Professor Trelawney Was Right!
As Ginny’s shriek died away, Lupin moved to check on his friend’s son, not that Harry would ever know that he used to be one of his parent’s best friends. It had been one of the terms that Dumbledore had insisted on as a part of his employment. Unless Harry asked first, he was not to know that Lupin had any connection to his parents. The other reason he had been chosen as the new DADA teacher, aside from his skill and knowledge of the subject, was to aid in protecting Harry from Sirius Black if he managed to make it past the Dementors and into the school.
While the nosebleed appeared to be stopping on it’s own, the pallor of Harry’s unconscious face in the light provided by his wand worried Lupin. So did the irregular pulse that he could feel under his fingers at the side of Harry’s neck.
“Are you all okay?” Lupin asked as he continued to check Harry over.
They nodded as Ron said, “Other than feeling like I’ll never be happy again.”
“Eat the chocolate I gave you,” Lupin urged them. “It will help take that feeling away.”
They complied and then the young red-headed girl asked. “How is Harry?”
“He’s unconscious,” Lupin opened the door to the compartment. “I need to get an emergency portkey from the engineer and get him to the Hospital wing. I’m also going to check and make sure there were no other injuries. If you do leave the compartment, I would suggest you move around cautiously, since the rest of the train appears to be in the dark.”
“We will, Professor,” Hermione spoke up before the others could.
As soon as Professor Lupin left the compartment, Ron asked, “Any idea what caused that light, Hermione?”
“No, I don’t, but it seemed to come from the area around Harry.” Hermione answered after a few minutes thought.
“Whatever it was it drove that thing off.” Neville sounded relieved by that fact.
“Do you think it could’ve been accidental magic?” Ron persisted, “like when he blew up his aunt a few weeks ago?”
“It may explain why he’s unconscious, if it was.” Hermione mused. “Accidental magic is not under a person’s conscious control and it reacts to stress most easily. We know Harry is powerful or will be one day and he may have unconsciously seen that creature as a threat and wanted to drive it off. Problem is that with those things affecting him, he couldn’t control the strength of the outburst and so he overdid it.”
“A simple ‘I guess so’ or ‘I don’t know’ was all I needed, Hermione.” Ron grumbled. “I didn’t need a lecture on accidental magic.”
Before the conversation could escalate into one of Ron and Hermione’s typical squabbles, Ginny got to her feet, “I’m going to go get a wet flannel and wipe that blood off Harry’s face.”
Hermione spoke up quickly. “I wouldn’t. Madame Pompfrey may need to see how bad it was, just in case whatever he did caused internal injuries.”
After thinking about it for a moment, Ginny nodded and sat back down between Harry and Neville.
Time seemed to move slowly in the semi-dark compartment as they waited for Professor Lupin to return and for there to be more lights than just the dim ones in the corridor between the compartments.
It seemed like forever before Professor Lupin returned an amulet in his hand. As he rechecked Harry to make sure he could withstand a trip by portkey, Lupin told the four waiting with him, “Everyone else appears to be fine, except for maybe a few bruises from when the train stopped so quickly. The trolley lady, the prefects, and Head Boy and Girl should be coming by soon to give you some more chocolate. The engineer told me the train will be resuming its trip to Hogwarts in about ten minutes.”
“Sir, what about Harry?” Ginny asked worriedly.
“I’m going to be taking him from here directly to the Hospital wing.” Lupin held up the emergency portkey, he’d gotten from the engineer. “We’ll know more once Madame Pompfrey has had a look at him.”
“Do you think Madame Pompfrey will let us come by and see him tonight?” Hermione wanted to know. “I mean I doubt she is going to let him join us at the feast, even if he is awake for it.”
“I will ask her about it and then let Professor McGonagall know so she can tell you when you get to the Entrance Hall.” Lupin promised as he manoeuvred the unconscious body of his friend’s child so that he could safely carry him while using the portkey.
As he cradled Harry in his arms, Lupin couldn’t help noticing that he seemed to be a lot lighter than an average thirteen year old boy should be, even one as slim as Harry. He made a mental note to ask Poppy if this was normal for Harry.
Making sure the amulet around his neck was touching Harry as well, Lupin activated it. “Infirmary.”
The trolley lady arrived at their compartment to give them some more chocolate just as the lights brightened and the train began to move.
The four Gryffindors ate the chocolate she’d given them in silence as the train continued its interrupted journey to Hogsmeade, their thoughts on their unconscious friend.
##########
“Poppy!” The male voice calling from the main area of the Hospital wing startled the medi-witch.
Heading out of her office, Poppy was surprised to see Remus Lupin settling an unconscious Harry Potter on the nearest bed.
“Is he trying to break his own record, by getting into the Hospital wing before school even starts?” Poppy demanded as she took out her wand. “What happened?”
“Dementors boarded the Hogwarts Express. One of them came into the compartment Harry and I were in. Harry started reacting to it and then all of a sudden there was this bright white like almost like that produced by a Patronus that came from where Harry was sitting. A few moments later the light vanished, the Dementor was gone, and Harry was unconscious in his seat with a rather bad nose bleed. I also noticed that his pulse was very irregular when I checked it.” Remus hit the high points, leaving out the fact that he thought Harry had destroyed the Dementor. He would give that information to Dumbledore.
Poppy waved her wand over the unconscious boy and muttered a few spells. “He suffering from extreme magical exhaustion. If he did indeed produce something similar to a Patronus, which is a very advanced magic to be produced accidentally, that might account for it, but it would be the second bout of accidental magic for him in less than a month and that is rather unusual. Most witches and wizards no longer have bouts of accidental magic when they start using their magic regularly.”
“I have heard of witches and wizards who have under rather unusual circumstances been capable of performing astonishing feats of wandless magic. Most of them have been in rather stressful, life-threatening situations either for themselves or others when they did it and afterwards they could never repeat the spell.” Lupin told her as he helped her get Harry into a pair of hospital pyjamas.
“Are you saying that Mr. Potter tried to produce a wandless Patronus?” Poppy stared at him in surprise. Not even Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the age, could produce a wandless Patronus! “Where would he have learned about the spell?”
