A matter of force.
Part 26
The replacement teacher.
OooOOooOO
Anna frowned as she looked down at her plate the morning after the sorting. Sitting in front of her, was a plate of raw eggs, bacon, and sausage, a tall glass of rather murky looking water, and a bowl of cold porridge. "Heh." The corner of her lip twitched a little.
"Eew!" Ginny Weasley scrunched up her nose. Anna was sitting between Pansy and Margaret at the end of the second year group across from Ginny and Marci. Her plate was fully cooked along with everyone else besides the Potter girl. Melvin was sitting beside them as well, but didn't seem all that interested in what the girls to his left were up too.
"What?" Margaret looked down and her face became disgusted. "They forgot to cook yours?"
"Hey Potter, what good is being famous if even the house elves forget you?" Michale Cretus tossed his shoulder length black hair out of his face as he walked by. His younger brother was a first year, and sat near the end of the table.
The redhead's expression was rather relaxed, but she didn't look pleased either. "Great. I can tell already this year will be fun." She grabbed the metal lid off of a covered plate of buttered toast in the middle of the table. A ball of light formed in her palm that flamed a bit as she put it under the lid and covered her food with it. After a moment, the metal lid moved back over the toast and settled down on top. She slapped Melvin's hand away as he tried to grab it. "Let it cool off first." She was looking at her now cooked breakfast not noticing everything around her had come to a complete stop.
The second year girls seated next to her group seemed to jump awake and scatter off their seats, screeching as they backed away. The redhead turned her head and saw nothing but people standing up all around her. Some were backing away, a few people tripped into others as they stumbled. Everyone had wide eyes and slacked jaws. "What?"
"Wow!" Ginny muttered in awe. Even Pansy and Margaret had gone silent.
"How did you do that?" The raven haired girl spoke up first.
"What? Did I miss something?" Melvin had been more interested in the inside of the girl's top next to him. He was chewing on some bacon while rubbing at his hand a little and chewing on his breakfast.
"What? You didn't believe Ron Weasley?" The redhead was munching on her eggs. "I thought he told everyone I was tossing fireballs about when I fought that stupid vampire."
"He didn't say you weren't using your wand!" Pansy looked like she was about to jump up out of her seat but settled for squirming a bit.
"Oh, well. I wasn't." Anna was munching on her bacon and ignoring the rather shocked reaction. "What's the big deal? I've been levitating stuff since I came here. No one seemed bothered by that, well, not like this. I can see the future too." She shrugged and looked about.
Snape had been attracted by the commotion. "What is the meaning of this?" He swooped in and glared down at the redhead as he loomed over the scene.
Mellissa Reinheart screeched and pointed. "She-she made some kind of fire in her hand! Without her wand!"
"If the house elves aren't going to cook my breakfast, I've got to do it myself." The redhead looked about, most of the students had calmed, and had moved back to their seats. Everyone within earshot, including the house table next to them, was watching and listening. "I didn't realize pyrokenisis was this unusual. No one seemed that surprised about me being telekenetic, so I didn't think anything of it."
"Potter. A word with you." The man motioned with his hand and started walking back towards the faculty table. It didn't take long to reach the corner of the room just below the raised platform where the teachers sat. He stood between her and the tables and leaned in. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I told you. I'm not going to starve, and I can't rely on the house elves. I'm pretty sure I'll be needing to wash my own clothes and bedding as well." The girl shrugged and turned her eyes away from him. "I'm used to that sort of work anyway. I'll live."
"Word about you has spread. As usual you don't seem to realize how dangerous your position is." The man growled at her. "Your showing off puts you at a disadvantage Potter. It's bad enough dealing with your name in my house. You've no idea the trouble you've caused just being here. Never mind this..." His voice trailed off as he realized she was smirking at him with a rather dark expression on her face.
"Showing off? With simple tricks and fluff?" The girl shook her head. "This is what you think I'm capable of? What I've allowed you and Dumbledore to see? I'm afraid you've yet to see the Force unleashed. The wizarding world will tremble in the wake of it's power. What you've seen, what they've seen, is nothing. I'm in no danger of losing any secrets here, and if they think that is the extent of my power, then they are the ones with the disadvantage."
The man's eye twitched for a moment, but he stood tall and remained cool. "Very well. I've no patience for flash Potter. You'll be punished as any other student for misusing your...gifts...just as you would with abuse of magic. You've been warned."
"Yes Professor." The girl nodded. She'd be spending a lot of time with him in the coming years. She spent an extra period with him that year. It was normally used for study by the other students and most of them would spend it in the library. She'd given up her right to elective classes, an exception had been made for Divination. After her second year, she would be spending a large part of her day in his dungeon. By her fifth year, it would be as much as four periods a day.
"I shall speak with Professor Dumbledore about the House Elves." The man muttered it as he stormed away. He didn't sound pleased with the prospect.
OooOOooOO
Naturally, Snape's conversation with Dumbledore landed the redheaded teen in his office a short time later.
"War? With the House Elves?" The old man was rubbing at his temples and had a rather zoned out expression on his face. "I am afraid I am at a bit of a loss. Such a thing has not happened in two thousand years." It had not been the easiest year to start at Hogwarts. His Defense Against Dark Arts teacher had left at the last moment. A replacement had been found, and would start in a week. This new problem made it seem pale in comparison.
