Broken Fate

Chapter Six ~ Classes and Connections

As Shay had been about to leave the Great Hall to follow the others to the Slytherin House, Malfoy had approached him. "Hello, there. I see you were chosen for the best House. You'll find we're a pretty tight-knit group." He studied Shay carefully for a moment, then held out his hand and said, "I'm Draco Malfoy."

Shay clenched his teeth together. Don't be stupid, he told himself. If you can get near Draco, you might be able to learn a lot that could help those fighting Voldemort. Don't blow it. He forced himself to move his arm and quickly shake Malfoy's hand, but he had to coach himself not to break Draco's fingers.

There were so many things he would have liked to say to Malfoy--starting with, "You killed my mother," followed by some choice words that would have made Will cringe, and ending with a few well-placed curses.

"Let me know if there's anything you need," Malfoy told him. "I'm a prefect, and I'm sure I'll be able to get you what you want."

Then rot in your own filth, Shay thought bitterly.

After entering the long stone dungeon that was the Slytherin common room, Shay learned that he was to share a dormitory with the other Sixth Year Slytherin boys. That just so happened to be Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. Some company, he thought sourly. Just the people he didn't want to stay with. Facing Malfoy was hard enough. Talking to him was even worse. And to top it all off, Malfoy wanted to be friends with him.

Just about now he was actually starting to miss Jamie's sharp tongue. She would give him a telling-off if she knew what he was thinking. "At least you got to go to Hogwarts, Seamus Longbottom! You've been given the opportunity to befriend an enemy and learn things you might not have otherwise. So don't be a stupid git and let the chance slip by--no matter how much you hate Malfoy. Know your enemy." Yes, she would definitely say something like that. She might drive him insane sometimes--okay, a lot of the time--but she did have some sound advice when she wasn't blustering about other things.

Know your enemy. Well, if knowing Draco Malfoy could help him win this battle--then he would do it.

If he could restrain himself from cursing Draco first.

~*~

At breakfast the next morning, Shay kept to himself, watching Draco and the other Slytherins. Not all of the Slytherins were like Draco Malfoy. Some of them had actually helped fight against Voldemort. Shay recognized several of their names as future Aurors.

The thing with the Slytherin House, he had decided, was that they simply did not like Gryffindor. Their parents had indeed told the truth--there was a feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin that he didn't really understand. They were all wizards and witches, weren't they? They were all here at the school to learn magic, right? Didn't they know how much more effective they would be if they stood together?

One of the first examples of the feud that he witnessed was when Pansy Parkinson, the other Sixth Year prefect, went out of her way to harrass some nervous-looking Gryffindor First Years, and then threaten them with detention. He shook his head, disgusted. What was the point of all of this prattling?

When Shay entered the Great Hall and sat down, he scanned the Gryffindor table for Will, and found that he was squished between two bright red heads--Ron and Ginny. I wonder how he's been managing in Gryffindor. He turned back around and quickly ate his breakfast. Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin House--and someone that Shay greatly respected--passed out their class schedules. Shay looked his over. History of Magic, Double Charms, Divination: class two, Double Herbology (with the Ravenclaws). No Defense Against the Dark Arts class today. That class was tomorrow--he'd have to wait until then to officially meet the new teacher. There was a note on the bottom of the schedule that read: All Slytherins are required to take Muggle Studies. He had that particular class on Friday morning.

When he was finished with breakfast, he made his way out of the Great Hall, but was stopped by Will, who was waiting just outside the door for him. Grabbing him by the arm, he pulled Shay to the side, out of the earshot of any students. "Ron has it," he muttered.

"Has what?--Oh! Not the Gourl?" Shay whispered.

"Yes, the Gourl." Will quickly explained how it had been delivered. "Supposedly by a secret admirer! How low is that?"

"Low," Shay agreed. "And if Ron just got it in the post, I'm still not exactly sure why the information we had pointed to it being in his room. Maybe it was in there for a little while, and recorded information from his room. Voldemort and his lackeys didn't know that Ron wasn't staying at the Burrow this summer, though, did they? So maybe when they found out he wasn't there..."

"...they removed the Gourl until they could deliver it to him at Hogwarts?" Will said doubtfully. "Why not just send an owl to Ron while he was at the Order's headquarters, then?"

