SoH chap 3
and there's another chapter of SoH, as well!! wow, that's surprising. normally i'm really lazy and don't post more than about 2 things in three weeks.
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Chapter 3 - Surprisingly Cold Ocean
As the days passed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione became more and more excited in anticipation of the trip. When they had first gotten the letters about going to the other school, it had all seemed so far off. Now that they were about to leave for Hogwarts, their emotions were at their highest and their nerves were beginning to set in. But none of that stopped Ron from being upset at the fact that they had arrived at the train station an hour earlier than usual.
“I honestly don’t know why we have to be here so bloody early. We’ve made it onto the train in time every other year.”
“Actually, Ron, no we haven’t. Remember second year?” said Harry.
“But that wasn’t our fault! We would have been perfectly fine if that stupid elf hadn’t interfered.”
“Ronald!” said Hermione, exasperatedly. “You shouldn’t be insulting Dobby like that. He didn’t mean anything by it. He was just trying to look out for your best friend’s life. If anything, you should be grateful towards him.”
“Hermione, he tried to kill Harry! He thought if he injured him badly enough, he would have to be sent home. I’m glad I’m going to a school in a different country for six months. That means I won't have to look at his ruddy face for at least that long,” Ron said. Ron didn't care for Dobby one bit. In fact, if he never saw the house elf again, he would be fine with it.
Hermione, after that last comment, was very angry with Ron. After a few minutes of tense silence, the trio finally made it to the platform and onto the train.
Once they had found their own compartment, Ron started throwing his things into the storage area above the seats. He was obviously still upset about his argument with Hermione. When he had finished “storing” his things, he announced that he was going to take a walk. Knowing just how angry Ron could get, Harry and Hermione let him go without saying a word to him. They thought it best to leave him unprovoked.
A few seconds after Ron had left the compartment, Neville walked in and sat down next to Hermione.
“Why was Ron in such a bad mood just a few moments ago?” he asked. “His ears were doing that thing were they turn so red they almost disappear into his hair. And when I said hi, he didn’t even acknowledge me.” Neville sounded a little worried, like he thought Ron was never going to speak to him again. But his mood did lighten when Hermione explained the situation to him.
“Don’t worry Neville, you’re too nice to Ron for him to have a reason to be mad at you.”
Neville looked down at the floor as his face flushed. “Thanks, Hermione,” he mumbled.
After that Neville sat in silence, but a look remained on his face, like he was trying really hard to remember something. After a little bit, Neville seemed to remember and said, “Oh! I knew I had a reason for coming here. Have you guys seen my school robe? I had it when I got on the train, but now I seem to have misplaced it.”
Harry and Hermione told Neville that they had not seen it. They assured him that if they did see it, they would let him know. That seemed to satisfy him. He thanked them, got up, and left.
Forty-five minutes later, Ron came back to the compartment he was sharing with his two best friends. He really didn’t feel like arguing with Hermione during the entire train ride, so he decided to apologize right away and get it over with.
“Hermione, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I know Dobby was just looking out for Harry. I shouldn’t have called him stupid.”
Hermione looked up from the book she had been reading. “Thank you, Ron.” She accepted his apology, even though it hadn’t sounded like he’d really meant it. She, too, felt that the next hours that they would be spending together would be made more enjoyable if they refrained from any verbal confrontations.
Ron walked into the compartment and went to where his trunk was sitting. He opened it and pulled out a chess set.
“Want to play?” he asked Harry, just as the train whistle blew, alerting everyone on the platform that they would be departing in less than five minutes.
“Sure,” Harry answered.
The next few hours were spent in almost complete silence, except for occasional outbursts that indicated that the chess pieces were brutally destroying each other.
When the train got close to Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, and Ron changed into their robes and awaited their arrival. It was not long before the train began to slow down and finally stop. Harry, Ron, and Hermione unloaded their trunks and got off the train. They were greeted by Hagrid’s smiling face as he waited for the first years.
“Hey you three! I'm so glad I was able ter see you ‘fore you left. I heard that you get to go to that school in the US. I'm so proud of all three o’ you,” Hagrid gushed.
“Thanks, Hagrid. I wasn't aware that you would know,” Harry said.
“Not know! Are you kiddin’? There ain’t a single teacher here who don't know you’re goin’. The only one who seems to disapprove of the student selection is Snape, but that's probably just ‘cause he’s mad that all the students invited weren't from Slytherin,” Hagrid said. Harry and Ron both looked at each other. They had both been wondering who else was going, and Hagrid seemed like he might know.
“Hagrid,” Ron began. “Do you know who else-,” but he was cut short.
“Got to go guys. Dumbledore won’t be happy if I don’t get the firs’ years up to the castle right away. I hope I can see you guys off, but if I can't, then you have a good trip.” Hagrid then ran off to make sure that the first years got into the boats okay and that nothing had happened to them.
“Darn it!” Ron said. “I thought we might get some information through Hagrid. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait until they make an announcement or something.”
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood around talking for a while before getting into one of the carriages. The ride was pretty short, and they were standing inside the castle walls before they knew it.
Harry was really glad to be back at school. Hogwarts felt more like home than the Dursley's house ever would. Sure Ron's house did feel more homey than the Dursley's, but it would always be Ron’s and not his own. Harry actually felt a little sad thinking about leaving Hogwarts so quickly. His thoughts were cut short, though, when they were all ushered into the Great Hall so they could begin the sorting ceremony and the feast.
They all walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Once everyone was seated, the first years were led in by Professor McGonagal. They all looked pretty scared, but Harry knew that once they were sorted, most of their nerves would go away.
The sorting ceremony was over quicker than Harry had expected, then the feast began. Ron, of course, piled his plate high with food and began to eat like he hadn't done so in a year. Harry and Hermione restrained themselves from this behavior and began to eat like most civilized people on earth.
The feast also ended quickly and the three walked with the rest of their house to the Gryffindor Dormitories. Someone ahead of them said the password and everyone entered the common room. Having gotten up so early, the boys decided it was best to skip out on the first night of school activities and go straight to bed. It was pretty late, and they were completely exhausted. They both said good-night to Hermione and went up to their own dormitory.
Harry laid down on his bed, still fully clothed, and closed his eyes. It felt good just to lay there. He really wasn't ready to go to sleep, but he couldn’t control it. Soon he was in a deep slumber.
Harry woke with a start some hours later. It was very late. All of the other boys were asleep, and, from the sound of it, so was everyone else in the school. Harry quietly got out of bed and changed into his pajamas. He knew that if he woke Ron up he would never hear the end of it. Walking very slowly, so as not to make any sound, Harry headed toward his bed. Just as he was about to get in, he lost his balance and landed on his face with a loud thud.
