Disclaimer: The characters and the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Sorry for the delay, guys. I was on vacation (it was tough) and the summer laziness claimed me. Now, however, it's over and I'm back in the game! Enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 7: Ghost Protection

On Thursdays, the first class in the day was Defence Against Dark Arts, perhaps the most anticipated one out of all. Al was especially pumped up for it, since it was being taught by no other than their very own Teddy Lupin. It was odd to have someone as young as him give instructions, but Al had no doubts his honorary older brother would do well. After all, Teddy passed N.E.W.T.S. with flying colours; not to mention that his godfather and Rosie's mum helped him out quite a bit too. Al hoped to intercept him earlier, but young Professor Lupin was busy learning about everything that there was to teaching.

Al tapped his fingers against his desk, keeping an upbeat rhythm, and observed his classmates. The Ravenclaws already took their textbooks out and started memorizing all they could, geeks. Members of the Slytherin House were much more relaxed, chatting about brooms, mansions and the latest trends in fashion. Malfoy, like in every class, sat in the most remote corner, reading a book; Al was pretty sure it wasn't a DADA textbook.

The rusty hinges creaked and the classroom's door opened. Teddy strolled in with a bright smile on his face and took his place behind lectern. Today, his hair wasn't the vivid shade of blue, but had a regular, brownish colour. It looked strange on him, a bit like a spy disguise.

"Hello, guys!" He waved to the students. "Do you want to learn some cool stuff today?"

Some of the more uptight students stared at him distractingly. The rest exchanged unsure, befuddled glances. Teddy's cheerful attitude might have worked on Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but today's crowd wasn't really having a great sense of humour.

Teddy bit his lower lip, a bit abashed. "Alright," he said slowly. "Today, we'll be covering the topic of friendly possession. Does anyone know the definition?"

Barely he finished speaking, when half of the class, of course the Ravenclaw half, shot their arms in the air and waved them widely.

Teddy pointed at a girl with a braid so long that it brushed against the floor, gathering dust and dirt. "Yes?"

The girl took a deep breath and started reciting, "Possession takes place when a being or a former being takes control over a human body. We distinct a voluntarily or an involuntarily possession, possession via spells, potions-"

Teddy raised his hand, cutting her off. She pouted and glared at him, but he laughed it off. "Okay, enough. You did well, though. Five points for Ravenclaw. How many of you have read the entire textbook already?" he asked and let out a miserable sigh when all of Ravenclaw raised their hands."Figures," Teddy muttered, cleared his throat and got his confidence back. "Let's list several ways one could get possessed." Climbing on his tippy toes, he fished out the student that seemed least interested in the class. He pointed his finger straight at Malfoy. "The blond guy in the back, the one who's clearly not paying attention." When Malfoy looked up, somewhat startled, Teddy nodded. "Yes, you. Give me one way to get possessed."

"Imperius Curse," Malfoy said right away, without needing a moment to think.

A Ravenclaw boy sitting in front of Al leant to his friend and whispered, "Of course, he would know. After all, he's a Death Eater's son. Everybody knows that."

Teddy clapped, pleased, and praised Malfoy. "Very good. Five points to Slytherin. Do you have more ideas?" He looked at the class and picked a Ravenclaw, whom Al recognized.

It was the girl who rode with him on the boat and fell into the lake. Apparently, she got sorted into Ravenclaw, but, today Al saw her in class for the first time. He managed to identify her by the hood she was wearing pulled on her head so that it hid the upper part of her face. Additionally, she wore the blue and brown scarf draped on her as though she was travelling through blizzard. It was impossible to see even a glimpse of her face. When she lifted her hand to get Teddy's attention, Al saw that she had gloves on. It was the beginning of September; it wasn't even a bit chilly yet.

She straightened her back and said, "Vampires can hypnotize people. Does it count as a possession?"

Teddy smiled warmly at her. "It does. You're doing great, Miss Chalmers. Ten points to Ravenclaw." He lifted his wand and started directing a piece of chalk to draw on the blackboard. "You've all given the right answers. However, no one has mention the most spooky type of possession, possession by sprits, ghosts."

