Chapter 19
Harry and the rest of the Quidditch team were greeted warmly into the common room. The Gryffindor's had rounded up leftover candy and other assorted sweets. They had started a collection for occasions like this ever since Hogsmeade shut down.
"We're running low!" Dean Thomas called over the noise of the crowd.
"Dumbledore is planning to talk to Ministry about letting us go back into Hogsmeade." Seamus said. "Maybe we might be able to get stocked up then."
"As if that will ever happen." Dean said, tossing a box of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans to Harry. He ripped open the top and offered some to Hermione. She reached in and took a handful.
"I wish Ron could have stayed." Hermione said, carefully popping a bean into her mouth.
"Hermione. He's… different now. There's nothing we can do. Besides, after tonight he'll be back in class with us. Except for Astronomy." Hermione swallowed.
"You're right Harry. I'll be glad when he's back. What's he going to do for Christmas? The holidays are in 3 weeks."
"I guess he has to stay here. Mrs. Weasley would flip if she found out what he is." Hermione nodded and ate another bean. Harry put his arm around her. She smiled and snuggled close to him. Harry felt himself go red a bit.
"I hope Dumbledore lets us go to Hogsmeade." Hermione spoke up.
"There's hardly a chance. Where could we go? Half of the south end of town is taken up with Voldemort's property. And only the shopkeepers live there. They were stuck there as prisoners when he took over."
"There's the Three Broomsticks." Hermione pointed out.
"It would be packed."
"There's always…." Harry looked at Hermione.
"If you're talking about that Muggle town nearby, Dumbledore will never go for it."
"You may never know." Hermione shrugged off Harry's arm and went to get them something to drink.
After the party slowed down, Harry and the other boys went down to the Great Hall for some real food. Professor Dumbledore was sitting in his chair at the teacher's table. All the Hogwarts students had hopes of going to Hogsmeade. They wouldn't even care if teachers came along, just as long as they could go. Harry got up and walked to the staff table.
"Professor?" Harry asked. Dumbledore had been shoving mashed potatoes in his mouth at lightning speed, and now his fork paused in mid air. Dumbledore swallowed and straightened in his seat.
"Yes Mr. Potter? What may I do for you?"
"I --- uh. Wanted to ask if you had gotten contact with the Ministry yet." Dumbledore dabbed at his lips with his napkin.
"Students still talking about Hogsmeade, eh?"
"Yes, Professor."
"I see." Dumbledore arranged his silverware. Harry watched the movement of the silver.
"The Ministry fears for the school's safety. We are close, very close, to Voldemort. If anything should happen to any student…"
"Please, Professor. What if we were allowed to go somewhere else?" Harry crossed his fingers in his pocket, hating Hermione for a brief second for suggesting that.
"Somewhere… else?" Dumbledore asked, staring at Harry over his glasses.
"Yes."
"That does seem reasonable. Gives the students a chance to get away, and Voldemort would never take a step into a Muggle town unless it was extremely important. However, I will consider the manner. Good day, Harry."
"Thank you, Professor. Good-bye!" Harry hurried out the Great Hall and back up to Gryffindor tower. He planned to tell Hermione, Neville, Seamus, and Dean about what Professor Dumbledore said.
"Feverish Clouds." Harry said to the Fat Lady.
"Of course…" she said, nodding her head drowsily and swinging forward to admit Harry into the common room. He ran into his dorm room.
"Hey guys-" he started but he stopped in his tracks. There was an owl perched on his bed post. Harry knew that owl. His knees began to shake.
"Harry! You've got an owl!" Dean said.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Harry screamed. He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his head. That same owl. It had a big red envelope, smoking at the corners clutched in its beak. The terrifying feeling in his stomach as he hurled it into the fire, only to have it burst open and yell at him anyways. That voice, screaming insults at him for trying to apologize.
"Harry! Calm down man!" Seamus said. Harry continued to scream. There was soon hot white pain on his cheek. Harry was too stunned to scream. There was silence in the room. The pain. The pain! How well he remembered it.
