Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor DGM.
Chapter 2 – The start of term
Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way through the wet corridors, dodging the various water-filled balloons that Peeves was pelting at everyone, teachers and students alike. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall managed to soon stop the poltergeist with a threat – that she'd call Professor Dumbledore. Dripping wet, both from Peeves and the torrential rain outside, they entered the Great Hall, which looked as magnificent as usual, despite the ceiling looking as though it was about to try and drown them all. Taking their seat, they were greeted by Nearly Headless Nick. Colin Creevey made a somewhat unwelcome conversation as he gushed about his younger brother, hoping that young Dennis Creevey would make it into Gryffindor.
Trying his best to ignore Colin, Harry looked up at the staff table, and was somewhat astonished to see more empty seats than usual, as well as the customary new face. A strict-looking woman sat next to Hagrid's seat, blonde hair tied in a ponytail while a massive scar covered half her face. The other half of her face was covered by a long fringe. A small monkey sat on her shoulder, chattering away. Even more surprisingly, however, were her clothes. Unlike the rest of the staff, with the obvious exception of Hagrid, she was not wearing robes, but rather a curious black outfit with red trimming and a golden emblem over her heart.
"Do you reckon she's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry murmured to Ron and Hermione.
"I hope so," Ron replied. "She looks awesome!" He was hit on the head by Hermione.
"Show some respect, would you?" she hissed angrily. "And the Defence teacher's chair is still empty – she's in a different seat. Professor McGonagall's seat is still empty too."
Just then, the doors open and there was utter silence as Professor McGonagall led the first years to where the Sorting Hat waited on its stool at the front of the Hall. A tiny boy looked around, spotted Colin and mouthed 'I fell in the lake!'. He was draped in Hagrid's coat. Hagrid himself sidled into his seat at the end of the table, next to the new woman.
Once the eleven year olds were in position a tear in the hat opened wide and the hat started to sing:
"A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of high renown,
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
For Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favourites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind,
And tell where you belong!"
Applause echoed throughout the Great Hall as it finished.
"That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us!" Harry observed, clapping with all the rest.
"Sings a different one every year," Ron said. "I bet it spends all year thinking up the next one – it's got to have a pretty boring life, after all."
The Sorting took a very long time, according to Harry and Ron's stomachs, although in reality it wasn't long at all. The feast, opened by Professor Dumbledore's words 'tuck in' lasted for ages, according to Hermione after she discovered about the existence of house elves within the castle.
At the end of the feast, Dumbledore stood up, ready to give out the start of term notices.
"Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle this year has been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it. As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest in the grounds in out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.
"It is my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."
"What?" Harry gasped. Looking around at Fred and George he saw that the two Gryffindor Beaters were mouthing soundlessly, too appalled to speak.
"This is due to an event which will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy – but I am sure you will enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"
At that moment the doors to the Great Hall swung forcibly open and everyone saw a man shrouded in black begin to limp up the Hall towards the staff table. There was a wooden 'clunk' every other step. He reached Dumbledore and shook his hand. After a brief, mumbled, conversation, the stranger took the only remaining empty seat.
"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody," Dumbledore said brightly. It was usual for a new member of staff to be applauded, but only Hagrid and Dumbledore put their hands together. Everyone else seemed to be in too much of a shock to clap.
"Mad-Eye Moody, the Auror?" Ron gasped.
"Then who's the other new face?" Hermione asked. "All the teaching positions are full."
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"As I was saying, I am delighted to announce that we will have the honour of hosting none other than the newly reinstated Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts this year."
"You're joking!" Fred Weasley said loudly. The tension in the Hall broke as nearly everyone laughed, including Dumbledore who chuckled appreciatively before going on to explain the event. Anger tore through the Hall when he mentioned the age limit, and many people immediately began to plot ways of entering despite still being underage.
"A-hem," Professor McGonagall said, effectively silencing the Hall.
"Thank you, Professor," Dumbledore said. "Now, in light of this event and the amount of work it will place upon our gamekeeper, we have decided that, for this year only, Hagrid will not undertake his teaching duties. I am pleased to announce that Professor Nine has agreed to cover him for a year. I hope you will make her feel welcome."
Professor Nine stood as she received the customary applause.
