|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Author: Trystym Story: Harry Potter and the Singing Professor Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Reviews: 3 Words: 46,511
A/N: Several things to communicate here. First, thanks to Delylah for her help with the Taffy Owls and general good advice. Second, it is suggested that you not drink anything while reading this chapter. My wonderful beta, Aggiebell, blames me for the Coke stains on her monitor. Enjoy. The next morning dawned warm and clear. Molly had the children up just after dawn doing all their last minute sorting and packing. Harry tossed his clothes and wizard robes in his trunk in one big wad. He covered the clothes with his schoolbooks and materials. He stuffed his cauldron full of new potions materials and jammed it in around the books. Finally, when he determined that he had everything, he closed the lid as best he could, and sat on the box. "Ron, give me a hand here, please." Harry fought against the mass of objects in an attempt to keep the lid closed. "I'm not sure this is going to work," said Ron. He eyed the gap between the lid and the latches and said, "Maybe if we both sit on it." He nudged Harry to one side, and sat down on top of the trunk. "Okay, check your side, I think I can get this one closed." Harry reached down and snapped the latch on his side closed. "Maybe one day I'll learn to make the clothes fold themselves. Either that or I am going to have to start travelling lighter." Ron hopped off the box. "Okay, now for mine, " he said and motioned towards the gaping maw of his own trunk. They made short work of Ron's trunk. One more pass around the room convinced Harry that they had gotten everything. Harry picked up Hedwig's empty cage and one end of his trunk and headed for the stairs. -BUMP-BUMP-BUMP- Harry and Ron descended the stairs dragging their heavy boxes and banging them on each stair. No sooner had they reached the bottom of the stairs than they heard Hermione and Ginny coming down. The trunks floated lazily behind the two girls and when they reached the foot of the stairs, the trunks touched down softly on the floor. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and Ron and said, "Really, after five years at Hogwarts, you would think that you two would know how to do a simple levitation spell. Mrs. Weasley is going to be furious when she sees what you two did to the paint." Ron's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. He quickly ran back up the stairs, looking carefully at the walls to see what damage he had caused. Hermione smiled as she watched him go. Harry looked at Hermione and said, "We didn't really do any damage to the paint, did we?" He paused for a moment, "We're still not supposed to do magic outside of Hogwarts. Who would have thought little miss prefect would be a secret rule breaker?" He chuckled as Hermione stared him down. "There is so much magic going on here everyday, there's no way they are going to check who did a levitation charm here. It's not like I was casting an Unforgivable Curse, or something," Hermione said indignantly. Ginny said, "She's right. We do little spells all the time. I know I couldn't make it through the day without some magic. Summers must be horrible for you." Ginny looked embarrassed, and said "I guess that's probably not the worst thing about your summers though, huh?" Harry shrugged. "It's just one of a long list of things that I hate about summers. Not doing magic would be easy if I didn't have to put up with the Dursleys." Ron came back down the stairs, followed by Molly. "You were just having me on, weren't you, Hermione?" he said. Molly looked around at the four teens. "Everyone got everything? I'm not sure Errol is up to a long flight, you'll just have to do without if you forget something. Okay, everyone, trunks in the yard, the cars should be here soon. Harry, Ron, Hermione, make sure you have your animals." The four levitated their trunks and floated them outside. Harry and Ron turned around and went back in to retrieve Hedwig and Pigwidgeon. As Harry was going through the door, Crookshanks slipped out between his legs and calmly climbed into his travelling basket. "Bloody weirdest cat I've ever seen," Harry said to himself. Two cars arrived in front of the Burrow a few minutes later. Arthur Weasley climbed out from behind the wheel of the first car and bowed deeply. "Your chariots await, fair ladies and gentlemen," he called to the group. "Dad! I didn't know you were coming," exclaimed Ron. "Yes, well, the normal driver wasn't sure that he could find the place without help, so I volunteered to come along. The Minister