`Danger boy. Danger boy. Danger boy.' The words echoed inside his head. He began to scream again, rolling around on the floor.
"Look what you did!" Seamus yelled.
"Hey! It got him to stop for a second!" Dean protested.
"You shouldn't have hit him!" Seamus cried.
"Someone get help!" Neville yelled.
"Get the Head Boy!" Dean yelled.
"You ARE the Head Boy!" Seamus said.
"Get Hermione! Fast!" Seamus thundered out of the room. Hermione flew in seconds later. Harry's screams had brought people out of their rooms.
"What's wrong?" Harry heard Hermione ask.
"Don't know. He came in here. He saw the owl. We told him he had an owl. Then he freaked out."
"Dean made it worse. He hit him." Neville tattled.
"Shut up." Dean said.
"Do you know whose owl it it?" Seamus asked Hermione.
"Is it You-Know-Who's?" Neville asked fearfully.
"Grow a brain. Why would You-Know-Who send an owl when he could just be here in the flesh?" Seamus asked. Neville shrugged. Seamus turned again to Hermione.
"Do you know who it belongs to?" Hermione stared at the owl, which was clicking its claws on Harry's bedpost in an annoyed sort of way.
"Yes."
"Who?" said the three boys at once.
"Cho Chang."
"Ooooh." Seamus said. "The Ex."
"Oooooh." Said Dean and Neville.
"No wonder he freaked out." Dean said.
"He's calming down now. Get him into his bed, will you?" Hermione asked the boys. They hefted a panting Harry onto his bed. Hermione covered him with his sheets and took the owl off the post.
"Tell me if anything else happens." Hermione told the boys, leaving the room with the owl. She took the letter from the owl's leg and opened the common room window. The owl flew away, beating its tawny colored wings against the orange and red sky. She made her way back up to the boy's dormitory, fingering the letter. `Why did Harry act that way?' she wondered. She pushed open the door. Harry was lying on his back in his bed, sweating slightly. The other boys were standing awkwardly around.
"I'll take it from here." Hermione said. The boys nodded and left the room. Hermione magicked a chair from the other side of the room over to Harry's bedside. She sat down in, looking at Cho's letter. Harry stirred slightly. Hermione lowered the letter.
"Her… Mione?" Harry murmured.
"Yes? What is it? I'm here." Hermione set the letter down and clasped Harry's hand on the blankets.
"I'm… sorry." He whispered.
"For what?" Hermione asked.
"Never mind." Harry said, his eyes drooping.
"Harry?" Hermione questioned.
"The letter…" muttered Harry.
"What about it?" Hermione asked, leaning nearer to Harry to hear him.
"Open…. The… letter." Harry's eyelids shut and he fell asleep. Hermione stroked his hand for a moment before leaning back and picking up the letter. She jabbed a finger under the wax seal and severed the envelope flap apart. She pulled out a piece of parchment written with red ink. She immediately noticed that the i's were dotted with hearts.
"Dear Harry,
I know we've been through a lot. And I've felt really bad about everything that has happened between us. I wanted to let you know that I am coming for a visit during the Christmas holidays. I will be staying in Dorset, the town nearby Hogwarts. I would appreciate it if you would come with me to dinner. I miss you.
Love you forever,
Cho Chang." Hermione slapped down the letter. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Her sobs awakened Harry.
"Hermione?" Harry slightly sat up in bed, one side of his face still red where Dean had slapped him.
"What." Hermione snapped, wiping her eyes.
"What did the letter say?" He asked softly.
"Read it yourself. I'm leaving." She shoved herself out of the chair and stomped from the room. Harry reached over and picked up the letter. It was damp a bit from some of Hermione's tears. He held the letter close to the candlelight on his bedside table. His heart raced with pain and happiness. Cho was coming to visit and wanted to see him! He couldn't wait! But then there was Hermione. And the fact that Cho had dumped him. Was it going to be worth it? Harry lay back in bed and sighed. At least the owl was gone. But the voice of Cho was not.
