Harry Potter and the Book of Shadows

Medusa

With the others busy doing their own work, Harry decided to spend Sunday reading the book Snape had given him. After breakfast, comfortably seated by a window in the common room, Harry settled in and began to read.

The book had obviously been read numerous times, Harry could tell by the well-worn, dog-eared pages. The bookplate in the front revealed that it wasn't part of the Hogwarts library, but rather Snape's personal copy. Reading the name scrawled there, Harry couldn't help but note that, even as a student, Snape had atrocious handwriting. Turning the page to cover the faded bookplate, Harry idly wondered why the Hogwarts library didn't have a copy. Surely if it did, he would have found it when he'd gotten the other books.

The introduction was similar in vein to Spells for the Spirit and Beyond the Body. Flipping back, Harry wondered if they were written around the same time, or possibly published by the same company. Finding the tiny print he was looking for on the copy write page, Harry was surprised to see it read Bourgin & Bourkes Publishing, a Division of Bourgin & Bourkes Inc. Perhaps that was why he hadn't found a copy, it was probably in the Restricted Section.

The volume was probably the most comprehensive and useful book Harry had yet to come across on the subject of Occlumency. In a sudden bout of frustration around chapter three, he wondered why Snape had waited so long to give it to him. Lunchtime came and went, Harry waving off Ron's invitation to get food, though, if you had asked him later, he would not have remembered doing it. As the late afternoon sun weakly illuminated the book's pages, Harry took another sip of pumpkin juice, suddenly sitting up. Pumpkin juice? When had he gotten that? Seeing a plate with a half-eaten sandwich on it balanced on the windowsill only brought on further confusion. Realizing how late it must be by the angle of the sun, Harry got up for the first time that day, his cramped muscles protesting loudly. Scanning the room, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were nowhere to be found. The vague memory of Ginny bringing him the sandwich surfaced, but Harry guessed that had been hours ago. Seeing as his friends were not around, Harry settled back down to finish reading.

By the time he was done, the sun had set. Staring out the window, Harry pondered what he had learned. Not only did it support Snape's methods of teaching Occlumency, the book clarified some things Harry had questioned, including why Snape had waited until now to give it to him. Toward the end, the book went from generalizations about theory and methodology to specific suggestions that were, for all intents and purposes, universal to anyone practicing the craft. Harry recalled how Snape had taunted him during his first lesson, saying Harry was handing him weapons by allowing him to force painful memories to the surface. In the book, the author stated that one of the most direct ways of entering and controlling another's mind was though the other person's worst thoughts and fears. Well, Harry could certainly believe that. Unconsciously, that was what he'd been doing when he tried to turn the spell back on Snape, though Harry thought it was more out of feelings of revenge and anger than anything else.

Was that also why Snape had an easier time of it? While Harry had managed to bring forth some rather unpleasant memories, he didn't doubt Snape continued to use the Pensive before each lesson. Harry did not have that luxury, and therefore Snape had a far wider range of hideous memories in his arsenal. Not to mention Snape probably had more information about Harry's past to draw from. The book suggested forcing oneself to face painful memories and deep-seated fears, in an effort to reduce their detrimental effect, but even the author admitted this was not an easily achievable goal.

Now that he knew all this, Harry wondered how it would affect his next lesson. Undoubtedly, Snape would be doubly prepared, knowing Harry would have read the book. More so, Harry would have read the notes Snape had made in the margins. Harry wondered if Snape had forgotten some of the things he'd written. Would he be furious Harry had seen, or had he intentionally let Harry read it? Surely, if he remembered and didn't want Harry to know, he could have obtained another, unnoted copy. While most of the notes were purely academic, it was clear that whichever year (Harry guessed either sixth or seventh) of Hogwarts Snape had gotten it, it was long after the Marauders had decided he was an excellent target. Some of the angry scrawling was a bit unsettling, but nothing Harry wouldn't have expected. Harry figured if Snape knew, he was hoping it would have disturbed Harry, putting him at a disadvantage next lesson. Harry didn't plan on obliging him.

Hoping the others would come back before dinner, Harry tried to focus on the more practical information he'd learned. Bad memories were the key. Catching sight of the plate on the windowsill, Harry thought how Ginny had broken through while Hermione had not. While he doubted she was actively searching for bad memories, Ginny had nevertheless found them and realizing it was working, used them to her advantage. Harry recalled how quickly he'd spiraled out of control. How could he block those kinds of memories from taking him by surprise? If he could find the answer to that question, Harry was sure Occlumency would be much easier.

He was still pondering the question when he heard Ron and Hermione enter. Seeing he was no longer absorbed in his book, they insisted he join them for dinner. Easily convinced, and quite happy to stretch, Harry walked with them.

