Disclaimer: I own nothing you may recognise in any of my fics. I simply
borrow the odd character and play with them a little.
Golden Opportunities – Like Father like son.
~~~
After the meeting with the faculty had been adjourned, Harry pulled Julianus to the side and proceeded to drag him towards a relatively secluded corner.
"When Lucius came to you, what did he say exactly?" The professor spoke in a low tone so the passing staff members wouldn't hear him.
"He interrupted my first year class!" exclaimed the Head of Slytherin. "For that alone I should have awarded him five points," He saw Harry's serious expression and sobered up immediately. "He told me that you told him to sit on the floor like, and I quote, 'a filthy commoner'. He then added some rather crude insults under his breath which he thought I hadn't heard... Anyway, he said he refused to sit on the floor with the rest of the class, he told of how you 'belittled' his family name, humiliated him in front of the entire 6th year Defence group. He then went on to say that he accidentally spoke ill of another student-'' at this Harry snorted but nodded for the man to continue. "And that you had then proceeded to shout at him as one would a house elf. You claimed that it was Miss Evans that had royal blood, not Mr Malfoy." A grin flickered over his mouth. "Mr Malfoy wasn't too happy about being outdone by the Gryffindor Prefect, oh no." The pair shared a smile.
"Thank you. Do you know if he told anyone about what I said? About Lily being of Royal blood?" Julianus seemed to think it over a moment before answering.
"I told him that it would be in his best interests not to go spreading such rumours around at this point in the war. They would only lead to safety of Hogwarts being compromised." Harry nodded, thinking on what he'd just heard.
"It doesn't really matter anyway. Lily is not one to be outspoken, if the need arises, she will defend herself against the likes of the Malfoy's." He turned to leave but his friend caught his arm.
"So the Evans girl is a royal?"
"She is the descendant of the Last Elven Princess, ergo, a royal. Yes." The Potions Master stared wide-eyed at the man before him, not sure if he'd heard correctly.
"You mean to tell me, we have an Elf... A real life, living, breathing, seeing, thinking, talking Elf here with us in Hogwarts?" Seeing Harry frown at his attitude towards the news, Julianus back-peddled. "I mean, for anyone to see an Elf outside of their own realm is one thing... but to have one under our noses all this time is another! I may be a Potions Master and I know all the magical elements that an Elf possesses, but I'm a human first; I'm not about to go cutting off her hair and amputating her limbs am I?" He tried to show his sincerity through his eyes, mentally pleading with his colleague to believe him.
He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but his friendship with Harry meant a lot to Julianus. Before the young Potter Professor walked on to the scene, he was seen as the general outcast of the staff. He sat at the end of the Head table, engaged no one in conversation and more often than not, he overlooked incidents were his own Slytherin students were blatantly in the wrong and forced blame on one of the other three houses instead.
And since Harry arrived at Hogwarts, Julianus had shown his true colours... so to speak. He'd shown fairness throughout all houses. This had caused some confusion with the Slytherin students and when they'd asked him about it once when he and Harry had supervised a Prefect meeting, he watched at the other house Prefects looked at him expectantly then answered that as a Professor he should show no favouritism at all.
This of course, didn't sit too well with his house and all the Slytherin students seem to think Harry was to blame. In fact, they blamed almost everything bad that has happened since September on Harry and this latest stunt that Malfoy pulled being the most recent was all anyone was talking about.
So having Harry angry with him was simply not an option for Julianus Austin.
"Harry, I'm sorry. The news just threw me a little." After a moment, the Defence Professor nodded with a small smile and Julianus mentally sighed in relief.
"Alright. And although Lily can hold her own, I'd like kindly for Mr Malfoy 'not' to go bragging about this to his father. I'm already expecting him to shout, ball and other loud activities... I don't need a power trip adding onto that. Will you 'explain' to Lucius the severity of the punishment he will receive if Malfoy senior ever gets wind of this?" The Potions Professor nodded with a chuckle.
"Very well, it shall be done." He turned to walk away but Harry stopped him by placing a hand on his upper arm.
"Um... Julianus? Do you fancy sparring with me later on tonight? Physical combat, no magic. I haven't had a good spar the longest of whiles and need put through my paces." Harry grinned at the sceptical look on his friend's face. "Oh come on, Austin." He said in a louder voice, so it could be heard by some of the near by staff members. And as planned, Professors McGonagall, Sinistra and Baines turned their attention to the pair now emerging from their corner. "You're not afraid of little ol' me are you?"
