Chapter Seven: The Witch Is Back:
A month of peace and quiet passed and Alvin was setting into teaching and really enjoying it. The students were learning well and even the first years could cast a few weak shield charms, plus they were learning the methods that, in a few years time would allow them to cast a Patronus. Oh one could learn when they were older but it was much, much harder and many did not try. By preparing a child from the time they entered a magical school that child would build the strength and will-power needed to cast the spell. Even a low-level mage could cast a Patronus with this kind of training. What was shocking to him was how quickly the fifth years and above, with no prior training took to the spell. Over half could make a mist and ninety percent of those had an animal already formed. One such one was Draco Malfoy, and his was a fox, much to his relief, something about not wanting it to be a ferret got him to do some research and found that the boy had been turned into a ferret the last year and bounced all through the entrance hall. Yes he had tried to curse a student behind his back but that was not how to handle the problem, take the boy's wand and haul him to his head of house by the arm was much more productive.
There was one thing to mar his success, Umbridge was back, and in the role of Hogwarts Inquisitor. This was in reaction to an article (well several) that ended up in the Quibbler that stated the dark lord Voldemort was back and the names of his inner circle. The interview was given to a one Rita Skeeter by Harry Potter who even stated he was willing to down a bottle of Vertaserum to prove he was telling the truth about what happened that night in the graveyard. More articles followed, one on the family history of Voldemort, which did not surprise Alvin, what a fake he turned out to be! It lead to a young Luna Lovegood under the protection of the twin terrors as the Weasley twins were called and she came to classes looking well put together for the first time and stayed that way missing nothing, and rumors had it certain girls had been cursed for touching her things by some heavy warding around her bed, trunk and space. So here was Umbridge at the back of his class while he was teaching how to weave shields to the fifth years. He knew how to play this game and would be very, very careful with her around.
"Professor Stone, I have a question?" Umbridge asked her sickly sweet voice.
"Yes madam Umbridge?" Alvin replied.
"Why are you teaching the children such complicated magic?" Umbridge asked, "do you think they will be attacked?"
"I should hope not, but there is evil in the world, and no I am not talking about him." Alvin said as she got ready to go off, "much evil is done by little people, a crook wants something that is not his, a man his way with a fair maiden, even someone wanting to murder just because they can. Is it not better to have the populace well trained to fend this off than not? Surely you would sleep better to know that those under the ministries care can defend themselves from these things?"
"Yes, of course, I thought you were creating…"
"An army?" Alvin said, "heaven forbid, if I tried that I would die, I made an unbreakable vow I would never do such a thing!"
"You did?" Umbridge said looking surprised.
"I did, I am a true defense professor, as such I have things I can and cannot do, creating an army would be wrong. As I state a lot, and the students can attest to this, there is evil in the world, and we are to shun evil and do what is good and right."
"I see, you teach them how to use a Patronus." Umbridge said a look in her eyes that Alvin did not like.
"It's to fill them with light, have you ever learned to cast one?" Alvin asked, "if not I would be happy to teach you, it's amazing to cast such a creature of light."
"Well, we will see." Umbridge replied.
It was not the last that Alvin would see of her, and he had to do something to protect Trelawney. Everyone said she was a fake, that she could not predict the future, but the thing is very few understood what Divination really was. It was not really fully predicting the future, it was about being able to read the tea leaves, stars and cards sure, but one had to find a pattern in those, looking to the past meant you could see the future. Asking a seer to come up with a prophecy on the spot was rude and never worked, they needed time and so he had done something risky but something that would spook Umbridge and get her to leave Trelawney alone. He suggested she should read the other woman, and it was perfect as very few knew anything about Umbridge and the one person who did was the minster. In fact he would be there to witness what Trelawney could do (and though Alvin could not get involved in politics per say who said Randy was exempt from that?). Alvin looked forward to seeing the reaction of one Umbridge after the fact and indeed he did not have long to wait.
