Harry Potter and the Secrets from the Past

5. THE NEW CAPTAIN

...

Our dear Angel

Eats roots and then

He sleeps inside the bushes and under the trees

But he will never be a slave.

...

“Our Dear Angel” by Lucio Battisti

That evening in the common room, Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to start their homework for Snape and McGonagall, but after about two hours they felt too exhausted and decided to go to bed.

When everybody in the dormitory fell asleep, Harry got up from his bed and reached the window; the moonlight was amazing and the night was warm and quiet. He loved to watch the grounds of Hogwarts from his window; he loved everything about that castle, it was his home and it made him so happy to be there.

Suddenly he remembered something and turned to reach his trunk; he opened it and took the small two-way mirror, which Sirius gave him after the last Christmas holidays. It was a special mirror, because it permitted someone to communicate with whoever was holding the other one of the pair. Sirius told him that whenever he needed to talk to him, he just had to watch inside and say his name.

Harry looked at the mirror greedly, but he just found his own reflection there, looking back at him.

Gloomy, he put again the mirror in his trunk and came back to bed.

The following morning, at breakfast, a lot of owls arrived to bring mail to the students. Hermione got her copy of the Daily Prophet: she used it to check some news about the return of Voldemort.

Harry was surprised to receive mail too; it was not Hedwig that brought it to him, but a normal school owl.

“Come on Harry, open that envelope! Who do you think is writing to you?”

Ron was surprised like Harry, while Hermione was watching the scene from the top of her newspaper.

Harry opened the parchment and read it in silence, even more surprised at every line, then he passed the parchment to Hermione, and she read it aloud to Ron.

“Dear Mr Potter, it is my wish that you come into my office tonight after dinner; I must talk to you about a very important matter. Yours faithfully, Professor Minerva McGonagall – Vice Head Mistress”

“Hey, the school just started... how is it possible that you already got yourself into trouble?” asked Ron worriedly.

“I hope she does not want to get me in detention for what happened yesterday with Malfoy! Of course, I seriously thought to cast him a spell, but I did not have any time to do it!”

“No, Harry, it is not possible to punish someone just because he only THOUGHT to do something forbidden! It has to be something else...”

Hermione remained thoughful for a few seconds, then suddenly got up with a great smile on her face.

“Come on guys, let’s go... today we have the first lesson with Professor Lupin.”

“Sorry to bother you, but we were talking about Professor McGonagall’s letter!!”

Ron was apparently upset at the sudden change of her attitude.

“Yes, it is true, but if we are going to be late, then YES that we will get detention!”

Hermione turned and rushed to exit the Great Hall, while Ron and Harry remained at the table, looking at her with their mouths open.

***O***

Professor Lupin’s lesson was very interesting, also because he wanted to teach a series of spells to stop hostile attacks. Not before, nor after the class, did the other students make comments about the fact that professor Lupin had left the school three years ago because he was a werewolf.

Now everything was different because Voldemort was back and all the students were happy to have a very good teacher who would certainly be able to teach them how to defend themselves from dark magic; for Harry, Ron and Hermione it was a double pleasure, because Lupin was a great friend, and also because in that difficult period, more wizards from the Order of the Phoenix were present at school, the better it was.

After dinner, Ron and Hermione came back to the common room, while Harry headed to Professor McGonagall’s office to hear what she had to say.

Harry knocked twice, and the professor answered “come in” with her usual severe tone of voice. He entered the room and came closer to the desk, where the professor was sitting, while she was looking at him from over her spectacles.

“Good evening Mr Potter.”

“Good evening professor.”

Harry was feeling nervous and kept asking himself why he was there.

“I asked you to come into my office because I have an important announcement to make... you are surely asking yourself if the Gryffindor Quidditch team is still without a captain...”

Harry had a sudden realization: she was right, the previous captain Angelina Johnson had graduated the school last year.

“Well, the answer is yes.... the team does not yet have a captain... unless you do not accept the role that I am offering you at this moment...”

Professor McGonagall started to gaze at him with a sweeter look, and Harry remained wordless, not believing to his ears.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Yes, you understood right, Mr Potter.... I asked you if you would accept the role of captain for our Quidditch team.”

Professor was becomeing impatient and Harry felt his heart beating madly in his chest; with all the troubles he had had during the last few months, he did not have any time to think about it, but becoming the new captain was his greatest desire ever.

“Then do I have to take your silence as a no?”

“NO.... I mean YES, I accept....”

“Very well, very well... I really hope that you are going to put your all into this matter.”

“I will do my best professor McGonagall.”

McGonagall gazed at him from over her spectacles, and her thin lips formed a light smile.

“I have no doubt Mr Potter. Now I am going to explain to you all the duties of a Quidditch captain.”