"Where's Ginny? I should thank her for the sandwich."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "So you did notice. She was convinced Snape had given you a cursed book and you'd never speak to anyone ever again."

Harry flushed. "I didn't mean to ignore everyone, but it's probably the most useful thing I've gotten since I started. I guess I just got into it."

Hermione looked approving. Ron looked dubious. "Why'd Snape wait so long to give it to you, then?"

"I wasn't ready before," Harry replied simply.

Hermione and Ron stopped to exchange surprised looks, then hurried to catch up with Harry who had continued on to sit at the Gryffindor table, thanking Ginny for her earlier delivery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Ron, Harry, and Hermione entered the greenhouses through the three-door system as usual, for Herbology class. When they finally arrived inside, they were surprised to see the overgrown Demon Vine was finally gone.

Once all the students had arrived, Professor Sprout addressed the class, "As you can see, the Red-tailed Ichneumon are finally gone," she paused and looked around. A few students snickered and glanced at Hannah. When no inopportune declarations were announced, Professor Sprout continued, "and so, we are finally rid of the Demon Vine."

Hermione glanced at the bench behind her and saw a small tendril of something in a small glass of water. As she watched, its pale white roots slowly turned toward her, only stopping when they met glass. A fly landed on the edge of the glass and paused to clean its wings. Suddenly, a root shot out, capturing the insect and dragging it beneath the water's surface. Other roots jabbed into the fly, and it was quickly reduced to nothing. The once pallid roots turned a deep, dark red. Alarmed, Hermione took a step away.

"I did reserve a few cuttings," Professor Sprout continued, "but they will be sent to their new homes soon."

Ron, having noticed Hermione's disgusted expression, followed her look to the seemingly innocuous little tendril. "It's kinda pretty when it's little."

Hermione just looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

Harry, having missed the whole exchange, stepped toward one of the plants Professor Sprout had indicated was their lesson for the day. Large clusters of purple-blue flowers sat like puffy balls among broad, dark leaves. Giving off a slightly sweet fragrance, the plants enticed Harry to lean closer.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Mr. Potter." All eyes turned to Harry as he froze in place and then leaned back at Professor Sprout's words. "As good as any way to begin, all right, so finally we meet the Blaarkop. When planted under the right conditions, it will reach the size of a fairly large bush, up to eight feet high and six feet in circumference. You can see the ball-like clusters of flowers. These can range in shade from light blue to dark purple, depending on soil composition, sun exposure, and water availability."

Professor Sprout waved at the plant. "Now, as I was saying to Mr. Potter, don't be lured in by the fragrance of the flowers. While it is in the plant's interest to attract pollinating insects, it is not in yours to breathe in too much of that pollen. As you know by the effects we've seen from the Red-tailed Ichneumon sting, voicing one's every thought is not a desirable attribute. The reason Red-tailed Ichneumon have that effect is due to the element they extract from Blaarkop pollen. While breathing in, or ingesting for that matter, though I don't recommend the taste, does not have as strong an effect as a sting, it may lead to unfavorable events nonetheless. And I'm certain we've all had our fill of those."

The students took a step back in unison, a titter running through the class. Professor Sprout handed out cloth masks as she continued. "We'll be harvesting flower balls to be dried. Try to get a nice long stem so it will be easier to hang them. Don't worry about getting the pollen on your skin, it doesn't absorb well. After the flowers have dried, we'll be extracting the flower essence."

With that, the class set to clipping the clusters and placing them in the wide baskets provided.

That evening, as Harry made his way to his Occlumency lesson, he hoped his newfound knowledge would prove helpful. Unlike usual, Snape was not waiting for him, wand at the ready. This time, as Harry entered his office, closing the door behind him with a soft click, he found Snape sitting behind his desk. However, his expression was the same glowering stare Harry had come to know very well.

Placing the book on the desk, Harry said, "I finished it." At the slight narrowing of Snape's eyes, Harry added, "Sir."

Snape continued to eye him malignantly. "Do you think you learned anything?"

Harry tried not to bristle at the obvious skepticism in Snape's tone. He was about to reply when something dawned on him. Wasn't this how Snape always began his lessons? By taunting him? Or, even if he didn't say anything, Snape knew Harry would be thinking about how much he hated him. Before they even started, Harry already had his guard up, was already focused on unpleasant things. Thinking about how Snape was always so unfair paved the way for him to think about a million other horrible things.

Harry actually smiled at the realization. "I think I've learned quite a bit...sir."

Instead of his usual derisive sneer, Snape rose, inclining his head. "Let's find out."

