Heron

“Clearly.” said the blonde man. Lucius Malfoy was now staring at Hermione’s parents in Flourish and Blotts. “The company you keep, Weasley... and I thought your family could sink no lower -” 

A cauldron went flying as the father of the Weasley family tried to throw himself at the man but was stopped by another equally unpleasant figure. 

“Now, I don’t think this is the right place for this, Mr. Weasley.” he said in a mocking voice. “Let us leave these... creatures alone, one shouldn’t stoop down to their level, should they, Lucius?” 

“You’re quite right, Lazarus. C’mon, Draco.” he tossed the rugged book he had picked up from the youngest Weasley child Ginny, and with the other man joined a woman who was waiting outside in a black dress. 

“Arthur, yeh know well enough not t' meddle with 'im” said Hagrid who was ready to stop the two men from fighting if it came to pass. 

“You’re right, Hagrid.” Mr. Weasley straightened his attire. “You’re right. Now, children, we have places to be.” a smile emerged on his face again, calming the tense people who were watching the exchange inside the bookshop. 

“Um, who was that with the Malfoys?” Harry curiously asked. 

“That there is a man no better than them – Lazarus Hawthorne. He works at the Ministry as well.” 

This didn’t provoke any further questions from Harry who went to listen to the twins’ jokes, but Hermione’s ears suddenly perked up. She had set herself a goal to find out more about Orion but had stopped investigating after weeks of nothing. She had forgotten that the Weasleys could have a connection, especially with the whole “Snape is trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone” adventure the three Gryffindors had undertaken last year. 

“Um, is he connected to....” she tried to fish out a name from deep inside her memory “Atticus?” she finally managed to remember. 

“Atticus? Atticus Hawthorne? No, not besides their name.” Mr. Weasley answered. 

“Do they have children?” Hermione pretended to know less than she did. 

“They? No... well, you could say they have, but it’s not theirs. Orion, I believe the boy’s name was. Wonderful child as far as I can remember... Oh! I think he’s about your age.” 

“Yes, he’s also a second-year at Hogwarts. Was that then not his father?” she said, looking at the spot where the man had just stood. 

“No. Not his actual one at least. But that’s not a story you should -” began the red-haired man, but his eyes caught Harry speaking joyfully with his sons and a feeling of guilt took over him. With a deep sigh, he continued “If you were to go to the Ministry a few years ago and ask who the prettiest person who was working there was, chances are they would have told you Azalea Hawthorne. She had this snow-white hair and a smile like no other. They called her “The Ministry’s White Rose”. But the poor woman was very weak, constantly sick, and she became even weaker once she gave birth to her son Orion. She rarely left her home at that point. She was married to another man who worked for the Department of Mysteries with her – Lucas. Those are the boy’s real parents. But Lucas unexpectedly died seven years ago; that’s when she married that man you saw, though he was nothing like what he is now. He was a new employee at the Ministry back then, timid but hardworking. They were both in Slytherin while they were students. Hmph,” he exhaled through his nose, “almost the complete opposite of the man he is at the moment. Unfortunately, the heartbreak from losing Lucas probably caused Azalea to pass the following year. Another year after, Lazarus married another woman named Eris. She’s the one he joined up along with the Malfoys.” 

“But why is his name Hawthorne?” Hermione didn’t understand. 

“Funny you should ask. You should know by now of Atticus and his – you don’t?” he was surprised to see Hermione’s confusion. 

“No. I tried to find information about him but couldn’t.” 

“Well, you probably weren't looking in the right place.” Mr. Weasley said, turning to the bookshelves around, searching for something. “Aha! There we are.” he exclaimed, turning the pages of a certain encyclopedia. “Here.” 

1913 – Atticus Hawthorne, Order of Merlin, Second Class. For exposing the corrupt organization in the Ministry of Magic.  

“ Despite coming from the prominent Valeroux family from France, Lucas decided he should honor the achievement of Atticus; not many people get an Order of Merlin after all. Likewise, Lazarus said he would take the name to keep the legacy, but the way he is now leads me to believe he did it for the money, as they were quite wealthy. I must ask, why are you so curious about him?” questioned Mr. Weasley once Hermione read the passage. 