“Oww!” Harry said, in a tone just below a yell. He quickly looked around the room to see if anyone had woken up. Thankfully, nobody had. He got up off the floor and into his bed, rubbing the spot on his forehead where it had hit the ground.
After that incident, Harry had a hard time falling asleep. He had so many thoughts going through his head about everything that would soon be happening, that at one point he was sure it was going to explode. Finally, after laying there for a good hour, Harry became drowsy again and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Harry woke up to Ron yelling at him.
“Harry! Get up! We’ve only got twenty minutes till breakfast is over.” Ron was already dressed and ready to go for the day.
Harry sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He yawned loudly as he reached over and grabbed his glasses off of the night stand next to his bed.
“Are you sure we only have twenty minutes?” Harry asked, hoping that he had heard wrong. He really didn’t feel like hurrying too much on his first day back at school.
“Positive, so hurry up. I’ll meet you down in the common room in five minutes.” With that, Ron left the dorm and thundered down the stairs.
Harry sat on his bed for another minute, then got up and dressed himself. He was surprised that he found his clothes and put them on as quickly as he did. After he was dressed, he walked down the stairs and found Ron and Hermione waiting as patiently as they could for him in the common room.
“Come on, Harry! We’ve been waiting for you for ages. I’m hungry! If we don’t get down there soon, all the good food will be gone.”
Okay, so Hermione was the only patient one. “Honestly, Ron, it’s not like you’re going to waste away to nothing. You ate twice as much as anyone last night at dinner.”
“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was taking so long,” said Harry.
Harry joined Ron and Hermione as they made their way out of the tower and down to the Great Hall. In Harry’s opinion, they got there in record time. Mainly because Ron kept running ahead and the other two wanted to keep up with him.
When they entered the Hall, Ron made a beeline for the table and was already eating before Harry and Hermione even sat down. As soon as they had taken their seats, Professor McGonagal walked over to them and handed them their schedules for the day. All three of them read through their schedules in silence. After a few moments, Ron spoke up.
“Oh, that’s a wonderful way to end our only day here for six months - Potions with Slytherin.”
“Yeah, but at least the rest of our classes aren’t that bad,” said Harry. “None of them are with Slytherin. Care of Magical Creatures with Hufflepuff, Divination with Ravenclaw, and Herbology with Hufflepuff again.”
“I guess you’re right. But still, I’d rather go to History than Potions.”
“Well, we can’t always get what we want. Come on guys, let’s leave a little bit early so we can talk to Hagrid before class starts. Maybe we can even find out who all is going on the trip,” said Harry optimistically.
Ron looked down at his breakfast sadly. He had only finished half of it. But, as the curiosity was eating away at him, he decided to go. The trio then got up and walked out of the Great Hall, down the steps, and across the grounds to Hagrid’s hut. When they got there, Hermione knocked on the doors.
The doors opened quickly and Hagrid’s smiling face was revealed.
“I was wonderin’ if I’d see you this mornin’. So, how was yer holiday?” he asked, stepping outside and locking the door behind him.
“Oh, it was wonderful,” answered Hermione. She then went into great detail about how she had spent the first month of her vacation. Ron and Harry tried to interrupt her a few times to ask Hagrid if he knew who all was going on the trip, but it did no use.
“And then I went to Ron’s house,” she finished five minutes later. “That’s about it. How was your summer, Hagrid?”
“Oh, pretty good, I guess. Didn’t do all that travelin’ it sounds like you did, but I had an okay time. Spent a lot o’ time plannin’ some o’ the firs’ lessons fer the year.”
“Sounds like you had fun, Hagrid,” Ron cut in. “So, anyway, do you know who all is going on the trip with us?” Ron never got an answer, though, as the rest of the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs showed up at that exact moment. He glared at Hermione. If she hadn’t wasted all that time talking about her wonderful summer, he would know who he would be spending the next six months with at a foreign school.
“Alright, everyone over here. Good mornin’ an’ welcome back, class! Hope you all had fun over the summer...” The rest of the lesson went on as usual from there.
After class, Ron and Harry made their way back to the castle. As they entered the castle, Ron made an observation.
“Hey Harry, I just realized something. Divination is being held in the North tower again. Should we be afraid that that could mean Trelawney was re-hired?” Harry thought about this comment for a moment before looking at his schedule.
“Or we can just assume that she was re-hired because on our schedules it says that were taking Divination with Professor Trelawney.”
Ron was not really happy that Harry had made him sound a bit like an idiot, but chose to remain silent. Well, for the moment.
Harry was not particularly thrilled to be going to divination, but he knew he had to make the best of it. He figured if Trelawney made her prediction about him dying sometime during this class, he wouldn't have to hear about it anymore for a long time.
Harry and Ron entered the classroom at the top of the North Tower and took their seats in the very back of the classroom. Both boys were curious about what this class had in store for them today.
The rest of the class filed in and took their seats. Trelawney, as usual, entered the classroom from the back room, holding in her hands what appeared to be a giant box of candles. She set them down on an unused table and proceeded to greet the class.
“Good morning class,” She said in a misty voice. “Today we will begin to study the ancient art of Flame Gazing. It is quite a simple task once you understand what you are looking for. I hope all of you have brought your divination year 4 books with you, because today you will need them to see what your future has in store for you. Now, everyone come up front and grab a candle. Once everyone has one, I will show you the proper way to light it.”
Ron let out a groan at this. He and Harry both went up and grabbed a candle and returned to their seats. Harry had figured that the candles would be scented, or pink, but to his surprise (and relief) they were just plain white candles.
Once everyone was seated again, Trelawney proceeded to explain the right way to light a candle. The majority of the class didn’t have a problem with this. Everyone had their candle lit on the first try, except Neville, who accidentally set fire to Morag MacDougal, a Ravenclaw, before getting his own candle lit. The class was then instructed on the proper gazing techniques and then were left to figure out the mysteries of their own futures.
After all this information, Ron stared blankly at his candle. He really didn't care what his future had in store for him, and if he was to take a guess at what he should be seeing in the candle’s flame, he had a feeling that it was probably that Harry's death was eminent.
“I'm going to take a stab at what the candle’s saying about my future,” Ron said. He cleared his throat and continued. “Lets see, I see traveling in my future. Its going to be to a different land, and I'm going with people I know. I will have a fun time there and I won’t miss Potions with Snape. Oh, also Harry, you're going to die a horrible, painful death.” Harry got a good laugh out of that.
