Originally posted by H. S. 6
[...]Tonks stood, smiling, and bowed slightly. The students applauded, but it was a tame cheer, more because of manners than anything. After all, Harry reflected, to many of them, Tonks was just another teacher for another year. He wondered briefly if most of them even knew she was in the Order.
“One last point of interest: the Ministry, along with our staff, has agreed that it would be best not to conduct Quidditch matches this year.”
The students remained quiet; this wasn’t a surprise. McGonagall waited a moment, and then smiled weakly, attempting to appear cheerful after the rather grim speech she had just given. “Now that all is in order, I ask everyone,” she waved her arm in a sweeping motion, and there was a clattering of dishes as the golden plates before the students filled with an assortment of foods of all kinds, “tuck in!”
The air was filled with the tinkling of silverware and noises of hungry students. At the sight of the mounds of food, the mashed potatoes, chicken legs, turkey breasts, corn, peas, carrots, pumpkin juice, and so much more, it struck Harry that he was starving. They had arrived at the school late because of the delay, and the last time he had eaten was a sandwich sometime around noon. He helped himself to liberal amounts of whatever he could reach.
As he was doing so, a sudden thought of the house-elf Kreacher came to him. Harry wondered for a moment if he was still in the kitchens, maybe helping to cook this very dinner. He dismissed the notion with a bitter frown. It didn’t matter either way. He never wanted to see the thing again.
As Ron was grabbing his third serving of chicken legs and potatoes, he spoke up. “Reckon it’s kind of like the D. A., except for the whole seventh year thing. The second Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I mean.”
Harry nodded. “I s’pose so. Wonder why they wouldn’t give the class to the whole school, though. Why just us?” he thought aloud.
Hermione placed her fork down on her plate and refilled her goblet with fresh pumpkin juice that had just appeared on the table. “McGonagall said the Ministry of Magic introduced it. Do you really think parents would want their children subjected to a combat training class? Think of how much criticism they’d receive.”
Ron countered, “But we’re taking it. The class is being forced on us.”
“We’re of age now, Ron. We’re adults. Everyone’s not going to be watching our backs now, like it was when we were younger.”
Ron opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but then shut it, and turned to Harry.
Harry shrugged. “She’s right.”
Dinner in the Great Hall was uneventful, and as Harry felt, somewhat subdued. By the time the desserts had been cleared away (pumpkin and apple pie followed by Treacle Tarts and hot tea), Harry was feeling strangely comfortable, for the first time in a long time. The Great Hall was warm, the ceiling above imitated a clear, star-filled sky, he was full with food, the familiar four-poster bed was awaiting him somewhere off in the castle, in Gryffindor Tower, and above all else, he was home at last.
Some students had already begun to trickle out of the hall, headed off to bed after a long day. Harry decided the memory could wait until tomorrow night. It was Friday tomorrow, the rest of the students would be arriving, and classes wouldn’t start until Monday. Then he’d be able to use the Pensieve in McGonagall’s office to see what or whose memory was in the vial he had found.
A weary trio made off for Gryffindor Tower. Harry absorbed all the sights of Hogwarts. It really was good to be back.
When they had reached the painting of the Fat Lady, they found Dean Thomas leaning against the wall beside her. His eyes were closed, and apparently he had been dozing off, for when Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached he jumped up with a start. “Finally! I thought I’d be out here all night,” he said.
“Richtenfile,” recited Hermione, smiling pleasantly at the Fat Lady, who responded by swinging open to reveal the passage into the Gryffindor Common Room.
“Y’know, it’s a good thing they make it a point to tell us the password each year,” remarked Ron wryly as they clambered into the Common Room.
A warm fire was dancing in the fireplace, casting merry shadows about the room. “I’m off to bed,” said Hermione, yawning. Katie Bell, seated in one of the lounge chairs (she’d been asleep but was woken when her fellow Gryffindors had entered), stood up with Hermione. “I’ll go with you.”
With the girls off, Dean, Ron, and Harry glanced at each other. “I don’t know about you guys,” said Dean, “but I’m nearly ready to pass out.”
Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. “I bet Neville’s already dreaming of his gran’s cooking,” mused Ron, smiling. The others laughed loudly.
As the boys made their way to their room, Harry couldn’t help but feel the same sense of comfort he had felt in the Great Hall. For this one night, at least, everything was okay.
For this one night, at least, Harry Potter was safe at home.
* * * * *
Harry was awoken by Ron the next morning rather unpleasantly (luckily, the pillows at Hogwarts were quite soft). Breakfast that morning was relatively quiet, but it seemed that some of the students—particularly girls—had forgotten about the current state of the wizarding community, at least temporarily, as most of them chattered and gossiped over mounds of eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry, who had stayed up last night for a while contemplating when he’d ask Professor McGonagall to use the Pensieve, decided to share his thoughts with Hermione and Ron.
