Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

21: Unusual Conversations

There was only a small party in the Slytherin common room that evening, on account of the fact that it was a Wednesday and they had to be up early for classes the next morning. A crate of butterbeer had been delivered by the house elves, one of the sixth years had ordered them to get it and, house elves being unable to disobey their masters, had arrived, heaving the crate with two other elves. Also delivered by the house elves were plates of food and huge pitchers of pumpkin juice.

A dinner for most people consisted of some sausages, chicken nuggets and chips as well as other foods which would be considered 'party food'. The sixth year who ordered the butterbeer, dusted off the wooden crate and handed bottles around the room, finding the team members with two bottles each. The noise wasn't as loud as usual, as it would have been had it been a Saturday night, but the Slytherin celebrate making the final with a game to spare. At half past eleven, Professor Kelly entered, a smile on his face and said "look lads, I'm delighted as much ye are but it's a Wednesday night and there's classes in the morning, not to mention a crowd of Ministry inspectors here. So calm the party and put it on hold until the weekend and believe me, if we win the Cup, I won't stop you partying. In fact, I might just join you! Anyway, off to bed now. Go on, all of you" he said. Murmurs of anger filled the common room but no one disobeyed the potions professor.

Albus awoke on Thursday morning and the first thing he told himself was that they were in the Quidditch Cup final. He smiled to himself and forced himself to get out of bed. He wasn't sure of the time but as soon as he had drawn back the hangings of his four poster, the sight of Scorpius pulling on his cloak told him that it was time to get up, or about half an hour before the usual time he wakes up. Scorpius was nearly always first asleep and first awake. Albus dressed himself and left the dormitory with Scorpius. Thursday was their least favourite day, mainly because they had a double History of Magic. History of Magic was the most boring class. It was taught by a ghost, Professor Binns, who, in Albus' opinion, seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was teaching a class because he treated it as though he was merely reading his notes aloud. His voice was boring and most people slept in the class. A sign of the dullness of Professor Binns' class was that Scorpius, who was usually wide awake and interested in every class found it difficult to stay awake and take notes in History of Magic class.

Their worst fears were confirmed when, on entering the History of Magic classroom, they spotted an inspector sitting down the back of the class. It was one of the old men this time and he sat smiling with a large, thick notepad, quill and ink bottle in front of him. Everyone took their normal seats and Professor Binns floated through the blackboard. He looked at his notes and began to drone on about goblin revolutions. The class did their best to stay awake and take notes but that was extremely difficult and soon, the entire class had their head resting on the desk, completely tuned out. The inspector seemed to be the only one who was listening and he was still smiling down the back of the classroom. Albus thought that he was unaware of the fact that nobody else is paying attention.

The sound of the bell snapped everyone out of their trance and they packed up their stuff after a long, dull double class and went straight to the Great Hall for lunch. "How could they give us an inspector for History of Magic?" Luke said and the other Slytherin second years agreed. "Wyk, wot were wey winkin'?" Luke asked through a mouthful of food.

"What?" Emily asked from across the table.

"I think he means 'what were they thinking?'" Scorpius clarified.

"Weh" Luke said, nodding his head.

"Can you not talk when you're eating. Just not say anything until you've finished" Emily ordered more than asked.

"Wokay" Luke said, putting more food onto his plate.

"The inspector didn't seem to notice no one was paying attention" Scorpius said.

"Yeah, he looked really interested." Albus added.

The conversation about the inspector continued in this vain. They discussed the inspector and Professor Binns. "Binns was probably still alive when that inspector was in the school." Luke joked, finally having finished his lunch. The others had eaten and finished much earlier than Luke, mostly because he had eaten much more than the others. The others laughed but it was cut short by the ringing of the bell. They got ready for their next class and, luckily, no inspector was present, but neither was a professor. An inspector, the oldest woman, poked her head in the door.

"I've been asked to inform you that your professor has been taken ill. The Headmistress would like you to return to your common rooms. Delighted at the fact they had this class off, everyone returned to their common rooms. Albus and Luke eventually joined Scorpius in doing their homework. Albus looked around the common room. Ashley and Emily were sitting together, both poring over the same book. There was a handful of sixth years scattered around and other than that, it was empty.

They finished their astronomy homework they had been assigned the previous night (Using the planetary positions and the position of the moon, find the dates for the start of the next moon cycle. Include the dates for the new moon, the quarter moon, the half moon, three quarters moon and full moon.) With a lot of help from Scorpius they arrived on the dates for the next moon cycle.