“I just – I just heard the name and was curious.” 

“Yeah, right. It’s because Orion was also the only other with perfect scores on the exams.” Ron emerged from behind Hermione. He didn’t catch the whole story but heard the name Hawthorne being mentioned. 

“I’m glad he’s doing fine. I can only remember him smiling.” 

“Smiling?” Ron asked sarcastically. “I’ve never seen him smile. Speak of the devil. Hi, Silas.” 

“Hello, Ron.” said the Ravenclaw walking into the shop. “Were you talking about me?” 

“About Hawthorne.” corrected Ron. 

“What about him?” 

“Nothing.” Ron didn’t want to discuss the boy, so he quickly changed the subject, “How was your trip to America?”  

---  

“And their Ministry, well they call it “The Magical Congress”, is so different to ours, I mean, it’s located in the middle of the city! No secret entrances, you just walk through a door and you’re there.” Silas was repeating his trip explanation yet again, this time to the two Ravenclaws who were peering compartment after compartment, every now and then leaning onto a wall to keep their balance. Noticing something odd, Silas himself opened one. “Hey, Granger. Where are Potter and Ron?” he asked the girl who was sitting together with Neville Longbottom and what looked to be a younger girl with familiar crimson hair. 

“I haven’t seen them.” Hermione explained, slightly frustrated, but her worry betrayed her, “I hope they’re OK.” 

“We were together before we got to the platform,” the younger girl began, “but they never came through. Dad tried to pass back, but the barrier was closed.” 

“Quibbler?” another younger girl with dirty-blonde hair and slightly protuberant eyes had opened a door a little bit ahead of Caspian and was offering what looked like a newspaper to the ones inside.  

The strange girl caught Caspian’s attention, but what interested him even more was the lack of response from the people inside. He quickly joined the girl in looking to see who was the one there. To his relief, it was Orion, but that relief didn’t last long as the boy looked horrible. 

“Quibbler?” the girl offered Caspian. 

“No thank you.” he said, looking back at the two other boys, signaling them to come closer. 

“My-” said Terry worriedly, hiding his mouth behind his hand. 

“What’s wrong? Oh-” Silas also was startled after he finally noticed what they were looking at. 

Orion had slightly grown during the summer, but the weight he had lost alongside his already pale complexion made him look uncannily like a skeleton. His hair was a mess, his bangs barely letting light to his eyes. He was resting his head on the window, blankly staring at the landscapes as they went by, his only movements being those caused by the irregular rattles of the train. 

“Orion..., are you alright? What happened to your hand?” Caspian said in the most careful way he could, sitting opposite Orion. 

The white-haired boy had long since stopped caring about the scar on his hand and wasn’t wearing his gloves. He didn’t care about this conversation either. He didn’t care about anything at this point, not even continuing to research his grandfather’s works. He had thought about getting rid of the emotions that were causing his current state, and on several occasion had even tried to do something, but his wand never produced anything resembling the extraction he’d seen in the memory Gerald Aurendale had shown him. 

“Sooo, how was your trip to Greece?” Silas broke the awkward silence. 

Instead of answering, Caspian turned to Silas, his head slightly moving forward and leaning to the side, his eyebrows raising as though to say, “ Could you not?”. Likewise, Silas silently mouthed the words “ What am I meant to do?”.  

“ It was nice and warm, especially the water.” Caspian realized Silas probably had a point and they shouldn’t make this any more uncomfortable but should still tread carefully. 

Throughout the whole conversation every one of the boys was mindful of what they considered a ticking time-bomb, but Orion’s gaze never shifted from staring at the passing trees. 

“Anything from the trolley?” a lady slid the door open. “Oh my, I have just the thing for you.” she said pointing at Orion. “Here, here, on the house. Will put that weight you’ve lost right back on.” she tried to hand a piece of very thick and dense chocolate cake to Orion, but he ignored her just as much as he did his classmates. 

“Thank you.” Caspian took the offer in his stead, talking in a whisper. “He’s not well.” 

“Oh, don’t worry, everyone feels better after some cake.” 

---  

“I think it’s about time we get into our uniforms.” Caspian said, casting a spell that changed his clothing. He was then followed by the two others, Orion still not moving a muscle. 

