Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix [71]
“No, that’s not a good day professor,” interrupted Hermione. He looked at her funny. “That’s… um… when we have to stay after with professor McGonagall to do some extra credit.”
“Oh, ok. Well, how about a week after Halloween?” asked Professor Flitwick.
“That’s good,” said Harry, wanting to sound agreeable to Professor Flitwick since he didn’t ask any questions about their “extra credit” in Transfiguration.
“We’ll need a captain you know,” said Professor Flitwick, looking at Harry. “How about it Harry? You up to it?”
“Yeah Harry, it was your idea after all,” said Hermione. Ron, however, was silent.
“No,” said Harry defiantly. “I think we should have a competition and the winner should become captain. I don’t want people to think I’m captain just become I’m famous.” Ron gave Harry a smile of appreciation. Though he never said it out loud, Ron had always been jealous of Harry, and Harry wanted to give him the opportunity to show himself.
“Excellent idea,” said Professor Flitwick as his next class was filing in. “Well I have to go teach my next class now, and I suspect you have to go to your next lesson.” Harry, Ron, and Hermione each nodded.
“Yes, and, thanks professor,” said Harry as they left the classroom, avoiding the small first years walking in.
“Hey Harry!” yelled Joe, the little Gryffindor first year. “Joo rozorz meh soxorz!”
“Uh… good,” said Harry, running away from him as fast as possible.
CHAPTER 15- The Plan
Harry still had no idea how he, Ron, and Hermione made it through the next week. Every day they would wake up, go to their classes, do their homework, go to Animagus lessons (Malfoy was never present at one), go to Quidditch practice (Hermione would watch and read her books), talk to Professor Flitwick about how the Dueling Club should be organized, and then end the day discussing how they would rescue Sirius and Lupin, and collapse in their beds at around two in the morning.
All of this was paying off though: each of them could successfully transform the heads of their animals, and keep it for as long as they wanted. Ron was able to get down to the size of a chameleon fairly well, and Harry could even transform his back into wings, and he was getting pretty good at flying with them. None of them had seen what animal Malfoy had chosen.
The Dueling Club was decided to be almost like official duels: two teams of two wizards each who fight until either one gives up, or is disarmed. If, after the qualifiers for the captain, people wanted to do un-official duels (one on one, two on one, or even three on one), those would take place.
“Maybe we should cause a distraction,” suggested Ron at their latest meeting on how to rescue Sirius and Lupin. Halloween would be tomorrow, and they still didn’t have a good idea on how to get in to Azkaban, much less get into some cells and rescue two people. “I mean, if we can confuse the dementors, then maybe we can slip by them.”
“But what kind of distraction Ron?” asked Hermione, right before she yawned. It was already midnight, and the Gryffindor Common room was completely empty. It was almost pitch black except for a few candles around the three of them.
“Harry can do his p- p- p- Patronus Charm,” yawned Ron. A Patronus Charm was a spell that conjured a patronus, a kind of silvery protector, a shield between you and a dementor. It prevented the happiness from being sucked out of you.
“No, I don’t think so Ron,” said Harry. “I mean, there’s bound to be hundreds of dementors there, and I don’t think a single patronus can fend them all away. And even if it does, there’s going to probably be other wizard guards there who won’t be affected by it.”
“Why don’t we just buy some dementor costumes, run into Azkaban wearing them, and bang our heads on the cells until they open,” suggested Harry sarcastically. Ron and Hermione glared at him.
“Harry, we need a