Harry Potter and the Secret of Gairech

11. The Animal in You

Harry couldn't stop thinking about his experience that night. He went back to bed but couldn't sleep. He lay there until his classmates were awake, then got up again himself. At breakfast he was silent, and hardly listened to a word in class. He didn't even notice the puzzled looks that Hermione was giving him. Had it really all been a dream...?

But first there were other, more important things to think about. After struggling through Charms and Herbology, Harry took Ron and Hermione aside in the Great Hall and nodded to the window. "We can eat outside," he whispered.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a quick glance and nodded. Before going outside they took some food from the table. Ron especially seemed rather hungry. By the time they had reached their usual spot by the lake he had already started on his second sandwich.

Hermione looked questioningly at Harry, and he started to tell them. He explained every detail of what he had seen in the Hog's Head. The only thing he didn't mention was his encounter with the silverfurs and his inexplicable transformation.

"He has the Mark?" Ron asked, unable to believe his ears. "The same as Snape?"

"Snape is in the Order," interjected Hermione. "He's on our side."

Ron pulled a face. "That doesn't make him any less unbearable. What if Snape's not spying on the Death Eaters at all? What if he's spying on the Order?"

"We're talking about Professor Sesachar, not about Snape," Hermione said coolly, unwrapping her sandwich.

"Who are both Death Eaters and get on very well," Ron reminded her. Harry stared thoughtfully ahead of him. He had noticed that Snape seemed to get on well with Sesachar. Usually the Head of Slytherin showed little warmth towards his colleagues. But he really did seem to like Sesachar. Why hadn't he thought about this before?

"Why did Dumbledore let Sesachar come to Hogwarts?" he now asked quietly. "Apart from this, he always seems to know everything... And especially with the subject Sesachar's teaching, you'd have thought he would have checked up on him first."

"Maybe Dumbledore knows who he is," Hermione mused. "Maybe Sesachar has left Voldemort, like Snape."

"Never!" Harry shook his head. "There can't be any more of them who have got away from the group. Voldemort killed everyone who dared. He wants to kill Snape too, now that he can."

In his memory, Voldemort's words on the night of his resurrection were still ringing in his ears. Harry saw him walking up and down the rows of Death Eaters, punishing cowards and disbelievers, commenting on gaps in their ranks.

"And here we have six missing Death Eaters... three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return...he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever...he will be killed, of course...and one, who remained my most faithful servant, and who has already re-entered my service."

Harry shuddered. He knew exactly to whom Voldemort was referring. The first was Karkaroff from Durmstrang, who had been at Hogwarts two years ago for the Triwizard Tournament with a select group of his students. When the Mark on his arm showed him that his master had returned, he had fled. The second was Severus Snape, who had left the Death Eaters and was now a member of the Order of the Phoenix - and who would have to die because of his betrayal. And the third was Barty Crouch, who had slipped into Hogwarts as the false Mad Eye Moody and had handed Harry over to Voldemort. But no mention had been made of Pithormin Sesachar. So he had to be part of the Death Eater group.

"Maybe Dumbledore doesn't know everything," Harry said darkly.

"Or maybe we don't know enough," argued Hermione. "Up till now Professor Sesachar hasn't acted strangely in the school. Quite the opposite. He's very nice to us... Back then we were too quick to accuse Snape, and we were wrong. Maybe we're wrong again."

Ron gulped down the last few bites of his third sandwich. "But at any rate we have to keep a close eye on Sesachar in case he changes his mind and pulls the Death Eater stunt."

***

That evening Harry decided to forget about Sesachar for the moment and to find out more about his new secret. As so often before, he put on the Invisibility Cloak and slipped out of the Gryffindor dormitory. He gave a wry grin at the thought that these night-time walks were becoming a routine for him now. By now he had come to know many different routes that would take him up countless flights of stairs to different floors. Even without the Marauder's Map he hoped that he would not get lost. Only Filch and Mrs. Norris remained as a constant risk. But according to the map they were both on different floors at that moment. Satisfied, Harry put the map back in his pocket and crept silently through the dark castle. He went cautiously down the stairs and was heading for the entrance hall when he froze at the sound of footsteps. They were coming from his right, from the corridor that led to the dungeons. Holding his breath, Harry drew back until he was standing against the wall. Motionless, waiting. Then he saw Professor Snape. His dark figure swept briskly into the hall and hurried up the steps, murmuring something unintelligible to himself. Harry caught the word "library", but the professor had already disappeared. He looked up the stairs in confusion as the footsteps died away. What was Snape doing here in the middle of the night? And why was he going to the library?

'At least he won't catch me there,' Harry thought, and slipped out through the large double doors. The night was even brighter than it had been before. Stars were twinkling in a cloudless sky. Harry found the path without difficulty, passed the large gargoyle and turned left. He hurried along between the walls until he reached a small door on his right, and he hurried on through it. This path led to Hagrid's Hut, and the Forbidden Forest.

The path wound its way like a ditch between two steep embankments. There were trees on both sides and here he could not be seen from Hogwarts. Harry climbed up the right-hand slope and walked a little way into the forest. Then he took off the cloak, folded it carefully and hid it in the fork of a tree, close to the trunk - a place where he knew he would find it again. The tree was very crooked, but it was perfect for climbing. In the past they had arranged a few picnics here with Hagrid in their free time.

