Chapter 8
I was out enjoying the weather on one of of the school broom went the back half of the broom fell off. Luckily I knew a cushioning charm and a spell to reduce my falling speed. Since I'd maintain my forward movement I tucked in my arms and legs and rolled like a ball along the grassy pitch. When I came to a stop, what I saw was Draco the stupid heading back to the castle. This turkey was a dead man walking. I just need to figure out what was a fitting accident and that would need to happen to him soon. I was ready to use my illegal and unregistered wand but I thought that finesse would be better served. Ticking off everybody was not the bottom line that I was looking for but if I send some of them to Hell or the hospital wing without magic, well that was fine also.
/Scene Break/
I entered the Great Hall for breakfast and found Ron getting irritated by Hermione's bossy attitude. "Give it a rest Hermione", he grumbled which would only lead into another argument between the two. I decided to skip breakfast, so rather than sit down I turned around to leave ignoring Hermione's call, "Where are you going?"
Malfoy was then saying something in my direction. I had not yet taken my revenge of Draco for the broom incident but I was still looking for the right moment. He had shown up at different times over the last few weeks with his mouth running but there always seemed to be a professor lurking about. I had verbally embarrassed him at each of these encounters which usually send him away in an arrogant huff. I just didn't feel up to it this morning so I gnored him and continued out of the hall.
Today was a gorgeous day and I was headed out to the pitch with a school broom to get in a bit of flying time and forget about all these idiots. I suddenly stopped all of a sudden. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise and I knew what the hell that meant, Troubles!
"There he is!" Yelled one of the approaching Slytherin.
How Draco, his two goons and two other Slytherin students had gotten this close was not my current worry. What was worrisome was they all had that look, not to mention they had their wands drawn, they then quickly surrounded my poor weak untrained body. Too close in fact!
"We're here to teach you a lesson Potter!" Growled the idiot standing next to Draco.
"Since when did you morons become Hogwarts teachers?" I retorted with the hope that they would not be stupid enough to try something. Getting the teachers involved, especially Snape, had never been profitable for clone Harry.
Draco let loose with a body binding spell and the spells started to fly.
I fell to the ground on my hands and knees, letting the curses fly above me. As close as they were, it was hard to miss with your hex or curse. I then made like a jackass and kicked out to the knees of the nearest idiot who had raced forward, I sprang to my feet as my victim fell to the ground screaming. Immeadiatly more curses flew in my direction but I could easily dodge them because there were only four idiots that were throwing curses, it wasn't like they had the speed of the vampire Darth Vader and there weren't twenty of the morons.
It wasn't much of a move to get enough speed to allow me to spring into the air and give a kick to the face of Crabbe. While he went down he was still solid enough to let me change direction as I fell to the ground, rolled and delivered another kick to the front of Draco's left knee. I definitely heard a distinctive crack before Draco hit the ground screaming.
While Goyle was trying to help Draco off the ground the last guy wasn't brave enough to face the music and took off running. While I wasn't going to allow that! I went after him and jumping into the air and landed feet first on his back. This shoved the idiot straight into the ground, face first.
After dusting myself off I picked up the school broom and headed off for an enjoyable flight around the school. I did make a bet with myself...would it be McGonagall or Snape that I saw or heard next.
/Scene Break/
No sooner that I entered the castle I was corralled by Professor McGonagall. We ended up in the headmaster's office, I asked the headmaster, "And what has Snape accuse me of this time?" I was trying to stir the cauldron before I got accused of mass murder, Snape was bound to be lurking in this office somewhere.
"All in due time, Harry, My Boy. Today, we have other important things to discuss. Let me be frank, your academic standing is sub par to the extreme."
I almost did a double take; did this idiot just say that? He just left me with a comedic comeback I couldn't use because I was shocked. Where was the sneaky questioning as to what I knew about Draco's accident and his current residency in the hospital wing?
Of course since clone Harry received such low scores on his last end of school testing I just pretended to be stupid as the scores indicated. I sat in class and look stupid, much like Ron. I did this stupid act, especially in Snape's class, meanwhile I continue to study all of my subjects from one of the many advanced books in the library. They wanted a manipulated dunce so I continued to make Ron Weasley look like an overachieving academic success. After all I showed my talent in the ability to answer all the questions incorrectly on my last series of written tests.
