A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are great :)
Chapter 4
Leo, Piper, Paige and Phoebe all sat around the kitchen table and stared at the envelope and the piece of parchment lying next to it. Chris's letter, by owl express. Piper's brows were furrowed, an uncomprehending expression on her face. Paige and Phoebe's eyes also reflected deep concern. Nobody spoke for a very long time.
Leo finally broke the silence, "It might not mean anything."
Piper turned to him, her face full of worry, and said a bit angrily, "Not mean anything? Our son just got sorted into Slytherin! That House has turned out almost all the dark wizards there ever have been, including the current Source himself! Have you forgotten what Wyatt's future could have been, what it very nearly was?"
Leo placed a hand on Piper's, trying to calm down his agitated wife.
"No, Piper, I haven't forgotten future Chris's sacrifice," His gaze met Piper's, reminding her that he understood full well the implications behind Wyatt's sorting, "But we're not going to help him any by freaking out now. Hon, look at me," Leo spoke soothingly, "Our son will not grow up to be evil, you hear? Not even the Elders would allow that. He is the twice blessed Chosen One, destined to fight for good."
"Destinies can be changed," Piper mumbled miserably.
"Maybe the Sorting Hat picked up on some of Wyatt's other future?" Paige asked after a pause.
Leo nodded slowly, thinking, "That certainly is possible. And if that's the case, we don't have anything to be concerned about. I'll have to look into it further."
Phoebe, too, laid her hand on top of Piper's other one. "It'll be ok, Piper. We all know Wyatt has a bit of a mischievous streak. Besides, not all Slytherins turn out to be evil."
"I hope you're right," Piper finally conceded.
Harry and Ron lazed around the Gryffindor common room, studying their schedules that listed the courses Professor McGonagall had cleared for them to take on the N.E.W.T. level. Ron wore an ecstatic look on his face.
"How great can this year get? Not having to put up with Snape at all and these free periods we get…we have one now, and one after break, and another one after lunch…excellent," Ron could hardly contain his enthusiasm.
Harry smiled, also feeling quite pleased. "Better not jinx it, though; we still have no idea what Professor Turner's going to be like."
The entrance of the common room swung open and Katie Bell climbed in. She came over to them. "Harry, well done. I knew you'd get that," she pointed to the Quidditch Captain Badge on Harry's chest. "Be sure to tell me when the trials start," she tossed over her shoulder as she walked away to join her friends.
Harry called after her, "Don't be silly, you don't need to try out. I've watched you play for five years!"
To Ron he said, "Let's get going or we'll be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
As they hurried through the corridors, they passed a Gryffindor fourth year coming the other direction.
"Oh hey, Chris," Harry greeted him.
"Hi Harry, Ron," Chris responded.
Harry, more on impulse than anything, suddenly blurted out, "Listen, I'm sure by now you've heard of our sport, quidditch?" He looked to Chris for confirmation. Receiving it, Harry went on, "Great. I'm holding tryouts for the Gryffindor team next week. Why don't you come by and check it out."
"Sure, why not," was Chris's reply to his query.
"All right. I'll see you," Harry said, and they continued on their separate ways.
Ron waited until they were out of earshot before turning on Harry, "Are you crazy? His brother's in Slytherin. Besides which, he's probably never touched a broomstick in his life!"
"Wyatt might be in Slytherin, but Chris is a Gryffindor. And I didn't say he had to try out. Just thought it might cheer him up a little."
Ron let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine, I guess. He has been looking a bit down since the sorting. Reckon he's worried about his brother? I know I would be."
They met up with Hermione outside the classroom and listened patiently to her complaining about the loads of homework she'd already got from her first period Ancient Runes class.
"A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and I've still got to read all this!" Hermione indicated to the pile of books she had in her arms. Harry secretly thought she looked rather pleased, but didn't tell her so.
They saw a group of Slytherins coming down the corridor, so they went into the classroom. The one downside of this class was that they still had it with the Slytherins, which included Malfoy…and now Wyatt. Harry was still reserving judgment on the older of the two Halliwell brothers.
The first thing Harry noticed when he entered was the change of decorations. Professor Umbridge's reign of terror in the class had constituted of frilly adornments and lacey curtains. Thankfully, all that was gone now and replaced with various daggers and other weaponry displayed on racks. Harry thought that the room looked kind of…cool. There was no other word for it.
Cole was leaning against the front of his desk, a book open in one hand. He looked up as they entered and shut the book, placing it on the desk behind him. Harry managed to catch a glimpse of the title, Rediscovering Ancient Magic. Interesting.
He gestured to the rows of desks, "Have a seat."