Professor Austin snorted at Harry's sudden juvenile attitude.
"Afraid of you? Me? I think not Potter. We will spar then, tonight." The pair shook hands and dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. The three seated Professor's watched on in horror as their fames cold, secluded, Mr 'I-don't-like-anybody' laughed with the Defence Professor. They all wondered when the man had changed so much and why they hadn't realised.
"See you later Julianus." Harry spoke through his laughs and he patted the other man on the back before vacating the room, still chuckling.
*
Lunch time rolled around a lesson later and the every member of the staff had huge smiles on their faces. The students were looking at them with almost fearful expression and Harry had to burst out laughing at their faces. It seemed his laughter caused the faces of a few first years to contort into pure terror and all but flee the room, which ultimately lead to him laughing harder and a few other Professors join in as well.
When four particular Gryffindor boys walked into the hall Harry sobered up, motioning for the other Professors to do the same. Luckily for him, the Headmaster had waltzed in at the same time as the Gryffindor's so it didn't look too suspicious.
"Good afternoon, I hope you have all had a glorious morning." Dumbledore smiled down at his students. "Well, let's eat." He clapped his hands together once and food appeared on all five tables. The Professors all directed their gazes to the four Marauders at the Gryffindor tables; discreetly of course and waited patiently.
*
Remus Lupin sat down next to Sirius, waiting for his and his friend's lunch to appear. He'd sat through Dumbledore's very short speech then as the food appeared, he noticed something. Almost all of the teaching staff had at least one eye on him and his friends.
Without arousing suspicion, he glanced at each Professor in turn. They seemed to be paired up or in groups of three, all whispering to each other, chuckling lightly... but they all had one eye on the Marauder. This wouldn't have stuck Remus as very odd usually, as him and his friends were known for being kept under the watchful eyes of each and every Professor. But as the young werewolf gaze landed on his Defence and Potions Professor, it seemed that neither of them was looking in the direction of the Gryffindor table at all.
From experience, Remus knew that if one Professor had his or her eye on the Marauders, they all did. So Potter and Austin's behaviour seemed a little out of sorts. He shook his head and concluded he was imagining things. He reached or his fork and was just about to pick it up when out of the corner of his eye he caught Professors Potter and Austin looking intently their way.
Remus' eyes widened in realisation and he quickly moved his hand away from his fork. He looked quickly at his friends and saw all three of them already eating. He opened his mouth to tell them to stop but found he couldn't speak; so he tried again and a whole load of nothing came out.
Looking around frantically for assistance he saw Professor Potter with his wand out and a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. After realising what was about to happen, the Gryffindor scowled, crossed his arms over his chest, then watched as the show unfolded.
*
"He's good." Harry said to Julianus in a low voice. He reached over to grasp his Goblet of Pumpkin juice, still watching the Marauders. He saw Remus' scowl and laughed, waving his wand cheerfully.
"Too good. How long did it take him? Two minutes?" The man beside him smirked at the scowl.
Suddenly, there was a great 'bang' at the Gryffindor table and half of it had been immediately covered completely with a thick fog of some kind.
The Defence Professor rose from his seat, gaining the attention of most of the hall.
"Calm down! It's only a little harmless fog, no harm will come to you!" and with a wave of his wand, the fog over Gryffindor table disappeared, leaving the hall in an almost deafening silence. That was until the sound of a chair falling backwards on the floor rung out over every square inch or the large room.
Anyone who could had the correct view angle, could see Remus J Lupin sprawled out on the floor, clutching his sides with tears rolling down his face in a silent bout of laughter. The sight of him set off the first person laughing, and then the sight of his friends set everyone else off.
Sirius Black was covered from head to toe in bright yellow feathers. His nose and mouth had somehow been transfigured into a short, stubby, orange beak. His beady little eyes were blinking in confusion as to why everyone was laughing at him instead of someone else.
Peter Pettigrew had grown a small garden of mushrooms on the top of his head. His body had been transfigured into a tall... but short mushroom stalk and the mushrooms on his head were flashing all the colours of the rainbow whilst singing the British National Anthem. He too could not understand why the laughter was directed at him.
James Potter no doubt got the worst out of all of them. He was decked out in the Slytherin's Quidditch uniform. His hair had been dyed bleach blond, straightened and lengthened to make him look a lot like Lucius Malfoy whilst being able to keep his defining Potter glasses at the same time. On the back of his green cloak was a short but direct message in large silver lettering. It read: "Revenge is sweet!" and was signed using the Hogwarts crest.