Feeling as though he had already won some important mind game, Harry faced Snape with confidence. It began to waver as the lesson progressed and Harry found himself at almost the same skill level as his last lesson. During one break in the spell volley, Harry felt like smashing something in frustration. Shouldn't it be easier now? The lesson continued much as the others had, leaving Harry exhausted and aggravated by the end.

Snape, for once, didn't mock Harry's failure, though he wasn't exactly encouraging, either. "Knowing and doing are two different things. You still lack subtlety, Potter."

Though he was disappointed with his performance overall, Harry wasn't in too horrible a mood when he left. After all, he'd made some progress, and some was better than none at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It became clear during their next Potions lesson where the essence from the dried Blaarkop flowers was going.

"Professor Sprout has informed me that she will soon have some fresh Essence of Blaarkop," Snape began as he glared at the students. "In light of this, we will prepare ourselves for making Veritaserum."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the class. Ron leaned over to whisper to Harry but froze when he saw Snape looking their way, knowing he'd lose points if he said anything.

"Veritaserum requires a lengthy and precise process." Snape emphasized the word 'precise' while looking directly at Harry. Harry tried to keep his expression neutral until Snape moved on. "We will begin by preparing the base."

Words appeared on the board and everyone scribbled them down before gathering their ingredients. Harry noticed those who had been to Persephone's tutoring carefully read and reread the instructions before getting up.

They worked silently, even Hermione frowning in concentration. Harry didn't know about the others, but he was sure if something went wrong with someone's potion, Snape would almost certainly test out the mangled concoction on someone. Most likely him. In fact, Harry was worried Snape would try out all the potions on the students, regardless of how they turned out. Perfect or not, Harry wanted nothing to do with a Truth Serum and a room full of Slytherins. He tried to keep his thoughts focused through the rest of the class.

As they left the room, Ron noticed Hermione looked somewhat distressed. "Something wrong, Mione? If you're worried he's going to try the results out on one of us, I don't blame you."

She shot him a look that told him he was clearly not helping. "That's not it. I have a headache."

Harry frowned. "You all right? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"For a headache? I'll be fine."

Ron seemed to accept her reassurance, but Harry wondered if it was some lingering effect of their attempts at Occlumency. When she seemed fine at dinnertime, he passed it off as Hermione doing too much as usual and forgot about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were chatting at breakfast the next morning when everyone looked up to see eight owls, paired off and carrying four large boxes, join the usual rush of morning mail.

"I wonder who that's for," Ginny said, gazing up.

The owls dropped the boxes in an unstable stack in front of the Head Table, answering her question.

"Looks like they're for Persephone," Hermione stated.

"I wonder what's in them," Ron mused.

There was a symbol stamped on the sides of the boxes, but Harry didn't recognize it. "Cleaning supplies?" he guessed. Ginny gave him an odd look. "What? She is Assistant Caretaker."

"That's a lot of cleaning supplies," Ron said.

Hermione looked at the boxes again and shrugged. "It is a big castle."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Really, if you're going to guess what's in a bunch of mysterious boxes, you could at least come up with something a little less mundane."

"Dragon eggs?" Harry suggested, inspired by the heaping spoonful of the less exotic variety Ron was scooping onto his plate.

Ron shook his head, joining in the fun. "Chimera eggs."

"Basilisk eggs?"

"Blast-ended Skrewt eggs?"

"Do they even lay eggs?"

They laughed, still naming bizarre things that could be contained in the boxes as Persephone rose, enchanting the four boxes to follow her out of the Hall.

Persephone was lost in thought as she headed to her office, the boxes drifting obligingly behind her. Perhaps it was best Free had left, she thought, since the arrival of the boxes also meant the arrival of a lot of work. Plans running through her mind, she headed toward the now familiar dungeon staircase, tuning out the boisterous voices of students headed to class in the hall behind her.

As she lifted her foot to start down the steps, one of the boxes bumped into her, just hard enough to knock her off balance. Her foot missed the stair and she pitched forward. Time seemed to slow as she felt panic set in, raising her hands to catch herself, though some part of her mind knew there was no way she could hope to stop her head-first plunge down the steep stone staircase. Bracing for the crushing impact, hard grey rock rushed to meet her, though for an instant it was frozen, snow-covered ground she saw.

It was a moment before she realized the unforgiving stones were right in front of her eyes, yet she didn't feel any pain. Her mind raced to find the reason when her eyes told her the stairs were upside down. It took another second for her to realize it wasn't the stairs, but she who was upside down. She twisted her head to see someone's feet near the bottom of the staircase.

"Are you all right?" She recognized the voice, though her current position didn't allow her to see Snape's face.

"I seem to be upside down," she replied sardonically. Her brain had finally settled on the solution and she didn't like it one bit.