Harry knelt down and ran his hands through the damp grass. 'A horse,' he thought. 'Why a horse, of all things?'

He stared out of the forest at the open meadow. There was so much space. And he imagined the black stallion galloping through it, free and fast as the wind, with gigantic leaps and streaming tail. The picture before his eyes became clearer as he thought of more details. The wind, the quivering nostrils, the drumming hooves... And he felt the grass change beneath him. He looked down. It wasn't the grass that had changed - it was his hands. He saw hooves and powerful black legs. He turned his head and stared at his wide black back, his sweeping tail and quivering hindquarters.

Unbelievable, it really worked! He could turn himself into an animal!

Harry took a few experimental steps forward, dropping his head slightly but keeping his ears pricked. He concentrated on this strange but familiar movement in this strange and yet familiar body. Slow pacing, a few playful steps in the clearing and then a gentle trot out of the forest into the meadow. A gentle wind played about him and tugged at his mane and tail. Harry felt how highly tuned his senses were, how he automatically kept an eye on his surroundings, turned his ears with the wind and drew every scent of the night into his nostrils. He felt how precisely and flexibly his muscles worked, the power behind each step. It was a strange but intoxicating feeling and he couldn't resist speeding up a bit. Running in the bright moonlight.

He flew across the meadow like a black shadow, his hooves thudding on the damp grass and the soil beneath. The wind streaming against him was stronger now, but this was no obstacle - more like a friend. He reached the end of the meadow, darted from side to side and thundered back along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, realising how fast he was, and that such speed and stamina would be impossible for a human. He felt neither tiredness nor breathlessness, but rather strength, pride and pleasure in running. The night air was cool and not tiring for his body. And no one else was here. He was alone. Completely alone, and he could enjoy his run.

On the way back to the forest he slowed down to a gentle trot and finally to a walk. And his new ability suddenly didn't seem so frightening any more. At the beginning it had seemed alarming. Harry pushed aside this feeling completely and stood still. With a quiet snort he shut his eyes, and in his mind he was Harry again, sitting on the grass and staring up at the night sky. He felt himself shrink, and his back legs sunk down until they were lying on the grass. Harry turned his head and saw his normal legs again in his pyjama trousers.

It worked. It worked perfectly. He was an Animagus.

Amazed, but contented at the same time, Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak from the tree fork and headed back towards the castle. Suddenly he felt tired and was sure that he would now be able to sleep very well. The paths led him back to the main entrance of the castle and opened the double door.

Snape was staring at him from the middle of the hall. He had a heavy book in his hands and appeared to have been reading it as he walked. Now he stood as if turned to stone, searching the air with his eyes.

Harry caught his breath. And then he did the only thing he could think of, which was to throw the door wide open so that it hit the outer wall as if blown by a strong gust of wind. Covered by the noise he slipped hastily into the hall and squeezed into a niche between a column and the wall.

Snape had dropped the book and run to the double doors. He grasped the handle and wrenched the door back, looking behind it. "Who's there?" he barked, staring out at the nearby grounds - the paths, lawns and bushes where someone could be hiding. But he saw nobody. The grounds were empty.

Harry thought that Snape looked even paler than usual. Or maybe it was just the pale moonlight. The teacher looked anything but satisfied. Slowly he pulled back the door until it clicked shut. Then he waited for a moment, listening intently, before giving a snort and returning to his book which he picked up from the floor. He swore at the sight of some of the pages, which had been creased when it fell. He leafed quickly through it, straightening out the pages, and disappeared back into the dungeon. Harry waited until he was out of earshot.

He rushed breathlessly up the steps, ignoring Mrs. Norris, who was creeping along the corridor, staring in his direction, and returned to the common room.

Once the hole in the portrait had closed behind him, he stood still and closed his eyes. He was an Animagus. But how was that possible? It took a lot of time and effort to learn how to make this transformation. Lupin and Sirius had told him. But he, Harry, had never learnt it. He hadn't even thought about it until now.

There had to be an explanation. And maybe, he thought, he would find it in the library. Yawning he returned to the boys' dormitory and dropped down onto his bed. Despite everything that was going round in his head, he didn't have any trouble falling asleep. The weariness of this and the previous night overwhelmed him and he dozed off instantly.

***

"The Transformation of Animals," "Did You Know How Comfortable Your Cat Can Be?", "A Thousand and One Spells for our Four-legged Friends",...

Harry ran his index finger across the spines of the books. As soon as classes had finished he had marched off to the library before it filled up with other students looking for secondary reading for their homework and essays. Wait, there was something!

"The Animal in You - The Life of an Animagus" by Lunati C. Shewolf. Harry pulled the book from the shelf and stared at it. A few days ago he had laughed at the idea of transforming himself into an animal.

