4. Chapter 4

I had a hint of writer's block writing this chapter. But here it is! Thank you all for your reviews.

Chapter 4

"So Fred and George just went off to Egypt and haven't been back in weeks," Ron explained. "They hired some guy fresh out of school to man the store while they're gone but I don't think he was expecting them to be gone for quite so long."

Harry chuckled when he thought about just what the twins were getting up to.

Ron, Hermione and himself were sitting in the Hogwarts express that would once again take them to their beloved school for the last time. Well, at least for Ron and Hermione. Harry could have taken the floo but wanted to experience this ride one last time. Next year though, he probably would just travel with Snape instead.

Lucky for him, Ron was now limerick-free.

"They didn't even tell me what they were going to do," Ron continued, "They said that they were going to visit Bill but I don't think that would take so long. And why wouldn't they know when they would be able to get back from a regular visit? No, something fishy is going on."

"They probably just needed a vacation," Hermione offered, "They've been working so very hard, after all."

Ron huffed, "I doubt it. Their workplace is their playground. Every day is a holiday for those two. No, I think they're trying to invent another joke or prank of sorts which they're going to test on me as soon as they're back."

"So don't eat anything they give you," Harry suggested.

"He could never turn down food," Hermione said indignantly, "Not even if he suspected it was laced with something suspicious."

"It is bad practice to waste food," Ron said matter-of-factly. "And I'm at least eighty per cent sure that the twins won't try to kill me."

"But they might have you speaking in limericks for another month," Harry said.

Ron made a rude sound. "Like they would ever get the recipe from Snape," he said, "Nah, It'll probably be something less subtle like… I don't know… Having someone speak in a high pitched voice or something."

"I don't know, Ron, they might end up surprising you," Harry teased.

"What?" Ron exclaimed, "Harry, you know something, don't you?"

"Don't be silly," Harry replied easily, "How would I know more than you? It's not like they randomly stop by or anything."

Harry winked at Hermione who giggled into her hand.

"Have any of you seen Draco, by the way?" Harry asked, "I'm a bit surprised that he didn't join us."

"I think that coming back to school might be a bit hard for him," Hermione replied softly, "We've been owling over the holidays and he doesn't like leaving his mother alone for so long. Not after… you know."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "It must be tough coming back here. This is where his dad got killed and everything."

"I guess he's grateful that there's only one year left of school," Harry said, "I wonder what he's planning on doing after."

"Artefact creation," Hermione said easily, "That's what he's told me anyway. He's gotten really interested in it."

"It beats Death Eater," Ron shrugged.

"Ron!" Hermione chided, "What an awful thing to say."

"I was just kidding, Hermione," Ron said, frowning somewhat. "You really don't need to protect the Malfoy heir against all the evils in the world."

"I'm not!" Hermione argued, "I just think he needs a friend, right now."

"Fine," Ron said sort if grumpily, "But don't forget that I need you too."

Hermione rolled up the magazine she was reading and lightly tapped Ron on the head with it. "Don't be jealous, Ronald," she chided, "You know you're much more important to me."

Ron grinned. "You'd best remember that! Oh Harry, did you want a chocolate frog?"

Harry accepted and unwrapped his chocolate treat as Hermione went back to reading 'The Practical Potioneer'. Harry frowned when he recognised the cover.

"Since when do you read Potions magazines?" he asked.

Hermione huffed somewhat in annoyance. "Well, I'll have you know I've looked into staying at Hogwarts for a specialisation year as well. And to do that, I've been reading up on the different Masters and what is required to become one."

"Severus is always reading that magazine as well," Harry pointed out.

"Well, of course, he is," Hermione said exasperatedly, "It's the foremost magazine on everything regarding potions after all. If you want to stay on top of things, you need to be reading it every time another edition comes out. Didn't you know that?"

Harry flushed a little. "No, I didn't," he admitted, "Do you think I could read it once you're done with it?"

Hermione passed him the magazine with a sigh, "Go ahead. I've already read it twice," she said, "And there's a form in the back that you can fill out if you want a subscription. I suggest that you do so since you've already chosen to specialise in potions."

"I will!" Harry said gratefully, "Thanks, Hermione."

"You're very welcome," Hermione replied sweetly as she withdrew another magazine from her bag called 'A plan for Plants'.