"I don't want you to go!" Leila whined to Ron.
"Leila! I have to go! I have Defense Against the Dark Arts in thirty minutes!"
"Don't leave me!!!!!!!!!!!!" Leila flung her arms around Ron and clutched his robes in her fists.
"Leila! Please!" Ron said.
"Aw, let him go for goodness sakes." Thor said. He and Lupin were standing outside with Leila and Ron, seeing Ron off back to school. Leila refused to be left alone.
"You can't come with me!" Ron said, trying to detach himself from her.
"Will you come back?" She pouted.
"I have to. I'll be here tonight." Ron took Leila's hands.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Promise." Ron said.
"All right. Do good in class." Leila gave Ron one last hug before he ran off down the hill towards Hogwarts.
Ron ran down the hall towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. With all that Professor Midrigge did for him, he better not be late. He flung open the door and rushed inside.
"Good morning Ron." Professor Midrigge said.
"I am I late for class?" Ron breathed.
"No. Class hasn't started yet. Take a seat." Ron walked to the front row of desks and sat down.
"How long had you known?" Ron suddenly spoke after several moments of silence.
"Oh quite a while. Years ago my fi-a friend of mine told me of the position of teacher open at Hogwarts. He explained why. And that night… I had a dream. And I saw you becoming a werewolf. Of course, I wasn't sure who was the handsome red-haired young man." Professor Midrigge smiled at Ron who blushed.
"Did you know about…"
"That beautiful Unicorn of yours?" Professor Midrigge walked out from behind her desk and towards Ron.
"No. Not many humans are brave enough to venture into the forest to find the Valley. You did the right thing Ron. Taking the Unicorn in." She leaned down until she was eye level with Ron.
"I did?" Ron felt bad. "But I haven't been to see him! What if You- Know--"
"Voldemort does not know that the Valley exists. He does know there can be such a thing as a Black Unicorn. It's all in the return of innocence, Ron. You'll see. I suggest you pay a visit to your friend today." She patted his arm and walked to the door to open it and greet students. Ron slumped, puzzled in his desk.
Harry smiled at Ron when he walked in the classroom. Hermione sat next to Ron and not next to Harry. She was still ticked at the letter. Was Harry planning to go and meet Cho? `Stop!' she told herself. `It's not going to make you feel any better if you think of that girl'.
"Good morning class!" Professor Midrigge said once the bell had rung.
"I am going to be giving you review worksheets today, and then I want you all to read Chapter 29 in your books." She smiled.
"That's it?" Dean asked. "No… long lectures?"
"No." Professor Midrigge said. "Mister Malfoy? Could you come over here please?" Malfoy stood up, his gray (TAKE THAT WHITNEY!) eyes shining with worry.
"Mister Malfoy, would you be so kind to help me move the desk in my office?" She raised an eyebrow at him and Draco went pale. The rest of the class was up at the front desk gathering their worksheets. Draco followed Professor Midrigge into her office. She shut the door behind him.
"Sit." She said, pointing to her chair. Draco sat.
"So." She said, beginning to pace. "So…"
"So what?" Draco asked, wondering if he was getting detention.
"Very clever plan your master came up with, making another secret entrance right in my personal office. Tsk! What will he think up next." She halted and turned on her heel to face Draco.
"You listen here. The password into Dumbledore's office is Vavoom. Don't ask why he has a sudden interest in shampoo's, but that's the password. You tell that to Voldemort, you hear me?"
"Yes ma'am." Draco said, shrinking in the chair. She poked her finger in Draco's face.
"Also tell him that if he ever tries to get friendly with me, I'll have his Showing room blocked off." She straightened and let out a deep breath.
"Now move the desk." She commanded. Draco obediently moved the desk.
"Can I go now?" he asked.
"Yes. Thank you Mister Malfoy." Draco fled the office.
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