Before he took the book to Mrs. Pince, he selected two further books about transformations. He was afraid that if he borrowed nothing but the Animagus book he would give away his new secret. With the pile of books under his arm he went over to the librarian, who looked at him sternly, checked the condition of the books - naturally threatening him with the worst curses possible if they were returned with creased pages or pumpkin juice stains - and finally issued them to him. Relieved that he hadn't attracted any attention because of his choice, Harry left the library and hurried down the corridor to the Gryffindor tower. Most students were out enjoying the warm weather, and the only person Harry found in the common room was Hermione, who was working on her Astronomy essay while running her hand absentmindedly through Crookshank's fur. She looked up as Harry entered through the hole in the portrait.

"I thought you were outside, Harry," she said, surprised.

He shook his head. "No, er... I wanted to read up on something."

He had almost expected her to stare at him in astonishment, but she only nodded, contented.

"Good idea. Everyone else is outside so no one will disturb us... Come and sit next to me."

Harry wondered how quickly Hermione would notice that he wasn't reading anything relevant to the lessons and ask him why he was so interested in Animagie of all things. The next moment he was annoyed with himself for thinking this - after all, she was his girlfriend. And maybe she could help him unravel the secret of his inexplicable transformation, which still seemed like a dream to him. He sank down into the armchair next to her and laid aside the top books about simple transformations and spells. Hermione was already absorbed in her essay when he opened "The Animal in You". He scanned the contents page until he found the chapter "Animagus by birth / Animagus by study and training of special abilities". Hastily he flicked through the book to the right page and started to read.

"It often occurs that the offspring of an Animagus inherit his ability to transform themselves into animals. It has been proved that the ability to take on the form of an animal is hereditary."

Harry stopped, frowning. He knew that his father had been an Animagus. Did that mean...?

"Normally the characteristics of an Animagus only become apparent when a witch or wizard enters puberty. Occasionally the wizard in question has no idea of the latent power within him until he discovers it for himself through a sudden transformation. Such a transformation can occur in a dangerous situation, when the Animagus first sees the animal clearly in his mind and then enters its body."

'I wasn't dreaming,' thought Harry, swallowing. It was really possible. And here was a perfect description of what had happened to him last night and the night before...

A voice interrupted his train of thought. "Theoretically an Animagus can change into any type of animal. The only exceptions to this rule are unicorns, phoenixes, harpies, manticores and dragons. These creatures are themselves highly magical, and therefore sacred... - Harry, I don't understand. You're preparing the new topic for Transformations?"

"This is the new topic?" he asked, astonished.

Hermione nodded. "Of course. Professor McGonagall told us last lesson..." She frowned. "If you're not reading that for the lessons, then why are you reading it?"

"Uh..." Harry fumbled around for a good reason. It was as if she could see straight through him, making it impossible for him to come up with a lie. So he gave in. "Hermione... I'd like to show you something..." He looked around the common room appraisingly. They were still the only students in the Gryffindor tower. "But you mustn't tell anyone... okay?"

She was still looking at him curiously, but she nodded. "Okay..."

Harry stood up from his armchair and walked into the middle of the room where there was more space and he wouldn't bump into anything when he transformed. "And please keep very, very quiet," he added before closing his eyes.

A black horse shook its head, its long, wild mane streaming in the wind...

Hermione suppressed a scream as his hands, now hooves, landed on the floor. He had completely forgotten to kneel down first, but now realised that the transformation worked equally well from a standing position.

"Oh my God, Harry!" Hermione jumped up, knocking her astronomy book off the table. It fell onto the arm of the chair, and Crookshanks, who had been sitting there, streaked away, his fur standing on end with fright. Hermione stared at the horse open-mouthed. "That's..." She shook her head in disbelief and stretched out her hand. Harry nudged her palm with his nose and gave a gentle snort. She stroked his coat and tugged at his mane. "Unbelievable!" she murmured.

"Unbelievable that I've still got hair on my head, living with you," he grinned at her. She let go of his hair in horror. He had changed back so quickly that she had hardly noticed, and he was now standing there in his normal form, grinning broadly at her.

"Why did you never tell me that you're an Animagus?" she wanted to know.

Harry shrugged. "I've only known myself for about 24 hours... and I couldn't really believe it."

"How can you have learnt that in just one day?" Hermione folded her arms across her chest, and Harry waved the book in front of her nose.

"Because for once I read something before you. You don't always have to study... You can also inherit this ability."

Hermione looked first at him, then at the book. She took it from his hand, sat down and started to read. While she read, she kept on glancing from the text to Harry and back again. Now and then she shook her head. "That's crazy, Harry..." she said finally. "It's completely crazy."

She had forgotten about her astronomy essay. They spent the whole afternoon pouring over the book "The Animal in You". Harry doubted that he had ever read anything with so much attention. The evening meal had long since finished in the Great Hall and the first students were returning to the common room. Ron and Seamus found Harry and Hermione deeply asleep over their books.

"I really would have thought those two would have something better to do on a beautiful day like this," Ron murmured.

Next to him, Seamus pulled a face and gave a mocking grin. "Well, after seeing that I don't think I'll get myself a girlfriend in a hurry. It looks as if they can force you to do anything they think is important. And nothing but." He pointed to the open book and the pages of notes that Harry had written before he dozed off. "At least, I've never seen Harry write so much out of choice. He'll have a stiff neck when he wakes up..." Seamus headed for the dormitories.