Ron rolled his eyes and got up from his seat. "You guys have fun," he said flatly, "I'll just go look for Draco or Neville or something."

Both Hermione and Harry grunted noncommittally, already engrossed in their reading.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione walked over to their usual spots in the middle of the Gryffindor table, they noticed Draco sitting on the Slytherin side. When they saw each other, Draco raised his hand in greeting but stayed in his seat. Harry didn't know if he was staying because he still needed some time to himself or not but either way, he was sure that during the night of the sorting at least, students were not allowed to mingle among other houses. Especially when those students were prefects. So Harry just smiled in return and took his seat.

He glanced over at the high table and noticed that Snape was regarding him carefully. Almost as he had done during the feast, his very first year. But there was no malice in his eyes this time. Harry smiled at him which seemed to satisfy Snape since he turned away and started talking to McGonagall.

Harry had not anticipated for a new teacher to make their way into Hogwarts this year since Slughorn was still teaching potions, and Snape had managed to hold on to the defence position, but there she was.

She was a woman in her early thirties with long, dark chocolate hair and amber eyes that seemed to shine with glee as she took in the great hall. She was clearly not very tall and seemed somewhat shy as she was listening politely to other teachers' conversations but didn't jump in herself. Harry thought she looked sort of lonely as she sat there.

And who was she anyway? All the other teachers seemed to still be present so Harry could not imagine what the woman was doing there.

As always, McGonagall stood at the ready with the sorting hat to divide the new group of first years into the four houses. Harry clapped along dutifully for every child that joined Gryffindor but ignored the jeers and scathing remarks some of the Gryffindors would make when a child was sorted into Slytherin.

When the sorting was over, Dumbledore rose from his seat and spread his arms to signify that he was about to make an announcement. It didn't take long for the majority of the children to quiet down and for the rest of them to be elbowed by their peers until they too shut their mouth. Once everyone had settled down, Dumbledore smiled happily, his eyes twinkling and addressed the students.

"It is nice to see so many new faces grace this hall with their presence, this year," he began, "And it pleases me, even more, to announce that one of those new faces will be your new History of Magic teacher."

Surprised murmurs rose from the more seasoned students of Hogwarts. Dumbledore allowed it to go on for a few minutes before resolutely raising a hand, motioning for everyone to calm down once more.

"It has come to my attention that Professor Binns no longer wished to teach. He would rather spend the rest of his death in peace and quiet. We thank him for the many years of service and wish him the very best. In his stead, we welcome the very talented and engaging Professor Maya Bell."

The new woman gave a small wave, smiling shyly before dropping her hand and looking back at Dumbledore.

"That's the author of 'Connections through the ages'," Hermione hissed.

"I am well aware that most of you who had the opportunity dropped the subject of History of Magic altogether," Dumbledore continued, "Which has resulted in there not being a single student in the NEWT class. Now I am aware that this is perhaps the result of something other than simply the subject matter."

Harry noticed Snape shake his head lightly in dismay.

"Which is why I want to offer you all a chance to get reacquainted with History of Magic. I only ask of you that you see it through for a couple of weeks. If you decide – after these weeks – that you would still wish to drop the subject, I will not blame you and allow you to do so without a problem. But it would make me most happy if you would generously use your time to give Professor Bell a chance. I know for sure that she might surprise you."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled fiercely in the light of the enchanted candle.

"Now I do believe that I've kept you long enough," Dumbledore concluded, "Please enjoy your meal."

After this confusing turn of events, platters appeared on every edge of every table, filled with the most delicious food of any kind. Harry grabbed the first pitcher of pumpkin juice that was in reach and smelled it carefully before pouring himself a glass. He took a small sip and slushed it around in his mouth cautiously before deciding that if it was indeed poisoned, it was undetectable. He looked over his shoulder to see Draco give him a sheepish grin and held up his glass in salute before drinking resolutely.

He then looked at Snape who raised his eyebrow at him and Harry gave him the thumbs up after which Snape rolled his eyes.

"So what do you make of this new teacher?" Hermione asked.

"She's cute," Ron said pointedly as he stared at the high table.

"Ron!" Hermione chided, smacking him on the head.

"It sucks that we need to take History again," Harry groaned, "I won't have enough time for everything as it is."

"You can just drop it again after a few weeks," Hermione pointed out, "And besides, it might turn out to be interesting."