"I don't know. Maybe that will become clear the more we figure out. Are you planning on getting the Gourl from Ron?"

"Yes. I'm going to steal it after McGonagall has looked at it. I stay in the same dormitory as Ron; it shouldn't be too hard to do," Will sighed. "I have to get going. I have Defense Against the Dark Arts first thing this morning."

"I don't have it till tomorrow. Watch out for the teacher," Shay said darkly.

"Oh, I intend to," Will replied grimly. "Don't worry about that."

~*~

Harry was a bit apprehensive when he went to his first class on Wednesday morning, which was Double Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn't even know who the teacher was--and that, really, was what made him nervous. He had yet to have the same teacher twice in a row. So far, the line of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers hadn't been very encouraging. In his first year, the teacher had been possessed by Voldemort. Second year, the teacher had been an egotistical prick who had wound up losing his memory. Third year had been a wonderful year, with a fabulous teacher. Unfortunately, the fact that said teacher was a werewolf prevented him from returning the fourth year--in which a Death Eater had posed as someone else the entire year. Fifth year...fifth year had to have been the worst. Harry couldn't imagine a teacher more horrible and hateful than Professor Umbridge. She had been attacked my centaurs and had been moved to St. Mungo's hospital last June. He wasn't sure if she was still there, but he sincerely hoped she was.

Harry filed into class with the other Gryffindor Sixth Years, taking a seat between Ron and Hermione. Ron was still annoyed with Hermione's insistance that he get the Gourl checked out, but Harry knew that with everything going on lately, she was probably right.

Their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher sat on the edge of the desk, and all eyes turned to her. Harry hadn't been sure what to expect, but she certainly wasn't it. The woman on the desk was old, with a wrinkled face and tiny, peering blue eyes. Her long, lank gray hair fell about her face.

"Don't tell me Dumbledore got a hag this year," Ron muttered under his breath as murmurs ran through the class.

The old professor stood to her feet, and the class fell silent. "Good morning," she said in a wavery voice. "I know what you are thinking. You're wondering what business an old hag like me has in teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts." She paused, eyeing the class, and then continued. "Well, this is your first lesson of the year. Remember it well. Appearances can be deceiving. You can't always trust your what your eyes tell you." As she spoke, her voice became clearer. To Harry's astonishment, her stooped form began to straighten, and the gray hair seemed to suck into her scalp, shortening, changing. Whispers and exclamations sounded from the class.

An instant later, the hair turned pink, and Harry almost burst out laughing. It can't be...!

Within mere moments, the old hag was gone, and a young woman with bright pink spiky hair stood in front of them. Her now-dark eyes twinkled as she surveyed the class. "You see? You must learn that you cannot trust everything you see. Those that you believe to be one thing can turn out to be something completely different. Especially in this critical time, when the Death Eaters ranks are growing, or when people could be under the Imperius curse, you must be on guard." She smiled. "I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, and I will do my best to arm you against the dark forces that are growing every day. My name is Nymphadora Tonks, but if I catch any of you calling me Nymphadora, the consequences will not be pretty." Her smile widened to a grin. "Yes? Ms...."

"Brown. Lavender Brown." Lavender lowered her hand. "Please, Professor Tonks, how did you do that? Did you transfigure yourself? Is this your true form?"

"I am a Metamorphmagus, Lavender. I have the ability to change my appearance at will. And yes, in essence, this is my true form."

"Though her hair changes a lot," Ron muttered, loudly enough for everyone to hear him.

"Yes, well, what fun would it be if I had to keep it the same all the time?" Tonks winked. "Now, then, I'm going to take roll, and then we'll get started."

~*~

Will sat at the back of the class, simply observing. He hadn't expected Tonks to be so...well...likable. From everything that he knew of her, he had expected someone that seemed more...underhanded. She was right about one thing, he thought ironically. You can't believe what your eyes show you. How easily the class fell for it. When the class ended and the students filed out of the room, they were talking excitedly about how wonderful Tonks was.

Wonderful. Right. Wonderful if you want your world to fall to Voldemort. He wanted to shake them, to tell them not to be deceived by how wonderful Tonks seemed.

Will's next class was Divination: class one. He didn't really want to go to it, if only because he found it a bit useless. What was the point in trying to Divine the future when he already knew it? Still, he followed the rest of the class to a room on the first floor. Entering, he found that it was like stepping into a forest. He couldn't even tell that he was in a classroom. The teacher was a centaur named Firenze.

