The Good Slytherin Chapter 6
Albert Lau jumps out of the frying pan only to land in the fire. Despite escaping punishment for joining Dumbledore's Army, Albert faces his toughest trial ahead. Will he remain loyal to his newly-found friends or will he break? For this story, I have also decided to show the Caretaker Argus Filch's softer side. Personally, I don't think Filch is a bad person. He's just gotten a raw deal from life. I've also decided to showcase Mrs Norris' softer side. If you haven't guessed it, yes, I love cats.
Part One: A Narrow Escape
It had only just been an hour since their "capture." However, for the Dumbledore Army (DA)'s members who had been holed up in the library, it almost seemed like a century. Fear and terror swept through Albert and Arihana as they waited in the Hogwarts library. The Inquisitorial Squad had turned the library into an improvised holding cell for the DA members. While little word had been allowed to trickle through the library doors in the past hour, there were whispers among both the captives and their captors that several important bigwigs from the Ministry of Magic, including no other than the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge himself, had arrived to deal with the "illegal organisation." There was no sign of Harry Potter or Marietta Edgecombe. Albert saw a fellow Malaysian, Noraina Othman weeping in terror near a bookcase. Ginny Weasley was trying to console her.
"What's gonna happen to us?, " whispered Albert, learning his mouth into Arihana's left ear. "There's no doubt we're in hot water."
"Don't worry, Dumbledore will find a way out," whispered back Arihana "He's always got a trick up his…"
"Silence, prisoners will not speak unless spoken to," thundered Draco Malfoy imperiously, who towered over the two and turned to fix his gaze on Albert "What's a Slytherin boy doing with a Gryffindor girl? "
"Leave those first years alone," protested Hermione Granger, who was seated opposite them. "We are not your prisoners and you have no right to keep us here."
"That's it, ten points from Gryffindor for contradicting me," snapped Draco Malfoy, a sadistic grin appearing on his face, as he gestured towards the tiny silver 'I' on his robes just beneath his prefect's badge "As an Inquisitor, I'm the law here. You'll be best placed to remember that."
"Wearing a fancy alphabet on your robes does not give you the right to abuse your powers," thundered a shrill grownup female voice.
Every head in the door turned to fix their eyes on Professor Minerva McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. McGonagall looked as majestic and stately as ever in her solemn black robes. Her greying hair was tied into a neat bun.
"Ten points from Slytherin for abusing your powers, Mr Malfoy," said Ms McGonagall sternly.
An angry scowl appeared on Draco's face but he knew better to hold his tongue.
"We're just doing our job holding these students for questioning, per Professor Umbridge's orders," barked Julius Masgard, a tall brown-haired seventh year student who served as the de-facto head of the Inquistorial Squad "For the past six months, these fellows have been meeting illegally, in direct contravention of Education Decree Number 24!"
"I applaud your enthusiasm with enforcing the Ministry's policies," replied Ms McGonagall, in a warm but patronising voice "But I have to correct some facts. None of these students have been meeting illegally for the past six months. Dumbledore merely asked whether they would be interested joining a special extracurricular club called Dumbledore's Army. Tonight was meant to be the first meeting but things didn't work out and the Ministry got hang of it."
"Where's Dumbledore? ," someone cried
"Oh he's Dissapparated," replied a male grown-up voice. Professor McGonagall was joined by Kingsley Shacklebolt, an Afro-Caribbean Auror who worked for the Ministry.
"Don't worry, kids none of you are in trouble with the Ministry," said Kingsley "We tried to arrest Dumbledore but he just…"
"Disapparated!," interjected a visibly red-faced Cornelius Fudge. Upon realising that he was addressing a whole room full of impressionable young minds, Fudge quickly changed his demeanour and put on a charming, grown-up voice.
"Now, young lads and ladies," said Fudge in an officious tone "It was very wrong for Professor Dumbledore to take advantage of you. He was going to teach you spells and magic that is way too powerful for young minds like you to worry about. But, we shall redouble our efforts to bring justice to Professor Dumbledore."
"What about He Who Must Not Be Named?," shouted George Weasley, one of Ron's older brothers and a seventh year student.
"Let me repeat this for the umpteenth time," said Fudge, struggling to hide his irritation "This Dark Wizard is as dead as a door nail. Don't listen to Dumbledore or Mr Potter. They're trying to make a big deal out of nothing."
The library immediately interrupted into boos and jeers.
"Students, this is no way to address the Minister," spoke Professor McGonagall in a stern voice. However, Albert briefly saw her glare at Cornelius Fudge. "On behalf of the school, I would like to apologize for having you detained here at your inconvenience. You're all free to go since you're done nothing wrong. Please now return to your dormitories."