The enchanted piece of chalk drew a detailed picture of an apparition, with silvery bloodstains on sheet-like clothes and heavy chains tangled over the ghost's silhouette.

The topic picked Al's interest. He leaned forth on his elbows and greedily listened to Teddy drawing comparisons and distinctions between ghosts, wraiths and poltergeists, as well as smother former human beings. Holding his breath, he gathered information about how the ghosts could possess only weak, unbalanced minds and how most of the apparitions are too weak to take control even of a newborn child. When Teddy announced the end of the class and assigned homework, Al groaned, disappointed he failed to learn more about the ghosts.

"Next week, we'll cover how to prevent the possession," Teddy announced and released the class.

As the class rushed to the exit, Al walked to Teddy. Surprisingly enough, he saw Malfoy rushing to the lectern too, with an expression of unbent determination on his pale, thin face. Dead set on not letting the prick beat him to it, Al cut him off and waved to Teddy to get his attention.

Young Lupin grinned cheerfully and ran his fingers through his slicked hair, fluffing it and ruffling. The dull and proper, brown colour changed into neon blue with a bit of purple on the ends. "Hi, Al, how's it hanging?" Teddy leaned on the lectern casually and scanned Al head to toes. "You look good in green and silver."

"It's great to see you too," Al smiled, glad that teddy didn't try to comfort him like Rose and James. He bit the inside of the cheek, recalling what we was dying to discuss ever since he saw the murderous ghost. "Actually, I wanted to talk about-"

Suddenly, Malfoy cut it. "Professor, can I take some of your time?" he asked politely. At the same time, he elbowed Al and forced him to move aside.

Al scowled and readied his own elbow to retaliate when the element of chaos entered the scene. A mass of shiny, blonde locks swished, announcing the entrance of the chief troublemaker of the Weasley family.

Victoire, a seventeen-year old menace gracefully glided inside, her eyes fixed on her boyfriend. Unapologetically, she rammed Al and Malfoy to get to her target. "Teddy, dearest!" she exclaimed sweetly and threw herself at him. Victoire wrapped her arms around him so tightly that not even the Giant Squid could trap anyone like that. Then, she climbed on her tippy toes and pressed her lips against Teddy's, shamelessly snogging him.

Al only rolled his eyes; he gained immunity to this three years ago. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked genuinely shocked. His otherwise fair face now turned brightly scarlet.

Teddy went along with Victoire for a while until he came to his senses. He grabbed his girlfriend's shoulder and forcefully tore her away from him. "Not now, Victoire," he uttered, flushed and out of breath. "Students are looking!"

Victoire smirked and winked at him seductively. "Oh, don't mind them, my love. Al won't tell anyone and as for the other one . . . " She looked at Malfoy and her eyes went cold as she chuckled darkly. "I can obliviate him later."

Malfoy made a chocking sound and pointed his finger at her accusingly. "I heard that!"

"Finally, I've managed to catch you!"

Al looked over his shoulder to see his older brother waltz into the classroom, swishing his Gryffindor robes.

James pushed past Al, Malfoy and wriggled between Victoire and her boyfriend, earning a kick in the ankle. Unabashed, he patted the young Lupin. "Teddy, you're way more elusive than a golden snitch," he said, grinning and shaking his head.

Poor Teddy found himself squished by the four people who fought for his attention. They started talking all at once, trying to outshout each other. Eventually, the brand new DADA teacher hit his breaking point.

"Back off, all of you!" he yelled, startling his girlfriend, the Potter brothers and an increasingly perturbed Malfoy. Teddy spun around and sought refuge behind the lectern. When the massive piece of furniture separated him from the little, yet rowdy mob, he lifted his hands defensively and told them, "Look, I'd love to hang out with all of you, but I'm so busy right now that I'm awake only thanks to Hannah's Energizing Potion. I should probably cut back on it a little before my liver explodes." Teddy looked at the Potter brothers. "Anyway, James, Al, I might be able to spare an hour or two tomorrow. The headmistress received a shipment of very cool stuff and I'll need a hand dealing with it. Are you up to it? I'll bring butterbeer."

