Fred, Dominique and Molly were apprised of the reformation of the DA in the common room that morning. All were surprised, but enthusiastic.
“I thought that the room was destroyed by the Fiendfyre,” said Molly. “How can it still be working?”
Albus shrugged. “I guess it’s tough. It doesn’t seem damaged at all.”
Fred was still weary from his detention, which had consisted of sifting through files for an obscure reference to Nicolas Flamel. His hands were stained with ink from his labors.
They made plans to hold their first meeting that very night. Albus figured it should be simple with the help of the Invisibility Cloak.
All that day Albus thought about what they should try and learn. He could tell Rose was thinking about it too. At lunch she pulled a thick book of defensive spells out of her bag.
“I think we should perfect the Leg-Locker Curse first,” she said crisply, flipping through the stained pages. “After that, maybe the Bat-Bogey Hex. Molly knows a little about that one; she can help us””
Albus nodded along, but didn’t really listen. He was excited about tonight and he wanted it to go well, but Rose could probably be depended upon to plan the lessons.
“What about other members?” she asked suddenly. “Do you think we should invite more people?”
This was an interesting thought. “Well,” said Albus, “we’ve got you, me, James, Fred, Dom and Molly. So that’s six. Victoire doesn’t want to join.”
“We could invite Robert and Brian from your year,” said Rose, her face flushed with anticipation. “And maybe Rita and Penny from mine””
“Why don’t we meet tonight, just the six of us, and see how that goes?”Albus asked. He wasn’t crazy about getting other people involved so soon.
Rose dropped the subject, but still looked dangerously thoughtful.
The day went by in a haze. Albus did very poorly in Transfiguration (his rat resolutely refused to become a mouse) and not much better in Charms, due to his preoccupation. He was too excited by the night’s meeting to concentrate.
They made their plan that evening in the common room. James, Fred and Albus went up to “bed” around nine and then snuck back down under the Invisibility Cloak. Dominique was waiting by the portrait hole to open it for them.
Tonight’s journey was easier than the previous one. Albus had gotten a bit more used to walking around under the cloak and he knew exactly what route to use.
They passed Vladimir twice and Headmaster Tweak once. Tweak looked as though he was sneaking down to the kitchen for a late snack, for he was in a dressing gown.
Despite these close calls, they were not caught and arrived safely at the stretch of blank wall. They walked past it three times. Albus thought Show us the room from last night as hard as he could.
Fred gasped when the door appeared and was even more surprised by the interior, which had not been described to him.
There’s my mum and dad!” he said, pointing at two plaques, both on the ceiling. “And”blimey, our whole family!”
Albus checked the current wall and was not surprised to see Fred’s plaque hanging next to his own.
James went back for the girls and Albus lay down on one of the big cushions with a comfortingly slim book of hexes and jinxes. Fred was still walking around the room in amazement.
Just as Albus had learned the incantation for the Nose-Swelling Charm, James reappeared with Rose, Dominique and Molly. The latter two were just as struck by the room as Fred was and squealed with delight when they saw their plaques hanging on the wall.
When everyone was fully acquainted with the room, Rose said: “I thought that we should perfect the Leg-Locker Curse first, since Dawlish didn’t do a very good job of teaching it to us. Any objections?”
Everyone shook his head and Rose (with occasional comments from Molly) launched into a speech about the theory behind the curse and some tips for performing it more effectively.
Only great affection for Rose kept Albus from yawning at some particularly dull intervals. He thought that everyone else was probably feeling the same.
“Alright, let’s do this!” said Rose. “How about Fred and Albus go first?”
There was no argument and cushions were arranged behind each of them in case they fell. Albus pointed his wand at Fred and his cousin did likewise.
“Locomotor Mortis!” they both shouted.
Albus’s curse missed Fred and hit James, who was standing behind him. Fred’s curse was off by several feet. It rebounded off a plaque with the stricken name MARIETTA EDGECOMBE on it and hit Rose, who fell onto Dominique.
Everyone just started laughing. James wriggled around on the floor trying to get his wand out of his back pocket and Dominique was being flattened by Rose.