Lupin looked thoughtful for a moment. “No. Like you I think it was a case of accidental magic, but I think it was the stress of the situation combined with probably a very real desire to drive the Dementor off that produced an outburst of magic similar to the Patronus charm. And it was apparently similar enough that it dealt with the Dementor. I doubt he will be able to repeat again unless he encounters similar circumstances.”
“Well with those Dementors outside the school grounds, that just might happen,” Poppy told him tartly. “I don’t know who thought it would be a good idea to have Dementors guard the school?”
“Probably Fudge,” Lupin shrugged. He didn’t have a very high opinion of the Minister. The man was wholly in favour of the restrictions on werewolves that would keep them from holding jobs and if Dumbledore hadn’t stood up to him, he wouldn’t be here right now. “Oh, before I forget, Harry’s friends want to know if they would be able to come visit him tonight after the Feast.”
“Not tonight,” Poppy told him. “They have classes in the morning and in all likelihood, he won’t be awake. If he is awake tomorrow they can come by after classes to see him.”
“How many days of classes do you think he’ll miss?” Remus asked her.
“I don’t know,” Poppy gave the boy lying on the bed a thoughtful look. “It depends on how quickly he can recover from magical exhaustion.”
#########
“Weasley! Granger! I need to speak to you for a moment.” McGonagall got the attention of the two Gryffindors as they came into the entry hall.
“Is it about Harry, Professor?” Hermione wanted to know.
“Partially Miss Granger,” McGonagall told them. “He will be fine. He is resting comfortably in the hospital wing. Professor Lupin asked me to tell you that Madame Pompfrey will not allow you to visit Mr. Potter tonight, since he will be resting all night from his case of magical exhaustion, but you should be able to go see him after classes tomorrow.”
Both of Harry’s friends looked relieved.
“Mr. Weasley, I need to speak to Miss Granger privately for a few minutes regarding her class schedule, why don’t you go into the Great Hall.” Professor McGonagall suggested. “She will join you there in a few minutes.”
Ron saved a seat for Hermione and she rejoined him just as the Sorting was finished. He noticed that she looked disappointed that she’d missed the Sorting, while he was glad it was over because that meant they would soon be fed. All they had to get through now was Dumbledore’s welcoming speech.
Dumbledore rose to his feet to greet the students. “Welcome to all our returning students as well as our new ones. Before we begin our wonderful feast, I have a few announcements to make. The first and most important is that as I am sure you now know from their search of the Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts has at all of its entrances the Dementors of Azkaban. They are here on Ministry business and I want to warn you not to try to leave the school grounds without permission. Dementors can not be fooled so it would be in your best interest to give them no reason to want to harm you.”
Dumbledore continued with his announcements. Hermione’s guess that Professor Lupin was going to be the DADA teacher was proven correct, though not too many people applauded at the announcement. The most surprising announcement of the evening was when he told them that Hagrid would be taking over as Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Now the choice of book made sense to Ron, because it would be just like Hagrid to assign a book that was in a way a creature itself. The Gryffindors were pleased and cheered and clapped loudly, making Hagrid turn red.
“Now on with our feast.” Dumbledore raised his hands and the tables were filled with food.
When the Feast was over, Hermione and Ron hurried up to congratulate Hagrid on his promotion.
“It’s all because of you two and Harry,” Hagrid told them as he wiped his eyes with a large handkerchief. “Where is Harry by the way?”
“He’s in the Hospital wing,” Hermione told Hagrid. “He had an outburst of accidental magic in reaction to the Dementors that got on the train and it knocked him unconscious. Madame Pompfrey told Professor McGonagall that he was suffering from a case of magical exhaustion.”
“So Potty exhausted himself magically trying to get away from the Dementors, eh,” Malfoy’s voice drawled from behind Ron and Hermione.
“Actually Malfoy,” Ron turned to glare at the blond Slytherin, “he wound up magically exhausted because he was driving off a Dementor that was in our compartment and he was successful too.”
“Ron!” Hermione hissed before dragging him off. That was not something Malfoy should know! It would undoubtedly get back to his father and they didn’t need Malfoy Senior knowing that Harry could be incapacitated by Dementors or that he might be capable of driving them off.
“Hermione! Let go of me!” Ron was finally able to jerk his arm out of her iron grip just before they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. “What is your problem? Why’d you drag me off like that? I was just about to make Malfoy eat his words.”
“Do you really think it is a good idea to let Malfoy know that Harry might be capable of driving off Dementors?” Hermione wanted to know. “He’ll probably tell his father… who has access to the Ministry. Remember Dumbledore told us that the Ministry placed the Dementors here so that means they control them. Who’s to say he wouldn’t try to set the ones around the school on Harry? I mean it would be good way to get rid of the Boy-Who-Lived and make it look like an accident.”
From the expression on his face, it was clear that this idea had never occurred to Ron.
#############
Ascended Plane 1993
“Myrddin,” an authoritative voice demanded the attention of the most well-known wizard of Earth.
“Yes Demetrius,” Myrddin looked up at the younger Ascended Alterran who stood there with a look of righteous indignation on his face.
“The council has demanded your presence at once.” Demetrius told him.
“Did they say why they wished to see me?” Myrddin gave evidence of unconcern, which he knew frustrated the arrogant younger man no end.
Myrddin knew from past conversations that Demetrius was of the opinion that the Council knew what was best for everyone and all should follow the council’s edicts without question and nothing he said could change the younger man’s mind. Myrddin on the other hand, had long ago stopped jumping every time the Council asked to see him. The turning point for him had been when they demanded he not teach those able to access their Alterran given talents and let them either die off or kill each other. He couldn’t allow his people’s children to suffer that fate and had taken personal responsibility for those children and their descendants. Now the council usually wanted to see him because one of those he was responsible for on Earth had used some newer power and brought themselves up on the Alterran radar again. The only reason they hadn’t kicked him off the Ascended plane was because he was the first one to figure out how to do it without help and he could come back any time he liked.
“It wasn’t my place to ask them why they wished to see you,” Demetrius told him pompously. “I was simply told to find you and bring you to them.”
“Well then you will just have to wait.” Myrddin told him. “My experiment has reached a critical point and there is no way to stop it once it reaches this point.”
#########
“You wanted to see me, Narwal?” Myrddin addressed the leader of the Council.