"So that's who she is!" Harry said. "I hope she'll be okay – imagine if she favours the Slytherins!"
"I don't think she will," Hermione said. "She doesn't look like she'll take any nonsense."
"Doesn't look like she knows how to laugh, does she?" Ron commented. "Please don't say she's another McGonagall!"
"Who said she looks 'awesome'?" Hermione asked scathingly. Ron ignored her.
"And now it is time for bed," Dumbledore announced. "Chop chop!"
As everyone crowded out of the Hall, the discussion was, predominately, about the upcoming Tournament, and speculation about their two new teachers.
After all the students had departed from the Great Hall - and a good many of the teachers - the side door near where Hagrid sat opened. It had already been open a sliver – just enough for one person to look through.
"Well?" Klaud demanded as the other exorcists entered.
"I'm amazed," Allen confessed. "I didn't see a single akuma."
"Young master Potter and his friends were doing a lot of talking," Lavi observed.
"Mr Potter has always had some… disregard… for the rules," Snape commented. "It does not surprise me."
"They should all at least be in their dormitories," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps you should commence with your rounds now." The five exorcists nodded. "General Klaud – perhaps you ought to rest tonight. I seem to recall you have the fourth year Gryffindors and Slytherins tomorrow morning. That will be a tough class to handle." She nodded.
"I leave the rounds to you," she told the other exorcists before retiring to their quarters. The four teens paid their respect to the wizards and witches still present before disappearing in pairs – Allen and Lavi, and Kanda and Lenalee. The pairs had been chosen some time ago – Lavi would (hopefully) stop Allen getting lost and Lenalee annoyed Kanda the least. It worked. Midnight came around as they finished, having found no more akuma, greeting April Rose as they entered their chambers with the word 'Innocence'. It was a password they thought no student would easily guess.
"Aside from the first few rounds, we've found no akuma," Lavi said. "Does this mean that it's far harder to convert wizards or do the wards around the castle keep the majority away from the boundaries?"
"That's your riddle to puzzle out, not ours," Kanda said as he entered his room and locked the door. Allen and Lenalee bade Lavi goodnight before entering their rooms. It was a guarantee that Lavi would not go to bed until the early hours of the morning, if at all.
The next morning Harry, Ron and Hermione inspected their new timetables.
"Today's not bad – outside all morning," Ron said. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures… damn, we're still with the Slytherins…"
"And double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned. It was easily his least favourite subject, with the exception of Potions.
There was the whoosh of owls as the post arrived. Harry instinctively looked up, but there wasn't a snowy owl amongst all the browns and greys.
Herbology went quickly, to Harry's delight. He hated the sight of the Bubotubers that they had been squeezing almost as much as the pus that they oozed when squeezed, even if the experience was oddly satisfying.
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked towards the edge of the forest, along with the rest of the Gryffindors, looking for Professor Nine. To their relief, they found her easily. She was standing by the paddock that had housed the Hippogriffs the previous year.
"Good morning," she said to them as they approached. She was greeted in turn by a few mumbles. "I would appreciate a response," she said. "But that can wait until the Slytherins arrive. I do hope they haven't got lost – it would be such a nuisance to have to look for them." Just then the Slytherins appeared, to her obvious pleasure. "Good. Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning," the Gryffindors replied, feeling like young children. The Slytherins said nothing and received a glare.
"We'll try that again," she said firmly. "Manners will get you a long way in life, as will your grades. I have no qualms about docking marks for rude students. Good morning, everyone." Mollified by the threat, the entire class returned the greeting.
"Now then," she continued. "Professor Hagrid has kindly given me the syllabus that he expects you to understand by the end of this year. However, before I let you anywhere near those dangerous creatures I have decided that this lesson shall be dedicated to us getting to know each other – and that includes me seeing how well you can handle safer creatures."
The students looked at each other, wondering what exactly she had in mind.
"Before I show you the creatures you will be studying today, I want to know each of your names. As you are already aware, if you were paying any attention last night, I am Professor Nine and expect to be addressed as such. This," she indicated the chattering monkey on her shoulder – "is Lau Jimin. Now, I would know your names, starting with you," she pointed at Ron.