Only once the train had come to a complete stop did he take his head off the window. He transformed his attire as well, though the way his hands moved suggested fatigue and difficulty, which surprised the trio who were so used to seeing him cast swiftly and with proper form. Caspian once again offered the piece of cake the trolley lady had given them, and Orion finally looked at it as if it was the first time he had seen it. He then looked at Caspian and shivers went down the curly-haired boy; the eyes in front of him had been fully devoid of life, their gray color only helping in giving an even colder emptiness within. Fear prevented him from moving as the bony hand of Orion rose from beneath the robes; it was as if the Grim Reaper was coming to collect his soul. Thankfully, the piece of cake was the only thing taken away from him. Slightly relieved he hadn’t died yet, Caspian listened to the instructions of their house’s prefect. 

“Second-years, please gather here. Unfortunately, crossing the lake with a boat is a privilege you only experience in your first year. From here on out, you will get from the station to the school with these carriages.” Penelope pointed to what she was talking about. Older students were already hurriedly getting on the carriages so they could remain in their preferred groups. 

Caspian looked at Orion who in turn was looking at the front of the cars. He didn’t know what fascinated the pale boy, as the most interesting characteristic was that they weren’t pulled by horses or any other animal for that matter. He found it only normal that they had at least a little bit of magic sprinkled in them. As they got onto one of the few remaining ones, Dorian Vale came rushing. 

“I was hoping my eyes had deceived me. What happened?” he asked Orion, but after getting no reaction looked at the other three Ravenclaws who pursed their lips and almost guiltily looked down. “Please eat.” Dorian said, having noticed the piece of cake in his right hand. He also noticed the large scar on his left, but instead of futilely asking about it, gave it a slight squeeze. This triggered a reaction in Orion who stiffened up and glanced at his hand with disturbed eyes. It had reminded him of that night. Dorian, who didn’t know what happened, quickly let go of the hand, hoping he hadn’t done anything wrong and backed up. “Have, uh, safe ride.” he said, joining up with the rest of the seventh-years. 

“I also -” Terry began sheepishly, “I also think you should eat. We don’t know what happened, but I want you to know we care. You’re our friend after all.” he increasingly gained confidence throughout the sentence as Silas and Caspian nodded in agreement. 

Orion didn’t respond but to the trio’s relief he slowly began taking small bites, and by the end of the ride, he had eaten the whole thing. 

As they got out of the carriage, Caspian took a glance at the lake. The lamps in the boats, complimented with the reflection of the stars on the smooth surface of the water, made it seem like the sky had switched places with it.  

“Come on, come on.” Professor Flitwick was guiding the students into the Grand Hall. 

Not long after, the large doors once again opened, with the forty-something faces of the newcomers taking in the magical ceiling and floating candles with jaws wide open and sparkling eyes. As she had done the previous year, Professor McGonagall swiftly escorted the batch of first-years to the front of the room where a stool with the Sorting hat stood. 

“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....” the hat began to sing and had it not been for Orion’s worrying situation, Caspian probably would have felt a bit of reminiscent joy. 

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.” the Transfiguration teacher announced as she opened a scroll of parchment. “Noah Adams.” was the first name on the list and as was tradition was the most nervous student of the bunch. 

“GRYFFINDOR!” announced the sorting hat after a minute of silence. 

“It still confuses me how clear its voice is in your head when you’re wearing it.” Silas whispered while the rest of the students went through the sorting process. 

---  

“Luna Lovegood.” the strange girl that was offering newspapers on the train stepped forward. 

“RAVENCLAW!” the hat said strangely quickly. 

“Ginevra Weasley.” said McGonagall, rolling up the list, indicating it was the last name on it. 

“GRYFFINDOR!” was the last house proclaimed. 

After their table finished clapping and the crimson head joined the other four, forming a red forest, Dumbledore rose from his seat and came up to the owl lectern where he gave his speeches. The owl awoke and spread its wings just as the headmaster began to speak. 