"You're on, Teddy!" James exclaimed and smacked Al on his back. "My evil brother will be there too"

"I'm not evil!" Al protested fiercely. He got worked up, but held his temper and politely told Teddy, "But I accept the invitation. Mum never lets us drink butterbeer at home."

Malfoy crossed his arms on his chest and glared at the Potters with open hatred. "What about me?" he asked Teddy in a demanding tone of a spoiled brat. "Just to be clear, I don't want to hang out with you. I just need you to give me some answers."

Teddy produced a magical calendar from his pocket and pretended he was checking it. "Next week, after class. How does it sound?"

"It might be too late," Malfoy answered gruffly.

"Next week it is!" Teddy announced cheerfully and slammed his calendar shut. He waved to the Potters. "See you on Friday night!" After that, he snatched, Victoire's hand, causing her to giggle, and fled the classroom with her. Their laughter could be heard for some time after they left.

James turned to his younger brother. "Do you think he's busy with work or with Victoire?"

"Some questions should remain unanswered," Al replied philosophically. "For the sake of your mental health."

Al gathered his things and obliviously walked out of the classroom. Without a warning, someone grabbed his arm and snatched him away. He yelped, confused and startled, but relaxed when he saw a familiar mass of red locks.

Rosie hauled him off the main corridor in the third floor into a more secluded area. Her back was hunched, weighed down by the enormously backed bag; surely, she carried there a bit more than just textbooks.

Once they were out of anyone's hearing range, Al asked her, "Rosie, have you found out anything?"

She nodded, "I shuffled through a dozen of books, slept only two hours tonight, but I've got something. Apparently, a ghost can eat another ghost, although it's very rare. It happens roughly once every ten centuries or so. Through devouring a spectre, an apparitions gains strength, is able to haunt more efficiently and, in some extremely occasional cases, move small objects like a poltergeist. However, not every ghost is capable of doing that. Only the foulest and cruellest of souls can commit the crime of absorbing a ghost." Al noticed dark bags under her eyes and how unusually pale she looked today.

"So, we have a dead maniac on the loose," he summed up.

"It appears so." Rosie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to comb her. Instead, her hand got tangled and she had to fight to free it. When she managed to do that, she looked at Al. "Have you done your part?"

Al reached to his bag and produced a folded piece of parchment from between the pages of his DADA textbook. "Yesterday, I asked Grace and Quin about the missing ghosts. According to them, most of the apparitions haven't been spotted since the Start-of-Term Feast. The disappearances seem to happen more often too." He unfolded the crumpled page and took a good look at the notes he had scribbled with messy, slanted letters. "With the Grey Lady gone, we have left: Edgar Cloggs, he haunts the quidditch pitch."

"We're not allowed out of the castle," Rosie reminded him. "Vector's new rules."

Al mentally crossed Cloggs's name off the list; the quidditch-loving ghost was as good as dead, permanently this time. "Lord Draben, some gloomy nuns, a portly ghost, Moaning Myrtle in the first floor's Girl's Lavatory and Professor Cuthbert Binns, who teaches history of magic."

"My dad told me that Professor Binns can bore everyone to death," Rosie said, repeating back one of the many tales uncle Ron would tell by the fireplace. All the other ones usually involved a bunch of forbidden adventures. From time to time, he tried to tell something about the potions' teacher who taught in their days, but Al's dad would immediately censor it.

Al scratched his chin thoughtfully, feeling his facial muscles cramp in a grim frown. "Well, we won't have to worry about history of magic being boring, unless we figure out how to get rid of the ghost murderer." He hid the list of endangered ghosts back to his pocket. "In the meantime, let's warn the ghosts of the danger."

"A good idea," Rosie agreed. "Where do we start?"

"Moaning Myrtle. At least, he know where she haunts," Al decided.

He and Rosie headed to the first floor. There was an unexpected obstruction when the moving staircases refused cooperation. They kept changing every minute, turning wildly in all directions but the one Al wanted to go. Quite a big crowd of unhappy students gathered on the third floor landing, huffing and cursing. Finally, the eleven-year old investigators managed to get to a corridor where the haunted Girl's Lavatory was.

