After Everyone Has Left

Chapter Nine

Sir Kerdanan was an interesting new replacement.

"What villains are these to trespass upon my private lands? Who dares challenge Sir Kerdanan?" He waved his sword at them, although it seemed like it was too heavy for him to bear. "Back, you scurvy blackguards. You..."

Soon his sword pushed him back, letting gravity finish him off.

"He's barking mad."

"What did you expect? After what happened to the Fat Lady, none of the other pictures would take the job." Dean said.

"But he keeps changing the password." Neville complained. "That's twice only this morning. I've taken to keeping a list."

"Farewell, comrades. If ever you have need of a noble and steely sinew, call upon Sir Kerdanan." The knight said, recovering from his former fall.

"Yeah, we'll call you, if we ever need anyone mental."

- - -

Snape threw open the door and everyone looked at each other, confused why he was even here.

As he moved past the desks, he closed all the blinds until he reached the front of the class. He rolled down the screen and looked at them all with that blank glare.

"Turn to page 394." He watched them all slowly begin to open their books.

"Excuse me, sir. Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry asked.

"That's not really your concern is it, Potter? Suffice it to say that your professor finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time. Turn to page 394."

He began the projector.

"Werewolves?" Ron read from the top of the page.

"But, sir, we've only just begun learning and Red Caps and Hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks."

"Quiet."

"When did she come in? Did you see her come in?" Ron stretched across the aisle to whisper to Harry and Hollyn.

"Now, which of you can tell me the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?"

Both Hermione and Hollyn raised their hands. It was just them.

"No one? How disappointing." Snape said before he could even turn to see their hands. Hollyn dropped her hand, huffing in frustration as she looked over at Hermione, but her friend would not be ignored or forgotten.

"Please, sir. An Animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon, when he transforms, he now longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind."

From a few seats back, a horrible mimic of howling was heard. With a disgusted face, Hollyn turned to see Malfoy smiling and laughing with his friends.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Are you incapable of restraining yourself, or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all? Five points from Gryffindor."

As Snape explained their assignment, a piece of paper folded to look like a bird flew past Hollyn and into her brother's hands.

"Sir, it's Quidditch tomorrow." Harry said when he heard the excessive amount of work they needed to do.

"Then I suggest you take extra care, Mr. Potter. Loss of limb will not excuse you. Page 394."

Snape began his boring lecture as Harry opened the piece of paper.

A picture of Harry being hit by a ball and then proceeding to be struck by lighting during the Quidditch game tomorrow.

Hollyn looked back once more to the boy with that foul smirk on his face. Hollyn grabbed the paper from Harry, tearing it into tiny piece and letting it sit on their desk between them.

"Don't listen to him. He can't even play because he's too busy milking his wounds." Hollyn said, facing forward as the lesson continued, but her words didn't help Harry in the slightest.

- - -

Hollyn didn't mind standing on the rain for Harry's games, at least until it was cold drops of rain in the fall, and no amount of layers kept her warm.

Harry and the Hufflepuff seeker, Hollyn couldn't remember if it was a boy named Ethan or Cedric, both raced into the clouds, ignoring the furious storm that continued around them.

It had been a quick scare for Hollyn to see the Hufflepuff boy fall from the sky, even more terrifying was seeing Harry follow barely 10 minutes after.

"He looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?" Ron said as he looked down at Harry.

"Yeah, come on, Ron, let's walk you off the Astronomy Tower. And see what you look like." One of the twins said.

"Probably a right sight better than he normally does." Harry said weakly as he began to open his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, sitting at his side on the bed.

"Oh, brilliant." Harry saw Hollyn offer him his glasses.

"You gave us a right good scare there, mate." The other twin said, kneeling next to him.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Well, you fell off your broom."

"Really? I meant the match. Who won?" Harry asked, unamused by Ron.

"We think Wood's still in the locker room sulking." Hollyn shrugged and the two redheaded brothers began to chuckle to themselves.

"Um, no one blames you, Harry. The dementors aren't supposed to come inside the grounds. Dumbledore was furious. As soon as he saved you, he sent them straight off." Hermione explained.

Hollyn urged Ron to step up. "There's, uh, something else you should know, too, Harry, um... When you fell, your broom, it-it sort of blew into the Whomping Willow and... well, it's, uh..."

Ron unfolded the cover and showed the many broken parts of his broom.