Albert could not believe that he and his friends had managed to worm their way out of a seemingly impossible situation. He had been preparing his mind for a good dressing-down from his father for getting into trouble with the authorities. Even the fear of getting his student visa cancelled by the Ministry of Magic. As the youngest, he always had a knack for getting into trouble. It wasn't his fault, he thought, but trouble seemed to catch him. Albert felt that a millstone had been lifted from his chest.
"I told you so," said Arihana, as she gave him a hug
Suddenly, Albert felt a firm tap on his shoulder. Albert turned to gaze into the deep green eyes of Julius Masgard, the de-facto head of the Inquisitorial Squad.
"I believe you're a bit too young for chasing after girls," said Julius in a cold voice "Especially the wrong sort. Pass it is way past your bedtime."
Before he left, Albert whispered, "I'll catch up later."
Part 2: Trial by Terror
Over the next few days, word spread throughout the school of Professor Dumbledore's dramatic escape from the Ministry's clutches. Dumbledore had disapparated into thin air and headed for parts unknown, perhaps even as far as the moon. Disapparation was the magical power to teleport from one place to another immediately. However, this good news was soon outweighed by more bad news. Professor Umbridge was now not merely the High Inquisitor and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She was now the Acting-Headmistress of Hogwarts in the light of Dumbledore's escape. Umbridge ruled the school with an iron-fist, imposing more draconian regulations and rules. The exclusively Slytherin Inquisitorial Squad took out their frustration at losing their biggest catch on the other three houses, docking points for frivolous reasons. Despite being a Slytherin, Albert felt aghast and even ashamed at the actions of his supposed comrades.
By mixing with "bad company", Albert had earned himself the position of the "black sheep" of Slytherin House. Most of his fellow Slytherins deliberately avoided him. Almost nobody wanted to share a table with him at the Hogwarts dining hall. On more than a few occasions, he had been forced to dine with non-Slytherins like Arihana at the Gryffindor table and Noraina at the Hufflepuff table. In addition, Albert had been locked out of the Slytherin Common Room several times. Only a few Slytherins like his Polish bunk mate Jakub Kowalski and Mei Lee, a second-year Chinese girl, continued to talk to him. Albert had managed to befriend these Slytherins by helping them with their homework since as non-English speakers, they struggled with writing in English.
One midnight, Albert was roused from his sleep by a group of cloaked figures. Before he had any idea about what was going on, he was dragged out of his bed. An old sack was then tossed over his head. Albert kicked and struggled but someone then chanted Petrificus Totalus, the full-body bind curse. Suddenly, Albert couldn't move his arms and legs. He tried to scream but no sound departed from his mouth. The only thing that Albert could do was breathe and stare at the dark veil of the sack. Albert felt his body being dragged across his bed's silk curtains. Jakub and a few other bed mates were aroused by the commotion but he heard a gruff older voice telling them to go back to bed and mind their own business.
"What's going on?," demanded Jakub "Where are you taking him?"
"Albert has some unfinished business," replied Vincent Crabbe, one of Draco Malfoy's friends. "You're be best to mind your own business."
Albert was then half-dragged and half-carried across the Slytherin Boys' Dormitory. He could feel his feet trailing the hard, cold dungeon floor. He heard the shuffling of feet and the whisper of voices. Albert could pick out the voices of several members of the Inquisitorial Squad including Draco, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Graham Montague, and finally Julius Masgard. Julius was a tall, handsome seventh year student who had made himself the de-facto head of the Inquisitorial Squad. Julius was constantly obsessed with blood purity and had an unhealthy interest in the Dark Arts. After turning a corner, Albert heard the swishing of a door and his nose smelled the familiar dank, moist smell of the Slytherin Common Room boy's toilet.
Albert felt his hood being pulled off from behind. Immediately, his eyes were assaulted by the bright white glare of the toilets' ceiling lights, one of the few Muggle appliances being used at Hogwarts. Albert heard someone yell an unfamiliar incantation and suddenly his body was free of the full body-bind curse. Around him, Albert saw several figures wearing dark robes with their faces obscured. The lead figure, the tallest in the group, removed his hood. Albert found himself staring into the handsome, cold face of Julius. Albert could sense the malice lurking beneath Julius' unblemished face.
"Sorry to disturb you at such an early hour, Mr Lau," said Julius calmly "But we have a few questions for you? As the seniors of Slytherin House, it is our job to ensure that our fellow members keep in line with the values of Salazar Slytherin. Lately, you seem to be lagging behind. We thought that we could have a brotherly chat to set some things straight."