The three affected Marauders laughed at one another's attire along with the rest of the school. Even though a great number of students were still reeling from the shock of seeing their usually stoic Potions Master having to lean on their Defence Professor for support because he was laughing so much he couldn't keep himself upright, lunch time was a joyous occasion.
Before the end of lunch Remus had been restored to his less than talkative self. James, Peter and Sirius were all informed that their rather unfortunate accidents were time spelled and would last till the end of the day; midnight, if McGonagall's memory served her well. They were all require to go to class as usual... well, all except Sirius, as his hands had been turned into big, yellow, fluffy, feathered wings. It seemed though, that out of the four of them, that Remus was the most enthusiastic about the whole thing.
Apparently, Sirius was a very comfortable pillow.
And in Harry's own opinion, the best was yet to come. In the form of a sparring session that is.
*
When the clock in Harry's office struck 7, he set down his quill totally forgetting the 3rd year homework paper he'd just been marking, grabbed the bag of supplies he'd prepared earlier and headed out the door; closing, locking and warding it before setting off in the general direction of the Hogwarts Lake.
As he entered the entrance hall via the staircase going down from a first floor landing, he literally bumped into his colleague, friend and temporary sparring partner, Julianus Austin.
"Ready to go down Potter?" Austin smirked as the pair set off walking again. Harry threw his head back and laughed a full, hearty laugh.
"Come now Julianus, we are sparring, not going for grand duellist of all time." The other man raised an eyebrow at the figure beside him and shook his head with a smile.
"So, Harry. Why are you and the school's good Headmaster not on speaking terms?" Asked the older wizard after a minute of comfortable silence. Harry just shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh come on! He must have done 'something' to piss you off! I mean you left in a bit of a hurry and in a rather, outrageous manner. What did he do to get you so riled up?" Of course, Julianus has a pretty good idea as to what the little argument was about. However, his aim at the moment was to strike up a conversation, not throw the guy questions that can be answered with a yes, no or maybe so.
"As you know, I was looking for a way to stabilise the potion... the enhanced Wolfsbane?" Austin nodded for him to continue. "Well, I found a way. I found out the ingredients I need, where to get them, when to get them and under what circumstances to get them." He threw the bag on the grass around 6 or 7 meters from the lake and removed his outer robe.
"That day, in the hall. I got Remus because whoever the potion is for, they have to collect a certain ingredient themselves, on a certain date... blah blah. He 'had' to be there or the potion most definitely would not have worked. But the old coot refused to allow one of his staff members and one of his students to leave the castle. He condemned that boy to a lifetime of pain... Then had the audacity to tell me... he will survive!"
The pair started their spar by circling one another at a relatively slow pace to begin with.
"Well maybe the Lemon drop loving old man has a point. Remus is a very strong individual, he's had to be. He will survive, if not for anything else, but to prove to everyone that he can." He aimed a sharp kick to Harry's side but the younger wizard dodged it easily.
"Maybe you're right."
"Of course I'm right."
"But I still can't get it out of my head that Dumbledore would so readily dismiss the idea."
The next half an hour was spent sparring in many different styles using their hands, feet, bodies... Harry had brought out a few swords with him in his bag and the pair practised their sword fighting skilled for a further 15 minutes before they were interrupted by a very loud drawl.
"Austin! Is that you?"
Julianus faltered slightly, hesitating before making his move. The short lapse in concentration though was enough for Harry and he gained the upper hand, successfully knocking his opponent to the ground but not disarming him.
"Ignore him till we're done." Was all Harry said before bowing his head slightly then re-entering his original stance. Austin nodded, got up from the floor, bowed and continued much the same as before.
"Julianus Austin! Stop at once! I want to talk with you now!" The voice Harry heard before spoke up again, sounding particularly irritating. It was this thought that cause Harry to allow a smug grin to spread across his face. Austin was just about to answer the man but Harry managed to beat him to it.
"It is not considered good form to step down in the middle of a sword fight. Now shut up a wait." He said, his pace, defence and attack pattern not wavering in the slightest. He heard the man behind him sputter in annoyance.
"I'll have you know, a Malfoy waits for no one! Now Julianus I want to talk to you now about this new Professor... Potter or something." This was too much for Harry and he burst out laughing, his form still not faltering. Even Austin had a small smile on his face. "What is it that you find so amusing boy?" Demanded the Malfoy and Harry forced himself to calm down and attack Austin at the same time.
