Harry Potter and the Sealed Gateway
Chapter 10: The Most Severe Warning
The realization that the events prescribed in the prophecy would be happening this year, was very shocking to Harry. He knew he should tell Hermione and Ron about the Prophecy he heard in Dumbledore's office, about how either he or Voldemort had to kill each other in the end. He was quite sure that he himself was the 'Great Survivor' and the Voldemort was 'the Prince of Two Bloods.' He was going to tell Hermione and Ron right now...
"We've got to tell Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione firmly.
"No," said Harry at once. "Dumbledore's already worried enough about this whole loss of the ancient protection thing...if we tell him about this, he'll probably forbid me from going anywhere on campus, like when Sirius escaped."
Ron didn't look convinced, but nodded in agreement.
"Harry...if you're sure...but I think..."
"No."
The arrived at the Prefects' Cabin to find the biggest stack of Chairs they had yet to see.
"One of you go...It's Gryffindor's turn," explained Katie Bell.
"How...do you?" asked Ron.
Hermione rolled up her sleeves, swished and flicked her wand, saying "Cathedrum Leviosa." A red chair flew up to the top and balanced itself on top of a blue one. There was quite a bit of cheering from the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs (who had just been eliminated by the Ravenclaws). The Slytherins were sulking after their loss in the first round.
Several more chairs stacked, until you could no longer see the top of the stack. When Harry's chair landed, the tower swayed threateningly, but remained standing. The Gryffindors all breathed a sigh of relief. For the Hufflepuffs, Ernie Macmillan raised his wand, but never got to finish his turn, because just then, the train came to a screeching halt, causing everyone to fall over, and the tower of chairs to rain down upon them. Mostly everybody found shelter under another chair, but several people were going to be hit, until Cho stood up and screamed, "IMMOBULUS!" causing about forty chairs to hover in the air. The speakers buzzed, and a witch's voice said, noticeably nervous: "Eh...We have encountered a...difficulty...please remain in your cabins. We are currently five minutes from Hogwarts. Thank you."
Zacharias Smith stood up, while a dozen prefects lowered the chairs. "Go to the bus and make sure no one panics."
"What's happening, Zacharias?" asked Ernie Macmillan nervously.
"No idea. Go patrol the aisles."
The prefects set off in small groups, muttering to themselves nervously. Several of them seemed to want to leave the bus and see what the problem was, but none dared. Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Colin, looked out the window and noticed that there was a downpour of rain. Thunder cracked, and the lights flickered on and off on the Express. Several younger students attempted to run out of the cabins, screaming, but the Prefects contained them. Zacharias Smith paced up and down the aisle. "What is happening? Everyone stay calm! What is happening?" Just then, an icy wind broke out across the bus and the lights went off. The talking immediately ceased. After a few seconds, several people, lighted their wands. Every Prefect's face was dark and grim. Harry had just seen something outside the window...a dark cloud...no. Suddenly he heard screams from a nearby cabin, and he ran into it to find three first years weeping openly, one of them was Marcus Jordan.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Harry asked them.
Marcus was sobbing, but managed to convey what had happened, "N-never--- happy—d-dark th-thoughts...r-robed—bl—ack." All three of them were pointing nervously at their window.
Harry knew at once that they had seen a dementor outside their window. He ran out into the aisle.
"This is a dementor attack!" Harry yelled. Several Prefects gasped loudly. "WELL!?" screamed Harry, "WANDS OUT! REMEMBER TO THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!"
Harry was very grateful that he had taught the D.A. how to do a Patronus. He wasn't at all sure that they would be able to conjure one in front of a dementor, though. Several of them shut their eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. Still more of them just looked more nervous, and some taught non- D.A. members how to do a Patronus Charm.
"Harry..." whispered Hermione, "did you pack your mirror?"
"Yeah...they're both in my trunk, in the luggage compartment at the back of the train."
Hermione grabbed his arm and they fled toward the luggage department, unnoticed by anyone except Ron, Ginny, and Justin Finch-Fletchley, all three of whom followed them curiously. They opened the luggage compartment, and Hermione unlocked Harry's trunk and rummaged around in it.
"Hermione, what good are both mirrors going to do us..." But Hermione pulled out a mirror, gave it to Harry, and said, "I left one with Borlig before we left."
She looked into the mirror and said, "Borlig!" Seconds later, Justin gasped as Borlig's face appeared in the mirror. Harry realized that, in the strange silver hue of the mirror, a goblin did look quite frightening.
