The Welcoming Feast
Well, my hands have won the battle with my muse. I have to take a few days off to rest them. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.
This is a short chapter. It was mostly written before the end of that fight.
Hphphp
They left the train to the darkening skies. Harry could just make out Hogwarts in the distance. They went up the street to where the carriages were waiting. There were skeletal horses with wings pulling them. Harry went to pet one, instinctively knowing that it wouldn’t bite him.
“What are you doing?” Ron asked, watching his friend pet the air.
“He’s petting the Thestral,” Neville said, looking at a girl who was doing the same thing a few carriages down. She was a wisp of a thing. It looked like a strong wind could blow her over. She had blonde hair and mystical blue eyes. He shook his head and went back to the group he was part of.
“What are Thestrals?” Hermione asked, having never heard of them before.
“They’re winged horses that can only be seen by viewing death,” Neville said, going up to Harry and watching him pet the horse.
“You mean you have to see someone die to see them?” she asked, going up to Harry and trying to see what he was petting.
“Yes,” was the succinct answer.
“Who…” was as far as she got when Harry elbowed her gently.
“That would have been a rude question,” he stated, looking at the despair on Neville’s face.
“Sorry,” the bushy-haired girl mumbled, not sure how it would be rude, but taking Harry’s word for it. It wasn’t that she was insensitive, she just liked to know things. Then she too looked at Neville’s face and decided Harry was right. There was no need for her to bring up bad memories.
“Come on, you can play with the invisible horses later. I’m starved,” Ron said, getting into the carriage. He didn’t care who died, dinner was waiting. That and it wasn’t any of his business.
“Fine,” Harry said, petting the Thestral one more time and joining his friends. As they got into the carriages he was suddenly taken with a thought. “Who are the prefects?” he asked Hermione. He thought she and Ron were going to be picked, but she hadn’t left for the meeting.
She blushed showed and her badge. Dumbledore asked her not to brag about it, and to only tell when she needed to. He had entrusted her with the protection of Harry Potter. She would have done that anyway; he was her friend.
“That’s great! Congratulations! I know you worked hard to get that,” he said with a great deal of enthusiasm, looking at the shiny badge with a P on it. He was happy for her. “Why didn’t you go to the meeting?” he asked, wondering if she had asked not to go, or something along those lines.
“I got special permission to stay with you,” Hermione stated, preening at his praise.
“Oh? Why?” Harry wanted to know. He knew that she wanted to make up to him, but to get permission to stay with him, that was actually something that she would do. She had stuck by him all last year. Which was why he wasn’t hellbent on getting rid of her as a friend. That wasn’t going to stop him from making more friends. Neville was a good start to that. He was shy, yes, but Harry felt that he would be an upstanding bloke to know.
“Because you might be in danger,” she confessed, fiddling with her badge. Then she blushed a bit more and then added, “You always seem to find trouble.” It was a given that trouble would find Harry.
“How would you have been able to help?” Harry muttered; it was just as bad as putting the Order to watch the prophecy. She would be useless if a Death Eater showed up.
“I can hold my own,” Hermione grumbled, upset that he didn’t think she was up to the task.
“I don’t mean from the other students. I can handle them myself. I meant if an adult showed up. I’m glad you have my back,” the other teen explained. He wanted her to know he appreciated that fact that she stood by him.
“I guess I can see that,” she conceded, a bit mulishly. “I don’t think I’d be able to take on a Death Eater,” she confessed, though she’d die trying.
“Why didn't you say anything when Malfoy was in the compartment?” Ron asked, going back to the original topic. He had been hoping that Hermione would have taken some points from the git.
“He was probably there to brag. I was going to if he did. Then he got distracted, so I kept quiet,” she explained, not wanting them to think that she wasn’t about to stand up and take points before the boy lost his train of thoughts.
“Yeah, distracted,” Harry said with a snicker, remembering the cane incident. He fingered the head of the cane, just feeling great about pulling one over on both male Malfoys.
“What are you going to do with that cane?” Ron asked, leaning forward to see the cane leaning against the wall of the carriage. “It’s tacky,” he added with a grimace.