“Yes,” The current leader of the council gestured and brought up a view of Earth, one of their former colony homes. “We detected a huge burst of Alterran power here,” he pointed at a blinking light, “at approximately 6:30 local time.”
“This is close to that school for the children with Alterran genes and powers that you allowed to be built.” Anlar sounded disapproving, but then she never had approved of his teaching those with Alterran gifts how to use them. “You went to that world recently. Did you teach them how to access the higher powers? You know that was forbidden.”
“No, I have not taught any of them how to access the higher powers. Mainly because they aren’t ready to use them. They still have not overcome their tendency to do violence with their gifts.” Myrddin wondered if Daniel had done something and why he had felt the need to do so. He was currently the only fully gifted Alterran on Earth.
“Why were you there then?” Denaria wanted to know. “Surely they don’t need you to hold their hands now.”
“No they don’t but like any good parent, I do stop by occasionally to make sure everything is still going well.” Myrddin countered dryly. “They are my responsibility after all. You council members made me solely responsible for their actions. It could have been a burst of Alterran power generated accidentally. It has happened before in times of great need, but has never been repeated afterwards.”
“I suggest you go there and find the person who did this and find out why it happened.” Narwal’s tone made it clear this was an order not a suggestion.
#########
Harry looked around. He didn’t recognise this place, though for some reason it felt familiar.
There was sand all around and he could see a city of stone in the distance and he had just stepped out of a pyramid.
“We are in the place I think of as my home,” Daniel answered Harry’s unasked question as he joined him dressed in multi-layered robes of various shades of brown. He gestured to the sky above the pyramid and Harry saw there were three moons instead of the one he was used to in the darkening sky. “This is Abydos, or at least Abydos as I remember it.”
“Why are we here?” Harry wanted to know.
“I think we got pulled into my dreams this time instead of yours.” Daniel told him.
“What happened? The last thing I remember that thing was coming in the compartment and then I felt very cold and heard this lady screaming.” Harry shuddered lost in the memory.
“We’re more than likely unconscious in the hospital or maybe the Hogwarts Infirmary, if they didn’t take you to a hospital. I’m afraid I used up almost all our energy destroying the creatures that were on the train.” Daniel responded after a few moments to organize his thoughts. “That creature in the compartment was a Sa’ki’eth and one of it’s many weapons is its ability to pull up a person’s worst memories and make them relive them. This can incapacitate individuals so that they are better able to feed on their happy memories. They induce despair and depression in their victims. If they are around a person long enough they will commit suicide if they are able because they feel they have nothing left to live for. What I don’t understand is how they can be here. The knowledge I have from the Ancients tells me they were all destroyed or maybe I should say they were all thought destroyed.”
“What are they?” Harry couldn’t believe something that awful had been around for over five thousand years.
“They were created as a weapon of war by a group of the Ancients called the Ori for their war against the Alterrans.” Daniel explained. “The information I have on them reports that they were all destroyed before the Ancients left Earth, but either some were very well hidden, or…”
“…Or someone figured out how to recreate them magically.” Harry finished for him.
“Yes,” Daniel looked worried. “I hope it is the first and someone just found them and decided to put them to use, and not that someone figured out how to recreate them, because it would be the most evil thing one human being could do to another.”
Harry gasped, “Human! These things were once human? Someone did that to another human being?”
Daniel nodded. “If these Sa’ki’eth are the ones created by the Ori, or someone figured out how to duplicate what the Ori had done, then yes they were at one time human. Though they are no longer.”
“You said these things pull up our worst memories and make us relive them,” Harry wanted to make sure he understood what Daniel had said.
“Yes,” Daniel looked a little uncomfortable. “I saw my parents being crushed to death in front of me, before I destroyed the things.”
“So they affect even those who are Ascended?” Harry commented.
“They were created specifically to be used against the enemies of the Ori,” Daniel told him, “but they affect any race that can think and feel. The Ancients didn’t stop feeling just because they ascended to a higher plane of existence. They just hide their emotions better than they did before.”
For some reason Harry felt it was very important that he know who that voice belonged to. So hoping Daniel could help him figure out who it was, Harry told him, “I heard someone’s terrified pleading, but I didn’t recognize the voice.”
Hearing the unspoken question, after a few moment’s thought, Daniel spoke slowly and carefully, “While your life has been filled with a number of traumatic events, I think the most severe one would’ve been the death of your parents. According to what you’ve told me, Dumbledore said your mother sacrificed her life for yours, which means she was in the room with you when Voldemort tried to kill her. I have no doubt that you are probably hearing her final moments.
“Why that memory though,” Harry wanted to know. “I mean there are plenty of others just as bad.”
“Because it was the most horrific one you had.” Daniel told him, “Despite what some psychologists think, it has been proven from the moment you are born everything you’ve ever experienced is recorded in your memory and maybe even from before you draw your first breath. The Sa’ki’eth would’ve pulled up your worst memory first to try incapacitate you so they could feed off your happy memories before you had a chance to get away. I doubt you’ve ever had a chance to work through your parents deaths, so a memory that strong and painful suddenly popping up from where it had been buried all these years would indeed make you freeze like a deer caught in headlights.”
“Could it happen again?” Harry wanted to know.
Daniel nodded. “Any time they get close to us, the trick is going to be working through the effect they have on us to the point where we can both act in spite of it.”
“I hope they stay away.” Harry told him.
“So do I,” Daniel agreed. “They should if they have a way to communicate with each other. If they do, it won’t take long before they know that there is someone on this world who can kill them. They don’t want to die either, even if the life they have is really not a life.”
“But if every time you use your powers like this, then what’s to stop them from trying to kill us while we are unconscious?” Harry felt compelled to point out.
“Nothing I suppose,” Daniel shrugged. “I doubt that we would be left totally unprotected while unconscious and someone must have a way to control the Sa’ki’eth without destroying them. If they hadn’t been under someone’s control they would’ve been killing everyone on the train.”
Harry thought about what Daniel said and could find nothing wrong with it, at least not right now.
“Would you like a tour of Abydos, at least the way I remember it?” Daniel asked after a few minutes of silence.
Harry nodded eagerly. Exploring a different planet even in a dream was bound to be interesting, because he knew how detailed Daniel’s memories could be.