told me I could drive, so here I am. It seems that for the most part, I am back in the good graces of the Minister's office," said Arthur. Harry and Ron loaded their trunks into the second car and installed their owls in the back seats. They turned to help Hermione and Ginny and found that they were already loaded and sitting in the car. Ron turned to Harry and said, "Guess we're not needed." They climbed into the backseat and buckled up. Harry spent the first part of the ride to King's Cross staring out the window and wondering what the year had in store for him. Transfiguration should be interesting this year, and Dark Arts looked to be particularly useful. The only black mark Harry could see would be potions with Snape. Potions had never been fun, and Advanced Potions was sure to be unbearable. Harry stared out the window and watched the countryside fly by. Suddenly what Arthur Weasley had said got through to Harry. He turned and asked Ron, "What did your dad mean by ‘for the most part, he was back in the good graces of the Minister's office.'" Ron looked down at the floor before answering. "I guess he was talking about Percy. Prat still isn't being very civil. Mum has spoken to him a time or two, but he ignores Dad anytime that they have to be near each other. Refuses to admit that he was wrong, even though Fudge has." Harry was shocked, and ashamed that he had brought it up. He knew that Percy had been a sore spot for the whole family last year, but he expected that they would have patched things up by now. Harry couldn't help but remember Percy's letter to Ron last year, and he wholeheartedly agreed with Ron. Percy was being a prat. The rest of the trip was made in relative silence, and before long the cars pulled up in front of the King's Cross station. Harry checked his watch. It was half past ten; they had plenty of time to get to the platform and get loaded. Arthur and Molly went and got carts to help haul the trunks through the station. Harry idly wondered what the Muggles must think. Several hundred children were walking through the station with trunks and owls and frogs and whatever else they had decided to take along. Harry loaded his trunk and Hedwig onto his cart and began the walk to the platform. *** Harry stood in front of the wall between platforms nine and ten. He glanced up at the station clock and saw that it was a quarter ‘til eleven. There is no wall; there is no wall. Every year it was the same. He looked at the very solid looking bricks and remembered running into them in his second year. Not wanting to repeat that day, he made sure that he and Ron were the first through the barrier. Summoning up his courage, he took a run at the wall and closed his eyes. When he sensed that he had passed through the barrier he opened them and found himself staring at the familiar scarlet and black train. Home, he thought. He realized now that his determination to give up the wizarding world this summer had been doomed to fail. There was no way that he could not go back. Passing through the barrier at the train station, even more than visiting Diagon Alley, reminded him that the only life he really had was on this side of the wall. Harry stepped out of the way as he heard Ron come crashing through the barrier, followed closely by Hermione and Ginny. Arthur and Molly strolled through at a much more sedate pace. Molly counted heads, "Everyone here? Good." The group moved down the platform looking for a likely looking coach. Harry spotted a small newsstand selling both the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet. He stopped and motioned for the rest of the group to keep moving. He picked up the Quibbler and quickly thumbed through it. On the cover was a badly drawn picture of an animal. A large headline stated "Snorkack Sighted in Devonshire". Harry checked the rest of the articles and decided that it would be good for a laugh. He picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet as well, hoping the salesman wouldn't think he was a complete loon. He paid for his purchases and was rewarded with a, "have a good trip, Mr. Potter." It never ceased to amaze Harry when people recognized him. He briefly considered wearing a bandage over his scar, to see if it made any difference. Harry quickly found the rest of the group and carried Hedwig to the compartment that they had found. He set her cage down in one of the racks and promised to let her out as soon as he had returned with his trunk. One more trip between the platform and the compartment had Harry ready to go, and true to his word he opened Hedwig's cage and allowed her to step out onto his hand. Ron and Hermione entered