Harry Potter and the Blind Seer of Durmstrang

Chapter 4

"Harry! What are you doing over here?" Arthur Weasley's voice startled Harry. He wondered what Mr. Weasley had been doing up here himself.

"I, errr, got lost..." Harry began, but Arthur wasn't listening.

"Well, come along with me again," he said, pulling Harry's elbow.

"Wait," said Harry as Lupin had taught him. "Let me take your arm, there."

Thus keeping together among the crowd, Mr. Weasley and Harry made their way back toward the rest of the family. The riot of the crowd finally died down as they walked.

"How did you find me?" asked Harry.

"Well, I... err..." Mr. Weasley seemed to be searching for words. "A colleague of mine... wanted to speak with me," he said finally. Harry frowned to himself, not at the words themselves, which seemed innocent enough, but at the hesitant way at which Mr. Weasley spoke.

It was not long until they reached the staircase to their own seats again. Just as Harry scooted past Ron, everyone leapt to their feet again. Cries of "Lynch!" intermingled with "Krum!" and Harry gathered that the two Seekers were in a desperate race for the Snitch. "And Krum has caught the Snitch!" roared the announcer and a second later he declared with surprise, "but Ireland wins the match, 170-160!" The crowd shrieked and pounded at the unexpected outcome. Harry joined them on his feet, cheering, although for which team he wasn't entirely sure.

He watched through the glaring stadium lights and flashes of wands as the Irish team took their victory lap. As he thought of the cheering crowd and the glory of catching the Snitch in such a match, he even managed a grin, although he still felt odd and aloof. Ron's excited jumping bumped him on one side and Hermione clutched at his arm in excitement from the other, apparently caught up in the energy of the crowd herself.

"He's amazing," Harry heard her say to herself, though who she meant he did not know.

It was late when they finally found themselves back at their tent again. Yet, late as it was, Harry could not sleep. He lay on the smelly bunk listening to the late-night revelers hooting and shouting as they celebrated Ireland's victory. Flashes of light shone through the canvas from bonfires and rockets, and Harry wondered how they escaped notice of the Muggles despite the many enchantments. Finally, after a long while, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

[break]

The next business was, of course, the trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies. Their Hogwarts letters had all arrived days before, addressed in green ink, except Harry's, whose letter had been translated into Braille, much to his delight. He wondered if Professor Dumbledore had finally come up with a transcription charm, and if he did, Harry wanted to learn it.

Harry wondered who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be, since Lupin told Harry he had resigned the post due to the unpopularity of the werewolf attack the previous year. Also, Lupin planned to help Sirius track down Peter Pettigrew and needed his schedule free to do it.

Lupin did, however, join Harry in Diagon Alley. Since Harry felt shy asking his friends for help, he was relieved to have Lupin come along with him to do his shopping. Lupin laughed at Harry's account of going into Gringotts alone last year and agreed that Harry had come a long way in confidence and skill since then, although Harry noticed that in comparison with the view of Gringotts last year, he could see quite a bit less detail and the edges of his vision looked much more distorted. He shook his head and said nothing to Lupin.

The first place Harry wanted to go was Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry looked at brooms, gloves, goggles and cleaning kits. He tried on several pairs of goggles and discovered a pair that fit over his glasses. Lupin told him the lenses were red and Harry imagined them matching his Gryffindor uniform, but when he put them on he gasped in surprise.