"This new Professor... Potter or something." He dodged an attack sent his way and countered with a swift array of movements; almost too fast for Austin but it seemed the older man still had some spark left in him. "You just found him. Now you will kindly wait until we are done and you will have my undivided attention, Mr Malfoy."
"I told you boy! A Malfoy waits for no one!"
"Well its high time they started then isn't it? You will wait until I am done, or you will go back to your home and leave me in peace. Either way, I'm happy." He and Austin were circling one another again, looking directly into each others eye.
"I don't have to take this from you! You're a child for Merlins sake!"
Harry's eyes flashed and he conjured up another sword. In one swift and graceful movement, the Defence Professor had one sword point aimed at the Malfoy's throat and the still in its position, waiting for Austin's next attack.
"I told you to shut up and wait. You would do well to heed my warning Mr Malfoy. I would hate to think you as arrogant and as simple minded as your son." He banished the sword away from Malfoy's throat and launched into a full scale attack on Austin. The other man was disarmed in two moves and on the ground with Harry's foot on his chest in three.
"That was..." Julianus breathed. "Where did you learn techniques like that?" Harry grinned down at the man before removing his foot from the others chest and offering a hand in assistance. Austin took the hand and was pulled to his feet.
"I'd tell you... but I've a pest to rid myself of." Smiling innocently, he turned around to the now red-with-rage Malfoy senior. "So, what can I do for you Mr Malfoy?" he asked cheerfully, removing a towel from his bag and running it over his face to rid himself of the sweat that had formed during the duel.
"You can tell me why my son has been placed in detention for a full week! You can tell me why you think you are above the Malfoy name and you can tell me just what the HELL YOU THINK YOU JUST DID!" the man roared, inadvertently, or possibly purposely, spraying spit particles on Harry's face. The younger wizard grimaced and wiped his face clean again then walking towards Malfoy senior.
"Your son is in detention because he disrupted my class, insulted one of his fellow students, wrongfully I might add and he caused me to miss out ten minutes of teaching MY 6th year students what I had planned!" He snapped, glaring at his students' aristocratic father. "I do not think I am above the Malfoy name." he saw the smug look on the man's face and aimed to wipe it straight back off. "I do not think the Malfoy name is above any other."
"What!" Demanded the angered wizard. "Do you know what the name Malfoy Means?" Harry shrugged, seemingly not interested in anything the man had to say but answered none the less.
"Sure I do. You have lots of money; you think you're superior to muggleborn's... You agree with Voldemort's ideals," *you've got the kiss-ass seat your son's going to inherit* oh how Harry wished he could say that out loud. "Did I miss anything? I don't think I did." He looked at Julianus who had hid his mouth from view with the towel to try and cover his smile, and then back to Malfoy.
"I did not come here to get insulted boy!"
"THAT'S IT! YOU listen, and you listen good Mister Malfoy." Bellowed Harry, stepping right up to the other man. "I am not a boy, I am not a child. I am a man, and a man that is far more powerful than you will ever hope to be." Malfoy snorted and looked down his nose at Harry.
"I demand my son be relieved of his detention!"
"You can demand all you wish. I say what happens regarding detention with your son, not you. He disrupted my class, not yours." The young Professor turned around to pick up his bag, dismissing any hope Malfoy had of further conversing with him. As he bent over, he heard muttering and immediately conjured up a shield wandlessly. He turned to see Malfoy stood there, wand out and sputtering.
"H-how did you do that?" The aristocrat stammered and Harry glared.
"I told you I am powerful. What in MERLINS NAME gives you the right to attack an unarmed man with his back turned?" he shouted, magic crackling in the air around him.
"You were armed! You had yourself!" The man defended.
"You didn't know that!" now it was Harry's turn to sneer and look down his nose at the arrogant Malfoy. Like father like son. "That spell you just used was illegal dark magic... an unforgivable. And yet, I'm going to allow you to leave here unscathed. Get out of my sight, no doubt Auror's are on their way." His student's father sneered once more before turning on his heel and walking to the apparition point outside Hogwarts grounds.
"Well I'll say this for you..." Julianus said, stepping up to the side of Harry. "You don't take any crap."
"Come on Julianus. I'm hungry and we smell bad. Shower first! Food after... Then bed!" the younger wizard announced with a huge smile.
~~~
An anti-climactic end. *sigh* Would you believe me if I said I had writers block? Well I did. With any hope that will explain why the chapter is so bad. I haven't decided whether or not I'll include Voldemort in this yet... but I suspect some activity will take place as the man has the oddest tendency to weasel his way into everything.