the compartment next, arguing, as usual. "Ron, that's not the sort of thing we should be encouraging. I don't know what you thought you were doing just standing there," said Hermione. "Hermione, the train hasn't even left yet. Give the kids a break. They were just getting settled in," Ron shot back. Harry looked at the two and said, "No, forget it, I don't want to know. Have you seen any of the others?" It was plain who Harry was talking about. What had started out as a close knit group of three had expanded to include three others. Ginny was just a natural addition, being Ron's sister, but Neville and Luna had shared in the last adventure, as well. "No, Ginny was down the train talking to Dean, but I haven't seen Neville or Luna," Hermione offered. "I don't know what she sees in that guy," Ron muttered. "It's not like he wrote her all summer." Hermione looked at Ron, "He's your friend. Besides, It's none of your business what happens between them." Ron scowled, "He may be my friend, but he's not good enough for my sister." Hermione nodded, "From what I can tell, according to you, nobody is good enough for her." Ron tried to defend himself. "That's not true; she just hasn't met the right guy yet." Hermione snorted. "You can be such a pig." She turned and left the compartment. Ron looked at Harry, "What did I do? You think that Dean's not right for Ginny, right?" Harry was caught short, "Ron, I'm not going to get into this. She's not my sister." Harry turned to the window. He had never really thought about who was right for Ginny. He knew, down deep that Ron was right for Hermione, but that was different. He wasn't related to Hermione; he just thought of her as a sister. Harry sighed and put that line of thought aside for now. A tentative knock on the door brought Harry's attention back to the present. Neville Longbottom stood at the door, looking like he had lost his best friend. But then, Neville always looks like he's lost something. Harry grimaced at the thought; true or not, it wasn't the nicest thought. Harry decided that it looked like Neville really needed a friend right now. "Come on in Neville, there's room." Neville entered and quickly shut the door behind him. He flopped down on the bench beside Harry and let out a tremendous sigh. Harry looked at Neville and saw what might have been the start of a tear forming in his eye. "Neville, is there something wrong? Trevor alright?" Neville reached into his pocket and pulled out his toad. "Trevor's fine. It's just...well, it's nothing." Ron looked up from the bag he was carrying. "Neville, after what we've been through together, you can tell us." Neville tensed momentarily and then relaxed. "It's just, I was walking down the train looking for a place to sit. I saw Luna and waved at her, but she ignored me. She was sitting with a bunch of Ravenclaws and...and that boy Michael whatshisname. He was sitting really close to her." "Corner," said Ron. "One of these days I am going to have a talk with him." Harry looked at Ron and then at Neville, "Neville, I wouldn't worry too much. Last I heard, Michael and Cho were an item. I'm sure that she just didn't see you." Neville looked up at Harry relief in his eyes, "You think so? Maybe I didn't wave enough. I was sure she must have seen me, and then Trevor got away and I looked away, and she hadn't turned around." Harry wondered how he had become the expert on matters of the heart. He had been out with a girl exactly twice, and both times it had ended in disaster. "Tell you what, Neville. If she doesn't come down here in a while, then you and Ron and I will go looking for her. How about that?" "Thanks, Harry," said Neville. By the time that Ginny and Hermione had returned, the train had pulled away from the station and was heading out across open farmland. Ginny came in and sat down beside Ron, with Crookshanks in her arms. Hermione, however, stuck her head in the door and said, "Ron, they want us in the prefect's car. Come on." Ron sighed and stood up. "A prefect's work is never done." He followed Hermione out into the hallway and up the train. Harry, Ginny, and Neville sat in silence for several minutes. Harry could tell that Neville was getting anxious. Neville was alternately checking his watch and staring out into the hallway every few minutes. He had just started to stand up when Harry saw Luna knock politely on the door and step inside. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. All he really wanted to do was sit here and wait for the inevitable visit from Malfoy. Harry had been reading up and was fairly sure that he could make the rest of Malfoy's trip embarrassing. Luna sat down beside Neville. Harry watched as they smiled at one another and retreated into their own worlds. Weird girl, But if Neville likes her, good for him. "Oh look at the little owl," said Luna. Harry looked up and saw Luna pointing to the window. He checked, and there was a tiny owl fluttering in the slipstream of the train. Harry first thought it was Pigwidgeon, but he was safely in his cage. Harry opened the window, and the little owl flew inside and landed on Harry's shoulder. Hedwig squawked indignantly and flew back up to her cage. Harry pulled the owl off his shoulder and realized that it was sticky. "What is this?" he said. Harry held the owl up for the others to see and removed the message tied to its leg. Luna looked closely at the owl. "Oh, I know what that is, it's one of those new ‘taffy owls'. I've seen them in the stores, but I hadn't seen one in use before." "Taffy owls?" Harry questioned. "Yes, they're made by the same people that make the chocolate frogs and the super frogs. They're owls made of taffy. They are good for one delivery, though I hear the range isn't very long." Luna looked around proudly. Harry examined the owl more closely. It was indeed made of taffy. Harry bit a leg off. "Mmm... shnozhbewwies." he said with his mouth full. Hedwig's indignant squawking got louder. Harry looked up, chewing thoughtfully. She caught his eye and began to flap and screech. Harry looked down at the taffy owl in his hand, and realized what it must look like to her. He reached up and she backed as far from his hand as she could. "Don't worry, girl. It's candy, see." Harry held the legless owl out for Hedwig to inspect. She finally calmed down and allowed Harry to stroke her head. Harry sat back down and opened the letter. Harry, Every time I see you my heart starts to melt just like this owl. I'll be watching you, hoping that one day you'll melt for me too. Your secret admirer The note was unsigned and had been written with a calligraphy quill to disguise the handwriting. Harry looked around to see if anyone else had seen the note, to his relief Neville and Luna were deeply engrossed in staring at each other, and Ginny was watching a flock of geese land in a field outside the window. Harry folded the note and stuffed it into his pocket. He turned away from the group and split the remainder of the owl into equal pieces, which he shared with everyone. *** Sometime later Harry was watching the countryside roll by, half listening to Ginny and Luna give Neville a hard time with some quiz out of the latest Quibbler. Harry doubted that you could tell if your children would be squibs by answering a bunch of questions from a magazine. Neville suddenly exclaimed, "What do you mean how do I eat a chocolate frog? I bite the legs off first, just like everyone else." Harry propped his feet up on the seat beside him and tried to ignore the absurd conversation. He was watching some particularly interesting cows pass by when he heard the compartment door open. He started to turn and see who had entered when he heard the all too familiar tones of Draco Malfoy. "Well, if it isn't Potty, the freak, the squib, and a weasel. Where's the other two, then? Probably locked in a closet somewhere," said Draco. Draco's two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, laughed appreciatively. "Sod off, Malfoy. I'm in no mood," said Harry, without turning away from the window. "What are you planning for this year? Going to see if you can get Slytherin house arrested?" spat Malfoy. "I didn't get anyone arrested. It's not my fault that they're Death Eaters. It's not my fault they broke into a secure area at the Ministry. It's certainly not my fault that they tried to kill me. Now shove off before I get someone to turn you back into a ferret," said Harry calmly. "That's it, Potter," said Malfoy. Harry could see Malfoy's reflection in the window. He watched as Draco reached for his wand, but Harry was already prepared for this. Without bothering to turn, he tucked his wand under his arm and said, "Eximo Urina." The rest of the compartment burst into laughter as a large puddle began to form at Draco's feet. Malfoy looked ready to launch himself at Harry, but settled for, "You'll pay for that, Potter," and stormed away. Harry turned away from the window for the first time and looked at the still open door and the puddle in the middle of the hallway. He looked at the shock and amusement on everyone's face and smiled himself. "Maybe that wasn't the best hex for a confined space," and got up. He muttered "Scourgify," and shut the door. Harry spent most of the rest of the train ride chatting and laughing with his friends. When Ron and