Death Before Dishonor

Death Before Dishonor

Chapter Nine: The Great Hall

Harry followed Ron and Hermione into the Great Hall, for once in his life not pausing to admire the sheer beauty of the place. Instead, he tried to look as far ahead as he could over the heads of the students in front of him, hoping to see Professor Snape. It was the first time he´d ever wanted to see the greasy-haired potions professor, but at the moment, Snape´s presence would fulfill his dearest wish. He knew that Ron, Hermione, George, Fred, and Ginny were doing the same, because although they all hated the potions teacher as much as Harry did, they were all thinking the same thing. If Snape was there, that meant Sirius was safe.

Finally, Harry caught sight of the Head table, and his eyes tracked over it hurriedly, glancing from the right hand side--which he´d seen first, and traveling down to the table´s left end. There was Professor Flitwick, the Charms Professor, on the far right; to his left was Professor Sprout, who was next to Professor Sinistra. The next teacher made him smile slightly; Remus Lupin had explained to them that he was, contrary to what they would have expected, back at Hogwarts to replace Professor Binns as the History of Magic Professor. Next to him was Professor McGonagall´s seat, empty, of course, because she was retrieving the first year students.

Next, in the very center of the table, sat Professor Dumbledore, but at his left there were two empty seats. Harry´s heart fell. One of them belonged to Professor Snape, he was sure, and the other, probably, judging from the rest of the table, was their yet to arrive Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. He hardly bothered to notice Madam Pomfrey, Professor Trelawney, or Hagrid´s presence on the left side of the table. Harry was too busy wondering what might be happening with Snape--and therefore Sirius.

"He´s not here," Harry whispered to Ron.

"I know." Ron´s face was as unhappy as his own; Professor Lupin had explained to Hermione and the Weasleys that (as Harry had already known) that Snape was Professor Dumbledore´s spy within the Death Eaters, and although it hadn´t made any of them like him anymore, they all understood that Snape´s life could be in danger because of the warning he had sent them. And Sirius was off trying to save him.

"Come on," Hermione hissed. "We´ve got to sit down."

Heart heavy, Harry followed her and the Weasleys to the Gryffindor table, trying to smile as friends and classmates shouted greetings to one another.

"Tarantallegra!"

"Dancing spell, Black?" Snape demanded, already off the stretcher and in motion. "Is that the best you can think of?"

"Come on!" Black grabbed his arm, and they started running. Try not to think about the pain. Ignore it. Run. Concentrate on making legs move. Snape´s companion shot a look over his shoulder and pointed his wand in that direction. "Incendio!"

"Fire," Snape grunted. "Much better."

"Picky, aren´t we?"

To their rear, Death Eaters were screaming, a sure indication that Black had gotten at least one of them. Their feet pounded on the damp ground, and Snape gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain and his feeling of helplessness. He was getting dizzy already, and knew better than to trust himself with complicated spells. "Not usually," he panted. "But a dancing curse? Really, Black, I thought you were better than that."

"On the tip of my wand," the other retorted, glancing back again. Knowing he probably didn´t want to know, Snape did the same. He growled.

"Got anything else up your sleeve?"

"Sure. Pick one: jelly legs, tickling, or boils," the other laughed.

"Black! This is serious!" He couldn´t believe the idiot! Tracked by at least five Death Eaters, the moron was joking around! They didn´t have time for this--Snape would have hit him if it would have knocked sense into the other wizard, but he figured that after this many years, someone had to have tried that already, and it plainly hadn´t worked.

Suddenly, Black skidded to a stop, with a shout of "Keep going!"

Since he had little choice in the matter, Snape scowled but kept moving as quickly as he could. However, when he heard the string of nasty curses and spells Black was releasing behind him, he decided his judgment might have been a tad hasty. Perhaps the idiot did know how to be serious.

The first years entered the hall behind Professor McGonagall, and despite his melancholy, Harry concentrated all his attention on them. As usual, they were glancing around the hall with wide and interested eyes, taking in everything they could in those first few moments. Harry smiled slightly, remembering his own first evening at Hogwarts, and wondering if he´d ever looked that young. This was only the third Sorting he had made it to, and he was grateful that it was interesting enough to distract him.