At dinner he sat by Severus once more who looked a bit worn from classes and he knew why. One Neville Longbottom, the boy simply could not make a potion to save his life and, once more he was in detention with Severus Snape. Alvin nearly smirked, now everyone was of the opinion that one Severus Snape hated Neville and loved to torture him in the detentions. In fact that was far from the case, what Severus did made Alvin want to hug him and make him his very best friend, (though he probably would get punched and hexed in that order). Severus was a right bastard in classes to his students, fair most of the time (well he did punish his Slytherins out of sight so no-one outside his house saw what he did) and hated Neville with a passion. Or so the school believed, in reality he had the boy seeing a mind healer and had been for nearly two years. He kept this secret as the poor boy had enough problems and did not need this coming forward. He looked up as Umbridge walked into the room, her clipboard in hand a fearful look in her eyes that Alvin was one of few that picked up on.
"I have my scores for two professors." She said to the great hall, "to Alvin Stone I give a satisfactory, and to Sybil Trelawney I too give a satisfactory. I will be investigating more of you later so you better be on your toes!"
"What did you do Stone." Severus asked.
"I did nothing, I swear it." Alvin said, "nor did Mary, what happened?"
"Sybil had a reading for Umbridge in the headmaster's office." McGonagall said looking put out, "she was able to read the woman, tell her, her whole life story and two futures."
"I thought she was a fraud?" Severus asked.
"No, she does teach rather well, even if she goes overboard on the death threats, well that is she did until Harry came into her classes, then and only then does she have problems. You noticed she gained a drinking problem?" Flitwick asked.
"Potter, I will, if he." Severus sputtered.
"It's the Potter family." Alvin said, "she can't read a Potter, very few seers can, drives them up the wall."
"Why is it you know so much about the Potter family?" Severus asked.
"Their exploits the world over are well known, except here they attributed them all to one Harry Potter, all that was done in the books written about Harry were done, just not by him, it was his family." Pomona said, "there is a reason why he is still here and the chosen one to defeat, as I caught a few students calling him, the dark dork."
"I bloody hate Potters." Severus said stabbing at his roast beef, "I really do."
"Well, they are not bad, raise them up right and they are really fun to be around." Alvin replied.
Severus just sneered and Alvin knew why Severus hated anything Potter. It went back to James Potter, Mary's best friend had been in Hogwarts at the same time as James Potter, only two years above him. She said he was one of the worst people she had ever seen and could not see how one Lily Evans would marry him. Rachel Roberts had left England before she could speak to Lily about why she married the arrogant toe-rag as her life was in danger at the time. No James Potter was a problem and if the rumors were true he even tried to kill Severus Snape, then Alvin could see why he had a problem with Harry. Though he did not, yet have a problem with the boy, he was polite in class and did as asked all the time.
He did have fun with helping other professors with Umbridge behind the scenes, well he did not really fully help, just gave Randy suggestions and Randy did what he could to help. When Hagrid came back from wherever he had been Randy had helped him with some focusing stones for his classes (and where he had got them Alvin did not ask) so that his first lesson with the Theserals was a complete success. Then there was the fact that their was a giant in the forbidden forest and Randy did not say what he did but that threat was not a problem any more (and it did not involve him killing the giant). Still having Umbridge at the school was morale draining and something that none wanted. She narrowly had been voted down in creating an inquisitor squad of students! As if anyone needed that sort of nightmare!
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So yes Umbridge is back, and I never did see Trelawney as a fraud, just because she is dramatic and can't do a prophecy on the spot (the Delphi seers rarely could either) she could teach and I would think she would do as good fortune-tellers do, be able to read people well. She is trying to teach that art to those that may or may not have the skills to at least read patterns as most will not be seers. Alvin had Randy make a suggestion to Trelawney to do a reading of Umbridge with the minster there, and with her talent to read people and the cards she could shake even Umbridge up. Umbridge demanding a prophecy in class was not the way to gage her and it showed, besides Harry was in the class and Potters here in my story have high levels of luck that are driving Trelawney spare as she can't read him. At all and it throws her off her game.
As for how I have Severus dealing with Neville, the reason I do this is that he is a spy. As such he could get people to believe pretty much what they wanted, who says he did not get Neville help and help him out? Keeping it secret of course would protect Neville and I doubt Severus cares if anyone things he is a jerk. After all if he could keep the secret of how he really cared for Harry (and yes he did, though he tried to hide that too, he would not work so hard to keep him alive if he did not care vow or no) than why not in how he helped Neville. I mean from the bits and pieces we get Neville basically ran a kind of war his last year of Hogwarts and he had to have help and I see Severus offering that help from behind the scenes.
So do review please, only way I get paid as this is not mine but a sandbox I get to play in.
