up and moved around to the back of Professor Trelawney''s chair. "I don''t think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly. Arth raised an eyebrow. "I mean it does look like a dog, but this little part over here throws me off more... I could be a... wolf? And then this bit looks like an arrow so maybe it means that there is danger... but it will come to pass?" "Is that so? Show me quickly boy." Arth showed her the cup and Professor Trelawney let out a sigh of relief. "It is true, the boy is correct. Indeed, what I mistook to be the grim is indeed a wolf... it seems that my inner eye was wrong... however it does not matter. As I said in the beginning of the class... this will be one of the most unpredictable classes that you will ever take." Professor Trelawney closes her eyes. "I think we will leave the lesson here for today," said Professor Trelawney in her mistiest voice. "Yes... please pack away your things..." The four of them quickly packed their thing and went down the ladder. Ron slapped Arth in the back. "Well dome mate, you did a bloody great job it making all of that up." "But I didn''t," Arth said with a frown. "I was giving my actual input on what I saw." Ron smirked. "Oh come on, all of that was BS. If not tell me what you saw in mine." Arth raised an eyebrow. "You have nothing to worry while on the stairs." Ron smirked. "I guess that I can run down the stairs then-" Ron slipped and rolled down the stairs with a loud help of pain. Hermione sighed. "When will That idiot learn?" Arth frowned again. "I was actually predicting his future though?" "..." "..." "HELP ME! SOMEONE STOP ME PLEASE! AH FIRST YEARS MIVE AWAY!" 113 Tea Leaves and Cards Arth patted Harry on the shoulder. "You should go and see if Ron is ok, from the sound of it-" Arth cupped his hands to his ears as if trying to listen better, "-it seems like Ron might be a tad bit... injured." Harry nodded before rushing down the stairs at a pace that would allow Harry to be careful, yet go down at a fast pace. Arth waited until Harry disappeared down the stairs before pulling Hermione to the side. Hermione blushed. "W-What are you doing?" Arth slowly slid his hands over Hermione''s shoulders as if trying to feel something. Hermione let out a slight whimper that had a mixture of surprise and expectancy. Arth finally felt the thing he was looking for and let out a grin. "There we go." "W-What?" Arth pulled out the time turner hanging on from Hermione''s neck and smiled. "Let''s go back in time shall we? I''m curious on how it feels to turn back time." "..." Looking a bit disgruntled, Hermione slapped Arth''s hand away and held the time turner in her hand. "...one turn should do it right?" Arth frowned. "Make it two, we don''t want to be late to our first class of Arithmancy." Hermione spun the delicate hourglass on the chain two turns and Arth had the sensation that he was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding. And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again. "...wow. That was amazing!" Arth took a glance at the gleaming time turner with a amazed look. Hermione glances at the clock. "Let''s go to our next class shall we?" Arithmancy was honestly a very interesting class. The idea that numbers held magical properties and could aid in predicting the future was an eye opener for Arth. It was a lot less based on prediction and guesswork and more mathematical and logical. The Professor of Arithmancy, Septima Vector, showed them a few demonstrations where she brought out a deck of cards and calculated everyone''s personality based on their names alone. And surprisingly, most of them were spot on. Hermione enjoyed the class and had a question every few minutes to which Professor Vector would answer with a smile. After the classes ended, Hermione and Arth set off for Professor McGonagall''s Transfiguration lesson. Arth chose a seat right at the front of the room, waiting for Professor McGonagall to start teaching. He listened to what Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi (wizards who could transform at will into animals), and clapped it a very enthusiastic manner when she transformed herself in front of their eyes into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes. However, Arth quickly realized that he was the only one clapping. "Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that''s the first time my transformation didn''t receive an applause from a class." Arth sadly put down his hands that were rhythmically clapping. Then Hermione raised her hand. "Please, Professor, we''ve just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and ¡ª" "Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?" Everyone stared at her. "Me," said Harry, finally. "I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues ¡ª" Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney ¡ª" She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don''t let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in." Arth sighed. They had already discussed that what Harry had seen wasn''t a death omen so why was everyone still caught up in it? ...was he that hard to notice? Not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried. When the Transfiguration class had finished, they joined the crowd thundering toward the Great Hall for lunch. "Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said." Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn''t start. "Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "you haven''t seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?" "Yeah, I have," said Harry. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys''." Ron let his fork fall with a clatter and Arth frowned. "Huh... I guess what I saw in the cup really was a grim..." "It was probably just a stray," said Hermione calmly. Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad. "Hermione, if Harry''s seen a Grim, that''s ¡ª that''s bad. My ¡ª my uncle Bilius saw one and ¡ª and he died twenty-four hours later!" "Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice. "You don''t know what you''re talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!" "There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim''s not an omen, it''s the cause of death! And Harry''s still with us because he''s not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I''d better kick the bucket then!" Arth chuckled. "If I was scared of every big black dog I saw on the street, I would''ve been dead by now. You know how many labradors there are in Britain?" Ron mouthed wordlessly at Arth and Hermione who opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug. "I think Divination seems very woolly," she said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me." "There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly. "You didn''t seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," said Hermione coolly. Arth sighed and gave a tired look towards Harry who looked back with an equally tired look. "Can we not fight over our own opinions?" "You are just angry at the fact that you aren''t good at divination." "Ron, please listen to me and shut up." "I-if you were better at it, then you wouldn''t think it was stupid!" Ron had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere. "If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I''m not sure I''ll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!" "Hermione, calm down. Let''s be logical-" She snatched up her bag and stalked away. Ron frowned after her. "What''s she talking about?" he said to Harry. "She hasn''t been to an Arithmancy class yet." Arth sighed. "Why does nobody listen to me..." 114 Hippogriffs The sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first ever Care of Magical Creatures class. Ron and Hermione weren''t speaking to each other. Harry and Arth walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid''s hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that he real- ized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. If the Slytherins were here then that would mean Scarlett was here as well. Sure enough, Arth felt a tug on his arm and saw that Scarlett was grabbing it. Malfoy glared at Arth before sulking off. Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start. "C''mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin'' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!" Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there. "Everyone gather ''round the fence here!" he called. "That''s it ¡ª make sure yeh can see ¡ª now, firs'' thing yeh''ll want ter do is open yer books ¡ª" "How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. "Eh?" said Hagrid. "How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Harry, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them in- side tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips. "Hasn'' ¡ª hasn'' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen. Scarlett let out a snort of contempt. "What an idiot. All you have to do is stroke the books. Arth figured it out the moment he got it. I wonder why some people are arrogant even when they are much inferior to others?" "Scarlett, that''s because everyone is different." Malfoy went red again before sending another glare at Arth. "Righ'' then," said Hagrid, "now that yer can open yer books, all you need are yer magical creatures. I''ll go get em." He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight. "God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father''ll have a fit when I tell him ¡ª" "Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated. "Careful, Potter, there''s a dementor behind you ¡ª" "Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock. Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most fascinating creatures Arth had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly or- ange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures. "Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence. "Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau''iful, aren'' they?" Arthur was in love with the hippogriffs'' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black. "So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan'' ter come a bit nearer ¡ª" Before Hagrid could finish, Arth ran into crowd of Hippogriffs. "Er... Arth?" "Don''t mind me go ahead with the lesson." "Er... ok," Hagrid looked confused. "Now, firs'' thing yeh gotta know abou'' hippogriffs is, they''re proud. Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don''t never insult one, ''cause it might be the last thing yeh do." Everyone was too occupied with Arth to pay attention though. "Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs'' move," Hagrid continued. "It''s polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an'' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh''re allowed ter touch him. If he doesn'' bow, then get away from him sharpish, ''cause those talons hurt-" Lavender screamed and Hagrid turned around immediately. A hippogriff had Arth by the scruff and was attempting to fly away with him. "BUCKBEAK!" However, before BUCKBEAK could take off, the other hippogriffs started to fight him. From somewhere within the flurry of feathers, Arth''s voice could be heard. "Is this what it feels like the be fought over?" 115 Buckbeak In the end, the hippogriffs called Buckbeak reigned supreme and held Arth in its mouth with undeniable arrogance in its eyes. It then did something that resembled the nesting that bird would do to their eggs. From underneath the hippogriff, a somewhat excited and suffocating voice of Arth was barely heard. "It seems at though these hippogriffs have just ended their mating season as they seem to have very strong parental instincts currently. Ahhh... it''s pretty comfortable here... so... warm..." Hagrid seemed to be very confused on what to do. "Er... Buckbeak. Get off him." Buckbeak let out a reluctant squawk before begrudgingly standing up. Arth slowly got out from underneath the hippogriff with a dreamy expression. "That was amazing... wow." Hagrid gave a satisfied grunt. "Told yer that they were amazing creatures." Hermione scowled. "Why the hell did you even run into the crowd of hippogriffs like that? Do you know how dangerous that was?" Arth just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I was just listening to Hagrid by getting closer. I just didn''t expect them to swarm me the moment I got close though." Arth leant in clasper so only Hermione, Harry, and Ron could hear. "Plus, I''m a Nature Animagus, I won''t be killed by animals for sure." Harry nodded. "That''s true... we all remember what happened at the dueling club last year." Arth shuddered. "That was a bit too much." "Right, now that we''ve seen what hippogriffs do, who wants ter go second?" Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione had misgivings. Although Arth didn''t get hurt from the fierce battle for Arth, it portrayed the hippogriffs as fierce and powerful. "No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look. "They won''t kill you, at least, if you don''t insult them." Said Arth trying his best to sound helpful. "I''ll do it," said Harry. There was an intake of breath from behind him, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered, "Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!" "Oh my god, shut up. We already established that Harry isn''t going to die." Said Arth in an exasperated voice. However, he was ignored. Harry climbed over the paddock fence. "Good man, Harry!" roared Hagrid. "Right then ¡ª let''s see how yeh get on with Buckbeak." It was the alpha male hippogriff. Also the most violent. "Easy, now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh''ve got eye contact, now try not ter blink... Hippogriffs don'' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..." Harry went sort of rigid as the hippogriff stared into Harry''s eye. "Tha''s it," said Hagrid. "Tha''s it, Harry... now, bow..." Harry bowed, however, the hippogriff didn''t. "Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right ¡ª back away, now, Harry, easy does it ¡ª" But then the hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow. "Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right ¡ª yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!" Harry moved slowly toward the hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it. The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed. "Righ'' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he might'' let yeh ride him!" "Errr... What?" "Yeh climb up there, jus'' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an'' mind yeh don'' pull any of his feathers out, he won'' like that..." "Wait abut Hagrid. Wait a moment-" "Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the hippogriff''s hindquarters. Without warning, Harry and Buckbeak flew off into the sky. Arth watched on jealously. "...I want to do that too..." 116 Idio "Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?" Emboldened by Harry''s success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn''t seem to want to bend its knees. Ron and Hermione practiced on the chestnut, while Harry and Arth watched. Arth held in his laughter as Hagrid went over to Neville in an attempt to help Neville with his hippogriff. On the opposite side, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful. "This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Arth to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it... I bet you''re not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?" Before Arth could even think, his body moved. It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high pitched scream and Arth ran into the the mix and tackled Malfoy away from the hippogriff. However, Arth did not get away Scott free. Arth felt a scorching pain on the left side of his face and winced. He was unable to open his eyes and realized that a hot red burning liquid was dripping down onto the floor. Buckbeak seemed to understand what it had done and immediately calmed down with a nervous and worried caw. Malfoy lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes and Arth, standing unsteadily with blood dripping down his face. "I''m dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I''m dying, look at me! It''s killed me!" "Yer not dead!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me ¡ª gotta get him outta here ¡ª" "Help!" "Someone please shut his fucking mouth," Said Arth with a growl. "Fucking idiotic prick thinks it''s alright to insult a hippogriff. Fuck." Scarlett was the first person to rush towards Arth. She got out a handkerchief and attempted to stop the blood. Arth winced. "Don''t. It hurts." Scarlett put her hands down hesitantly. Arth weakly chuckled. "I should''ve done a shield spell first. What the fuck was I thinking?" "Calm down Arth..." Arth sighed. "Sorry Scarlett, I''ll calm down." Hermione ran to hold open the gate before running back to Arth to help Scarlett carry Arth, Who was about to collapse from the pain. Hagrid picked up Malfoy easily and carried him to the hospital wing with Arth, Hermione, and Scarlett in tow. Arth started to weakly chuckle again. "Hahaha, I''m bleeding... those talons are sharp." "Arth..." "Did you see it? Just a slash and then I have three long gashes on my face. absolutely fascinating creatures." "..." "I feel a little lightheaded... I reckon I''m losing too much blood. If it isn''t too much to ask, can you two girls to move a little faster?" Their pace quickened and eventually reached the hospital wing. There, a very angry Madam Pomfrey was going wild. she was yelling angrily while bandaging Arth''s face. "WHAT IS THIS? A MUTILATED FACE? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE STUDENTS HAGRID AS A TEACHER!" Arth did another chuckle. "Not his fault Madam Pomfrey... that blonde idiot was being an idiot... he disobeyed Hagrid... and intentionally attempted to cause trouble... I got hurt from trying to save his sorry ass." Hermione started to cry while Scarlett was glaring at Malfoy with a murderous glare. Madam Pomfrey but her lip. "I...I guess if that is the case... it isn''t Hagrid''s fault in any way... cheer up Hagrid... And you boy Arthur.... here... take some pain relief medication." Arth are the medication and immediately felt very sleepy. Hagrid was oddly silent. He had to reassure him. Arth did his best to turn his head around to face Hagrid. "It''s... not your... fault? Hagrid... I... loved... your... class..." The last thing Arthur heard was the words from Madam Pomfrey''s mouth. "Eyes... they are one of the most delicate organs of the human... can I fix it? I do not know." 117 Malfoy’s Arrogance "Uhhhhhg." "Shut up." "Itttttt hurts..." "Can you please shut up?" "Myyyy arm-" "I lost an eye! Just shut the hell up!" "M-my-" "Madam Pomfrey, Malfoy is whining again." A strict looking witch came out of the office and frowned. "This boy, I''ve already healed your arm so hurry up and get out! You are disturbing the other boy who needs more care than you!" "B-But my arm-" Madam Pomfrey''s face became cold. "Your arm is in perfectly good condition. if you insist that my skills are not enough to fix your arm then you can go write to your father to take you to St. Mungo''s. Otherwise, be a man and stop whining about a pain that doesn''t exist." Malfoy went silent. Madam Pomfrey sighed before turning to face Arth. "I''m sorry boy that I couldn''t heal your eyes. I truly am." Arth just smiled it off. "It''s ok. You did the best you could do. I''m fine with how I am right now. At least I''m not bleeding to death." Madam Pomfrey bit her lip. "At least take this eyepatch, it''ll make you look cooler." Arthur shrugged and took the eyepatch. "It''s temporary right?" "Yes, although I have patched up the cuts on your face and eye, the function of your left eye is still very poor. You see, I am ill prepared for treating something as complicated as an eye." "Ehh... So I''m half blind?" "For now, however, we have many solutions to this. We can try our best to repair your old eye or we can get you a new one. The best example of someone getting a new eye is a man called Mad-Eye Moody." "Err... I''ll think about it." "Be sure to dear. Have a good day." "Have a good day to you Madam Pomfrey. Oi, Malfoy, get up. We''re leaving." Malfoy got up reluctantly before heading out of the hospital wing with Arth right behind him. Arth put his finger to his chin deep in thought. It was a Thursday, and right now the Slytherins and Gryffindors were probably halfway through double Potions. Arth grabbed Malfoy, Who was attempting to sneak off. "We have potions together, let''s go and head off to Professor Snape''s class." Malfoy sneered. "Why do I have to listen to you? Filthy mudblood." Arth sighed. "I really wonder why I saved you. I''m starting to regret losing an eye." "No one asked you to play hero." "Thanks to me being a here, you can stand here alive." Malfoy snorted. They entered the dungeon to potions class and Malfoy immediately put on a swagger acting as though he was the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle. What an idiot. "How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?" "Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Arth saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away. Malfoy also sent a hopeful look at Scarlett, who effectively gave him a cold glare in return. "Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly. Arth stared at the board. They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy and Arth set up their cauldrons right next to Harry and Ron. "Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I''ll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm ¡ª" "Your arms are perfectly fine." Said Arth while rolling his eyes. But he was once again ignored. "Weasley, cut up Malfoy''s roots for him," said Snape without looking up. Ron went brick red. "There''s nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy. Malfoy smirked across the table. "Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots." Ron seized his knife, pulled Malfoy''s roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes. seeing this Arth sighed. Ron was being an idiot as always. "Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley''s mutilating my roots, sir." Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair. "Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley." "But, sir ¡ª !" Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces. "Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice. Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again. "You shouldn''t have done that Ron." Said Arth with a sympathetic look. "...shut up." "And, sir, I''ll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter. 118 Snape and Arth "Potter, you can skin Malfoy''s shrivelfig," said Snape. Harry took Malfoy''s shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever. "Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them. "None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up. "I''m afraid he won''t be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father''s not very happy about my injury ¡ª" "Keep talking, Malfoy, and I''ll give you a real injury," snarled Ron. "¡ª he''s complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father''s got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" ¡ª he gave a huge, fake sigh ¡ª "who knows if my arm''ll ever be the same again?" "For Merlin''s sake. Shut the hell up. Your arm is perfectly fine, but if you complain about how it''s "broken" I''m going to break it." Arth said while squinting his eye. "If you do, you''ll be expelled." Said Malfoy with a smug look. "Then I''ll make sure to get your other limbs while I''m at it." Arth said emotionlessly. "Better make my expulsion worth it." Malfoy started to look a little less confidant. "... You wouldn''t dare Kingscrown." "How do you know I wouldn''t dare? Would you like to test it out?" Malfoy scowled before sulking off Back to his group of Slytherins. Scarlett immediately left the table and took the seat that malfoy was sitting. "Are you ok?" She said with a worried look. Arth shrugged. "I''m fine. If rather be expelled than make a big deal out of it like Malfoy." Scarlett snorted. "He is an idiot. Who would like him?" Malfoy''s wars went red and Malfoy started to quiet down and act less arrogant. A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and his great fear of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned. "Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing it to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn''t you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn''t I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?" Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears. "Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right ¡ª" "I don''t remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly." Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear. "Help me!" he moaned to Hermione. Ron gave a dirty look towards Snape''s back before turning around to speak. "Little git isn''t he Harry, I wonder what he has against Gryffindors?" Said Ron while glaring at Snape. "Although he does have some slight bias towards Slytherin, I wouldn''t say he was a git." Said Arth. "Maybe a little tyrannical." "A little? That''s a bloody understatement," said Ron looking annoyed. "Because of Snape, Trevor the toad is going to die." "You don''t know that." "Yes I do. I hate to say it but considering how much Neville is trembling, I don''t think he is making a shrinking potion." Arth made a quick glance at Neville who was indeed looking as though he was going through an earthquake. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn''t see. "... let me check the future." Arth took out a tea cup, an empty caldron, and some tea leaves from his bag and started to boil some water. "Are you seriously making tea? In the middle of potions class?" Asked Harry with a disbelieving gaze. Arth rolled his eyes. "What''s the harm? I''m already finished with marking my potion." "You do realize that tea leaves are bogus?" "You never know until you try." "You realize that you are horrible at prediction? I fell down the stairs last time when you said it was ok." "...that was an accident, I must''ve read it wrong." Ron gave a smug look. "Then go ahead and look at it, prove that you can predict." While Harry and Ron were busy with their potions, Arth slowly made his tea. Professor Snape came by with a frown. "Do you think my class is a refreshment center Kingscrown?" "No. It''s potions class." "Then why are you making tea in my class? Do I look stupid to you? Do you think I cannot differentiate tea from a shrinking potion?" This earned a few sniggers from the other students, including Ron. "I''ve already finished my potion, so why can''t I make tea Professor?" Snape had on a look of surprise. "You have already finished? How?" Arth poured some of the boiling water into the teacup filled with tea leaves before answering. "I stirred the potion three times counterclockwise after adding the rat spleen then added Essence of Statera to speed up the process without ruining the potion." Snape stared at Arth with a complicated look before turning a round with a swish. "Ten points to Gryffindor." Ron looked as though the world had just ended. 119 Four figures Arth finally finished drinking his tea and looked at the dregs that sat at the bottom of the cup looking quite pitiful. "Er... if I''m reading this correct, that means that a toad will die." Ron gave a wide smile. "That means Trevor won''t die, cause you never get any predictions right." Arth frowned. "What do you mean? I only failed that one time." "Your stairway of randomness was it? Forget about that?" "... fine. Be like that. We''ll see." "Hey, Harry," said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry''s brass scales, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning ¡ª they reckon Sirius Black''s been sighted." "Where?" said Arth, Harry and Ron quickly. "Not too far from here," said Seamus, who looked excited. "It was a Muggle who saw him. ''Course, she didn''t really understand. The Muggles think he''s just an ordinary criminal, don''t they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone." "Not too far from here . . . ," Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. "What? You think I''m going to chase after Black?" "Nah, just worried he''s coming after you mate." "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we''ll test Longbottom''s. . . ." Snape called. Harry and Ron quickly packed away their unused ingredients and went to wash their hands and ladles in the stone basin in the corner. Arth just silently watched everything unfold. Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron. "Everyone gather ''round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom''s toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don''t doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." Arth watched on with a solemn look while the Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville''s potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor''s throat. There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape''s palm. The Gryffindors burst into applause and Arth felt slightly disappointed that his predictions were yet again wrong. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown. "Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed." Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the steps to the entrance hall. Arth pulled Hermione away from Ron and Harry before going back through time two hours. "See you Hermione." "See you Arth." Hermione had muggle studies this period which Arth had decided not to take considering the fact that he probably knew more about muggles than the teacher herself. So he decided that he would just use the extra two hours as free time. Arth began to realize that time turners did not help with hunger. He had two hours until lunch. He walked around until he reached the tallest tower. There he stared into the blue sky before snapping his fingers. Immediately, four black figures warped into existence right behind him. Arth raised an eyebrow. "How is it that each time I see you, you seem to become more like wizards?" The closest figure replied instantly. "It is because of you my Prince. You mighty power influences us in ways unimagined." Arth gave a laugh. "Stop over exaggerating Alfred and give me a report of how the search for Black is going." This time, the figure to the left spoke. "It is not going well my Prince. Black has been meticulous with his appearance and his escape routes. By the time we get information on where he was sighted, he is already gone." Arth sighed. "How did he even escape in the first place?" The third figure angrily gestures to the sky. "It was because of those idiotic inferior beings my Prince. Those mindless Dementors can''t even do a simple thing as keeping a prisoner inside a prison cell. We should''ve been more careful with the selection of guards." "Ahahaha, calm down William. I''m pretty sure that it''s only you four who are special." "It doesn''t matter. We had so many possible ways to prevent this whole black escapade from happening. But we didn''t. We have shamed your name my Prince." Arth sighed. "You think too much William. Be more like Sebastian." The second figure spoke with a cold monotone voice. "...Thank you my lord." "I refuse to become like this socially awkward idiot. I refuse. It belittles my intelligence." Arth sighed. "Well, if that''s all then you all can leave." "Yes my Prince." Arth watched as the four figures warped out of existence with a complicated look. "...How exactly did Sirius Black escape?" 120 First DADA Arth waited behind the wall as He, Harry, Ron and Hermione exited the potions classroom. The moment Arth saw that his past self and Hermione disappear, Arth quickly ran in to take his place. "Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn''t you lie, Hermione? You should''ve said Neville did it all by himself!" Ron looked around. "Where is she?" Arth froze. Where was Hermione? "She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning. "Er, she had do go back to get something she left behind. She told me before leaving." "Oh, ok." Said Ron losing interest immediately. "There she is," said Harry. Hermione was panting slightly, hurrying up the stairs; one hand clutched her bag, the other seemed to be tucking something down the front of her robes. "Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked her. "What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh. I had to go back for something. Oh no-" A seam had split on Hermione''s bag. "Just my luck." Hermione said while groaning. "Here, I''ll fix it, repario." The bag magically mended itself. "Thanks Arthur." "You know it would be easier on you if you didn''t carry everything all the time?" Said Ron with a confused look. "You know how many subjects I''m taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "I don''t actually." "Well, I hope there''s something good for lunch, I''m starving," she said, and she marched off toward the Great Hall. "D''you get the feeling Hermione''s not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry and Arth Arth just shook his head while sweating on the inside. "...maybe she is having her period?" "Was that?" Arth started to pity Ron''s future girlfriend. After eating lunch, they went up to the defense against the dark arts class. Professor Lupin wasn''t there when they arrived at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. "Time to start the annual defense against the dark arts teacher grading process," Arth muttered to himself. "Let''s hope this one is better the the last." Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher''s desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals. "Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today''s will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands." Arth raised an eyebrow before complying. "Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you''d follow me." Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum. Peeves didn''t look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song. "Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin ¡ª" "I''d take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won''t be able to get in to his brooms." Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a master in the arts of cleaning and stalking. A very respectable figure in Arth''s eyes. Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin''s words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry. Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand. "This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely." He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves. With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves''s left nostril; he whirled up- right and zoomed away, cursing. Arth started to clap. "Excellent, sir!" "Thank you, Arthur," said Professor Lupin, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?" They set off again, the class looking at shabby Professor Lupin with increased respect. He led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door. "Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back. The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty except for one teacher. Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I''d rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one''s warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear." Arth sighed. It was sad, but it was the truth, unless they were in herbology. Professor Lupin had raised his eyebrows. "I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably." Neville''s face went, if possible, even redder. Snape''s lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap. Arth couldn''t help but glance at Trevor who was sitting comfortably in Neville''s arm. "...you reckon that Trevor is going to die in this class?" 121 The Boggart in the Close "Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but the old wardrobe where Arth appeared out of once during his expeditions on the staircase of randomness. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall. "Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There''s a boggart in there." Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively. "Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks. I''ve even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?" Arth and Hermione put up their hands. "Yes Hermione?" "It''s a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most." "Couldn''t have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed while Arth clicked his tongue. "So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. "This means," said Professor Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville''s small sputter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?" "Er ¡ª because there are so many of us, it won''t know what shape it should be?" "Precisely," said Professor Lupin. "It''s always best to have company when you''re dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake ¡ª tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not as remotely frightening." "The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing." Arth had a sudden thought. What if what you feared was the true identity of a boggart? What would happen? "We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please . . . riddikulus!" "Riddikulus!" said the class together. On second thought, it probably wouldn''t work. The boggart would just appear as what we imagined the true image of the boggart to be. "Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I''m afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville." The wardrobe shook again, though not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he were heading for the gallows... or maybe a therapist. Maybe... what if you video recorded a boggart in an enclosed space? Since the camera has no sense of fear, it could capture the true identity of a boggart. However, electrical devices wouldn''t work in the magical grounds of Hogwarts. Arth made a mental note to research on how to make a magical video recording device. "Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?" Neville''s lips moved, but no noise came out. "Didn''t catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully. Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape." Arth gave a barely audible snort. Why would anyone fear Professor Snape? It was like fearing a dragon, who would be afraid of such fascinating beasts? Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful. "Professor Snape . . . hmmm . . . Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?" "Er ¡ª yes," said Neville nervously. "But ¡ª I don''t want the boggart to turn into her either." "No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?" Neville looked startled, but said, "Well . . . always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress . . . green, normally . . . and sometimes a fox-fur scarf." "And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin. "A big red one," said Neville. "Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind''s eye?" "Yes," said Neville uncertainly, plainly wondering what was coming next. "When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand ¡ª thus ¡ª and cry ''Riddikulus'' ¡ª and concentrate hard on your grandmother''s clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag." Arth frowned. He didn''t think that the sight of Professor Snape in a dress would be pleasing, none the less funny. Plus, once Professor Snape got a word of it, Neville would experience hell. "If Neville is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..." "Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin. "Neville, we''re going to back away. Let you have a clear field, all right? I''ll call the next person for- ward... Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot ¡ª" They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready. "On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One ¡ª two ¡ª three ¡ª" 122 The Thing He Feared the Mos Before Professor Lupin''s wand touched the doorknob, the wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville. Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes. "R ¡ª r ¡ª riddikulus!" squeaked Neville. There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag. Arth was then reminded of the ability of a boggart. The ability to turn into the one thing, the one sight, the one concept that brought the most dread and fear possible from a person. There was a roar of laughter; the boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!" Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a blood-stained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising ¡ª What did Arth fear the most? Why did he feel a bad promotion? "Riddikulus!" cried Parvati. A bandage unraveled at the mummy''s feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off. What did Arth dread? What was it that he so desperately wanted to avoid? "Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin. Seamus darted past Parvati. Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face ¡ª a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek. What made Arth feel as though he was in the darkest chamber all alone with no one to rely on? What made him feel encased? Trapped? "Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus. The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone. Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then ¡ª crack! ¡ª became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before ¡ª crack! ¡ª becoming a single, bloody eyeball. What made Arth feel as though death was better than life? What made him feel as though the slaughtered had it easy? "It''s confused!" shouted Lupin. "We''re getting there! Dean!" Dean hurried forward. What was it that Arth never wanted to see again? What was it that chased Arth through the darkest of nights? Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab. What was it Arth hated to his very bone? To his very muscle? To his very cell? "Riddikulus!" yelled Dean. What was it that Arth refused to accept? The thing that no matter how many times he saw the scene, he could never forgive? There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap. "Excellent! Ron, you next!" Ron leapt forward. Crack! Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menac- ingly. What was it that Arth could never forget? The thing that Arth could never fix? "Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider''s legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry''s feet. "Show us what you got Harry!" The spider morphed into a dementor and slowly glided towards Harry with a rasping breath. What was it that Arth desired the most? What was it that Arth couldn''t gain? "Riddikulus." The black cloak fell off the dementor revealing a weak and frail old man with a big white diaper. "Forward, Arth, and finish him off!" What was it that Arth was about to see? Arth paled. "No, sir, I-I really don''t want to- I-I think that-" But before Arth could stop anything, a pained voice from a female resounded from the spot where the old man used to be. "Arthur..." An inky black smog replaced the old man and hovered in front of the class, still like a tree yet illusionary like the mist. Arth held his breath. He felt as though he was choking on bile that was threatening to revolt. A pale white hand emerged from the black smoke. Sweat started to form and slide down his face and his face became whiter than before, whiter than a sun bleached skull left out in a scorching hot desert. "... I''m sorry." He felt as though someone was burning him alive, yet stabbed him in the chest with an ice cold icicle. Arth started to have trouble breathing as he heavily gasped for air while clutching his heart. He knew the voice. He grew up hearing it for half of his life. He heard it in his nightmares and dreams so many times that he could never forget it. "...hide." The hand fell to the floor with a soft thud. A beautiful crimson red started to paint the wooden floors slowly. "...run." Arth wanted to run away yet he couldn''t, he sat there watching the red covered hand with a wide eye. Arth felt a burning pain in his left eye yet he could not do anything but sit still and watch. "...good bye. And I-" The whole room then exploded into a inky darkness and no one could see nor speak. Then the screaming began. 123 Another poll Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 124 First of the Four Well a majority of people want an extra chapter so here it is. Plus I get a break tmw Y''all are going to hate me lol. Enjoy /¡ª¡ª/ In the beginning, everything was darkness. Darkness and despair. No sense of consciousness, no sense touch. He just existed. He. It was such a foreign word, something Alfred could never have though would be used to describe him. And it was all because of him. The prince. His lord. Alfred could remember the first day he was born into the world. It was nothing spectacular, nothing heart moving like the tales his Master would tell him. He just did not exist in one moment and existed in the next. He had no father or Mother like his master. He only had an instinct to feed. Alfred could barely remember the old days before he had met his master. Everything was in different shades of black and white, all he desired was the glowing white orb inside of humans. He would later realize that this was referred to as the soul. The core of the body, the essence of life. And the part that made it delicate was called joy, Happiness, everything that had a relation to positivity. Alfred recalled the first time he had met his master. It started out normal. He was floating around looking for anything to feast on when he saw him. An orb blindingly glaring into his eyes. It took him a second to understand what was happening. Just what was this orb that seemingly wanted to burn out his sight? It was something entirely new to him. However, even though it was something of the unknown, something inside of him felt unnaturally drawn towards it. There was a feeling of hunger and desire, he wished to feast on the soul, and yet at the same time, he couldn''t understand why it was so different. He simply could not forcefully feed on his master. He couldn''t. Later on, he realized that the reason why he was incapable of feasting on his master''s happiness and joy was because his master simply had none. None what''s so ever. Although his master''s soul shone with the most tempting colors, there was nothing he could actually do to satisfy his thirst. There was despair, regret, fear, rejection, anger, self loathing, and truth. But no happiness, no joy. There would be moments where his master would release short fits of positivity, however, it would quickly be drowned by the pain existing within his master''s soul. Alfred was still unable to think through it all, it was only in after thought did Alfred piece everything together. That his master was in a constant state of suffering. Alfred would have never known. His master hid it well, in fact, his master seemed as though he was enjoying every moment of his life, an innocent child. In the end it was all a farce. The first time he felt a sense of self, a sense of being alive and thinking, was the day his master walked up to four of them. Including him. He had the realistic looking smile that was plastered onto his face and asked in a cheerful manner. "Do you want to be fed?" Of course, he didn''t know what "fed" meant in those times, so he just blankly stared at his master. Watching, as they could not feast. Then, suddenly, he was able to start feeding on his master. He could finally satisfy his thirst. All it took was one bite. No even less. The moment his lips neared the blazing sun inside his master''s body, he no longer felt the need to feast. He was satisfied. Later on, Alfred presumes that maybe the reason why Dementors lacked intelligence, why the sought out to feed on souls was because they were missing it. Dementors has no souls, but his master helped him create one. That was what made him different from the rest of his kin. For the first time in his memory, Alfred was able to see color, to feel objects, and to think. He was able to be alive. And that was why he respected his master. His master gave him everything. A mind. A life. Awareness. A soul. And that was why Alfred was proud to be his master''s servant. The first of his four loyal shadows. 