Solemnly, Professor McGonagall brought the Sorting Hat and its stool, and Harry couldn´t help but grin with the others as the first years looked at the Hat with a mixture of terror and fascination. Suddenly, Hermione spoke from his left.

"They look so young," she whispered, unknowingly echoing Harry´s thoughts. "I wonder if they realize what´s happening in the world."

"I think we would have, if we were in their place," Harry responded quietly. "But I hope they do, too."

Ron elbowed him. "Pay attention! It´s starting."

Every year, the Sorting Hat sung a different song, but this year, the words were amazingly unlike anything they had heard before. A ripple ran through the Great Hall as the Sorting Hat began its song; the melody had darker and sadder overtures than it had ever held before. A shiver ran down Harry´s spine as he listened, realizing that the world was indeed changing. It showed even at Hogwarts; they were at war.

"Here you stand in an ancient hall,

Separated but together strong;

Friendships you will form

And history you will make,

In the first steps on a journey

You have come here to make.

Different strengths you´ll find,

Yet in time you can see,

Variation and variety is how Hogwarts came to be.

So step up one by one

And place me on your head,

Inside of you I will see

And know where you need to be.

Some will be in Gryffindor,

Those brave, bold, and true;

Others belong in Ravenclaw,

For wisdom, strength, and intellect;

Still some will go to Hufflepuff,

Loyal, hardworking, and fair;

And ambition goes to Slytherin,

Powerful, cunning, and sly.

So pull me down around your ears,

And come to face your fate:

For in dark times are darker days

In which to face your fears."

Everyone was still as the hat finished, and Harry felt that you could hear a pin drop in the Great Hall. The dark tone of the song surprised everyone so much that it seemed no one remembered to applaud; they all just stared. Stealing a look at Professor McGonagall´s face, he noticed that she looked rather startled as well. Finally, though, she shook the feeling off and stepped forward with the roll of names.

The sorting began, and everyone seemed to have forgotten their shock at the different song, although Harry noticed that Professor Dumbledore, instead of wearing his usual merry expression, looked very serious indeed. He was about to mention this to Ron and Hermione, but was cut off as the entire Gryffindor table burst into cheers as Neville Longbottom´s cousin was sorted into their house. For once, Neville didn´t look nervous about anything--he was smiling hugely--and Harry decided not to ruin the moment. By the time the sorting was over, the Headmaster was smiling, and he stood.

"I have only three words to say to you," he said with a smile. "Purple-eyed fish."

"About time!" Ron exalted, even as Harry overheard George comment,

"He gets weirder every year."

"No kidding," Fred agreed. "But, oh--give me that!"

And so the feast went on, with the first years talking nervously to each other and their new housemates in between bouts of stuffing the excellent food into their faces. Harry, for his part, found himself growing a little happier, despite his worry for Sirius--it was hard not to, given the festive atmosphere in the hall. Besides, he was hungry, and the food was wonderful, as always. Finally, when everyone had eaten their full and had finished off the excellent desert, the Headmaster stood.

"Before you are sent off to your rooms, I have a few announcements for the beginning of the term," Professor Dumbledore said with a slight smile. "As always, all students are to be reminded that entering the forest is strictly forbidden, and trips to the village of Hogsmeade are restricted to students in the third year and above.

"Furthermore, I would like to introduce--or reintroduce, as the case may be--our new History of Magic Professor. Professor Binns, whom I am sure all of you remember" (there was a sigh of relief from almost all of the returning students, because Professor Binns had been the most boring teacher at Hogwarts) "has decided to retire from teaching. However, his ghost has agreed to continue to haunt the grounds from time to time." There was general laughter at that; although some of the first years looked frightened, everyone else knew that Professor Binns would never be creative enough to do anything worth worrying over.

"Therefore," Dumbledore continued, "I would like to present Professor Remus Lupin, who has returned after one year away from Hogwarts."

