Harry Potter's New Life

12) Diagon Alley

Pig arrived with a pouch of floo powder only days after Harry's test. Harry grabbed his list booklet, took Pig on his shoulder, and shouted, "The Burrow!" from inside Dumbledore's fireplace.

"Harry!" Ron cried as he shot up from a chair. "I've been waiting all summer."

"Harry!" Harry looked towards the stairs and saw Hermione come racing down them. "I missed you!"

"Guys, Voldemort, he came to Hogwarts. He stunned Madam Hooch and she's at St. Mungo's. He could have killed me."

"What'd you do?" asked Hermione, looking frightened.

"I talked to him as a distraction, and them mounted the broom and took off. You can't tell anyone. Now, let's go shopping!"

"Okay, Mum's already there with Ginny."

They each took some floo powder and shortly arrived in Diagon Alley. They flipped through the booklet. Ron stopped on the Defense Against the Dark Arts list.

"Hey, whose the new professor?" he asked.

"He wishes me not to tell anyone. He wants it to be a surprise."

"Damn! I hate secretive teachers."

"He knows. He likes to tease people."

"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed. "These are huge books! I've seen them!"

"Yeah, he didn't really say anything about them."

Harry led them through the shops, straight past a strawberry blond who eyed them with a smile.

"Harry," she called.

"Jocelyn! Hey!"

"Whoa. Bloody hell," Ron whispered.

"Ronald!" Hermione jabbed him in the ribs, then smiled. "Hey! I know you! Jocelyn Mayes, Keeper for Ravenclaw! How are you?"

"Good. You're Hermione Granger right? The really smart Gryffindor?"

Hermione blushed slightly. "Yeah."

"And this is Ron Weasley. Gryffindor Keeper, right?"

Ron turned beet red. "Yeah."

"Yeah guys, Jocelyn is one of the nurses working with Madam Hooch," Harry explained.

"You work at St. Mungo's?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, but just for the summer, obviously. Yes, well I best be going. Bye."

"Wait!" Harry ran up and whispered to her, "Bye Melinda."

"Ooh-lala-soso! Harry's got a girlfriend! What'd you say to her?" Ron spoke with a ridiculous French accent.

"At least he said something!" Hermione said to Ron and walked a little distance away.

"Oh-ho-ho! What did you say to her?" Harry mimicked in the French accent.

"That's not funny."

"Sure it is!"

"Guys! We have the books, so can we get something to eat? I'm hungry!" Hermione suggested. She dragged them to a small little restaurant. It was quite quaint, blue with white shingling. It just didn't fit in.

"Golden Gilderoy?" laughed Ron.

"Yeah, well they let Lockhart out of St. Mungo's a while ago. If he can manage this place on his own for two months, he can stay out. It's been one month," explained Hermione.

"He better make good food," Ron muttered as they walked in.

The place wasn't too crowded, and it was easy to see why. The walls were golden with pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart moving about, crappy music droned on and on, and then there was Gilderoy himself, wide smile on his face as he greeted his newest guests.

"Come, sit." He led them to a booth and handed them each a menu. "They special today is Golden Goldfish."

They glanced over the menus and Harry started laughing. "Everything starts with the same letter," he said. "Look! Slurpy Soup, Hot Ham, Golden Goldfish, which by the way is really goldfish. See, there's the big bowl." They watched as two goldfish were taken, still alive, and thrown into a pot of boiling oil.

"Okay, I've changed my mind!" Ron said, looking over the menu. "I guess I'll settle for Hot Ham and er, Sumptuous Soda."

"Okay," said Lockhart. "Miss?"

"Um, Slurpy Soup and the soda."

"Yeah, and I'll have Plump Pumpkin, and soda."

After Lockhart left, Hermione looked at Harry. "What's in the pumpkin?" she asked.

"It's pumpkin on bread with parsley and junk on it. What's in the soup?"

"Vegetables."

"For your sake, I hope it's not cauliflower," Ron added.