"Ron Weasley."
"Hermione Granger."
"Harry Potter."
"Neville Longbottom."
It continued until every member of the class had said their names, the Slytherins somewhat reluctantly.
"One last thing before we start – do any of you have any questions?" Professor Nine asked. Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?"
"Do you teach at another school normally, Professor?" she asked.
"Yes. I am one of two Care of Magical Creatures Professors at Rosecross Academy. Professor Dumbledore contacted our headmaster and asked if one of us could cover for Professor Hagrid for a year," Professor Nine replied. "That all you need to know. Today I will be seeing how well you can handle Wild Gnomes."
There was a cry of outrage from the students that had grown up in wizarding families present, such as Ron and Malfoy, who either had been dealing with them since they were old enough to throw or had servants to do the same things for them.
"Silence!" Professor Nine barked. "Inside this paddock are one hundred Wild Gnomes. I want them all gone by the end of the lesson – and that does not mean tossed over the side of the fence. You need to remove them in such a way that we do not get a population of them in the forest. Begin!"
"How are we supposed to do that?" Ron gasped. Harry and Hermione looked equally mystified.
"I suggest reading your textbooks," Nine said casually. Hermione immediately dived into her bag and withdrew The Taming of Magical Beasts. She flicked through until she came across the chapter on Gnomes. Harry and Ron didn't bother to check their books, instead listening to Hermione as she murmured the passage required.
"'There are different types of Gnomes – the common Garden Gnome, which most wizarding families are familiar with, and the Wild Gnome, which is not easily removed once it has chosen a 'den' - that is, a place to live and raise its young. It can be removed using the same techniques as the Garden Gnome, but they return almost instantly. However, there are some spells that do work on them, primarily Incendio. Jarveys can also be used.' We have to kill them?" she gasped.
"So it seems," Harry said, not looking too pleased.
"Can't they be tamed, or something?" Ron asked desperately. Hermione consulted the book.
"'Wild Gnomes are notoriously hard to train, not because they are particularly vicious, but because they are so intelligent, unlike their Garden Gnome relatives, and are highly adept at pretending to be tamed, and then wrecking the area they have chosen afterwards. To the horror of most wizards and witches, to permanently remove a colony, they must be killed. Of course, the use of Avada Kedavra is not encouraged. Incendio is enough, followed by Scourgify to remove the remains of both the creature and the den.'" she read. "I don't think we have a choice. Professor, do we really have to kill them?"
"Yes, Miss Granger. This is only the first untameable creatures that you will have to deal with this term," Professor Nine replied.
"Isn't this Care of Magical Creatures, not Killing of Magical Creatures?" Ron asked.
"It is the study of Magical Creatures, and while you study the darker creatures in Defence Against the Dark Arts, there are more common creatures that are not especially harmful, but still need taming. If taming is not possible, even with the safer creatures, death is the only other option. It is harsh, I know, and I do not relish teaching you things like this, but it is necessary," Nine replied. "Why can I still see a hundred Wild Gnomes in the paddock? Your time is running out!" she snapped. Hermione sighed.
"Incendio!" The rest of the class were quick to follow suit.
"An interesting lesson, at last!" Malfoy commented to Crabbe and Goyle.
"I hope that does not mean you are enjoying this, Mr. Malfoy," Nine barked. "The taking of a life is never pleasant." Malfoy didn't meet her eyes, instead concentrating on incinerating the Gnomes. It wasn't long before the two Houses came to a mutual agreement. The Slytherins did the killing while the Gryffindors did the clean-up. With a system worked out, it wasn't long before the only sign of the Gnomes was the burnt patches of grass where the spells had missed. The end of the lesson came quickly and soon they were heading towards the Great Hall for lunch.
"Killing! What a horrible thing!" Hermione scowled.
"You heard Nine, it was necessary. She didn't enjoy it any more than we did," Ron said. Harry stayed quiet. "What's up, mate?"
"Nothing," Harry said. "But it was funny to see Malfoy put in his place. At least we know she doesn't favour the Slytherins."
"She didn't seem to favour us, either," Ron sulked. "She's just as I feared – another McGonagall."
"What do you think Hagrid's asked her to teach us?" Hermione wondered.