“Welcome! Welcome to old and new, to yet another year here at Hogwarts. I am sure a lot of you are ready to fill your mouths with our wonderful feast,” he looked over to Hermione, seemingly searching for someone, then looked at McGonagall who in turn shook her head in disappointment, “but before we start, I have some announcements to make. First, due to certain events Professor Quirrell has left the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts, so for this year I want you all to welcome Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart.” 

A blonde man with what Caspian considered a repulsively fake and manufactured smile rose up to a loud applause, mainly from the girls in the room. He looked over to Hermione, just as Dumbledore had, but before he could say anything, Silas, who had also done the same, cut him off. 

“Ron’s still not here. Where is he?” 

“Where’s Potter?” Terry added. 

On the Gryffindor table Hermione who, while also loudly applauding the new teacher, was looking around the room, mainly focused on the large ornate doors. Her eyes quickly passed through the Ravenclaw table, but just as quickly returned as something caught her eye. Even from a distance the shocked look on her face could be seen. Everyone who had seen Orion so far had whispered something to the people close to them. Including Dumbledore. 

“I mustn’t of course forget to mention that the Quidditch tryouts will begin the second week of term, those interested should speak to our wonderful flying instructor Madam Hooch. And, as he so kindly does every year, Mr. Filch, our good caretaker, has asked me to remind you that no magic is allowed outside the classrooms. Lastly, I must warn you all,” he again turned to the Gryffindor table,  “ that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all pupils. Now...,” he waved his hands and a wide range of magnificent dishes appeared on the house tables, “bon appetite.” 

The clank of plates, forks, knives and spoons filled the large hall just as suddenly as the food had magically appeared. Caspian who had put rice and a healthy cut of ham looked over to Orion’s plate which was empty. The boy didn’t look like he had any intention of putting anything in it either. Caspian glanced at his two other friends; Silas was eating casually, not really bothered by anything, though Terry smacked him on the nape which almost caused him to choke. Only then did he notice Caspian’s worried look. 

“Here, here.” Silas took the initiative and put some sausages into Orion’s plate. “Don’t they smell good?” 

“What’s wrong with him?” an unfamiliar voice to Silas spoke. He’d seen the girl before and was almost certain she was a year older than him. “Cho Chang.” she quickly introduced herself. 

“We- we also don’t know.” he sighed in defeat. “We found him like this in the train. He didn’t write to us all summer.” 

“That’s horrible.” a friend of Cho’s spoke. 

“I think he was forced to do something.” Luna said nonchalantly, putting pudding into her plate. 

Orion quickly turned to face her which confused the rest of the people who were discussing the matter. In that moment, the doors to the hall opened. The people who had noticed the absence of the Gryffindor’s seeker were hoping that he would be the one to enter, but instead were disappointed to see Filch walking in with a rather smug face. He walked up to the teacher’s table and whispered something to Snape and McGonagall, the latter of which took her glasses off to rub her eyes. Both then stood up and followed Filch out of the hall. 

“I must disappoint,” Dumbledore rose again after making everyone sing a song together, “I am sure you have many stories to tell one another, but I reckon a bit of sleep can bring much energy into them tomorrow. Off to bed.” 

Orion was still staring at Luna as everyone stood up and followed their prefects to the dormitories. 

“Ahem.” Dorian tried to get the group he was leading to quiet down. “This is the entrance to the common room-” he proceeded to repeat what he had said the previous year. 

“How can four be half of five?” the golden eagle on the door asked. 

Hoping to see him answer the way he had last year, the prefect looked over at Orion who by now was once again staring blankly into the nothingness. 

After a couple of minutes, Luna Lovegood finally got the right answer by saying it was because of Roman numbers. ( A/N: f –IV – e)  

Caspian, Terry and Silas were relieved they had to walk down one less flight of stairs now that they were in their second year, but the minute they opened the door and walked inside, a feeling of awkwardness filled the room. Orion didn’t wait, he washed up and went to bed as quickly as he could, leaving the rest to deal with the tension. 

“How do you plan on dealing with him?” Michael Corner surprisingly asked the trio. 

Silas glared at him. “‘ Deal’ with him? He’s not some animal we have to fend off. We’ll help him in any way we can.” 

“Silas.” Caspian was glad the boy was defending Orion but didn’t see a reason to become hostile to a fellow housemate. 