"It won't be!" she snapped back.

"I think it's that time of the month..." Ron began.

"Ronald! I cannot believe you!" She slapped him and got up. "I'll be right back." Hermione made sure they weren't looking when she slipped into the kitchen, grabbed a club of cauliflower dipped in butter, and walked back. "Here's your cauliflower!" she screeched as she put it down the back of his shirt.

"Damn! What the hell was that for, Herm?"

"You deserved it," she snickered as she took a sip of her soda.

"Ehh!" Ron said girlishly as he took another bite of ham.

"I'm done!" Hermione announced. Ron looked at his own plate. He and Harry still had quite a bit left to eat. "I'm ordering dessert. You two want to split something with me?"

"I'm full," Harry said.

"I'll split something! What do you want?" Ron said.

"Big Banana. I'm guessing that's a banana split."

"Yeah," he answered.

When the dessert came, Hermione dug right in, but Ron leaned over the table to get a better look at Harry's scar. "Harry," he whispered. "Your scar is glowing!"

"What?" Harry looked around for Voldemort, but only saw Melinda Riddle coming through the door.

13) The Arrival

It was a few weeks after Harry's scar had glowed, but he was still curious. Why did Melinda make him glow? Yeah, Voldemort's blood was coursing through her veins, but did his scar only glow when she was angry, or did it always glow around her? Oh, well, he'd find out tomorrow.

Hogwarts was bustling about with activity. House elves and ghosts bustled about, carrying trays of food, silverware, and other dining wares. Professors were busy making the final touches on class plans and classrooms. Harry had done that days ago. Now he was up talking to the Fat Lady, trying to get her to give him the password.

"How do I know you're not some kid brought here because he was being bad? How do I know you're not from another house?" she questioned.

"I've been here at Hogwarts and been a Gryffindor for all six fricking years! Just give me the damn password!" Harry snapped, now really annoyed.

"Excuse your language!"

"Don't make me force it out of you!" he snapped as he flicked his wand out.

"Huh! If you must know, it's Knight to A3."

"Knight to A3?"

"Good heavens! Haven't you ever played Wizard's Chess?"

"Of course I have! Now I'm going to tell McGonagall and Dumbledore the password. Thank you." He turned on his heel and walked down the corridor.

"Potter, come here," Snape called from inside his office.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Did Headmaster tell you what to do for the feast?"

"Yeah, he said to stay outside the doors, out of sight, until he called me in."

"Good. You can go now."

Harry saw the boats come rowing in with the first years and the carriages being pulled by threstals with all the other students from his hiding spot in Dumbledore's room. He just had to wait until the Hall doors shut and the Sorting Hat began to sing.

Soon enough, the hat began to sing and the doors closed with a satisfied thud. Harry raced down the steps just in time to catch the words, "Hannah Allady-- Hufflepuff!"

Harry waited after ten people for a Gryffindor, Harvey Bandine. But another name on the list shocked him... "Padma Lestrange-- Slytherin." Harry stood there, his blood turning cold, trying to sort things out in his mind. This girl must be related to Bellatrix Lestrange, his worst enemy besides Voldemort, and he would be teaching her!

Harry's hatred turned to excitement and fear as he heard the introduction.

"And now," said Dumbledore, "I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor..." Harry opened the doors and walked down the isle. "Harry Potter."

The room went dead silent. Harry nodded and walked up to the staff table, taking his seat between Snape and McGonagall. He looked out, and saw Malfoy and his goonies staring maliciously at him. He searched again and saw Melinda looking rather dumbfounded, but smiling. He scanned the room some more, and finally found Ron and Hermione. Their faces were bright and cheery, but awestruck. They stood up and began to clap, followed by the rest of the Gryffindors. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were quick to join in, but Slytherin remained silent.

The professors around Harry congratulated him. Hagrid embraced him in a big bear hug, and even Snape gently gave him a nudge with his elbow. Harry forgot all about everything, even Padma. At least until tomorrow.