Ron hesitated for a moment and peered through his friend's hands at the notes. "Transformations" he groaned. "I don't get it - he's really been studying. He must have a temperature!" Shaking his head, he followed Seamus.

***

On Wednesday evening there was Quidditch practice. Harry and Ginny arrived last at the pitch. On the way they met a group of Slytherins, who had obviously been training before them. Violetta Ziob waved at them as they passed. She was the only girl in the Slytherin team - a Chaser. Harry and Ginny waved back.

They had just entered the stadium when they saw Malfoy coming towards them. He grinned at them maliciously. "Ah Potter, you can't make up your mind so you're having an affair." He nodded at Ginny. "Your mud-blood Granger won't be too pleased."

Harry stared at Malfoy, then handed Ginny his broomstick. "You go on ahead," he ordered her roughly, charging towards Malfoy. "I'll join you in a moment."

"But Harry, you're not going to..." Ginny started, but before she could finish speaking, Harry's fist had already catapulted into Malfoy's face, and the Slytherin team captain stumbled back in surprise. He crashed into the iron gate, clutching his bleeding nose.

"Have you gone completely mad, Potter?" he yelled. "How dare you...?!" Angrily Harry grabbed the collar of his robes and pressed Draco up against the gate. He stared at him, still boiling with rage. "I promise you, the next time I hear you say the word 'mudblood' and Hermione's name in the same sentence I'll break every bone in your..."

"Harry!" Ginny shouted again. "Let him go!"

"The hell I will!" Harry answered between clenched teeth. "Now that his babysitters aren't here to protect him..."

Malfoy stared back at him coldly. "Later they will be, and then you'll wish you'd never laid a finger on me!"

"Are you really too cowardly to manage on your own? Because that's how it seems." Harry let Draco go and looked at him contemptuously. "A bloody coward."

He turned his back on him, and for a moment it looked as if Malfoy was preparing to jump at Harry and land a few punches of his own. He was trembling with rage.

"No one calls me a coward, Potter!" he shouted. "No one!"

By this time the rest of the Gryffindor team had hurried up, alarmed by the shouting, and they looked in astonishment at the scene before them. Malfoy, red with anger, was clutching his bleeding nose, staring murderously at Harry. Grimly, Harry turned away from him, taking his broomstick from Ginny, and pushed his way past his team-mates to the pitch. One false word would have made him lose his temper again, and his team-mates could see that by the expression on his face. They stepped aside for him, looking uncertainly between their captain and the captain of Slytherin, who, with one final glare, turned around and stormed away.

"Congratulations, Harry" Ron remarked with a broad grin, thumping his friend on the shoulder.

Harry just looked at him grimly. "What for?"

Ron grinned more broadly. "For giving Malfoy another good clout in the g..."

"Ron!" Ginny snapped, looking reprovingly at her brother. "That's not funny! Team captains aren't supposed to fight each other. We're supposed to be playing Quidditch, not carrying on a personal vendetta." Her gaze fell on Harry, who simply snorted contemptuously.

"You know that I wouldn't deliberately knock Malfoy off his broom in a game just because I can't stand him."

"True," Ginny answered. "But he would. And as the Seeker you're too important for the team. So don't make that slime-ball hate you even more."

"It's a bit late for that, Ginny," Harry said with a faint smile. "I've insulted him and put his father behind bars. It can't get any worse, no matter how often I smash his face in. That's nothing in comparison..."

"But you don't have to do it all the time!" Ginny tried again.

Ron laughed. "All the time? Nothing like. Although I'd like it if he did. I mean.. it's only Malfoy..."

His sister interrupted him again with a horrified "Ron!", and was on the point of boxing his ears with her broomstick. Harry raised a hand to calm them down. "Er, how would it be if we started practising now...?"

***

News of the brief fight beside the Quidditch pitch soon spread around the school, and naturally the teachers got wind of it too. With a grim expression on her face, and in no uncertain terms, Professor McGonagall summoned Harry to her office, and he had no choice but to obey.

"Sit down, Potter," she instructed him. Harry sat down.

"Unfortunately Mr. Malfoy's broken nose is evidence enough, since none of the Weasley twins' nougat will be able to fix it..." she began.

Harry blinked. "Broken?" he said, before he could stop himself. It wasn't an unwelcome piece of news.

Professor McGonagall seemed to be fighting back a smile. "You can be quite sure that Madam Pomfrey will be able to repair this damage to Mr. Malfoy's satisfaction. However, I have no alternative but to punish you, Potter."

"Malfoy started it," Harry answered defiantly.

The Head of Gryffindor nodded. "I know. And as soon as he leaves the hospital wing, I will make him clean the trophy room from top to bottom. For you, however, I was thinking of a different punishment..." She leant back in her chair. "You will write three rolls of parchment explaining ten good reasons for a fight with Mr. Malfoy."

Harry looked at her in astonishment. He must have misheard. "Professor?"

McGonagall folded her hands and looked at him in amusement. "Well, I think you will have enough to write about. And I warn you not to increase the size of your handwriting on purpose. This essay should be handed in during my class tomorrow morning. You can go, Potter."