Snape concentrated on the spell that had caught her seconds before she crashed headfirst down the stairs. Slowly he turned her upright, her robes falling back down as she regained her feet. She didn't look at him as she tugged them straight. They both glanced up the staircase to see no students had borne witness to Persephone's near-tumble. The boxes still hung in the air halfway up, patiently waiting.

"Someone pushed you." It wasn't a question.

Persephone gritted her teeth. "One of the boxes bumped into me. I should have had them in front." Snape opened his mouth, but Persephone stopped him with a glare. She started down the corridor, the boxes floating serenely along, now in front of her. After a few steps, she stopped and turned. "Thank you."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned the corner to her office.

That evening, Persephone looked up at a soft knock on her door. "Come in." Not seeing who she expected, she put down her quill. "Ginny, hello. Have a seat."

Ginny entered and sat in the chair opposite Persephone. Seeing a few parchments spread out over the desk, Ginny unconsciously tipped her head slightly and saw they were lists of student names, odd marks next to some of them. Noticing what Ginny was reading, Persephone quickly swept the papers together and rolled them up.

Dropping them in a drawer, she smiled at the younger girl. "So, what brings you down here?" A look of slight concern crossed her features. "Nothing's wrong, is it?"

Ginny shook herself. "No! I just wanted to say..." she trailed off, suddenly feeling awkward. "I just wanted to say thanks. For letting me help with Free. It was really great and I know you didn't have to and you could have picked anyone..." Realizing she was starting to once again nervously babble, she stopped and collected her thoughts. "It was a really great experience and I just wanted to let you know."

Persephone smiled at her, though Ginny was still looking intently at the intricate scratches in the desk. "I'd say you're welcome, but to be honest, I should be thanking you." Ginny looked up in surprise. "No, I mean it. You really helped a lot and he wasn't always the easiest animal to work with. Even some of the others at the ranch refused to deal with him."

"It's not like he was bad-tempered...usually. You just had to work with him a little," Ginny said. "I'm sad he's gone."

Persephone understood what she meant. "I am, too. But, I have another creature coming in for Hagrid's class. I won't spoil the surprise, but Hagrid said he'd been trying to get one for a while. A friend of mine happens to have one, and he agreed to lend him to me. If you like, you could help take care of him."

Ginny brightened. "Really?" Thinking of who had requested the creature, a sudden thought crossed her mind. It involved scales, wings, and a very bad temper. "It's not...dangerous, is it?"

"All animals can be dangerous if provoked, but no, he's usually quite calm," Persephone replied. "Actually, I'm sure if you asked, Hagrid would love help with any of the critters that come in."

Ginny replied she'd give it some thought. Seeing the time, Ginny realized she had to go or risk getting caught out after hours. As she thanked Persephone again and stood up to leave, Persephone added, "And if you ever just want to talk, the door's always open."

Ginny smiled her thanks and left, feeling better than she had since Free had left.

When she reached the common room, she saw Harry and the others lounging in the in front of the fire. Joining them, she discovered everyone was either far enough ahead in their coursework to take a night off, or just plain unmotivated to do homework. Either way, they readily accepted her idea of playing cards.

"Did you still want those History of Magic notes, Harry?" Hermione asked as Ron dealt the first hand.

Picking up his cards, Harry nodded. "Yeah. If you don't mind."

Hermione looked like she was about to get up and fetch them but Ron stopped her. "Come on, you can get them tomorrow. We all agreed to take a night off. How often do we all have the same night free?"

Hermione sat back down, admitting that between prefect meetings, Quidditch practices, Occlumency, and potions tutoring, nights like this were rare, indeed. The other three also noticed Harry hadn't looked so relaxed in months. They settled into easy conversation, no one willing to bring up serious topics. Relived to forget their worries for a little while, they laughed well into the night as snow gently fell outside, covering the ground in a soft, white blanket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since Harry knew Free was gone, he couldn't help but wonder what Hagrid intended to do for their next lesson. He, Hermione, and Ron discussed it as they made their way through the fresh show to Hagrid's.

"He said he had something planned, I wonder if it's gotten here yet," Ron said.

"Maybe we'll have another lesson with Noir," Hermione surmised.

Harry didn't think so, Noir wasn't thrilled being out in the cold, and as Hagrid had found out, he was quite adept at hiding when he didn't want to be found. Not that the students huddling outside of Hagrid's hut could blame him.

They milled about by the wooden table, waiting for Hagrid, mostly moving around so they didn't freeze. Malfoy was quite vocal about the inequity of being forced to wait in the cold. Haughtily casting a look at Ron, he made a derisive comment about how at least he had proper cold weather garments, unlike some people.