Despite his initial hesitation, Will found what Firenze had to say a bit interesting, though by the time class was over, he had a headache. If there was one thing to be said, it was that Divination was very complex and very complicated, and Will Weasley had enough in his life that was complex and complicated right now.

Lunch break followed, and the following class, Double Transfiguration, was much more interesting than Divination. It was taught by Professor McGonagall, and she was teaching the Sixth Years to change owls into book bags, then back into owls.

Will was at a loss. While there were some things he was far advanced in--such as Apparating, using Illusionment Charms; anything that could aid in fighting or escaping from Voldemort's forces--he had limited knowledge of how to do practical magic. He had never been to school, and everything he learned came from things his parents had taught him, or things that he, Shay, and Jamie had taught themselves. The three of them had even learned to modify some spells for their use, but he had no idea how to change a mouse into a cup--something he discovered the other students had learned in Second Year--let alone an owl into a book bag. It was something he had simply never found useful.

Professor McGonagall approached his desk while the other students worked on their owls. Will was afraid to try to do anything to the owl, lest he accidentally harm it beyond repair. "Mr. Warren?" McGonagall said quietly. "Is there a problem?"

She knows I'm from the future, Will thought. He cleared his throat. "Um...sorry, Professor, but I don't know much about transfiguring animals. I can turn a feather into a matchstick, but that's about the extent of my transfiguration skills," he said apologetically.

Professor McGonagall frowned, but didn't question him. "I see," she said. "Well, then. Do you have anything scheduled for this evening?"

"No."

"Then meet me in this classroom at seven o'clock tonight, and I will help you with your transfiguration."

Surprised by the offer, Will could only say, "Thank you."

"Watch the class carefully. Observe what they are doing." Professor McGonagall instructed. Will nodded, and she moved on to the desk where Hermione, Ron, and Harry were standing. She spoke to Hermione for a moment, and Hermione nodded.

Will felt useless standing there doing nothing, but he did watch what the rest of the class was doing. It didn't take him long to see that when the complicated wand movement was done correctly, and the word to transfigure the owl was spoken at just the right moment, the owl would change into a perfect little bag. Hermione seemed to be the only one who could get it exactly right. Timing everything perfectly was hard, and the rest of the class was having trouble with it. Several students were chasing bags that had taken flight, as the wings hadn't disappeared.

When Transfiguration was over, he had only History of Magic left. He had thought it would be interesting, learning about the things that had happened years ago, discovering more about how this present day had come to be shaped. He was disappointed, though: it was the most boring class he could imagine. Professor Binns, the ghost who taught the class, made no attempt to make it interesting, but spoke dully of Goblin wars and dates of wizarding decrees that had been passed. Will found it extremely hard to pay attention, but did his best to take notes. His concentration was made worse by the fact that Ron had the Gourl set out on his desk to record what notes he wanted to take.

He was thoroughly grateful when the class had ended.

~*~

Try-outs for the Gryffindor Quidditch team are to be held on the Quidditch Pitch at 4PM, Thursday, September 3. Positions needed: two Chasers and one Beater.

Ginny eyed the sign that was posted on the common room bulletin board.

"Are you going to try out?" a voice beside her asked.

Ginny jumped, then glanced over to see Will Warren standing there, a bag slung over one shoulder. She had noticed he had the uncanny ability to come up on people unaware. "I'll probably try out for a Chaser position," she said. "I played Seeker last year, since Harry couldn't do it--he's the Gryffindor Seeker, but there were...complications last year. How about you? Are you going to try out?"

Will's eyes widened. "Me? Oh, no. I hate flying."

"Really? Why? It's so much fun!"

"It's so...high." Will shuddered.

Ginny laughed. "Well, yes! But that's half the fun of it. It's so freeing."

"I like my feet on the ground, thank you," Will said drily. He was quiet for a minute, but Ginny sensed that he wanted to say something.

"Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Well...yes, actually. Do you know where the kitchens are?"

"The kitchens? Yes, of course. But we just ate dinner..."

"Well, it's just that...sometimes I stay up late studying, and I can't really store leftover dinner in my dormitory, and..."