Just then, Harry caught site of Trelawney heading their way. He was a bit disappointed, because he had really hoped to avoid her for the entire class.
“Harry, Ron, so nice to see you both back here, alive,” Trelawney said to them as she walked up to their table. “Now Harry, I wonder what the future has in store for you,” she said as she picked up Harry's candle.
“Wonderful,” Harry said under his breath.
“Oh! I see good things in your future!” Harry began to perk up a little bit. That was probably the first time he had ever heard Trelawney say his name and the word good in the same sentence.
“I see you traveling with many loved ones. It seems like a journey, one that will benefit you greatly.” She stopped for a moment and her happy expression faded into a sad one. Harry knew what was coming next.
“Oh, no. I also see much pain and anguish in your future. I see you alone, in the dark, in the surprisingly cold ocean. It is here where you will meet your doom. Oh, I'm so sorry Harry. I always liked you as a student, but I will say good-bye to you now, knowing that I may never see you again.” She then reached over and gave Harry a hug. The entire class was now watching and knew that Trelawney had just predicted Harry's death. Again.
After that Trelawney excused herself from the room.
“Well, at least we know to keep you away from surprisingly cold oceans, Harry,” Ron said after Trelawney had excused herself. Harry really was impressed that at least this time he had a new way to die. But somebody always telling you about your death can really bring down your day.
Divination ended (not soon enough for some) and it was time for lunch. Ron was particularly excited since he had not gotten to eat as much as he wanted at breakfast.
When Harry and Ron got into the Great Hall, they spotted Hermione already at the Gryffindor table and went over to join her. Ron looked like he was in Heaven as he started piling food onto his plate. Hermione ignored this and began discussing the morning’s lessons with Harry.
“So, did you actually learn anything worthwhile in Divination today?” she asked sarcastically.
“Well, not really. We started Flame Gazing. Thank God we’re going to be leaving tomorrow. I don’t think I could stand much more of that. Staring directly into a light, though it may be small, cannot be good for a person’s eyes. Oh, I did learn the new way I’m going to die, though,” Harry stated, as though it were the most interesting topic on earth.
“Really?” questioned Hermione, following suit. “Is this time going to be as spectacular as the rest?”
Harry frowned slightly. “I’m not sure. All I know is that it will involve a surprisingly cold ocean, whatever that means.” He then shrugged and started eating his lunch.
“Well, that sounds lovely,” said Hermione. “I, on the other hand, had a fantastic time in my Advanced Muggle Studies class. Today we learned about different types of muggle medicine. I’m actually kind of sad that I won’t get to continue that lesson.” Hermione stared off into space for a few minutes, thinking about how she would miss being at Hogwarts.
Hermione was then joined by Lavender. The two girls spent the rest of the lunch period talking about Hermione not being in school (she was asking Lavender to take notes for her in the classes that they shared while she was gone), while Ron and Harry busied themselves discussing Quidditch and what it would be like in the US.
“Okay, class, listen up!” called Professor Sprout. “Today we will be planting bean sprouts.”
The class was confused at this. Ron decided to speak for them all.
“Bean sprouts? They’re not magical, are they? Why are we planting bean sprouts?”
“Well, Mr. Weasley, have you never wondered where your supper comes from? Beans don’t just appear out of thin air, now do they?” Professor Sprout stared at him for a second, eyebrows raised. She then continued with her lesson. “All of you come up to the front and get one of the large pots. Make sure you plant your beans at least five inches apart from each other. And make sure you don’t use any more than three drops of growing solution on them. If you do, we’ll be eating nothing but beans for a year.”
With that, the students moved into action and didn’t stop until the end of class.
With Herbology over, the only class left to go to was Potions. Harry figured he would make the best of it, because no matter what Professor Snape did, he would not have to deal with him for a long time. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the dungeon. They made sure to get there only a little bit early, to minimize the time spent with Snape and Draco Malfoy. Harry cringed thinking about Malfoy. He had avoided him all summer, but with Potions being with Slytherin, that was not an option now.
The three of them walked into the classroom and took available seats near the back of the classroom. As soon as Harry was seated, he took notice of Malfoy, who was sitting close by. Malfoy looked like he was about to say something to Harry when Snape burst into the room. Snape seemed very angry about something, and Harry felt that it would probably be taken out on him.
Snape stood at the front of the room, staring at the students before him, and greeted them sourly. “Welcome back. As this is an advanced class, you will all be expected to be able to perform at an extraordinary level. If not, you will be dropped from the class list. The first potion that we will be brewing this year takes a full week to complete, so I suggest beginning now.”
As Snape said the last few words, the directions for the day appeared on the board at the front of the room.
Harry was about to start his work, but was stopped when Snape said, “Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. Malfoy, Potter, Granger, Weasley, follow me.” Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione, but got the same look from them that he was sure he was wearing; utter confusion. He just shrugged, and they all followed Snape into his office.
When they got in there, Snape sat down behind his desk and waited for Malfoy to waltz in, which he did a little over a minute later.
“Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Mr. Malfoy.” At that comment, Ron made a noise of disgust, which resulted in a death glare from Malfoy. Snape decided to ignore the two and continued.
“As none of you will be in class for the next few months, I have been forced to give you a separate assignment rather than fail you for not completing the one being worked on in class today. I expect all of you to read and take detailed notes on the first five chapters of the textbook and have it ready to turn in by the end of class.” A few seconds passed in silence. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get to work!”
The four potions students walked out of their Professor’s office and went back to their seats. Hermione and Malfoy took out their books and began working right away. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, moved as slowly as possible. They didn’t want to have to put any more work into this than was absolutely necessary.
When they had finally gotten all of their supplies out of their bags and ready to use, Ron turned to Harry and whispered, “Can you believe that bloody git is going with us? How did he ever get chosen?”
“I don’t know, Ron. Maybe they put his name on the wrong list. He was supposed to go on the list that named rich snobs that don’t care about anyone but themselves.”
Ron had started to say something in response, but Snape interrupted.
“Is there a problem, gentlemen?”
“No, sir,” Harry and Ron answered in unison.
“Well, then, five points from Gryffindor for disrupting class.”
“But Professor - !”
“I would suggest closing your mouth now, Mr. Weasley. You wouldn’t want to lose your house any more points on the first day back, would you?”
Ron really didn’t want to give in so easily, but he also didn’t want to get into a lot of trouble. The best he could manage without losing house points was a scowl. “No, sir.”