"Borlig."
"Gyes?"
"This is an emergency...alert Professor McGonagall at once that the Hogwarts Express has been attacked by Dementors five minutes away from Hogwarts."
Borlig nodded and disappeared from view.
"Who was that?" asked a dumbstruck Justin.
They realized that they needed to be careful when explaining Borlig to Justin, so as not to reveal to him that they had stayed at Hogwarts over the summer.
"He is...er...a goblin...that Ron knows...and he's at Hogwarts, right now," said Harry.
"I left a mirror with Borlig at Ron's house," added Hermione quickly.
Justin still looked puzzled. "So those...are Dumbledore's guests..." They nodded. "Then...but...don't they eat people?"
"Of course not, that's nonsense," said Hermione.
"He's very nice, actually," said Harry.
"You should see his gharblag," added Ron. Harry and Hermione nudged him in the ribs.
"His...what?"
"It's a jarvey," said Hermione simply. Justin looked impressed.
"A trained jarvey?" asked the incredulous Justin.
"Well, as trained as they come...what are we doing here? This is an emergency!" said Hermione.
They set off back to the train at once. Zacharias Smith updated them, "The driver and snack-car witch disapparated already. We're alone..." He looked hopeless.
"But Hermione contacted Professor McGonagall!" cried Justin.
Harry was nervous. Zacharias Smith was very nosy, and he couldn't see him not questioning them thoroughly.
"Excellent," he said, remarkably humble, "I won't ask you how you did it...but thank you."
More screams erupted from a cabin nearby. Hannah Abbot rushed in to see what happened, but she screamed herself, and the Ravenclaw seventh-years, led by Cho, rushed in and began shooting feeble Patronus into the cabin.
Harry ran over to produce one of his own, but when he got there the Dementor had already left. Cho was sweating and breathing heavily. "It left...good thing you taught me that...she said, before collapsing into Harry's arms. Roger Davies, apparently nearby, came and took her from Harry, and whispered something that must have been very sweet into her ears, because she smiled. Harry noticed the Slytherin prefects were huddled in a corner, rather inactive.
Suddenly, the train was illuminated by great bursts of bright light from outside. Around ten figures were surrounding the bus, shooting out great bursts of light of many colors. It was rather like a fireworks display. Several dementors, presumably dead, fell to ground in a lump of black hooded robes. Harry recognized Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Ogden, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sinistra, Professor Snape, and Bill Weasley (what was he doing here) among them. Several more dementors fell to the ground. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. Madame Pomfrey boarded the train and asked whether everyone was all right as the other Professors boarded the train. Professor Sprout, apparently, used to be an engineer, and would be driving them to Hogwarts.
Professors McGonagall and Ogden passed out chocolate to everyone on the train. Zacharias Smith loudly updated Professor Dumbledore. ("Yes, Headmaster, there was screaming, but I told them, I said, be alert, remember how to do a Patronus. Of course, I recognized it to be a dementor attack at once.") Ron looked as if he was about to say something, but Hermione silenced him with a withering look. McGonagall came over to where they were standing and thanked them quietly for alerting her. Professor Ogden returned from the Prefects' cabin, loudly announcing that, from the looks of it, a fine game of Chairs had been played and he wondered who won.
Professor McGonagall scowled, but Justin Finch-Fletchley excited told him that it had been a draw between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Zacharias looked very nervous until Professor Dumbledore chuckled and muttered something about Gryffindor being the reigning champion in his days.
Professor Snape was standing by the Slytherins, chatting quietly. Professor McGonagall offered to hunt down the driver and snack-cart woman herself and personally feed them to the dementors.
When they arrived at Hogwarts, the Prefects sent the luggage magically into the common rooms, as Zacharias informed Harry that his common room password was "Narghar." The teachers had already left for the school in several of the thestral-drawn carriages. Harry heard the familiar call of "Firs' years this way, follow me!" from Hagrid, and the Prefects took the remaining carriages back to the castle. On the way to the castle, Hermione rode with Ernie Macmillan and Harry, and Ron, Ginny, and Hannah Abbot rode the carriage in front of them. Harry heard Ernie ask who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was, and if he had been on the train. Harry guessed that Hermione was dying to share her low opinion of Professor Ogden with another pronounced scholar, but couldn't, as that would give away their stay at Hogwarts. Instead, she said, "No idea," quite curtly.