Ginny held up her hand. "Say no more. I understand completely. To get to the kitchens, you just go down the stairs to the entrance hall, and go through the door to the left. You'll find yourself in a hallway with a bunch of paintings of food. Find one that has a big fruit bowl, and tickle the pear. The house-elves will be thrilled to get you whatever you want." She grinned. "Fred and George used to go there all the time and sneak food back to the dormitories, especially for parties. My brothers," she explained. "They're the ones that own Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

A wistful smile crossed Will's face. "I see."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Yes...a little sister. She's three," Will said softly. "Well, I'd best get going. Good luck on the tryouts!"

"Thank you." Ginny watched Will walk toward the portrait hole and shook her head.

"Making friends, I see." Alexia Bordell, one of the Fourth Years with whom Ginny shared a dormitory, sidled up to Ginny, a grin on her face. "So...I heard you broke up with Dean. Are you aiming for him now?" She jerked her head toward Will as he slipped out of the portrait hole.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Will? You're kidding, right? He is so not my type. He's just so quiet...sweet, though." She cocked her head to the side. "It's just weird...I think if I went out with him, I'd feel like I was dating my brother or something."

~*~

Will had carefully planned his evening. He had to be at the Transfiguration classroom at seven, and he also needed to bring Jamie and Molly food. Then he had to steal the Gourl from Ron. He had the bag he had brought from his own time with him now; it was emptied of everything save two objects: Jamie's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, both passed onto her from her father. The other things that he had brought from their time, including his mother's journal and the Time-Turner, had been tucked safely into his trunk.

He and Shay had met up briefly that afternoon and decided that they would alternate bringing Jamie and Molly food. Tonight was Will's night, since he already had the invisibility cloak and Map in his dorm, and since he already had to be out meeting McGonagall. He could just leave from there, find the kitchens and get some food, put on the invisibility cloak, and head out to the Shrieking Shack.

He was finished his lesson with Professor McGonagall by eight. She had simply asked what he did know about Transfiguration, then went over some of it with him, and gave him a copy of A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration. "We'll meet again on Friday, at the same time, Mr. Warren," she told him. "And I've asked Ms. Granger to meet us then. She was busy this evening, or she would have come. She has agreed to help you with Transfiguration as well. She's the best student I have, indeed one of the best I have ever seen, and will be have time to teach you more in her spare time."

Hermione. Figures. Fate just loves me, doesn't it? Will thought wryly. He nodded and grabbed his bag. "Thank you," he said quietly.

It took him a bit longer to find the kitchens, but he finally located the painting of the giant fruit bowl. He tickled the huge pear, and the picture swung open. He cautiously entered the kitchen, and was immediately greeted by a dozen house-elves, all asking what they could do to help. Getting a basket of food that would last Jamie and Molly a couple of days was the ridiculously easy. He had the basket, and was about to leave, when one particular house-elf entered the kitchens and began to walk past him. He had bulging green eyes and a long, thin nose. Perched on top of his head were a dozen or so knitted hats, and he wore two huge socks--one that was pink and green striped, and one with blue polka-dots. Will blinked. "Dobby?"

The house-elf froze and turned around. "Yes?" He peered up at Will curiously. "You know Dobby?"

Will tried to think of something to say. He had known Dobby, certainly, but of course the house-elf wouldn't know him. "I've...heard of you," Will said. "From my...roommates. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter..."

Dobby's eyes lit up. "Ah! Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley! Yes, yes! Dobby knows them well! And lovely Hermione Granger, who makes Dobby all these hats!" He pointed to the pile on top of his head. "But Dobby does not know your name."

"I'm Will," Will said, crouching down.

"An honor to meet you, Will. If ever you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell Dobby! Dobby will be glad to help a friend of Harry Potter's!" The elf bowed low, and Will wondered why the hats didn't fall off of his head.

"Thank you," Will replied, smiling. "I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything." With a nod to Dobby, Will stepped out of the kitchen. He set the basket of food on the floor. Looking around to make sure no one was around, he quickly pulled the Marauder's Map out of his bag. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered. A map of Hogwarts suddenly appeared, and dozens of names covered the map. Most of the names were congregated in the Houses, so smashed together and on top of each other that they were impossible to read, but many people were wandering the halls. No one was nearby, though. Will yanked the invisibility cloak out from his bag and pulled it over him. He picked up the basket and pulled it under the cloak.