“Good. Now get back to work.” Snape then strolled over to the next Gryffindor table and started harassing the students there about the way their potion was setting up. Apparently it was supposed to be the same thickness as grape juice. Theirs was more along the lines of Jell-O.
The rest of the class went by without too much trouble, which everyone thought was a miracle. Hermione, of course, finished her notes with ten minutes to spare, while Harry and Ron hurriedly wrote down anything that came to mind for the whole of chapter five. All three were glad when the end of class finally came.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall as soon as they had dropped their things off in their dorms. Ron, like always, was eager to get there quickly. But as soon as he got through the doors, he stopped. There was a large group of Slytherins blocking the way. In the center of the commotion, as expected, was Draco Malfoy. He appeared to be showing the rest of the congregation something on his wrist.
“It was a gift from my mother for being responsible,” Draco’s voice rose above the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of his adoring fans. “It gives the times from all over the world, all I have to do is say where I want the time from. Anybody need to know the time for, oh, let’s say, Paris, France?” The crowd around Draco gasped as the face of the emerald encrusted watch did, indeed, change to show the time in Paris.
Draco then looked up and smirked as he locked eyes with Ron, who was still standing in the doorway. Then, never braking his gaze, said a little more loudly than necessary, “It’s not much, but mother figured I needed something to show those American idiots what I was worth.”
Ron turned red, glared at Malfoy, and stalked over to the Gryffindor table, not waiting for either of his friends as the called out for him to slow down. When they did finally get to him, he was sitting down and staring at his half-full plate (even when he was mad he couldn’t ignore the fact that there was something edible sitting right in front of him).
“Oh, just ignore him like you always do,” said Hermione as she sat down and saw that his face was still tinged a pinkish color.
After that, the group ate in peace. Towards the end of the meal, Dumbledore stood and made an announcement, reminding all of the students going on the trip that they needed to come back later that evening to attend the meeting.
Dinner ended and Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to stay in the Great Hall and wait for the meeting to begin rather than return to their common room and have to come back. They waited only a few minutes before Dumbledore appeared at their table and told them that the meeting would begin in exactly fifteen minutes in the room off the Great Hall.
Harry and Ron looked around at the students still left in the Hall. Harry was sure that some of the ones left were there for the same reason as he was, but there also seemed to be quite a few who only wanted to see who the chosen few were. The trio waited a few more minutes before going into the room.
Even though the meeting wasn’t supposed to start for another five minutes, the small room was already starting to fill up with students and Heads of Houses. Harry looked around and was happy to see that Justin Finch-Fletchley and Anthony Goldstein were there. He knew both quite well from the D.A. meetings and knew that they would be a nice addition to the trip. Susan Bones quickly walked in and went over to talk to Hermione. Then, just before the meeting was to begin, Mandy Brocklehurst walked in, relieved to have made it on time.
Just as the clock struck seven, Dumbledore walked to the front of the room and asked everyone to be seated. Harry was confused; when he had come into the room there hadn’t been any chairs in there. Now he saw that two rows of chairs had appeared, each bearing a name upon it. Harry found his seat and sat down, as did the rest.
Dumbledore was just beginning to speak when Malfoy burst into the room. He had a smug smile on his face as he mumbled a half-hearted apology to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore just smiled and said, “It’s so nice that you could make it, Mr. Malfoy.” Draco found the only empty chair left as the meeting officially began.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate each of you eight students. From Hufflepuff, Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley; from Gryffindor, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger; from Ravenclaw, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Anthony Goldstein; and from Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. In your past five years here, all of you have shown leadership and a fair amount of self-discipline.” Dumbledore paused here and glanced between Harry, Ron, and Draco as if he were emphasizing the word fair. “Which is why you have been chosen to be a part of this special event. We thought you all prime candidates to represent Hogwarts at a different school, in a different country.
“Now, to business. I see that you all have your permission forms with you. You can now hand those in to your Head of House.” Dumbledore waited as the students handed in their papers.
“Thank you. Another matter of business to attend to is to warn you that Americans are more lenient on the rules about mixing magic with muggles. American wizards actually spend a good deal of their free time interacting with muggles. Although this is true, they are not careless about the way they conduct themselves in these situations. Most of them have the common sense not to perform magic in public areas; this is something that I expect you all to keep in mind, as you will be allowed to use magic outside of school. The laws over there are different and students can begin using magic as soon as they start school.
“Because of this, we want you to get used to the interaction with muggles by flying, on an airplane, from New York to Illinois, where the school is.”
At that bit of information, Malfoy’s face took on a look of disbelief and disgust. “What? We have to travel like muggles? Why? Why can’t we just Floo there?”
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy, you will be traveling like muggles. The first reason, I have already explained to you. The second reason is that it is illegal for wizards under the age of eighteen to use Floo powder, owing to the fact that it was being sold to muggles as a drug. And third, a simple lack of fireplaces in most American homes and buildings has caused it to become the least preferred method of travel.”
Malfoy was still not happy about the travel arrangements, but thought it best not to talk back to Dumbledore. He knew that he had been pressing his luck the first time he had spoken out of turn. Dumbledore kept his eyes on Draco for a few seconds before continuing with his speech.
“After the airplane lands in Chicago, you will take a car to the school. Once you are at Allteline, you will attend a meeting like this one in case you have any questions for the headmaster. After that meeting you will be sorted into the house you will be staying with for the duration of your stay.
“Tomorrow morning you will need to report back to this room, with your belongings, by seven o’clock. You will take a portkey to New York and meet a representative from the school there. From that point on, they will be giving you directions. I expect you all to behave better than you do here while you are on this trip. Does anyone have any questions?”
Hermione immediately raised her hand. “Sir, if we are taking a portkey to New York, why can’t we just take one straight to the school?”
“There are two main reasons why that cannot happen. One, there are certain location set up along the coast that travelers must stop at before they can go any further into the country. And two, for security reasons, portkeys are not allowed to be set up within ten miles of the school.”
The room was silent for a few moments, and then Hermione’s hand shot up again. “Sir, what about the time difference?”
“Another good question. If you did not already know, the time in New York is five hours behind London. Therefore, you should all have figured out by now that you will be arriving in New York at around two o’clock in the morning, at which time you will be given a tour of the city.”
Another pause in the conversation, then Hermione’s hand went up for a third time. But before she could ask her question, Dumbledore was already answering it.
“Yes, Miss Granger, I can assure you that the library there meets even your requirements.” He ended this with a smile. Hermione looked positively giddy as her hand went down. “If there are no more questions, then I suggest you all get to your common rooms and get your things ready. And go to bed early, you have a very long day ahead of you tomorrow.”