Before they left the grounds of the pyramid though an unexpected guest appeared in their dreamscape.
“Myrddin!” Daniel stared at him surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“The Others detected a burst of Alterran power here and sent me to find out which of my charges was responsible.” Myrddin told them. “They are afraid one of them has taken a sudden evolutionary leap with powers that the Tau’ri aren’t yet ready to handle.”
Knowing where the burst the Others had detected had come from and why, Daniel told him simply, “I destroyed some Sa’ki’eth.”
“Sa’ki’eth!” Myrddin stared at him aghast. “Are you sure? I thought we got all of those things!”
“Well, either the Ori hid some real well, as a backup, or someone figured out how to make more.” Daniel told him. “I hope it was the former and not the latter. The last thing anyone needs is someone knowing how to make more of those damn things.”
“Are there any more?” Myrddin hated those things the Ori had created with a passion. They had killed his first wife and son.
“I don’t know,” Daniel admitted. “I destroyed all the ones that were on the train and that nearly killed us both, because I had to separate from Harry without the ring to drive them off. Are they going to be coming here to see what happened?”
“No!” Myrddin hastened to assure them. “I am the one responsible for dealing with the children descended from Alterrans who are capable of doing magic among the Tau’ri, because I taught the first of them how to use it.”
“So what happens now?” Harry wanted to know.
“I report to the Others that one of our descendants accidentally accessed their Alterran powers to destroy some Sa’ki’eth.” Myrddin told them. “If those are the only ones then that’s it. If there are more and they try to come after you, I will warn them there may be more outbursts and insist that I have to train you and teach you how to control the outbursts because they can kill you.”
##########
Ron and Hermione received a shock when they arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast. They saw Harry was already there eating a big breakfast.
“Harry!” they both cried, rushing over to join him.
Hermione gave him a big hug and then Ron slapped him on the back.
“We didn’t expect to see you down here today, mate.” Ron told him as he scooped food from the platters onto his plate. “How did you get Madame Pompfrey to let you out so soon?”
“Madame Pompfrey ran all her tests and couldn’t find anything wrong this morning, so she had to let me go.” Harry sounded quite pleased by that fact. “she wasn’t happy that she couldn’t find anything wrong and told me to take it easy today.”
“Did she tell you what happened?” Hermione wanted to know.
“Just that I was suffering from a case of magical exhaustion last night and she was surprised at how quickly I recovered from it.” Harry shrugged, pretending ignorance as to the cause. “She couldn’t tell me how it happened though. What happened last night?”
Hermione bit her lip nervously. They hadn’t been told to keep quiet about it, but she didn’t know if it was a good idea to tell Harry what he’d done.
Ron took the decision out of her hands, by saying, “You had a huge burst of accidental magic that drove off the Dementors mate. Nobody’s ever been able to do that before.”
Before Harry could make any comments or ask any questions about what they’d seen, a loud, drawling voice spoke up from the doorway, “And look who has deigned to join us for breakfast, why it’s Potty the brave Gryffindor who passes out in the presence of Dementors.”
“He should talk,” Fred Weasley muttered as he handed Ron and Hermione their class schedules.
“What do you mean?” Harry inquired as he continued to eat like a starving man. Daniel had used up a lot of energy the night before destroying those things that Ron called Dementors, but Daniel said were Sa’ki’eth.
Looking over at Malfoy who was now pretending to swoon much to the amusement of the other Slytherins, George told them. “Little git wasn’t so arrogant last night while the Dementors were around. He came running into our compartment, crying like a girl and trying to hide from them.”
Malfoy and his little group of followers came over to the Gryffindor table, when Potter failed to respond to any of their taunts. Leaning on the table, he told Harry, “I look forward to seeing what happens when you try and leave school grounds, Potter, given the Dementors are guarding all the entrances. I’m sure everyone will enjoy the sight of their hero fainting dead away.”
Harry met Malfoy’s silvery gaze and at Daniel’s prompting spoke loud enough to be heard by everyone in the Great Hall. “I have an idea Malfoy. Why don’t we get a device that will let us turn back time to yesterday, then you and I will trade places so you can be the one to drive off the Dementors while I run crying like a girl into a fifth year’s compartment and try to hide from them.”
Daniel noticed that Hermione, who was seated across from Harry, gave him a surprised look when he mentioned going back in time and filed that odd reaction away for later as Harry continued, “At least I did something useful, even though it put me in the Hospital wing. According to what I’ve heard you just ran and hid. I wonder what your father would say about your cowardly behaviour?”
Malfoy alternately paled and grew red with anger as Harry revealed how he had reacted to the Dementors’ presence on the train. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students who were nearby and heard what Harry said laughed at the thought of Malfoy running and screaming like a girl. They all knew he was a coward unless he had backup or was picking on someone weaker than himself, but this was the first time they could remember anyone ever calling him a coward to his face.
“You’ll pay for those lies,” Malfoy hissed.
“You know I’m not lying,” Harry countered calmly. “And as for paying, I think in the end you’ll be the one paying, not me.”
Harry then proceeded to ignore Malfoy and compare schedules with his friends.
“Harry, why did you say that about turning time back?” Hermione wanted to know as Harry picked up her schedule. “Surely you don’t believe someone came travel in time, even magically?”
/I wonder why she looks so worried about the idea that you might think there really is a way to travel in time?/ Daniel commented.
Harry mentally shrugged, /who knows, maybe she read about somebody trying it magically in a book and if they succeeded, she might be worried I’d try it for real./
/You don’t need magic to travel in time,/ Daniel reminded him. /I know how to do it using the Stargate./
“I believe all things are possible, Hermione,” Harry told her as Daniel told him how he and his team had taken a the trip to 1969. “Aren’t the science fiction novels used in the muggle world as inspiration for all the new technology that they will develop someday. I mean people like HG Wells wrote about machines that could travel in time, so who’s to say that someday a muggle won’t figure out how to do it so that time travel will become an everyday occurrence, and people will be able to take day trips into the past to see the great events of history actually unfold.”
Hermione looked horrified at the idea. “Do you have any idea how much havoc that could cause? What’s to stop someone from meddling in things they shouldn’t and disrupting the entire timestream?”
/Is she channelling Sam?/ Daniel was surprised to hear almost the very same argument from her that Sam had used in 1969.