"I'm not sure I want to know. As long as it's not Acromantula I don't think I mind," Harry said as they sat down and began to eat.
"I'm happy not knowing," Ron said. "Because if I start to think about it I get all nervous."
Hermione stood.
"I'm off to the library, see you later," she said.
"What about food?" Ron asked as she walked away.
"I've finished." The two boys looked at her plate to see that it was indeed covered in crumbs.
"How does she eat that fast?" Ron wondered. Harry just shrugged.
Divination was as boring as ever, apart from Professor Trelawney getting Harry's birthday wrong by half a year, to Ron's amusement. They didn't find the amount of homework they were given amusing though – even less so when Hermione smugly informed them that she hadn't been given any.
They entered the entrance hall and joined the queue of people waiting for dinner when they were hailed by none other than Draco Malfoy, who then took great delight in insulting Ron's parents, who had appeared in the Daily Prophet. Harry retorted with a comment about Mrs Malfoy and narrowly missed being cursed. To their delight, Professor Moody promptly transfigured Malfoy into a ferret. Unfortunately Professor McGonagall ruined the entertainment when she changed him back into a humiliated fourteen year old boy and told Moody to take him to Snape.
Once they were seated, Ron attempted to keep his two best friends silent until he memorised the moment, despite the fact that Hermione seemed determined to play the goody two shoes and stick up for McGonagall's actions. She then left to go to the library, despite not having any homework to do, much to Harry and Ron's confusion. They were then thoroughly disappointed when informed of Moody's amazing lessons and realised that they didn't have him until Thursday.
"How was your first day of teaching?" Professor Dumbledore asked Klaud. She shrugged.
"My fourth year class this morning was highly entertaining. I managed to get the Slytherins and Gryffindors to work together, somehow," she said.
"Congratulations," Snape said. "That is a notable achievement." Klaud accepted his words with a nod. Lau Jimin was more vocal, chattering in her ear.
"Hush, Lau," she said.
"That is a curious monkey you have there," Professor Moody commented. "I don't recognise the breed."
"Lau is a cross between a Japanese Eyemask and an Australian Rufftail," Klaud replied, remembering that not all the teachers knew that she was an exorcist.
The rest of the meal passed in silence and again the Heads of Houses, Dumbledore and Klaud remained behind as the Hall emptied. The side door opened to admit the younger exorcists, who had just finished their meal in the kitchens.
"I have to admit to being confused as to why there are so few akuma near the castle, despite the large amount of people," Lavi confessed. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"We have no new akuma?" he asked. "Then, headmaster, was it really necessary to summon all these exorcists?"
"I have a suspicion that more will come," Dumbledore said. "Remember we will have two more schools joining us."
"Tch," Kanda said.
"Do you have something to say, Kanda?" Klaud asked.
"I don't trust that new teacher – the Defence Against the Dark Arts one," he muttered. "His aura feels… off."
"Alastor Moody is a highly qualified Auror. I do not think there should be any grounds for suspicion," Dumbledore said firmly. Kanda said nothing else, but the other exorcists could tell he wasn't convinced.
"Whoever's guarding the Hogwarts Champion should be able to keep an eye on him," Lenalee whispered to Kanda, who relaxed slightly.
"I think it's time for the rounds again," Klaud said. "Go." The four younger exorcists sighed but departed.
As per usual, they started with the grounds – today all four of them were together – and ventured into the forest. For the first few rounds they'd taken Hagrid with them, relying on Allen's eye to keep him safe from Akuma, so as to get a feel for where various species had made their home. They had been introduced to 'Aragog' – a massive spider (an Acromantula according to Hagrid) – and his family, who had clearly been itching to eat the exorcists and it was only thanks to Hagrid's pleas that they weren't attacked. They had also met the centaurs, some of which had been more welcoming than others, although they had all decided to grant the exorcists passage into the forest as they wished due to the nature of their mission – the centaurs had even promised to inform them if they encountered anything that clearly didn't belong, provided they survived the encounter. They had been invaluable the first night.
They had also met other, less intelligent beast such as the shy unicorns and the bowtruckles, but none of these bothered the exorcists.