123 First of the Four Well a majority of people want an extra chapter so here it is. Plus I get a break tmw Y''all are going to hate me lol. Enjoy /¡ª¡ª/ In the beginning, everything was darkness. Darkness and despair. No sense of consciousness, no sense touch. He just existed. He. It was such a foreign word, something Alfred could never have though would be used to describe him. And it was all because of him. The prince. His lord. Alfred could remember the first day he was born into the world. It was nothing spectacular, nothing heart moving like the tales his Master would tell him. He just did not exist in one moment and existed in the next. He had no father or Mother like his master. He only had an instinct to feed. Alfred could barely remember the old days before he had met his master. Everything was in different shades of black and white, all he desired was the glowing white orb inside of humans. He would later realize that this was referred to as the soul. The core of the body, the essence of life. And the part that made it delicate was called joy, Happiness, everything that had a relation to positivity. Alfred recalled the first time he had met his master. It started out normal. He was floating around looking for anything to feast on when he saw him. An orb blindingly glaring into his eyes. It took him a second to understand what was happening. Just what was this orb that seemingly wanted to burn out his sight? It was something entirely new to him. However, even though it was something of the unknown, something inside of him felt unnaturally drawn towards it. There was a feeling of hunger and desire, he wished to feast on the soul, and yet at the same time, he couldn''t understand why it was so different. He simply could not forcefully feed on his master. He couldn''t. Later on, he realized that the reason why he was incapable of feasting on his master''s happiness and joy was because his master simply had none. None what''s so ever. Although his master''s soul shone with the most tempting colors, there was nothing he could actually do to satisfy his thirst. There was despair, regret, fear, rejection, anger, self loathing, and truth. But no happiness, no joy. There would be moments where his master would release short fits of positivity, however, it would quickly be drowned by the pain existing within his master''s soul. Alfred was still unable to think through it all, it was only in after thought did Alfred piece everything together. That his master was in a constant state of suffering. Alfred would have never known. His master hid it well, in fact, his master seemed as though he was enjoying every moment of his life, an innocent child. In the end it was all a farce. The first time he felt a sense of self, a sense of being alive and thinking, was the day his master walked up to four of them. Including him. He had the realistic looking smile that was plastered onto his face and asked in a cheerful manner. "Do you want to be fed?" Of course, he didn''t know what "fed" meant in those times, so he just blankly stared at his master. Watching, as they could not feast. Then, suddenly, he was able to start feeding on his master. He could finally satisfy his thirst. All it took was one bite. No even less. The moment his lips neared the blazing sun inside his master''s body, he no longer felt the need to feast. He was satisfied. Later on, Alfred presumes that maybe the reason why Dementors lacked intelligence, why the sought out to feed on souls was because they were missing it. Dementors has no souls, but his master helped him create one. That was what made him different from the rest of his kin. For the first time in his memory, Alfred was able to see color, to feel objects, and to think. He was able to be alive. And that was why he respected his master. His master gave him everything. A mind. A life. Awareness. A soul. And that was why Alfred was proud to be his master''s servant. The first of his four loyal shadows. 124 Black and Red No one able to move, nor talk, nor see. All they could do was hear, to listen to the inhumane screaming of a girl it total darkness. Each second that passed would renew the magnitude of the scream and everyone couldn''t help but shudder in terror. Something about hearing the pain-filled agonizing screams of a women brought an indescribable fear. Slowly, the screams became reduced to small groans and weak breathing and everyone was starting to recover from the shock when another voice appeared, this time from a man. "What the hell did you do! What the hell did you do to my wife-" The second voice was cut off suddenly and the screaming resumed, this time from the man. A greater volume of crimson red started to flood the floor, they all could see a dark figure of a man twitching in the darkness. It was all they saw, darkness, red, and black figures twitching. Right beside the man was a still figure with a feminine figure. One of her arms were a stump. There was a quiet sob from one of the corners of the room and everyone perked their ears. Who was crying? Then they realized that the voice resembled no one that they knew, which meant that the boggart had yet to finish. The screaming became reduced, and the man was left gasping heavily. It was almost as if the man was purposely left alive. "It seems that I''ve missed a little lamb. Oh well, you can stay here and watch as I torture your son." The man on the floor let out a groan and some barely discernible words. "Please... no..." "Too late. Say good bye to your son-" There was an explosion and light returned to the classroom once more. It was Professor Lupin, who had on a pale face. "Well... I think that was a very... dramatic first class was it?Let me see... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the bogart... Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me . . . to be handed in on Monday. That will be all. Mr. Kingscrown, Stay after class. I think we might need to talk." Arthur has no intention of talking or moving. He blankly stared at the spot where the severed hand once lay. It was almost as if he could still see it right in front of him. ... The class left the staffroom as if they had walked out of a funeral. Harry felt as though his heart was going to tear open. He wasn''t the only one who had lost his parents. Harry remembered what Arth had said in his second year. "...It''s a Thestral." "Oh," exclaimed Hermione. "No wonder we can''t see it, oh..." "What is a Threstral?" "...An animal that you can''t see unless you have experienced death." Replied Hermione. Ron had an uncomfortable look as he stared at Arth. "Doesn''t that mean that you... you..." "It was my family, my real ones." At that time, Harry had a slight feeling of sympathy for Arthur as they both had lost their families. However, now he knew it was different. "It''s ok, I don''t remember them all to well." What a lie it was. Obviously, Arth still remembered clearly what had happened to his family. In comparison, Harry felt as though his situation was none to special. Sure his parents were killed by Voldemort, but it was when he was a baby. The only thing he knew about his family was how they looked and that they were his family. You could even say that essentially, they were strangers. It seemed childish to cry about his parents when compared to Arth. "That was the worst Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we''ve ever had, wasn''t it?" said Ron quietly as they made their way back to the classroom to get their bags. "He seems like a very good teacher," said Hermione hesitantly. "But... I never expected for... Arth to... it was honestly it would have been a great lesson..." "Yeah, you''re right. Who knew Arth..." Harry gave a flinch as Arth appeared out a corner looking cheerful. They all stared at him with a dumbfounded look. "What the hell happened to you? Why are you so..." "Cheerful?" Said Arth with a wide grin. "Er... yeah." Arth rolled his eye joyfully. "Well that''s because Professor Lupin put a cheering charm on me." "What? He performed a spell on you?" "Yeah, he offered and I thought why not. Though he did say to take a break for the day. See you later, I''m going to go sleep first." Harry, Hermione, and Ron watched Arth walk away with sad looks. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, they could still see his left hand clenched with pain. 125 The Fourth Arth woke up with a emotionless expression plastered onto his face. He got out of the bed and glanced out of the window. The sky was still dark with tiny peaks of golden light streaking across the sky. It seemed to be about four thirty. How early. Arthur took a moment to stare into the sky before turning his gaze away and went down the stairs. He then proceeded to the bathrooms where he filled the sink to the brim with water. He then proceeded to dunk his head into the sink for a good minute or two before throwing his head out gasping for air. Arth mumbled to himself before grabbing a towel to his side and using it to dry his face. Ever since the day with the boggart, Arth constantly had the same dream again and again. The same pale hand, only darkness, and crimson red. Arth gave a self deprecating laugh. "...it''s just the past, wake up Arthur. You aren''t the child you once were." However, whenever he looked into the window, all he could see was the same face from six years ago. Same pale, terrified, and ghastly face. The same child. Nothing had changed. Arthur groaned and proceeded to dunk his head once more into the water before taking it out again. "...what the hell am I doing?" He thought he had gotten over it, however, obviously, it wasn''t so. He was still weak. It was the same case two years ago, where he had ran out after seeing his deepest desire in the Mirror of Erised. What was it that he saw that day? It wasn''t his parents, but something more haunting, something that Arth knew he couldn''t do, something he couldn''t have. "...I''m such an idiot." "I beg to differ my Prince." Arth sighed and without looking up addressed the voice. "What are you doing here Dolorem? This is the boy''s bathroom." "I''m a dementor anyways so who really cares?" "Didn''t you say it yourself that you are female?" Dolorem let out a laugh. "Female Dementors And Female humans are inherently different when compared. First of all, we can breed." "Yes I know that Dolorem. Dementors spawn from our hatred and fear. All that gloomy emo business. I''ve already graduated from that." "Did you? If so, why are you struggling so much with a simple boggart?" Arth went quiet. "...Sorry my Prince, That was insensitive of me." Arth sighed. "It''s ok, sometimes the truth is necessary for acceptance. Plus, it helps that you aren''t overly formal like the others... what are Alfred, Sebastian and William doing?" Dolorem let out a snort. "Those three idiots are beating themselves up for no good reason. William is somewhere in the library while invisible going over all of his "fool proof plans". Alfred is in the Great Lake attempting to drown himself for allowing you to get hurt emotionally while Sebastian is hunting the boggart from yesterday down to kill." Arth sighed. "So what are you doing here?" "Solving the problem in the most direct manner." Arth chuckled wryly. "I guess that means you are the smartest out of all of them." "Nah, that stuck up nerd William is way smarter than me, I''m just more aware of feelings then the rest of them." "He, serves your name perfectly..." "Yes, I does. That is why I know how you are right now." Dolorem put her hand onto Arth''s shoulder and Arth didn''t push her away. Arth just stared blankly into Dolorem''s dark face. "You cannot lie to us Mister Self Loathing Prince. We dementors are better than anything else in sensing emotions. Me more so than others. You are hurt, and you won''t tell anyone why. You are filled with sorrow." Arth gave a cheeky grin. "I''m filled with you." "Don''t make fun of my name." "Come on, isn''t it hilarious? The dementor named sorrow in Latin is the one cheering people up." Dolorem sighed. "Sometimes I don''t know whether you are a dumbass or a intellectual oddity." "Err... mentally unique individual with striking characteristics?" "... a multi faced Prince with a fear of being understood." Arth went silent. Dolorem let go of Arth and backed away. "Do you remember why you gave me the name Dolorem?" Arth leant against the wall and sighed. "How could I forget with this accursed memory of mine?" Dolorem stared straight into Arth''s eyes and for a moment, Arth could swear that he saw a glimmer of an eye. "You gave me the name because I was sorrow. It was what I seemed pleasure in, watching the happiness drain from my victims until they were drowning in sorrow." "Things can change." "Not dementors. You can''t give happiness to dementors. We are sorrow, and sorrow can''t coexist with happiness." "Impossible is just another word for unlikely." "What you did was change the innate structure of a being. Like making a carnivore a vegetarian." "I guess I did." "Do you not understand? You gave us life. You are what gave us the intelligence we havetoday." Dolorem poked Arth in the chest. "You are stuck about the memories that have been taken from you when there are other things that you can create memories with." Arth silently stared into Dolorem''s face. "...you are sounding a lot more like a human." Dolorem stared at Arth before stepping back and slowly dissipating into the air. "You heard what I said, it''s not your fault." Even after she was completely gone, Arth stared at the place she was with a calm look. "...but you see Dolorem. It is my fault. It is entirely my fault. And I know it." 126 The Coming of Hogsmeade It became clear that Defense Against the Dark Arts had become the most enjoyed class. Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin. "Look at the state of his robes," Malfoy would say in a loud whisper as Professor Lupin passed. "He dresses like our old house-elf." But no one else cared that Professor Lupin''s robes were patched and frayed. Although his first lesson had a tiny accident, the next few lessons were interesting and accident free. After boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblinlike creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved on to kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds. Arth only wished that everyone would leave him alone. Every single teacher some how had learned of the incident and stared at him with gazes filled with pity whenever they thought he wasn''t looking. They were wrong. He always caught them and it never made him feel any better. Even Malfoy had heard of the incident and attempted to make fun of him when Sebastian charged into the great hall and almost attacked Malfoy. He was eventually kicked out of the great hall by Dumbledore, not before sending a silent salute to Arth. Hermione had to ask him many times what was wrong when he tried his best to hold in his laughter, shaking. ... on after thought, he probably indeed look as though he was mentally ill. Who cares. The night with Dolorem had eased his mind and calmed him down to a degree where he could act normally. Some of the classes had a major change. Worst of all was Potions. Arth was starting to understand why Harry and Ron hated Snape. Snape was in a particularly vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt why. The story of the boggart assuming Snape''s shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother''s clothes, had traveled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn''t seem to find it funny. His eyes flashed menacingly at the very mention of Professor Lupin''s name, and he was bullying Neville worse than ever. But on second thought, his anger was kind of fair. Who would want to be dressed in a dress? With the exception of those who do that is. Arth was also growing to enjoy the hours he spent in Professor Trelawney''s stifling tower room, deciphering mystical images and symbols. He honestly liked Professor Trelawney, even though she was a bit abnormal at times. Arth still couldn''t get his predictions right however, it would be perfected soon. Another class everybody really liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the action-packed first class, had progressed with the same renewed vigor. Arthur was glad to see that Hagrid had not lost his confidence... although Arth could tell that Hagrid was being especially careful not to bring anything big with claws to class. Quidditch season had begun again and Harry was once again occupied with Quidditch practice almost all the time. Another plus was that trips to Hogsmeade were going to begin very soon. While they were reading the bulletin board, Harry came back from quidditch practice. "What''s happened?" Harry asked. "First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween." "Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Harry through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko''s. I''m nearly out of Stink Pellets." Harry threw himself into a chair beside Ron, looking depressed. Hermione seemed to noticed Harry''s mood. "Harry, I''m sure you''ll be able to go next time," she said. "They''re bound to catch Black soon. He''s been sighted once already" "Black''s not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages ¡ª" Arth sighed. "Well it would be smart of him to hide in Hogsmeade then wouldn''t it?" "What do you mean Arth? What kind of idiot would hide in Hogsmeade?" "You see here Ron. The best place to hide is where they do not expect you to be." Arth gave a grin, "and where is the most least likely place to hide?" "...Hogsmeade?" "Yep! So there is a chance that Black could be in Hogsmeade." "But... ah whatever, arguing with you will just end up with me in the losing end. "Yep, I''m glad you realized." 127 Cats and Rats Ron gave a slight shrug. "Well he should still ask McGonagall if he can go." "Ron!" said Hermione. "Harry''s supposed to stay in school." "Plus, as I mentioned earlier, Black theoretically could be lurking in Hogsmeade." "He can''t be the only third year left behind," said Ron. "Just go ask professor McGonagall, go on, Harry ¡ª" "Yeah, I think I will," said Harry. Arth sighed. "Well as long as you aren''t stupid enough to go sneak out of Hogwarts with that invisibility cloak of yours." "I promise I won''t." Arth snorted. "Don''t promise, you are probably going to break it anyway." Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment Crookshanks leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth. "Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling. "Err... it''s quite natural for cats to present their owners with prey that they caught themselves." "No one asked you Arth." "Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione. Crookshanks gave a slight nod before rubbing its head onto Arth''s legs. Arth was infatuated. "Awww... you little adorable thing... how intelligent and smart you must be. Who''s a good boy." Crookshanks purred and slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron. "Mental honestly. How the hell could anyone love him? Just keep him over there, that''s all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I''ve got Scabbers asleep in my bag." Harry yawned. "I really need to start working on homework. Got loads to do and I lost most of my time due to quidditch practice." "You can copy mine, if you like," said Ron, labeling his last star with a flourish and shoving the chart toward Harry. Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn''t say anything. Crookshanks was still staring unblinkingly at Ron, flicking the end of his bushy tail. Then, without warning, he pounced. "OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!" Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing. "Ron, don''t hurt him!" squealed Hermione; the whole common room was watching; Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top ¡ª "CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers. "Er... please catch the cat with care... don''t hurt him." George Weasley made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw. Ron and Hermione hurried over; Hermione grabbed Crookshanks around the middle and heaved him away; Ron threw himself onto his stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail. "Look at him!" he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He''s skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!" "Crookshanks doesn''t understand it''s wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!" "There''s something funny about that animal!" said Ron, who was trying to persuade a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!" "Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could smell him, Ron, how else d''you think ¡ª" "That cat''s got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron, ignoring the people around him, who were starting to giggle. "And Scabbers was here first, and he''s ill!" Ron marched through the common room and out of sight up the stairs to the boys'' dormitories. Arth patted Hermione on the shoulder as she was looking like she was about to burst into tears. "It''s alright Hermione, you did nothing wrong. Ron is just defensive." "Well maybe it would help him to be a little more considerate!" Hermione glared at the direction where Ron had disappeared into and stormed off. Arth sighed and glanced at Harry. "Why do they never learn how to concede? Everything would be much more simpler." Harry shook his head. "I dunno mate. I dunno." 128 Increasing tensions Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though all four of them were working together on the same puffapod. Hermione as always was the first one to break the silence. "How''s Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly as they stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail. "He''s hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor. "Careful, I don''t want puffapod on me." Said Arth with an annoyed undertone as the beans burst into bloom before their very eyes. They had Transfiguration next. Harry had resolved himself to ask Professor McGonagall after the lesson whether he could go into Hogsmeade the the rest. They joined the line outside the class trying to decide how they were going to argue Harry''s case. Arth got out a book and would join in the conversation from time to time. They were distracted, however, by a disturbance at the front of the line. Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her and was explaining something to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were looking very serious. "What''s the matter, Lavender?" said Hermione anxiously as they went to join the group. "She got a letter from home this morning," Parvati whispered. "It''s her rabbit, Binky. He''s been killed by a fox." "Oh," said Hermione, "I''m sorry, Lavender." Arth made a solemn cross motion on his chest. "I should have known!" said Lavender tragically. "You know what day it is?" "Er ¡ª" "The sixteenth of October! ''That thing you''re dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!'' Remember? She was right, she was right!" The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated; then she said, "You ¡ª you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?" "Well, not necessarily by a fox," said Lavender, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes, "but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn''t I?" "Oh," said Hermione. She paused again. "Was Binky an old rabbit?" "N ¡ª no!" sobbed Lavender. "H ¡ª he was only a baby!" Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender''s shoulders. "But then, why would you dread him dying?" said Hermione. Parvati glared at her. "Well, look at it logically," said Hermione, turning to the rest of the group. "I mean, Binky didn''t even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today ¡ª" Lavender wailed loudly. "¡ª and she can''t have been dreading it, because it''s come as a real shock ¡ª" "Don''t mind Hermione, Lavender," said Ron loudly, "she doesn''t think other people''s pets matter very much." Arth slammed his book shut causing everyone to turn their eyes on him. With an blatant annoyed look, Arth glared at Ron and Hermione. "Can you two please stop fighting for a single moment? And Lavender-" Arth sent a sympathetic look, "I know that you are struggling with the death of your rabbit, if you want, you can go slip today''s class. I''ll tell Professor McGonagall for you. She''ll understand." Arth''s eyes suddenly sharpened. "However, Hermione''s reasoning is correct. It is highly unlikely to expect a baby bunny to die, unless it was given poor care or if it had a disease. Otherwise, you are just being paranoid and worrying too much." Arth put the book in his hands away and sighed. "It must''ve been caused by Professor Trelawney. No matter if her professors are true or right, your mind will force itself to find evidence that proves your beliefs. You probably feared that something was going to happen today, this when something did, you blamed it on the protect. What you "dread the most" probably didn''t have anything to do with Binky. It''s just your mind saying that you did in order to make the prophecy true." Arth three his head at Professor McGonagall''s door. "Can we stop arguing now?" Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment effectively solving everything. However, Hermione and Ron were looking daggers at each other, and when they got into class, they seated themselves on the opposite sides with Arth and Harry in between and didn''t talk to each other for the whole class. 129 Scarlett and Gold The bell rang at the end of the lesson and Professor McGonagall brought up the subject of Hogsmeade as if everything was pre planned. "One moment, please!" she called as the class made to leave. "As you''re all in my House, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don''t forget!" Neville put up his hand. "Please, Professor, I ¡ª I think I''ve lost ¡ª" "Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that''s all, you may leave." "Ask her now," Ron hissed at Harry. "Oh, but ¡ª" Hermione began. "Go for it, Harry," said Ron stubbornly. "It doesn''t hurt to try," said Arthur with a shrug. Harry walked over to Professor McGonagall before coming back with a sullen face. "What did she say?" Asked Ron with a grim look. "She said no," Harry replied. "That''s a bummer," Arth said before taking out his book once more. Ron called Professor McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione. She assumed an "all-for-the-best" expression that made Ron even angrier, and they started to bicker again. At this point, both Harry and Arth were done with dealing with the two. Arth slid into a fake wall while Harry attempted to leave the group outright. After walking a couple of steps, Arth collided with a blonde haired girl. "Oh hello Luna, fancy meeting you here." "Hello Arth. We haven''t been able to talk in such a long time." Arth gave a wry laugh. "That is indeed so." In fact, the last time that they had talked to each other was probably last year. Not counting letters. Luna gave a curious head tilt. "What are you doing here Arth? Are you not going to eat? I am pretty sure that it is about dinner time." "Er..." Arth glanced at a clock on the wall. "I guess it is about time, do you want to join me to the way there?" "I would be glad too." They had barely walked past a single hallway when a red haired figure came sprinting into vision. The red haired person immediately recognized Arthur and changed her direction to hone in on him. "Arth! Help me hide!" Before Arth could even say a word, the girl changed her shape into a snake and slithered up his sleeves. A few second later, an arrogant looking person with a sling came into a view. He also looked as though he had just had a good sprint and was moving his eyes everywhere as if searching for someone. When the boy saw Arth and Luna, he narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here Kingscrown? Is that your girlfriend?" Arth shrugged. "Why does it matter?" Malfoy smirked. "It just surprised me that a nerd like you can even get a girl." Arth raised an eyebrow. "And how about you? Any luck on Scarlett?" Malfoy''s face faltered before turning arrogant once more. "She will be mine, I have her almost convinced." Arth felt Scarlett involuntarily shudder on his arm. Sorry mate, but you don''t. "Well have fun Kingscrown, go have some fun with your girlfriend. I reckon if she has a thing for you, she must have some loose screws in her brain as well." "Good luck to you too." Malfoy smirked before pretending that his hand was being chopped off before storming off in laughter. Arth just sighed. Sebastian was hiding in the corner and saw the whole thing. Arth could tell that Sebastian was coldly glaring at the receding figure of Malfoy''s back. Ever since the boggart incident, Sebastian would lurk around him making sure he wouldn''t get hurt. Poor kid, hope Dumbledore can stop Sebastian in time. Arth could stop Sebastian, but he didn''t want to. After making sure Malfoy had gone, Scarlett slithered out of his sleeve and transformed back into a human. Arth couldn''t help but chuckle at her worn out face. "What''s the matter? Do you hate him that much? He seems like he really is into you." Scarlett shuddered. "I hate it. He is so annoyingly stubborn. I''ve rejected him twenty three times already however he keeps on coming back." "Hahaha." Scarlett pinched Arth in the side angrily. "Don''t laugh. I don''t like it. Plus-" Scarlett narrowed her eyes at Luna who was also narrowing her eyes back at Scarlett. "Who is this?" "This is Luna. Luna, this is Scarlett." Arth gave an involuntary shudder once more. 130 Wtf Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 130 Morning in the Lake I was very sad yesterday. Almost didn''t deliver the chapter today... Jk. I would never. Enjoy /¡ª¡ª¡ª/ On Halloween morning, Arth awoke earlier than the rest and went outside of the school after taking with him an extra spare of clothes. The dementors that were standing guard in front of the gates gave a slight nod and let him pass. Arth then made his way down to the lake bank and proceeded to take off his top shirt before diving in. Arth let out a small moan. The near November weather had cooled the lake to a degree where the waters had become near freezing. Absolute euphoria. "Are you seriously swimming in this weather? Are you sure you are human?" Arth sighed. "Oh stop exaggerating Dolorem. It''s not like the water is below zero. It''s just cold." "Exactly, my lord is not so weak that a simple swim in the water would leave him weak in the knees." "Shut the hell up Albert, I don''t want to hear you sing a love song to the prince this early in the morning." "You are just jealous of my loyalty and that I was the first." Dolorem let out a snort. "Why would I be jealous of someone who can only flop his mouth? It would be better if you were silent like Sebastian." Sebastian gave a slight nod. A very annoyed William clicked his tongue. "Will you two shut up? You are very distracting, I can''t focus and I''m pretty sure that the prince doesn''t want to hear your banter. While we are on the subject, can you two please help me with the planning? We need to reclaim our honor and arguing does scant to help us reclaim it." "Shut up nerd." "That is a complement so I will gladly take it." "It isn''t so don''t. You are a complete fanboy to the prince. You should stop stanning him cause you''ll never be as smart as him." "What did you say?" "You are a wannabe." "GET UP HERE DOLOREM CAUSE I''M GOING BEAT YOUR ASS!" "Stop it. You are sexually harassing me." "YOU MOTHER F**KER!" "It would be father because your daddy is the prince." "F**K!" "...can you please not refer to me while verbally abusing each other?" Said Arth a little annoyed. Of course he was ignored. "IMMA F****** ***** **** ****** ********* ***!" "Wow... you do realize that our prince is still a child." "***-" Arth sighed and dived underneath the water. Realistically, Arth wanted to say that the world underneath the surface of the lake was great, however, all he could see was blurry images of colorful fish and green seaweed. The dissatisfaction of reality. Arth took out his wand and casted a spell. Of course it was wordless, he was underwater for heavens sake. A clear transparent bubble formed around his head and made Arth look like he was wearing an upside down fishbowl. However, he could now see. Arth stared at the familiar underwater scenery and grinned. The lake was about thirty meters deep and went even deeper the further he swam away from the shore. Arth was about to go back up to the surface when he saw long figure dithering his way. It was the giant squid. Arth waved his hand at the giant squid who waved back before swimming up to the surface. Above the watery world, Dolorem and William were still fighting physically and verbally. Arth sighed once more before getting out of the water and drying himself off with a towel. "Hey Albert, I''m heading off to the showers. Have fun and tell these two to lay it off in a while." "Yes my Prince." Arth went into the school and walked up to the showers and cleaned himself off with warm water and soap. He then went down to breakfast, feeling thoroughly refreshed. There, Harry was being cheered up by Hermione and Ron who were for once being friendly to each other. "We''ll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for him. "Yeah, loads," said Ron. "Yep, I''ll be sure to get you a butter beer. My dad said they are delicious." "Don''t worry about me," said Harry in a obviously forced offhand voice, "I''ll see you at the feast. Have a good time." "See ya." 131 Hogsmeade exploration They first went to honey dukes, a sweets shop. Inside, there were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbert balls that Ron had mentioned. Along yet another wall were "Special Effects" sweets: Drooble''s Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ("breathe fire for your friends!"), Ice Mice ("hear your teeth chatter and squeak!"), peppermint creams shaped like toads ("hop realistically in the stomach!"), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons. The three of them had a fun time choosing sweets to buy. "Damn, this is good." "Bloody Hell, this is fantastic." "Should we get some for Harry?" "Probably, we should buy the whole lot." "Wow! My parents would love these toothflossing stringmints! I should buy them some." "oh right, your parents are dentists aren''t they?" "Yep!" "Dude! Arth! look at this!" "Wow." "We need to buy all of this for Harry!" "Gotcha. Excuse me miss! Can I buy all of these?" Arth, Ron, and Hermione left honey dukes with their bags filled to the brim with sweets. In fact, they had bought so many things that Arth had to place an undetectable extension charm on his bag for everything to fit comfortably. "Blimey Arth... I didn''t know you had so much money on you." Arth gave a cheeky grin. "I got some extra change from working on the Knight bus during the summer with the addition of my monthly allowance. You could say I have a couple coins." "A couple is an understatement," said Ron with a grin. Ron no longer had to be jealous about money as Arth''s parents had given him a load of Galleons also including the fact that they had won the lottery. "It would be nice if Harry was here with us though..." "It wouldn''t be safe." "Yes it would," said Ron before pointing at a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door. ¡ª by Order of¡ª THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC Customers are reminded that until further notice, de- mentors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is there- fore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall. Merry Christmas! "See?" said Ron quietly. "I''d like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with dementors swarming all over the village." Arth shrugged. "The dementors have failed once already, who says that they won''t a second time?" "Errr... didn''t think of it like that," said Ron dejectedly. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Ron, we all want Harry to come with us to Hogsmeade, we really do, however we care more for his safety." "I guess..." Arth gave a small grin. "Well lets go test out the other places. I heard from my dad that the Three Broomsticks was a good place." The three of them merrily walked to a tiny inn and entered. It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar. The moment the three of them entered the inn, she gave them a bright smile. "What may I get you three?" "Three butter beers and one butter beer for to-go please." "Coming right up." After having their fill of butter beer and an occasional honey dukes snack, the decided it was about time to head back to the school. They were walking back when Arth saw a familiar head of red hair. It was Scarlett who looked as though she was having fun with a blonde girl who was walking right next to her. They were pushing each other playfully and walking together in a way that would make you think that they were the best of friends. Arth smiled. He was glad that Scarlett had people other than him as friends. 132 The Black during the Feas "There you go," said Ron. "We got as much as we could carry." "Which was about the size of my room," said Arth with a grin. "It''ll last us about a month." A wave of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry''s lap. It was dusk, and Arth, Ron, and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and after having the time of their lives. "Thanks," said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What''s Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?" "Everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wiz- arding equipment shop, Zonko''s Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks. Honey dukes-" "The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!" Interrupted Ron. "Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there''s a bit, look ¡ª" Started Hermione. "We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks ¡ª" "I got you some butter-beer, have some ¡ª" "What did you do?" said Hermione, looking anxious. "Did you get any work done?" "No," said Harry. "Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in. . . ." Harry told them about a goblet that Professor Lupin was given. Ron''s mouth fell open. "Lupin drank it?" he gasped. "Is he mad?" Hermione checked her watch. "We''d better go down, you know, the feast''ll be starting in five minutes. . . ." They hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape. "But if he ¡ª you know" ¡ª Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around ¡ª "if he was trying to ¡ª to poison Lupin ¡ª he wouldn''t have done it in front of Harry." "He wouldn''t have done it while he was in Hogwarts." Said Arth wryly. "Yeah, maybe," said Harry as they reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes. The food was delicious; even though most of them were full with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything. The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading except his head kept on falling off every time he bent over to present his neck. After the feast, they followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students. "Why isn''t anyone going in?" said Ron curiously. Arth peered over the heads in front of him. The portrait seemed to be closed. "Err... Let me see, can the people up front make way?" said Arth before pushing his way through the crowd. He was effectively ignored. "Let me through, please," came Percy''s voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What''s the holdup here? You can''t all have forgotten the password ¡ª excuse me, I''m Head Boy ¡ª" And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick." People''s heads turned; those at the back were standing on tip-toe. "What''s going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrived. A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Arthur, Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was. "Oh, my ¡ª" Hermione grabbed Arth''s arm. The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him. "We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady." "You''ll be lucky!" said a cackling voice. It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry. "What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves''s grin faded a little. He didn''t dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle. "Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn''t want to be seen. She''s a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly. "Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly. "Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn''t let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he''s got, that Sirius Black." 133 Hunt for Black Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused. "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I''m afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added Percy, who was looking immensely determined. "Send word with one of the ghosts." Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you''ll be needing..." One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him. The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened. "Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!" "C''mon," Ron said to Arth, Harry, and Hermione; they seized three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner. "Do you think Black''s still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously. "Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron. "It would be suicidal to hide in the school after attacking the fat lady... however, he could hide here for the very same reason. Because no one would expect it," arth muttered. "At least Dumbledore isn''t taking any chances." "It''s very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren''t in the tower..." "I reckon he''s lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn''t realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he''d have come bursting in here." Arth scoffed at his words. "That is so stupid to even consider. You think that a person who has the capability to break into one of the most heavily guarded places in the world will forget to check the date before invading a school?" "Errr... he was too busy running away?" Arth sighed. "The ministry is no where near finding Black. He has been sighted a couple times but that does nothing to tell us where he is and how to catch him. They are literally walking around in circles for Sirius Black." "So why would he attack today?" "I don''t know, but I refuse to believe that someone who could escape from Azkaban and as someone who went to Hogwarts would forget today was the Halloween feast." Hermione raised an eyebrow. "But then that means that what Black is looking for isn''t a person-" "But a thing," Arth finished. "That''s exactly right. He isn''t after Harry but for something that is in the school." "But what?" "I don''t know? I''m not Sirius." Arth stopped talking before straining his ears to listen to his surroundings. Everyone else were asking one another the same question as them: "How did he get in?" "Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Hufflepuff a few feet away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know." "You idiot, you cant apparate in school grounds," Replied a Ravenclaw to his left. "Disguised himself, probably," said an older Ravenclaw. "He could''ve flown in," suggested Dean Thomas. "Honestly, am I the only person who''s ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" said Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron. "Just you and Arth probably," said Ron. "Why?" "Because the castle''s protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth." "You can''t just Apparate in here. And I''d like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They''re guarding every single entrance to the grounds," said Arth. "They''d have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they''ll have them covered..." Arth frowned. "Unless there is a secret passage that no one knows about except Black-" "The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!" The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Arth felt as though he were sleeping outdoors in a light wind. In fact, he felt as though he could hear the faint noise of someone gently tapping on a window. Arth opened his eyes and turned around to face the window. Standing at the window was a familiar hooded figure staring into the great hall. Arthur sighed. "Hey Hermione, cover me." "What?" Whispered Hermione furiously however, Arth was already gone. 134 Theories and Logic Arth walked up to the tallest tower without anyone calling out to him. He would simply walk past anyone who was furiously looking for Sirius Black without a word and they would leave him alone. It was as if he was invisible. When Arth reaches the tower, four figures were arguing in loud voices. "What the hell were you doing? I thought you said that your plan was going to work?" "It would''ve worked if he went through any of the normal entrances and any of the secret passageways." "So how the hell did he make it in?" "How am I supposed to know? There are so many different ways he could''ve gotten in. An undiscovered passageway? An insider let him in? There are so many different possibilities." "What a "foolproof" plan you had... if not for the couple of "tunnels" you had in it." "You want to f**king go Dolorem?" "Bring it on B**tch. Because of you, the prince was placed in danger." "IF YOU HAD HELPED ME WITH THE PLANNING, WE COULD''VE PREVENTED THIS-" "What are you doing?" Asked Arth with a frown as he walked towards the four dementors. "We are literally in the middle of a crisis and yet you two are fighting like little children. Are you serious?" Dolorem and William shut up immediately. "S-Sir I am deeply ashamed that we have failed. I promise that we will not let this happen again-" "Be quiet for a second Alfred. Please... I''m thinking." "M-my apologies my Prince." The three dementors took on an attitude similar to Sebastian and went quiet. Arthur walked back and forth with a finger on his chin thinking. Something was missing. "... Sirius Black wasn''t here for Harry in contrast to what everyone thought... it was for a different reason." "Excuse me sir?" "Why else would he attack today of all days? Why specifically on the day where all the students were out of their common rooms feasting in the grand hall?" Dolorem frowned. "He could''ve lost his sense of time." "... is that so?" Said Arth with an indifferent attitude. "What would you do, Albert, if you were imprisoned for ten years and somehow managed to break free?" Albert hesitantly spoke up. "... I... I would run away or hide till I''m confident I can''t be caught." "What would you do after?" "Er... learn of what has been going on in the world since I was gone?" "Exactly... and did Sirius have enough leeway and time to slowly gather information?" "...yes." "So there, Black attacking the Gryffindor Common room while everyone was out was most likely not a coincidence. His target isn''t Harry but something else. You can recall the dementors who are protecting Harry as it is no longer necessary." "Yes my Prince." "Now we have to figure out what exactly Sirius is after..." Arthur frowned deep in thought before snapping his fingers. "William." "Y-Yes!" "Give me everything you have on Sirius before he escaped." "Excuse me?" "Give me the recordings of his actions from the time I left the prison to the day he escaped Azkaban." "S-Sir Yes sir!" Arth received the papers from William and read over them carefully. Arth drew in a deep breath. "I found it." Immediately, the three dementors stood up. "What did you find sir?" Arth threw the papers back at William before frowning. "Go to the time when Fudge visited the prison." "When he came to pick you up?" "No, after." Glancing at the four dementors reading, Arthur asked, "Now what happened during Fudges stay that has a relation with Black?" William was the first to respond. "Fudge gave him a newspaper." "Did Sirius Black show any symptoms of muttering ''He''s there at Hogwarts'' before this event?" "...no. You couldn''t mean-" "Yes, that''s exactly what I mean William." Dolorem frowned. "What do you mean? Explain." Arth gave a smirk. "Something that Black read in the newspaper that was given to him by Fudge caused Black to gain a desire to escape. Something in that newspaper can reveal to us whatever he is after for in this school." "So what do we do?" "First..." said Arth with a grin creeping up his face. "We need to get a copy of that newspaper." 