Most of the students filed timidly past him and found suitable spots. Cole, in his six foot two figure, seemed imposing and, as he was a new teacher, no one knew what to expect. He read down the roll list, his eyes taking careful note of who answered. It was a nice sort of voice, Hermione decided, soft and baritone but commanding at the same time.
"Ok, so that's that." Cole had reached the last name and discarded the list. "As you probably know from the start of the year banquet, I'm Professor Turner. The Headmaster has brought me here to help you establish a link between your world and that of the other magical community, where I was from." He paused briefly.
"What Professor Dumbledore neglected to tell you, however, is that I used to be a half-demon."
Collective gasps and whisperings ran around the room, and several students shot him apprehensive and nervous looks. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were quiet, having already known this. Harry appreciated Cole's open honesty.
Cole held up his hands in mock defense and chuckled, "I can assure you that I have no intention of doing anyone any harm. Nor am I a demon anymore." He caught Malfoy whisper something to Pansy Parkinson, but chose to ignore them.
"You have, I believe, covered a wide range of subjects in Defense Against the Dark Arts, anywhere from boggarts to dementors to werewolves, as well as numerous spells, have you not?" They nodded.
"Well, this year we'll add demons to our studies," a corner of Cole's mouth twitched slightly; the irony of this was not lost on him, "and start practicing the use of nonverbal spells. This class is N.E.W.T. level, so you should all be able to handle that."
Malfoy had obviously decided that Cole was not much of a threat. He continued to whisper what seemed like rude things to his fellow Slytherins and glancing over at Harry, at times mimicking the breaking of a nose. Hermione was glad that Wyatt, who was sitting behind Malfoy's group, at least did not seem particularly interested in Malfoy's antics.
"A demon's attack of choice," Cole went on to explain, "is something called an energy ball." All of a sudden, a bright blue cackling sphere materialized in Cole's hands. "Like so," he flung out his hand the energy ball flew toward Malfoy's group. Malfoy yelped as his desk caught on fire and hurriedly tried to put out the flames with a douse of water from his wand. Cole's arms were crossed and he watched this faintly amused. "Very effective, used in combination with a variety of other weapons and powers."
Hermione fought to keep from laughing as Malfoy sat there and glared at Cole, a corner of his sleeves still smoldering. Her eyes were eventually drawn to the person sitting behind him, Wyatt. She loved the bemused expression he now wore on his face, and the way a lock of hair fell into his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as Wyatt felt her gaze on him and stared back at her, refusing to look away until she did. Hermione felt her cheeks flush and she turned back to the front, trying to focus on what Cole was saying, something about shimmering. What was wrong with her? Wyatt's a Slytherin!
Ron had noticed Hermione blushing. He leaned over and whispered, pretending to be horrified, "Hermione, don't tell me you've got a thing for Professor Turner. What happened with Lockhart was bad enough. I mean, all those hearts on your schedule?"
Hermione frowned, "Oh shut up, Ron, that's not what this is about." Ron just sniggered.
Cole had been slowly pacing back and forth as he talked. The students sitting in the front row drew back slightly every time he passed them. One Gryffindor girl bravely raised her hand, encouraged by the fact that it was Malfoy who had suffered Cole's wrath.
"Sir, I thought you said you weren't a demon anymore," She questioned, "How come you still have those powers?"
"The powers, I picked up somewhere else," Cole answered her. "It's…ah, a long story." He sighed, "Perhaps some other time. All right, the rest of week we'll be in the Great Hall for lessons. Professor Dumbledore has kindly agreed to temporarily lift some of spells in there so I'll be able to show you what shimmering looks like. Also, we'll talk about using agility as a defense. What they can't hit, they can't hurt. Homework: read up on and review using shield charms, you'll need them for the next lesson. I also want a fifteen-inch essay on demons and the methods of attacks they use by Thursday." He nodded at them, "That will be all."
The students shuffled out the door, talking excitedly in awed voices despite the fact that they all had homework on the first day already.
Ron nudged Harry, "Didn't I tell you how great this year was going to be? That look on Malfoy's face, I almost died laughing. Served him right, I'll say. And Cole! He's amazing! Think he can teach me how to use energy balls?" Ron sounded wistful.
Harry laughed, "I don't think it's something that can be taught. But I agree, that was definitely one of my favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. Cole seems to dislike Malfoy almost as much as Snape hates me. Point in his favor."
Hermione made a small noise of agreement, not trusting herself to speak just yet.
"Let's see," Ron muttered, consulting his schedule. "Potions next." He looked positively delighted as they headed off toward the direction of the dungeons.