"You troubled me just because I have a friend in Gryffindor," replied Albert "I admit I do have some feelings for her but it was just a harmless kiss."
Several of the hooded Slytherin boys sniggered. One of them removed his hood, revealing himself as Draco. Malfoy spoke in a solemn, cold voice: "I suspect there's more to that than just a simple friendship. So, let's cut down to the chase. We know that you're been attending Dumbledore's Army for the past six months, no doubt getting brainwashed by Potter and company. We had an informant, Marietta and just because somebody messed with her brains does not mean that nothing was happening. .."
"As I told you before," interjected Albert "I was spending all those Wednesday nights at the library studying. To be honest, I wasn't thinking straight when I went into the girl's bathroom. That was very stupid of me."
"Then, how do you explain your presence on the seventh floor toilet?," barked Graham Montague, a big-built seventh year student who was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. "We caught a lot of Dumbledore's Army that night. I don't believe that it was a coincidence when Pansy found you in the cubicle with that Gryffindor mudblood."
Albert sensed the anger in him rising when Montague uttered that slur but he managed to control his feelings. He knew that he was outnumbered by several older students who could easily throttle him to death if they so desire. Before, Albert could mouth a reply, Julius spoke.
"People, let's not lose our tempers over this. Let me handle it," said Julius calmly to the other interrogators. He then turned to fix his head on Albert, bending on his knees to make eye contact with Albert.
"Albert, please let us help you. All we want is information on Dumbledore's Army's activities so that we can bring the full weight of the Ministry on these troublemakers. The Ministry is only interested in the well-being of Hogwarts' students. So, tell us the full story and I promise you that I have the perfect spell that can fix that pimple jinx. So are you willing to cooperate with us and the Ministry? No hurry, take your time to think this through, my lad."
Albert gathered his thoughts. He knew that they wanted him to betray his friends, something he could never do. Julius may not be bluffing about having a cure to fix the pimple jinx. But this would not change the fact that he would have to betray his friends in Dumbledore's Army in order to return to Slytherin's good books. Albert was not about to betray his best friend Arihana, her sister Mel, and Noraina. In the end, the decision was clear and final. He would not betray his friends in Dumbledore's Army out of loyalty to his own house.
"I'm sorry but you guys are asking the impossible," replied Albert "I won't betray my friends. And the truth is, whether we like it or not, is that Lord Voldemort is back. We as a house should be working together with the other houses rather than being obsessed with blood purity and dark powers."
Albert's remarks elicited an angry response among the cloaked Slytherins, with the exception of Julius who stood cold and impassive.
"So you want us to play hardball huh?," smirked Julius, a cruel grin appearing on his polished face.
Before Albert could react, he felt a big, heavy fist slam into his nose and mouth. It felt as if a brick had hit his face. Albert swallowed the iron, acrid taste of blood in his mouth. He heard the bone on his nose crack. A few of his front teeth had broken off and Albert spat them out onto the floor. All of a sudden, the other Slytherins descended upon him like a pack of wolves. He felt shoes and fists slam into every corner of his body. A fist slammed into his right eye and he felt his socket crack. Suddenly, his vision began to turn blurry.
"Wait, stop!," ordered Julius. "Let's take him for a swirl down the loo." Strong hands were wrenched around his shoulders and Albert found himself being half led and half dragged into a toilet cubicle. Soon, he found his head inside the toilet bowl of a lavatory. He then heard the sound of the lavatory flushing amidst shouts and laughter. Bracing himself for the worst, Albert did his best to shut his mouth. He struggled to breathe as his head was immersed in water. After what seemed, like an eternity, Albert felt a strong pair of arms wrench him backward.
Albert vomited out water and last night's dinner onto the faded ceramic floor. Julius then grabbed him by the scruff of his t-shirt and jerked his neck, so that Albert was force to look into his face. Julius' face was now disfigured behind a scowl of hatred. Water poured down Albert's hair onto his t-shirt.
"Will you tell us more about Dumbledore's Army?," snarled Julius.
"Never heard of that," answered Albert. Julius gave a howl of frustration and then shoved Albert's head down the toilet bowl a second time. He then felt Julius' shoe slam onto his back, holding him down. The lavatory flushed for a second time. After what seemed like an eternity, Albert was wrenched out of the toilet bowl. Julius then grabbed him by his hair, sending an excruciating wave of pain down the nerves on his head. The older boy dragged Albert out of the cubicle and threw him against the hard concrete wall of the toilet. Albert felt blood trickled down his right eye, blurring his vision.