Ron stuffed his hands in his pockets, knowing his well-worn gloves were doing far less to insulate his hands than Malfoy's brand-new ones. "Can't handle a bit of cold, Princess Malfoy?"

Malfoy's snickering turned into an ugly sneer as the other Gryffindors laughed. Before anything could escalate, Hagrid arrived carrying a large object draped in cloth. Setting it on the table, he turned to stoke the coals of a small fire. Some of the students had huddled around it in a desperate attempt to warm up, and when Hagrid coaxed the embers into the beginnings of a cheery bonfire, the rest of the class joined them.

"All right so my next lesson hasn't arrived quite yet, so I've got 'im," Hagrid pointed a large finger at the draped object, "on loan fer today. Doesn't like the cold so much, so we'll keep 'im close ta the fire."

Several students, not all Slytherins, mumbled about how they didn't like the cold so much, either. Hagrid continued as if he hadn't heard.

Lifting the cover off the cage, Hagrid revealed-

"Fawkes!" Harry exclaimed.

The phoenix blinked benignly at him, then calmly regarded the rest of the class. Of course, Ron also recognized Dumbledore's bird from his rescue from the Chamber of Secrets and smiled when the bird's kindly gaze settled on him.

"Righ', so Fawkes here is a phoenix," Hagrid began. While Harry already knew a bit about phoenixes, Hagrid surprised the class by showing them how to gently collect phoenix tears. All the while he told them about how various parts of the phoenix, including tears and feathers, were used in a plethora of magical items and potions. Undoubtedly, Fawkes was to thank for being so obliging, but by the end of class, everyone was still in awe of the small vial of pearly liquid Hagrid managed to gather.

On their way back to the castle, Malfoy derisively suggested Hagrid would be scouring Hogsmeade for someone's pet crup next, obviously unimpressed with the day's lesson. Another Slytherin, either unaware of or ignoring Malfoy's sarcasm, declared that would be an excellent lesson. Other students within earshot agreed, thinking nothing would be more fun than playing with a litter of puppies as a class. Thus thwarted, Malfoy stomped off to the dungeons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next evening, potions tutoring returned as promised. Persephone, looking a little pale, Harry thought, was once again seated on the desk in front. As soon as it seemed the last of the students had arrived she began, "First, I would like to apologize for canceling on such short notice last week. However, I have planned for one of your voted choices to be the subject for tonight, so I hope you enjoy the class."

The recipe appeared on the board behind her and they all saw it was for Calming Solution. Harry wondered if recent events had led her to choose this particular potion for the week's lesson. After another fruitless and stressful Occlumency lesson, Harry had to appreciate the timing.

"Calming Solution is actually one of the more straightforward potions, however there is a trick to getting it right, as you'll see. There are also some minor changes you can make which alter the potion's final application. For instance, adding meadowsweet," She held up a sprig of dried leaves, "will alter the basic potion to a gentle remedy for stomach upset, in addition to its mind-soothing properties. These alterations do have an effect of the general effectiveness of the Calming Solution on mental states, but then again, the effect you're looking for is not always the same." She handed out sheets, listing the alterations that could potentially be made.

After they decided which version they wanted to make, everyone started on their potions. As they worked, Persephone walked around, discussing with each student what they had chosen. When she arrived at Harry and Ron's bench, they told her what they'd decided on.

"Valerian," Harry said.

Persephone paused, looking concerned. "Is everything all right?"

Harry tried to look relaxed. "Fine. Just sounded interesting."

Persephone didn't look altogether convinced, but moved on to look inquiringly at Ron.

"Willow bark," Ron said, as he stirred the woody shavings into his potion. "For headaches."

"It is a stressful time of year, what with the holidays coming up and all." Persephone agreed. She smiled. "Though, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm surprised more students didn't pick meadowsweet."

Ron and Harry looked up blankly. Persephone's smile faded as she realized why they looked confused. "Oh. American holiday, right." Clearing her throat, she said, "Good job, boys."

"Thanksgiving?" Ron said, after she had moved on. "Is that the one with all the food?" Harry nodded. Ron went back to stirring his potion. "I wish we had that holiday. I bet a Hogwarts Thanksgiving feast would be awesome. Extra days off too, I bet. What's valerian for?"

Caught off guard by the abrupt subject change, Harry answered without thinking. "Sleep."

Ron stopped stirring. "Is everything okay?"

It had been some time since people had badgered him with that question and Harry had forgotten how grating it was. "Fine." Realizing he'd sounded a bit sharp, he added in a more calm tone, "Really."

Ron didn't look any more convinced than Persephone, but likewise let it go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At breakfast the next morning, Ron was still fantasizing about what Thanksgiving would be like at Hogwarts.

