Harry Potter and the Orb of Power

Chapter 16: Pop Quizzes

    The new day opened gloriously, the sun rising in a spectacularly dramatic fashion over the turrets of Hogwarts. Harry, sitting by the window, stared out over the expanse of Hogwarts grounds. Harry saw Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures professor, busy at work, rounding up an odd assortment of creatures. Harry smiled for a second, imagining a fun class with Hagrid. However, the smile quickly faded when Harry's thoughts drifted back to the events in Azkaban. The situation was growing dire. Voldemort had obtained the dementors, some of the prisoners of Azkaban, not to mention the two creatures that Harry heard about in his dream, the creatures he was seeking out specifically. Harry also remembered the vicious attack on Brolin, one of the members of the enigmatic Order. The way the dementor attacked, the way it sucked out Brolin's soul. Harry shuddered, a cold wave slithered across his skin. If Harry feared the dementors before, he was absolutely terrified of them now. He shook himself, got dressed, and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

*****

    "Azkaban? You went to Azkaban?" Ron asked incredulously.

    "Ssh, keep it down. No one is supposed to know," Harry hissed. "Besides, it's not like I was there, really, I just saw what happened."

    "How awful was it?" Hermione asked, even though the expression on her face clearly indicated that she did not want to know.

    "It was the worst place I've ever been in. There was blood, filth, it was dark," Harry whispered, falling into a sort of trance as he remembered the howlings of the prisoners, the slithering voice of the dementor, and the screams of Brolin.

    "So what exactly did you find out? What happened?" Ron asked again, for the fifth time.

    "I told you. The Order fought off the dementors and escaped, but the prisoners escaped."

    "The prisoners escaped. Things are getting a big dodgy," Ron said, looking at Harry.

    "And it's not like the Order was the best bunch either. Moody, a witch named Ganymera, a silent one...they were all scarred. They look like they've been blasted to pieces and stitched together again," Harry said, shaking his head. "If that's what the life of an Auror is, I don't plan on being one."

    "I wonder what exactly this Order is. It seems like it's old, especially considering how old Dumbledore is," Hermione said.

    "Things have been so weird. Fawkes is really creeping me out too," Harry said worriedly. "Everything is changing."

    "That's what happens. When You-Know-Who is around," Ron said matter-of-factly.

    "Cheery one, isn't he," Harry said sarcastically to Hermione.

    "I'm serious. You guys just don't understand. When he's around, things change. They're not happy anymore. He kills and maims and tortures. He takes away hope. You two walk about, babbling his name as if it's some sort of victory over him. It's not." Harry and Hermione stared at Ron, who was uncharacteristically very serious and sober. "Breakfast is tasty," Ron continued, taking a big bite of a danish.

    "Agreed," Hermione said, looking nervously at Ron. The flapping of wings indicated that the mail had arrived, and Hermione's Daily Prophet arrived. Harry saw no sign of Hedwig, and began to get nervous. Ron noticed this, and shook his head.

    "Don't worry. Snuffles is ok." Harry only nodded, and looked at Hermione. She was eagerly opening the Prophet to see if there was anything about Azkaban. She turned it, and there was a picture of the Dark Mark, twinkling almost innocently over the dread fortress of Azkaban. Hermione started to read the article aloud:

                The Loosing of Azkaban

    Ministry officials were shocked and dismayed to have found the Dark Mark hovering over the island prison of Azkaban last night. While details remain classified, the Ministry of Magic issued a statement revealing that the island had been attacked by person or persons unknown. Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge denied comment, but rumors have been flying concerning the possibility of You-Know-Who's involvement in the attack. While the Ministry maintains the position that You-Know-Who has not returned, the majority of wizards and witches are not satisfied. In light of the attack on Diagon Alley, and now Azkaban, many are seeing a pattern.

    "The Dark Mark was at both sights, it can't be a coincidence," an exasperated witch declared, begging to be kept anonymous for fear of offending the Ministry. A small amount of the population has mentioned the possibility of Harry Potter's involvement. After last year's tragedy at the Triwizard Tournament, public opinion has been divided as to whether or not Harry Potter, the boy once speculated as the cause of You-Know-Who's downfall, had any hand in the death of Cedric Diggory, a student at Hogwarts. As the mystery deepens, the population can only hope that the attacks on the peaceful, wizarding community will be halted.