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another chapter done. any comments? it'd really make me happy if you left one. :)
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Chapter 3 - Surprisingly Cold Ocean
As the days passed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione became more and more excited in anticipation of the trip. When they had first gotten the letters about going to the other school, it had all seemed so far off. Now that they were about to leave for Hogwarts, their emotions were at their highest and their nerves were beginning to set in. But none of that stopped Ron from being upset at the fact that they had arrived at the train station an hour earlier than usual.
“I honestly don’t know why we have to be here so bloody early. We’ve made it onto the train in time every other year.”
“Actually, Ron, no we haven’t. Remember second year?” said Harry.
“But that wasn’t our fault! We would have been perfectly fine if that stupid elf hadn’t interfered.”
“Ronald!” said Hermione, exasperatedly. “You shouldn’t be insulting Dobby like that. He didn’t mean anything by it. He was just trying to look out for your best friend’s life. If anything, you should be grateful towards him.”
“Hermione, he tried to kill Harry! He thought if he injured him badly enough, he would have to be sent home. I’m glad I’m going to a school in a different country for six months. That means I won't have to look at his ruddy face for at least that long,” Ron said. Ron didn't care for Dobby one bit. In fact, if he never saw the house elf again, he would be fine with it.
Hermione, after that last comment, was very angry with Ron. After a few minutes of tense silence, the trio finally made it to the platform and onto the train.
Once they had found their own compartment, Ron started throwing his things into the storage area above the seats. He was obviously still upset about his argument with Hermione. When he had finished “storing” his things, he announced that he was going to take a walk. Knowing just how angry Ron could get, Harry and Hermione let him go without saying a word to him. They thought it best to leave him unprovoked.
A few seconds after Ron had left the compartment, Neville walked in and sat down next to Hermione.
“Why was Ron in such a bad mood just a few moments ago?” he asked. “His ears were doing that thing were they turn so red they almost disappear into his hair. And when I said hi, he didn’t even acknowledge me.” Neville sounded a little worried, like he thought Ron was never going to speak to him again. But his mood did lighten when Hermione explained the situation to him.
“Don’t worry Neville, you’re too nice to Ron for him to have a reason to be mad at you.”
Neville looked down at the floor as his face flushed. “Thanks, Hermione,” he mumbled.
After that Neville sat in silence, but a look remained on his face, like he was trying really hard to remember something. After a little bit, Neville seemed to remember and said, “Oh! I knew I had a reason for coming here. Have you guys seen my school robe? I had it when I got on the train, but now I seem to have misplaced it.”
Harry and Hermione told Neville that they had not seen it. They assured him that if they did see it, they would let him know. That seemed to satisfy him. He thanked them, got up, and left.
Forty-five minutes later, Ron came back to the compartment he was sharing with his two best friends. He really didn’t feel like arguing with Hermione during the entire train ride, so he decided to apologize right away and get it over with.
“Hermione, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I know Dobby was just looking out for Harry. I shouldn’t have called him stupid.”
Hermione looked up from the book she had been reading. “Thank you, Ron.” She accepted his apology, even though it hadn’t sounded like he’d really meant it. She, too, felt that the next hours that they would be spending together would be made more enjoyable if they refrained from any verbal confrontations.
Ron walked into the compartment and went to where his trunk was sitting. He opened it and pulled out a chess set.
“Want to play?” he asked Harry, just as the train whistle blew, alerting everyone on the platform that they would be departing in less than five minutes.
“Sure,” Harry answered.
The next few hours were spent in almost complete silence, except for occasional outbursts that indicated that the chess pieces were brutally destroying each other.
When the train got close to Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, and Ron changed into their robes and awaited their arrival. It was not long before the train began to slow down and finally stop. Harry, Ron, and Hermione unloaded their trunks and got off the train. They were greeted by Hagrid’s smiling face as he waited for the first years.
“Hey you three! I'm so glad I was able ter see you ‘fore you left. I heard that you get to go to that school in the US. I'm so proud of all three o’ you,” Hagrid gushed.
“Thanks, Hagrid. I wasn't aware that you would know,” Harry said.
“Not know! Are you kiddin’? There ain’t a single teacher here who don't know you’re goin’. The only one who seems to disapprove of the student selection is Snape, but that's probably just ‘cause he’s mad that all the students invited weren't from Slytherin,” Hagrid said. Harry and Ron both looked at each other. They had both been wondering who else was going, and Hagrid seemed like he might know.
“Hagrid,” Ron began. “Do you know who else-,” but he was cut short.
“Got to go guys. Dumbledore won’t be happy if I don’t get the firs’ years up to the castle right away. I hope I can see you guys off, but if I can't, then you have a good trip.” Hagrid then ran off to make sure that the first years got into the boats okay and that nothing had happened to them.
“Darn it!” Ron said. “I thought we might get some information through Hagrid. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait until they make an announcement or something.”
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood around talking for a while before getting into one of the carriages. The ride was pretty short, and they were standing inside the castle walls before they knew it.
Harry was really glad to be back at school. Hogwarts felt more like home than the Dursley's house ever would. Sure Ron's house did feel more homey than the Dursley's, but it would always be Ron’s and not his own. Harry actually felt a little sad thinking about leaving Hogwarts so quickly. His thoughts were cut short, though, when they were all ushered into the Great Hall so they could begin the sorting ceremony and the feast.
They all walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Once everyone was seated, the first years were led in by Professor McGonagal. They all looked pretty scared, but Harry knew that once they were sorted, most of their nerves would go away.
The sorting ceremony was over quicker than Harry had expected, then the feast began. Ron, of course, piled his plate high with food and began to eat like he hadn't done so in a year. Harry and Hermione restrained themselves from this behavior and began to eat like most civilized people on earth.
The feast also ended quickly and the three walked with the rest of their house to the Gryffindor Dormitories. Someone ahead of them said the password and everyone entered the common room. Having gotten up so early, the boys decided it was best to skip out on the first night of school activities and go straight to bed. It was pretty late, and they were completely exhausted. They both said good-night to Hermione and went up to their own dormitory.
Harry laid down on his bed, still fully clothed, and closed his eyes. It felt good just to lay there. He really wasn't ready to go to sleep, but he couldn’t control it. Soon he was in a deep slumber.
Harry woke with a start some hours later. It was very late. All of the other boys were asleep, and, from the sound of it, so was everyone else in the school. Harry quietly got out of bed and changed into his pajamas. He knew that if he woke Ron up he would never hear the end of it. Walking very slowly, so as not to make any sound, Harry headed toward his bed. Just as he was about to get in, he lost his balance and landed on his face with a loud thud.