135 Pretending to Sleep Arth quickly returned to the great hall and pretended as though he had been in his sleeping bag the entire time. Hermione was livid. "Where were you this entire time? You know how much trouble you would''ve gotten in if you got caught?" Arth gave her an apologetic expression before sliding into his sleeping bag. Seeing that Arth was unwilling to give an answer, Hermione humphed before turning her head away from Arth. Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in. Arth watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore''s footsteps drew nearer. "Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper. "No. All well here?" "Everything under control, sir." Arth couldn''t help but snicker as he could see a bunch of opened eyes listening to the conversation. "Good. There''s no point moving them all now. I''ve found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You''ll be able to move them back in tomorrow." "And the Fat Lady, sir?" "Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She''s still very distressed, but once she''s calmed down, I''ll have Mr. Filch restore her." Arth heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps. "Headmaster?" It was Snape. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He''s not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either." "What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney''s room? The Owlery?" "All searched . . ." "Very well, Severus. I didn''t really expect Black to linger." "Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape. "Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next." How was it that Sirius Black was able to enter and escape unnoticed? Arth gave a quick glance towards where Dumbledore and Snape stood. Dumbledore''s back was to him, but he could see Percy''s face, rapt with attention, and Snape''s profile, which looked angry. "You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before ¡ª ah ¡ª the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation. "I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice. "It seems ¡ª almost impossible ¡ª that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed ¡ª" Arth raised an eyebrow. "I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn''t reply. "I must go down to the dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete." "Didn''t they want to help, sir?" said Percy. "Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I''m afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster." Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the head- master with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left. Arth glanced sideways at Ron Harry and Hermione. All three of them had their eyes open too, reflecting the starry ceiling. "What was all that about?" Ron mouthed. Arth gave a silent shrug. Snape seemed to have some suspicions on a person in the school... by the sounds of it, a teacher. Their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Lupin. Arth frowned. Professor Snape seemed to hate Professor Lupin from the beginning, however, were his concerns based on logical reasoning or because of a petty animosity between the two? Arth sighed. It was better for him to just go to sleep now. Arth wiggled deeper into the sleeping bag and closed his eyes. He was pretty sure that Sirius Black wouldn''t strike again and that his motive wasn''t Harry. He had nothing to worry about. He was safe for now. 136 Change in Plans Arth woke up feeling something heavy on his arms. When he looked down, he realized why. Scarlett had snuck into his sleeping bad and was sleeping soundly in his arms. Just like usual. Arth sighed before stroking Scarlett''s hair gently causing Scarlett to let out a warm smile. The sleeping bag probably had the ability to extend to fit whoever was in it. It was the only explanation as Arth didn''t remember the sleeping bag to have enough room to fit two kids last night when he got into it. "What are you doing Arth?" Arth stopped stroking Scarlett''s hair immediately and slowly looked up and gave an involuntary shiver. Hermione was watching him and Scarlett with eyes filled with shock, hurt, and anger. "W-Why is she sleeping with you Arth?" "Er..." "T-this is indecency! This is unacceptable!" Arth started to sweat bullets. "H-how dare you do something so indecent where everyone could see!" Arth immediately put on his innocent face. "Errr... I don''t know what you are talking about Hermione? What is it exactly that you think is so indecent?" Hermione raised her finger and shakily pointed it at Arth and Scarlett. "Y-you two are sleeping together! You are sharing a sleeping bag! Is that not indecent or what!" Arth gave his best attempt at making a confused face before answering. "...but we''re are siblings, aren''t we? What is so wrong with sleeping together? What are you thinking of Hermione?" Hermione went a deep shade of red. "...I-I... erm... it''s nothing... I was just... confused... sorry." With those words, Hermione went back into her sleeping bag with a face as red as a tomato. Arth let out a sigh of relief. He dodged a very dangerous bullet there. Arth felt a prickle on his back, as if someone was watching him. When he turned around, he discovered exactly who it was and his face immediately fell. Draco was glaring at Arth as if Arth had just killed Draco''s entire family right before Draco''s eyes. Arth sighed. Why was he so unlucky? The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who''d listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub. The Fat Lady''s ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day. "He''s a complete lunatic," said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. "Can''t we get anyone else?" "None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer." Harry one evening came back from quidditch practice with a somber look. "We''re not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry. "Wood just told the entire team. We''re playing Hufflepuff instead." "Why?" Asked Ron. "They said that Malfoy''s arm''s still injured," said Harry with a furious face. Arth sighed. "They probably just don''t want to play in this weather. And honestly, I can''t blame them." Said Arth giving a wry glance at the window. It was raining pretty hard. Hermione scoffed. "How is he still complaining about his arm when Arth doesn''t even complain about his eye? I don''t get it. He is so petty and childish." Arth patted Harry on the shoulder. "Well, Rest In Peace Harry, And the best of luck." Said Arth while looking out the window.A particularly fierce lightning bolt had just struck the ground. "Cause... I think you need all the luck you need for this quidditch match." Harry gave a small nod. "You are probably right. In fact, I don''t blame the Slytherins for dropping out... if our team had an excuse, we would probably do the same." 137 Snape Taking Over The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit. The Slytherin team was looking very smug indeed, and none more so than Malfoy. "Ah, if only my arm was feeling a bit better!" he sighed as the gale outside pounded the windows. Arth really wanted to punch Malfoy in the face. However, he couldn''t, so instead he set Sebastian on him. Arth entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and did a start. Instead of the regular shabby Professor Lupin, a very cold Professor Snape was in his place. Arth raised an eyebrow. "Are you teaching the class today Professor Snape?" Professor Snape glanced at Arth as if he was still deciding on whether to hate him or to ignore him. Finally, Professor Snape said in a drawling voice. "I am sad to inform that Professor Lupin is feeling a bit... under the moon today. In his place, I will be teaching the class today." Arth gave a wide smile. "I am thankful for you guidance." Professor Snape flinched as if he just saw something abnormal before sitting down onto a chair. "Yes... Kingscrown... I will make sure that my students... are well taught." Arth turned around to sit down ok his seat and smirked in a way that would block his face from Professor Snape''s view. You see, Arth wasn''t an idiot. Instead of being like Harry or Ron who would never try to get on better terms with those they hate, Arth would rather make friends than enemies. Of course, Professor Snape was a very skilled and intelligent teacher... however, even Arth had to admit that Professor Snape would sometimes act like a git towards Harry. But who cares? That was Harry''s problem, not his. Thus, Arth had no particular feeling of hatred for Professor Snape. One by one, everyone came into the class and gave a start at the sight of Professor Snape. Hermione and Ron took seats on either side of Arth before whispering to Arth. "Why is Professor Snape teaching? Where is Professor Lupin?" "Apparently he is sick today." "What? That''s why? Why is he sick?" "I don''t know. Do you know where Harry is?" "I dunno mate. He might be still at practice." Said Ron thoughtfully. "Well I hope he is not late," said Hermione with a worried look. "I don''t think that Professor Snape is the type of person to go easy on us." Ten minutes had past and Harry had still not arrived. Arth sighed. "Harry is so fucked." Snape was staring to talk when the door suddenly opened and a very out of breath Harry ran inside. "Sorry I''m late, Professor Lupin, I ¡ª" Harry froze in shock when he saw that it was Professor Snape in the teacher''s seat instead of Professor Lupin. "This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we''ll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down." But Harry didn''t move. "Where''s Professor Lupin?" he said. "He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?" But Harry stayed where he was. "What''s wrong with him?" Snape''s black eyes glittered. "Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty." Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Arth gave Harry a disapproving look. "You should''ve sat down. You should''ve learned by now how nasty Snape can get... it''s as if you want to infuriate him." Harry just ignored him. Snape looked around at the class. "As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far ¡ª" "Please, sir, we''ve done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we''re just about to start ¡ª" "Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin''s lack of organization." "He''s the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we''ve ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever. "You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you ¡ª I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss ¡ª" Arth watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter. "¡ª werewolves," said Snape. 138 Werewolves "But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we''re not supposed to do werewolves yet, we''re due to start hinkypunks ¡ª" "Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!" With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books. "Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape. Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. "Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn''t even taught you the basic distinction between ¡ª" "We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven''t got as far as werewolves yet, we''re still on ¡ª" "Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I''d meet a third-year class who wouldn''t even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..." "Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf ¡ª" "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all." Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. Arth frowned. Snape was being unusually vile today. Ron said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don''t want to be told?" The class knew instantly he''d gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath. "Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron''s. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed." No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin. "Very poorly explained... That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia... Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn''t have given it three..." When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back. "You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention." Arth, Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape. "Snape''s never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to Hermione. "Why''s he got it in for Lupin? D''you think this is all because of the boggart?" "I don''t know," said Hermione pensively. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon..." Arth was so deep in thought he didn''t notice a word they were saying. Hermione had to shake him a few times in order to gain his attention. "What''s wrong Arth? Why are you so quiet? Are you not angry about Snape''s attitude?" Arth mindlessly waved her off. "Yeah, Professor Snape was unusually out of hand today..." Arthur thought back to a couple days ago when Professor Snape And Dumbledore we''re talking in the Great Hall at night. He remembered how Snape seemed to suspect a certain person with unusual hatred. And how Snape just flipped to the very back of the textbook and gave them a lesson on Werewolves. Even if Snape wanted to challenge the students with a hard topic, there was no reason to go to the back. It was highly unusual and irresponsible as a teacher. Something Snape wouldn''t do usually. He must have been trying to convey something. Professor Lupin was also absent today, was there a correlation? Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage. "D''you know what that bitch is making me do? I''ve got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!" He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn''t Black have hidden in Snape''s office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!" Arth frowned. "First of all, cleaning without magic is pretty easy. Secondly, If Sirius Black hid in Professor Snape''s room, I don''t think Professor Snape would''ve gone down without a fight." "Are you siding with Snape?" Said Ron with narrowed eyes. "Nah, I just expect for someone who wants to teach defense against the darks at least has the ability to defend himself." "Lockhart?" Arth rolled his eyes. "He as an arrogant idiot who overestimated himself. He doesn''t count." 139 The Dementor Party It was finally the day of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The weather was a nice shade of black and grey and everyone felt the warmth of their jackets slowly leave them as everyone got drenched in rainwater. Such was the popularity of Quidditch that the whole school turned out to watch the match as usual, but they ran down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went. The wind was so strong that people staggered sideways as they walked onto the stands. Even if anyone was cheering, nothing could be heard over the fresh rolls of thunder. Arth chuckled before taking an umbrella out of his bag. He beckoned towards Hermione and invited her in. The umbrella just barely fit the two of them and they had to squeeze in tight in order for them to avoid getting wet. "What nice weather we are having. Isn''t that right Hermione?" Hermione frowned at Arth. "Are you going insane? This is good weather?" "Yep, don''t you just love the rain?" "... this is a little bit more than "rain" don''t you think?" A dreamy voice suddenly spoke out. "I like the rain. Reminds me of the times I used to play with my mother when it rained." Luna was carrying a multi-colored umbrella that was mottled with all sorts of shapes and bright colors. Highly noticeable, very unique. "How are you doing Luna?" "All is well. Although, I can''t say the same for the players." The Gryffindor team had just walked out of the locker rooms. The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the field, wearing canary-yellow robes. They also had difficulty walking. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood now looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant ¡ª they were off. Honestly, this was the dullest Quidditch match Arth had ever seen. He could barely see nor hear anything and when he did see something, it would be a flash of red or yellow. With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch''s whistle; Arth could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing the Gryffindor team to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud. Arth sighed. "Hermione, hold the umbrella for a second." "What?" Arth ran down the stairs slipping through the crowds like a slippery eel. In an instant, he was behind Harry. "Harry. Give me your glasses." He handed them to him, and as the team watched in amazement, Arth tapped them with his wand and said, "Impervius!" "There!" Arth said, handing them back to Harry. "Now they repel water which allows you to see in this weather." Wood passionately looked at Arth as if he wanted to kissed him. Arth decided it was no longer safe for him to stay near Wood and immediately disappeared back into the stands. He quickly found his way back to Hermione and Luna. "Where were you?" "I just told the Quidditch team to use the Impervius spell on their faces." "Ooh, That was smart." Complimented Luna. "I know right? I wonder why the older students didn''t think about it-" Arth froze mid-sentence. Something odd was happening. An eerie silence was falling across the stadium. The wind, though as strong as ever, was forgetting to roar. It was as though someone had turned off the sound, as though Arthur had gone suddenly deaf ¡ª what was going on? Arth frowned and glanced up at the sky. He saw why. At least a hundred dementors, their hidden faces pointing up to the sky, were gliding above Arthur. And above the dementors were... Harry. Arth furrowed his eyebrows. "ALFRED!" Immediately, Alfred appeared at his side with his head bowed down. "What is it you want sir?" "Why are there dementors here?" "What do you mean sir? The dementors are guarding the entrances-" Alfred froze when he looked up towards the sky and started to tremble. "M-my Prince. I swear I didn''t know anything about this. I-it was a mistake on my part-" "I don''t care. Fix it now." Alfred did a humble bow before appearing in the sky a moment later. Alfred had a cold look in his eye as he addressed the Dementors beneath him. "HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND ABANDON YOUR POSTS! HOW DARE YOU!" The dementors stopped in their places and started to tremble in fear. Alfred''s voice was sharp and piercing and held unfathomable wrath. "YOU HAVE BROUGHT SHAME TO ME AND MY PRINCE! GO BACK TO YOUR STATIONS! ALL OF YOU! IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" With those words, the dementors immediately dispersed. Alfred coldly watched them leave before heading down to the stands where professor Dumbledore was watching with a surprised look. For once, Arth had an idea of what dementors felt like to other people. A wave of cold air was radiating from Alfred and anyone could tell how angry he was. Arth couldn''t believe that he was the same being as the one who usually kissed his ass. Alfred did a bow towards Dumbledore before speaking coldly. "I am sorry for the imprudence my kind has shown you today. I will make sure to prevent events like these from happening in the future." Alfred frowned before disappearing and reappearing on the floor. In his arms was an unconscious Harry. Alfred laid Harry gently on the floor before giving a curt nod towards Dumbledore and disappearing. At that moment, Arth realized a crucial fact. They had lost the Quidditch match. 140 Faithful Stick Arth, Hermione, And Ron all decided to visit Harry in the hospital wing after the Quidditch match. When they arrived, however, they couldn''t get to Harry as there were already people there The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around his bed. "Lucky there was a sensible dementor." "I thought he was dead for sure." "But he didn''t even break his glasses." Harry was in the bed with his eyes fluttering as if he was about to wake up. "That was the scariest thing I''ve ever seen in my life." Harry''s eyes snapped open. "Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath the mud. "How''re you feeling?" "What happened?" Harry asked, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped. "You fell off," said Fred. "Must''ve been ¡ª what ¡ª fifty feet?" "I don''t care about that. What about the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?" No one said anything. "We didn''t ¡ª lose?" "Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn''t realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square... even Wood admits it." "Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn''t there. "Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he''s trying to drown himself." Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly. "C'' mon, Harry, you''ve never missed the Snitch before." "There had to be one time you didn''t get it," said George. "It''s not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..." "Hufflepuff''ll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George. "But if they beat Ravenclaw..." "No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..." "It all depends on the points ¡ª a margin of a hundred either way ¡ª" Harry lay there, not saying a word. After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace. "We''ll come and see you later," Fred told him. "Don''t beat yourself up, Harry, you''re still the best Seeker we''ve ever had." The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Arth, Ron, and Hermione moved nearer to Harry''s bed. Arth sighed before sitting on Harry''s bed and patted Harry on the back. "You good man? You feeling ok?" "..." "At least you didn''t die, that''s a definite plus." "..." "Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I''ve never seen him like that before. He was furious they''d come onto the grounds. We heard him -" "Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were . . ." "And there was this really badass looking dementor who seemed different from the others," added Arth feeling a bit cheeky. "He came in and caused the remaining dementors to back off. He even saved you and rested you onto the floor." However, Harry wasn''t listening. "Did someone get my Nimbus?" Arthur, Ron, and Hermione looked quickly at each other. "Er ¡ª" "What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other. "Well... when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly. "And?" "And it hit ¡ª it hit ¡ª oh, Harry ¡ª it hit the Whomping Willow." "And?" he said with a pale face. "Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It ¡ª it doesn''t like being hit." Arth tried to be helpful by pretending as though he was decimating a very long stick. However, it didn''t work and Harry went even paler. "Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Hermione in a very small voice. Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry''s faithful, finally beaten broomstick. 141 Puberty Arthur, Ron, And Hermione left the blank looking Harry alone on the bed and exited the hospital wing. Ron had a depressed look on his face. "Well... what a pretty bad day we''re having today..." "Bad is an understatement." Retorted Arth. "We lose the quidditch match, Harry loses his broom, Wood is killing himself in the bathroom." Ron sighed. "I''m going to take my leave first, I need to go do homework... damn. Such a bad day." Arth and Hermione waved Ron off with dark looks when Hermione seized Arth by the scruff and dragged him along into an empty classroom the moment Ron''s figure disappeared around the corner. Caught off guard, Arth could only comply with her wishes. Hermione let go of Arth and looked him in the eye with a stern look. "Explain." Arth raised an eyebrow. "Explain what exactly?" "Explain what happened today in the stands." "Erm... I''m not following?" Hermione gave a frustrated stomp. "You know exactly what I''m talking about." "Clarify please." Said Arth pretending to look confused. Please don''t ask about Alfred. Please don''t ask about Alfred. Please don''t ask about Alfred. "Who is Alfred?" Damn it. Arth put on his best poker face before answering. "Who?" "You know exactly who I''m talking about Arth." "Err... I think we have a miscommunication going on over here. I don''t know any Alfred." "ARTHUR KINGSCROWN!" Arth gave a startled flinch. For some odd reason, Arth found Hermione to be particularly fearsome and scary today. "Tell me now!" Hermione said with a firm gaze. Arth averted his eyes. "How would I know Who Alfred is? You must''ve heard wrong, Hermione-" Hermione took a step forward while Arth took a step backward. This continued until Arth''s back hit the classroom wall. Hermione''s face was now a centimeter apart from Arth''s and Arth could feel her warm breath rest directly on his lips. She smelled nice as well. Like the calming smell of Parchment. Hermione narrowed her beautiful brown eyes at Arth and asked in a clear voice. "What are you hiding." Arth couldn''t help but notice how beautiful Hermione seemed to be in this moment. He was dumbstruck. "Er..." "Who was the person who appeared after you called out Alfred?" Arth regained his composure and let out a wry grin. "... don''t you think we are a little too close right now? If someone saw us like this, they would think we were dating-" SLAM! Hermione planted her hand to the right of Arth''s face, effectively pinning him to the wall. She came closer and now their noses were touching and her body was on top of Arth''s. The relaxing smell of parchment became even stronger and Arth''s mind started to spin. He could feel her warm body even though they were separated by two layers of clothes. "Stop avoiding the topic and tell me the truth." Arth started to panic. His mind was freezing and he could no longer think in a logical and rational manner. His head was spinning and all he could think about was how beautiful she seemed right now. "I''ll give you three seconds." Hermione held up three fingers. "Three." One finger went down. "Two." There was only one finger left standing. "One-" "Alfred-is-a-dementor-That-I-met-during-the-time-I-was-contained-in-Azkaban-And-He-listens-to-me." Said Arth in one breath. Hermione raised an eyebrow in a charming manner. "So why did you call him earlier today?" Arth tried to avoid Hermione''s gaze however couldn''t. "Well, Alfred is sorta like the leader of the dementors. So I called him to fix the incident." "Was he the one who saved Harry." "..." "Arth." "Yes." Hermione took a step backward before smirking. "So basically you have the ability to control dementors." "Err... basically," Arth Replied finally able to calm down. "Nothing important actually-" "Is it also you who sets the dementors on Malfoy?" Arth froze once more. "Er... no?" "Hahaha, is that so." Hermione wore a smug face as she gave a quick glance at Arth. "Alright then, keep your secrets. Just remember-" Hermione took another step forward pinning Arth to the wall once more. Her face was even closer this time and now their lips were barely separated. "I don''t want anymore-" The door to the classroom opened and Colin Creevey entered the room. "Oh hello, Hermione and Arth! Fancy meeting... you... here..." Colin''s face gradually became redder as he saw the scene before his eyes. "Er... was I interrupting something? I''ll... just... take me... leave..." Flustered, Colin tried to exit but hit the door frame before flushing an even deeper red and running out the door. Arth and Hermione stared at the open door for a few seconds before facing each other once more. "As I was saying... remember, I don''t want any more secrets-" There was a loud click and Arth and Hermione whipped their faces towards the door where a tomato-faced Colin was holding a camera at the two. "Colin... What are you doing?" Said Hermione with a cold voice. "U-Um... sorry, I just i-instinctively took a picture-" "I want a copy of the picture after this." "E-Excuse me?" Seeing Hermione''s glare, Colin nodding his head furiously. "Of course! I will definitely give you a copy! I promise-" "Now leave." "Y-yes ma''am!" Colin left quicker than a terrified wizard. Hermione let out a sigh before once more looking at Arth. Arth let out a wry smile. "You were saying?" Hermione narrowed her eyes. "No. More. Secrets." With those words she left the room with a hmph. Arth watched her disappearing figure with a dreamy look. "... is this what puberty feels like?" 142 Vaca Harry was contained within the hospital wing for days and was only released on Monday. Malfoy was almost beside himself with glee at Gryffindor''s defeat. He had finally taken off his bandages and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom. Malfoy spent much of their next Potions class doing dementor imitations across the dungeon; Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor. "If Snape''s teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I''m skiving off," said Ron as they headed toward Lupin''s classroom after lunch. "Check who''s in there, Arthur." Arthur peered around the classroom door. "The teacher who resides within is not the one you dread." "Just say it in a normal way." "Lupin is teaching." Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape''s behavior while Lupin had been ill. Arth couldn''t help but retort a few people. "It''s not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?" "Cause he still is teaching us a subject. I don''t know why it doesn''t make sense to you." "We don''t know anything about werewolves¡ª" "Did you not read the passage? Or did you not listen to his lecture?" "¡ª two rolls of parchment!" "Honestly, two rolls of parchment is light work." "Did you tell Professor Snape we haven''t covered them yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly. The babble broke out again. "Yes, but he said we were really behind ¡ª" "¡ª he wouldn''t listen ¡ª" "¡ª two rolls of parchment!" Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face. "Don''t worry. I''ll speak to Professor Snape. You don''t have to do the essay." "Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I''ve already finished it!" Arth raised his hand. "May I get extra credit for finishing the homework that I had no need to do?" They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless-looking. "Lures travelers into bogs," said Professor Lupin as they took notes. "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead ¡ª people follow the light ¡ª then ¡ª" The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass. When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door but ¡ª "Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called. "I''d like a word." Arth, Hermione, And Ron watched as Harry doubled back into the classroom. "Why do you reckon he has been called back?" Asked Ron with a curious look. "Probably about the recent quidditch match." Replied Arth with a shrug. Soon, Harry came back from his little talk with Professor Lupin looking a bit better. Apparently, Professor Lupin offered to provide anti dementor lessons for Harry. But that was not the only plus. Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November allowing for Gryffindor to hold a chance. Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened sud- denly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were re- vealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shim- mering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn''t stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, it was really just an excuse to keep Harry company. Arth had plans, however, with Scarlett to go back home and spend time with his parents. His parents had planned out an elaborate vacation plan for him and he wasn''t going to miss out on it. 143 Very quick poll Sorry, content is lost, You ¡¯re reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 143 The MARAUDER’S MAP To everyone''s delight except Harry''s, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term. "We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" said Hermione. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!" "Er... I don''t know what to get my parents... maybe I should just make them something?" Said Arth, deep in thought. On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to Ron, Hermione, and Arthur who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves. After watching Harry enter back into the castle, they made their way to Hogsmeade. "What should we do first?" Asked Ron. "Christmas shopping? Or Harry sweets shopping?" Arth shrugged. "Why not go to Honeydukes first? That way, we can knock it off of our list." Hermione sighed. "I still can''t believe that you three managed to finish an entire room filled with sweets in that short amount of time." Ron shrugged. "We are growing, plus, we gave some out to Ginny and her friends." "Consuming that many sweets aren''t healthy you know?" "Whatever." By the time they arrived, Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that they could barely walk around. They edged among the crowd, looking around for delectables. After buying the sweets that were especially delicious the last time they came, they squeezed through the crowd and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop. Unusual Tastes. Arth''s lip slight curved upward. "That place seems interesting." Hermione and Ron stared at the sign doubtfully. "Really? I really don''t think anyone normal would like something... too unusual." "Why not? I would love to experience something that is different from usual as it widens my taste buds." "Again, you are far from normal." Hermione picked up a blood-flavored lollipop and sampled it. "Ugh, I don''t know about you, but Harry won''t want one of those, they''re for vampires, I expect," Hermione was saying with a disgusted face. "Are you saying that I''m a vampire?" Asked Arthur with a raised eyebrow. "I''m just saying that people who want to... flavor the unique taste of blood might be a vampire." Arth rolled his eyes. "How about these?" said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Arth''s nose. "Definitely not," said Harry. Hermione and Arth gave a start. Ron nearly dropped the jar. "Harry!" squealed Hermione. "What are you doing here? How ¡ª how did you ¡ª ?" "Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "you''ve learned to Apparate!" "You dimwit," said Arth with a disappointed look. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can''t apparate in or out of the school?" Arth ignored Ron and raised an eyebrow at Harry. "How did you even sneak out of the school Harry?" Harry dropped his voice so that none of the other students could hear him. "Fred and George gave me a map that can tell the location of anyone in the castle and shows where the secret passages are." "What?" "Here, I''ll show you." Harry pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider''s web from the point that Harry''s wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words. Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER''S MAP "How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron, outraged. "I''m their brother!" "But Harry isn''t going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "He''s going to hand it into Professor McGonagall, aren''t you, Harry?" "No, I''m not!" said Harry. "Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?" "If I had it in, I''ll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!" "But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!" "He can''t be getting in through a passage," said Harry quickly. "There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three ¡ª One of them''s got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can''t get out of it. And the one I just came through ¡ª well ¡ª it''s really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar, so unless he knew it was there... and the last one is-" "The one by the mirror I presume," said Arth with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn''t matter Harry, if that map shows precisely where Sirius Black is while in the school, then it is a huge asset. It could be the determining factor for finding Black." 144 Harry’s Day Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn''t they? They live over the shop!" "Yes, but-but-" Hermoine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn''t be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn''t got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he''ll be in so much trouble!" Arth sighed. "Well, Harry is here already isn''t he? Might as well let him enjoy it." What if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?" "He''d have a job spotting Harry in this," said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it''s Christmas. Harry deserves a break." Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried. "Are you going to report me?" Harry asked her, grinning. "Oh ¡ª of course not ¡ª but honestly, Harry ¡ª" "Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" said Ron, grabbing him and leading him over to their barrel. "And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven... it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick." Ron stared broodingly into the Acid Pop box. "Reckon Fred would take a bit of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?" "More likely that he would convince you to eat a dung bomb." Said Arth with a smirk. When Arth, Ron, and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the three of them left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside. Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees. Harry shivered; unlike the other three, he didn''t have his cloak. Seeing this, Arth sighed before giving him his. "Thanks, Arth, I thought I was going to become a popsicle." Hermione let out a worried face. "Won''t that make you cold Arth?" "Eh... it''s alright I guess, I''m used to the cold anyway." "Don''t say that," said Hermione before taking off her scarf and handing it over to Arth. "Here, this way, at least your neck is protected." Arth declined the offer with a wry smile. "Nah, it''s ok. If I take it, then your neck will be cold." Hermione furrowed her brows deep in thought before wrapping her scarf around the both of them. "Then we both will share a scarf, that way, both of our necks will be warm." Ron made a retching noise behind them. Hearing that, Hermione frowned and turned to face Ron. "What are you making that noise for." Ron sent out a disgusted glare towards Hermione. "Can you guys not make out in front of me and Harry? Please spare us the torture." Hermione sneered in response. "You are just jealous." "Why would I be jealous?" "Because the way you act will always make sure that you remain single for the rest of your life." They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind, Ron and Hermione shouting through their scarves. "That''s the post office ¡ª" "Zonko''s is up there ¡ª" "We could go up to the Shrieking Shack ¡ª" "Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?" "Sure why not?" It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. Madam Rosmerta was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar. "That''s Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I''ll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, going slightly red. Hermione watched his back with a look filled with disdain. Arth, Harry, and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying four foaming tankards of hot butterbeer. "Merry Christmas!" he said happily, raising his tankard. Harry drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he''d ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside. A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Arth looked over the rim of his tankard and choked. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak ¡ª Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. 145 The story of Black and Potter In an instant, Ron and Hermione had both placed hands on the top of Harry''s head and forced him off his stool and under the table. Meanwhile, Arth clutched his tankard and watched the teachers and Fudge move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right towards them. Arth frowned before whispering, "Mobiliarbus!" The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view. Arth heard the grunts and sighs of the teachers and Minister as they sat down. That was a very close one. Madam Rosmertathen came over to the Minister''s table with drinks and disappeared behind the tree. "A small gillywater ¡ª" "Mine," said Professor McGonagall''s voice. "Four pints of mulled mead ¡ª" "Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid. "A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella ¡ª" "Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips. "So you''ll be the red currant rum, Minister." "Thank you, Rosmerta, m''dear," said Fudge''s voice. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won''t you? Come and join us..." "Well, thank you very much, Minister." "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?" came Madam Rosmerta''s voice. Arth heard Fudge pause before answering in a quiet voice, "What else, m''dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?" Arth furrowed his eyebrows. What did Black have to do about them coming here? "I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta. "Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?" said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly. "Do you think Black''s still in the area, Minister?" whispered Madam Rosmerta. "I''m sure of it," said Fudge shortly. "You know that the dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away... It''s very bad for business, Minister." "Rosmerta, m''dear, I don''t like them any more than you do," said Fudge uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there you are... I''ve just met some of them. They''re in fury against Dumbledore ¡ª he won''t let them inside the castle grounds." "I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?" "Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick. "All the same," demurred Fudge, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse... We all know what Black''s capable of..." "Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I''d have thought... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you''d told me then what he was going to become, I''d have said you''d had too much mead." "You don''t know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn''t widely known." Worse? What could be worse than killing twelve people with one curse? "The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?" "I certainly do," said Fudge. "I can''t believe that. What could possibly be worse?" "You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?" "Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here ¡ª ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!" Arth heard something drop with a loud clunk from underneath the table. "Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course ¡ª exceptionally bright, in fact ¡ª but I don''t think we''ve ever had such a pair of troublemakers ¡ª" "I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give ''em a run for their money." "You''d have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!" "Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him." "Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta. Arth started to have a bad feeling. The way they were talking made it seem as though things could go worse. Sirius being the right-hand man of Voldemort, Sirius being The Godfather of Harry, Harry''s parents dying. "Worse even than that, m''dear. . . ." Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was, of course, working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn''t an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm." "How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. "An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find ¡ª unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!" "So Black was the Potters'' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta. "Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself... and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters'' Secret-Keeper himself." "He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta. "He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who." "But James Potter insisted on using Black?" "He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed ¡ª" McGonagall took a sharp breath. "Lily And James were dead." 146 Black And Potter 2 "Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta. "He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters'' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it ¡ª" "Filthy, stinkin'' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet. "Shh!" said Professor McGonagall. "I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all the people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an'' James''s house after they were killed! Jus'' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an'' his parents dead... an'' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin'' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin'' there. I didn'' know he''d bin Lily an'' James''s Secret-Keeper. Though he''d jus'' heard the news o'' You-Know-Who''s attack an'' come ter see what he could do. White an'' shakin'', he was. An'' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN'' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared. "Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!" "How was I ter know he wasn'' upset abou'' Lily an'' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou''! An'' then he says, ''Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I''m his godfather, I''ll look after him ¡ª'' Ha! But I''d had me orders from Dumbledore, an'' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an'' uncle''s. Black argued, but in the end, he gave in. Told meter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. ''I won''t need it anymore,'' he says. I shoulda known there was somethin'' fishy goin'' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin'' it ter me for? Why wouldn'' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he''d bin the Potters'' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin'' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o'' hours before the Ministry was after him. But what if I''d given Harry to him, eh? I bet he''d''ve pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His best'' friends'' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there''s nothin'' and no one that matters to ''em anymore..." A long silence followed Hagrid''s story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, "But he didn''t manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!" "Alas, if only we had," said Fudge bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew ¡ª another of the Potters'' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters'' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself." "Pettigrew . . . that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I ¡ª how I regret that now. . . ." She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold. "There, now, Minerva," said Fudge kindly, "Pettigrew died a hero''s death. Eyewitnesses ¡ª Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later ¡ª told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, ''Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?'' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens..." Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy... foolish boy... he was always hopeless at dueling... should have left it to the Ministry..." "I tell yeh, if I''d gotten Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn''t''ve messed around with wands ¡ª I''d ripped him limb ¡ª from ¡ª limb," Hagrid growled. "You don''t know what you''re talking about, Hagrid," said Fudge sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what has left of Pettigrew in front of him... a heap of bloodstained robes and a few ¡ª a few fragments ¡ª" Fudge''s voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown. "Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said Fudge thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black''s been in Azkaban ever since." 147 Black and Potter 3 I swear this is the last copy and paste chapter for a while. Plus one more thing, I realized more minute differences between the books and the movies. /¡ª¡ª¡ª/ Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh. "Is it true he''s mad, Minister?" "I wish I could say that he was," said Fudge slowly. "I certainly believe his master''s defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man ¡ª cruel... pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there''s no sense in them... but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You''d have thought he was merely bored ¡ª asked if I''d finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him ¡ª and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night." "But what do you think he''s broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn''t trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?" "I daresay that is his ¡ª er ¡ª eventual plan," said Fudge evasively. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing... but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he''ll rise again..." There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass. "You know, Cornelius, if you''re dining with the headmaster, we''d better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall. Arth heard the Professors leave their seats one by one and exit out the door. When they had all left, Arth couldn''t help but worry about Harry. Arth peeked underneath the table and saw a completely blank looking Harry. Not good. Very not good. "Harry?" Ron''s and Hermione''s faces joined him under the table. They were both staring at Harry at a loss for words. However, before they could say another word, Harry got up and left the Three Broomsticks without a word. Ron, Hermione, And Arth stared at the slowly closing door with complex faces. "Well..." said Ron with a still-not-understanding look, "that went well." Arth couldn''t help but snort back a retort. "It went absolutely fantastic Ron, just exactly what I would want to hear on a holiday." "Ey man, chill. I was just being sarcastic." "Thanks captain, sarcasm was exactly what we needed in this moment." Ron started to flush. "What else am I supposed to say? What a fucked up life Harry has?" Arthur was about to say something when he stopped and furrowed his eyebrows deep in thought. "Actually, Yes. That would''ve been better than being sarcastic. Sounds a bit more humane." Ron shut his mouth due to sheer dumbfound amazement and frustration. Hermione let out a sigh. "Poor Harry, of all the things he had to hear, it had to be something so... dark." Arth shrugged his shoulders. "Well... I seem to find it weird." Ron and Hermione stared at Arth with weird looks. "What do you mean weird? What are you talking about?" Arth rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I''m talking about the story that the Minister of Magic was going on about. It was a bit weird." "What about it?" "Some parts of the story didn''t make sense." Ron rolled his eyes. "Are you going to explain what exactly you are talking about or are we just going to be here walking around in circles?" "Well... don''t you find the whole story thing weird?" "...Unbelievable." Said Ron staring at Arth as if he was an alien. "Absolutely, unbelievable." Arth sighed. "It was a joke Ron, calm down." Ron almost threw his tankard at him. "Ok, seriously this time, what I found so weird is how everyone thinks that Sirius Black is actually the one that betrayed James." Hermione frowned. "How is that weird? It''s the one thing that seems to be normal to me?" Arth sighed in frustration. "You don''t understand. It''s not common for someone to betray their friends. Especially with what was going on with James Potter and Sirius Black according to them." Ron shook his head. "Man, I think you are just overthinking this too much." Arth bit his lip. Fine, I''ll go explain my reasoning to people who would actually listen. 148 Back at the Raven Arth separated from Hermione and Ron when they arrived at the school and went to the library. From there, he went up the secret passageway Luna had told him during his second year that lead to the Ravenclaw Dormitories. When he arrived, he was met with a familiar large bronze door with an eagle shaped door knocker located in the middle. "A number times itself is equal to the same number multiplied by two but in reverse. What is the number?" "Nine." Without a second moment of hesitation, Arth said the answer and entered the dormitory. Arth saw heads turn when he walked in and gave a small little wave. One of the older students raised an eyebrow. "What brings you here Arth? If you are looking for Luna again, then she isn''t here." Arth had by now spent enough time in the Ravenclaw Dormitories for most of the people to be familiar with him. "I''m not here for Luna today, Stephen." The sixth year student named Stephen let out a surprised look. "Then what else are you here for? Books?" "Nah, I was here because I had a question." Immediately, the Ravenclaw Dormitories quieted down. Typical Ravenclaws, couldn''t help but be interested in problems. Stephen had a brilliant glimmer in his eyes and the corners of his mouth started to inch upwards. "What exactly is this... question?" Arth tilted his head and placed a finger on his lip as if he was debating on whether to tell them or not. "Well... it''s more like a feeling, a missing puzzle piece that doesn''t make sense." "What?" Asked Stephen with a burning gaze. The other Ravenclaws also watched on with very very interested looks. Arth gave a smile. The fish had caught on to the bait. "It''s about Sirius Black. I''m sure you''ve heard of him by now." "Who hasn''t." "Well... I''ve recently come across a few pieces of information that seem to... contradict with what I have been hearing about Sirius Black as a person." Stephen frowned. "What information?" Arth gave a charming smile. "Firstly, you know the reason why Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, right? Or at least what the Ministry thinks was the reason." Stephen nodded his head. "It''s thought to be because of Black''s desire to kill Harry and revive you know who isn''t it?" "Yep. However, what would you say if you knew that Sirius Black and James Potter, Harry''s Father, were as close as brothers?" Stephen frowned and started to contemplate. Another Ravenclaw student spoke up. "Couldn''t it just be that Sirius betrayed James for power? Or that he was mind controlled?" Arth shrugged. "Of course, however, we have to remember that Sirius Black, even before he was exposed as a dark wizard, was apparently gifted in the magical arts. It is hard to say that such a powerful wizard would succumb to mind possession." "Then Sirius went to the dark side to gain power from you know who." Arth let out a sly smile. "Yes, That would make sense, however, you must realize that Sirius and James sort of had a group where they both shared leadership." The quiet Stephen finally spoke up his eyes glittering with intelligence. "Are you saying that Sirius is not the type of person to submit to others?" Arth smiled in response. An Asian girl raised her hand and started to speak. "Then it''s simple, You know who gave some power to Sirius Black. I mean people do say that Sirius was his right hand man. He must''ve had some power." Arth sighed. "It seems you don''t understand the personality of the Dark Lord well, Cho." Cho flushed before retorting angrily. "What do you mean? All you need to know was that You know who favorited Black." Stephen sighed at her answer. "Cho, you know who was known for many things, however, mercy towards his subordinates was not one of them. You could have some favor with You know who, however, in the end of the day, you were just a dispensable pawn. That much is clear." Arth nodded his head in agreement. "Well, seeing that this will become somewhat long conversation, shall we sit down and cozy ourselves up?" 149 True Vacation Soon, it was time for the holidays and Arthur left Hermione, Ron, And Harry at Hogwarts and boarded the Hogwarts Train with Scarlett back to Kong''s Cross. There, his parents picked him up and they went on vacation. They first went to America where apparently his Father''s cousin lived. Apparently in the America''s, muggles were called no-mags discovered Arth after conversing with a young wizard. One time, Arth was almost run over by a muggle motorcyclist who didn''t see him walking on the street. The poor dude was almost swallowed whole by a seven foot long Python that Scarlett summoned. It was a lucky thing that Arth was very proficient in memory charms. He really didn''t want to explain to the American ministry why they had set a snake on a muggle or no mag. Next, they went to France, where his mother side of the family lived. He was allowed to visit Beauxbatons, the French version of Hogwarts, except a bit more... frenchy. Of course, it was a pretty cool experience as most of the time people couldn''t go to Beauxbatons unless they enrolled, apparently his grandmother on his mother''s side was a lot more influential in France then he thought. She was apparently a close friend of the headmistress of Beauxbatons. A very close friend. Arth had to be be careful of the modeling agencies. For some very odd reason, anytime one of their agents caught a glimpse of him or Scarlett, they would come running with a fervent look in their eyes while speaking madly in French. Arth knew just about enough French to understand what he was saying. Stay away and run. All the while he was out on vacation, Arth would still receive letters from Harry and Hermione. Ron was never the letter type of guy. Firstly, apparently Buckbeak the Hippogriff was getting a trial for being a "danger to society." According to the letter, it was something orchestrated by Draco Malfoy and his father. What an asshole. Secondly, Hermione wrote to him asking for advice on how to fix relationships. Apparently Ron and Hermione got into another fight over Crookshanks and Scabbers. If Arth had to be honest, he felt that the whole argument was pointless. A cat will chase a rat. It was just the way of Nature. Plus, he felt that Scabbers was nearing his death day anyways. He did kinda look pale and scrawny even before Hermione bought Crookshanks. Another surprising piece of news from Harry and Hermione was that someone had gifted Harry a Firebolt for his Christmas present. Arth raised an eye at this and wondered who could''ve sent it. However, he wasn''t very worried. It probably wasn''t some sort of trap devised by Sirius Black to kill Harry. Just the thought of Sirius Black walking down Diagon Alley to buy a broom was incredulous to him. And even if it was a gift from Sirius Black, Arthur wouldn''t feel very worried. The Ravenclaws were true to their nature and had somehow still managed to find time on trying to piece the one big complicated puzzle called Sirius Black together during the holidays. In fact, Arth would have a constant stream of letters that would arrive wherever he was. Everything was getting clearer and clearer bit by bit. All they needed was solid evidence and a lot more piecing together. Basically they were still nowhere. Scarlett started to develop a very weird habit of staying as close to Arth as possible and would always have at least one finger in contact with Arth at all times. She was always seen either curling around on Arth''s arm in snake form or holding his hand tightly and staring down at all the girls who attempted to approach him. A few days later, Arth received another letter from Hermione that was filled with tears. Once again, there was trouble among the trio however this time it was Harry and Hermione. Hermione apparently reported Harry''s Firebolt to Professor McGonagall who in turn confiscated the broom much to Harry''s outrage. Arth couldn''t really blame Hermione for being cautious. He would probably do the same for anything he received from an unknown person. It wasn''t because of the whole Sirius Black matter but just a simple use of common sense. Soon, the holidays were coming to a close and it was time to return to Hogwarts. 150 Dark Brown Arth and Scarlett safely arrived at Hogwarts and split up on their own ways. The first thing that Arth did was go to the Gryffindor common room to drop off his stuff. In the common room, Harry and Ron were playing a match of chess with dark looks plastered onto their faces. With raised eyebrows, Arth asked, "Where is Hermione?" Harry flat out ignored Arth''s question while Ron darkly Replied. "How should I know where that pet harmer and backstabbing traitor is? I think it''s bloody great that I don''t know where she is actually." Arth couldn''t help but sigh. Children these days being sullen over a might be jinxed broomstick and a dying rat. How childish. It was for their safety as well. Arthur went upstairs and placed all his stuff onto his bed before running back down. "I''m going off to find Hermione." Ron snarled venomously. "Then stop yapping and go find your big mouth girlfriend. Tell her to keep her mouth shut won''t ya?" Arth frowned. "Y''all should go easier on her you know? She was only thinking about the best." "Sure, And Tell her it''s perfectly fine to have her cat kill mine. In fact, say that I''m willing to hand over Scabbers for that ugly Fay''s dinner." Dumbfounded, Arth shook his head and left the common rooms slightly annoyed and disgusted. What friends they were getting upset about minor things. Arth gave a whistle and a very oversized crow appeared from thin air and perched on his shoulder. Arth couldn''t help but sigh. It was as if the crow was being influenced by the dementors. It had certainly got down the dramatic entrance part well copied. Corvus had now gotten to the size of a small eagle. However, it''s attitude was still the same. Arth softly stroked Corvus''s beak as the bird closed its eyes and cawed in delight. "Hey, Corvus, can you do me a favor and find Hermione for me?" Corvus opened its eyes and let out a defiant caw and disappeared into the air. A few moments later, Corvus appeared back onto his shoulder and cawed triumphantly. "Did you find her?" Corvus did a little head bob. "Atta boy, go take me to the fair lady. And please take on a form that''s a bit smaller." Corvus cawed in response and took off flying, leading Arth. It had also listened to Arth and had magically shrunk its body to be one that of a normal crow. Corvus took Arth outside the castle and towards Hagrid''s hut. Arth frowned when he got closer to the hut as he could hear the sound of sniffling and crying from a familiar voice. A very familiar voice. Arth sighed. "Those two boys are totally senseless when it comes to a girl''s heart... can''t imagine them ever getting married. Would be a miracle with their denseness." Arth opened the door to the hut and immediately took a double take. It was a lot worse that Arth thought. Hermione was looking like an alcoholic with a severe case of depression and Hagrid was very nervously trying to calm her down. By the look of Hagrid''s pale face, it was obvious that he had absolutely no idea. "Errr..." Even with all of his intelligence, Arth seemed to be unable to formulate a response for the situation. Corvus let out a weak caw before disappearing into the air. ...Traitorous bird. Hagrid seemed to brighten up at the sight of Arth and immediately stood up. "Blimey Hermione, I need to go tend to the livestock. If yer need any more... support, I''m sure Arth would be glad to help." "Err- wait- Hagrid-" However, Hagrid had already run out the hut and made a dash towards the forbidden forest. Arth started to wish that he was still out on vacation. "Arth?" Hearing the broken hearted voice of Hermione, Arth couldn''t help but feel a tang of pain in his chest. She sounded as if she was shattered glass. She was broken and hurt. She was in pain. Arth took a good look at her face. Her eyes were hollow and the area around them had become puffy red, like all eyes do when they cry for too long and there were bit marks on the bottom of her lip. Some of the marks were bleeding. Her hair was disheveled and more messy than usual. She looked like a broken doll. He couldn''t leave her like this. Arth took a long deep breath before sitting on the chair directly next to Hermione. He fixed his gaze onto her head and waited for her to move. As if sensing his presence, Hermione stopped sobbing and slowly turned towards his face. Arth could see the diamond like tears that slowly flowed from her cheek and dropped into the floor. "Arth... I missed you." Her voice radiated sadness and confusion, as though she was walking in a maze blindfolded without the ability to touch. Arth could only do so much to relieve her sorrow. "...yeah. I missed you too." "I-It was a long Holiday wasn''t it?" Something about the way she looked at Arth unnerved him. Bothered him. Messed with his mind and soul. "...yes it was." Hermione slowly got up and moved towards where Arth was sitting. She swung one leg over Arth and sat on top of his lap while facing him. Their faces were barely touching and Arth stared into her pain filled brown eyes. Tears started to fall from her eyes at a faster pace. "D-did I really do something bad?" She stared into his eyes as if she was clinging on to the last thread of hope. "No... not at all." Arth wanted to avert his gaze however he couldn''t. He knew that if he did, it would bring more pain onto her already delicate mind. "D-does Harry and Ron h-hate me?" The Hermione in front of him was so different from the Hermione he had remembered when he left school. This Hermione was weak and needed a shoulder to cry on. This Hermione needed a friend. Arth realized with a jolt that Hermione was practically friendless the entire Holidays. And indescribable emotion took root in his chest and started to beat wildly. She had decided to spend time at school for the few friends she had, and in the end, her trusted friends threw her away. "...Of course not... they are just angry and immature. It''s ok Hermione, everything is going to be alright." Hermione gave a sniffle and wiped here face with the palms of her hand. However, her eyes would produce more that she could wipe away. "D-did I make a mistake?" Arth took a deep breath and hugged the back of her head tightly. Her head rested onto his chest and he could feel the ragged breath of Hermione beat onto his body. Arth gently led his hand down her hair as if caressing a newborn baby. "Of course you didn''t, you did the right thing." Hermione gripped Arth''s back and said nothing. She tried her best to muffle her sobs onto his clothes however, she was very inefficient. She clenched Arth''s back to the point where he started to feel pain however his face was void of any wincing. Only gentle care and warmth. Arth sat there listening to the fractured voice of Hermione crying and gave her something to lean on. For the first time ever, Arth hated Ron and Harry to the bone. 151 Breaking Bonds Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, except for Arth who swam in the lake every morning no matter the weather and wouldn''t mind a slight cold weather, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs. The first Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen. Ever since the day Arth had arrived from vacation, Arth and Hermione spent very little time with the other two boys. In fact, both Hermione and Arth started to spend more time in the library than in the Gryffindor Common room. Hermione didn''t want to meet them as she still felt a little guilty while Arth had enough of their idiotic behavior. After Divination, it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. After the class had ended, Arth and Hermione couldn''t help but overhear Ron and Harry talking about Professor Lupin. "Still looks ill, doesn''t he?" said Ron. "What d''you reckon''s the matter with him?" There was a loud and impatient "tuh" from Hermione. "And what are you tutting at us for?" said Ron irritably. "Nothing," said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder. "Yes, you were," said Ron. "I said I wonder what''s wrong with Lupin, and you ¡ª" "Well, isn''t it obvious?" said Hermione, with a look of maddening superiority. Arth raised an eyebrow. "You also figured it out Hermione?" "You did too! I knew it that you would figure out!" "If you don''t want to tell us, don''t, go flirt somewhere else. I don''t want to hear you two kids each other''s butts," snapped Ron. Arth coldly glared at Ron before turning away. "Let''s go Hermione. They don''t deserve to hear from you anyways." "They Don''t know a thing," said Ron loudly making sure both Hermione and Arth heard. "They are just trying to get us to talk to them again." Arth frowned and turned around. "Why would we want to talk to two dense idiots who don''t understand a thing about anything? Hermione, let''s just go already." They marched off leaving the two boys alone. As more and more time went by, the workload of Hermione and Arth seemed to increase. Every night, they were to be seen in a corner of the common room, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes. If it wasn''t for the time turners, it would''ve been almost impossible to finish all of their homework. Of course, they had to find a hidden room to work, or at least wait until everyone else had gone to bed. One time, while Hermione was sleeping on one of the tables, Arth took the time turner and turned back time. It was a very weird experience, staring at himself and working together with an exact duplicate. Gladly, neither him or his other self made any attempt to kill each other. January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. Arth and Hermione were working on finishing their homework when Harry and Ron came bathing into the common room with a broom in their hands. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people exclaiming over his Firebolt. "Where''d you get it, Harry?" "Will you let me have a go?" "Have you ridden it yet, Harry?" "Ravenclaw''ll have no chance, they''re all on Cleansweep Sevens!" "Can I just hold it, Harry?" After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Arthur had a clear view of Harry and Ron. Hermione was purposefully averting her eyes.Harry and Ron approached their table and at last, she looked up. "I got it back," said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt. "That''s good," said Hermione with a stiff smile. "I suppose I''m glad to know that the broom is safe." "See, Hermione? There wasn''t anything wrong with it! you were just being too nit-picky." said Ron. Hermione slammed her book onto the table and let out a shrill voice. "I''m sorry for caring whether or not Harry would be safe! Next time I''ll just watch him get thrown off a cursed broom I suppose." 152 Breaking Bonds 2 Before anyone else could say a word, Arthur grabbed Ron by the scruff and let out a cold glare. "You went too far, Weasley. Take it back." Ron went red in the face before hissing in Arth''s face. "Let go of me Kingscrown, before I make you." "I''d like to see you try." "Arth! Let go of him, please... I don''t want to make any more trouble." Arth scowled before slowly letting go of Ron. "Hermione, you should really stop being so kind with these pricks. They don''t deserve your generosity." "Say that again Arth. I dare you." "You really think I''m scared of you Weasley?" "Stop! Just stop!" Screamed Hermione. Arth and Ron were now a foot apart with both of their wands pointed at each other''s neck. "...Ron," said Harry. "Can you take my broom and put it upstairs ¡ª" "I''ll do it!" growled Ron. "I''ve got to give Scabbers his rat tonic anyways. You know, the one that Hermione''s cat almost killed." He took the Firebolt and stomped up the boys'' staircase. There was a moment of awkward silence when Harry let out a deep sigh. "I''m sorry for Ron''s attitude. He never really meant any of that... you know him." Arth let out a condescending sneer. "Maybe Mr. Weasley should learn how to contain... tantrums." "That''s enough Arth, even if you are standing up for me." Arth raised up his hands in surrender and backed away. "...Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked Hermione. "I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair. Arth watched as Harry look around at the cluttered table, at the Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even Muggle Studies essay and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over. "How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her. "Oh, well ¡ª you know ¡ª working hard, and Arthur has been helping me a lot," said Hermione. "Why don''t you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary. "I couldn''t do that!" said Hermione, looking scandalized. "Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart. "Oh no, it''s wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It''s my favorite subject! It''s ¡ª" A strangled yell echoed down the boys'' staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder ¡ª and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet. "LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to Hermione''s table. "LOOK!" he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face. "Ron, what ¡ª ?" "SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!" Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Arthur looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked like ¡ª "BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE''S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?" "N ¡ª no," said Hermione in a trembling voice. Ron threw something down onto Hermione''s rune translation. Hermione leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs. "GIVE ME THE BLOODY THIEVING CAT! I''m GOING TO KILL IT FOR MURDERING MY SCABBERS!" "I-I-I-" "WHERE IS THE CAT!" Ron made a furious grabbing attempt at Hermione who in turn flinched. Right before his hand came down upon Hermione, Arth stopped it. "Stay down Weasley. You are acting like an animal." "HER STUPID LITTLE CAT KILLED MY RAT! DON''T INTERFERE ARTH! GO AWAY!" Arthur scowled. "Weasley, calm down for a moment here-" "STAY OUT OF IT KINGSCROWN BEFORE I HURT YOU TOO! IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! ITS JUST ME AND HERMIONE!" "I''m afraid that it is my business. My friend is being threatened by someone and I can''t leave her alone." Ron froze. All of his anger disappeared immediately and he just blankly stared at Arth. "What about me?" Ron asked quietly. "What do you mean you?" "Am I not your friend as well?" Arth gave him a cold look. "My friends would never try to hurt another person over a dying rat and a fancy broom. The only friend I have in here is the one behind me. Any more questions?" Ron gave Arth a long look who returned it with an equally cold stare. After what seemed like hours, Ron shook Arth''s hand off his arm and turned around and left the common room. Harry hesitated, looking back and forth from the retreating back of Ron and the cold look of Arth and the trembling Hermione, before deciding to chase after Ron. After a few moments, Arth let out a weary sigh. "That went well. 153 Knife over the Bed Time went by quickly and Hermione and Arth somehow managed to avoid Ron and Harry even more than before. Even when Harry had his quidditch match with Ravenclaw, Hermione and Arth decided to be in the library and finish up their homework. Even all of the extra hours they could get from the time turner were no longer enough to keep them completely awake. Arth had attempted to create a long-lasting energy drink and had succeeded in a way. The drink would provide a guaranteed twenty-four hours of perfect clarity of the mind however would bring about an earsplitting headache right after. Nothing he could seem to fix it. It seemed that the Gryffindor had won the match as the entire House was up celebrating. Having enough of the loud noise, Arth and Hermione went to bed early and slept soundly. Arth was dreaming about going to sleep when Ron let out an ear-splitting scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Arth woke as suddenly as though he''d been woken up from a nice nap. Disoriented in the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings ¡ª he could hear movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan''s voice from the other side of the room: "What''s going on?" Arth heard the dormitory door slam. At last, finding the divide in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean Thomas lit his lamp. Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn at one side, a look of utmost terror on his face. "Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!" "What?" Asked Harry who had also gotten up. "Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!" "You sure you weren''t dreaming, Ron?" said Dean. "Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!" They all scrambled out of bed; Arthur reached the dormitory door last still groggy from the lack of sleep, and they sprinted back down the staircase. Doors opened behind them, and sleepy voices called after them. "Who shouted?" "What''re you doing?" The common room was lit with the glow of the dying fire, still littered with the debris from the party. It was deserted. "Are you sure you weren''t dreaming, Ron?" "I''m telling you, I saw him!" "What''s all the noise?" "Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!" A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing. "Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred Weasley brightly. "Everyone back upstairs!" said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. "Perce ¡ª Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!" The common room went very still. "Nonsense!" said Percy, looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron ¡ª had a nightmare ¡ª" "I''m telling you ¡ª" "Now, really, enough''s enough!" Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and glared furiously around. "I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!" "I certainly didn''t authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare ¡ª" "IT WASN''T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!" Professor McGonagall stared at him. "Don''t be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?" Arth let out a groan. "Can we all just use our brains and just go ask the god damn painting outside to get this over with? I want to sleep." Raising an eyebrow at Arth, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. "Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?" "Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan. There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room. "You ¡ª you did?" said Professor McGonagall. "But ¡ª but the password!" "He had ''em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week''s, my lady! Read ''em off a little piece of paper!" Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk. "Which person," she said, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week''s passwords and left them lying around?" There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air. Arth sighed. "Can we go to sleep now?" 154 I don’t know what to call this No one in Gryffindor Tower slept that night, except for maybe Arth who took a few short naps here and there. They knew that the castle was being searched again, and the whole House stayed awake in the common room, waiting to hear whether Black had been caught. Professor McGonagall came back at dawn, to tell them that he had again escaped. Throughout the day, everywhere they went they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had agreed to return to her job only on the condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs. To much of Arth''s disgust, Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. "... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft... I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down... I rolled over... and I saw him standing over... like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair... holding this great long knife must''ve been twelve inches... and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered." Arth couldn''t help but sigh at the sight. Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade vis- its, given him detention and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him. None of these punishments, however, came close to matching the one his grandmother had in store for him. Two days after Black''s break-in, she sent Neville the very worst thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast ¡ª a Howler. It was too horrible to describe, even Arth couldn''t bear to think of it. Neville''s Grandmother was absolutely merciless. A large group of people was bunched around the bulletin board when Arth and Hermione came back from the libraries. "Hogsmeade, next weekend!" Arth heard Ron say to Harry, "What d''you reckon?" "Well, Filch hasn''t done anything about the passage into Hon- eydukes. . . ." Harry said quietly, but not quiet enough. "Harry!" said Hermione. "Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again... I''ll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!" said Hermione. "Can you hear someone talking, Harry?" growled Ron, not looking at Hermione. "Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! I mean it, I''ll tell ¡ª" "So now you''re trying to get Harry expelled!" said Ron furiously. "Haven''t you done enough damage this year?" Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but with a soft hiss, Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. Hermione took one frightened look at the expression on Ron''s face, gathered up Crookshanks, and hurried away toward the girls'' dormitories. Arthur frowned before massaging his temples. "You know, I''m starting to think that Hermione is the only one who still cares about Harry." "What do you mean?" Arth shrugged. "Well, Hermione believes that Sirius Black is out to get Harry and tries to keep him safe while you on the other hand encourage Harry to break the rules." Seeing the look on Ron''s face, Arth sighed in a tired manner. "Don''t get angry with me, I''m tired. I don''t want to have this argument right now." Arth walked past Harry and Ron. "I''m just saying, y''all can do whatever you want but at least make sure you guys don''t get caught." With those words, Arth went to his bed and slept. 155 The workings of Red During the day of the Hogsmeade visit, Arth and Hermione both got ready quickly and headed out. They brought with them their school bags and decided to go to a different place then The Three Broomsticks as it was constantly loud and distracting there. They discovered a was a small tea shop located on a side road off the High Street in Hogsmeade Village called, Madam Puddifoot''s Tea Shop. Since it was early, there seemed to be no one there and Hermione and Arth sat at one of the tables and started to work. Soon, more and more people started to enter and Arth and Hermione realized with a sudden start that people were kissing all around them. They seemed to have entered a love hotspot. Obviously, Arth and Hermione left the shop immediately as they couldn''t concentrate with a bunch of people eating each other''s faces right next to them. Did they have any romantic feelings while watching the couples? No, homework and studying was more important to them at the moment. There was no room for anything else, only work and sleep. When they came back, a gray owl dropped a letter at Hermione who opened it absentmindedly. However, upon reading the contents, Hermione went pale and froze on the spot. Frowning, Arth took the letter from her trembling hands and read the letter. He too, froze upon reading it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read. Dear Hermione and Arth, We lost. I''m allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London. I won''t forget all the help you gave us. Hagrid "Oh no..." mumbled Arth with a dark look. "Not Buckbeak..." Hermione and Arthur heard a few familiar loud voices down the hallway and turned their heads to look. "It''s my fault," Ron was saying to Harry. "I persuaded you to go. Lupin''s right, it was stupid, we shouldn''t''ve done it ¡ª" He broke off as he saw that Hermione and Arth was walking toward them. "Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?" "No," said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know... Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed. He ¡ª he sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter. Harry and Ron read over the letters with dark looks. "They can''t do this," said Harry. "They can''t. Buckbeak isn''t dangerous." "Malfoy''s dad''s frightened the Committee into it," said Arth. "Probably threatening them and using Blackmail." Hermione, wiped her eyes. "You know what he''s like. They''re a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There''ll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can''t see any hope... Nothing will have changed." "Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won''t have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I''ll help." Arth gave Ron a good state. "...ceasefire Ron?" "...sure, why not. At least until we help Hagrid." "Oh, Ron!" Hermione broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, awkwardly stood there watching Hermione. "Ron, I''m really, really sorry about Scabbers...," she sobbed. "Oh ¡ª well ¡ª he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now." Arth watched this with an indecipherable look. Harry, who saw this, couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. "What''s wrong Arth? Jealous?" Arth shook his head. "Far from it actually. Just thinking about something." "What?" Arth unblinkingly stared at the mellow Ron. Ron is angry and sassy and unreasonable. Ron gets fame from Sirius Black attack. Ron seems to be more sensible. "Hmmm..." said Arth. "I might have figured out how Ron works." 156 Hermione Slap The relationship between Hermione, Arth, Ron, And Harry had become a amicable once more, however, there was still some awkwardness when they talked to each other. Plus, Arth was formulating a plan for Ron. (AN: I''m sorry but I had to put that paragraph there before people start hating me for "oh you made Ron and Arth friends again". They are not friends. They are just friendly. Remember that." The safety measures imposed on the students since Black''s second break-in made it impossible for them to go and visit Hagrid in the evenings. Their only chance of talking to him was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons. He seemed numb with shock at the verdict. "S''all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin'' there in black robes an'' I kep'' droppin'' me notes and forgettin'' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione And Arth. An'' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an'' said his bit, and the Committee jus'' did exac''ly what he told ''em..." "I should''ve been there with you," said Arth. "I could''ve made it so that the Committee would''ve have been embarrassed to side with Lucius Malfoy. That is, if Wizarding laws are anything like muggle laws." "There''s still the appeal!" said Ron fiercely. "Don''t give up yet, we''re working on it!" They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively. "S''no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee''s in Lucius Malfoy''s pocket. I''m jus'' gonna make sure the rest o'' Beaky''s time is the happiest he''s ever had. I owe him that..." Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief. "Look at him blubber!" Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening. "Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he''s supposed to be our teacher!" Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy and Arth took out his wand, but Hermione got there first ¡ª SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Arth, Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again. "Don''t you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul ¡ª you evil ¡ª" "Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back. "Get off, Ron!" Ron flinched and immediately backed away while Arth slowly put his wand back into his pocket. It seemed that he no longer needed it. Hermione pulled out her wand. Malfoy stepped backward. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered. "C''mon," Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons. Arth let out a disappointed sigh. "You should''ve hexed them Hermione, then I could''ve wiped their memory so we don''t get in trouble." However, he was promptly ignored. Arth couldn''t tell if it was on purpose or just nature acting out again. "Harry, you''d better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can''t stand it if Slytherin wins!" "We''re due in Charms," said Harry, with a wry smile. "We''d better go." Arth and Hermione split off from Harry and Ron before slipping into an empty classroom. They spun the time turner twice and continued their way to Arithmancy. After the class, Hermione fell asleep and Arth hesitated on whether to wake her up or leave her alone to rest. In the end, Arth let her sleep for four hours before waking her up and turning the time turner five times. Hermione wouldn''t stop thanking Arth for waking her up, though she was mad that he didn''t wake her up sooner. They quickly rejoined Harry and Ron who were heading to charms and practiced their cheering charms. Together they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room. Glowing on every little table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist. Arth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down together at the same rickety table. "I thought we weren''t starting crystal balls until next term," Ron muttered, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney, in case she was lurking nearby. "Don''t complain, this means we''ve finished palmistry," Harry muttered back. "I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands." "Good day to you!" said the familiar, misty voice, and Professor Trelawney made her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quivered with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball. "I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," said Professor Trelawney, sitting with her back to the fire and gazing around. "The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice." Hermione snorted. "Well, honestly... ''the fates have informed her''... who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" she said, not troubling to keep her voice low. Harry and Ron choked back laughs while Arthur raised an eyebrow. Hermione was especially vicious today.