There was applause from everywhere except the Slytherin table, Harry noticed, but before it could really get going, Professor Dumbledore held up a hand for silence. "However, there is something that Professor Lupin and I have decided you all need to know: Professor Lupin is a werewolf."

A ripple ran through the hall; many gasped in surprise, and Harry thought he heard one first year girl actually scream before an older student clapped a hand over her mouth. For his part, Harry simply stared at Lupin, who, despite looking slightly grim, nodded. Whispers erupted around him, though, and Professor Dumbledore let it continue for a moment before signaling for silence once more.

"There are a few things you must all understand," he said levelly, losing his smile. "First of all, Professor Lupin has my complete trust. Throughout his life, he has been feared and ostracized because of a condition he cannot help. This will not happen at Hogwarts. Professor Lupin is as human as anyone in this room. You will show him the same respect that you would any member of the Hogwarts staff.

"Second, you will all be pleased to know that a recent advance in the Wolfsbane Potion allows Professor Lupin to keep complete control of himself when he transforms. Accordingly, he is no more dangerous than an Animagus would be. Professor Lupin has returned to Hogwarts at my request because I feel that, during these times, each and every one of you needs to understand our world, and what is at stake with the return of Lord Voldemort."

Nearly the entire student body gasped this time; although Harry was used to saying Voldemort´s name, nearly every other student was not, and he heard many whispering fearfully to their neighbors. Also, he knew that the Ministry of Magic had been trying to cover up Voldemort´s return, despite the evidence that they had been given, and that meant that many of the new students probably did not even know he was back. For his part, Harry sat uncomfortably, reminded not only of Cedric´s death, but also of the two empty chairs to Dumbledore´s right.

"My final two announcements concern other professors," the Headmaster continued after giving the hall a chance to quiet down. "I regret to inform you that Professor Snape, our Potions Master, has been delayed in his return to school. Hopefully, he will be with us soon." As he spoke, Dumbledore´s eyes shifted briefly to Harry and his companions, and they knew from his look that the Headmaster still did not know. Dumbledore returned his attention to the entire hall.

"Likewise, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor has also been detained. Until both these professors return, Professor Lupin will be teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and Professor McGonagall will be teaching Potions. Now, if all prefects will lead their first years to the dormitories, it is bedtime for--"

With a loud creak, the doors to the Great Hall had opened. Everyone turned to look, thinking how odd it was for someone to interrupt Professor Dumbledore´s speech for the second year in a row, but all comparisons with Mad-Eye Moody´s entrance died on students´ lips as two figures made their way into the hall, one leaning heavily on the other. Excitedly, Harry jumped to his feet. It was Sirius and Snape.

Snape looked terrible. There was blood on the left side of his face, a splint on his right leg, and he seemed horribly pale and shaky. It appeared that he would fall over if not for Sirius´ support--then Harry´s view of his godfather was blocked as other students jumped up, but he still caught a glimpse of Dumbledore running down the long aisle to meet them, followed closely by Lupin and McGonagall.

The hall was erupting with shouts, and like Harry, many of the students rushed forward for a closer look. Sirius had lowered Snape to the floor even as Professor Dumbledore turned around.

"Poppy!" he called, gesturing for Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, who immediately got caught up in the gathering crowd. Looking around himself, Harry noticed that the entire Slytherin table had emptied and come forward, but he supposed that was to be expected. Snape was the head of their house, after all. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall´s voice rang out.

"Back!" she cried. "Back to your tables, all of you. And sit down!"

Reluctantly, Harry did so, and then realized that he actually had a better view from the Gryffindor table than he did in the packed group of students. Sirius was kneeling next to Snape, opposite Professor Dumbledore, and Snape was speaking quietly. Madam Pomfrey was kneeling at the Potions Master´s head, frowning irritably. Professor Lupin stood behind Sirius, listening, and all the other professors milled around nearby, waiting and trying to figure out what, if anything, to do.

A murmur ran through the hall as the Headmaster conjured up a stretcher and floated Snape onto it gently. Dumbledore rose and exchanged a few words with Professor McGonagall, and then the stretcher began to float towards the doors, followed by Madam Pomfrey, Sirius, and the Headmaster.