Harry was so excited. He was the new captain of the team. He could not believe it yet, and he couldn’t even listen to McGonagall while she was speaking.

“I also remind you that the championship will start at the end of October, as usual, and... let’s say, next week, you could start with the trainings. Before that, you are going to organize the try-outs to choose the new members of the team”

She paused before speaking again.

“As you know, in the team there are already Mr Ronald Weasley, who is the keeper, then Miss Ginny Weasley who asked to play as a Chaser, then there are Mr Kirke and Mr Sloper who were already Beater from the previous year, and you are the Seeker, of course.

Then you just need to find two other Chasers and I suggest you to choose them with the maximum care.”

Professor McGonagall gave him another serious gaze from over her spectacles.

“Yes, professor.”

“And I have another announcement to make, Mr Potter.”

Harry felt again his heart beating like mad: there was something more to worry about?

“It is our Headmaster’s wish that you start your Occlumency lessons again with Professor Snape”.

Harry felt a strange emptiness in his stomach and suddenly his scar started to throb.

He had to start Occlumency lessons again? It could not be true, Dumbledore could not do that to him. Harry immediately tried to protest.

“But.... Professor.... is it really necessary? I mean, is there no other way to...”

“I am sorry, Mr Potter, but the Headmaster believes that learning Occlumency is of vital importance for your physical and mental health, and I cannot say more that that.”

McGonagall interrupted him severely.

“I expect that you make arrangements with Professor Snape as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Professor,” answered Harry sadly, while his blood began to boil in anger.

“And then, in case of news of any kind, you are requested to report them to me immediately. Is it clear?”

“Yes, it is,” answered sharply Harry, asking to himself about which news the professor was talking about.

“Very well then, I believe that for the moment it is all, Mr Potter. I wish you all the best.”

“Thank you professor. Good night.”

“Good night Mr Potter.... Oh, there is a last thing.”

Harry had already reached the door, when McGonagall stopped him.

“I would like to congratulate you for your excellent O.W.L.S.”

“Thank you Professor.”

Harry opened the door and exited into the empty corridor. It was only eight o’clock, but it seemed that all the students were already in their common rooms.

Harry was walking to the Gryffindor tower, deeply absorbed in his thoughts. Absent-mindedly he raised his hand to his forehead, rubbing his scar, which was gradually throbbing more and more; he also started to feel sick, but he thought that it was because of the news about his future Occlumancy lessons with Snape.... it was important to him, but he could not stand that man, and he knew that Snape too did not want to throw away his time teaching him.

So, why could he not take Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore?

Then he thought about his new captain role, and he felt a little bit better: he was thrilled to start with the trainings and mentally he already was fixing a few game schemes to teach to his companions.

But before that, he should organized the try-outs for the new players and then.... he should decided when to meet for the trainings.... and then...

Suddenly he was no longer able to think rationally, and almost without knowing it, he fell into a sort of trance; he stopped and with his hand he looked for the walls as support, because his legs had begun to tremble.

Then he started to see clearly in front of him: he was not longer at Hogwarts, but now was in a small, dark room, just lit with the light coming from a large fireplace. In front of him there was Bellatrix Lestrange, who was watching him with reverence. Then Harry spoke, with a cold and disgusting voice which was not his.

“Then, Bellatrix, is it all ready?”

“Yes, my Lord, as you wished.”

Bellatrix answered with a pleased tone of voice.

“Wormtail!”

Now Harry was talking to a little bald man, who rushed in front of him and bowed deeply with reverence.

“Yes, my Lord?”

“You know what you have to do, right?”

“Yes my Lord. We are ready and we are just waiting for your orders.”

Harry laughed cruelly.

“Very well. They think that now we are defeated, but they do not know yet what we are preparing for them. Soon they will see what LORD VOLDEMORT is able to do.”

Then he laughed in a spine-chilling way and Harry’s scar burned so much that he could not stand on his feet and he fell onto his knees, his hands on his forehead, hoping that the pain was going to end soon.

Harry came back to his senses and understood that he just had a real vision about what the Dark Lord was planning to do. He was panting heavily and he was feeling terribly sick.

Being a helpless spectator was the most terrible thing ever, also because in that moment he was not able to stop him. He did not even know where Voldemort was hiding! But now it was clear to him that Voldemort was going to attack soon.

When he managed to recover himself, he climbed the stairs staggering and finally reached the Fat Lady painting. He said the password almost without thinking about it and entered the common room.

To his great surprise, he found all the students there waiting for him, and as soon as he entered, everybody was congratulating with him for being the new captain of the Quidditch team. Harry was asking himself how they managed to discover it so soon, when Professor McGonagall had just told him; everybody was patting him on the shoulder and was offering him something to drink, but Harry was not at all in the right mood to celebrate.