Harry left the office, grinning broadly and wondering whether he should join Malfoy in the trophy room to get more inspiration for his essay, before wisely deciding not to. Later, when Harry had written his essay, and not at all unwillingly, a giggling Dean came to tell him that Malfoy was still in the trophy room, since he had refused to polish the Quidditch cup, which Gryffindor had won the year before. And Filch had strict instructions not to let Draco out of that room until he had cleaned every inch of it.

If there was any one thing which could have made Harry feel even happier at that moment, this piece of news did the trick.

12. Word from Remus

Harry stared at the mug that Snape had set before him on the table. "What's that?" he asked.

"Drink it," the professor commanded.

Harry looked suspiciously at the potion in the cup. At first glance it appeared to be tea, but it smelt very strange.

"What is it?" he repeated, without touching the cup.

Snape raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Don't you trust me, Potter?" He leant forwards. "Scared that I might poison you?"

Harry stared back grimly. He wouldn't put it past Snape, but not here in Hogwarts, where he was under the eye of Albus Dumbledore. He picked up the cup with a snort. "No, because you're not allowed to." He took a bold sip of the potion. It tasted surprisingly pleasant. Harry recognised a few different herbs from the taste. Lavender, balm, yarrow... and something sweet-tasting, rather like honey, that he recognised from his Potions classes. Ekus milk. Thick, light milk from a rodent-like creatures which were known to sleep for most of their lives.

"Don't you think so?" Snape asked in a calm, oily voice. "Lots of things happen at this school. Who could prove it?"

At this remark, Harry felt like spitting out the mouthful he had just taken.

"It's always a pleasure to provoke you, Potter," Snape grinned, and leant back in his chair, waiting.

"You didn't provoke me, Professor," Harry answered defiantly, and set down the cup. "Now won't you tell me what this is?"

Snape pressed his fingers together. "Well why should I... you'll soon feel what this potion does."

Harry could already feel something: a sudden, overpowering weariness. He thought hard for a moment about the herbs and the milk that he had tasted in the potion, and groaned as he realised what Snape had planned.

"The Defatigatio Potion!" he growled. "That's not fair!"

Snape gave a tight-lipped smile. "The Defatigatio Potion, quite right. Why do you never give me intelligent answers like that in my classes, Mr. Potter?"

"I'm too busy trying not to attract attention," Harry spat back, trying to push the weariness from his mind. He knew that this potion sent people to sleep. It was used, among other things, to get rid of unwanted bystanders to private discussions. Harry would soon lose consciousness, and just before he did, Snape would use the opportunity to force his way into his mind. There was certainly logic behind this exercise, but he hated Snape for being so cunning.

"Well now," Snape murmured, picking up his wand. "Legilimens!"

A black horse appeared out of the fog before Harry's eyes and rose up with an angry neigh. He tightened his fingers on the armrests of his chair. "No!" he begged. "No, not here. Not in front of him... not in front of Snape!"

He concentrated hard, trying to see a horn on the horse's forehead. A long, sharp horn... There it was. And the tail wasn't so bushy - it was more like a cow's tail with just a few hairs at the end. And the hooves were split like a deer's. Yes, that was right, that was very good. He could see as many unicorns as he wanted in his mind - he would never be able to turn into one. More relaxed, he released his grip on the armrest. Actually he shouldn't let Snape see anything, but he was too tired to clear the thoughts from his mind. So he concentrated on the galloping unicorn. Just this one, black unicorn, nothing else... Nothing else... The picture went black.

***

When Harry woke up he found himself lying with his head in his arms on Snape's desk. Snape's wand, still pointed at him, was lying a few centimetres away. But where was Snape?

A muffled sound close by caught his attention. Harry turned his head slightly and saw Snape passing through an opening in the wall which led to a room that Harry had never seen before. It was sparsely lit, but he could make out some shelves, a chair, a table and a column in the middle of the room, with a stone bowl on top of it. It wasn't a Pensieve - he would have recognised that straight away. It was full of a luminous, greenish liquid that gave off a ghostly light.

As soon as Snape had passed through the opening it was closed by a bookcase, so that no one unaware of its existence would ever be able to see it.

Harry thought about pretending to be asleep, but he was too angry with Snape to give him the satisfaction of believing that he knew nothing about the opening and the room behind. So he sat up in his chair and looked at the teacher with folded arms.

Snape did look surprised and not very pleased. He glanced at his watch. "Awake already, Potter? I'd reckoned on 10 minutes more... but not even the Defatigatio Potion seems to work long enough to stop a pest like you finding out things that are none of your business."

Harry ignored the insult and tried to look nonchalant. "If you didn't want to teach me today you could have just cancelled, instead of sending me to sleep."

"That potion was part of your training," Snape said, looking coldly at his student. Harry knew that with his remark he had overstepped the boundary, and that Snape's limited supply of tolerance was at an end, but at that moment he didn't care. He wasn't even intimidated by Snape's next irritated remark: "Maybe you should write me two rolls of parchment on the preparation and effect of the Defatigatio Potion."

"Should I find out why yours didn't work for long enough?" Harry provoked him again.

Snape's eyes narrowed to slits. "Three rolls!"

"If you say so," Harry muttered between clenched teeth. "What was that room?"

The teacher stopped next to his chair, but he didn't sit down. "Four rolls," he said, reaching for his wand.

