Chapter 8: Saved By A Hair's Breadth:
Harry's mind was abuzz with thoughts for the next D.A Lesson. Several ideas zoomed around in his head, one chasing another. "Harry!" Hermione hissed from his right during Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall had been dictating notes on the topics she expected to be coming up in the O.W.L's. Harry who had absentmindedly been doodling wands on the bottom of his parchment containing half finished notes on animal transfiguration looked up suddenly. "Will you listen?" Hermione whispered, forgetting her own notes for the first time. Ron seemed to be the only one of them to be writing with all concentration. "Now if Mr. Potter and Miss Granger have finished their discussion, I would like to move on to objectifying living creatures." McGonagall added, finishing off her notes on animal transfiguration with a cold look towards them. Hermione flushed pink and turned back to her desk looking furious at herself. Harry merely shrugged and resumed writing his notes by peeking into Ron's finished parchment. His thoughts drifted back to the D.A. An idea made its way into his mind. The members would get chance to showcase their practice on a neutral ground. Yes, he thought. This would be perfect! He made up his mind to set the date on the coin as soon as he got back up to the dormitory and for the first time in the entire ninety minute lesson did his mind absorb all the babble about Transfiguration that was thrown at him.
"But, are you sure about this test, Harry?" Hermione asked,looking uncertain. "You're only worried because you haven't mastered the reducl- redoc- what's-it curse yet," Ron chortled. "It's the Reductor curse!" Herimone snapped. "By the way, Ron, could you lend me your Transfiguration notes?" she ended with a note of forcefulness, as if she would do anything other than borrow someone else's notes. "Hermione Granger... In need of my notes?" he replied looking shocked. "Oh, shut up!" she said and reached to take the parchment Ron was handing her. Their hands brushed against each other and a shock went through both of their hands, followed by a shiver down each of their spines. Harry, who had barely been listening, carefully wrote down the course of the test onto a piece of parchment so that he wouldn't forget. There came a tapping sound on the window. Harry looked out and saw a snowy white owl flapping its wings and waiting patiently to be let in. "Hedwig!" he cried leaping out of his seat and opening the window. In flew the white owl with the cold November wind. She flopped down onto the table Harry, Ron and Hermione had been sitting at and held out her leg for a letter to be taken off. Harry gently unattached the roll of parchment and opened it. It said:
2:00 O'clock, tonight, Gryffindor tower
-Snuffles
"It's from Sirius!" Ron half yelled in excitement. "Shut up, Ronald!" Hermione hissed at him. A few suspicious looking second years sitting in a corner were looking at them but turned away when Ron shot the a menacing look. "He wants to meet! Tonight!" Harry exclaimed, re reading the letter for the third time. "Well, we had atleast some good news this week." Ron said grimly.
Night arrived faster than expected and soon everyone except Harry,Ron and Hermione had gone to bed. Hermione was going to stand guard for the staircases leading to both, the boys and the girls dormitory's. Ron would be standing guard at the portrait hole. In case anyone came along, they would say that there was a very smelly house elf cleaning the common room and that no one would like to be near him.
Harry was sitting impatiently in front of the fireplace, waiting for the hour to come. At five to two, Harry heard a faint pop and saw Sirius's smiling head appear in the fireplace. "Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, slipping down to the floor to level himself with his godfather's head. "What have you been up to, Harry? Remus said something about you getting in trouble an awful lot, good job too!" Sirius asked Harry, his smile not wavering, but spreading into a grin. "Well..." Harry started explaining every detail about their lessons and the charms they practiced and Neville's progress, how Umbridge hadn't yet found out and all the things people said behind her back and how they were going to have a test tomorrow. Sirius had laughed almost throughout their whole talk. Harry noticed that he looked even more healthier and handsome than the man he had seen at Grimmauld Place. "I'm proud of you, Harry!" Sirius said warmly. "You really are your father's son." Harry felt a sense of pride swell up inside his heart. "Well, I should get going. What time is it?" Sirius asked. "Its..." Harry glanced sideways at the clock and was surprised to see that time had passed so fast. "It's quarter to three," he said sadly. "Bye!" Smiling sadly, Sirius replied, "Bye, Harry. It was nice talking to you!" and with that, his head vanished. To Harry's horror, instead of seeing logs of wood, he saw a hand groping around. A fat, pudgy hand with big rings gleaming on it. A hand which belonged to a certain toad everyone detested.
Edited by twila - 11 years ago
Cricket
Anupamaa