Hermione finally returned, Neville was quick to inform them of what happened with Malfoy. Ron laughed, and Hermione scolded Harry for what he had done. Soon, night had fallen, and it was time to get dressed for the feast. The girls took over the compartment, forcing Harry, Ron and Neville out into the corridor. Ron suggested that they take the time to wander the train and catch up with their other friends. Harry spotted Seamus and Lavender sitting alone in a compartment laughing with each other. When Seamus looked up, he waved the group inside. "Harry, heard what you did to Malfoy. Brilliant. I wish I could have seen it," said Seamus as he shook hands with Harry. Harry looked dumbfounded, "You've heard? Who told you?" Lavender smiled, "Well, I did. I heard it from Parvati. It's all up and down the train. Malfoy's things must have been in the front compartment. I heard he had to walk the entire train with the stain getting bigger and bigger all the time." Harry felt the train begin to slow. He looked at Ron and Neville and said, "We've got to get changed. See you at the feast, Seamus." *** Harry stepped off the train at the Hogsmeade station. The sights, sounds and smells reminded him how much he enjoyed being a wizard. A loud voice calling, "Firs' years, over ‘ere," reinforced that feeling. Harry turned and spotted Hagrid holding up a hand and repeating his call. A growing army of what looked to Harry like munchkins surrounded Hagrid. Were we ever that short? Well, I guess Hermione was, anyway. Harry called out, "Hi, Hagrid!" Hagrid saw Harry and waved. "Evenin' Harry." Harry found the rest of his group. Ron had secured a coach and was helping Hermione and Ginny up into it. Harry said to Ron, "Looks like you've got a friend there." Ron looked confused and swatted at the back of his head. Harry laughed and said, "Oh, right, you can't see him." He reached up and stroked the Thestral once between the ears. "Seems to fancy you, mate." Harry took Ron's free hand and guided it to the spot he had rubbed before. Ron stroked the animal absentmindedly and shook his head. "This is just strange," Ron said. He gave the Thestral one more stroke and climbed up into the coach. Harry started to climb in with Hedwig when he thought of Neville and Luna. He found them farther down the line and shouted, "Neville, you want to come along? We can probably fit two more." Neville shook his head and called back, "Don't worry Harry, we'll be right behind you." Harry shrugged and closed the door. He sat down and turned to Ginny, who was sitting beside him. "Welcome home," he said, and smiled. Ginny returned his smile and said, "I always love the feeling I get the first night back. Seeing old friends and watching the Sorting. It's...comfortable." Harry nodded, he certainly felt more comfortable than he had in months. He watched out the window of the coach and was rewarded with a glimpse of Hagrid and the first years setting off across the lake. He shook his head. "Is it just me or do the first years get shorter every year? There's no way we looked like that our first year." The rest of the ride took place in companionable silence. When the coach stopped at the foot of the stairs, Ron and Hermione climbed out. Harry stepped down, and then turned back to help Ginny down. The four friends climbed the stairs and entered Hogwarts. Harry sighed again as he walked through the front doors. Students thronged the entryway and were slowly making their way to the Great Hall. He was surprised when he heard his name called out. "Potter, Weasley," called Professor McGonagall. She was dressed in her traditional robes and tartan witch's hat. She stood on the stairs looking down on the mass of students. Harry nudged Ron, and the broke through the crowd to reach the foot of the stairs. Harry licked his lips nervously and thought to himself, This has got to be about Malfoy. Just one year I would like to not get into trouble on the first night of the term. Minerva McGonagall looked down on the two students. "I need to see the two of you in my office after the feast." Ron turned pale, "Professor, we didn't do anything wrong, I swear." McGonagall chuckled softly. "Did I say that you had, Mr. Weasley? I just need to speak with both of you tonight before you go up to bed. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Harry relaxed. Maybe she hadn't heard what had happened on the train...yet. Professor McGonagall nodded to the two, "Go on and have a good meal." She watched as they turned to leave, and then continued, "and Mr. Potter, should we be making arrangements for a load of wood shavings for the Slytherin common room floor? Have a good evening."
|