Another Prisoner, Another Professor

The train arrives at Hogwarts and the feast begins.

"Look, there's Hagrid," Hermione said.

Harry turned to see where she was pointing. Hagrid was standing on the opposite end of the platform, calling out to the first years, who would as always be traveling by boat across the lake. The sight of him settled the uneasy feeling that had been in Harry's stomach since the dementor had arrived, but a moment later he realized: during Hagrid's time in Azkaban last year he must have been with the dementors.

Hagrid looked over his shoulder and his face lit up. "Oy, you three! All righ'?"

They waved, the cold and stinging rain having taken their strength to call back. All around them people were walking past in a hurry, eager to get out of the bad weather.

"I've got a surprise fer yeh!" Hagrid shouted. "You'll be findin' out soo - SIRIUS BLACK!"

Professor Black was standing a few feet away from Hagrid; before Harry knew what was happening Hagrid had thrown his enormous arms around Black in an engulfing hug. Black didn't seem to mind; when Hagrid let go he was smiling, saying something Harry couldn't hear.

"He's all right, then," said Ron as the three of them climbed into one of the stagecoaches. "So far he's yelled at Malfoy, fought off a dementor, Hagrid likes him, and oh, yeah, he had a flying motorbike - definitely better than Lockhart."

Harry shivered inside the coach. "About the dementor...are you two sure no one screamed?"

"You were on the floor," Hermione said, "and you were kicking about, like you were fighting someone invisible or having a fit or something. Then Professor Black ran past the dementor and I think then I gasped, but no, no one screamed."

"I wonder what it was that came out of his wand," Ron wondered aloud. "It was something like a silver mist, only it had legs - "

"Legs?" interrupted Hermione. "I didn't see any legs."

"You didn't? I did, there were at least three of them."

The coach reached the gates of the school; on either side stood a dementor, the separation of the coach door making it no less ominous. Harry felt as though the blood in his body had been drained and replaced with ice.

"I hate those things," said Ron in a miserable small voice. He was looking out the window. "Nothing happened to me when we saw the first one, but these ones are closer. I hope they find Lupin soon and go back to Azkaban where they belong."

"Me too," Hermione said faintly. She was slightly slumped over in her seat, her eyes closed.

A few moments later the carriage had stopped; Ron, who was closest to the door, pushed it open and climbed out. Hermione and then Harry followed him.

"Potter!" called a spitefully gleeful voice. Malfoy was shoving his way through the crowd of students. "Potter, is it true you had a fit? You took one look at the big scary dementor and fell straight to the floor? Did you froth at the mouth as well, Potter?"

"Eat dung, Malfoy," said Ron. Malfoy was standing on the steps to the castle, blocking the way to the door; Ron looked as though he was about to push him when -

"Is there a reason why we're all still standing out in the rain?" Professor Black was climbing out of a carriage.

Malfoy raised one eyebrow and smirked before opening the door.

The heat in the entrance hall from both hundreds of students and the gigantic torches on the walls created a mist of steam. Harry took off his glasses and wiped them on his robe. As he did so, he saw a small brown blob on the floor move briskly from the pile of trunks in the corner and over to Hermione.

"No, Crookshanks, go back to your basket so they can take you upstairs!" she said, sounding mildly frustrated. Harry put his glasses back on. Crookshanks sat stubbornly on the floor, looking up at Hermione with unblinking eyes. He had something white in his mouth.

"Now he's eating paper," she said, sighing heavily. "Crookshanks, bad cat, you know you don't eat paper."

"Crookshanks, good cat, eat all the paper you want," Ron interjected. "Fill up your stomach so you won't be hungry for hours and hours."

"Potter and Granger!" called a voice from behind.

Harry whirled round to see Professor McGonagall a few feet behind them, shouting over the animated conversation of the other students. At the sound of her voice a path hurriedly cleared.

"You haven't done anything wrong - that I know of, that is," she said abruptly. "Weasley, keep walking."

Ron exchanged confused looks with Harry and headed off to the feast.

McGonagall led them to her office, where they sat down near the crackling fire. "I hear you became ill on the train, Potter," she said.

"Yeah," he replied, "but I'm - "

At that moment the door opened and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, walked in with what looked like a rather large bar of chocolate. "Miss Granger, if you would wait outside for a moment, please."

"I'm fine!" Harry protested as Hermione shot him a sympathetic look and closed the door behind her.

"Dementors are not to be taken lightly, Mr. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey hastily unwrapped the chocolate bar and thrust it forward at him.