“Oww!” Harry said, in a tone just below a yell. He quickly looked around the room to see if anyone had woken up. Thankfully, nobody had. He got up off the floor and into his bed, rubbing the spot on his forehead where it had hit the ground.
After that incident, Harry had a hard time falling asleep. He had so many thoughts going through his head about everything that would soon be happening, that at one point he was sure it was going to explode. Finally, after laying there for a good hour, Harry became drowsy again and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Harry woke up to Ron yelling at him.
“Harry! Get up! We’ve only got twenty minutes till breakfast is over.” Ron was already dressed and ready to go for the day.
Harry sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He yawned loudly as he reached over and grabbed his glasses off of the night stand next to his bed.
“Are you sure we only have twenty minutes?” Harry asked, hoping that he had heard wrong. He really didn’t feel like hurrying too much on his first day back at school.
“Positive, so hurry up. I’ll meet you down in the common room in five minutes.” With that, Ron left the dorm and thundered down the stairs.
Harry sat on his bed for another minute, then got up and dressed himself. He was surprised that he found his clothes and put them on as quickly as he did. After he was dressed, he walked down the stairs and found Ron and Hermione waiting as patiently as they could for him in the common room.
“Come on, Harry! We’ve been waiting for you for ages. I’m hungry! If we don’t get down there soon, all the good food will be gone.”
Okay, so Hermione was the only patient one. “Honestly, Ron, it’s not like you’re going to waste away to nothing. You ate twice as much as anyone last night at dinner.”
“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was taking so long,” said Harry.
Harry joined Ron and Hermione as they made their way out of the tower and down to the Great Hall. In Harry’s opinion, they got there in record time. Mainly because Ron kept running ahead and the other two wanted to keep up with him.
When they entered the Hall, Ron made a beeline for the table and was already eating before Harry and Hermione even sat down. As soon as they had taken their seats, Professor McGonagal walked over to them and handed them their schedules for the day. All three of them read through their schedules in silence. After a few moments, Ron spoke up.
“Oh, that’s a wonderful way to end our only day here for six months - Potions with Slytherin.”
“Yeah, but at least the rest of our classes aren’t that bad,” said Harry. “None of them are with Slytherin. Care of Magical Creatures with Hufflepuff, Divination with Ravenclaw, and Herbology with Hufflepuff again.”
“I guess you’re right. But still, I’d rather go to History than Potions.”
“Well, we can’t always get what we want. Come on guys, let’s leave a little bit early so we can talk to Hagrid before class starts. Maybe we can even find out who all is going on the trip,” said Harry optimistically.
Ron looked down at his breakfast sadly. He had only finished half of it. But, as the curiosity was eating away at him, he decided to go. The trio then got up and walked out of the Great Hall, down the steps, and across the grounds to Hagrid’s hut. When they got there, Hermione knocked on the doors.
The doors opened quickly and Hagrid’s smiling face was revealed.
“I was wonderin’ if I’d see you this mornin’. So, how was yer holiday?” he asked, stepping outside and locking the door behind him.
“Oh, it was wonderful,” answered Hermione. She then went into great detail about how she had spent the first month of her vacation. Ron and Harry tried to interrupt her a few times to ask Hagrid if he knew who all was going on the trip, but it did no use.
“And then I went to Ron’s house,” she finished five minutes later. “That’s about it. How was your summer, Hagrid?”
“Oh, pretty good, I guess. Didn’t do all that travelin’ it sounds like you did, but I had an okay time. Spent a lot o’ time plannin’ some o’ the firs’ lessons fer the year.”
“Sounds like you had fun, Hagrid,” Ron cut in. “So, anyway, do you know who all is going on the trip with us?” Ron never got an answer, though, as the rest of the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs showed up at that exact moment. He glared at Hermione. If she hadn’t wasted all that time talking about her wonderful summer, he would know who he would be spending the next six months with at a foreign school.
“Alright, everyone over here. Good mornin’ an’ welcome back, class! Hope you all had fun over the summer...” The rest of the lesson went on as usual from there.
After class, Ron and Harry made their way back to the castle. As they entered the castle, Ron made an observation.
“Hey Harry, I just realized something. Divination is being held in the North tower again. Should we be afraid that that could mean Trelawney was re-hired?” Harry thought about this comment for a moment before looking at his schedule.
“Or we can just assume that she was re-hired because on our schedules it says that were taking Divination with Professor Trelawney.”
Ron was not really happy that Harry had made him sound a bit like an idiot, but chose to remain silent. Well, for the moment.
Harry was not particularly thrilled to be going to divination, but he knew he had to make the best of it. He figured if Trelawney made her prediction about him dying sometime during this class, he wouldn't have to hear about it anymore for a long time.
Harry and Ron entered the classroom at the top of the North Tower and took their seats in the very back of the classroom. Both boys were curious about what this class had in store for them today.
The rest of the class filed in and took their seats. Trelawney, as usual, entered the classroom from the back room, holding in her hands what appeared to be a giant box of candles. She set them down on an unused table and proceeded to greet the class.
“Good morning class,” She said in a misty voice. “Today we will begin to study the ancient art of Flame Gazing. It is quite a simple task once you understand what you are looking for. I hope all of you have brought your divination year 4 books with you, because today you will need them to see what your future has in store for you. Now, everyone come up front and grab a candle. Once everyone has one, I will show you the proper way to light it.”
Ron let out a groan at this. He and Harry both went up and grabbed a candle and returned to their seats. Harry had figured that the candles would be scented, or pink, but to his surprise (and relief) they were just plain white candles.
Once everyone was seated again, Trelawney proceeded to explain the right way to light a candle. The majority of the class didn’t have a problem with this. Everyone had their candle lit on the first try, except Neville, who accidentally set fire to Morag MacDougal, a Ravenclaw, before getting his own candle lit. The class was then instructed on the proper gazing techniques and then were left to figure out the mysteries of their own futures.
After all this information, Ron stared blankly at his candle. He really didn't care what his future had in store for him, and if he was to take a guess at what he should be seeing in the candle’s flame, he had a feeling that it was probably that Harry's death was eminent.
“I'm going to take a stab at what the candle’s saying about my future,” Ron said. He cleared his throat and continued. “Lets see, I see traveling in my future. Its going to be to a different land, and I'm going with people I know. I will have a fun time there and I won’t miss Potions with Snape. Oh, also Harry, you're going to die a horrible, painful death.” Harry got a good laugh out of that.