“Put it in my trunk, make sure it’s locked and keep it from Malfoy the lesser,” Harry said with a smirk. “I’ll bring it out for special occasions.”
“Oh,” was all the other boy said, then he turned to Hermione. “Who’s the male prefect?” Ron asked, not sure if he should be jealous or not. Not that he wanted the job, but the benefits that came with it would be good. “It’s not me, and Neville hasn’t said anything.” He looked to the blondish boy.
Neville just shook his head.
“Seamus,” Hermione said with displeasure. She never got on with the Irish boy, who exploded everything he got near to. Not that the boy was bad, he was just destructive.
“Better him than me,” Harry and Ron said, then looked at each other and chuckled. Neville smirked, thinking the same thing.
“Enough about that,” she said, not wanting to rub anyone the wrong way. “Who do you think will be the new Potions Professor?” she asked, hoping it was a neutral enough subject.
“That I don’t know. I only know Dumbledore had a hard time getting him to agree,” Harry said with a furrowing of his brow.
“Do you know why?” she asked, keeping her tone light.
“Nope, only that it’s a ‘he’ and that he had to be convinced,” he said with a grin. “He can’t be worse than Snape,” he added, then frowned again. He would still have to deal with that man.
“I’m just glad that Snape isn’t going to continue potions,” Neville said, though he was still upset that the man was going to be the DADA professor. He had a hard enough time in that class as it was.
“I’m sure whoever it is, will be loads better,” Harry said, trying to make his friend feel better.
“Where did the twins go?” Neville asked, changing the subject yet again. He looked out the window like they’d be near the moving carriage. He shook his head and looked at Ron.
“To spend time with their friends,” Ron said, waving vaguely outside. “They didn’t get to see them all summer.” None of them really got to see anyone this summer. Sure, he and Hermione spent the summer together, but none of his other friends were able to come over. He only saw Harry for a few days before they got kicked out. Not that he had many friends that would come over, but he was friendly with Cedric, who liked to come and play quidditch with them.
“I hope they aren’t planning any pranks,” Hermione stated, wrinkling her forehead with distaste. “I’m a prefect now. I can take points.” She did look smug at that thought. To her the twins were disruptive and mean in their pranks. That and they tended to test them out on the younger years. That wasn’t going to happen this year if she could help it.
“Would you really?” Harry asked, not wanting her to throw her privileges around. She might be a stickler for the rules, but not everyone was. He didn’t want to deal with another Percy.
“Only if I have to,” she answered, knowing that the twins were special to Harry and Ron. That did put her in a precarious position. “However, if they hurt anyone with their pranks, all bets are off,” she said, firmly.
“Well, we’re here,” Neville said as the carriage stopped.
“One more year in the lion’s den,” Harry grumbled, taking his cane, and plodding up the stairs. He simply carried the cane. He didn’t want to come off as a prat.
“It won’t be a bad year,” Ron tried to encourage with a clap on the shoulder. “I’m sure no one will try to kill you,” he added as a joke.
“I wouldn’t put any bets on that,” Harry said, morosely. He would never take that bet again. Not after last year.
“You’re right,” Ron agreed, guiding his friend to the Great Hall. “Bad luck just seems to follow you,” he said with a sage nod.
“Well, now that Sirius is free, at least I have an adult in my court,” Harry said with a wistful smile. It wasn’t something he was used to. “If something happens to me this year, I can call him to come and take care of it,” he said with a smile.
“There is that,” Neville said, knowing that his friend rarely had anyone reliable on his side. Especially not adults. As far as he knew all the adults in Harry’s life blew him off, one way or another. He knew he didn’t trust McGonagall to listen to them. She never did anything when he went to her about the bullying that Malfoy did to him. This year he wasn’t going to put up with it. Now that Malfoy the elder was in prison, Draco didn’t have anyone to run to if people retaliated.
“Well, let’s go. We’ve stood here long enough,” Harry said, taking a deep breath and going into the Great Hall.