    "Oh, honestly! Bringing Harry up in the middle of this! It's absolute rubbish!" Hermione exclaimed after reading the article.

    "Now I don't envy your fame," Ron said with a smile. Harry felt himself grow pale. They were considering him a suspect in the attacks. How could they even consider it? He had nothing to do with the attacks! Harry was furious, and he noticed that heads were slowly turning towards the Gryffindor table. Harry noticed McGonagall handing out schedules, and decided to stop thinking about the article. He looked over at the Slytherin table, and knew that Malfoy could only hope he had a class with Harry, to throw the article in his face. Ron was examining their schedules.

    "Not too bad...Transfiguration and Herbology in the morning. Care of Magical Creatures...dammit, why are we always with Slytherin? And Potions with them too!"

    "You really expected things to change?" Hermione asked, reprovingly. That's interesting," Hermione said, distractedly.

    "What?" Harry asked, taking a bite of danish himself.

    "We don't even know our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

    "That is strange," Harry said, looking at his schedule. "But we don't have it for a couple of days."

    "Well, I'm sure Fred and George will tell us later," Ron said dismissively. "It's time to head to Transfiguration." The three of them got up from the table, and headed to class.

*****

    "Now everyone, while this is your first Transfiguration class of the year, I must insist on giving everyone a test," Professor McGonagall said sternly as the fifth year class sat down at their tables.

    "A test? Has she gone nutty?" Ron hissed into Harry's ear, as McGonagall started handing out tiny marbles to everyone.

    "Ssh, I can't hear her directions," Hermione hissed from the other side of Harry. Ron threw his hands up in the air, while McGonagall finished handing out the marbles.

    "Now the marbles are small, and round, but they'll do. I want you to transfigure this marble into a wandbox. Then, when you have reached your wandbox, I want you to raise your hands, so I can take note of your transfiguration. Then, I want you to turn your wandbox into a parrot, allow me to inspect again, and then back into a marble. I expect you should all pass," McGonagall added over her glasses. "Begin." Harry shook his head, and prepared himself. He looked around, and saw Neville trying to transfigure the marble, which only rolled onto the floor. Seamus turned his marble into a round wand box, which looked incredibly odd to Harry. Hermione transfigured her marble into a wandbox perfectly, and raised her hand for McGonagall to inspect. Trying not to be intimidated, Harry turned to his own marble, muttered the incantation and tapped the marble. The marble wobbled, and became a wandbox. A clear, marble looking wandbox, but a wandbox nonetheless. Harry raised his hand, and McGonagall inspected his wandbox. Harry couldn't read her expression as she made notes, but decided that it was time to turn his wandbox into a parrot. Instead of rushing through the transfiguration, Harry took his time, making sure he had the words correctly pronounced. He tapped the wandbox three times, and uttered the incantation. The wandbox jumped up, and with a small, muffled pop, a brilliant red parrot squawked. Harry held out his hand, and the parrot perched on Harry's wrist. Harry smiled proudly at his great transfiguration, and looked around at everyone else. Seamus' parrot tipped over and landed on the floor with a heavy, marble thud. Neville's wandbox had only grown wings and was flying around the room. Hermione's wandbox turned into a dull, blue-ish parrot. She looked envious as Harry stroked the head of his own parrot, but she was immensely happy with hers nonetheless. McGonagall inspected their parrots, and told them to return the parrots to their marble forms, and pass them in. Harry tapped the parrot and returned the parrot back into a marble. Surprisingly, it looked exactly as it used to look, and Harry passed it in, proud of his work.

*****

    "You all have done your essays on the Ingenium Potion over the summer, I assume?" Snape snapped icily from his desk as the Gryffindors and Slytherins sat at their tables. Most of the class nodded. "Good. You'll all be making the potion today. You'll use your essays as your guides. I'd rather not waste my time reading them, so I'll assume you've done the essay properly if your potions are acceptable. The Petales Detante flower and the rest of the ingredients are across the room. I expect the potion to be done ten minutes before class, where I will inspect the potions."

    "Great, another quiz," Ron muttered to Harry underneath his breath. Professor Sprout had already given them a quiz on several plants, and the fifth years were already tired out.