“Hermione, you just asked if I believed time travel was possible, and I believe it may be some day with adequate safeguards.” Harry told her.
Wanting to distract Hermione from what looked like was going to be a long lecture on the improbability of time travel, Ron said, “Hermione, they’ve messed up your schedule.”
“Where?” Hermione quickly grabbed it back and started going over it.
“They’ve got you in three classes at the same time this morning and that’s just not possible.” Ron pointed out. “I mean you’re good Hermione, but nobody can be in three places at the same time.”
“Of course I’m not going to be in three classes at once. That’s impossible like time travel, Ron. You should worry more about your own classes. You barely passed last year remember?” Hermione reminded him as she folded her schedule up and stuffed it in her bag. “Don’t you worry about my schedule, I told you a few days ago that I’ve taken care of things with Professor McGonagall.”
/She not very good at lying or covering things up./ Daniel observed. /She’s hiding something./
/Yes and it seems to be related to her overfull class schedule,/ Harry noted. With Daniel’s encouragement, he was actually putting his intelligence to use. Even on the essays he’d had to do for school, Daniel had helped with the research, but the words had been all his and he knew that they were much better than they had been originally.
/I’ll bet that what she’s hiding is something she was given by this Professor McGonagall so that she could be in three or more places at once?/ Daniel continued. /Even I know that is physically impossible without some help./
Harry shrugged, /She has a right to some secrets, just like I do or Ron does. We don’t need to know everything that’s going on in her life. As long as it doesn’t hurt her or interfere with us and what we’re going to be doing, let her have her secret. Though I would like to know how she is going to be in three classes at the same time./
#########
The trip to their first class of the day, Divination had definitely been interesting to say the least. For some reason the classroom was located in the far north tower and they got lost on the way there, but after following a mad knight from a seventh floor landing, they reached the stairs near the classroom’s location huffing and puffing. For someone in full armour, even if it was painted, that nutty old man had moved fast.
However instead of the classroom they’d expected, they found themselves standing on a narrow landing with the rest of the third year Gryffindors who had decided to take Divination.
Spotting Neville, Harry went over and asked, “Where is the classroom?”
“Up there I think,” Neville pointed to a bronze plaque set in a circular trap door of the landing ceiling that read: ‘Sybil Trelawney, Divination teacher’.
“And just how are we supposed to get up there?” Ron wanted to know.
As if in answer to his question, the trap door opened and a very narrow ladder slowly descended to the landing.
The third year Gryffindors all stared at one another, but no one seemed willing to go up the ladder, given they didn’t know what was up there. Finally Harry got tired of waiting and started up the ladder. Ron and Hermione followed a moment later.
The classroom they entered looked to Daniel like the worst sort of gypsy fortune teller’s parlour. /You’ve got to be kidding,/ was all Daniel said as he looked at the lamps covered with filmy, dark red scarves and the crystal balls sitting on every table. The thick scent from the incense made Harry/Daniel feel slightly nauseous when combined with the heat coming from the fireplace.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione settled onto some overstuffed poufs placed around a nearby table, a voice that was trying to sound ethereal, came out of the shadows on the far side of the room. “Welcome all. How nice to see you all in the physical world instead of through my Inner Eye.”
As soon as Daniel caught sight of the woman wearing glasses that made her eyes look huge and the shawls and bangles covering her arms, he sent Harry a mental picture of one of the worst movie spoof fortune tellers/psychics he had ever seen when Jack felt like having what he called “Bad movie night”, with the kind of movies that made you groan almost as much as they made you laugh. The woman had been over the top with sweeping gestures and a voice that made everything she said come out like a pronouncement of Doom. /I didn’t think there would ever be anybody who could be more overdone than Madame Rita the psychic cop./
Harry was hard pressed not to snicker as he compared the image Daniel shared with the woman standing in front of them. Professor Trelawney did look a lot like the oddest sort of gypsy fortune teller… the kind you wouldn’t believe even if she told you the sky was blue.
Harry wondered. /I wonder if she dresses that way because it’s what most people expect a fortune teller to look like?/
/We’ll soon find out,/ Daniel told him as he watched the woman sit down in the arm chair closest to the fire.
“Welcome to Divination,” the professor began the introduction to her class. “I doubt that any of you will have seen me before because I rarely descend into the main areas of the castle since the hustle and bustle there tends to cloud my Inner Eye. While many discount Divination as imprecise magic, you will find it to be one of the most difficult of all the magical arts especially if you are not possessed of the inner eye, because books and research will only take you so far.”
Both Ron and Harry looked at Hermione to see how she was taking the news that this was a class where studying wouldn’t take you very far. She looked stunned at the very idea that this might be like flying. Book learning hadn’t taken her very far there either. Even now she wouldn’t fly a broom because she wasn’t any good at it and hated to look like a fool.
Trelawney’s eyes roamed over the crowd of nervous students and noted the three sitting together who didn’t seem to be as nervous as the rest of the class. Trelawney could tell that the girl sitting there between the two boys, wouldn’t be in this class very long. There was something about the chit that told her she was one of those who didn’t believe in what she couldn’t confirm the reality of. She would be stubborn about it though and probably not give up on Divination until the year was almost over. It took her a moment to realize who the boy sitting to her right with the messy dark hair was. Harry Potter is taking my class! Oh the fame I will gain if he turns out to be able to use the Inner Eye because I will be known as the one who taught him how to use it!
It will be him, this year, she decided as she continued her opening speech interspersing it with minor predictions. Some of them she knew would come true and very soon based on what she read of one student’s body language and some might not but she made them to sound suitably mysterious. “There are many witches and wizards who are excellent in the area of flashes, loud noises, potions and changing things from one form to another who can not penetrate the mysteries of the future.”
After passing out the scalding tea and instructing the students on what to do with it, Trelawney sat back and waited to see what they would come up with and if there were any potential seers among this crop of third years. She paid particular attention to the table where Harry Potter was sitting and heard him tell his red-headed companion, “… you’re going to suffer, but be very happy about it.”
“You need your Inner Eye tested, if you ask me, mate,” the red head countered sourly. “My turn now.”