"I hear the whole point is just to eat as much as possible. Imagine: mountains of potatoes, platters of turkey, rolls as far as they eye can see..."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "And that's different from your usual dinner how?"

Hermione snickered and Harry snorted into his juice. Ron ignored her, gloomily eyeing his plain bowl of oatmeal.

"Besides, Ron," Hermione broke in. "I don't think that's what the holiday is about."

"Well, what then?" Ron asked.

All of a sudden Hermione didn't look so confident. "Giving thanks, of course." Ron rolled his eyes. Catching sight of someone, Hermione continued, "Fine. Let's ask someone who would know, then."

Persephone saw Hermione waving her over and joined them.

"We have a question." Hermione stated as Persephone sat.

"I'm all ears," Persephone said as a silver coffee pot appeared in front of her. Out of the blue, Harry wondered how the house-elves always knew where she was.

"What's Thanksgiving about?"

The look on her face clearly stated that whatever she was expecting, it wasn't that. "The wizard version or the Muggle version?"

"They're different?" Ginny asked.

"Actually, no, not so much really," Persephone replied. "Well, it's a day to be with your friends and family and think of all the things you should be thankful for. Mostly your friends and family." Hermione shot a triumphant look at Ron as Persephone paused. "And the food. You have to eat lots of food. Mostly turkey. Fulton had a fabulous Thanksgiving Feast."

Ron returned her look. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Did you plan on doing something with your family this year?" Ginny asked without thinking.

Persephone's expression darkened. "I have no family."

There was an awkward pause. Luckily, it was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. Amidst the usual flap of wings and soft hoots as owls delivered letters and packages was a sudden scree! scree! Persephone's head shot up.

"Gretchen?" She saw the red-tailed hawk circling above. The hawk called again, spotting Persephone. "Gretchen!"

Grabbing a nearby napkin, she quickly transfigured it into a thick leather square. She laid it over her arm and whistled. The hawk circled lower, dropping a stack of boxes on the table before alighting on Persephone's protected arm.

"Hello, pretty one," Persephone said as she stroked the hawk's feathers. "Thank you for bringing me these." She checked her over, making sure she hadn't had any mishaps on her journey. "Perhaps you'd best go to Hagrid's. You'll probably do better there than the Owlrey. Does someone have a piece of parchment I could borrow?"

Scrambling through bags, Hermione was the first to produce a slip of paper and a quill. Persephone penned a note to Hagrid and attached it gently to the hawk's leg. "Small house in front. By the paddock." With a flurry of wings Gretchen took off, a faint scree! sounding as she flew back the way she had come.

Seeing their curious glances, Persephone smiled. "That would be Rob's hawk. Which means this should be Hagrid's next lesson." She turned to the boxes in front of her. Mildly surprised, she said, "Three? I was expecting one."

She pulled the letter attached to the top one off and read it. "Ah. I see." Noting Harry and the others still looking at her expectantly, she said, "Speaking of Thanksgiving and food..." Opening the middle box, a smallish flat square shape, she revealed a pie. "Carrie's famous apple pie."

Ron happily agreed to a slice when Persephone offered to share it right away. Reheated with a Warming Charm, everyone dug in while Persephone opened the largest box on the bottom.

Ginny, seated closest to her, noted the box felt almost frozen. "It must be really cold outside."

Persephone was looking into the box, repeating the same gentle Warming Charm. "Not necessarily, using a Freezing Charm puts him in hibernation. Safest way for him to travel. Good morning Medusa, how was your trip?"

Harry, a bite of pie halfway to his mouth, heard a voice say, "Boxed up by the Masssster...we do not like the coldnesssssss...we will bite the first perssson we sssee...yesssss...it isssss a good idea..."

Not sure what he'd just heard, he watched as Persephone reached into the box. She jerked her hand back suddenly. "Now, really! Is that any way to greet a friend?"

The voice, Harry suddenly realized, was not a single voice. "It issss Basssssss...Masssster ssssaid the name sssound before the cold came...you never lissssssten...Basssss...we will warm up...yesssss...asssssss before during the cold sssseasssson..."

Before he had a chance to ask, a bright orange head poked over the top of the box, a thin black tongue flicking in and out of its mouth. Two others quickly joined it. Six jet-black beady eyes focused on Harry then turned to Persephone. The others only heard the soft hisses as the orange and black three-headed snake slowly slithered up Persephone's arm.

Ron's jaw dropped and he leaned far back. "That's a...that's a...a..."

Ginny slid far away from Persephone when the snake started to coil around her neck, orange heads poking in and out of her hair. "That's a runespoor!"

