The Worst Summer

CHAPTER 5: BACK to HOGWARTS

Harry woke up early the next morning. He left a note for Tom: "Take the money for my stay from vault 612 at Gringotts. Harry." He was excited to finally get back to Hogwarts.

He packed up all of his stuff. He tied a string from the Quill Portkey to Hedwig's cage. He held his trunk and broomstick in his left hand and grabbed the quill with his right.

There was a slight jerk as Harry pictured the entrance hall of Hogwarts. Then there was a whirling of colors. Just as Harry thought he was going to be sick, the whirling stopped. His feet touched solid ground.

There was a loud thunk that echoed down the corridors as he let his trunk fall to the ground. Professor McGonagall ran from the Great Hall. "What in the...?" She saw Harry standing in the middle of the entrance hall. "Well Mr. Potter, you finally made it."

"Hello Professor McGonagall. Sorry for disturbing you."

"Come now Harry, Dumbledore and I were actually expecting you a bit sooner."

"I wanted to wait until I received the other replies. Dumbledore wasn't the only one I wrote to."

"Dumbledore expected that much. He'll be happy to see that you've finally arrived." McGonagall placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and lead him into the Great Hall. "Don't worry about your things. The House Elves will see to it that they get taken up to the Gryffindor dormitories."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded when he saw Harry. Professor McGonagall left Harry and returned to the staff table. Harry took a seat at the empty Gryffindor table.

When Harry sat down, a bowl of porridge and a goblet of pumpkin juice appeared in front of him. Every time he finished one, it kept refilling itself. Harry ate until his stomach was full. Harry noticed that Dumbledore had left the Great Hall some time earlier.

Professor McGonagall came and got harry when she noticed that he had finished eating. She lead Harry to a stone gargoyle. Harry knew they were headed to Dumbledore's office. "Chocolate Frogs," said Professor McGonagall. This was the password because as soon as she said it, the gargoyle sprang to the side.

Harry and Professor McGonagall stepped onto the moving staircase beyond. They were taken to a large oak door. Professor McGonagall knocked.

"Come in," called Dumbledore from the other side. Professor McGonagall opened the door. She escorted Harry inside. She told Harry to sit in the chair across the desk from Dumbledore and then she left.

After McGonagall left, Dumbledore spoke. "Mr. Potter, I am glad to see that you made it here safe and sound."

"Thank you for sending me this Portkey." Harry laid the quill on Dumbledore's desk.

"Keep it. It was also an item that belonged to your father, as was the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. He didn't come into possession of the Portkey until after he graduated though.

A week before Voldemort killed him and your mother, he gave me the quill for safe keeping."

"Thanks."

"Mind that you don't abuse its power."

"I won't."

"That is not the reason why I wanted to see you. While you are here, we need to set limits upon you.

The forest is forbidden, as usual. Hagrid and Madame Maxime are on an envoy to the giants, so Fang and his hut will need tending to. Also, Harry, you are not to go any further than Hogsmeade without the quill. You must tell myself or a teacher if you use the quill to go anywhere.

Also, next week there are a couple of options available for you to get ahead in your magical studies. You can either use the library to do some advance studying for your O.W.L.s, or you can join some of the following extra credit courses: Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms or Wand Making."

"Wand Making, now that sounds interesting."

"Shall I tell Mr. Olliviander that you are interested in taking his course?"

"Yes."

"Any others?"

"Transfiguration and Charms. I think I will also take time to study for my O.W.L.s."

"Smart choices Harry."

"Professor Dumbledore, I was wondering, can you help me?

There are a couple of girls I like...."

"Miss Granger and Miss Chang?"

"Yes."

"Love, the magic of the heart is one of the greatest and strongest of all magical powers.

You must choose depending on how you feel in your heart.

Love is the one and only magic created solely by you. Alas, I do not have the answers that you seek. You must find the answers for yourself."

"What is the password for Gryffindor tower?"

"Flibberty Gibbit. Harry I forgot to enclose this in your letter." From his desk drawer he pulled out a silver Perfects' badge.

"Hermione..."

"Miss Granger already has her badge, as does Mr. Ronald Weasley. This is truly amazing. There has never been more than one Perfect in the same house of the same year before.

You may change your dorm's password if you like."

"How do I do that?"

"Just tell the portrait the new password."

"Oh. Harry got up to leave.

"One more thing, Harry. You are not to leave the castle after night fall."

"I won't." Harry left Dumbledore's office. He walked down the corridors until he reached the portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. "Flibberty Gibbit." The portrait swung open. "Portrait, the new Gryffindor password is Friends Forever."

"Got you," said the fat lady.

"Close."

"What?"

"Close. I want to make sure you've got the new password.

"For Heaven's sake." The portrait swung closed.

"Friends Forever." The portrait swung open. Harry entered the Gryffindor common room and the portrait swung closed.