The entered the castle, and walked into the Great Hall, all of the Prefects' looking noticeably exhausted. But just as the Prefects set out to join the rest of the students at the four long house tables, they heard Professor Flitwick's tiny voice. "Prefects! Prefects! Follow me!"
They begrudgingly turned around and step outside into the thunderstorm again. Professor Flitwick shouted over the rain, "We have lost a first year boy. He was seen by Madame Pomfrey to get onto the boats...he's on the grounds somewhere! Please comb the grounds and shoot up pink sparks when you've found him. When you see pink, return to the Great Hall for dinner!" And he dashed off onto the grounds.
Everyone searched for about five minutes, when there was a great noise that wasn't thunder. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Ernie, Hannah, Justin, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, Terry Boot, Draco, Pansy, Theodore Nott, and several older Prefects found themselves huddled together, wands out in fear.
"What was that?" yelled Anthony Goldstein, as another thud was head.
"Harry..." whispered Ron, as the gigantic body of Grawp emerged from around the corner of the castle, clutching Marcus Jordan in his left hand. The group erupted into screams. Pansy Parkinson let out a blood-curdling shriek, Ernie Macmillan let out a shriek even more blood-curdling than hers, and Draco Malfoy attemped to hide behind Theodore Nott, who simply blinked.
"WANDS DOWN! HE WON'T HURT US!" screamed Hermione.
"ERNIE, PUT IT AWAY!" shouted Ron at Ernie, who was reluctant to put away his wand.
"HERMY!" shouted Grawp.
"GRAWP! CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US MARCUS?"
"MARKER?" said Grawp, pointing at Marcus with his free hand. Most of the Prefects looked up, paralyzed with fright, the rest staring strangely at Hermione, both impressed and frightened at her ability to talk to a giant.
"YES, GRAWP! PLEASE GIVE US MARKER!"
"OK, HERMY!" And Grawp gently set Marcus down on the ground. Marcus looked absolutely petrified with fear. Grawp then turned around at walked off toward the forest, as Harry and Ron sent a barrage of pink sparks up into the air.
They headed to castle. The prefects who could get the words out asked Hermione what had just happened.
"That," she said, "was Hagrid's little brother."
The stunned Prefects entered the Great Hall and sat down at their tables, sopping wet. It seemed they had missed the sorting ceremony, but they would at least get to see Marcus sorted, because Professor McGonagall was standing behind the Sorting Chair, holding the Sorting Hat, and apparently waiting for Hermione to escort Marcus up to the chair. "Jordan, Marcus."
The frightened looking boy, sat down in the chair to the most attentive Great Hall since Harry Potter had been sorted five years ago. Professor McGonagall situated the Sorting Hat onto his head, and the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table cheered loudly, and Marcus scurried over to a group of first year boys, and began to tell them what was likely the most wild thing every to happen to anyone of them.
The talking immediately ceased as Professor Dumbledore stood up, "Thanks to all of the Prefects for doing a magnificent job given recent events, under the brilliant leadership of Head Boy Zacharias Smith and Head Girl Cho Chang. Zacharias Smith puffed out his chest, much like a bullfrog does, while Cho blushed and looked at the table. Harry noticed the staff table included the normal professors (Flitwick was sopping wet), Professor Ogden, Firenze, and Bill Weasley.
"Please enjoy the magnificent food. The sherbert lemon is a recipe of a dear old friend of mine, whom I will be introducing shortly." Professor Ogden smiled.
Food filled the platters, pumpkin juice filled the goblets, and the students filled their plates. Harry only stopped eating to ask Ron why Bill was seated at the staff table.
"Ir dugno, Arry. Spect he's ere on a wisit," said Ron, mouth full of potatoes.
Harry noticed that Hermione was stubbornly refusing the sherbert lemon, which Harry was thoroughly enjoying. Seamus and Dean were eyeing Neville and his mimbulus mimbletonia suspiciously, and Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil said hello to all of them before resuming to their heated discussion about N.E.W.T. Divination.
They finished their food, considerably less hungry and less wet.
Dumbledore stood up to give his Start-of-Term speech and the hall silenced itself.
"Well, that was an absolutely wonderful feast, and as we let it rest in our stomachs, I have a few announcements to make. But first," he said, "I must tell you that Hogwarts will be hosting some guests this year, here at my invitation. I must insist that they be treated like any of you would like to be treated. And without further ado, here are our guests."
As he said this, around thirty goblin children entered, with their parents, from a doorway to the left and front of the staff table. Dumbledore began to clap, and several teachers and students followed his lead in giving the Goblins a round of applause.
