Black Witch

Black Witch

Harry was having a terrible summer. He had thought that things had changed that first week back. His Aunt and Uncle hadn't been kind, but they hadn't been cruel either. They watched as Hedwig left the house every 3 days, obviously fearful of Moody's threat. They gave a sigh of relief when she came back at night, and no wizards came to murder them in their sleep. Then something else had changed, and Harry had no idea what that was. He glanced over at the clock on his bedside table.

It was 3:54, and his uncle would be here in six minutes. Every Friday, at 4:00 PM, just before dinner, Uncle Vernon would beat Harry until he was unconscious. The wide, braided black leather belt would leave gashes nearly a quarter of an inch wide. There were about fifty lashes a week and they never healed before the next Friday. Dudley watched his cousin gleefully, from his position on a dwarfed armchair. Aunt Petunia was never in the house at this time. His uncle obviously never cared where she went. Harry started to panic. Fear had clouded his judgements ever since that day when his Uncle changed.

The stairs creaked dangerously, announcing Vernon's arrival. Without a word, he unlocked the heavy lock, grabbed Harry by his hair, and dragged him down the stairs into the living room. There, in front of his cousin, he screamed, begged, and bled until dinner.

/*

Harry woke up to Hedwig's meagre hooting. She had lost a lot of weight, as had Harry, but she was always locked up, whereas he was taken out of the dim little cell that was now his whole world.

A week after the start of summer, a letter had been sent to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. It had informed them of Sirius' death, and also told them that Harry would not be allowed to leave. His uncle had glared at Harry, daring him to say a word. Then, his face purple, he had announced that he would be taking Petunia and Dudley to dinner, and that Harry would stay in his room. The next day, Harry woke up to find Hedwig's cage padlocked shut, his window barred, and his door locked. However, unlike second year, there were no regular meals, and he was only allowed out once a day to use the toilet.

He had been told that after this summer, he was not allowed to come back, and he was never to contact them again. He would stay this summer only because they were being kind. Today was the last day before school. Tomorrow, they were taking him to the train station, and he would never come back. Ever, and if he did, well, there would be consequences. They seemed to have forgotten about Dumbledore's Howler last summer, and not a single letter came to remind them.

That night, after dinner, he was privileged with another beating, though this time from Dudley. He was dragged up the stairs again, and left unconscious on the floor.

/*

At King's Cross the next day, Harry was left in front of Platform 9 with only a jacket to cover the ragged, bloody clothes and his trunk, with Hedwig's cage sitting neatly on top. He pushed the trolley onto Platform 9 ¾, and nearly passed out with relief when he saw the Hogwarts Express. He pushed the trolley to the drop off point, and then staggered on the train to find his friends.

He didn't notice the stares, nor did he care about the small gasps. He found Ron and Hermione, and staggered into the compartment. He then collapsed onto the train seat, his jacket tearing off of his limp, unconscious body. Hermione screamed; Ron turned white. They stared at the deep marks on his back, and the trickles of blood ruining the matted clothes. The train was leaving in another minute, but Ron didn't care. He yelled out of the open window for his parents and Charlie, who had come to see them off. They looked shocked for a moment, and then raced to the car.

Mrs. Weasley uttered a small shriek and collapsed next to Hermione. Charlie and Mr. Weasley pushed Ron back, getting Harry some air. They then picked him up and carried him outside, and apparated just outside the Hogwarts grounds. From there, they raced to the hospital wing, carrying an unconscious Harry between them.

Mrs. Weasley stayed on the train with Ron and Hermione, too nervous even to apparate. They skipped the prefect's meeting, and didn't answer when anyone stopped by their compartment. Life on the train went on, and Draco Malfoy visited them. However, two things stopped him from getting at Hermione and Ron.

The first was Mrs. Weasley herself, for although he didn't respect her, she was an adult, and could get him into trouble with McGonagall. The second was a new student, who came towards them after Mrs. Weasley left to go to the front of the car, with the other adults. She forced her way past Draco Malfoy and began to talk to the people in the car.

"Hi, is that seat taken?" she asked in an American accent, not even bothering to excuse herself to Malfoy. " 'Cause all the other cars are full, or nearly so, and no one else will let me sit with them." They could see why.