"I know, but I'm okay, really - "

Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to have heard him. "Going as long between dementors and chocolate as you have! Eat up! Didn't Professor Black offer you any?"

"No, he didn't," said Harry, taking his first tentative bite.

The news didn't please her. "He didn't? One would think that under the circumstances - "

"I believe Professor Black himself was made fairly ill by the dementors, Poppy," Professor McGonagall said firmly.

Madam Pomfrey pressed her lips together. "You're to eat all of that, Potter," she said. "Every last bit, down to the crumbs and the stickiness it leaves on your fingers. Are you sure you feel all right?"

"Yes!" Harry said, a little too loudly.

"Feel free to come to the hospital wing if you feel you need another one."

"I need to speak to Miss Granger about her classes, please send her in," said McGonagall.

Hermione's talk with McGonagall took a few minutes, during which Harry forced himself to eat the enormous chocolate bar. It tasted funny on an empty stomach. At last Hermione and McGonagall came out of the office and the three of them went down to the feast.

Hermione looked rather flustered. "Harry," she whispered when McGonagall was a good seven steps in front of them, "do you know of any boy called Astrophil in this school?"

The rich scent of roasted meat met them as they reached the landing. "No," Harry said. "Why?"

Hermione held up two pieces of paper with distinct puncture marks near the tops. "Crookshanks got hold of his love letter."

"What?"

"I don't know how," she said, folding the paper and slipping it into her pocket. "I was reading some of it while you were talking to Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. It's all very gushy, the sort of thing you wouldn't want other people reading, so I was hoping I could find Astrophil and give it back to him."

They now stood in front of the door to the Great Hall; Professor Flitwick was coming down the center aisle carrying a pointed hat and a small stool.

"We've missed the Sorting!" Hermione moaned.

Ron had saved seats for Harry and Hermione. "Bloody long Sorting," he whispered. "There must have been at least twenty people with 'T' surnames alone."

Dumbledore had risen from his chair, his half-moon spectacles flashing in the candlelight. "Welcome!" he said, and the hall quieted itself.

Harry felt an immense feeling of serenity come over him.

"Welcome," Dumbledore continued, "to yet another year! As always there are a few announcements, including one this year that requires your absolute attention. As you all no doubt know by now, the dementors of Azkaban have business at this school and will be staying until it is finished."

"What if they never catch him?" Ron muttered. "I don't fancy sharing space with those things until I leave school."

"Due to these circumstances, it is extremely dangerous for any of you to leave the school or its grounds without permission. Dementors are not fooled; they know no difference between the most innocent of wizards and the most vicious of madmen. Never go closer to one than is absolutely necessary."

"No kidding," said Harry, rolling his eyes.

"In other, happier news, we have two new teachers among us this year."

"Snape? Please, please tell me Snape was either sacked or killed by an exploding potion over the summer," Ron begged.

"No such luck, mate," said Seamus Finnegan, who was sitting to Hermione's left. "He's right over there."

Professor Snape sat on the opposite end of the room from Harry, at the staff table between Professors Sprout and Vector. He was icily surveying the room; Harry turned away before Snape noticed he was staring.

"First," said Dumbledore, "Professor Black has agreed to take the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Black stood; the applause was mild but steady, except for Harry's end of the Gryffindor table, who clapped loudly. "Look at him!" he heard Parvati Patil whisper to her friend Lavender Brown. "He's gorgeous!"

Ron groaned. Lavender shot him a rather nasty look and whispered back to Parvati, "I love it when blokes have long hair."

"Harry," Hermione said, "look at Snape!"

Harry had not thought it possible for Snape to look at another human being with more sheer hatred than he did when he looked at Harry, but it seemed he had been mistaken. Snape looked as though he would gladly pick up his knife and drive it through Black's heart multiple times.

"Secondly," Dumbledore continued, "Professor Kettleburn, our former Care of Magical Creatures teacher, has retired after the unfortunate loss of his second leg, fourth finger, and tenth pair of eyebrows. However, I am sure that our new professor will be a worthy replacement. Rubeus Hagrid will take on the position in addition to his responsibilities as gamekeeper."

Hagrid got to his feet; Harry, Ron, and Hermione cheered loudly, as did most of the Gryffindors, the Weasley twins in particular. Hagrid looked as though he were about to burst joyous tears. "Remember, he said he had a surprise," said Hermione when the cheers died down.

"I believe," said Dumbledore, "that I have reached the end of the announcements. Feast away!"