Then he cautiously made his way out of the castle and across the grounds, heading for the Whomping Willow. At its base was an entrance to a passage that led from Hogwarts grounds to the Shrieking Shack. It was designed to beat away anyone--or anything--that tried to get near it. There was a knot at the base of the tree beside the entrance that, when pressed, would freeze the Whomping Willow. Will wouldn't have known where the knot was, except that when he and Shay had been on Hogwarts grounds getting the Time-Turner, they had watched a Death Eater use the passage. The Death Eater hadn't seen them, as they had been under the invisibility cloak.

Will dropped to all fours so he could see under the branches--well, he dropped to his knees and one hand; the other one clutched the food basket--and crawled quickly toward the tree. Being invisible didn't matter; the Whomping Willow had been enchanted to detect whatever was near it, seen or unseen. He moved until the tree began swinging at him, and then he froze, aiming his wand at the knot in the trunk. He waved the wand, sending a surge of pressure at the knot. The Whomping Willow abruptly stopped moving, and Will hurried to the entrance.

It was a pain going through the passageway. It was long and he had to stoop as he walked, holding his lit wand in one hand and the basket of food in the other. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he found his way blocked by a plank of wood. He carefully pushed it, and it opened. Will was about to exit the passage, but came to a halt when there was a sudden crack, and a wand suddenly appeared in front of him. Sharp green eyes peered past him--or through him, rather. He pulled off of the invisibility cloak, and Jamie sighed, lowering her wand. "Oh. It's you, Will."

"Nice welcome, James," Will said mildly.

"I was about to send a stunning spell at you. You might consider taking off the cloak before you actually come in next time," Jamie replied. "The entrance hole was wide open, so I covered it with a piece of wood and put a spell on it to warn me if anyone tries to come through."

"Sorry." Will handed her the basket. "I brought you guys some food, though."

"Why don't you come down the hall? That's where we're staying. I was just putting Molly to bed. Until my spell-alarm went off and I Apparated over here to see who was intruding."

Will followed her through the run-down house. They walked past a stairway that was falling apart and into a room off to the side. "I went upstairs, but I'm afraid if we stay up there, the stairs will collapse on us one of the times we go up and down, so we're staying on the first floor," Jamie explained.

The room they had entered had two beds in it, one four-poster and one that was nothing more than a mat on the floor. Molly sat on the mat, but when she saw Will, she jumped up and ran at him, flinging herself on his legs and clinging to him. Will reached down and pulled Molly into his arms. "Hello, Molly bear. I hope you've been behaving for Jamie."

Molly simply looked at him solemnly with her brown eyes and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Her hair was wet and smelled clean, and Jamie's was wet, too, so Will guessed Jamie had spelled bath water for both of them.

"How are you doing, James?" Will asked quietly.

"Honestly? I'm bored," Jamie said wryly. "So bored, in fact, that I actually cleaned." She shuddered, as if cleaning was a horrible punishment.

Will looked around. This is clean? What did it look like before, then?

Seeing his expression, Jamie said, "You should have seen the dust." She was silent for a moment, looking at him in expectation, and then said, "Well? So tell me what's been going on! How was the train? What House are you and Shay in? Have you had classes yet?"

Will sat down on the four-poster and gave her the run-down of everything that had happened the last two days. When he was finished, Jamie sat quietly, absorbing all of the information. "So the Gourl has arrived...and you met Tonks." She sighed. "I had hoped that we could stop the Gourl before our parents got to Hogwarts, so we wouldn't have to deal with Tonks."

"I know," Will sighed.

"So you said you're going to steal it from your dad and dispose of it--how are you going to dispose of it?"

"I'm going to send it to Dumbledore--anonymously, of course--with a note giving him the specifics of how to find the spell that's been buried in its normal workings," Will replied.

"So he can find the Gourl's connection to Tonks," Jamie stated.

"Yes," Will said, wrinkling his nose. "And to Voldemort's mirror."

Will stayed for a bit longer, then said good-bye, promising that Shay would come back in two days with more food. Molly clung to his leg, looking up at him. He crouched down and kissed her on the nose. "I'll be back soon, Moll. You take care of Jamie for me, okay?" He winked at Jamie. Straightening up, he pulled the invisibility cloak on and left.