"Yeah, it's about time they found a replacement for old Binns," Ron said, "I can't believe they didn't do so sooner."

"It did seem a bit overdue," Hermione agreed.

Harry looked back at the high table to see Professor Bell try and strike up a conversation with Snape but the Potions Master gave her a curt reply and turned away to chat to McGonagall. Bell seemed to take it in stride though. She just shrugged and turned towards Flitwick who sat on her other side and happily engaged in conversation with her.

'Play Nice' Harry wrote on the cuff Snape had given him for his birthday the previous year. Snape looked at his wrist and simply shot Harry an exasperated look before continuing his conversation with the transfiguration professor.

"Did Snape tell you about her beforehand?" Ron asked curiously.

"Nope," Harry replied, "Kept me completely in the dark."

"Oh well, he doesn't strike me as the talkative type even at the best of times," Ron said.

"He probably wasn't allowed to say anything," Hermione argued.

"Why in the world would that even matter?" Ron asked, "This could hardly be considered a state secret."

"Well, whatever the case, I think it's nice that we get another shot at History this year," Hermione said resolutely, "And who knows. If she's a good teacher, I might even consider a speciality year in the subject."

"If McGonagall allows you to," Harry pointed out.

"Oh, why wouldn't she?" Hermione said, "No professor would ever deter a student from learning more, would they?"

Hermione dug into her food and Ron shared a knowing look with Harry. McGonagall better agree to something or Hermione was going to be hell to be around for the entirety of the year.

After a day of classes that were hardly interesting, Harry found himself in the library with Hermione at his side. They had been in there for an hour already, finishing up the homework they had already been assigned before moving on to more personal topics.

For Hermione that meant building a case for herself that would hopefully convince McGonagall to allow her to stay an extra year.

For Harry, this meant building up his theorem. The sheer amount of books in the library were sure to help him. And lucky for him, Snape had trusted him enough to grant him unlimited access to the forbidden section. That was a good thing too because there was information there that he would desperately need.

The current subject matter of interest was Dementors.

'Related to the Lethifolds, Dementors are that much more vile. They cannot be killed but they do have a natural life-span that runs out eventually. No one knows how long that is since no dementor can be distinguished from the rest.'

Harry skimmed the pages as he tried to find what he was looking for.

'They feed off of people's terror and darkness, removing all feelings of happiness as they draw closer to make it easier for them to prey on their victims. When their prey is sufficiently made devoid of happiness and hope, the soul becomes more vulnerable to outside influences. Eventually, it can be taken by a dementor, resulting in what is known as the Dementor's kiss. There is no recovery possible from such an attack.'

"What are you reading about?" Hermione asked, shaking Harry's focus.

"Dementors," Harry replied, showing Hermione the passage he was reading.

"interesting," Hermione said, "A bit dark, but interesting."

"It's remarkable that they attack the soul," Harry told her, "They are able to suck out, and therefore move a soul, something that is normally not only invisible but also untouchable which is probably why most muggles are sceptical about its existence."

Hermione nodded contemplatively, "True," she agreed, "Since they consume thoughts and emotions, I can only assume that the soul is classified in the same category as those."

"I don't think that's entirely right," Harry said, "I think the soul is the category."

"Ah, that would make a lot of sense!" Hermione said, "But what does that mean?"

"Do you remember that spell my mother created?" Harry asked, "The one that can convey emotion?"

"Of course I do," Hermione huffed indignantly, "We used it to help Draco out, after all."

"What if I can use it to sort of imitate the dementors? You know, to draw a soul closer."

"I don't know, Harry," Hermione said carefully, "That sounds kind of dark. And I think it's an innate ability of theirs, not one you can emulate. And why would you want to do something like that anyway?"

"It's not like that," Harry replied, "I don't plan on sucking out anyone's soul or anything. What I want to do is attract them, pull them closer so to speak. I can't explain why just yet. It's for the potion I'm trying to create, you see?"

"Well, as long as you're careful," Hermione said, frowning at her friend, "Professor Snape is supervising you, right?"

"He is," Harry assured her, "I am not even allowed to start brewing until he approves of my theorem." He sighed heavily, "I've already worked on it a bit over the summer but it's coming along very slowly."

"Well it's not as if you have a deadline," Hermione pointed out, "Take it slow and be thorough. Especially when meddling with things like dementors."