He picked up the teacup that contained Potter’s tea leaves and turned it this way and that. “There’s a blob here that looks like Fudge’s bowler hat. Hey, maybe you’ll end up working for the Ministry.”
Even though she couldn’t read Potter that well, Trelawney could see that he wasn’t pleased at that idea. Getting to her feet, she moved among the students listening as they tried to read the signs in the teacups. She could see that some of them had potential, but others were way off the mark. As she moved around correcting some of the readings, Trelawney kept part of her attention focused on the reading the red head was giving young Potter, waiting for the right moment to interrupt.
“When you turn it this way it looks like an animal….” The boy was saying.
Animal?... A Grim…. Wonderful! I haven’t used a Grim in ages.
“It looks like a hippo… no a sheep.” This earned a snort of laughter from Potter.
Sweeping over Trelawney plucked Potter’s teacup from the red head’s grasp. “Let me see that.”
Revelling in the silence that came over the class, Trelawney studied the contents of the cup intently before saying, “The falcon… my dear you have a deadly enemy.”
“Everybody knows that.” The bushy haired girl sitting with them commented.
When she just stared at the girl for daring to interrupt her, the chit defended her comment, “Everyone knows about Harry and You-Know-Who.”
Trelawney decided to ignore her for the moment and returned her attention to the cup. “The club…dear, dear, this is not a happy cup.”
“I was sure it was a bowler hat.” Ron said sheepishly.
Giving every evidence of concentration, Trelawney let the silence build before saying, “A skull…. There is danger in your path, my boy.”
Now for the pièce de résistance, Trelawney gave the cup one final turn before giving a gasp and then a slight scream. Sinking into the nearest armchair and closing her eyes as if she no longer wished to see what she had seen, Trelawney told Potter, “My dear boy… my poor dear boy… it is far better if I do not tell you….”
“What is it Professor?” Seamus Finnegan interrupted as he and other students crowded around Harry’s table out of concern. Or around Trelawney’s chair trying to get a look at the cup contents that had scared the Divination teacher so much.
“It would be kinder not to say,” Trelawney paused and opened her eyes widely, so that her glasses made them appear huge. “but you have the Grim in your cup.”
Those Gryffindors who were purebloods or better informed half-bloods gasped, while Harry and those who were muggle-born stared blankly at the teacher not understanding why she was so worried.
“Huh?” was all Harry could say.
Slightly displeased that the boy was not reacting properly to her pronouncement, Trelawney told him, “The Grim! The giant spectral dog that haunts churchyards. It is one of the worst omens of death there is?”
Harry still started at her blankly while Daniel told him, /She’s trying to make you think the Hound of the Baskervilles has appeared in that cup and you are soon to die because of it./
/Do you think she really did see it?/ Harry wanted to know.
/I doubt it,/ Daniel shrugged. /I think she does it to be dramatic for her first class. Besides you and I seem to be very hard to kill. Between the two of us we have survived quite a few things that should have killed us, so if a Grim really is after us, I think we can give it one helluva a surprise./
/True,/ Harry agreed and then cheekily asked, “Professor, do you think I really will die this time? I mean, Death doesn’t seem to have a very good track record when it comes to trying to take me out. I mean there was Professor Quirrell in my first year and a Basilisk not to mention Acromantulas in my Second, but so far I’m still here.”
As a few of the Gryffindors gasped at Harry’s audacity, Trelawney was surprised by his reaction. She had never seen any third year react this way after she predicted their death. Some broke down and cried, or were reduced to a state of panic, though they contained it. Others pretended not to believe her, but she could see in their eyes that they were worried. She didn’t know what to say to someone who didn’t even seem to be worried about it, who in fact seemed to think he was immune to death.
The bell rang signalling the end of class before she had a chance to come up with an answer.
##########
While Harry/Daniel weren’t worried about that death prophecy of Trelawney’s, apparently a large majority of his Gryffindor classmates did, because as he took his seat near the back of the classroom, he noticed that his classmates kept shooting furtive glances in his direction as if they expected him to keel over at any moment.
Professor McGonagall began her lecture on human to animal transformation and ended it by changing into a cat and then back into human form, that got Daniel’s attention. The energy pattern was the same as Scabbers. That means that Ron’s pet is a human masquerading as an animal but why and more importantly why hide in that form for over twelve years?
“What is going on here, today?” McGonagall wanted to know. “It’s not that I’m complaining mind, but that is the first time my transformation hasn’t gotten applause from a class.”
None of the Gryffindor third years gave her an answer, until Hermione raised her hand and said, “Ma’am, we’ve just come from Divination and….”
McGonagall nodded, “Say no more Miss Granger. Which one of you is supposed to be dying this year?”
The some of the Gryffindors gasped at how unconcerned their Head of House seemed to be over the death omen that Trelawney had seen in Potter’s tea leaves.
Harry raised his hand. “That would be me, Professor.”
McGonagall walked over to where he was sitting and looked him over. “You look healthy to me so I don’t think you are in danger of dying any time soon. If you do however, you don’t need to worry about turning in your homework.”
None of the third years responded with either laughter or smiles, so McGonagall felt a need to explain further. “I’m sorry to say that Professor Trelawney feels the need every year to select one student and announce that they will die. It is her way of greeting a new class. I personally don’t think much of it, but so far none of those predictions have come true for any of her students.”
##########
Harry arrived at lunch a few minutes after his friends.
“What kept you, Harry?” Ron wanted to know as he scooped stew onto his plate.
“I was talking to McGonagall,” Harry told them.
“About what?” Hermione pulled her attention briefly away from her book to give him a curious look.
Harry shrugged, seeing no reason not to tell them. “Wanted to see how hard it would be to transfer out of Divination and into Ancient Runes.”
“Transfer out!” Both Hermione and Ron stared at him surprised.
“You’ve only had one class with Professor Trelawney, why would you want to transfer out of it?” Hermione continued.
“Cause I don’t want to spend a year having my death predicted over and over again.” Harry started eating his lunch. “Remember that Professor McGonagall said she made a habit of predicting a student’s death every year. Well I have a feeling, given that as far as the wizarding world is concerned I’m the Boy-Who-Lived, she’s probably not going to stop at one time.”
“What did Professor McGonagall say?” Hermione wanted to know.