"Hey, that was a perfectly reasonable question!" Harry protested.

"But the answer is none of your business," Snape answered. "One more question and you'll be writing five rolls! You can go now, Potter. I think with one or two more classes you'll be ready."

Harry didn't need to fake the sulky look on his face as he shouldered his schoolbag. With his chin in the air, he left the office.

Not even the sight of Professor Leroux making her way gleefully along the corridor towards Snape's office could make him smile now.

***

Shortly afterwards, as Harry worked angrily on his essay on the Defatigatio Potion, Ron gave him a broad grin.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the yearbook. "Student who had the most points taken off Gryffindor: Harry Potter. Student who won the most points for Gryffindor: Harry Potter. Student who broke the most rules: Harry Potter. Student who was most often punished: Harry Potter. Student mentioned most often in this book: Harry Potter"..."

Harry threw a ball of parchment at his friend. "That's not funny, Ron!"

Hermione laid her hand on his arm. "Ignore him and get on with your essay. You're leaving half of it out - you've got to try harder!"

"What's the use in trying with Snape?" Harry snorted. "He'll only tear it up and give me a 'T' anyway."

"Harry!" Hermione said sharply, and with a resigned sigh he dipped his quill in the ink. Hermione looked pleased. Ginny giggled behind a book, Dean and Ron grinned and Seamus made a horrified face and tore up a card from a Hufflepuff girl who had asked if he would go out with her next Hogsmeade weekend. "Women! No way. Never!" he swore, dropping the card in the bin to join his astrology homework.

"Seamus, how can you...?" Hermione started, but he protested straight away.

"Terrorise your boyfriend by all means, but please, please don't worry about me!"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, it's your grades we're talking about..."

Dean grinned more broadly. "Come on, get on with your homework!"

Seamus gave him an evil look. "A great friend you are!"

***

Friday was the last day before the much longed-for Hogsmeade weekend. After a tiring double period of History of Magic and an accident-free Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid, they found themselves once more in a class with Professor Sesachar. Harry gave the man a hostile look as he entered the room. On Fridays they only studied theory in the house groups, and so Sesachar instructed them to read a chapter of "The Dark Secrets of the Duel Master". Several copies of this book were to be found on the classroom shelves, although Mrs. Pince would certainly have put them straight into the Restricted Section of the library. Harry and Hermione bent over the copy they were sharing, but Harry couldn't concentrate on reading. He kept on thinking about the tattoo that he'd seen on Sesachar's arm.

Sesachar a Death Eater, and silverfurs in the forest. Hagrid was right. Who in the world would believe that?

Later Harry returned the Transformations books that he had borrowed to the library. While Mrs. Pince carefully checked them over, Harry looked around him. Wasn't there that book about the history of Hogwarts that Hermione had been quoting to them ever since the first year? Might it contain maps of the castle, Hogsmeade and the surrounding area?

He asked Mrs. Pince and she pointed to the shelf. "You won't find much in there about Hogsmeade, though," she said. "For that you'll have to look in "A Chronicle of the Oldest Magical Settlements in Britain". It's right next to it."

Harry went to find the book and took it out of the library. Maybe he would find a useful map showing the forest path that Sesachar had been looking at for so long on his way to Hogsmeade. Did it lead anywhere in particular? Or was it just that he had felt the presence of the silverfurs? After all, the animals had appeared on that path.

However, Harry didn't have the chance to look more closely at the book when he returned to the common room. An owl was sitting on the window ledge and staring at him. When he walked over to see if it wanted to come in, it spread its wings. Harry opened the window and it flew into the room, dropped a letter onto the armchair next to him and flew out again. Harry picked up the envelope and stared at it. It was addressed to him. He tore it open and read:

Harry,

meet me tomorrow (you can bring Hermione and Ron too) at half past three in the Shrieking Shack.

Lupin.

Remus! Harry stared at the short message and read it again. In the Shrieking Shack... In a place no other student would go anywhere near. It looked as if Remus wanted to talk to them without being disturbed. Was there news from the Order? Or news about Tonks?

"So I guess you're not going to the tearoom?" Ron asked with a grin, when Harry showed him and Hermione the message a few minutes later.

Harry glanced at Hermione and gave an embarrassed grin. She did the same.

"Actually Ron, I was never too keen on the tearoom..."

She looked at Harry, who nodded. "Neither was I."

"But..." Ron started, "that's where all the couples go. To... kiss and cuddle, and stuff."

"They're welcome to it," Harry growled. "I don't want to go and sit around in that flock of turtle doves. It's so... so..." he struggled to find the right word, "... so stiff. And fake."

Hermione laughed. "I think so too. When I want to spend a day with Harry then I certainly don't want to go to that tearoom. It'd be better to go somewhere alone."

Ron waved Remus' message at them. "So I guess you both think the Shrieking Shack is much more romantic, right?"

***

The three of them left Hogwarts early on Saturday afternoon and made their way to Hogsmeade. Most students went to Zonkos to buy tricks, to the Three Broomsticks or to the tearoom. The only place the three of them wanted to go to was the Three Broomsticks, but after meeting Remus they would certainly have time to go for a butter beer together.