She wasn't dressed in school robes. The long-sleeved skin-tight red top was cut right above her waist. This showed off the tattoos. A black cobra coiled out of her belly button. A black and silver dragon, about the size of her hand, was on her right collar, looking fierce and menacing. She had baggy black pants with a silver dragon coiled around the leg and heavy black boots peaked out underneath. She had short black hair, and bright blue eyes peered intently on the occupants of the car. She totally ignored Malfoy.

Malfoy grabbed her shoulder, jerking her around in the narrow confines of the compartment. She said, in a voice devoid of emotion, "Yes?" Later, Ron was heard to have said that he would have ran from such a voice, had the tone been directed at him.

Malfoy, however, was oblivious to her tone, concentrating only on the fact that she had ignored the Revered Draco Malfoy. For the first time, Hermione and Ron noticed that he was alone. No Crabbe or Goyle to protect him now, thought Ron. Malfoy said angrily, "We were talking. You don't just barge in on other peoples' conversation, Yank." Turning to Hermione and Ron, who through out this exchange had remained silent, he stated, "At least Potty got what he deserved. See you at school, Weasel, Mudblood."

Ron jumped up, clearly prepared to pummel Malfoy. Hermione screeched and grabbed the back of his sweater, desperate for him to not get in trouble. Prefect or not, fighting was a bad move. She needn't have bothered.

Ron and Hermione gaped as the American girl picked up Malfoy by the collar of his robes and slammed him against the wall. "Don't ever touch me, filth!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "I am far above from what you can ever hope to become!" She slammed him one more time for good measure, then turned back with a grin to Ron and Hermione. She ignored Malfoy's undignified scramble down the hall. She also seemed to ignore the hoots and cheers.

"So, is this seat taken?"

/*

As the train sped through the countryside, and finally into the forests and marshes around Hogwarts, Hermione and Ron talked to the new girl. Her name was Kayla Quinn, she was 16, and her family had just moved from America. She had been all over the country, as her parents were both Aurors and they moved around a lot. She had two brothers and a sister, all older.

Gabriel was only an year older, and he was in the front, talking to McGonagall about their classes. He would be in seventh year. Her other brother, Elijah, was twenty-two and an accomplished Auror, dealing with many of the dark creatures that plagued the United States. Her older sister, Caira, was twenty-three and also an Auror, but she had a talent that kept her from the field; Kayla had no clue what that was. Her parents had moved to America from Ireland when she was just one year old, and she had no idea why.

Kayla then began to ask questions, like how many siblings they had, what their family was like, what Hogwarts was like.

Ron started, in a monotone at first but became more animated, with, "Well, I have five older brothers and one younger sister. Bill's the oldest; he's a curse breaker for Gringott's in Egypt. Charlie's next, he's a dragon tamer. Usually he's in Romania, but he has some Ministry business here for a while. Then there's Fred and George, the twins. You'll probably get to meet them later. They are starting a joke shop in Diagon Alley, but they plan to market in Hogsmeade too. Finally, there's my little sister Ginny. She's a fifth year in Gryffindor this year. She's a Prefect as well. My dad's a Ministry official, works in Misuse of Muggle Artefacts. My mum stays at home." He then looked to Hermione, clearly desperate to get out of Kayla's scrutiny.

Kayla noticed that he had mentioned only four brothers, so before Hermione started she asked, "Don't you have five brothers? I'm pretty sure you only talked about four..." Ron turned red with fury. "My parents are fighting with Percy right now. He works in the Ministry too, except," he continued darkly, "he thinks Harry and Dumbledore are lying even after all the announcements, and wholeheartedly supports the Ministry without asking any questions about their policies. I hate him." Kayla looked uncomfortable, and instead turned to the only other person in the compartment.

Kayla then turned to Hermione. "What about you?" Hermione's face had darkened at the mention of Percy's name, but brightened as she began to talk about her parents. "My parents are both dentists, and do their own practice outside London. I don't have any siblings, but not because my parents weren't trying. They were even going to adopt! But now, they are content to have just me."

Then the talk turned to school. Hermione said, "Most of the classes aren't hard if you work at them, others are really easy, but there are some you really have to work at. Plus, there is the added distraction of Quidditch..."