"If I can have your attention, please," Professor McGonagall announced, "I am afraid you will all be going to bed a little late tonight. You are all"--here, she looked pointedly in the direction of certain individuals seated at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables--"to remain in the Great Hall until the Headmaster returns."

More murmurs greeted her words, but no one moved. For a moment, Draco Malfoy looked as if he were considering objecting, but a glance from McGonagall skewered him nicely and kept him in his seat. Together, all the remaining professors moved back to the head table and resumed their seats. Harry noticed immediately that McGonagall turned to Lupin, and asked a question. As Lupin answered, her face grew slightly pale, and Harry became sure that Sirius´ friend was relating the events of the past two days to the Deputy Headmistress.

Finally, Hermione spoke in a low whisper. "At least we know they´re alive."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "But Snape looked awful."

"I wonder what happened," Harry thought quietly. He might have hated Snape--a feeling matched only by Snape´s hatred for him--but he wouldn´t wish Voldemort´s torture on anyone, especially having endured some of it himself at the end of the previous school year. However, something told him that Snape had definitely experienced a much worse time of it than Harry had.

"I don´t know if I want to know," Ron replied.

"Me neither," Hermione said.

They fell silent, listening to the other students chatter. There was not much variety in the topics covered; almost everyone was speculating on what could have happened to Snape, but a few people were trying to guess Sirius´ identity. Harry grinned at that, realizing that his godfather did look a lot different than he had in all the Ministry´s wanted ads. He looked a lot younger, for one, and he´d also cut his hair to the length that it had been in the picture from Harry´s parents´ wedding. Overall, he looked nothing like what anyone expected the escaped convict to look like, and from the wide range of guesses he heard, Harry knew that no one had any idea.

"I wonder what they´re going to say about Snape," Hermione finally said.

"I dunno. The truth?" Ron asked.

"That would scare a lot of people," she replied seriously, but Harry found himself staring at Draco Malfoy.

"Or make some very angry," he said quietly. His friends followed his gaze to the Slytherin table, and he heard Hermione gasp slightly as she understood his point.

"Oh..." she whispered.

"Do you think he knows?" Ron wondered.

"I don´t think so," Harry replied. "He looks too confused. But I bet you anything that he knows that Snape was...you know." Harry didn´t dare say `Death Eater´ in the Great Hall in case he was overheard. On one hand, he supposed he shouldn´t care about if Snape did or did not want anyone to know, but then again, he also felt that wasn´t his revelation to make.

"You´re right." Hermione glared at Malfoy. "I bet he does know. Him and all his slimy Slytherin friends."

"Jerks, all of `em," Ron agreed. Suddenly, though, another voice intruded upon their quiet conversation, and Harry had to suppress a groan. It was Colin Creevy, a fourth year Gryffindor who never had been able to get over Harry´s fame, and consequently viewed him as a mixture between a role model and a hero.

"What do you think happened, Harry?" Colin asked excitedly.

"Uh...about what?" Harry asked, thinking quickly. He would have been suspicious of any one else asking him, but Colin always seemed to ask Harry his opinion about everything.

"About what happened to Professor Snape, of course!" Colin replied. His voice lowered to a whisper. "Do you think it was You-Know-Who?"

All the nearby Gryffindors seemed to be listening now; Colin´s mention of You-Know-Who to Harry had caught their attention. Uncomfortable under their stares (mostly because he really did know the answer to that question and couldn´t think about a plausible way to lie his way out of the situation), Harry shifted slightly. He hoped that they all just took his nerves for discomfort at the mention of Voldemort, but he still couldn´t think of anything.

As usual, Hermione came to his rescue. "How would Harry know?" she demanded. "He lives with his Muggle relatives during the summer. You probably know more about You-Know-Who than he does, Colin."

"Oh." Colin´s face fell, but it brightened nearly right away, and he turned back to the other Gryffindors. "I was just wondering. Anyway, does anyone happen to know who the man with Professor Snape was? I swear he looks familiar, I just can´t place a finger on where I´ve seen him before..."