Review!
Thank you!!
Golden Opportunities – Like Father like son.
~~~
After the meeting with the faculty had been adjourned, Harry pulled Julianus to the side and proceeded to drag him towards a relatively secluded corner.
"When Lucius came to you, what did he say exactly?" The professor spoke in a low tone so the passing staff members wouldn't hear him.
"He interrupted my first year class!" exclaimed the Head of Slytherin. "For that alone I should have awarded him five points," He saw Harry's serious expression and sobered up immediately. "He told me that you told him to sit on the floor like, and I quote, 'a filthy commoner'. He then added some rather crude insults under his breath which he thought I hadn't heard... Anyway, he said he refused to sit on the floor with the rest of the class, he told of how you 'belittled' his family name, humiliated him in front of the entire 6th year Defence group. He then went on to say that he accidentally spoke ill of another student-'' at this Harry snorted but nodded for the man to continue. "And that you had then proceeded to shout at him as one would a house elf. You claimed that it was Miss Evans that had royal blood, not Mr Malfoy." A grin flickered over his mouth. "Mr Malfoy wasn't too happy about being outdone by the Gryffindor Prefect, oh no." The pair shared a smile.
"Thank you. Do you know if he told anyone about what I said? About Lily being of Royal blood?" Julianus seemed to think it over a moment before answering.
"I told him that it would be in his best interests not to go spreading such rumours around at this point in the war. They would only lead to safety of Hogwarts being compromised." Harry nodded, thinking on what he'd just heard.
"It doesn't really matter anyway. Lily is not one to be outspoken, if the need arises, she will defend herself against the likes of the Malfoy's." He turned to leave but his friend caught his arm.
"So the Evans girl is a royal?"
"She is the descendant of the Last Elven Princess, ergo, a royal. Yes." The Potions Master stared wide-eyed at the man before him, not sure if he'd heard correctly.
"You mean to tell me, we have an Elf... A real life, living, breathing, seeing, thinking, talking Elf here with us in Hogwarts?" Seeing Harry frown at his attitude towards the news, Julianus back-peddled. "I mean, for anyone to see an Elf outside of their own realm is one thing... but to have one under our noses all this time is another! I may be a Potions Master and I know all the magical elements that an Elf possesses, but I'm a human first; I'm not about to go cutting off her hair and amputating her limbs am I?" He tried to show his sincerity through his eyes, mentally pleading with his colleague to believe him.
He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but his friendship with Harry meant a lot to Julianus. Before the young Potter Professor walked on to the scene, he was seen as the general outcast of the staff. He sat at the end of the Head table, engaged no one in conversation and more often than not, he overlooked incidents were his own Slytherin students were blatantly in the wrong and forced blame on one of the other three houses instead.
And since Harry arrived at Hogwarts, Julianus had shown his true colours... so to speak. He'd shown fairness throughout all houses. This had caused some confusion with the Slytherin students and when they'd asked him about it once when he and Harry had supervised a Prefect meeting, he watched at the other house Prefects looked at him expectantly then answered that as a Professor he should show no favouritism at all.
This of course, didn't sit too well with his house and all the Slytherin students seem to think Harry was to blame. In fact, they blamed almost everything bad that has happened since September on Harry and this latest stunt that Malfoy pulled being the most recent was all anyone was talking about.
So having Harry angry with him was simply not an option for Julianus Austin.
"Harry, I'm sorry. The news just threw me a little." After a moment, the Defence Professor nodded with a small smile and Julianus mentally sighed in relief.
"Alright. And although Lily can hold her own, I'd like kindly for Mr Malfoy 'not' to go bragging about this to his father. I'm already expecting him to shout, ball and other loud activities... I don't need a power trip adding onto that. Will you 'explain' to Lucius the severity of the punishment he will receive if Malfoy senior ever gets wind of this?" The Potions Professor nodded with a chuckle.
"Very well, it shall be done." He turned to walk away but Harry stopped him by placing a hand on his upper arm.
"Um... Julianus? Do you fancy sparring with me later on tonight? Physical combat, no magic. I haven't had a good spar the longest of whiles and need put through my paces." Harry grinned at the sceptical look on his friend's face. "Oh come on, Austin." He said in a louder voice, so it could be heard by some of the near by staff members. And as planned, Professors McGonagall, Sinistra and Baines turned their attention to the pair now emerging from their corner. "You're not afraid of little ol' me are you?"
Professor Austin snorted at Harry's sudden juvenile attitude.