"Now, please, sit at the houses you were sorted into." And the Goblins went and sat at the front end of each of the four tables. The great majority of the goblins were in Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and the remaining ten were equally divided between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Draco Malfoy looked very nervous, seated next to a menacing-looking Goblin.
Borlig sat next to Harry, about mid-table, to the surprise of everyone except Justin, who was quite eager to explain the strange occurrence to his fellow Hufflepuffs.
"Please, do not be embarrassed to extend a hand of friendship to our guests," said Dumbeldore, "Now, then. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students. I must greatly emphasize this at the moment, for you will find that the forest is very well guarded from intrusion."
"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and ninety-fifth time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be check on the extensive list outside of Mr. Filch's office. The recently banned items include Filibuster Fireworks, and Portable Swamps." Dumbledore, along with several other teachers, grinned at this. Even Snape seemed to find the memory of Professor Umbridge trying to catch rogue fireworks amusing.
"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on September the 30th, outside on the Quidditch pitch. For more details, see Madame Hooch, or your House Captain.
"Care of Magical Creatures lessons, N.E.W.T. level, will take place on the lakeside this year, until otherwise notified."
"How fascinating—aquatic animals!" whispered Hermione excitedly.
"As Professor Flitwick has just informed me, some of you have already met one of our new additions to Hogwarts. For those of you who don't him yet, Grawp is our own Professor Hagrid's half-brother, and will be living on the grounds with us. He can be identified by his unusual height of seventeen feet, nine inches."
Several first years exchanged puzzled looks. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan looked surprised, and turned to Harry for an explanation of some sort.
"He's...erm...a nice fellow," said Harry, at loss for words.
Dumbledore continued. "Also, let it be known that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds again this year, for anyone who does not wish to die an agonizing, painful death.
"Taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, after last year's teacher...er...chose not to come back..." There was laughter and applause at this, and Dumbledore continued, "will be Professor Tiberius Ogden, a dear friend of mine and the inventor of sherbert lemon and Ogden's Old-Fashioned Firewhiskey."
There was a tumultuous applause, and Harry was sure that quite a few people liked either the sherbert lemon, the firewhiskey, or both. Hermione scowled, clapping her hands together twice and rather unenthusiastically.
"Professor Binns, the History of Magic teacher, has decided to retire after two hundred and thirty years of servitude. We are very grateful."
"Of course!" hissed Hermione. Harry didn't bother to ask her what was wrong. Professor Binns had made the History of Magic a very painfully boring class indeed.
"He will be replaced," said Dumbledore, "by Hogwarts graduate Bill Weasley!" Bill stood up and gave a wave. Several girl made high-pitched squeals, before the clapping erupted again. Hermione let out a squeal of her own, and when Harry gave her a questioning look, she blushed and continued clapping. Ron looked at Ginny.
"Did you know about this?"
"No! Did you?"
"No..."
"The last order of business," said Dumbledore, "is not a happy one, unfortunately. Since its foundation, Hogwarts has had many powerful magical protections from muggle intrusions, as well as protections from Dark Magic. None of these spells may be broken by Dark Magic, and any use of good Magic knows not to break them.
"Now, a very important protection of Hogwarts was destined to be gone this year. There are many, and I think it is best if I do not say which.
"I must stress to each and everyone of you the seriousness of this vulnerability. Each of you has the duty to inform a member of the faculty if you notice anything strange at school.
"I wish to impart the most severe warning possible: any student who wanders the castle freely after hours is at risk of serious injury and even death. You have been warned."
The Hall was silent. Students looked back and forth from each other, nervously.
"And now it is time for sleep. You will find your class schedules on your beds!"
There was a great clattering of plates and shuffling of feet. Ginny and Colin showed the first years to the Gryffindor common room.
"Well, that's something to think about," said Ron.
"Gvery gbad," agreed Borlig.
Once they went into their dormitories, they introduced Dean and Seamus to Borlig, and then to Gharblag, who deeply impressed Dean and Seamus as he called Pansy Parkinson's picture a gorilla with pigtails.
Harry looked at his schedule for the next morning:
N.E.W.T. Transfiguration (Double)
N.E.W.T. Potions (Double)
N.E.W.T. Charms
He sighed. Potions was going to be a horrible experience. Both he and Snape had been hoping never to see each other again. And as Harry went to sleep, he pondered the events of the day, which were quite something.