"Yes, Harry My boy, your poor standing in the educational field is left me no choice but to ensure that you receive additional training. You are to report, after dinner each night, to Professor Snape. He will assist you in raising your academic levels to an acceptable standard."
I could see that the idiot was planning on making my life miserable until I came crawling to him. He was not going to get control of me! So... With a smile on my face I said, "Of course Albus, I understand completely."
"I don't believe I gave you permission to address me other than as headmaster."
"Excuse my misunderstanding of your familiarity in your calling me "Harry My Boy". So if you have nothing further I believe I have a class or two to attend."
As I left Dummy's office for Snape's class I could just see Snape's first remedial assignment. Snape would be expecting me to drink something that I had to brew. Snape would probably slip something into my potion making me drink a flask that had the taste and aroma of a swamp on steroids which would send me directly to the hospital wing. I didn't have to wait for my additional training classes as I got my prediction confirmed in my first class. I was happy that my school bag contained some of what I was working ahead on for some of my future pranks.
I was still a bit shocked as both Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall hadn't said anything about Draco nor had Snape popped out of some dark corner to berate my existence.
"Today we will be mixing a very useful potion that any dunderhead worth his salt can brew. Snape pointed his wand at the board and a long list of ingredients and instructions appeared. "You have one hour before your potions are tested."
He explained, that at the end of the hour, he Snape would be calling the students up to his desk one by one to test the potions. After each test, Snape would give his grade for all to hear and after insulting and embarrassing the majority of the class the class would be allowed to leave.
I was becoming accustomed to his claim of my sub-par work and being a dunderhead of the first order. This was always interspersed with his badmouthing of my father. Further I had to live through Snapes rant about not following instructions and being a poor excuse for a Flubber worm. The potion I was brewing would be the wrong color and the wrong consistency, even if it was perfect. But I was sure it would be totally harmless to be consumed in Snape's opinion. Snape was always taking points from clone Harry for more reasons than I cared to recall. Payback would be sweet if I had guessed right. The potion turned out not to bad for it being my first potion class this year as the real me.
"Mr. Potter will demonstrate his potion and if he is not a complete dunderhead he will not have to bother Madame Pomfrey this day. My potion flask had been in his hands while he perused my potion. I would bet my trust vault that my potion had been tampered with before he returned it to me.
I grabbed the flask in both hands thus concealing the potion contained therein. Using my right hand I wand-less-ly vanished the potion, then with my left hand, I use the switching spell to put in a special potion I had brought with me. My special potion was an emetics that went down like water but with one wave of nausea I promptly threw up on Snape with a large spray. Unfortunately for Snape the emetics that hit him was the color of mustard and quickly changed to about the same consistency. Pretending that I was in pain I bent over and raced out of the classroom yelling, "Hospital wing".
I was, after all, academically challenged in all my subjects. That's when I decided to change my standing and prank Hogwarts. The Department of Magical Education at the Ministry offers special examination services to students who show promise or have the money to pay for it. I've done my OWL testing that way so why not my NEWT testing.
/Scene Break/
Unfortunately the special examination services are offered by the Ministry took place in the middle of the week. That meant I must miss three days of classes not to mention Snape's special training classes. I was smiling on the first day as I entered the Ministry's Department of Magical Education for this fine day of testing. Different fantasies spun in my head of the reactions at Hogwarts, this was a fine morning.
I spent the evenings with Ava and slept in my house avoiding Hogwarts, Snape and the headmaster.
On the morning of the fourth day I showed up for breakfast in the Great Hall. I sat down to…
"Harry! Why have we not seen you?"
"Harry! Where have you been?"
"Harry, don't lie to us! We deserve the truth!"
"Oh Harry, you are in so much trouble…"
Luckily this inquisition was cut off by Snape yelling point deduction for…
"Failure to attend class, 10 points from Gryffindor per day!"
"Failure to attend detentions, 100 points from Gryffindor!"
"Leaving school without permission, 30 points from Gryffindor!"
"This was only interrupted by Dumbledore yelling, "Mr. Potter you will report to my office immediately!"