Just then, Harry caught site of Trelawney heading their way. He was a bit disappointed, because he had really hoped to avoid her for the entire class.
“Harry, Ron, so nice to see you both back here, alive,” Trelawney said to them as she walked up to their table. “Now Harry, I wonder what the future has in store for you,” she said as she picked up Harry's candle.
“Wonderful,” Harry said under his breath.
“Oh! I see good things in your future!” Harry began to perk up a little bit. That was probably the first time he had ever heard Trelawney say his name and the word good in the same sentence.
“I see you traveling with many loved ones. It seems like a journey, one that will benefit you greatly.” She stopped for a moment and her happy expression faded into a sad one. Harry knew what was coming next.
“Oh, no. I also see much pain and anguish in your future. I see you alone, in the dark, in the surprisingly cold ocean. It is here where you will meet your doom. Oh, I'm so sorry Harry. I always liked you as a student, but I will say good-bye to you now, knowing that I may never see you again.” She then reached over and gave Harry a hug. The entire class was now watching and knew that Trelawney had just predicted Harry's death. Again.
After that Trelawney excused herself from the room.
“Well, at least we know to keep you away from surprisingly cold oceans, Harry,” Ron said after Trelawney had excused herself. Harry really was impressed that at least this time he had a new way to die. But somebody always telling you about your death can really bring down your day.
Divination ended (not soon enough for some) and it was time for lunch. Ron was particularly excited since he had not gotten to eat as much as he wanted at breakfast.
When Harry and Ron got into the Great Hall, they spotted Hermione already at the Gryffindor table and went over to join her. Ron looked like he was in Heaven as he started piling food onto his plate. Hermione ignored this and began discussing the morning’s lessons with Harry.
“So, did you actually learn anything worthwhile in Divination today?” she asked sarcastically.
“Well, not really. We started Flame Gazing. Thank God we’re going to be leaving tomorrow. I don’t think I could stand much more of that. Staring directly into a light, though it may be small, cannot be good for a person’s eyes. Oh, I did learn the new way I’m going to die, though,” Harry stated, as though it were the most interesting topic on earth.
“Really?” questioned Hermione, following suit. “Is this time going to be as spectacular as the rest?”
Harry frowned slightly. “I’m not sure. All I know is that it will involve a surprisingly cold ocean, whatever that means.” He then shrugged and started eating his lunch.
“Well, that sounds lovely,” said Hermione. “I, on the other hand, had a fantastic time in my Advanced Muggle Studies class. Today we learned about different types of muggle medicine. I’m actually kind of sad that I won’t get to continue that lesson.” Hermione stared off into space for a few minutes, thinking about how she would miss being at Hogwarts.
Hermione was then joined by Lavender. The two girls spent the rest of the lunch period talking about Hermione not being in school (she was asking Lavender to take notes for her in the classes that they shared while she was gone), while Ron and Harry busied themselves discussing Quidditch and what it would be like in the US.
“Okay, class, listen up!” called Professor Sprout. “Today we will be planting bean sprouts.”
The class was confused at this. Ron decided to speak for them all.
“Bean sprouts? They’re not magical, are they? Why are we planting bean sprouts?”
“Well, Mr. Weasley, have you never wondered where your supper comes from? Beans don’t just appear out of thin air, now do they?” Professor Sprout stared at him for a second, eyebrows raised. She then continued with her lesson. “All of you come up to the front and get one of the large pots. Make sure you plant your beans at least five inches apart from each other. And make sure you don’t use any more than three drops of growing solution on them. If you do, we’ll be eating nothing but beans for a year.”
With that, the students moved into action and didn’t stop until the end of class.
With Herbology over, the only class left to go to was Potions. Harry figured he would make the best of it, because no matter what Professor Snape did, he would not have to deal with him for a long time. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the dungeon. They made sure to get there only a little bit early, to minimize the time spent with Snape and Draco Malfoy. Harry cringed thinking about Malfoy. He had avoided him all summer, but with Potions being with Slytherin, that was not an option now.
The three of them walked into the classroom and took available seats near the back of the classroom. As soon as Harry was seated, he took notice of Malfoy, who was sitting close by. Malfoy looked like he was about to say something to Harry when Snape burst into the room. Snape seemed very angry about something, and Harry felt that it would probably be taken out on him.
Snape stood at the front of the room, staring at the students before him, and greeted them sourly. “Welcome back. As this is an advanced class, you will all be expected to be able to perform at an extraordinary level. If not, you will be dropped from the class list. The first potion that we will be brewing this year takes a full week to complete, so I suggest beginning now.”
As Snape said the last few words, the directions for the day appeared on the board at the front of the room.
Harry was about to start his work, but was stopped when Snape said, “Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. Malfoy, Potter, Granger, Weasley, follow me.” Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione, but got the same look from them that he was sure he was wearing; utter confusion. He just shrugged, and they all followed Snape into his office.
When they got in there, Snape sat down behind his desk and waited for Malfoy to waltz in, which he did a little over a minute later.
“Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Mr. Malfoy.” At that comment, Ron made a noise of disgust, which resulted in a death glare from Malfoy. Snape decided to ignore the two and continued.
“As none of you will be in class for the next few months, I have been forced to give you a separate assignment rather than fail you for not completing the one being worked on in class today. I expect all of you to read and take detailed notes on the first five chapters of the textbook and have it ready to turn in by the end of class.” A few seconds passed in silence. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get to work!”
The four potions students walked out of their Professor’s office and went back to their seats. Hermione and Malfoy took out their books and began working right away. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, moved as slowly as possible. They didn’t want to have to put any more work into this than was absolutely necessary.
When they had finally gotten all of their supplies out of their bags and ready to use, Ron turned to Harry and whispered, “Can you believe that bloody git is going with us? How did he ever get chosen?”
“I don’t know, Ron. Maybe they put his name on the wrong list. He was supposed to go on the list that named rich snobs that don’t care about anyone but themselves.”
Ron had started to say something in response, but Snape interrupted.
“Is there a problem, gentlemen?”
“No, sir,” Harry and Ron answered in unison.
“Well, then, five points from Gryffindor for disrupting class.”
“But Professor - !”
“I would suggest closing your mouth now, Mr. Weasley. You wouldn’t want to lose your house any more points on the first day back, would you?”
Ron really didn’t want to give in so easily, but he also didn’t want to get into a lot of trouble. The best he could manage without losing house points was a scowl. “No, sir.”
“Good. Now get back to work.” Snape then strolled over to the next Gryffindor table and started harassing the students there about the way their potion was setting up. Apparently it was supposed to be the same thickness as grape juice. Theirs was more along the lines of Jell-O.