At that, Kayla nearly burst out of her seat, "Quidditch?! You have Quidditch at your school?" Awesome!" At that exact moment, Mrs. Weasley came back to inform them of the impending arrival. "We will be there shortly. I'm sorry, but you can't see Harry yet." With these words in their minds, Ron and Hermione sat down quietly, relieving the horrifying sight that had been their friend. Mrs. Weasley's announcement set off a round of questions from Kayla, but no one answered. They were silent as the train pulled up to the station, silent as Kayla walked to the carriages with Hagrid, silent as they entered the entry to the Great Hall. They were walking together, and were about to enter the Great Hall, when Professor McGonagall stopped them. Then she said five magic words.

"You may see him now."

/*

Harry was alone at last, in the comfortable and empty Hospital Wing. There was no Madam Pomfrey; in fact, there were no people at all. Then he wondered where Ron and Hermione were. Usually they would have visited by now, but maybe Madam Pomfrey had not allowed them. So he settled back and waited.

And waited. And waited.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Madam Pomfrey walked in and jumped at seeing him sitting up with his glasses on. She tutted, "Now I supposed we will have to let Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger in to see". Then she gave him a smile, rare for anyone, but especially him. "But Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you and I want you to stay the night." With that last taken as an ominous warning, she exited, yet again leaving Harry to sit and stew with his thoughts, and wonder why he was here.

/*

Ron and Hermione wanted to rush upstairs to visit Harry, but were detained by McGonagall. They wouldn't want to miss the Sorting now, would they, and since Harry was fine, they agreed, though on one condition. They would get to leave after the Sorting, and go up to the Hospital Wing until curfew. McGonagall agreed, gave them the password, and then left with the last word. "I am allowing you to neglect your prefect duties just this once, because of this extreme circumstance. You will be expected to resume them tomorrow."

They walked to their seats, and then waited patiently for the Sorting to finish. They had missed the opening song by the Sorting hat, but hadn't missed the first student. As the last student, (Zaine, Clara; Ravenclaw) was sorted, Dumbledore stood up for his annual speech.

"Welcome to all our students, old and new! This year, we will be receiving two new students, Kayla and Gabriel Quinn, from America. I hope that all of you will welcome them with open arms, no matter what House they are sorted into." Kayla stepped forward, and many of the students gasped. She hadn't changed her clothes; in fact, she had only thrown a robe over them, loosely at that, but Dumbledore didn't seem to mind. She walked up confidently to the rickety stool that held the Sorting Hat.

For the next two minutes, the school held its breath, waiting for the enchanted hat to call out her house. Finally, the brim opened up and yelled "Gryffindor!" The school let loose the breath it was holding, then started whispering as Kayla walked down the rows to sit down next to Hermione, who grinned at her. Then her brother walked up to the stool.

He looked just like Kayla, but was taller and more defined (muscle-wise). He had on a normal black robe, just as Kayla had, but you could see skin-tight black leather under it. All of the girls, even the Slytherins, could be seen drooling over him. The leather only emphasized the muscles underneath. He sat on the stool, and the hat sat on his head only a hairsbreadth longer than it had for Kayla. Hermione was drooling; she could see his perfect mouth moving, as though he was arguing with the hat, but no words were heard. Suddenly, the brim opened and the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" Sighs could be heard from the girls not in Gryffindor, and many of the girls stared as he walked down the aisle between tables.

Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands. "Welcome to all of our students, old and new! We have a few new teachers this year, and a few new policies to point out. Before I introduce the new teachers, I would like to read an announcement from the Ministry of Magic." He paused, and cleared his throat. " 'The Ministry of Magic would like to formally announce that, the Educational Decrees Twenty-Two to Twenty-Eight have been permanently recalled after it was brought to our attention that these laws were created under false pretences. It has also been brought to our attention that the former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had refused to recognize the importance of eyewitness accounts to the rising threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. As such, a new Minister of Magic has been appointed. The new Minister will be visiting Hogwarts in an attempt to reconcile the former Minister's mistakes. Thank you, and have a pleasant school year, from the Office of the Minister of Magic,

Teachers paragraph, send from Bay

.