“She asked me to give Professor Trelawney’s class one more try and if she predicted my death again and I still felt uncomfortable about being in there because of it, she would arrange my transfer to Ancient Runes.” Harry told them. “I agreed to do so if she didn’t say anything to Professor Trelawney. If the woman knows, I feel uncomfortable she might change her behaviour for a class or two, just long enough to make it impossible for me to change classes without having to do a lot of catch up work. One more class won’t put me too far behind.”
Deciding a change of subject was in order, Ron asked, “What do you think our first Care of Magical Creatures class is going to be about?”
Harry shrugged again. “Given that he thinks that dragons are like cute puppies and makes friends with Acromantulas, Merlin only knows what he’s going to spring on us. Let’s just be ready for anything.”
Ron and Hermione nodded, both well aware of what Hagrid considered a cute and cuddly creature.
#########
Care of Magical creatures turned out to be a combined Gryffindor/Slytherin class, and Malfoy as already in full voice about how the standards of the school had gone down when a gamekeeper could become a teacher.
Having finally had enough even before they reached Hagrid’s hut Harry told him, “Keep talking Malfoy. With every word out of your mouth you confirm for the world that you are nothing but a whiny bratty fiver year old girl.”
Hagrid when he met them outside his hut looked very excited. “Come with me, I’ve got a very exciting first lesson all lined up for you.”
He led the group of third years on a trip around the edge of the Forbidden forest to an empty paddock.
“Now first thing I want you to do is take out yer books and open them…” Hagrid began.
“How?” Malfoy’s drawling voice interrupted.
“Huh?” Hagrid didn’t understand the question.
“How are we supposed to open these things?” Malfoy held up his book which was bound tightly shut with a belt.
“You mean none of you have figured out how to open them?” Hagrid stared at them amazed.
All the students held up their books bound in various ways. Reaching out Hagrid took Hermione’s book that was bound shut with spellotape and ripping it off, he said, “Ya just stroke it, like this,” he ran his finger down the book’s spine and it shivered before falling open.
“Oh why didn’t we think of that,” Malfoy spoke up sarcastically. “Oh I know, maybe, because we were afraid these books would take our hands off.”
“I thought you’d find ‘em interestin’,” Hagrid looked disappointed that the books he had chosen hadn’t been as well received as he’d hoped. He had found the book to be a great source of information on the various creatures he’d encountered in the Forbidden forest and had thought his students would enjoy learning from it as well.
Hagrid quickly glanced at Harry and his friends and saw nothing but encouragement on their faces. Clearing his throat Hagrid decided to go on and not give Malfoy the satisfaction of getting to him. “Open yer books to page fifty-five and take a look at the information there. I’ll be right back.”
“God, this place is going to dogs,” Malfoy commented once Hagrid was out of sight. “My father is going to hear about this. Hogwarts is supposed to be one of the best schools of magic and yet they hire a gamekeeper to teach Care of Magical Creatures. They must be getting really desperate for teachers, if they are willing to do that.”
“Shut up Malfoy…” Harry growled. “It can’t be easy to get up in front of people the first time and teach them what you know. You sure as hell couldn’t do it.”
“Watch out Potter, or you may find yourself facing a Dementor again,” Malfoy retorted.
“Well if you’re there when they do appear, then everyone in Slytherin will be able to see you squeal like a girl and run away like you did last night.” Harry countered, allowing Daniel to help him keep calm when all he really wanted to do was pound Malfoy’s face in the dirt.
The third year Gryffindors laughed at the expression on Malfoy’s face while the Slytherins glowered at Harry. It’s a good thing that looks can’t kill, Harry reflected, or I’d be dead several times over and Professor Trelawney’s prediction would’ve come true.
Hagrid returned before Malfoy could come up with a response other than to glare and following behind him into the paddock were about a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry and Daniel had ever seen and considering all the places Daniel had been both before and after Ascension that was saying something. The creatures/beings looked like someone had put horses and giant eagles together.
It took Daniel a minute to figure out what the creatures might be from Greek and Roman legends. /Those are Hippogriffs! They are supposed to be creatures of legend because they come from the union of female horses and griffins. Given that horses and griffins are supposed to be natural enemies such a creature was thought to nothing but legend./
“These are hippogriffs,” Hagrid told the class. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
Most of the class nodded in agreement, but Harry noted that Malfoy and his goons weren’t paying attention. He couldn’t help wonder what they were plotting now.
“The first thing you need to know about hippogriffs is they are proud creatures… very proud.” Hagrid explained about what he considered important facts about the Hippogriffs. “Ya always want ta let ‘em make the first move cause besides being the polite thing to do it help you avoid accidentally offending them without meaning to.”
Hagrid moved a storm grey hippogriff into the center of the paddock. “When you approach a hippogriff, you want to move slow and maintain eye contact. When you are within a few feet, you want to bow, while maintaining eye contact.” Hagrid demonstrated. “If the hippogriff bows back,” which the grey one did to Hagrid after a few moments, “then you can come closer and you are allowed to touch him.”
He looked over at his class to make sure they understood and then asked, “Who wants to go first?”
None of the third years made a move toward the paddock.
Hagrid looked over the class. “Doesn’t anyone want to meet Buckbeak?”
A moment later Harry felt someone shove him hard from behind out into the open area in front of the paddock.
Hagrid looked at him, pleased to see his young friend was willing to try this. “Good man, ‘arry.”
“Oh, no, Harry.” Lavendar moaned. “”Remember what Professor Trelawney said about your tea leaves.”
I’ve got to remember to do something nice for Malfoy to thank him for this, Harry sighed to himself as he let Hagrid lead him closer to Buckbeak, while the big man repeated the instructions he had given to the class as a whole.
Harry bowed to the grey hippogriff while doing his best to maintain eye contact. The hippogriff just stared at him and made no move to acknowledge the bow with one of his own. Even though Daniel was sting passively in the back of Harry’s mind, he began to wonder if Buckbeak, who was after all a magical creature like Hedwig, might not be detecting his presence.
/Daniel could he be picking up on your presence in my mind, like Hedwig did?/ Harry wanted to know as the burnt orange eyes continued to stare at them.
/Possibly,/ Daniel told him, /though Hedwig is only able to detect me when I am active./
/Just in case he is detecting you, you might want to bow as well,/ Harry suggested as Hagrid began to sound a little concerned and was suggesting Harry back away.