When everything was back in order and the curses removed, Dominique and James mad their attempt. Both were more careful about their aim than Fred and Albus had been, but that didn’t stop James’s curse from knocking a row of books out of the bookshelf.
After several rounds, everyone improved to the point of accurately and correctly performing the curse two out of three times.
“Oh my God!” said Dominique, pointing at a small clock sitting on a shelf. “It’s 1:30!”
It seemed as though they’d just arrived, but they didn’t think it would be a good idea to stay any later. James took the first party (consisting of Dominique and Fred) back to the common room, leaving Albus, Rose and Molly alone.
Rose happily flipped through spellbooks and shared ideas for future meetings with Molly, who suggested that they learn the Full Body-Bind soon.
Albus just lay on a cushion and looked at the plaques. SEAMUS FINNIGAN, one read. Another, CHO CHANG.
They were part of something bigger than themselves. It wasn’t just about learning spells and jinxes; it was about being always ready to fight evil.
The conversation in the Forest popped into Albus’s mind, as it had many times since he had heard it. He and his family had discussed it several times, but could get no particular significance out of it. Albus sometimes wondered if he had imagined it.
James returned and they all got back to the common room without incident, though four under the Cloak was a very tight squeeze and Albus’s left arm was exposed the entire time.
November arrived and the weather outside became colder and colder; there was now a real need for the fire in the common room.
The New DA had met four times over the past few weeks, which was all they could manage and still deal with the huge amount of homework they were given.
They had mastered the Knockback Jinx after two lessons of hard work and much consultation of the library on the part of Rose. Everyone was ecstatic when Albus finally knocked Fred into a huge pile of cushions.
The next project was the Full-Body Bind, which was taking even more time than the Knockback Jinx had. Rose managed to perform it once and Dominique was trapped in that state for nearly an hour while they looked for the counter-curse.
Their real schoolwork was keeping them so busy that Albus had had no time to even think about the recruitment of new members. There was always a spell to perform, an essay to write, a wizard to cross-reference.
“Who cares about Emeric the Evil?” Fred would groan. “Old berk’s dead anyway; what does it matter who killed him?”
Potions and Transfiguration were the worst for Albus. Professor McGonagall had given him a D on an essay he had written on Animagi and he had had to make the Vanishing Potion three times to perfect it, earning him an icy stare from Professor Grimpen.
Care of Magical Creatures was duller than ever. They had spent the last few lessons learning minutely about Chizpurfles and Plimpies, but Hagrid kept slyly insinuating that there was something more interesting coming.
So it was with mild interest that the first-year Gryffindors headed down to Hagrid’s hut on a chilly, mid-November morning.
“I bet he’s got a cockatrice or something,” said Dominique.
“As long as it’s something I can see, I’ll be satisfied,” said Fred, who particularly disliked the Chizpurfle-centric lessons.
Albus was surprised to see Hagrid standing outside his hut when they arrived. He was wearing his moleskin overcoat and carrying a crossbow, his face lit up with pleasure.
The first-year Hufflepuffs had already arrived and were looking rather nervously at Hagrid’s large crossbow.
“Hello, class,” called out Hagrid. “We’re goin’ into the Forest fer this lesson! A special lesson!”
Everyone looked at each other, thunderstruck. Fred was the only person who looked pleased, probably figuring that the Chizpurfles were done with.
“Aren’t there monsters in the Forest?” asked a timid Hufflepuff girl.
Hagrid waved his hand. “Nothin’ that’ll hurt ya when you’re with me. Now, come on!”
He turned and strode into the Forest. His class followed, most of them whispering and nervous.
Scorpius, in particular, looked apprehensive and Albus knew he was thinking about the creature that had attacked him the night he had tried to run away.
They went on in a straight line for about a quarter of a mile. They were walking on a sort of animal trail, so the going wasn’t too difficult, although the lack of light made it hard to see.
To Albus’s surprise, Scorpius was walking alongside Hagrid and talking to him in a familiar fashion. Maybe Albus and his family weren’t the only visitors Hagrid got in his hut.
A noise shocked Albus out of his reverie. Rose, who was standing next to him, jumped.