“I think I’ll ask McGonagall to see the Pensieve tonight,” he said, as he swallowed a forkful of scrambled eggs.
Hermione looked up from her dish and replied, “She’ll know you have a memory. Do you think she’ll ask you about it?”
Harry shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll ask too many questions. Besides, she knows what I’ve… what I’ve got to do. I think she’ll be a bit more understanding than asking me all sorts of questions.”
“I s’pose so,” she nodded admittedly. Just as she replaced her napkin beside her plate, there was a loud fluttering of wings and clicking of beaks. Dozens of owls soared in through the high window of the Great Hall, each carrying a parcel of some kind.
Hermione guarded her food as a Daily Prophet was dropped in front of her. She unraveled the parchment and scanned the front page.
“Anyone we know?” asked Ron darkly.
She shook her head. “No news, either. At least, that we don’t know.” She turned the page around so Harry and Ron could see it. Harry read:
AZKABAN REPAIRED
And then in smaller print below it:
PRISON REPAIRED AFTER RECENT BREAKOUT
After the breakout on 20 August at Azkaban, when the Aurors guarding the prison were overrun by herds of Dementors, the Ministry of Magic immediately set to work in rebuilding the damaged prison. The Minister himself has assured the wizarding community that the newly repaired Azkaban will be protected by some of the most advanced magic to date. He went on to comment, “The improvements made to Azkaban will ensure us that anyone placed inside will not, under any circumstances, be able to escape. Aurors will guard the prison every minute of the day, and the Ministry is doing all we can to track down the prisoners that have escaped.” Suspected criminals at large are as follows:
Vincent Crabbe, Sr.
Antonin Dolohov
Mundungus Fletcher
Gregory Goyle, Sr.
Rabastan Lestrange
Rodolphus Lestrange
Walden Macnair
Lucius Malfoy
Theodore Nott
Augustus Rookwood
Additional prisoners that escaped have already been captured by the Ministry. More details are sure to surface about the second Azkaban breakout in as many years.
Harry watched the black and white photograph of wizards and witches milling about, repairing the prison as he said the names quietly under his breath. “All Death Eaters,” he observed. “Except Dung.”
“How that bloke was ever on our side is beyond me,” commented Ron dryly.
“Yeah, and he nicked all of Sirius’s things. I hope they catch him,” said Harry, recalling last year when he had found Mundungus at the Hog’s Head in Hogsmeade, smuggling Sirius’s belongings.
“They will. I mean, it wasn’t as though Mundungus was the brightest of the Order.” She added, “I wonder what he’s done this time.”
“Stolen something,” stated Harry bluntly.
---------------
Odd place to cut off, but if I stopped it at the * guy it would have been too short.
great as always ✅
but i wasnt expecting one so soon. im not complaining though!!! 🙂
one thing that i noticed thats weird. isnt katie bell out of school?? since in the first book when harry joined the griffendoor team we were told that the year before katie was a second for the team and that this was her first full time position. thats year 1 so if she was at least a year above harry it would have been her seventh and final year the previous year. and with that harry was the youngest quiddich player in over a centuary so that means even jk screwed up and made katie stay for too long since if she was in the second year a year before harry started she would now be out of school for two years.... i think
ranting
^^^i dont mean to rant sorry. this is what comes a fter listening to an hour -2 hours of harry potter before sleeping. and probably several more hours as drawing or being on the comp.
holy carp i listen to him alot. it must be the equivalent of music to me??? run away everyone!!!!!! crazy obsessive creep right. lol
well no matter what its a great story thumbup
Originally posted by Shade Matrixmaybe she got held back im sure even hogwarts holds people back if their grades are horrible
great as always ✅but i wasnt expecting one so soon. im not complaining though!!! 🙂
one thing that i noticed thats weird. isnt katie bell out of school?? since in the first book when harry joined the griffendoor team we were told that the year before katie was a second for the team and that this was her first full time position. thats year 1 so if she was at least a year above harry it would have been her seventh and final year the previous year. and with that harry was the youngest quiddich player in over a centuary so that means even jk screwed up and made katie stay for too long since if she was in the second year a year before harry started she would now be out of school for two years.... i think
ranting
^^^i dont mean to rant sorry. this is what comes a fter listening to an hour -2 hours of harry potter before sleeping. and probably several more hours as drawing or being on the comp.
holy carp i listen to him alot. it must be the equivalent of music to me??? run away everyone!!!!!! crazy obsessive creep right. lol
well no matter what its a great story thumbup