At the request of their Ministry, I hope you make her feel welcome. A student teacher will be joining her for this year. I am sure that they will be introduced during your class. May I also present the teacher for the subject all sixth and seventh years will be taking, Elijah Quinn." An even taller teacher stood next to Professor Nicolae. It wasn't difficult to tell that he was related to Kayla, even without the last name. He had the same thick black air and blue eyes that Kayla had, and he wore an outfit similar to his brother's, with blood-red robes over it, and pulled it off without the spectacular effect, that Gabriel had had on the female population of Hogwarts. He waved and grinned.

"Our new subject will be apparition. Also, I would like you to note that Sixth Years and up will have Professor Quinn for a few of their Care of Magical Creatures class. And now, for our last addition, I am sorry to say that Professor Trelawney and Firenze, the centaur, won't be joining us for divination this year. Professor Trelawney has decided to take a yearlong break; however, I am confident that she will return to us next year in full health. Firenze, who took over from Professor Trelawney last year, will be working with the highly advanced students in Divination. May I introduce our new divination professor, Caira Quinn." A woman who looked exactly like Kayla, stood up and waved, then winked at the Gryffindor table as she sat down. She had longer hair than either her brothers or Kayla, and her outfit was a lot different. It was less revealing, and seemed to be neither leather nor anything that the students had ever seen before. Navy blue robes covered it, yet revealed more than the staff might have wanted.

Dumbledore continued, to a chorus of many groans from the hungry students. "The North Tower is off limits to any but a few students with signed notes from myself or Professor Quinn. I would also like to point out the added guards to the school this year. They are trained Aurors from around the world, and I would like you to pay attention to them. If they tell you to do something, do it, for it is in your best interest. They will also ensure that the Forbidden Forest stays off limits to those who are not allowed in it: the students." He nodded to a figure in red at the entrance to the Hall, and the figure nodded back and left. This caused some uproar, as many students had wanted to see who it was. However the students became silent , when Dumbledore continued.

"On a happier note, I would like to announce the establishment of two school dances for Fourth Years and up on Halloween and Valentine's Day. I hope this will give all students the incentive to get to know the students in other Houses. These happy times are established so that no student will be left untouched by his or her fellow classmates. We still mourn for the loss of one student, and many friends and loved ones will soon pass as well. We await the end of a war, a war that surely will not end until the side of good and right has prevailed. We will prevail, and it is my hope that you will all stand with me and honour the brave souls who have fought and died for your future."

With these final words, Dumbledore rose and raised his glass. The Gryffindor table was the first table standing, followed by the teachers, and not far behind them were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Slytherin was the last to stand, but they stood like the rest. As the students returned to their seats after the moment of silence, Dumbledore declared that the feast had begun. Food appeared, so Ron and Hermione ate, but their hearts weren't into it, and all the food tasted like sawdust.

Kayla talked to the other people at the table, but she kept glancing at Ron and Hermione. They weren't talking. As soon as they had eaten a little, they stood up and walked out of the Hall. Kayla longed to follow them, curious as to where they were going, but knew she shouldn't. She continued her meal and kept talking to the only two sixth year girls who were willing to put up with her, Parvati and Lavender.

/*

Gabriel was sitting next to Ginny. At first, she had felt a bit awkward. After all, he looked as perfect as a god in those robes, and his smile... Then, she began to open up to him and they talked. It turned out that he would be a prefect too, sort of. He was replacing Giles Haney, a seventh year prefect, whose parents had taken him out of Hogwarts.

Gabriel liked the little redhead he was talking to. She was very quiet, and very unlike his sister Kayla. He was delighted to hear that she too was a prefect, and that meant she would be spending a lot of time with him. It didn't matter that she had six very overprotective brothers. They would never care.

/*

Ron and Hermione, after having made a suitable appearance at the feast, raced up the stairs to the infirmary. They scrambled into the room, catching Harry completely off-guard. He smiled when he saw them. He wasn't able to get a word out, however, when Hermione crushed him in an enormous bear hug, he gasped for air. Ron pulled Hermione off, and then hit Harry on the shoulder. "You scared us, Harry. What happened?"

Harry didn't answer, though it wasn't his fault. Just at that very inopportune moment, Madam Pomfrey walked in, telling them that if they were going to be so noisy, they could just leave her infirmary. They nodded mutely, and then waited with bated breath as she walked away. Then they spun to Harry.