    "Ten points from Gryffindor, due to Mr. Weasley's constant inane babble," Snape said without turning. "If I hear any more chatter from that table, I'll take that as cheating and you'll all fail." Ron was about to say something else, but Hermione shot him a warning look. The entire class proceeded to the ingredients table. Hermione was snipping some of the Petales Detante flower when Draco Malfoy swaggered up to the table with a newspaper, the Daily Prophet, in his hands.

    "Pity about Azkaban," he said loudly, knowing that Snape would never take points away from his prized pupil. "I wonder what they'll use the island for now that all the prisoners are out." He turned to Harry, and sneered. "Maybe they'll put all of the good-for-nothing Gryffindors in there, that way we don't have to put up with them anymore." Harry didn't say anything, knowing Snape would practically pounce on him if he heard Harry say something. "Or maybe they'll put all of the dirty Mudbloods in there. Torture them a little?" Malfoy took another step forward, and was practically in Harry's face. "Maybe they'll torture Granger. I'd pay to see that." Harry turned and stared right into Malfoy's eyes, his whole face indicating the amount of hatred Harry felt for Malfoy. Draco stared right back, and then smirked. "See you around, Potter." Malfoy swaggered back to his table, where Crabbe and Goyle were standing, seemingly much larger than before, if that was possible. Harry glared at them, forgetting his potion, until Hermione took him by the arm, and led him back to the table. The three of them prepared their potion, and as hard as Harry tried to refrain from thinking about Malfoy falling off of a glacier, he couldn't focus on his potion. The Ingenium Potion, which was supposed to be bring yellow and as thin as water, was grey and goopy. Harry knew he was going to fail the quiz, but he found that he couldn't care. He looked at Hermione's potion, which was perfect, and sighed. Even if Harry got his potion to look like hers, Snape would never have given Harry a fair grade. He looked up at his Potions teacher, and tried to figure out Snape's roll in Dumbledore's resistance against Voldemort. Was he still spying on Voldemort? And why is he so trustworthy? Harry, for the life of him, couldn't figure out why Dumbledore was so trusting of him. Harry saw Snape walk over to his table and inspect his potion. Harry saw Snape grimace at the sight of his potion, and he breathed through his teeth. Snape's eyes flicked up towards Harry.    

    "Come with me, Mr. Potter," Snape hissed. "And bring your essay." Harry picked up his parchment and walked towards Snape's desk. Snape sat down in his chair and inspected the essay, while Harry stood, reading Snape's expressions.

    "Sir?" Harry prompted.

    "Your potion was a disgrace, Mr. Potter. An absolute disgrace." Harry didn't say anything, he knew Snape was trying to provoke him. "Listen very carefully, Mr. Potter."

    "Yes, sir," Harry said bitingly.

    "I want you to come after school, every day, until you get this potion correct. Also, I want you to research the Ingenium Potion until you fully understand it. Am I clear?"

    "Crystal," Harry responded bitterly, hating that Snape was putting this much work on him. Snape waved his hand, dismissing Harry, and spoke up the class.

    "Clean up quickly, the bell is about to ring. Anyone with a mess at their workstation will be given three days detention." Hermione and Ron strolled up to Harry.

    "What was that all about?" Ron asked.

    "Extra work," Harry said bitterly.

    "Greasy git, he still hasn't loosened up," Ron said snidely. Hermione shook her head.

    "Well you can join me in the library tonight, I'm researching that Seer and the battle," she said brightly.

*****

    Harry's day was filled with even more work than before. Hagrid too gave his class a pop quiz.

    "Sorry, you lot, but I have me orders. Gotta prepare yerselves fer the O.W.L.'s," Hagrid said apologetically. "Now, in each of these here boxes is an interestin' creature. Each of the boxes has a letter, see? You match the letter with the name of the creature, and that's the quiz. Understand?" The class muttered in agreement, while Harry dreaded the creatures they'd see. As Hagrid opened each box, the class made the appropriate noises as they saw each of the creatures. The first creature was a dismal looking bird, greenish black. It looked very frail, and it uttered a low, mournful cry. Harry recognized it as an Augery, and quickly matched the letter. The second box contained a green creature that looked like a cross between a frog and a monkey. Harry couldn't recognize this one, and skipped it. The remaining creatures Harry didn't recognize right away. One creature, a pointed face elf about three feet high, issued a high-pitched cackle. Dean, magically enthralled by the elf, walked closer to it, upon which it bit him on the finger.