They got their books for the last class of the day when Professor Kelly entered the room. "For this evening and all of tomorrow, the Ministry inspectors will be interviewing students. 'To get an idea of what the students think'. I've been around to tell the other classes, just had to make sure that everyone knew. Get to your classroom, your professor will supervise you. You will be individually called.

They went out of the common room and made their way down to the greenhouses for Herbology. They were greeted at the door by Profesor Longbottom. "And that makes up the class" he said happily, opening the door for them to enter and following them into Greenhouse One. "Now we have lost three students to this interview process, five more to go in five minutes. Pointless if you ask me. But we're going to make the most of it." he said, clapping his hands together. Albus was wondering what was coming. Professor Hagrid has asked me to have a look at the pumpkin patch he recently planted. So instead of me, you're going to have a look at them. He thinks they're diseased but you can have a look and I'll be there to help and then we'll try to remedy any problems, if there are any." they class were told. "Into your normal group... those you have to go for the interviews, may go now..." he added quickly, "and we'll be off to have a look at the pumpkins."

The class grouped themselves outside the greenhouse and they started off towards Hagrid's cabin. Albus was thinking about the last time he visited Hagrid and made a mental note to visit him soon. The grass was wet and the ground soft. Albus left footprints in the ground as they walked. The grey sky overhead was a foreboding sign, Albus only hoped that the rain held off until their class had ended. Arriving at the cabin, the gamekeeper was nowhere to be found but large, deep footprints leading up to the castle made it easy for them to figure out that Hagrid was up at the castle. Not far from the gamekeeper's hut, they found the pumpkin patch and, even Albus who knew very little about growing pumpkins, could see that there was something wrong. There were very small, black pumpkins barely visible in the wet muck. "Now," Professor Longbottom's voice sounded and all the head's turned towards him. "Here's a sheet, have look and tell me what you think is wrong and the best way to remedy it." He handed each group a sheet parchment and Albus looked down it, seeing the subtle variations in the black colour of each pumpkin.

"Professor, you haven't put any remedies on the sheet" Brian said.

"I felt that what you've learned in potions to suggest a remedy." Professor Longbottom explained. There was a large sigh of annoyance but Albus' mouth twisted into a smile. Albus, Scorpius, Luke and Emily moved closer to the blackened pumpkins and examined them carefully.

"I think it's this one" Albus said, pointing to the one second from last on the page.

"Yeah, I agree" Scorpius said. "Any ideas how to stop it?" he asked. Albus quickly read the paragraph under the photograph. "Root diseases... leaves dead... plant not growing..." Albus read quietly. He raised his hand and Professor Longbottom came over. "Sir, I think we should use Blaine's Potion"

"Which one?" he asked.

"Blaine's Potion for Plant Diseases" Albus clarified. Professor Longbottom reached inside his robes and handed Albus a vial of blue-green liquid.

"Take five points for each of your group" Professor Longbottom said as he walked in the middle of everybody. Albus went back and hunkered down with the rest of his group. He uncorked the vial and poured about half of the liquid onto the small blackened plant. A few minutes passed and nothing happened but then the black seemed to just slip off the pumpkin as if it was a coating of dirt to reveal a vividly orange pumpkin. The leaves slowly turned green and, on inspection, the roots had spread across the ground. "See here, this group has managed to remedy their pumpkin. Does any have any ideas as to how they did this?" he asked. This was followed by silence. "They used Blaine's second potion. Come up and get your vials and pour it over the plants.

One person from each of the groups took a vial from Professor Longbottom and poured it over their blackened plant. It took a few minuted but eventually, the black seemed to slide off and the vivid orange was visible all around the pumpkin patch. He looked at his watch and clapped his hands together. "Alright, you can all go ten minutes early. Go straight back to your common rooms. Your Heads of House will call you when you're wanted" he told them.

The class, covered in muck and dirt, got up and made their way back to the castle. Light rain began to fall as they sped up their walk back to the castle. Soon, it was pouring down and everyone was running to get back into the castle. Not too wet, but wet enough, Albus, Luke and Scorpius returned to the common room. The trio passed through the common room and walked up to the dormitories where they changed out of their wet clothes.

Everyone was soon back in the common room, or most people were at least. Professor Kelly had pinned up a notice which listed every student in Slytherin and the time at which they must report to see the Ministry officials. Albus was grouped with Luke, Emily, a first year called Jonathan and a sixth year whom Albus had seen around. His name was Gus. They left at four that evening and made their way to the Headmistress' office. The five was split into two smaller groups. Albus, Luke and Emily walked ahead of the other two who were brothers and took this time to catch up on everything they had done in the week.