Ginny and Ron looked horrified. Hermione looked a bit taken aback. Harry wasn't sure what the big deal was, other than a four-foot long, bright orange and black striped snake was certainly not what he was expecting. It did explain the voices, however.

"What's a runespoor?" Harry asked as Hermione edged toward Ron, obviously not thrilled with the idea of a snake at the table.

"It's something only Dark wizards have! What do you think you're doing, bringing one of those here?" Ron asked angrily. "And who's this friend of yours?"

Persephone's eyes widened. "Ron, calm down! First of all, this was Hagrid's idea. He's been trying to get one for his classes for some time and now I can see why." Two of the snake's three heads seemed to be eying Ron suspiciously, though the third appeared to have fallen asleep on top of Persephone's head. "Runespoors are not just pets for Dark wizards. They are wonderful creatures in their own right, and I hope Hagrid's class will help dispel the unfair myths surrounding them. They have a much undeserved reputation, and I find it very surprising you would jump to such conclusions about an innocent creature," Persephone frowned, "or its owner."

Ginny looked a bit sheepish after hearing Persephone's defense. Ron moved back to where he had been sitting, mumbling. "He did try to bite you."

"Well, he was frozen and put in a box, I can hardly blame him. But, see? He's calmed down already." Persephone seemed perfectly at ease with the snake coiled around her neck.

Though the center head seemed to still be asleep, Harry noticed the other two taking particular interest in him. "What did you say his name was? Medusa?"

The two heads focused in on him. "Yessssss...that isss the name Masssster callsss ussss...I am Me...I am Ssssa..."

The leftmost head pronounced it 'meh', and Harry noticed the heads alternated speaking. "The other is Du, then?" he asked. "Is he asleep?"

"Yessss he isss Du...not assssleep, only imagining...often doesssss he forget where he issssss...no help at all he isssss...storiessss he tellssssss usss...storiessss do not get usss what we need..."

Harry had to wonder what a three-headed snake could possibly need. "Did you need something?"

Me and Sa stopped bickering long enough to answer. Me's tongue flicked in and out as he regarded Harry. "Mice would be nice...the Basssssss will feed usssss..."

It was then Harry realized everyone was staring at him, most likely because he'd been speaking in Parseltongue. "Um, they said they're hungry. They asked for mice."

"You're a Parselmouth." Persephone looked shocked, then thrilled. "What else did they say?"

Harry still wasn't entirely comfortable with the fact he could talk to snakes, but felt some relief Persephone didn't think it a bad thing. "They, uh, told me their names. I guess they split up 'Medusa' between them. Who's Bas?"

Persephone looked confused. "They use that name? I didn't know they understood speech."

Harry looked back to Me and Sa. "You understand human speech?"

"Ssssome wordsss...not ssssssooundssss they make ...except the name wordssss usssed often are...vibrationsssss of air we feel... it issss easssier when we are around their neck..."

Harry looked back to Persephone. "They said they only know the name words. They can feel it when you talk and they're around your neck. Why do they call you 'Bas'?"

"It was my nickname at the ranch." Persephone looked elated. "Imagine, someone who can translate. This is amazing. Harry, do you think you could help with Hagrid's classes?"

"Ssssssir..."

Harry looked to Me and Sa. "Um, you can call me Harry."

"Harry...are we to live with the Basssss now...we like her but already we missss the Massssster...why were we ssssent away...wassss the Masssster not pleasssed..."

Seeing Harry's expression change, and hearing the agitated hissing, Persephone looked at him, worried. "Is something wrong?"

Harry said, "They want to know why they were sent away."

"I didn't realize..." Persephone shook herself. "Can you tell them they're here to help people learn about them? It's a very important job."

Harry did, and then looked at Persephone again. "They want to know if they're going back to...well, they call him 'the Master'. They sound upset."

"Of course they're going back!" Persephone reached up to pat the coils around her neck reassuringly. "Rob probably misses them just as much." She laughed. "They call him 'the Master'? Better not let Rob find out. Carrie would never hear the end of it."

Listening to the conversation between Harry, Medusa and Persephone, the other three realized maybe the runespoor wasn't so bad after all. The fact they were homesick tugged at Ginny's heart.

Stomping down her last bit of fear, she asked, "Is this the creature you wanted me to help with?"

Persephone turned to her. "Yes. Are you still interested?"

"Yeah. If you still want me to, that is. I'm sorry about how I reacted at first. It wasn't fair to him. Them," Ginny apologized.

Ron and Hermione still looked skeptical, but Harry seemed to be getting along with the snakes and that was enough for them at the moment.