"I'll wait for you here," Al said and propped the wall, waiting Rosie to warn Myrtle. His cousin, however, wasn't going in; she kept glaring at him accusingly. Al lifted his hands defensively. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's a girl's lavatory. I'll get in trouble if anyone sees me walking in there."

"Suit yourself," Rosie scoffed and went inside, leaving the door open. She called, "Myrtle! We came to warn you! Myrtle?" She moaned from disappointment. "I don't think she's in . . . " Rosie paused midsentence and fell silent for a while. "Al, look!"

Al looked around, making sure no one was watching and slipped inside the lavatory. The floor was flooded, so he had to step in a huge puddle. He saw Rosie crouching in front of one of the cubicles. Al went to see what she was staring at.

There was a chunk of something incorporeal, swirling like a mist. When Al bent over to examine it from up close, he realized it was a ghost's foot, still in a shoe, severed. It flickered, became even less transparent and dissolved completely.

"She's a goner," Al whispered. "He must have gotten to her minutes ago."

Rosie looked up at him, a solemn, concerned expression painting on his face. She was nibbling her hair, a nervous tick she had developed when she was about three and never managed to get rid of it. "Al, I think we should tell the teachers."

"I've already told the headmistress, but she wouldn't do a thing." Al scowled, remembering the frustrating conversation with Vector. His frown deepened as Rosie stared at him meaningfully. "No, I know that look. I'm not giving this up to James."

"Al, he could help. All our cousins could lend us a hand too," Rosie reasoned. Suddenly, a loud, clattering sound caught her attention. "What's that?"

A bizarre apparition flew into the lavatory, howling from laughter. Unlike transparent and pearly white ghosts, it looked solid, like a little man. His orange eyes were wickedly slanted; his clothing outlandish, with a bell-covered hat atop his head and an orange bow tie. The entity floated below the ceiling, giggling. "Why, don't we have a wee, sweet couple in here," he said in a mocking voice and started to chant loudly, "They're going to kiss! They're going to kiss! Smooch!"

Rosie sighed in dismay and stood up. "It's Peeves, the poltergeist."

"The one your dad calls a floating git?" Al asked her.

Rosie was about to tell him something more, but Peeves chose this moment to throw an exploding cracker into a sink. The dangerous toy slipped down the pipes and exploded, shattering the sink and causing a fountain erupt from the pipes.

"Duck!" Rosie tried to shove Al aside, but they both got drenched anyway. She parted her heavy, wet hair so that she could see and glared at Peeves. Then, a movement to the right drew her gaze."Al, what's that?" She pointed her finger at the transparent, pale spectre emerging from the ceiling right above Peeves.

The poltergeist noticed the ghost as well and started mocking him, "What a shiny head you've got! Have you died of hair loss?" His chants got silenced when the apparition leapt at him, biting in his back and eating it out like a hungry shark feasts on a dead whale. "Argh!" Peeves screamed in pain, struggling to throw the ghost off his back, but got his throat torn to shreds. His orange eyes turned blank and glassy.

While the ghost was busy devouring its victim, Al grabbed Rosie's hand and dragged her out of the lavatory. His legs hurt a little, but he kept running until they reached a safe, densely populate area of the Great Hall. Students were gathering for dinner, some of the teachers were already sitting at their table.

Rosie, panting heavily and trying to catch a break, leaned back against a wall. "What just happened?" She shook her head in disbelief as though her mind struggled to rationalize what she had seen. "Did peeves just . . . "

Al nodded."Peeves just got eaten, yes." He was feeling surprisingly composed, given the circumstances.

"But a poltergeist isn't even a ghost!" Rosie exclaimed, making a group of third-year Ravenclaws turn their heads to look at her. She glared at them, scaring them off, and turned to her cousin. Rosie grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eye seriously. "Al, this is bad, very bad. Probably, we don't even have the faintest idea how bad it is. If this is an adventure, I don't want it!"

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