Upon reaching the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmistress' office, they realised that none of them knew the password. They stood, waiting outside the gargoyle and soon, their prayers were answered. The youngest inspector came down the steps and beckoned them up the spiral staircase. They were told to wait outside the office and would be called in, Emily was first. She was in there for about ten minutes before she sent the young first year in. Jonathan spent five minutes, maybe less, in the office was then dismissed. His older brother was next to be called in and he spent a good while in there. Longer than both his brother and Emily. He left and Luke was sent in.

Luke spent about the same amount of time as Emily in the office and he was soon dismissed. Albus wondered what they would ask him and, with a thought about leaving without even seeing the inspectors crossed his mind. He did, however, enter the office and found as he had the previous times he had been in there. The inspectors sat at the desk and behind them were all the pictures of the previous Heads of the school. All of them, except one, were sleeping or feigning sleep as Albus presumed as he could see an eye open or someone straighten up in their chair. The one that was awake stared down at Albus, peering over his half moon spectacles down his crooked nose as he entered the room. Albus looked up at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, his namesake. There was a twinkle in Dumbledore's eye and he smiled when he saw Albus look up at him. "Take a seat Mr Potter" said the oldest male inspector who sat in the middle of the five. He had his grey hair combed back and he smiled encouragingly at Albus. "Mr Potter, we just want to chat about your teachers. Who is your favourite teacher?" he asked dipping his quill into the ink bottle and poised himself over the parchment, ready to write.

"Well, I like Potions... so probably Professor Kelly" he told them. They all wrote something on the parchment.

"Do you have a flair for potions or do you just enjoy the class?" the same man asked again.

"I'm quite good at it"

"From what I saw," said the young female inspector "you have quite a talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts, the class taught by your father"

"Do you like that class?" the elderly man asked again.

"Yeah... it's good fun."

"Do you have any objections to being used in your father demonstrations?" the young woman asked again.

"No, I don't mind at all" Albus said quickly.

"Your father used you in a demonstration?" the middle aged woman asked.

"Yes"

"Was it safe?" she asked quickly once more and Albus felt like he was being interrogated.

"Yeah" he replied "I'm pretty sure it was"

"Does he always use yourself?"

"Most of the time" Albus replied.

They all put their heads down and began writing on their parchment. "Now Mr Potter," the old man said "that's all. You may leave" Albus pushed back his chair and stood up. With one more look at the portraits of his namesake, he left the office to see five more people sitting outside the office. They were all Ravenclaws, Albus noticed. He went as quickly as he could down the spiral staircases and back to the dungeon common rooms.

Albus had decided to go and talk to his father about the inspectors and see what he had to say about them. It was nearly curfew and so he retrieved his Invisibility Cloak, stuffed it inside his robes and set off for his father's office. On arrival, he refrained from knocking on the door when he heard voices coming from inside the room. "...look Harry, we have been inspecting the school and you're just not the best person for the job" Albus recognised the voice as the one of the elderly inspector. The one who had sat in the middle of the table and led the interview of him earlier.

"I am well aware," Harry said, his voice sounding not the least bit worried. "that there are better candidates than I but I am remaining at the school for the protection of the students, Bertie. I wasn't going to stay on this year but after what happened at the end of last year, I had to change my mind. I couldn't leave the castle. I talked to Minerva and she said she didn't want Aurors around the school so she said for me to stay on and act as that. I am the Head Auror." Albus removed the cloak from his robes and draped it over him.

"Yes, yes, I know but do you not think that you would be better off at the office helping your team rather than hold here" the man named Bertie said.

"I will remain here until the end of the year. I will make a decision then" Harry said, a tone of finality in his voice but Bertie wasn't finished.

"I think you should not continue your post here at the end of the year. You, at the office, are much more of an asset. A much better Head Auror. Think of the people you've tracked down. At the Ministry you have every resource available not to mention what you did with little to no resources when you were seventeen. You are needed there. The school is perfectly safe. You Know Who never taught of taking the school until he was in full control of the Ministry."

"You know as well as I do that Voldemort never took the school because of Dumbledore. He took it months after Dumbledore died. I'll think about at the end of the year, Bertie. End. Of." he said, the finality a warning. Harry stormed from his office and Bertie followed few minutes later. Albus stood frozen under the cloak and when he was finally able and ready to move, he went straight back to the common room. The Ministry didn't want his father teaching, they thought he should be back at the Ministry.