To their horror, his face was totally blank, leaving him with an expression as though he had been pole-axed. His scar burned red.

A scream ripped from Harry's throat as though being torn from his very soul. It tore through the walls, an unending scream of pain and sorrow. It shredded the minds of the students, sending them to the ground in mindless agony. It sent its clarion call straight to the soul and tore through it, leaving images of a tormented life.

Harry screamed as the man's life was ripped from his body. He did not know the man, but he was no Death Eater. He did not deserve what happened to him any more than an innocent did. The images and memories in Harry's mind told him that the man had a family. As the man finally died, an image burned itself onto Harry's mind. Red eyes, with pupils like a snake's, and a horrible, high-pitched, mocking laugh.

The whole school dropped to their knees, all seeing the same things that Harry saw, but without the emotion behind them. Only Dumbledore and Snape knew what was going on, and they were powerless to stop it. They fell to their knees, the images only dulled by putting up their barriers.

Kayla was in agony. Her powerful gift of empathy picked up the emotion behind the mental images and the torment that the entire school had felt. It felt like she was going overload. All she felt was pain, all over her body, and she was unable to stop it. When Harry finally blacked out, so did she.

/*

Kayla woke up in a sterile white room. Her head hurt, but the pain she had felt from the images hadn't physically hurt her in any way that she could tell. She tried to stand, but only succeeded in falling into a heap on the floor. The sound of the thud drew a haggard-looking woman in white over to her. The nurse shook her head at the sight of her. She pulled her up and back onto the bed. As soon as she was tucked under the covers, the nurse said in a quiet voice, "Miss Quinn, I would like you to stay in bed for the weekend, just until we determine the cause of this incident. And please, keep it down. My other patients are trying to sleep." She turned away, and then stopped and said, "By the way, I am Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, now if you will excuse me." She headed off to the door, a tray of steaming potions in her hand.

Kayla looked at the ward. Of the ten beds in the ward, six were full, including hers. Students and staff were lined up outside the door, and Madame Pomfrey seemed to be handing out the potion for the entire school. She saw all three of her siblings take a glass. Then she glanced around her at her fellow patients. Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, was sitting up in is bed, reading a book with bandages on his head. He looked pale, even for a man with snow-white hair. A tall beaker of the potion that the nurse was handing sat next to his bed on a small table. His bed was the furthest back in the ward, and next to him lay another teacher, this one with greasy black hair and a sallow face. He looked half-asleep, and as she watched, reached over to the table and finished the beaker. A mumble of "Good night, Headmaster." from the man and he was asleep, presumably for a long while. The Headmaster, apparently unaware that the man was asleep, answered, "Goodnight, Severus."

She glanced to the three beds that had student occupants. Directly across from her was Hermione, who looked sound asleep. Ron was in the bed next to her, and was fighting the potion's effects. Ron glanced at Hermione before succumbing to the potion, and she could have sworn she heard him say, "Night, love." before dropping off. She felt the pain in the bed next to hers long before she even looked at the boy who was in it.

The boy had long, dirty black hair, and glasses perched at the end of his nose. A yellow-brown bruise marred the area around one green eye, and a scar stood lividly in the middle of his forehead. It was pale red, nearly pink, but the pain she felt from it was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her eyes travelled down to his hands, which were covered in half healed welts, like whiplashes. Her eyes were drawn back to his scar.

The boy looked at her, an unreadable look on his face. If it weren't for the emotions she felt from him, she would have said he was impassive. But the pain from behind that look said it all. Green Eyes looked at her. His broken-lipped mouth opened, and he asked her, "What are you staring at?"

/*

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. It was a Sunday and he was alone, as Hermione and Ron were still getting ready. He hadn't wanted to see the strange girl, the 'black witch' as he had come to think of her. He still didn't know her name, but the look he had gotten from her was enough. He had heard her speaking to Madame Pomfrey. She was American, and from the way she had looked at his scar, even Americans knew who he was.