Chapter 10: The Most Severe Warning
The realization that the events prescribed in the prophecy would be happening this year, was very shocking to Harry. He knew he should tell Hermione and Ron about the Prophecy he heard in Dumbledore's office, about how either he or Voldemort had to kill each other in the end. He was quite sure that he himself was the 'Great Survivor' and the Voldemort was 'the Prince of Two Bloods.' He was going to tell Hermione and Ron right now...
"We've got to tell Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione firmly.
"No," said Harry at once. "Dumbledore's already worried enough about this whole loss of the ancient protection thing...if we tell him about this, he'll probably forbid me from going anywhere on campus, like when Sirius escaped."
Ron didn't look convinced, but nodded in agreement.
"Harry...if you're sure...but I think..."
"No."
The arrived at the Prefects' Cabin to find the biggest stack of Chairs they had yet to see.
"One of you go...It's Gryffindor's turn," explained Katie Bell.
"How...do you?" asked Ron.
Hermione rolled up her sleeves, swished and flicked her wand, saying "Cathedrum Leviosa." A red chair flew up to the top and balanced itself on top of a blue one. There was quite a bit of cheering from the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs (who had just been eliminated by the Ravenclaws). The Slytherins were sulking after their loss in the first round.
Several more chairs stacked, until you could no longer see the top of the stack. When Harry's chair landed, the tower swayed threateningly, but remained standing. The Gryffindors all breathed a sigh of relief. For the Hufflepuffs, Ernie Macmillan raised his wand, but never got to finish his turn, because just then, the train came to a screeching halt, causing everyone to fall over, and the tower of chairs to rain down upon them. Mostly everybody found shelter under another chair, but several people were going to be hit, until Cho stood up and screamed, "IMMOBULUS!" causing about forty chairs to hover in the air. The speakers buzzed, and a witch's voice said, noticeably nervous: "Eh...We have encountered a...difficulty...please remain in your cabins. We are currently five minutes from Hogwarts. Thank you."
Zacharias Smith stood up, while a dozen prefects lowered the chairs. "Go to the bus and make sure no one panics."
"What's happening, Zacharias?" asked Ernie Macmillan nervously.
"No idea. Go patrol the aisles."
The prefects set off in small groups, muttering to themselves nervously. Several of them seemed to want to leave the bus and see what the problem was, but none dared. Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Colin, looked out the window and noticed that there was a downpour of rain. Thunder cracked, and the lights flickered on and off on the Express. Several younger students attempted to run out of the cabins, screaming, but the Prefects contained them. Zacharias Smith paced up and down the aisle. "What is happening? Everyone stay calm! What is happening?" Just then, an icy wind broke out across the bus and the lights went off. The talking immediately ceased. After a few seconds, several people, lighted their wands. Every Prefect's face was dark and grim. Harry had just seen something outside the window...a dark cloud...no. Suddenly he heard screams from a nearby cabin, and he ran into it to find three first years weeping openly, one of them was Marcus Jordan.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Harry asked them.
Marcus was sobbing, but managed to convey what had happened, "N-never--- happy—d-dark th-thoughts...r-robed—bl—ack." All three of them were pointing nervously at their window.
Harry knew at once that they had seen a dementor outside their window. He ran out into the aisle.
"This is a dementor attack!" Harry yelled. Several Prefects gasped loudly. "WELL!?" screamed Harry, "WANDS OUT! REMEMBER TO THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!"
Harry was very grateful that he had taught the D.A. how to do a Patronus. He wasn't at all sure that they would be able to conjure one in front of a dementor, though. Several of them shut their eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. Still more of them just looked more nervous, and some taught non- D.A. members how to do a Patronus Charm.
"Harry..." whispered Hermione, "did you pack your mirror?"
"Yeah...they're both in my trunk, in the luggage compartment at the back of the train."
Hermione grabbed his arm and they fled toward the luggage department, unnoticed by anyone except Ron, Ginny, and Justin Finch-Fletchley, all three of whom followed them curiously. They opened the luggage compartment, and Hermione unlocked Harry's trunk and rummaged around in it.
"Hermione, what good are both mirrors going to do us..." But Hermione pulled out a mirror, gave it to Harry, and said, "I left one with Borlig before we left."
She looked into the mirror and said, "Borlig!" Seconds later, Justin gasped as Borlig's face appeared in the mirror. Harry realized that, in the strange silver hue of the mirror, a goblin did look quite frightening.