A green blur leapt from a chair in front of the fire and bowled Harry over. "Harry Potter, sir," squeaked Dobby, "Harry Potter is safe."

"Dobby, get off of me."

"Yes Harry Potter sir, Dobby get off." Dobby jumped off of Harry's chest. Harry stood up and Dobby hugged him around the middle.

"Dobby happy that Harry Potter is safe. Dobby hear that Muggles abandon him."

"How?"

"News travels much faster in Elf world than Wizard one. Dobby hear news same day as disaster happen.

Next day Dobby hear Harry Potter is safe at Leaky Cauldron.

Dobby relieved Harry Potter is now safe and sound at Hogwarts."

"Thanks for being so concerned about me Dobby."

"Dobby must return to the kitchens. House Elves is making a small feast in honor of Harry Potter's safety." With a loud pop, Dobby was gone.

Harry ran up to his dorm. For some reason he couldn't figure out, he grabbed a piece of parchment, a regular quill, and a bottle of ink. He then grabbed his Thunder Rod 3000.

He ran outside to the Quidditch pitch. He half expected it to see the maze from the third event of the Triwizard Tournament, but the pitch was back to normal.

Harry mounted his broom and kicked off. Harry shot skyward very quickly. Before Harry knew it he was a hundred feet off the ground. "St...." Before Harry could finish saying stop, the broom stopped and hovered. "Forward," Harry thought. The broom shot forward. The stands were a blur.

Harry spent the morning soaring over the grounds of Hogwarts at top speed. "I'll never see the snitch at this speed," Harry thought.

"Why don't you slow down a bit?"

"Who said that?" Harry asked.

"Me."

"Who's 'me'?"

"Your broom."

"You can talk?"

"I only talk if I need to. If you don't need speeds this fast, slow down a bit."

"I'm not actually in a game. I'm just seeing what you're like."

"And how am I?"

"You're the best broom I've ever owned. You're fast, you have better control, you are far superior to other brooms I've owned."

"What were they?"

"My first broom was a Nimbus 2000 and my second broom was a Firebolt."

"What happened to them?"

"The Nimbus was smashed by the Whomping Willow, and I traded my Firebolt to get you."

"Good choice."

"Let's soar over the forest."

"It's forbidden."

"To be in it, yeah. We're going over it." The broom changed direction. Soon they were soaring this way and that over the Forbidden Forest.

Then Harry spotted it. Far to the west, a castle loomed out of nowhere. "Let's check it out Thunder," Harry thought. The broom changed direction. Soon they were flying over the castle. It was the same size as than the castle at Hogwarts but far gloomier.

"I need to tell Dumbledore about this. This castle just appeared out of nowhere," thought Harry. The broom changed direction again and they were soaring back towards Hogwarts.

Halfway back, in the middle of the forest, Harry saw a small shack. "Land," Harry thought. The broom dove suddenly and quickly. It leveled off at the tops of the trees and slowly descended in front of the shack.

The walls and everything were wood, but the door, Harry had never seen anything like it. The door seemed to be made of some sort of metal fused with crystal. Etched in a metal plaque above the door were the words, "Elt Uyo Vlie Teh Nsoe Woh Eahv Iedd."

Harry copied the words onto the parchment. He shoved it back into his pocket and took to the air again. "Full speed to Hogwarts," thought Harry. The Thunder Rod shot forward. Harry landed by the front doors. He ran down the halls.

He rounded a corner and almost crashed into... Snape. "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Why the rush Potter?" Snape asked in a mild tone that was nowhere near the venomous ways Snape spoke to Harry in previous years.

"I have to see Dumbledore right away."

"Be on your way Potter. Be careful you don't run into anything." Snape continued on his way. "Now that's strange for Snape. Usually he hates me and would prevent me from getting to Dumbledore. Especially when I'm in a rush."

Harry reached the gargoyle. "Chocolate Frogs," Harry panted. The gargoyle moved to the side. Harry ran up the steps. He burst through the door to Dumbledore's office.

"Harry what's wrong?" asked Dumbledore looking up from his work.

"Mysterious...pant...castle...pant...west...pant...side of...pant...forest. Strange...cabin...middle...of...forest."

"Did you enter either of these buildings?"

"No. Flew...by...castle. Landed by...cabin. Copied...words...down." Harry pulled the piece of parchment from his pocket and gave it to Dumbledore.

"Elt Uyo Vlie Teh Nsoe Woh Eahv Iedd," Dumbledore read, "makes no sense to me whatsoever. Can I keep this Harry?"

"Yes...but I want...a copy." Harry copied the phrase down on the bottom of the parchment and tore it in half.

"See you at lunch, Dumbledore," said Harry as he left.

When Harry left, Dumbledore sighed. "The shrine has returned. Must not let Harry know the powers of the shrine. As for the castle, I have no idea."

Back to Hogwarts