I just sat there and smiled and continued eating my breakfast. I did notice my fellow house member's grumbling was heating up again as Ron started a rant.
"That bloody bastard!"
"Ron!" Hermione barked. "Language!"
"But the Git is costing Gryffindor house points!" he protested.
"No," Finigan grumbled, "This is all Harry's fault!" I couldn't help catch Ron's nod in agreement.
"Could we possibly keep it down to a dull roar?" I asked. "I missed how many points and for what, so keep the complaining down or Greaseball may take more points you idiots."
"That will be thirty more points from Gryffindor for demeaning a teacher." Snape apparently had good hearing so I added a little fuel. In a quiet whisper that I knew he could hear, "Our beloved Greaseball was a Death Eater which means he used unforgivable curses and murdered people besides kissed the Dark Lord's dirty feet. Do you honestly believe he would be fair over house points?"
Snape went for his wand. "Severus not here! " Dumbledore verbally stopped him several more times that morning from cursing me. Dumbledore finally withdrew his wand and ordered us to his office. Snape took that as permission and tried to physically drag me…when he stopped tumbling across the floor Dumbledore verbally stopped him again from cursing me…the hall was full of students after all.
Gryffindor house was upset that I had lost more than the hundred sixty house point. Even they couldn't keep up with both Snape and Dumbledore taking points. What the losses were for and for what reasons upset the majority of the house. Whether I, Snape or Dumbledore got the more nasty looks could be argued as we departed the hall.
I knew I'd done well on my NEWT testing so what were they going to do to me? Expel me? Yes please!
McGonagall had joined us or was escorting me to the headmaster's office, she failed to say which. Snape had reached his boiling point; he gone for his wand several times during his tirade during breakfast. I followed suit but no curses or hex were actually thrown as Dumbledore had verbally intervened. Snape was still obviously still ready to curse me to Madam Pomfrey as he grumbled all the way to the headmasters office..
I figured, if you're going to get expelled (not probably), you might as well earn it so I was ready to go out swinging...I was thinking figuratively and not actually but they were enjoyable thoughts.
While Dumbledore was mumbling his platitudes, something about, he had hopes that I would put away my childish ways after he had shown so much trust in me… Snape was belching out a rant that I was an insufferable brat and just like my rule breaking father… I retorted...
"Snape, while you excel as an incompetent teacher, you do make a much better Death Eater and a first-class foot kisser with your butt buddy Voldemort." I had reached the limit of listening to his recycled garbage.
That's when Snape lost it; he withdrew his wand and fired off a purple colored curse missing me but almost hitting Professor McGonagall. Most Death Eaters became incensed when some low life used Voldemrt's name. Dumbledore was way too slow in reacting as he was now thinking…
Of course all this had to come to come to a head, Potter just exspelled himself... Dumbledore watched Snape fly across the room and impact with the book shelves sending books falling on an unconscious potion master. Realization set in and Dumbledore tried to take action as he screamed, "You can't do this, you're ruining all my plans for next year's Tri-wizard tournament. Before dummy could totally explode I vanished from his office. I loved Evelyn's way of transporting.
A bit later, after Snape had been revived, and Professor McGonagall had departed...
"Severus, did you have any luck?"
"No headmaster, just as you stated, nothing. When I attempted to enter his mind I found absolutely nothing but an empty void."
/Scene Break/
With summer upon us and very few students in in the shops Ava and I had time to travel. Without my clone Harry glamour charms I was able to melt back into anonymity in Hogsmeade village. I also took time to show Ava a number of spells, hexes, and curses so she could protect herself and help compare her for her OWL exams. Life was good till one morning Ava asked, "Did you hear about the Dark Mark appearing at the World Cup?"
As if on cue Evelyn appeared to show the TV cloud and refresh my memorys over the tri-wizard tournament. It showed different pieces from the dragons to Voldemort revival. Evelyn appeared not to care that Ava was there and Ava seem to have lost her speech capabilities until Evelyn had left.
"Ava, I figure it is up to me to help out such a noble tournament since I am sure to be entered into the tournament. Apparently I am going back to Hogwarts per Evelyn's assertions, so why not spread the wealth around?"
Ava was not happy and proceeded to tell me what I would not do!