They made their way to the table and sat where the rest of the fifth years were. Harry made sure to say hello to everyone. They all said hello back. There were smiles all around. Harry was just glad that he had reached out to many this summer. Maybe if something did happen, he’d have people by his side this time.
There was a lot of talk being banned about. Some were scared that the Dark Lord was back. There were quite a few apologies coming from all around Harry. He just nodded at them, knowing that one wrong word they would turn against him again. He needed to solidify his relationships further before he started talking about what happened last year. He’d answer clarifying questions, but he wasn’t going to go on a tirade.
The sorting when off without a hitch. Dumbledore introduced a man name Horace Slughorn to the student body. He got a smattering of applause, but the real commotion came when he introduced Snape as the DADA professor.
“I am sure you will show him the same respect you showed him as a potions master,” the headmaster said, winking at the students.
Harry wasn’t sure if that meant that the headmaster was giving them permission to be rude to the man, or if he really thought they would treat him better than last year. The wink threw him off.
The rest of the feast, which was the normal fare of fried everything, went on. There was a lot of grumbling about Snape, but Harry did hear a few say that at least they’ll learn something this year. Which he thought was unfair. Both Remus and the faux Moody had been good professors.
When they got to the dorms, Harry said, “I’m off to bed.”
“Why so early, mate,” Ron asked, not ready to head up yet.
“I had a late-night last night too,” the other teen said, waving to the still exhausted twins, who were setting up shop with a few of their products.
“Oh,” was all the other boy said, going to see what the twins came up with.
Harry just yawned, like he was really tired, and headed up the stairs. When he got to his bed, he closed and spelled the curtains. Then he opened his ever-present bag and called the queen. She flew out and looked at him expectantly.
“I need the same soldiers to spy again with the same orders as they had at Grimmuald Place. Only this time they can prank or bite anyone badmouthing me,” Harry said, hoping she would warm up to him with that.
“You’ll let them bite?” she asked, her eyes sparkled a bit and she relaxed her posture. She thought he was going to continue to repress their basic nature. Though now that they were smarter and had some military type of discipline, they were much calmer on the whole bite them until they die stance.
“Yeah, but not too many and not to kill,” he said, thinking it over. “We’ll run drills in the morning.” He would ask Dobby about the room in the morning. Right now, he was going to call Sirius.
“That’ll be fine,” she said, and flew back into her home. About twenty spy bugs came out. They activated their hats and disappeared. Harry only hoped they came back with good news.
He reached into his bag and got the mirror. “Sirius Black,” he said to the object.
A few seconds later, Sirius’s face appeared in the mirror. “What’s up, pup?” he asked, it looked like he was sitting in the den.
“What did the goblins say?” he asked, wanting to know if he was going to get any sleep tonight.
“I can handle getting them into the castle. No problem. We are just unsure how they will do their search without alerting Dumbledore. He is in charge of the wards,” his godfather answered, his brow puckering in thought.
“Can’t they go invisible?” Harry asked, thinking that goblins had their own magic.
“Yes, but the wards might alert the headmaster that there are foreign people in the castle,” Sirius answered, still with his thinking face.
“I’m not sure it works that way. Skeeter and a troll were on the grounds, and he never knew,” Harry said, thinking of last year and his first year. “And you came here in my third year. He never said a thing,” he added, reminding the man of his foray in the castle. “Not to mention that Voldy was here my entire first year. And let’s not forget the fake Moody last year. So, either he doesn’t care, or the wards are not in good shape.”
“You might be right,” Sirius said, his thinking face getting deeper. “That is a disturbing thought, but it will work in our favor,” he added, his visage brightening.
“Maybe they should wait until morning. Dobby is going to show me a room that can be anything you want. Maybe it can do more than that,” the teen suggested, hoping that he was right.
“I’ll ask. I’m sure one more day wouldn’t’ hurt,” Sirius said, giving Harry a smile.
“I’ll talk to Dobby in the morning. I’m knackered,” he said, giving a huge yawn. He was more tired than he thought.
“Alright, goodnight,” Sirius said, then deactivated the mirror.
“Goodnight,” Harry said to the air. Then he shrugged and got ready for bed.
He’d figure it out tomorrow.