"Borlig."
"Gyes?"
"This is an emergency...alert Professor McGonagall at once that the Hogwarts Express has been attacked by Dementors five minutes away from Hogwarts."
Borlig nodded and disappeared from view.
"Who was that?" asked a dumbstruck Justin.
They realized that they needed to be careful when explaining Borlig to Justin, so as not to reveal to him that they had stayed at Hogwarts over the summer.
"He is...er...a goblin...that Ron knows...and he's at Hogwarts, right now," said Harry.
"I left a mirror with Borlig at Ron's house," added Hermione quickly.
Justin still looked puzzled. "So those...are Dumbledore's guests..." They nodded. "Then...but...don't they eat people?"
"Of course not, that's nonsense," said Hermione.
"He's very nice, actually," said Harry.
"You should see his gharblag," added Ron. Harry and Hermione nudged him in the ribs.
"His...what?"
"It's a jarvey," said Hermione simply. Justin looked impressed.
"A trained jarvey?" asked the incredulous Justin.
"Well, as trained as they come...what are we doing here? This is an emergency!" said Hermione.
They set off back to the train at once. Zacharias Smith updated them, "The driver and snack-car witch disapparated already. We're alone..." He looked hopeless.
"But Hermione contacted Professor McGonagall!" cried Justin.
Harry was nervous. Zacharias Smith was very nosy, and he couldn't see him not questioning them thoroughly.
"Excellent," he said, remarkably humble, "I won't ask you how you did it...but thank you."
More screams erupted from a cabin nearby. Hannah Abbot rushed in to see what happened, but she screamed herself, and the Ravenclaw seventh-years, led by Cho, rushed in and began shooting feeble Patronus into the cabin.
Harry ran over to produce one of his own, but when he got there the Dementor had already left. Cho was sweating and breathing heavily. "It left...good thing you taught me that...she said, before collapsing into Harry's arms. Roger Davies, apparently nearby, came and took her from Harry, and whispered something that must have been very sweet into her ears, because she smiled. Harry noticed the Slytherin prefects were huddled in a corner, rather inactive.
Suddenly, the train was illuminated by great bursts of bright light from outside. Around ten figures were surrounding the bus, shooting out great bursts of light of many colors. It was rather like a fireworks display. Several dementors, presumably dead, fell to ground in a lump of black hooded robes. Harry recognized Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Ogden, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sinistra, Professor Snape, and Bill Weasley (what was he doing here) among them. Several more dementors fell to the ground. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. Madame Pomfrey boarded the train and asked whether everyone was all right as the other Professors boarded the train. Professor Sprout, apparently, used to be an engineer, and would be driving them to Hogwarts.
Professors McGonagall and Ogden passed out chocolate to everyone on the train. Zacharias Smith loudly updated Professor Dumbledore. ("Yes, Headmaster, there was screaming, but I told them, I said, be alert, remember how to do a Patronus. Of course, I recognized it to be a dementor attack at once.") Ron looked as if he was about to say something, but Hermione silenced him with a withering look. McGonagall came over to where they were standing and thanked them quietly for alerting her. Professor Ogden returned from the Prefects' cabin, loudly announcing that, from the looks of it, a fine game of Chairs had been played and he wondered who won.
Professor McGonagall scowled, but Justin Finch-Fletchley excited told him that it had been a draw between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Zacharias looked very nervous until Professor Dumbledore chuckled and muttered something about Gryffindor being the reigning champion in his days.
Professor Snape was standing by the Slytherins, chatting quietly. Professor McGonagall offered to hunt down the driver and snack-cart woman herself and personally feed them to the dementors.
When they arrived at Hogwarts, the Prefects sent the luggage magically into the common rooms, as Zacharias informed Harry that his common room password was "Narghar." The teachers had already left for the school in several of the thestral-drawn carriages. Harry heard the familiar call of "Firs' years this way, follow me!" from Hagrid, and the Prefects took the remaining carriages back to the castle. On the way to the castle, Hermione rode with Ernie Macmillan and Harry, and Ron, Ginny, and Hannah Abbot rode the carriage in front of them. Harry heard Ernie ask who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was, and if he had been on the train. Harry guessed that Hermione was dying to share her low opinion of Professor Ogden with another pronounced scholar, but couldn't, as that would give away their stay at Hogwarts. Instead, she said, "No idea," quite curtly.