    "Careful with that one, Dean. Those'll eat you if yer not careful," Hagrid warned. Harry also saw a turtle that shot fire out of it's rear end when Hagrid got too close, and a hole box filled with Flobberworms. There was also a grey lobster creature that was about a foot long. It snapped at those that got too close, but everyone managed to escape a bite. It got particularly close to Ron, who sighed with relief.

    "I've had enough of these creatures to last a lifetime," he whispered to Harry as the saw the last creature, a vicious looking thing that looked like a giant hairy spider on five legs. Harry picked randomly the creatures he didn't know, and he passed in his quiz.

    "Wasn't too hard, was it?" Hagrid said with a smile on his face.

    "No, not too bad," Harry lied, with a fake smile on his face. Hagrid looked at Harry's quiz, and his smile faltered.    

    "You feelin' all righ' Harry?"

    "Just a little nervous, Hagrid. Don't worry, I'll do some studying," Harry said.

*****

    "You find anything on the Seer?" Harry asked as he pored over a book on the Ingenium Potion.

    "Not yet," Hermione said, poring over a book on famous seers. "She seems to be very mysterious. Malagar, where are you?"

    "Try some of the older books. She seemed really old, and I think Dumbledore knew of her. She has to be powerful, she stood up to Voldemort in person," Harry said.

    "What do you mean?" Hermione asked, as she returned the old book she was looking at and started seeking out another one.

    "Well, she wasn't a servant of him, more of an ally. She was working with him. That must mean she was very powerful, otherwise Voldemort would have forced her into being a servant," Harry said back to her. Hermione furrowed her brow.

    "I doubt we'll ever find her," Ron said, returning from a bookcase with an armful of books. Madame Pince gave them a dirty look as Ron filled the table with books.

    "Looks like fun," Harry said sarcastically, closing his potions book and taking one of the books Ron dropped.

    "This one's about Grindelwald. The name sounds familiar," Harry said.    

    "He was the dark wizard Dumbledore defeated way back in 1945 or about then," Ron responded. He saw the questioning look Harry gave him, and chuckled. "I didn't do any extra research. The Chocolate Frog cards, it's on the back of Dumbledore's." Harry nodded, and opened the book. He flipped to the back, and saw an index. As he ran through the letters, he saw a name that stood out.

    Malagar.

    "I found her!" Harry said loudly, prompting a "shush" from Madame Pince.

    "What book?" Ron asked excitedly.

    "A book on Grindelwald." Harry flipped through the pages, and read. "Malagar, a seeress of amazing power, fought alongside Grindelwald the Dark One during his ascendance to power. With dark powers rivaled only by Grindelwald, Malagar used her foresight and her knowledge of the Dark Arts to great effect. When the mighty Grindelwald was exposed as the fraudulent heir of Slytherin, Malagar abandoned Grindelwald. Without her aid, Albus Dumbledore and his followers brought down the once mighty dark wizard. Malagar has yet to be seen since, and her affinity for the line of Slytherin has not yet been exposed."

    "Explains why she's with Voldemort," Hermione said, while Ron shuddered at the use of Voldemort's name.

    "But why is she so powerful? Why doesn't You-Know-Who just force her to be his servant?" Ron asked.

    "I have no idea. But if she's that powerful, it looks like we've got two dark wizards aiming for power," Harry whispered. Hermione took the book and continued to read.

    "Should we tell Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

    "He probably already knows," Harry responded.

    "I found something else," Hermione said slowly. "Grindelwald, though he gained much power in his bid for domination, failed in his main goal. Grindelwald sought the elusive and mysterious Orb of Power, an ancient artifact whose properties are not well known. Enticed by its name, Grindelwald believed that the Orb would grant him ultimate power over the wizarding world."

    "What's the Orb of Power?" Ron asked.

    "Doesn't say here, that's all there is," Hermione responded.

    "Well, we better find out what it is, and where," Harry said grimly. "And the sooner we do it, the better. Voldemort's searching for it, and whatever power it bestows, I'd rather we get it than him."