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.” Michael apologized. 

“Me too.” Silas also said calmly. “I’m going to sleep.” he resigned and went to brush his teeth. 

Terry and Michael followed him, leaving Caspian alone in the room with Orion. He looked towards his bed, Orion’s back facing him. 

“It’s true, though. We’ll help you, even if we don’t yet know how.” he said seemingly to himself before also leaving, but he was sure Orion had heard him. 

---  

“Did you see that? That’s never happened before!” Silas exclaimed as the three were walking towards the Great Hall for breakfast. “He’s never been there when we’ve woken up.” 

“You’re exaggerating.” said Terry. “There he is, by the way.” he pointed to the far-right table. 

“I’ll be right back.” Silas rushed over to the Gryffindors. 

“—could’ve been expelled.” the “classic Hermione line” was all Silas heard from the bushy-haired girl before sitting next to her, opposite his friend. 

“Where were you yesterday?” he asked Ron. 

“Not you too.” 

“What do you mean ‘ not you too’, you were missing all day.” the Ravenclaw insisted. 

“We couldn’t get to the platform at King’s Cross and —” before he could answer the daily mail came in and a dizzied owl fell down on the table. 

“Errol!” the Weasley boy stood up so he could reach the poor bird.  

“Uh-oh.” said Neville Longbottom who had received a large package, but his attention was entirely on the blood-red letter Ron was holding. 

“Shhhhh-” Silas hissed ( A/N: the kind of noise you make when you have to answer an uncomfortable question and you inhale through your teeth.) once he also noticed what Ron had just gotten. 

“What’s the matter?” Harry who was sitting next to Ron asked. 

“She’s – she’s sent me a howler.” Ron looked extremely scared. 

Silas wanted to hear what the whole story was but didn’t want to be near the howler when it opened so he stood up and tried to sneak away, but it was too late. 

“...STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY’D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON’T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT HAD GONE...” 

Silas turned, trying to hold all his emotions inside. This was undoubtedly hilarious for most people, and he definitely saw the funny part, but it was his friend who was getting so brutally and publicly lectured. 

“...LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN’T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED...” 

Harry now joined Ron in searching for the invisible fallen spoon under the table. 

“... ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED, YOUR FATHER’S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT’S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE’LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME.” 

“Wow.” Caspian said with wide open eyes once Silas sat at the Ravenclaw table.  

“He flew a car?” Terry was surprised but concealed it quite well. 

“I guess so. I’m surprised they weren’t expelled.” Silas took another glance at the red-faced boys. 

“Dumbledore wouldn’t expel Potter.” Caspian took a bite off his egg. “Last year’s “last minute” points.” he reminded the other two who looked confused. 

“Yeah, that was odd.” Silas went into a bit of a think. 

---  

“What’s going on?” Caspian asked Sue Li who had gotten to the greenhouses before him and had joined an eye-raising number of students in standing in front instead of going in. 

“The greenhouses are locked. Mrs. Sprout isn’t here yet. Also,” she glanced around, “was Orion thinner yesterday or was that my imagination?” 

Caspian looked at her confused, but just over her shoulder he spotted the person in question and indeed he looked much healthier than he had on the first day of school, albeit still a few pounds too light. Going closer to his friend, he also noticed his eyes looked fuller of life than they had on the train but not quite yet the same as before. 

“What happened?” he tried to contain his smile but couldn’t. 

“The cake.” Orion answered as bluntly as he always did, though there was still a bit of coldness and distance in his voice. 

“That’s gre-” before he could finish his sentence a large murmur began amongst the students, as Mrs. Sprout was spotted walking up to them, her hands full with bandages. Alongside her was a man who instantly made Caspian’s smile go away.  

“Oh, hello there!” Lockhart tipped his turquoise hat which matched his equally disgustingly loud outfit. “Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! 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” the squat professor said in a tone everyone found unfamiliar. She was not in a good mood. 

In combination with the new side of the Herbology professor, the fact that they were going to have a class in the third greenhouse which held far more dangerous plants than the one they were used to, stirred a lot of whispers among the class. 