The entered the castle, and walked into the Great Hall, all of the Prefects' looking noticeably exhausted. But just as the Prefects set out to join the rest of the students at the four long house tables, they heard Professor Flitwick's tiny voice. "Prefects! Prefects! Follow me!"
They begrudgingly turned around and step outside into the thunderstorm again. Professor Flitwick shouted over the rain, "We have lost a first year boy. He was seen by Madame Pomfrey to get onto the boats...he's on the grounds somewhere! Please comb the grounds and shoot up pink sparks when you've found him. When you see pink, return to the Great Hall for dinner!" And he dashed off onto the grounds.
Everyone searched for about five minutes, when there was a great noise that wasn't thunder. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Ernie, Hannah, Justin, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, Terry Boot, Draco, Pansy, Theodore Nott, and several older Prefects found themselves huddled together, wands out in fear.
"What was that?" yelled Anthony Goldstein, as another thud was head.
"Harry..." whispered Ron, as the gigantic body of Grawp emerged from around the corner of the castle, clutching Marcus Jordan in his left hand. The group erupted into screams. Pansy Parkinson let out a blood-curdling shriek, Ernie Macmillan let out a shriek even more blood-curdling than hers, and Draco Malfoy attemped to hide behind Theodore Nott, who simply blinked.
"WANDS DOWN! HE WON'T HURT US!" screamed Hermione.
"ERNIE, PUT IT AWAY!" shouted Ron at Ernie, who was reluctant to put away his wand.
"HERMY!" shouted Grawp.
"GRAWP! CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US MARCUS?"
"MARKER?" said Grawp, pointing at Marcus with his free hand. Most of the Prefects looked up, paralyzed with fright, the rest staring strangely at Hermione, both impressed and frightened at her ability to talk to a giant.
"YES, GRAWP! PLEASE GIVE US MARKER!"
"OK, HERMY!" And Grawp gently set Marcus down on the ground. Marcus looked absolutely petrified with fear. Grawp then turned around at walked off toward the forest, as Harry and Ron sent a barrage of pink sparks up into the air.
They headed to castle. The prefects who could get the words out asked Hermione what had just happened.
"That," she said, "was Hagrid's little brother."
The stunned Prefects entered the Great Hall and sat down at their tables, sopping wet. It seemed they had missed the sorting ceremony, but they would at least get to see Marcus sorted, because Professor McGonagall was standing behind the Sorting Chair, holding the Sorting Hat, and apparently waiting for Hermione to escort Marcus up to the chair. "Jordan, Marcus."
The frightened looking boy, sat down in the chair to the most attentive Great Hall since Harry Potter had been sorted five years ago. Professor McGonagall situated the Sorting Hat onto his head, and the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table cheered loudly, and Marcus scurried over to a group of first year boys, and began to tell them what was likely the most wild thing every to happen to anyone of them.
The talking immediately ceased as Professor Dumbledore stood up, "Thanks to all of the Prefects for doing a magnificent job given recent events, under the brilliant leadership of Head Boy Zacharias Smith and Head Girl Cho Chang. Zacharias Smith puffed out his chest, much like a bullfrog does, while Cho blushed and looked at the table. Harry noticed the staff table included the normal professors (Flitwick was sopping wet), Professor Ogden, Firenze, and Bill Weasley.
"Please enjoy the magnificent food. The sherbert lemon is a recipe of a dear old friend of mine, whom I will be introducing shortly." Professor Ogden smiled.
Food filled the platters, pumpkin juice filled the goblets, and the students filled their plates. Harry only stopped eating to ask Ron why Bill was seated at the staff table.
"Ir dugno, Arry. Spect he's ere on a wisit," said Ron, mouth full of potatoes.
Harry noticed that Hermione was stubbornly refusing the sherbert lemon, which Harry was thoroughly enjoying. Seamus and Dean were eyeing Neville and his mimbulus mimbletonia suspiciously, and Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil said hello to all of them before resuming to their heated discussion about N.E.W.T. Divination.
They finished their food, considerably less hungry and less wet.
Dumbledore stood up to give his Start-of-Term speech and the hall silenced itself.
"Well, that was an absolutely wonderful feast, and as we let it rest in our stomachs, I have a few announcements to make. But first," he said, "I must tell you that Hogwarts will be hosting some guests this year, here at my invitation. I must insist that they be treated like any of you would like to be treated. And without further ado, here are our guests."
As he said this, around thirty goblin children entered, with their parents, from a doorway to the left and front of the staff table. Dumbledore began to clap, and several teachers and students followed his lead in giving the Goblins a round of applause.
