Harry Potter and the Prince of the Enchanted Forest

Chapter 11: In Which There is a lot of Preparation

Harry stayed in his bed for a long time, thinking of all he experienced. Ron woke seconds after Harry and did the same. After a while, Harry had an idea, got up, dressed, and raced to the Common Room. Ron quickly followed him. However, before they went down they stopped on the stairway. Loud crying was coming from the girls' dorm.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"More than likely. I stayed long enough to see Suz dump her. I think that's what I saw, anyway," Ron said.

"How does she know that thing?"

"I have no idea."

Hermione came down about an hour later. Her eyes were dry, but she was still clearly upset.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Hermione replied softly.

"Come on, girl. You can tell us," Harry said.

"Leave me alone."

She stayed in that chair next to the fireplace, not talking to anyone except Crookshanks. Harry only caught bits of their conversation. "I know. You are my friend, but still . . . I guess I had to expect this. Peter and Lucy had to go through the same with Aslan, didn't they? But it's a part of my life."

Daystar came down in about an hour, and he saw Hermione's distress. "Hey, Hermes," he said gently.

"Go away," she said grumpily.

"Please, Beautiful. Let me talk to you."

She snorted. "You're the last person I want to talk to."

"Herme--uh, mione--I know Suz quite well myself. I understand the little guy's psychology. Whatever Suz tell you might not be the same as your interpretation."

Hermione paused as she thought of this. "Pull up a chair," she finally said sulkily.

Daystar did this. Harry and Ron came up around him, but he said, "Guys, maybe you should go on to breakfast. We may or may not join you in a little while."

Harry nodded to Ron, and they walked out of the portrait hole. Daystar and Hermione did show up late, right before the Great Hall closed to prepare for lunch. Hermione looked red-faced and didn't talk much. Harry could tell she was still trying to cheer up.

The best way Harry could tell to get Hermione back to herself again is to get her involved. So as soon as they got back to the Common Room, Harry discussed his idea.

"I remember when Mendanbar told us not to wait until we see Vamist. Well, we might find him a lot quicker than he thinks."

"What do you mean?" Daystar asked.

"He didn't know we have this." Harry held up a piece of parchment.

"How'd you get that back from Barty Crouch?" Hermione said.

"That's not important now. The important thing is we still have it, and we can use it."

"That's obviously no ordinary paper," Daystar observed. "What does it do?"

"I'll show you." Harry touched his wand onto the paper and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." At the incantation, the page turned into the Marauder's Map.

"Wow," Daystar nodded. "A map of the school? How'd you come across something like this?"

"It was given to me," Harry answered. "My father helped make it. Let's see." Harry looked at the dot labeled "Severus Snape." "That's what I was wondering. I hate tampering with my father's work, but the map doesn't show whether or not someone had a staff. Daystar, is there any way you could get the map to show something like that?"

"I could give it a shot." But Daystar hunched over the map all afternoon, twisting and pulling invisible strings, but nothing seemed to work.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say Professor Snape didn't have a staff anymore," Daystar muttered sleepily. "Why don't we try another approach?"

"What do you suggest?" Ron asked.

"Well, maybe some kind of an alert. Whenever there's a staff at work or if Vamist is in the area, it beeps or flashes or something."

"Wouldn't that blow the secret?" Hermione cried.

"Maybe, but I can't think of much else. We might have to work quickly."

"Alright. How can we get it to sense Vamist?" Harry asked.

"Er, that's a good question," Daystar said unconfidently. "We might as well talk to Telemain. I mean, we need to anyway, unless Father got him on the magic mirror first."

So Harry put the map up his sleeve, and the four of them headed up to Telemain's office. It was quite interesting, all crowded with various magical items that Telemain was researching. Several were glowing or fizzing or under a cage. Harry didn't really have too long to look around though.

"Daystar, Hermione!" Telemain said as they came in. "Why so rushed?"

"Telemain," Daystar said, "please tell us what you know about black magic."

Telemain jumped, startled. "Why do you want to know?"

"We don't want to learn them, that's for sure. But we need information."

Telemain still looked reluctant, but when Daystar and the others explained about Vamist, Telemain's face filled with disgust.

"Well, I understand," Telemain nodded. "I remember how unpleasant his father was. It would do well to know the enemy. However, I'm afraid there's little I can tell you."

"I thought you studied every kind of magic!" Hermione cried.

"I never claimed that. I did study such magic, but only at a glance. Once I realized what it was, I got as far away from that knowledge that I could."

"How come?"

"Hermione, every researcher, no matter what he or she researches or develops, comes across a moment when the question changes from 'Can we?' to 'Should we?' For instance, those who can perform black magic can wake the dead. Yes, it's a very powerful, impressive spell, but do we need the dead to wake? Besides, nearly all the time, the magic comes at a terrible price. Usually, the spells call for blood or human sacrifice. In my opinion, such measures are not necessary for just an impressive spell."

"I think I understand," Daystar nodded. "But they are impressive?"