“Harry! I’ve been wanting a word – you don’t mind if he’s a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?” Caspian heard the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher say before he entered the greenhouse. He also overheard her grunt and the door being closed in her face. 

She quickly pushed past the rest of the students and slammed her hands on the table, though the state they were already in only caused more pain. She didn’t talk for a minute and just before Harry entered the greenhouse, she raised her head with a smile and continued in the fashion she was known for. 

“We’ll be re-potting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?” she announced as Harry positioned himself next to his two Gryffindor mates, one of which nearly slapped him by raising their hand. “Yes, Miss Granger.” 

“Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed, to their original state.” 

“Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?” Mrs. Sprout asked but didn’t even wait before selecting Hermione to answer again. 

“The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it.” 

“Precisely. Take another ten points. Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young. Everyone, take a pair of earmuffs.” 

The boys in the room hurriedly tried to fight over some earmuffs, as they didn’t want to have to wear pink ones. 

“When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered. When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right – earmuffs on.” 

Orion, who wasn’t bothered by the design of his fluffy purple earmuffs, put them on, and from the end of the table he saw Malfoy clutching his stomach, laughing and pointing at him. The blonde boy tried to say something to the Slytherin students around him but hadn’t yet realized no one could hear him. To return the gesture, Caspian also clutched his stomach sarcastically and acted as though he had heard the funniest joke on the planet. It had the effect he wanted as those around him slightly chuckled and Malfoy was visibly angry. “ My father will hear about this.” he mouthed. Caspian was proud of himself, but his attention was quickly returned to the teacher, as Terry elbowed him. Mrs. Sprout shook her head at him but continued with her lesson.  

Silas slightly flinched when he pulled his Mandrake out of the pot. Even with his ears protected, the loud screams of the plant resonated in his chest and brought him great discomfort. It didn’t help that the baby-like creature that the Mandrake was did not stop moving around, swinging its tiny hands and feet, dirtying everyone’s uniforms, so he had to deal with that discomfort for even longer. 

“Horrendous. Absolutely awful.” he moaned on their way to Transfiguration. “I hope we don’t have to deal with such annoying pests again.” 

“They’re not pests.” Terry argued, but there was no denying they were annoying to deal with. “They’re useful, in fact. Also, I have to disappoint you, but we will be dealing with more difficult plants through the year.” 

“Don’t tell me you’ve also read the textbook like Granger.” 

“Well...” Terry went slightly red, “I had a lot of free time this summer.” 

“You probably at least scanned it, no?” Caspian also joined. 

“I mean, I flipped through it, but I didn’t pay much attention to anything.” now Silas was the one embarrassed. The two boys in front had prepared more than him. 

Professor McGonagall also seemed to be in a sour mood today, but hardly anyone could spot the difference, since she, while always fair, was also always very strict. She set the task of transforming beetles into buttons and sat on her chair, fiercely writing something on a piece of parchment that by the end of class she had packaged into a letter. Ron was struggling throughout the class and nearly killed the poor insect. 

“You need to get that fixed straight away, Mr. Weasley. I won’t have a student with a broken wand try and transform these gentle creatures.” McGonagall scolded the ginger. 

Professor Flitwick, joyous as always, began the year by teaching the class a rather niche spell that dealt with ghosts, poltergeists and things related to them. He also sneakily mentioned that this spell could be used as revenge on Peeves, but also reminded that the class shouldn’t use spells in the corridors, so that he still sounded like a proper teacher. 

“Mr. Hawthorne, a word, if you don’t mind.” the short man asked after dismissing the class. “I must say, first and foremost, I am most glad to see you in a better condition than yesterday. However, I also feel obliged to ask whether the issue that caused that horrific state is something you wish to discuss.” 

“No, sir.” Orion bowed. 

“I understand. Please visit Madam Pomfrey after classes or during lunch, I’m sure she’ll take good care of you.” the professor said going down from his pile of books. “Hello there.” he said to the fourth-years that had class with him next and were coming into the room. 

---  

“Oh, dear.” said Caspian once he realized what class they had next.  

The door in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom opened and out of it came a man, with his turquoise robes flying all around him. 

“Greetings.” he smiled in a way that nearly made Caspian vomit. “Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts.”