Almost an hour passed before the Great Hall´s doors opened again. There had been many sleepy yawns around the hall, especially from the first-years, whose nerves were finally winding down from a day´s worth of excitement, but when the doors creaked open, everyone turned to look, feeling wide awake. Harry had been looking in the wrong direction at the time, but as he turned, he caught Professor Lupin´s grin from the head table, and figured that everything had to be all right.

Professor Dumbledore came through the doors looking much more like his normal self; Harry could have sworn he saw a mischievous twinkle in the Headmaster´s eyes. Hermione grabbed his arm. "Look!"

Harry grinned. Sirius was with Dumbledore.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the Headmaster began upon reaching the front of the Great Hall and standing in front of the head table. "I apologize for keeping you up so late on your very first day back, but there are several announcements left to be made. First of all, I would like to inform all of you that Professor Snape is currently in the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey´s care, and she assures me that he will be fine." Something dark flashed in Dumbledore´s eyes as he spoke, but it disappeared quickly, giving way to a very impish smile.

"I would also like to introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Sirius Black."

The hall exploded, and Harry turned to Ron with wide eyes. "Can you believe it?"

"No! He´s got to be kidding," Ron gasped.

"I can´t believe the Ministry of Magic would let him teach," Hermione added.

But Harry´s intended response was lost in the roar of voices; behind him, he actually thought he heard several first years scream. Even the Gryffindor table was in uproar, except for those who knew better. Through the shouts he heard people commenting.

"...escaped."

"You-Know-Who´s right-hand..."

"...got to be crazy..."

"...has to be someone else."

"Dementors..."

"Murdered thirteen people with one curse..."

Even after Professor Dumbledore raised his hand for silence, it took several minutes for the hall to quiet down. When it did, however, the silence was so deep that Harry was certain that the Headmaster would have been heard even if he´d spoken in a whisper. Glancing around, he noticed hundreds of fearful eyes looking at Sirius rather than Dumbledore, but his godfather´s face was unreadable, except for a tiny twinkle of amusement in his eyes. I´m glad he thinks this is funny, Harry thought nervously. Because everyone else here thinks he´s a murderer and Voldemort´s right-hand man!

"I am sure most of you have heard of Sirius Black," Dumbledore continued gravely, "but what most of you do not know is this:

"Sirius Black is innocent."

A pin drop could have been heard in the hall. Everyone stared, but few believed Dumbledore´s startling announcement. After letting his words sink in for a moment, the Headmaster explained.

"Although imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years, Sirius was never given a trial. Had that been done, certain information would certainly have come to light. The first fact, amongst many, is that Peter Pettigrew is alive and has been working for Voldemort for sixteen years. He faked his own death and killed twelve others to pin the frame on his old friend, Sirius Black, who had tracked him down to avenge the deaths of Lily and James Potter, whom Pettigrew sold out to Voldemort."

Eyes swiveled to Harry, who swallowed, but kept his eyes on his godfather. He could feel the surprise in the air, but it seemed that all the students were afraid to speak.

"Upon recent confirmation of these facts, the Ministry of Magic has declared Sirius Black innocent of all wrongdoings," the Headmaster concluded, making Harry´s eyes widen so far that he thought they were going to pop out of his head. Beside him, Hermione squealed in delight, and he heard Ron´s soft exclamation of triumph, too. "Sirius--Professor Black--is a former Auror who has ample experience in the field, and I believe you will find him uniquely suited to the task.

"Now, off to bed with you!"

Ten minutes later, Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, surrounded by his classmates, who were all too wide awake to sleep. After the students had been dismissed, Harry had tried to remain behind and talk to Sirius, but Professor McGonagall had shooed him out of the Great Hall and refused to listen to his excuses. Now, though, he was being badgered endlessly by questions, especially by Colin, who was wondering what Harry thought of the "supposed innocence" of their newest professor.

"Oh, lay off, will you?" Ron suddenly demanded, cutting Creevy off angrily. "If the Ministry says he´s innocent, he´s innocent!"

"But--" Colin began.