It sounded familiar to Albus, but he couldn’t quite place it. Whatever it was, it was loud and growly, coming their way fast.
Hagrid laughed. “Nothin’ ter worry ‘bout. Let’s keep movin’.”
Just as they started heading down the track again, a shape shot out of the darkness and landed just ahead of Hagrid on the beaten-down track.
Albus gasped when he saw what it was and so did Rose. Then they both started to laugh.
It was a car, an indescribably filthy old wreck of a Ford Anglia.
The original color had been turquoise, but it was now almost completely brown with rust, the last few bits of paint peeling and scarred.
All the doors but one had been ripped off the hinges and the only remaining door (the driver’s door) had been so smashed and battered that it was barely still attached.
The seats had been reduced to shreds, most of the upholstery gone. The roof had an enormous hole in it and there was no dashboard at all.
“It’s all righ’!” said Hagrid to his class. “It won’t hurt anybody! Just needs a tire change!”
Albus saw that one of the tires was indeed deflated and limp.
“I’ll fix it later!” said Hagrid, as though the car could understand him. He continued up the track, pushing past the old wreck.
The engine revved once and the car sped off the track (lopsidedly due to the deflated tire) and into the depths of the dark forest.
Fred and Dominique were laughing and Rose was saying “Oh my God” over and over under her breath.
Albus pushed to the front of the procession and said: “Hagrid! Was that the car?”
“Yeah,” said Hagrid. “It minds its own business, comes ter me fer a tire change now and again. Bin livin’ here fer more’n twenty years.”
They walked on, Albus’s mind still reeling. He couldn’t wait to tell James and write to his father.
“How come you were talking to Scorpius?” asked Albus after a moment’s silence.
“He’s not a bad sort,” said Hagrid. He sounded a little embarrassed. “Not much like ‘is folks. Came to tea once or twice.”
“Oh,” said Albus.
As he processed this new and interesting piece of information, they turned a corner and came upon a very odd sight.
In a clearing, there stood two enormous trees and under each was a huge furry pile, snow-white in color. The piles were both gently breathing.
“Nobody make quick moves,” whispered Hagrid. He withdrew a box of matches from his pocket and lit one with some difficulty due to the size of his fingers.
The snick of the flame coming into being seemed unnaturally loud in the still clearing.
At the sound, both furry piles leaped up and Albus saw that they were each chained to their tree.
The largest one began screaming and they all covered their ears as the second joined in. Hagrid blew out the match and the monsters stopped immediately. They seemed terrified of the tiny flame.
Albus recognized them from one of his books: they were yetis.
Both were about ten feet tall, the larger could have been eleven. Their bodies were bulky and troll-like, their limbs the size and width of trees.
The fur was spotlessly white, which clashed a little with the dark greens and browns of the forest around them and the faces were ape-like, the eyes red, the mouths huge, with double rows of razor-sharp teeth.
A couple of Hufflepuffs whimpered; Fred said “Wow”; Scorpius gulped.
“These here are yetis,” said Hagrid, his voice as bursting with pride as if introducing his children. “The male is Yowl an’ the female is Yoop. Professor Tweak had ‘em imported special from Tibet.”
Yoop, realizing that there were highly edible humans standing just a few yards from her, roared and strained at the stout chain, sweeping her giant arms like windmills.
“They’re still a little feisty,” said Hagrid. His tone suggested that he was describing kittens. “But they on’y eat cows and pigs.”
A chubby Gryffindor screamed when enough yeti saliva to fill a bucket soaked the front of her robes, propelled by Yoop’s frantic roaring.
“Why don’t ya all start takin’ notes on ther behavior?” said Hagrid. “I’ve got a cow carcass stashed a little ways in, I’ll be righ’ back.”
He tramped off into the Forest, leaving the group of first-years alone with the snarling beasts.
Yowl was now straining at his chain and scrabbling at the ground in his frantic effort to get to the humans. Dirt flew every which way.
“Was it one of these that attacked you?” Albus asked Scorpius.
Scorpius nodded, his face as white as the yetis’ fur. “I think so. If it was, I’m really lucky.”