Now, with Lavi leading the way, they entered the forest, carefully skirting the massive hollow they knew to be home to Aragog and his family. Allen kept an eye out for akuma from the ground while Lenalee used her Boots to fly amongst the treetops, looking for things that didn't belong, or helpful centaurs. As usual, there were neither and they soon decided that the forest was clear.
They next moved on to the black lake. This was Lenalee and Lavi's domain as Lenalee could walk on the water with her Innocence and keep an eye out for water akuma while Lavi could fly out on his Hammer and converse with the merpeople, who had also pledged their help in scouring the grounds of akuma. As usual, there was nothing there and so they moved on.
After deciding that the Quidditch Pitch was also clear of any akuma that might be lurking, they entered the castle. The classrooms were first to be inspected, although Allen always kept a close eye on the suits of armour – perfect hiding places for akuma, he thought. Here Lenalee and the ghosts were scouts (occasionally helped by Filch and Mrs Norris), making sure that they avoided discovery by the uninformed teachers. Sir Nicholas was particularly helpful, as was the Bloody Baron who kept Peeves under control.
Finally they would inspect the houses. They had been given the passwords for each common room and would, one by one, search each house for akuma.
"Balderdash," Allen muttered as they approached the Fat Lady. She smiled at them and let them in. The previous night she had refused them entry, informing them that there were still students in the common room. This had prompted Sir Nicholas to enter and chivvy the remaining students to bed. Tonight there was no such incident and they entered with ease, silently searching the common room, then the dormitories – only peering round the corner of the door to avoid disturbing the students.
The same process was repeated in the other houses, Lavi having to answer the riddle to get them into Ravenclaw while the other Houses had only a simple password or code. There were no akuma anywhere to be found, meeting their expectations. It being nearly midnight, they found their way back to April Rose and murmured the password, gaining entry to their private quarters. They didn't bother searching this area as they knew that Klaud would already have done so. Reever was sitting up, waiting for them, as he did every few nights. Klaud was also still up, talking to him while Lau Jimin chattered quietly on her shoulder.
Kanda made his way straight to the dojo, entering the small room that led off of it to meditate for a while. Usually he would train, but now that students were in the castle they had been told to be as quiet as possible at night, thus they only trained while the students were in lessons.
Allen went straight into his room, delighted to see that the house elves were still supplying him with meals. He consumed the latest midnight feast they had given him before going to sleep.
Lavi headed straight for the corner of their common room that he had claimed for his own - despite the fact that the room was circular he had managed to create a corner using books. He sat down in the plush armchair that was almost buried and opened a book, continuing his research on the wizarding world and how magic might affect the production and distribution of akuma, as well as what spells might work against them.
Lenalee bade Reever and Cloud goodnight before going straight to bed, having no intention of doing anything after she filled out her day's diary. So far all the entries were looking the same. Stayed in our quarters for most of the day. Ate meals in the kitchen with the house elves – Dobby really is such a sweet little thing! Still no akuma to be found. I don't think any of the students are aware of our presence in the castle, which is good. There was more to write, and she mentioned how she felt, and the various arguments and fights Allen, Lavi and Kanda had gotten into, how Reever had coped and what Klaud had said about her lessons. Lenalee had been delighted to discover that she had a view of the Care of Magical Creatures paddock from her room, so she could watch Klaud teach the students without revealing herself. She was getting to understand the personalities of some of the students simply from her observations with binoculars.
There was a Gryffindor trio – she assumed they were Gryffindor because they wore red trimmed robes – who seemed to have some sort of ongoing feud with a Slytherin trio – again, she assumed they were Slytherin because their robes had a green trim. The Gryffindors were made up of a redheaded boy, a boy with scruffy black hair and a girl with bushy brown hair. From snatches of descriptions she had heard from various members of staff she assumed that they were Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, although she wasn't sure. The Slytherin trio were all boys – a blonde, somewhat scrawny boy seemed to be in charge and the other two, somewhat larger boys, seemed to be unable to think for themselves. That saddened Lenalee – she hated to see people blindly following someone else because it reminded her too much of how the akuma blindly followed the Noah, who in turn followed the Millennium Earl.
She put her pen down, got changed and brushed her teeth and hair and settled down into bed.
Thanks for reading!
Tsari