They bought a few sweets in Honeydukes and then wandered down to the Shrieking Shack. None of their fellow students were to be seen.

At exactly three o'clock Remus emerged from behind some bushes and walked up to the fence to join them. "You're punctual," he smiled at them. "Hello, you three." He sat down between Harry and Ron and glanced at the honey muffins that Ron had just unwrapped. "Do I get one too?"

"Help yourself." Ron held out the bag to him and Lupin took a muffin. He looked around attentively and then turned to the three friends. "Listen, next weekend the Order will be meeting in London. Molly doesn't want you to come and she's trying to convince Dumbledore, but..."

"Mum still thinks we're too young," Ron grumbled, as Harry and Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"That doesn't change the fact that under the circumstances you ought to come," Lupin answered. "You know about the Order. And you should be informed now so that you can prepare..."

"Prepare for what?" Hermione asked.

But Remus shook his head. "You'll find out on Saturday evening in the Headquarters. You can leave the school during the Halloween celebrations. We'll need a Portkey for you."

"And why didn't Dumbledore tell us that himself?" Harry asked, frowning. "He only needs to call us to his office and..."

"He asked me to," Lupin sighed. "He's becoming more cautious. Much more cautious... But I have to say, I was pleased that I got to pass the message on to you. Though I won't be able to go to the Three Broomsticks with you for a butter beer. It's better that no one sees me." He swallowed the last piece of his muffin. "Halloween celebrations. Quarter to twelve on the sixth floor, East Wing. You go to the end of the corridor. You'll find a mirror on your left. Go through it. Everything clear?"

Ron looked at him in surprise. "Go through the mirror?"

"Got it?" Lupin repeated his question, more insistently.

Harry nodded. "Quarter to twelve in the East Wing on the sixth floor. During the Halloween celebrations."

"Fine." Lupin nodded, satisfied, and stood up. "Don't forget. And try to be as punctual as you were today." And the next moment he had disappeared.

The three friends looked at each other, puzzled. Why all this secrecy?

***

They stayed in the Three Broomsticks longer than they had meant to. Outside it was already beginning to get dark and almost all the other students had made their way back to the castle. Harry, Hermione and Ron were puzzling over the short conversation with Remus and the 'instructions' they had received.

Finally the landlady of the Three Broomsticks shooed them out. The streets of Hogsmeade were empty, and silently the three headed back towards the castle. The moon was already high in the sky, and in the west the sun was disappearing into the blood-red horizon.

They had just passed the track leading into the forest. Harry gave it a quick glance, but didn't stop. The daylight was disappearing fast, and with it all the sounds of the forest.

Harry frowned. Even at night it was never this quiet...

Suddenly Hermione stopped. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"What?" Ron asked without lowering his voice. They looked around. No birds were singing. No crickets were chirping. Even the rustle of the wind seemed to have died down.

Suddenly Harry remembered the conversation between Sesachar and the landlord in the Hog's Head.

"Stay the night, Pit. Don't go back to the castle. You're lucky nothing happened to you on the way here."

"Are they his? Do they obey him now?"

"You know the Dark Lord well enough, Pit. You know how things are. So don't ask."

"I know the Dark Lord well enough to know that this place will soon be a scene of terror. His army is growing again. And it will soon be stronger than ever before..."

An ice-cold shiver ran down his back. The silverfurs!

"Keep going," he whispered. "Slowly and quietly, but keep going before they get here."

Ron stared at him in horror. "Before who gets here...?"

A growl, much too close, made them jump. Large, furry shapes with coats as silver as the moonlight were appearing between the trees. Red eyes stared at them greedily. Yellow drops of saliva dripped from their lips to the ground.

"What...what are they?" Ron whimpered. He was as white as a sheet.

Hermione caught hold of Harry's arm. "It doesn't matter what they are. There are too many of them..."

Harry shut his eyes. He saw the black horse again, his animal alter ego, as it reared up threateningly, thrashing with its hooves at a silverfur which had come too close. He saw...

He shivered and fell on all fours.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, letting go of his arm in horror as it changed shape beneath her fingers. The transformation took place rapidly. So quickly that in under a second Harry had disappeared and been replaced by a black horse with quivering nostrils which stood between them.

"Oh my God..." Ron began, but then fell silent, staring in disbelief at the stallion as it stepped towards the silverfurs, shying nervously, its tail whipping wildly. The next moment it rose up on its hind legs with a deep neigh and hit out at the nearest silverfur with its front legs. The beast had not been expecting an attack. A piercing howl rang out as a thrashing hoof smashed into the shoulder of one of the animals. Growling and barking wildly the silverfurs leapt up and down, keeping their distance.

The horse now stepped back to stand directly beside Hermione. "Come on!" she shouted and swung herself onto its back. She held out her hand to Ron but he was still frozen to the spot in amazement.

The silverfurs barked louder, and the growling was becoming fiercer, more dangerous.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed at him.

Harry nudged Ron in the side with an angry snort, as if he wanted him get a move on. Hermione grasped his hand and pulled him onto the horse's back. He hadn't time to sit up properly. The silverfurs left the wood and attacked, and the black stallion gave a sudden leap forwards and galloped away. Ron gave a shout of surprise and almost fell off, but Hermione caught hold of him.