All evidence of Uncle Vernon's beatings had vanished; leaving behind a few small scars on his back, ones that Madame Pomfrey had assured him would fade with time. By the time he had woken up after the dream-less sleep potion, Dumbledore was gone, leaving behind a note that had said, "On Sunday, Professor Quinn will take you to Diagon Alley for school supplies." He wondered who Professor Quinn was, probably the new Defence teacher.

Harry hadn't received any owls at his uncle's house over the summer, so the number of letters that had appeared at breakfast didn't surprise him. He had been up before most of the school, and had opened and read all forty-three of the letters that he had missed and the birthday presents from everyone. Most of the letters seemed to be from Ron, Ginny, or Hermione, though a few were from Neville and two were from Luna. That left only nine letters, six of which seemed official. He saved those for last. One of the letters was from Mrs. Weasley, apologizing about him not being able to come to the Burrow. The second was from Tonks, and the third was from Remus, both asking him how he was doing and begging for responses to the letters Ron and Hermione had sent.

The first of the six official letters was one that every wizard in Britain had received. It read, "The former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Marcelo Fudge, has been deemed unfit for duty by an official Vote of the Ministry Heads;" here the letter listed the Heads of all but the Auror and Unspeakable Departments. Then it continued, "The new Minister was named on the thirty-first of July of this year. The candidates for the Ministry were tried under Veritiserum to prove that they were not working for You-Know-Who." The letter went on to the process of selecting a Minister, and then got to the good part. "The new Minister of Magic, selected from the Improper Use of Magic Office, is Cliodne Hannah Xavier. The first act of the new Minister was to turn over enforcement of the prison Azkaban to the Auror division, who were sent out the day of her coming into office." The letter ended with the usual thank-you, and was signed by the same secretary that had sent the letter to Hogwarts.

The next letter was from the Auror department, noting his wish to become an Auror, along with a pre-Auror training class offer over the summer, if he wished. The third letter was from the Minister herself, apologizing for the behaviour of Minister Fudge and expressing deep sorrow on the fact that he had been slandered by the Ministry. The fourth was a letter informing him about the pardon of Sirius Black, pending acceptance by the Wizangamot and expressing their deep condolences. It also informed him of the warrant out for the arrest of one Peter Pettigrew, a rat Animagus with a silver paw. He smiled grimly at that, and hoped that Peter would be caught soon.

The fifth letter was for the reading of Sirius' will. It read: "The reading of the will of Sirius Black will be on the 15^th of September. Your presence is requested. However, as that is a Friday, we would accept a guardian or a teacher from the school to stand in your place. Signed, Janine Holloway, Magical Law Office."

The final letter was his school list. The first page he opened was the OWL results; he had forgotten about them in his pain this summer. He didn't glance at it yet, as he looked through the other papers. One was about the usual school supplies, one was the course sign up list, which he would read after he looked at his OWL results. A new one was a form that would allow him to partake in the school dances, in the Apparition course, which he was required to take, and the slip that would allow him to visit Hogsmeade. Hidden between those papers was a blank sheet that said in small letters at the top, "Daedalus."

He whispered the word, and then watched as a new set of directions followed after the password. He stated his full name clearly, and watched as the writing appeared under the instructions. "We are pleased to inform you, that you are among a few selected students for a special class. If you agree, please say the password at the top of your sheet to Professor McGonagall after your first class. If you do not wish to participate, please say this word (the word 'Icarus' appeared under the password), and receive instructions from Professor McGonagall. Thank you. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore."

/*

Harry James Potter

Age Fifteen

OWL Results

July 21

O- Outstanding

E- Exceeds Expectations

A-Acceptable

D- Dreadful

F- Failed

Charms

- O

Theory - E

Practical - O

Transfiguration

- O

Theory - O

Practical -O

Potions

- O

Theory - E

Practical- O

Defence Against the Dark Arts

- O

Theory - O

Practical - O

Astronomy

- D

Theory - D

Practical - D

Herbology

- E

Theory - O

Practical - E

Care of Magical Creatures

- O

Theory - E

Practical - O

Divination

- F

History of Magic

- A

Congratulations Mr. Potter, you have received 8 OWLs.