"Come on, make it easier on yourself," said Montague "We have the spells that can make all your wounds and pain go away."
"I'm sorry," shouted Albert "I don't know what you are talking about."
Julius howled in rage and slammed Albert's head down the toilet bowl for a third time. Albert struggled but Julius held his head down with the heel of his shoe.
"I'm gonna make you wish you were never born, you Muggle lover," shouted Julius. The swirling began again. Albert choked as he struggled not to swallow the toilet water. It seemed that it was going to be the end. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang behind him.
Albert felt heel on his neck loosen. Lifting his head out of the toilet bowl, Albert saw Julius lying on his back. Albert quickly realised that Julius had been knocked out by a stun charm. Looking up, Albert saw Professor Severus Snape and the school's caretaker Argus Filch standing, both still dressed in their pyjamas. Filch was accompanied by his cat, Mrs Norris, a scrawny, skeletal moggie with dust-coloured fur. Behind them tailed Jakub, who had obviously alerted the adults to Julius's "interrogation session." Snape and Filch were not Albert's favourite people at Hogwarts but for the first time he was glad to see them. There was a mixed expression of horror and anger on Snape's face, not directed at him but at the Inquisitorial Squad.
"All of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves," shouted Snape "How dare you torture a fellow member of your house. I have never thought that I would ever see this day."
Albert saw Julius beginning to stir and move but Snape kicked him in the crotch. Albert heard Julius howl and sob in pain.
"Julius Masgard, go and pack your things immediately," thundered Snape "You are hereby expelled and will leave Hogwarts when the first train arrives in the morning. Someone go and help Albert now!"
"You can't," sobbed Julius, his confident demeanour stripped away "My mum and dad will kill me if they find out."
"Well, you should have thought of that before beating up and nearly killing a fellow student," roared Snape "Get out, I don't want to see your face again!"
Gregory and Vincent reluctantly helped Albert back to his feet. Draco tried to leave the scene but Professor Snape grabbed him by the shoulder and slapped him hard across the face.
"Mr Malfoy, I am very disappointed in you," said Snape angrily "You are a Prefect. It is your job to uphold law and order in school, not to abuse your powers."
"But, but…," stammered Malfoy tearfully "Julius made me do it."
"That is a pathetic excuse, Mr Malfoy," shouted Snape "You and your fellows ganged up on a younger boy because happened to make the mistake of joining the wrong company just for one night! I've very rarely had to do this but I'm hereby taking one hundred points off Slytherin House. I'm also giving the four of you accomplices detention for two weeks."
"What, we only wanted to ask him some questions," protested Goyle "Don't take away our lead from the other houses."
"Detention?," sobbed a distraught Montague "We're got to practice for the upcoming competition with Gryffindor."
"Ill-gotten gains," retorted Professor Snape "You basically ripped house points off the other houses. Helping the Ministry does not give you a free license to behave like muggle robbers. Plus two weeks of detention should be sufficient punishment for beating up a younger member of your house. Be thankful that I have not booted the rest of you off the Slytherin Quidditch team for the rest of the year."
Albert watched with bemusement. Professor Snape had a reputation for favouring members of his own house. But, this was evidently one of the few, exceptional occasions where he had to punish students from his house.
"You look in a pretty bad shape, my lad," said Argus Filch kindly to Albert "Come let's take you to the hospital wing. The rest of you back to bed and we'll hear no more of this."
The elderly caretaker put an arm on Albert and led him out of the toilet. Argus Filch was a Squib, a member of the Wizarding folk who could not perform any magic; a source of his bitterness and frustration his life. Filch took out his frustration on the students of Hogwarts. Filch had a reputation for being unpleasant and grumpy towards the students. He enjoyed doling out punishments for the most minor of infractions, like getting caught littering or dragging mud through the carpets. His cat, Mrs Norris, served as his deputy sheriff. It was said that Mrs Norris served as his scout, looking out for misbehaving students.
Filch led Albert through the dormitory and up the stairs into the main corridor. Mrs Norris followed, rubbing her head against Albert ankle.
"She likes me," said Albert in bemusement. Mrs Norris was renowned throughout Hogwarts for her unpleasantness towards the students. His older siblings Edmund and Elizabeth had told many horror stories about Mrs Norris.
"Perhaps, she senses you are a kind and gentle person," replied Filch "Usually, she hates students with a vengeance but perhaps she senses that you are different from the rest."
Filch carried a lantern in his left hand, which illuminated the darkened corridors. The lantern gave a warm yellow glow. Albert felt relieved that he had been saved from danger at the last moment, thanks to his bunkmate Jakub.
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