"Pull yourself together!" she scolded him, ignoring his pale face and trembling shoulders.

"I hate horses!" Ron whimpered, clutching her tightly. "Too big and too fast... I can't stand them!"

They raced down the gentle slope, away from Hogsmeade, the silverfurs coming closer and closer behind them. With the unaccustomed weight on his back Harry couldn't move as quickly as he had a few days before, the first time he ran away from the silverfurs. Carrying Hermione and Ron on his back wasn't painful, but it was a very strange and not very pleasant feeling, given the fact that he had a pack of snarling silverfurs on his heels. He also had to concentrate on where he was running. If he galloped under low branches his friends would be knocked off his back. If he dodged too quickly they might lose their grip and fall. He couldn't let that happen.

He tore along the open forest path towards Hogwarts, aware that the silverfurs might catch up with him, but knowing at least that Hermione and Ron would be safe. The castle rose up in front of them between the trees, and the forest began to clear. Last time, the silverfurs had given up the chase when Harry left the forest. This time they were more determined. Growling, they followed him across the meadow, past Hagrid's hut and up the path to the castle.

"Duck, Ron!" Hermione shouted as she saw the archway coming closer, and she threw herself down across the horse's neck. Without slowing down they galloped through and found themselves on the gravel path leading to the gargoyle. Harry shot past it to the right, heading for the entrance to the castle. They could still hear the growling and yapping of the silverfurs behind them.

Harry came to a stop by the steps, so abruptly that Ron finally fell off his back onto the grass.

"What's going on?"

Hermione, who had dismounted rather more elegantly than Ron, looked up. Professor Dumbledore, closely followed by Professor Snape, was running down the steps towards them. They looked as if they had been hurrying.

The silverfurs had stopped about ten metres away, and were jumping from side to side, growling and snapping threateningly, as if they were all suffering from rabies. Hermione helped Ron to his feet. Snape rushed past her with his wand drawn and pointed at the animals. "Torpeto!" he shouted.

The next second there was complete silence. The silverfurs had stopped growling. They had even stopped moving. They stood where they were like statues, frozen, one standing on its hind legs, another with its mouth wide open, a third crouched low against the ground...

Snape looked satisfied... until a horse's hoof landed more or less accidentally on his left foot. He gave a shout and the horse shied sideways with a nervous whinny, as if startled by the noise. Hermione, however, saw the mischievous look in its eyes, and looked at it reproachfully.

"You black monster!" Snape hissed, standing on one leg. He looked as if he were about to point his wand at the horse.

"He saved us," Hermione interposed hastily. "We could never have got away on foot."

Dumbledore stretched out his hand and patted the horse's neck. He looked closely into its eyes. A smile played about his lips. "A very brave animal," he said. "Severus, would you inform Professor Leroux? She ought to come here immediately."

Snape threw one last glance at the now peaceful horse and hobbled grimly up the steps to the castle. "Very well, Professor," he growled, and slammed the door of the castle behind him.

"I think our black friend here should pretend to run back to the stable he escaped from, and find place to turn back into his old self without being seen. I'm afraid that more people might be watching from the windows. And more attention is the last thing that we need. But maybe on the way he could stop off at Hagrid's and ask him to come." He gave the horse a pat on its hindquarters and it set off obediently, soon disappearing behind a bend.

"You know about him, Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked in surprise.

The headmaster laughed softly. "Well, I've never seen a horse with green eyes before, and I've never seen you two without Harry." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Silverfurs... that's not good. That's anything but good." He looked at the frozen animals.

"I thought they were extinct!" Ron snapped. He was the only one who had not yet recovered from the shock.

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "That's what I thought, up till now. It seems we were wrong. I will write immediately to Fudge. He ought to know about this... These animals are a great danger to Hogwarts. Where did you meet them?"

"Just outside Hogsmeade," Hermione told him. "They came out of the forest."

Dumbledore sighed. "No, that's not good at all..."

The door opened and Professor Leroux hurried down the steps towards them. She stared in amazement at the silverfurs. "And I thought he was teasing me!" she said.

Hagrid now appeared on the gravel path leading to the castle, Harry by his side. Hermione and Dumbledore grinned. Ron shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't get it," he murmured.

"Neither do I!" said Professor Leroux, examining one of the animals. "They really are silverfurs. Professor Dumbledore, you have to write immediately to the Ministry of..."

"That's just what I was planning to do, Améthyste," said Dumbledore calmly. "Hagrid, would you get these animals out of the school grounds as soon as possible? We'll need some large iron crates. We should order them from the Ministry straight away. Quickly, Hagrid, the magic won't last much longer. Professor Leroux, you can go with him and repeat the spell if necessary. And you..." he turned to Harry, Hermione and Ron, "should go straight back to your common room."

The three of them nodded and climbed up the steps. As they walked through the door, Snape, still hobbling, came towards them. He stared at Harry in confusion, before walking across to Professor Dumbledore.

"Where's the horse?" he asked, noticing that the stallion had disappeared.

Dumbledore folded his hands behind his back and said, not without a smile, "Oh, I'm sure he'll be on his way home by now."