"Afraid of you? Me? I think not Potter. We will spar then, tonight." The pair shook hands and dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. The three seated Professor's watched on in horror as their fames cold, secluded, Mr 'I-don't-like-anybody' laughed with the Defence Professor. They all wondered when the man had changed so much and why they hadn't realised.
"See you later Julianus." Harry spoke through his laughs and he patted the other man on the back before vacating the room, still chuckling.
*
Lunch time rolled around a lesson later and the every member of the staff had huge smiles on their faces. The students were looking at them with almost fearful expression and Harry had to burst out laughing at their faces. It seemed his laughter caused the faces of a few first years to contort into pure terror and all but flee the room, which ultimately lead to him laughing harder and a few other Professors join in as well.
When four particular Gryffindor boys walked into the hall Harry sobered up, motioning for the other Professors to do the same. Luckily for him, the Headmaster had waltzed in at the same time as the Gryffindor's so it didn't look too suspicious.
"Good afternoon, I hope you have all had a glorious morning." Dumbledore smiled down at his students. "Well, let's eat." He clapped his hands together once and food appeared on all five tables. The Professors all directed their gazes to the four Marauders at the Gryffindor tables; discreetly of course and waited patiently.
*
Remus Lupin sat down next to Sirius, waiting for his and his friend's lunch to appear. He'd sat through Dumbledore's very short speech then as the food appeared, he noticed something. Almost all of the teaching staff had at least one eye on him and his friends.
Without arousing suspicion, he glanced at each Professor in turn. They seemed to be paired up or in groups of three, all whispering to each other, chuckling lightly... but they all had one eye on the Marauder. This wouldn't have stuck Remus as very odd usually, as him and his friends were known for being kept under the watchful eyes of each and every Professor. But as the young werewolf gaze landed on his Defence and Potions Professor, it seemed that neither of them was looking in the direction of the Gryffindor table at all.
From experience, Remus knew that if one Professor had his or her eye on the Marauders, they all did. So Potter and Austin's behaviour seemed a little out of sorts. He shook his head and concluded he was imagining things. He reached or his fork and was just about to pick it up when out of the corner of his eye he caught Professors Potter and Austin looking intently their way.
Remus' eyes widened in realisation and he quickly moved his hand away from his fork. He looked quickly at his friends and saw all three of them already eating. He opened his mouth to tell them to stop but found he couldn't speak; so he tried again and a whole load of nothing came out.
Looking around frantically for assistance he saw Professor Potter with his wand out and a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear. After realising what was about to happen, the Gryffindor scowled, crossed his arms over his chest, then watched as the show unfolded.
*
"He's good." Harry said to Julianus in a low voice. He reached over to grasp his Goblet of Pumpkin juice, still watching the Marauders. He saw Remus' scowl and laughed, waving his wand cheerfully.
"Too good. How long did it take him? Two minutes?" The man beside him smirked at the scowl.
Suddenly, there was a great 'bang' at the Gryffindor table and half of it had been immediately covered completely with a thick fog of some kind.
The Defence Professor rose from his seat, gaining the attention of most of the hall.
"Calm down! It's only a little harmless fog, no harm will come to you!" and with a wave of his wand, the fog over Gryffindor table disappeared, leaving the hall in an almost deafening silence. That was until the sound of a chair falling backwards on the floor rung out over every square inch or the large room.
Anyone who could had the correct view angle, could see Remus J Lupin sprawled out on the floor, clutching his sides with tears rolling down his face in a silent bout of laughter. The sight of him set off the first person laughing, and then the sight of his friends set everyone else off.
Sirius Black was covered from head to toe in bright yellow feathers. His nose and mouth had somehow been transfigured into a short, stubby, orange beak. His beady little eyes were blinking in confusion as to why everyone was laughing at him instead of someone else.
Peter Pettigrew had grown a small garden of mushrooms on the top of his head. His body had been transfigured into a tall... but short mushroom stalk and the mushrooms on his head were flashing all the colours of the rainbow whilst singing the British National Anthem. He too could not understand why the laughter was directed at him.
James Potter no doubt got the worst out of all of them. He was decked out in the Slytherin's Quidditch uniform. His hair had been dyed bleach blond, straightened and lengthened to make him look a lot like Lucius Malfoy whilst being able to keep his defining Potter glasses at the same time. On the back of his green cloak was a short but direct message in large silver lettering. It read: "Revenge is sweet!" and was signed using the Hogwarts crest.