"Don't worry, I will be," Harry assured her.

Hogwarts was overtaken by a horrible heatwave. It had gotten so bad that the students were allowed to forego their school robes and were wearing nothing but their normal clothes. Even most of the teachers refused to don their teaching robes. Only Snape seemed to ignore the suffocating heat, proudly stalking through the hallways as his robes billowed behind him.

It helped, of course, that he spent a large portion of his day in the dungeons. Even the defence classroom was in the vicinity of the cooler part of the castle.

The many owls that lived in the school were sluggish and annoyed, preening their feathers more than normal and delivering the mail with long delays. Hedwig, however, seemed to be worse off than any of the other owls. One morning, she came swooping in at breakfast. She was on her way back from delivering Harry's subscription for 'The Practical Potioneer', the first edition already tied to her talons, when she all but crashed into his bowl of cereal.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed loudly, jumping up from his seat. Hedwig screeched softly as she flapped her wings weakly.

"Take her to Hagrid," Hermione said in a panicked tone, "He'll know what to do."

Harry didn't need to be told that a second time. He scooped up the weakened owl in his arms and raced to the high table where none of the teachers seemed to have noticed anything being amiss.

Hagrid – who was sweating profusely under the mass of hair that he called a beard – looked up as Harry came to a stop in front of the high table and showed him the weakened owl.

"Hagrid," he said helplessly, "Something's wrong with Hedwig."

"Oh dear," Hagrid said as he took Hedwig from Harry, "It'll be alright, my beauty, don't you worry."

Hagrid emptied a bowl of potatoes onto his plate and filled it with cool water. He dunked Hedwig's feet in the bowl but kept her body out of it, offering her a separate saucer to drink from.

"What's wrong with her, Hagrid?" Snape asked apprehensively, unhappy about Harry's expression.

"She's overheated," Hagrid explained, "Snowy owls are not used to temperatures such as these."

"What can I do?" Harry asked worriedly.

"You'd best take 'er somewhere cold, while it's this hot out," Hagrid replied, "Take 'er to the dungeons if you can. I'm sure she'll perk right up after a few hours."

Harry looked at Snape with a sort of pleading look in his eyes. "Would that be alright, sir?" he asked.

"Of course," Snape agreed easily, "I wouldn't dare put your owl's health at risk." He thought it over for a second, "I would advise you to put her in the students' potions lab. Not a lot of people actually use it, and it's cold in there. I would put her in my chambers but there's always a fire burning down there so I doubt that would be an adequate solution."

Harry turned to Professor Slughorn at that. "Would that be alright with you, professor?" he asked.

"Of course, Harry!" Slughorn replied amicably, "Anything for one of my top students. Just make sure you provide her with a perch so she won't sit on any of the cauldrons."

"Thanks, Professor," Harry said and raced down to the dungeons with a slightly more lively Hedwig on his arm, the magazine still attached to her foot.

As promised, he provided her with a makeshift perch immediately, setting her up with food and water and taking her burden away from her.

"I'm sorry, girl," Harry said as he stroked Hedwig's soft feathers, "I should have realized the weather was too hot for you. But don't worry, I won't have you flying out for a while."

Hedwig hooted softly in return, ruffling her feathers somewhat in dismay.

"It's for your own good, you know," Harry said, "But I'll keep you company as often as I can, okay?"

Hedwig clicked her beak and tilted her head slightly as if she was thinking it over. Then she flapped her wings, causing a loose feather to fall to the ground.

"Hmmm, that won't do," Harry said, "It would be bad for random owl feathers to be added to people's potions. But don't worry!"

Harry took out his wand and twirled it a few times as he walked around Hedwig, murmuring the incantation 'castus' under his breath.

"There," Harry proclaimed proudly, "If I did it right, you shouldn't be dropping any feathers or dirt or anything into anyone's cauldrons. I wouldn't want you to get kicked out."

Hedwig didn't respond this time. She just stared at Harry accusingly.

"I promise that you won't get bored," Harry tried to dispel Hedwig's foul mood. "Who knows, you could even help me out when I brew some potions."

Hedwig clicked her beak and turned away from Harry to start pruning her feathers.

Harry sighed. "Get some rest, girl," he told her, "And don't bite anyone."

Another chapter concluded if you can believe it. I wonder what you're all thinking? Care to review and tell me? Thanks for reading!