"Now, please, sit at the houses you were sorted into." And the Goblins went and sat at the front end of each of the four tables. The great majority of the goblins were in Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and the remaining ten were equally divided between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Draco Malfoy looked very nervous, seated next to a menacing-looking Goblin.
Borlig sat next to Harry, about mid-table, to the surprise of everyone except Justin, who was quite eager to explain the strange occurrence to his fellow Hufflepuffs.
"Please, do not be embarrassed to extend a hand of friendship to our guests," said Dumbeldore, "Now, then. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students. I must greatly emphasize this at the moment, for you will find that the forest is very well guarded from intrusion."
"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and ninety-fifth time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be check on the extensive list outside of Mr. Filch's office. The recently banned items include Filibuster Fireworks, and Portable Swamps." Dumbledore, along with several other teachers, grinned at this. Even Snape seemed to find the memory of Professor Umbridge trying to catch rogue fireworks amusing.
"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on September the 30th, outside on the Quidditch pitch. For more details, see Madame Hooch, or your House Captain.
"Care of Magical Creatures lessons, N.E.W.T. level, will take place on the lakeside this year, until otherwise notified."
"How fascinating—aquatic animals!" whispered Hermione excitedly.
"As Professor Flitwick has just informed me, some of you have already met one of our new additions to Hogwarts. For those of you who don't him yet, Grawp is our own Professor Hagrid's half-brother, and will be living on the grounds with us. He can be identified by his unusual height of seventeen feet, nine inches."
Several first years exchanged puzzled looks. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan looked surprised, and turned to Harry for an explanation of some sort.
"He's...erm...a nice fellow," said Harry, at loss for words.
Dumbledore continued. "Also, let it be known that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds again this year, for anyone who does not wish to die an agonizing, painful death.
"Taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, after last year's teacher...er...chose not to come back..." There was laughter and applause at this, and Dumbledore continued, "will be Professor Tiberius Ogden, a dear friend of mine and the inventor of sherbert lemon and Ogden's Old-Fashioned Firewhiskey."
There was a tumultuous applause, and Harry was sure that quite a few people liked either the sherbert lemon, the firewhiskey, or both. Hermione scowled, clapping her hands together twice and rather unenthusiastically.
"Professor Binns, the History of Magic teacher, has decided to retire after two hundred and thirty years of servitude. We are very grateful."
"Of course!" hissed Hermione. Harry didn't bother to ask her what was wrong. Professor Binns had made the History of Magic a very painfully boring class indeed.
"He will be replaced," said Dumbledore, "by Hogwarts graduate Bill Weasley!" Bill stood up and gave a wave. Several girl made high-pitched squeals, before the clapping erupted again. Hermione let out a squeal of her own, and when Harry gave her a questioning look, she blushed and continued clapping. Ron looked at Ginny.
"Did you know about this?"
"No! Did you?"
"No..."
"The last order of business," said Dumbledore, "is not a happy one, unfortunately. Since its foundation, Hogwarts has had many powerful magical protections from muggle intrusions, as well as protections from Dark Magic. None of these spells may be broken by Dark Magic, and any use of good Magic knows not to break them.
"Now, a very important protection of Hogwarts was destined to be gone this year. There are many, and I think it is best if I do not say which.
"I must stress to each and everyone of you the seriousness of this vulnerability. Each of you has the duty to inform a member of the faculty if you notice anything strange at school.
"I wish to impart the most severe warning possible: any student who wanders the castle freely after hours is at risk of serious injury and even death. You have been warned."
The Hall was silent. Students looked back and forth from each other, nervously.
"And now it is time for sleep. You will find your class schedules on your beds!"
There was a great clattering of plates and shuffling of feet. Ginny and Colin showed the first years to the Gryffindor common room.
"Well, that's something to think about," said Ron.
"Gvery gbad," agreed Borlig.
Once they went into their dormitories, they introduced Dean and Seamus to Borlig, and then to Gharblag, who deeply impressed Dean and Seamus as he called Pansy Parkinson's picture a gorilla with pigtails.
Harry looked at his schedule for the next morning:
N.E.W.T. Transfiguration (Double)
N.E.W.T. Potions (Double)
N.E.W.T. Charms
He sighed. Potions was going to be a horrible experience. Both he and Snape had been hoping never to see each other again. And as Harry went to sleep, he pondered the events of the day, which were quite something.