The three affected Marauders laughed at one another's attire along with the rest of the school. Even though a great number of students were still reeling from the shock of seeing their usually stoic Potions Master having to lean on their Defence Professor for support because he was laughing so much he couldn't keep himself upright, lunch time was a joyous occasion.
Before the end of lunch Remus had been restored to his less than talkative self. James, Peter and Sirius were all informed that their rather unfortunate accidents were time spelled and would last till the end of the day; midnight, if McGonagall's memory served her well. They were all require to go to class as usual... well, all except Sirius, as his hands had been turned into big, yellow, fluffy, feathered wings. It seemed though, that out of the four of them, that Remus was the most enthusiastic about the whole thing.
Apparently, Sirius was a very comfortable pillow.
And in Harry's own opinion, the best was yet to come. In the form of a sparring session that is.
*
When the clock in Harry's office struck 7, he set down his quill totally forgetting the 3rd year homework paper he'd just been marking, grabbed the bag of supplies he'd prepared earlier and headed out the door; closing, locking and warding it before setting off in the general direction of the Hogwarts Lake.
As he entered the entrance hall via the staircase going down from a first floor landing, he literally bumped into his colleague, friend and temporary sparring partner, Julianus Austin.
"Ready to go down Potter?" Austin smirked as the pair set off walking again. Harry threw his head back and laughed a full, hearty laugh.
"Come now Julianus, we are sparring, not going for grand duellist of all time." The other man raised an eyebrow at the figure beside him and shook his head with a smile.
"So, Harry. Why are you and the school's good Headmaster not on speaking terms?" Asked the older wizard after a minute of comfortable silence. Harry just shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh come on! He must have done 'something' to piss you off! I mean you left in a bit of a hurry and in a rather, outrageous manner. What did he do to get you so riled up?" Of course, Julianus has a pretty good idea as to what the little argument was about. However, his aim at the moment was to strike up a conversation, not throw the guy questions that can be answered with a yes, no or maybe so.
"As you know, I was looking for a way to stabilise the potion... the enhanced Wolfsbane?" Austin nodded for him to continue. "Well, I found a way. I found out the ingredients I need, where to get them, when to get them and under what circumstances to get them." He threw the bag on the grass around 6 or 7 meters from the lake and removed his outer robe.
"That day, in the hall. I got Remus because whoever the potion is for, they have to collect a certain ingredient themselves, on a certain date... blah blah. He 'had' to be there or the potion most definitely would not have worked. But the old coot refused to allow one of his staff members and one of his students to leave the castle. He condemned that boy to a lifetime of pain... Then had the audacity to tell me... he will survive!"
The pair started their spar by circling one another at a relatively slow pace to begin with.
"Well maybe the Lemon drop loving old man has a point. Remus is a very strong individual, he's had to be. He will survive, if not for anything else, but to prove to everyone that he can." He aimed a sharp kick to Harry's side but the younger wizard dodged it easily.
"Maybe you're right."
"Of course I'm right."
"But I still can't get it out of my head that Dumbledore would so readily dismiss the idea."
The next half an hour was spent sparring in many different styles using their hands, feet, bodies... Harry had brought out a few swords with him in his bag and the pair practised their sword fighting skilled for a further 15 minutes before they were interrupted by a very loud drawl.
"Austin! Is that you?"
Julianus faltered slightly, hesitating before making his move. The short lapse in concentration though was enough for Harry and he gained the upper hand, successfully knocking his opponent to the ground but not disarming him.
"Ignore him till we're done." Was all Harry said before bowing his head slightly then re-entering his original stance. Austin nodded, got up from the floor, bowed and continued much the same as before.
"Julianus Austin! Stop at once! I want to talk with you now!" The voice Harry heard before spoke up again, sounding particularly irritating. It was this thought that cause Harry to allow a smug grin to spread across his face. Austin was just about to answer the man but Harry managed to beat him to it.
"It is not considered good form to step down in the middle of a sword fight. Now shut up a wait." He said, his pace, defence and attack pattern not wavering in the slightest. He heard the man behind him sputter in annoyance.
"I'll have you know, a Malfoy waits for no one! Now Julianus I want to talk to you now about this new Professor... Potter or something." This was too much for Harry and he burst out laughing, his form still not faltering. Even Austin had a small smile on his face. "What is it that you find so amusing boy?" Demanded the Malfoy and Harry forced himself to calm down and attack Austin at the same time.