The experience he just had made him forget the joy of becoming the new captain. Now the only thing that he wished was to find Ron and Hermione and talk with them.

He looked for his best friends among the crowd and finally he found them sitting in front of the fireplace, gesturing to come over. Harry went to them, avoiding a group of happy students who were asking him about his future projects about the team, and then he sat on the couch next to Hermione.

“But how is it possible that everybody already knows that I am the new captain?”

“We do not know either... when we came earlier, we found everybody already here, busy celebrating. I think that they were expecting it, since Angelina, Katie and Alicia left last year... but tell me, is it true? Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to you about that?”

Ron was really excited and he was gazing at him with anticipation, but then he saw Harry’s worried face and his excitement suddenly left him.

There was surely something wrong, but there were too many people there to talk freely. Anyway Hermione could not wait and she whispered to him.

“Harry, what is it? You have such an odd expression! Was it McGonagall?”

“No, not McGonagall...” answered Harry warily as he leaned closer to them, speaking in a low voice.

“I must tell you something, but now there are too many people. We should wait until everybody goes to bed.”

“All right, then.... shall we do the essay for Transfiguration in the meantime?”

Hermione never missed an opportunity to motivate the other two to work on thei homework.

“But how can you think about homework at such a time?”

Hermione frowned at Ron.

“Ok, then... you may do the essay for real, while I will pretend to do it... we only have to wait until everybody goes to bed!!”

“Ron Weasley, may I remind you that you are a prefect, and you must give the right example!!”

“But Hermione, how can I concentrate on the essay if I cannot wait to hear about what Harry is going to tell us?”

“All right then, let’s take out the Transfiguration parchment while we are waiting for everybody to go to sleep! But please stop arguing, because my head is throbbing like mad!”

Harry was exasperated, so he, Ron and Hermione took out the Transfiguration homework and tried to write something. Ron was peeking at Hermione’s essay, while Harry was gazing at his parchment with a blank mind. He was still too shocked by his vision and his scar was still hurting.

At about eleven o’clock, all the students finally went to their dormitories and Harry was able to tell his friends all the details about his vision.

Hermione was thoughtful for a moment, then spoke.

“Then let’s see, you say that Voldemort is planning something terrible, something that his enemies -- so the wizards from the Order- do not know at all... What could that be, do you have any idea?”

“Maybe YOU-KNOW-WHO has finally convinced the giants and the goblins to join his side and now he wants to attack the muggle cities?” tried Ron, with the tone of voice of someone who is searching for a clever explanation.

“Or maybe he is preparing his army to attack Hogwarts? Maybe a group of Death Eaters will apparate in the gardens and...”

Harry gave this other explanation, but Hermione was ready to contradict him.

“Oh, has no one read Hogwarts: A History? It is impossible to apparate inside Hogwarts!! Anyway I doubt that Voldemort will attack Dumbledore openly. I think that he will try to attack the Order of the Phoenix in a subtle way... I do not know, maybe one of his spies has told him something secret about the Order, something that we do not know...”

Hermione stopped again to think over it before continuing to talk.

“Anyway I keep wondering how he is going to make it, since all his best Death Eaters are confined at Azkaban.... oh no.... he cannot do that...”

“What are you talking about?” said Ron and Harry together, when Hermione jumped on the sofa with fear.

“I mean, he cannot do such a thing... not without help from inside...”

“What are you talking about? Come on Hermione, tell us what you are thinking, or to you are we two real idiots, unable to understand?”

Ron was starting to lose his temper, so Hermione began to explain.

“I was thinking that maybe Voldemort will try to let his Death Eaters out from Azkaban, but he cannot do it unless someone from inside the prison is going to help him.”

“Yes, he could do it, if the Dementors are on his side... remember what Dumbledore said about the Dementors? They are pure evil and they will not hesitate to join his side, if only Voldemort is going to order them so...”

The three friends gazed at each other silently, because the theory that they were just explaining was too realistic and too dangerous. Then Ron spoke.

“Can you imagine it? Dementors everywhere, attacking wizards and muggles? Nobody will survive....”

Harry shivered at the idea, then he thought the only useful thing to do, and he got up.

“I must go to Dumbledore and tell him.”

“Harry, it is almost midnight!”

Ron thought that it was not a good idea to run to the Headmaster at this time of the night.

“Harry, listen to me. Probably Dumbledore already knows about Voldemort plans... remember, Snape is spying him for the Order.”

“No, Hermione, what I have seen is too serious... and I do not want to do something wrong like I did last year.... there are too many lives in danger, I must go to tell Dumbledore.”

“You can wait until tomorrow morning before you go...” Hermione tried to insist, and in the end Harry realized that she was right. Anyway he was going to talk to Dumbledore first thing in the morning.

The three friends decided to go to bed and went up to their dormitories.