"Well, Harry said they were hungry, so I'm going to go down to Hagrid's and get them settled. Ginny, come by later and we'll figure out a schedule. See you later." Persephone gathered the remainder of the pie and her boxes and left, whispers following as she exited the Great Hall. Two of the bright heads poked in and out of her hair, occasionally hissing at one another. It wasn't until she was gone Harry remembered there had been a third box.

The runespoor's arrival at the breakfast table had left them all a bit unsettled as they headed to the Room of Requirement. For some reason Ron was convinced Medusa's appearance was some kind of bad omen. Though Hermione scoffed, it was clear she was just as ill at ease.

Luckily the room was available and they entered quickly. Harry wasn't sure what Dumbledore would make of his practicing Occlumency with his friends. For now, he was content no one knew but the four of them.

"You practiced clearing your thoughts, right?" Harry began.

The others nodded, but Harry sensed they had met with limited success. Well, he figured it had taken him a while to get it right.

"Why don't we start the same way we did last week? Ron and Ginny and then me and Hermione."

There were visible deep breaths all around as they prepared. As before, Harry and Hermione waited as Ron and Ginny faced off.

"Legilimens!"

Ron seemed to be trying harder this time, and Ginny didn't have the glazed look she had the last time Ron's spell had hit her. They stood, both focused intently, seemingly glaring at one another for several minutes. Suddenly light shot from Ginny's wand, hitting Ron.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Ron roared.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny yelled back.

Ron didn't seem to notice Ginny's Stinging Hex had hit him square on the hand, or that he'd dropped his wand. "What are you thinking? No, never mind. I know what you're thinking. No way. Anyone but him."

Ginny looked furious. "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? You're jumping to conclusions, anyway! You don't know anything about it!"

"Don't know? I just saw it! I know what you were thinking! Ginny, how could you? Him, of all people!"

Harry and Hermione exchanged bewildered looks. It seemed as though Ron and Ginny had forgotten they were there. Harry was beginning to wonder if Ron had stumbled onto a memory from Ginny's first year.

He was about to interrupt when Ginny yelled, "Maybe he wouldn't be so bad if you gave him half a chance! He apologized!"

"Telling you he was aiming a bone crushing Bludger at someone else does NOT count as an apology!"

"That's what he meant!"

"How do you know?"

"I just do!"

Ron's expression turned deadly. "You will stay away from him, do you hear me?"

"You can't tell me what to do," Ginny hissed back.

"Oh yes I can. As your older brother and a prefect, I forbid you to talk to him," Ron said, very slowly and clearly.

Ginny's jaw dropped. "You...you what? Forbid this!"

After a rather unladylike hand gesture, Ginny whirled around and marched though the door, the slam reverberating through the room. Ron glared after her, silently fuming. Harry, having finally figured out what Ron had seen, tried to calm him down.

"Ron, I was there, he didn't-"

"She calls that an apology? He pretty much told her he was trying to kill you and she took it as an apology? She's mad!" Ron whirled around to face Harry, obviously far from calm.

"What's going on?" Hermione looked lost.

Ron looked at her as though surprised to see her in the room. His expression quickly clouded as he muttered, "Malfoy."

"Malfoy? What about him?" Hermione asked, confused.

Harry turned to her. "The other night, I was on my way back from Occlumency. I saw Malfoy talking to Ginny in the hallway. She said he apologized for the Bludger. What did you see, Ron?"

"It's not what I saw, it's what I felt. She thought...ugh, I can't even think about it," Ron said, disgusted.

"Try," Hermione said dryly.

Ron looked nauseated. "She thought...she thought he might be...not so evil. And that he was..."

"He was..." Hermione prompted.

"Cute."

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Really?" She seemed to think for a moment. "Well, he's not unattractive. I suppose some people might even consider-"

"Don't!" Ron held up a hand. "Just don't. I don't think I could take it from you, too."

Hermione shrugged. "I'm sure she'll get over it soon enough. Malfoy will do something horrible like he always does and everything will be back to normal."

Ron still looked revolted. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Ron sulked on the couch as Harry practiced with Hermione. While she was still hesitant when she was on the offensive, Harry found her presence in his mind allowed him to try some of the techniques Snape's book had described. He cut the practice short when worries about where Ginny had stormed off to, both his and Hermione's, began to interfere with their concentration.

"I think that's enough for now," Harry said, not much later.

Hermione agreed, concern evident on her face. Harry knew it was over Ginny, not him for once. "Did it help at all?"

"I think so." Harry nodded.

"You and I haven't tried yet." Ron got up to join them.

Harry looked at Ron. "You still want to do this?"

"Nothing in your head could possibly be as disturbing as what I just saw," Ron muttered.

The three of them left the Room of Requirement, glancing around to make sure no one saw them.

"She really thought he was cute?" Harry asked. Ron just shook his head in disgust.