"Actually," Harry interjected mildly. "I stayed with him for awhile this summer. Did you know he´s my godfather?"

Colin shut up. And stared.

"But how did you know he was innocent?" Lavender Brown asked quietly. "Everyone thought he was--"

"Really," Hermione cut her off, rolling her eyes. "Some of us have known that for two and a half--Oh! Professor McGonagall!"

Everyone turned. Professor McGonagall, although the head of their House, rarely came into the Gryffindor common room, and when she did, it usually meant that someone was in trouble. Immediately, both Weasley twins piped up.

"We didn´t do it!"

McGonagall sighed and turned to Harry. "I would like a word with you, Mr. Potter."

Harry jumped to his feet, and followed the Deputy Headmistress into the hallway. A huge grin split his face when he saw Sirius, who turned to McGonagall. "Thank you," he said.

"It´s good to have you back, Sirius." She smiled and walked away, leaving Harry alone with his godfather.

They stood silently for a long moment, and Harry started to feel incredibly stupid, not sure what to do. He´d gotten to know Sirius so much better in the time they had spent together, but all of a sudden, it seemed as if there was a distance between them. Tentatively, he stepped forward, and then found himself enveloped in a hug when Sirius did the same.

"I´m sorry I worried you, Harry," Sirius said softly. "Remus told me how you reacted."

Harry swallowed the lump of emotion that had decided to form in his throat. "It´s okay."

"No, it´s not," his godfather replied, pulling Harry´s chin up and looking him in the eye. "Sometimes I´m impulsive and I do things without explaining. I wish there had been another way... I´m sorry."

"Sirius, it really is okay," Harry replied, smiling. "You´re back."

Sirius hugged him again. "And I´m not going anywhere, Harry," he promised. "You´re not going to lose me."

Harry had to swallow again. This is what family is, he thought to himself. I finally have real family. He hugged his godfather back, but knew if he didn´t change the subject soon, he would start crying, and he wasn´t about to start crying at school. That Rita Skeeter article had caused him enough problems when it hadn´t been true; he could only imagine the mess he would get into if he really burst into tears where anyone could see him! Malfoy would never shut up about it. He pulled back, smiling.

"So, when were you going to tell me you were an Auror?" Harry demanded.

"It never came up," Sirius replied sheepishly.

"But that´s so cool," Harry said, meaning every word. But then he gave his godfather a confused look. "But you´re nothing like Professor Moody."

"Mad-Eye?" Sirius laughed. "Definitely not! I still have all my original body parts, thank you." Then he grew a little more serious. "Not every Auror is like Mad-Eye, Harry. He´s a bit...extreme."

"You´re not that paranoid, are you?" Looking back on their week together, Harry remembered that Sirius had acted awfully calm in just about any situation, and had certainly known how to deal with Death Eaters!

"No," Sirius grinned again. "All kinds of people become Aurors. Some are perfectly normal witches and wizards, and others find that their taste for...mischief serves them well in that field, like your father and I did." He must have seen the sudden surprise that shot through Harry, because he continued gently. "Yes, James was one, too. We always tried to convince Remus, but he decided to go into research instead."

Harry smiled. "I learn new things from you every day."

"That´s good. I´m a professor now, you know. I should hope you learn something from me." But the playful look in Sirius´ eyes told Harry that this was going to be a very interesting year.

"Do I have to call you Professor Black now?" he wondered.

"Only in class." Sirius laughed. "That´s going to take some getting used to."

"I think you´ll do great." Harry covered up a yawn with the back of his hand.

"Thanks." His godfather put a hand on his shoulder. "It´s getting late, but before you go to bed, there´s one thing I wanted to ask you."

"Sure."

"Now that my name is cleared, I´m definitely going to be buying a house. Would you like to stay with me?"

"Of course! Why wouldn´t I?" Excitement flooded through Harry. Once, he´d been offered the chance to get away from the Dursleys, but a cruel trick of fate had robbed him of it. Now, though, there was nothing that could keep him from living with Sirius, and a world that had seemed ready to turn upside down only forty-eight hours before was suddenly very, very bright.

"I just had to ask."