"Yes. I have seen a few. The magic is very flashy, yet often it is on the brink of frightening to watch. Perhaps our greatest advantage is the time frame. The greatest spells of the dark arks take long to develop, sometimes even months. Nearly every time, the spells are performed at midnight under a full moon, sometimes when the stars are just right. Then again, there are some performed during a full eclipse. I heard a particularly dark wizard came to power during such an eclipse centuries ago."

"Well, if you can't tell us much, could we please have your permission to investigate the restricted section of the library?" Hermione asked.

"Hermes, I don't think that will be necessary," Daystar said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I think we have enough info. Thanks Telemain!"

"Anytime," Telemain nodded as they went out.

"What are you thinking, Daystar?" Harry asked.

"Simple. We need to watch the map at night. If we see the wizards or Vamist, we call Father and take action."

"But staying up past midnight?" Ron said. "I don't think I could take that on a regular basis."

"Especially with exams just around the corner," Hermione reminded.

"We don't have to take the O.W.L.s, but we still have exams? That sounds really backward to me."

"Our pets are rather nocturnal," Daystar suggested. "They could take turns watching. They probably can't read, but I can fix that."

"And we could put them underneath the Invisibility Cloak to prevent unwanted attention," Ron suggested.

"You have an Invisibility Cloak?"

"Yeah, it was my Dad's," Harry nodded.

"Wow, your father must have been clever when it came to magic."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "We just have to make sure we never use Pig. That stupid bird will keep the whole dormitory up!"

They put their plan into action that night. Harry also owled a letter to Sirius, who promptly owled him back to say he had his full support and that he would be nearby if Harry needed help. Not much had come out of it for a long time. There were no more attacks by the Society of Wizards. Snape never made any indication about his staff or his new occupation. Vamist was obviously still preparing for what he needed to do, because he never showed up.

Around Valentine's Day, Harry almost felt the threat had passed. DADA proved him wrong.

None of the teachers (besides Lockhart on Harry's second year) ever recognized the existence of the holiday, and Harry felt fine that way. He somehow thought Morwen would change that, since she and Telemain were married. He came into the DADA room, grumbling as he watched lots of his friends giggling, chatting, and passing love notes.

"Settle down, everyone." Morwen had entered the room. Everyone looked at her in shock. She didn't greet them with her cheerful good morning, like she had done each time before. Harry was concerned. Morwen looked washed out. Her skin was pale, her eyes had circles under them, and her ginger hair that was usually pulled in a neat bun had tangled strands hanging out. As she called the roll, she rubbed her temple as though she had a headache. When she finished, she pulled out a bunch of papers, straightened them, coughed, cleared her throat, and looked nervously around her. She struggled getting her papers together, then finally gave up and pulled out one of Harry's own textbooks, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them.

"Today," she said anxiously, "we will be looking at the Chizpurfle. They are tiny parasites, smaller than an inch high. They look like crabs with fangs. They feed on magic. Often they attach themselves to the epidermis of magical creatures, or they can attack wands or dirty cauldrons. They also attack Muggle electric appliances, causing newly bought appliances to fail to work. They are easily destroyed with some over-the-counter potions, but Chizpurfles swollen on too much magic are hard to fight. For severe infestations, contact, um, some department, you probably know which one."

Morwen then looked up from her notes and turned her attention to the class. "So, uh, you see, Chizpurfles are a huge problem if left unchecked. Any questions?"

Seamus raised his hand. "Is that what happened to the Quidditch equipment? They were attacked by Chizpurfles?"

"No, I, I don't think so. Yes, Neville?"

"Then what did happen?"

"Forgive me, I cannot discuss that at this time. Lavender?"

"Have wizards and witches ever been hosts for Chizpurfles before?"

Morwen paused for a long time, then flipped through the book and through her notes. Finally, she looked up hopelessly. "I don't know," she whispered.

Everyone mumbled uncomfortably. Morwen shook her head and started passing out pieces or parchment. "Telemain and I got together this worksheet on Chizpurfles. Use your texts to answer the questions, and come to me if you ever need help. When you are finished, turn it in and sit quietly until the bell rings. You can whisper, you can pass notes, I don't care, just as long as you are quiet. All right? Begin."

Everyone got out quills and started working. As Harry answered the first question, a loud thud startled him. Morwen banged her head on her desk. She stayed with her head on the desk until the end of class. Harry hoped she was sleeping a little. She looked as though she needed it.

After the bell rang, the class moved out quietly to their next class. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Daystar went straight to Morwen's desk.

"Alright, Morwen?" Ron asked.

Morwen turned her head over and groaned. "I'm fine, Kazul. Quit fussing, you have better things to do."

"Morwen," Harry said as he touched her arm.

Morwen woke up with a start. "Oh! Oh dear! I wasn't sleeping, was I?"

"Like a baby," Ron nodded.

"Oh no! He'll have my head on a platter now."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Severus." Morwen sighed, and leaned over whispering, "He's evaluating me even as we speak."