Miriam Killfar

Examination Results

Educational Committee

/*

Harry stared at his results. 8 OWLs? Wow! He had five Outstanding OWLs! And he had an Outstanding Potions OWL! He could be an Auror! He nearly jumped out of his skin when Ron plopped down in the seat next to him. Hermione sat down, looking stunned at all the letters he had received. She picked one up at random. It just happened to be one of hers, and she stared at it, disbelieving. Ron pulled the letter out of his hand and gaped at it.

"Eight OWLs?" Ron squeaked. Hermione grabbed the letter from Ron, and read it over. "Wow Harry, you got two less than me..." They all jumped as a girl reached over and grabbed a biscuit. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Kayla had walked into the Great Hall that morning and saw Green Eyes, Ron, and Hermione talking. They were the only people at the Gryffindor table, so she walked over to them. As she walked, she noticed a huge pile of letters in front of Green Eyes. He and the other two were arguing over a letter that looked pretty official. She sat down next to Hermione and asked, "Am I interrupting anything?"

Green Eyes jumped, and then grabbed the letter from Ron. He stood. "No, I was just leaving to see McGonagall." Kayla leapt up. "Really? 'Cause I need to see her too. Can you take me too?" Ron and Hermione shrugged, and Green Eyes just said, "OK."

They walked out of the Great Hall together, not speaking to each other until they were in the hallway. She decided to find out who he was. "My name's Kayla Quinn. What's yours?" He looked startled, and then stopped walking and looked at her. "You don't have to pretend that you don't know who I am. I saw you staring at my scar." He turned and kept walking. Kayla was puzzled. "So? Should I know who you are?" Harry stared at her incredulously. "You mean you don't know who I am?"

Kayla was starting to get irritated. He was reminding her a lot of the boy on the train, but Green Eyes was a lot cuter. She blew up. "How the hell would I know who you are? Here I am, asking a perfectly honest question, and then you start to act like the whole world should know your name! Honestly..."

Harry held up a hand to stop her tirade. It was just then that she noticed that he had a paper in his other hand. However, her attention was pulled away from it when he began to speak. "My name is Harry Potter. Ring any bells?"

/*

Harry walked into Professor McGonagall's office with his forms in hand. He let Kayla talk first, and when she was done she waved a good-bye.

He walked up to her desk with all the forms in hand. He only said, "Daedalus." She smiled up at him and nodded. Then she told him his instructions. He was to erase the parchment, then rewrite his password. Every time a class was scheduled, the parchment would change. He had to check it every day in private. Of course, Ron and Hermione couldn't know.

Then came the talk he had been dreading. He held up all the school forms, and said, "My uncle stopped my letters. I didn't receive anything until this morning. What should I do?"

Professor McGonagall looked at him. "I will sign anything that is need to be signed, Mr. Potter. Did you fill out your class lists yet?" He held out the list, and she read, "Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, all the basics, then you have to have two other classes. I see you have chosen Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, both are very good choices. I will have your schedule tomorrow then, Mr. Potter. By the way, Professor Quinn will meet you in the Great Hall today at eleven. Good day, Mr. Potter."

/*

Ginny ran through the portrait hole. After seeing her boyfriend, Dean Thomas, kiss another girl, and a Ravenclaw at that, she didn't want to be around anyone. The common room looked empty, so she threw herself on the couch in front of the fire.

Gabriel rose from his position in one of the windowsills and walked over to the couch. He sat next to the crying girl, and let her come to him. She didn't notice him for a minute, and then looked into his eyes. Without saying a word, she threw herself into his arms and cried into his shoulder. He held her awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

When Dean arrived moments later, Ginny launched herself at his throat, causing enough noise to awaken even the deepest of sleepers. By now, it was ten in the morning, and nearly everyone was downstairs in the Great Hall, eating breakfast. Gabriel held her back as she tried to punch Dean, who backed himself into a corner, terrified of the little redhead who was now more of a cat than a girl.

Ron and Hermione walked into the common room just in time to hear Ginny shriek, "You lying git! I'll kill you Dean! Then I'll kill her!" Ron's head snapped up at this. He knew Dean and Ginny had been going out. His faced turned red.

"What happened Gin?" Dean shrank, huddling into the corner of the room and making tiny squeaks. "That bastard kissed another girl! I'll kill him!"

Dean never saw Ron's fist come. He only saw the blackness that came with unconsciousness.