Dance of Fates

chapter 7

Chapter 7

Harry's day started with finding himself sketching the body parts of some magical creature in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, as they had been ordered by the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. While he was sketching, his mind was in a whole different universe. After his first day and his encounter with the Ministry’s employee, he knew things wouldn't be easier this year, not to mention that, being the main target of the press beside Dumbledore, he would not be able to train freely and Umbridge would make sure to make his life in Hogwarts miserable. 

He looked up to everyone in the Forest, from the Slytherins to the Gryffindors. Each face he knew was a half-blood or a pureblood or a muggleborn. The upside of having a pureblood Godfather was his guidance in the matters of the wizarding community, yet even Hermione knew more about the wizarding world than he did, what had happened to him? Before he came to Hogwarts, he used to love learning and discovering new things and he was working so hard to hear some encouragement from the teachers, which had always resulted in hard punishment from Vernon because he was smarter than Dudley. So what had happened, why had he become lazy? He couldn't keep relying on Hermione's brain forever, he couldn't let his friends become targets of the psychopath out there; he must be stronger than Voldemort. While he was in the deep ocean of his thoughts, someone leaned against him and said, "It seems that someone’s missing his lovely giant teacher?" 

He looked to find Draco Malfoy with a smirk on his face as he continued talking in a volume only he and Harry could hear. "Maybe the stupid great oaf's got himself badly injured," Draco pondered.

"Maybe you will too if you don’t shut the fuck up," said Harry with the corner of his mouth.

Draco looked at him with wide-open eyes: he had never heard Potter swear before and that’s why he found it more interesting to mock him. 

"Maybe he’s been messing with stuff that’s too big for him, if you get my drift." 

Malfoy walked away, smirking over his shoulder at Harry, who suddenly felt sick. Did Malfoy know something? His father was a Death Eater, after all. He hurried back around the table to Ron and Hermione and related in a whisper what Malfoy had just said. 

"Dumbledore would know if something had happened to Hagrid," said Hermione at once. "It’s just playing into Malfoy’s hands to look worried, it tells him we don’t know exactly what’s going on. We better ignore him."

"Yes," they heard Malfoy’s voice from the group nearest them, "Father was talking to the Minister just the other day, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry’s really intent on cracking down on substandard teaching here. So even if that overgrown idiot does show up again, he’ll probably be sent packing straight away."

Daphne looked at Harry to warn him against doing anything stupid that would have him more hated by others than he already was but he was staring at nothing in particular. 'Please stay calm, you idiot,' she prayed.

So far, her house mates had been friendly with her and she had been friends with many of them for five years now; still, sometimes she got disgusted by their childish behaviour and ashamed of being in their circle. They were from noble families yet they were far from nobility in terms of character and disposition, and prejudice ruled their lives. What a society she lived in and communicated with; these kids were mocking her lord husband in front of her, talking of things they knew nothing about, knew nothing about the real world, about how dangerous and darker it was .Of course, what could they know—they had been raised to be spoiled and to serve this nascent lord and side with him. To think of this lord, she had only heard rumours about him: that he had almost won the first war but something had gone awry. Something had happened on October 31st years ago or... someone.