Albus agreed. Even if they were eating “cows and pigs” he was sure that they would prefer humans.
“Are you sure they can’t get away?” asked Dominique, eyeing the chains.
“No,” said Fred. “But at least we don’t have to look at these under a microscope.”
Rose was getting out parchment. “I can’t believe this,” she said. “When will he be back?”
As if in answer to her question, Yowl and Yoop ceased their efforts to escape and lifted their noses to the air. For a second they stood there and then they turned around and started trying to get at something on the opposite end of the clearing.
“What do you think’s going on?” asked Fred. “Are they going after Hagrid?”
“They must smell another human,” said Rose. “Who would be out here in the F””
She and Albus exchanged glances. The men.
The yetis stopped their new attack as abruptly as they’d begun it. Whatever or whoever they had smelled had moved away.
A few people were taking notes, but most were clustered as close to the track as they could be.
Hagrid returned in a few minutes, half a dead cow slung over his shoulder. A few people grimaced at the smell.
Yoop and Yowl paid careful attention to the carcass, watching it like a Seeker would watch a Snitch.
And then Hagrid threw the dead cow into the clearing; it landed just between the trees.
The yetis attacked it, hitting at each other and roaring ferociously. Yowl was larger and stronger, but Yoop was faster.
The noise of the two creatures fighting was deafening. After nearly a full minute, Yowl snatched the carcass and ran with it to the far end of his chain, where Yoop could not reach it.
The female yeti moaned piteously.
“Will she get to eat?” asked Dominique. Albus was disgusted to hear a trace of pity in her voice.
“Sure,” said Hagrid. “I bring ‘em carcasses three times a day and ol’ Yoop gets ‘em half th’ time.”
Yowl began ripping apart the cow with his monstrous hands and stuffing various chunks into his greedy mouth.
Rose grimaced and took a note. Albus rummaged in his schoolbag and found a spare piece of parchment and a quill.
The class stood and watched the yetis for almost an hour. Hagrid occasionally dropped facts about yetis for them to jot down”confirming, for instance, Albus’s theory that they were deathly afraid of fire”, but for the most part he simply beamed at the huge creatures.
Albus eventually got bored and stopped taking notes. His legs were sore from standing for so long, even though he was leaned up against a tree.
Finally, Hagrid said: “Well, I guess we better be headin’ back ter the school. You all got yer notes?”
Everyone nodded eagerly.
“Good,” said Hagrid. “Now, we’ll be studyin’ Yowl an’ Yoop fer the rest o’ the year. Not many yetis in captivity and not many wizards get t’ study ‘em!”
Albus tried to look enthusiastic, stifling the impulse to groan.
The class picked their way through the Forest. There was a universal look of boredom mixed with fear on their faces.
Albus made a point to walk next to Hagrid. “Hey, Hagrid,” he said after a few minutes. “Has anything strange been going on in the Forest lately?”
Hagrid said: “Now that I think o’ it, thar has been a coupla odd things. Why?”
“No real reason,” said Albus quickly. “A friend heard a rumor that there’s people living in the Forest.”
Hagrid chuckled. “Nothin’ like tha’, Al. Just a few dead beasts turnin’ up. Looked like summat had been eatin’ ‘em. An’ then the centaurs are sorta riled ‘bout summat; they left th’ Forest a couple weeks ago. Said they’d be back at the end o’ th’ year.”
“What has them so upset?” asked Albus.
Hagrid snorted. “Bloody centaurs. Wouldn’t say, o’ course. Probably a wild werewolf, maybe a mountain troll. They weren’t too happy ‘bout Yowl an’ Yoop either.”
As Albus pondered this new information, the class continued through the Forest. A few people were chatting about the yetis, but most were simply trying not to fall on their faces.
The day was overcast and rainy when they finally got out of the Forest, which put even more of a damper on Albus’s spirits. The thought of the Transfiguration class that would be held after lunch didn’t help either.
After they said goodbye to Hagrid, Albus looked over his shoulder at the big dark Forest. Something”or someone”was lurking there. And he intended to find out who it was.