The rest of the class went by without too much trouble, which everyone thought was a miracle. Hermione, of course, finished her notes with ten minutes to spare, while Harry and Ron hurriedly wrote down anything that came to mind for the whole of chapter five. All three were glad when the end of class finally came.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall as soon as they had dropped their things off in their dorms. Ron, like always, was eager to get there quickly. But as soon as he got through the doors, he stopped. There was a large group of Slytherins blocking the way. In the center of the commotion, as expected, was Draco Malfoy. He appeared to be showing the rest of the congregation something on his wrist.
“It was a gift from my mother for being responsible,” Draco’s voice rose above the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of his adoring fans. “It gives the times from all over the world, all I have to do is say where I want the time from. Anybody need to know the time for, oh, let’s say, Paris, France?” The crowd around Draco gasped as the face of the emerald encrusted watch did, indeed, change to show the time in Paris.
Draco then looked up and smirked as he locked eyes with Ron, who was still standing in the doorway. Then, never braking his gaze, said a little more loudly than necessary, “It’s not much, but mother figured I needed something to show those American idiots what I was worth.”
Ron turned red, glared at Malfoy, and stalked over to the Gryffindor table, not waiting for either of his friends as the called out for him to slow down. When they did finally get to him, he was sitting down and staring at his half-full plate (even when he was mad he couldn’t ignore the fact that there was something edible sitting right in front of him).
“Oh, just ignore him like you always do,” said Hermione as she sat down and saw that his face was still tinged a pinkish color.
After that, the group ate in peace. Towards the end of the meal, Dumbledore stood and made an announcement, reminding all of the students going on the trip that they needed to come back later that evening to attend the meeting.
Dinner ended and Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to stay in the Great Hall and wait for the meeting to begin rather than return to their common room and have to come back. They waited only a few minutes before Dumbledore appeared at their table and told them that the meeting would begin in exactly fifteen minutes in the room off the Great Hall.
Harry and Ron looked around at the students still left in the Hall. Harry was sure that some of the ones left were there for the same reason as he was, but there also seemed to be quite a few who only wanted to see who the chosen few were. The trio waited a few more minutes before going into the room.
Even though the meeting wasn’t supposed to start for another five minutes, the small room was already starting to fill up with students and Heads of Houses. Harry looked around and was happy to see that Justin Finch-Fletchley and Anthony Goldstein were there. He knew both quite well from the D.A. meetings and knew that they would be a nice addition to the trip. Susan Bones quickly walked in and went over to talk to Hermione. Then, just before the meeting was to begin, Mandy Brocklehurst walked in, relieved to have made it on time.
Just as the clock struck seven, Dumbledore walked to the front of the room and asked everyone to be seated. Harry was confused; when he had come into the room there hadn’t been any chairs in there. Now he saw that two rows of chairs had appeared, each bearing a name upon it. Harry found his seat and sat down, as did the rest.
Dumbledore was just beginning to speak when Malfoy burst into the room. He had a smug smile on his face as he mumbled a half-hearted apology to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore just smiled and said, “It’s so nice that you could make it, Mr. Malfoy.” Draco found the only empty chair left as the meeting officially began.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate each of you eight students. From Hufflepuff, Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley; from Gryffindor, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger; from Ravenclaw, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Anthony Goldstein; and from Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. In your past five years here, all of you have shown leadership and a fair amount of self-discipline.” Dumbledore paused here and glanced between Harry, Ron, and Draco as if he were emphasizing the word fair. “Which is why you have been chosen to be a part of this special event. We thought you all prime candidates to represent Hogwarts at a different school, in a different country.
“Now, to business. I see that you all have your permission forms with you. You can now hand those in to your Head of House.” Dumbledore waited as the students handed in their papers.
“Thank you. Another matter of business to attend to is to warn you that Americans are more lenient on the rules about mixing magic with muggles. American wizards actually spend a good deal of their free time interacting with muggles. Although this is true, they are not careless about the way they conduct themselves in these situations. Most of them have the common sense not to perform magic in public areas; this is something that I expect you all to keep in mind, as you will be allowed to use magic outside of school. The laws over there are different and students can begin using magic as soon as they start school.
“Because of this, we want you to get used to the interaction with muggles by flying, on an airplane, from New York to Illinois, where the school is.”
At that bit of information, Malfoy’s face took on a look of disbelief and disgust. “What? We have to travel like muggles? Why? Why can’t we just Floo there?”
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy, you will be traveling like muggles. The first reason, I have already explained to you. The second reason is that it is illegal for wizards under the age of eighteen to use Floo powder, owing to the fact that it was being sold to muggles as a drug. And third, a simple lack of fireplaces in most American homes and buildings has caused it to become the least preferred method of travel.”
Malfoy was still not happy about the travel arrangements, but thought it best not to talk back to Dumbledore. He knew that he had been pressing his luck the first time he had spoken out of turn. Dumbledore kept his eyes on Draco for a few seconds before continuing with his speech.
“After the airplane lands in Chicago, you will take a car to the school. Once you are at Allteline, you will attend a meeting like this one in case you have any questions for the headmaster. After that meeting you will be sorted into the house you will be staying with for the duration of your stay.
“Tomorrow morning you will need to report back to this room, with your belongings, by seven o’clock. You will take a portkey to New York and meet a representative from the school there. From that point on, they will be giving you directions. I expect you all to behave better than you do here while you are on this trip. Does anyone have any questions?”
Hermione immediately raised her hand. “Sir, if we are taking a portkey to New York, why can’t we just take one straight to the school?”
“There are two main reasons why that cannot happen. One, there are certain location set up along the coast that travelers must stop at before they can go any further into the country. And two, for security reasons, portkeys are not allowed to be set up within ten miles of the school.”
The room was silent for a few moments, and then Hermione’s hand shot up again. “Sir, what about the time difference?”
“Another good question. If you did not already know, the time in New York is five hours behind London. Therefore, you should all have figured out by now that you will be arriving in New York at around two o’clock in the morning, at which time you will be given a tour of the city.”
Another pause in the conversation, then Hermione’s hand went up for a third time. But before she could ask her question, Dumbledore was already answering it.
“Yes, Miss Granger, I can assure you that the library there meets even your requirements.” He ended this with a smile. Hermione looked positively giddy as her hand went down. “If there are no more questions, then I suggest you all get to your common rooms and get your things ready. And go to bed early, you have a very long day ahead of you tomorrow.”
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another chapter done. any comments? it'd really make me happy if you left one. :)
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