"This new Professor... Potter or something." He dodged an attack sent his way and countered with a swift array of movements; almost too fast for Austin but it seemed the older man still had some spark left in him. "You just found him. Now you will kindly wait until we are done and you will have my undivided attention, Mr Malfoy."
"I told you boy! A Malfoy waits for no one!"
"Well its high time they started then isn't it? You will wait until I am done, or you will go back to your home and leave me in peace. Either way, I'm happy." He and Austin were circling one another again, looking directly into each others eye.
"I don't have to take this from you! You're a child for Merlins sake!"
Harry's eyes flashed and he conjured up another sword. In one swift and graceful movement, the Defence Professor had one sword point aimed at the Malfoy's throat and the still in its position, waiting for Austin's next attack.
"I told you to shut up and wait. You would do well to heed my warning Mr Malfoy. I would hate to think you as arrogant and as simple minded as your son." He banished the sword away from Malfoy's throat and launched into a full scale attack on Austin. The other man was disarmed in two moves and on the ground with Harry's foot on his chest in three.
"That was..." Julianus breathed. "Where did you learn techniques like that?" Harry grinned down at the man before removing his foot from the others chest and offering a hand in assistance. Austin took the hand and was pulled to his feet.
"I'd tell you... but I've a pest to rid myself of." Smiling innocently, he turned around to the now red-with-rage Malfoy senior. "So, what can I do for you Mr Malfoy?" he asked cheerfully, removing a towel from his bag and running it over his face to rid himself of the sweat that had formed during the duel.
"You can tell me why my son has been placed in detention for a full week! You can tell me why you think you are above the Malfoy name and you can tell me just what the HELL YOU THINK YOU JUST DID!" the man roared, inadvertently, or possibly purposely, spraying spit particles on Harry's face. The younger wizard grimaced and wiped his face clean again then walking towards Malfoy senior.
"Your son is in detention because he disrupted my class, insulted one of his fellow students, wrongfully I might add and he caused me to miss out ten minutes of teaching MY 6th year students what I had planned!" He snapped, glaring at his students' aristocratic father. "I do not think I am above the Malfoy name." he saw the smug look on the man's face and aimed to wipe it straight back off. "I do not think the Malfoy name is above any other."
"What!" Demanded the angered wizard. "Do you know what the name Malfoy Means?" Harry shrugged, seemingly not interested in anything the man had to say but answered none the less.
"Sure I do. You have lots of money; you think you're superior to muggleborn's... You agree with Voldemort's ideals," *you've got the kiss-ass seat your son's going to inherit* oh how Harry wished he could say that out loud. "Did I miss anything? I don't think I did." He looked at Julianus who had hid his mouth from view with the towel to try and cover his smile, and then back to Malfoy.
"I did not come here to get insulted boy!"
"THAT'S IT! YOU listen, and you listen good Mister Malfoy." Bellowed Harry, stepping right up to the other man. "I am not a boy, I am not a child. I am a man, and a man that is far more powerful than you will ever hope to be." Malfoy snorted and looked down his nose at Harry.
"I demand my son be relieved of his detention!"
"You can demand all you wish. I say what happens regarding detention with your son, not you. He disrupted my class, not yours." The young Professor turned around to pick up his bag, dismissing any hope Malfoy had of further conversing with him. As he bent over, he heard muttering and immediately conjured up a shield wandlessly. He turned to see Malfoy stood there, wand out and sputtering.
"H-how did you do that?" The aristocrat stammered and Harry glared.
"I told you I am powerful. What in MERLINS NAME gives you the right to attack an unarmed man with his back turned?" he shouted, magic crackling in the air around him.
"You were armed! You had yourself!" The man defended.
"You didn't know that!" now it was Harry's turn to sneer and look down his nose at the arrogant Malfoy. Like father like son. "That spell you just used was illegal dark magic... an unforgivable. And yet, I'm going to allow you to leave here unscathed. Get out of my sight, no doubt Auror's are on their way." His student's father sneered once more before turning on his heel and walking to the apparition point outside Hogwarts grounds.
"Well I'll say this for you..." Julianus said, stepping up to the side of Harry. "You don't take any crap."
"Come on Julianus. I'm hungry and we smell bad. Shower first! Food after... Then bed!" the younger wizard announced with a huge smile.
~~~
An anti-climactic end. *sigh* Would you believe me if I said I had writers block? Well I did. With any hope that will explain why the chapter is so bad. I haven't decided whether or not I'll include Voldemort in this yet... but I suspect some activity will take place as the man has the oddest tendency to weasel his way into everything.
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