Daniel quickly swapped places with Harry and bowed while maintaining eye contact with Buckbeak. After he’d done that he switched back. Buckbeak bowed his scaly knees in response.
“Wonderful!” Hagrid crowed. “Now ya can pet ‘im, Harry.”
Daniel felt a far better reward for their bravery or as Jack would’ve called it; their stupidity, would be to walk away slowly and carefully before this disaster waiting to happen hit them in the face. However that was not to be because the large man was behind Harry urging him forward and Harry didn’t want to give his classmates the idea that he was afraid. Having done a few stupid things himself when he was younger and in foster care, because he didn’t want to appear as if he were afraid, Daniel wisely made no comment about this.
Almost all of the class burst into applause when the hippogriff’s head leaned into Harry’s hand as he stroked the creature’s beak. Daniel/Harry noticed that Malfoy who was standing near the front looked disappointed that Harry hadn’t been savaged by the hippogriff.
“I think Buckbeak might let ye ride ‘im, Harry.” Hagrid’s voice boomed. “He really seems to like you.”
The gamekeeper had hoped that Harry would be one of the first to volunteer, because he had asked Buckbeak if he would give the young Gryffindor a ride as a thank you for his help in getting him free the previous year. He knew how much Harry loved to fly and thought this would be the prefect reward, though he would never tell Harry that. Young Harry had helped him without any thought of being rewarded for his actions and in Hagrid’s mind that put him on the same level as Dumbledore as being one of the few in the wizarding world worthy of his respect.
/Ride him!/ Daniel gulped. He had never ridden on an animal that could fly before and while a part of him was eager to try this new experience, a part of him was convinced this not such a good idea and him wanted to keep Harry’s feet firmly planted on the ground.
Harry also was having second thoughts and third ones about Hagrid’s idea. While Hagrid had sounded like he was giving Harry a treat because he knew how much he loved to fly, Harry wasn’t so sure this was a good idea. Buckbeak was clearly a thinking feeling creature, and Harry wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to try and ride him, especially if said creature didn’t want him there. Buckbeak’s eyes gave him no clue as to what the hippogriff was thinking, or even if he agreed with Hagrid’s idea.
Before Harry/Daniel could voice a protest though, Hagrid had hoisted him onto the hippogriff’s back.
“Just keep yer knees right behind the wing joints so they don’t interfere and don’t pull out any of his feathers.” Hagrid advised him. “’E won’t like that.”
Once Harry was positioned to the larger man’s satisfaction, Hagrid shouted, “get up there, Buckbeak!”
The hippogriff ran forward a few paces, flapping its great wings once, twice and then they were airborne. Harry gripped Buckbeak’s neck when the Hippogriff started to move because he couldn’t find any place else to hold on where he might not accidentally rip out a few feathers.
/Hagrid really should of rigged some kind of harness for each hippogriff if he intends the whole class to take a ride on them./ Daniel commented.
Harry couldn’t help agreeing with that sentiment as he shifted carefully to find a safer place to sit on Buckbeak’s back without causing the hippogriff problems. As the hippogriff flew higher, Harry began to enjoy the wind whipping through his hair. When he leaned left or right, Buckbeak turned in the direction he was leaning allowing him to get a better look at the ground beneath them.
The view of the castle and lake were spectacular and Harry/Daniel could just make out the village where the Hogwarts Express arrived every year.
/Hogsmeade looks like something out of a movie about the middle ages,/ Daniel observed. /It should be interesting to explore before we go visit Petunia’s./
/We still have to make up the genealogy first,/ Harry reminded the archaeologist.
/We’ll do that over the weekend when everyone else is busy. It will be easier to slip away then./
Buckbeak made a great circle and then began his descent back to the paddock. Once he returned the Gryffindors all applauded and cheered as Harry got rather shakily down from the hippogriff’s back while the Slytherins just stared.
“Good job, ‘arry.” Hagrid’s voice boomed loudly over the cheering, then he asked, “who wants to go next.”
Harry took up a position near the fence and watched as the rest of the class selected a hippogriff and began bowing to it and tried to get answering bow. Malfoy and his two goons Crabbe and Goyle had decided to work with Buckbeak, probably on the theory that if he could do it so could they only better.
Buckbeak had bowed his scaly knees to Malfoy and the blond Slytherin moved closer to pat his beak. As he did, Harry heard him comment in a drawling voice filled with sarcasm, “This is really too easy. I knew it had to be given that Potter could do it….”
His tone worried Daniel. Animals whether they were intelligent or not could tell what someone thought about them by the tone of voice that was used and right now he could tell that Buckbeak who was a reasonably intelligent creature wasn’t real happy with Malfoy.
“….you’re just a great dumb brute aren’t you.” As soon as Malfoy said that Daniel knew the line had been crossed and reacted. Reacting without thinking, Daniel used his ascended powers to bring down a bolt of lightening out of the clear sky and instead of vaporising either of the two involved, it struck the ground nearby, separating them and leaving Malfoy with a new hairdo ala Einstein.
While the bolt of lightening had knocked them both several feet apart, Buckbeak was still enraged and tried to charge Malfoy, as Hagrid yelled, “No Buckbeak!”
Hagrid was too far away to stop the hippogriff’s charge before it could get to the arrogant Slytherin and fully expected to see the boy ripped to shreds, when an unseen force dragged the arrogant Slytherin out of the paddock on his butt, putting him out of Buckbeak’s reach.
The remaining third years all quickly bolted out of the Paddock, in case the enraged hippogriff tried to charge them as well.
“Malfoy!” Hagrid stormed over to the blond Slytherin and told him. “Thirty points from Slytherin, for disobeying a teacher’s instructions. I told you that hippogriffs were proud creatures. You should’a treated him with the same care you would use with your father, not as if he were a worm!”
“Oh, no! Professor Trelawney was right!” Lavendar screamed, pointing to the edge of the paddock where Harry’s body was lying in a crumpled heap.
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Two Shall Be As One
by CorwalchKapitel Bemerkung:
/Words, and more words/ = conversations between Harry and Danielwords and more words = private thoughts, flashbacks, dream/mindscapes
words and more words = Ancient or parseltongue
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