"What does he have with you?" Daystar questioned.

"We had a little chat last evening. He said I was a pitiful teacher, that I don't know the first thing about the Dark Arts (let alone how to defend against them), and that the work I had been giving you thus far is merely busy work!" Morwen almost looked like she was going to cry.

Harry frowned. "What are you doing, letting him push you around like that?"

"Well, I didn't at first. I thanked him for his opinion but I couldn't understand why it was so negative. Every other teacher has given me praise. Dumbledore even says I'm teaching him a few things he didn't know. But Severus said, 'Of course you're teaching him. You're from a different world, and things work differently over there. What good will that do for the students when they encounter those same things in this world? I seriously doubt that a few polite words will save a student from being eaten by a dragon.'

"I tried to argue from there, but he wouldn't let me. He said that if I didn't teach about a dangerous, magical creature from this dreamension, he would give me a dismal evaluation. He also warned me not to let class out early. He said it was a mark of poor teaching. So anyhow, Telemain and I spent all night researching a creature I thought would be simple. I had no idea the students would equate it with the Society of Wizards' attacks. I wanted to tell them what was going on, but I didn't know what to say while Severus was watching. I just didn't feel comfortable with this, teaching something I had never even heard of before."

"Then don't!" Harry cried. "Morwen, you're right. Every teacher I ever heard talk about you (well, besides Snape) say your name with a smile. They love you. I'm sure whatever Snape says about you will fade out compared to everyone else's praise."

"But Severus is my superior, and he knows more about the subject than I do."

"That doesn't mean he's right," Hermione answered. "I mean, Telemain knows more about magic than you do, but I bet you don't think he's correct in all of his theories."

"Well, yes, you have a point, but still--"

"Morwen, don't you see?" Ron said. "Snape is jealous!"

"Jealous? What for?"

"You have his dream job. You can do magic without a wand, quite well I might add. And you're married. From what I've seen, I think he fancies you, and he doesn't want to admit it. But he's mad because he can't have any of that. And he's discouraged with you getting after him for having that staff."

"Not to mention, he probably had some conversations with that Vamist person," Hermione added.

Morwen looked at Hermione bewildered. "Arona Michaelear Grinogion Vamist?"

"The Second," everyone else said at once.

"He has a son?"

"Didn't Telemain tell you?" Daystar said.

"Oh, oh yeah! Sorry if I seem out of it. You know, I'm not quite myself today. He would complicate things."

"If I remember correctly, Queen Cimorene said you and the original Vamist had a lot of problems," Harry said.

Morwen scoffed. "That's putting it lightly. He nearly convinced my fellow witches to throw me out of their garden club. He wanted me to dispose of all my cats. I'm glad he's not around. There's no telling what he'd do with me."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I'm even less traditional now than I was then. I'm married. Traditional witches are supposed to live as hermits. This is exactly why I love this school. It is far from traditional. You're not encouraged to be all warty and cackle just the right way. You wear robes just because they're nice and uniform, but otherwise you wear whatever you want. You're given several aspects of magic to consider. You even have magical sports and games. Magic is almost never use for entertainment where I'm from, except if you want to put on a show to 'amaze your friends.' Why would Severus listen to him? Is Vamist trying to do something through Severus to me?"

Daystar's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Come on, guys. We don't want to be late for our next class." He started to run out the door, but then stopped and looked back at Morwen. "Oh, by the way, happy Valentine's Day Morwen!"

Morwen blinked and gave him an odd look. "It's Valentine's Day?"

"Yes. Maybe you and Telemain should go out and do something fun tonight at Hogsmead."

"We probably should. Maybe we could take Minerva and Albus with us."

Daystar nodded and once again bolted out the door. The others rushed to keep up.

"We still have plenty of time until Potions," Ron said. "What's the deal?"

"It just hit me," Daystar said. "From all I heard about the Society of Wizards, when they think revenge, they think big. Kidnapping, stealing--Antorell even summoned a demon on us."

"Who's Antorell?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you know Zemenar. He was Headwizard since before Mother met Father, then Kazul ate him before I was born. Antorell was his son. He caused a lot of trouble when I was on my quest."

"What happened to him?" Ron asked.

"Well, he summoned the demon after I rescued father and was recognized by the forest as a prince. So I used my new magic ability to send the demon back, and I sent Antorell along with him."

"Good night!" Hermione cried. "Maybe you really are the devil." Ron and Harry laughed, but Daystar didn't.

"This is bad. If Vamist has teamed up once again with the Society of Wizards, he just might be thinking about revenge. And who turned the original Vamist into a flying blue donkey?"

Everyone stopped and looked at Daystar in fear.

"Maybe Vamist is doing something through Professor Snape. He could be trying to make Morwen tired, weak, and forgetful so that when Vamist or the Society of Wizards show up she will be taken completely unaware of what they are doing."

Harry was shocked. Morwen was in real danger.