"It seems the Bunnies offended them." The girl shrugged. "I'm not that worried."
Dumbledore seemed aghast. "My dear..."
The girl shook her head and chuckled. "Well, I do have an army at my service. I've conquered a Galaxy Professor. I can handle the House Elves. I suspect those drow I ran into over the summer are a result of this."
"You take this so lightly?" The man's eyes grew stern as he frowned at her and straightened his back up in his seat.
"Bunnies can't kill, but they can defend themselves, hold a line, take positions, and force the House Elves to negotiate. I feel I've got enough to work with." The girl seemed calm and serene, but something dark lurked in the back of her eyes the Headmaster didn't like. "It won't be a simple matter, but not too difficult either. Perhaps they do mean to kill me, and my forces, but I don't have the means to slaughter them. My goal is negotiation, not conquest."
The Headmaster stood up and walked around to the front of his desk. "I think you may be underestimating your opponent. I will allow no harm to come to you on Hogwarts grounds, the House Elves will perform their duties, and I expect to hear about it if they do not adhere. I will have no wars here." The man stood up and put his finger on the desktop. It was the firmest she'd ever seen him, and he seemed quite adamant about putting his foot down.
"Very well." The redhead nodded. She didn't need Hogwarts to push the elves. Controlling the Bunnies would prove simple enough. She had already sent her personal minions to collect others, and they'd managed to come back with word of at least two hundred more. All eager to serve, and fight. They'd done it without leaving the grounds. It was going to take time, and she needed to know more about the Elves. The only thing that gave her any pause, was Battle Meditation. She'd not yet tried it here, and it didn't help that she'd need to coordinate her attacks around her school schedule. It wasn't a technique she could do in class. "I'm not going to abandon my Bunnies."
The old man frowned and straightened his back. The look on her face, cold as steel, determined, and unmovable. He'd seen it before, not since the War, but he'd seen it many times, on the faces of those who commanded others. "I see. I shall do what I can of course. I will contact the Elder, and see if I can arrange a meeting. Hogwarts will be a safe place to negotiate. I suspect you know something of how to behave."
The girl nodded once. "I've dealt with this sort of thing before." Her eyes became rather dazed, it was as if she'd just realized it herself. The bottom of her lip trembled a bit for a moment, it was not a pleasant memory. In a moment, she went from confident, to lost, and he could see fear in her eyes.
"I cannot say what will happen once you return home. You will be safe here." The old man gave a small nod to reassure her. He looked tired and exasperated and sat on the edge of his desk with his hands clutched together in his lap. "I am hopeful this will be resolved before the end of the school year."
Anna shook her head. "I do not fear for my safety. I must be careful how I use what I remember. You've seen but a glimpse of the man I once was. I cannot allow that again." The girl turned towards the door. "May I be excused? I have a lot to think about."
The old man arched his eyebrow and nodded as he seemed to relax a bit. "Yes. Be careful." He'd found her condition alarming, and it still worried him, but her final statement had struck him. It gave him a bit of hope.
Anna felt herself shiver as she walked down the stairs towards the hall. Fear welled up inside her, uncertainty and confusion clouded her mind as she staggered for a moment as she passed the gargoyle statue. "Who was I really? I don't understand." She leaned against the wall as she tried to push back the waves of emotion that filled her spirit. "What am I?" She looked at her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. She steadied herself and took a few deep breaths. Shattered memories filled her mind.
A voice echoed through her head. "Anakin...steady yourself, clear your mind..." The girl fell to her knees in the hall as her emotions calmed.
"Who? ...Master...I..." She could feel a few stray tears falling down her cheeks. Her fist balled up as she used the wall to help herself stand. Her eyes opened and she looked ahead. Regardless of who she was, she knew well that Lord Vader was not the only one who had dealt with war and negotiations in her past. "Anakin..."
Still, it left uncertainty and confusion. Though she found enough will to push it away. If she had been Anakin Skywalker in her past, then who was the man who had heard all that music? Who had learned to play guitar, who had read all those books, and seen all those films? How was it she could remember all of it in such detail? Every note, lyric, and page. Yet Anakin Skywalker, Lord Vader, came to her in pieces, flashes of emotion, and through her training. Those memories were broken and fleeting. She'd not thought about Battle Meditation before, not been aware of it's existence. She was remembering things beyond mere films and books.
It almost overwhelmed her again. "Who am I? Do I even belong here?" She put her palm against her forehead and pushed it away. She still felt out of place, distant from where she was, as if she shouldn't be there. It was faint, but there regardless.
Another voice floated into her mind, aged and raspy, but kind and gentle. "Younglings...be aware...clear your minds...focus..."
The redhead's eyes grew hard as she put her palm against the windowsill and looked out over the green fields outside. It was a glorious day. She became steady again and closed her eyes as she nodded, this time taking in the voice that filled her mind. "Anakin, be mindful of where you are, and what you are doing." A familiar and almost casual admonition.
She cocked her head and nodded. "Yes, master." Her hands clasped together behind her back as she lowered her head and started walking towards her next class. Each step filled with more confidence as her mind cleared. She knew of problems in the future, the weight of them was almost crushing, but the here and now was pressing enough.
OooOOooOO
Harry Potter sat down at the Gryffindor table for his first day of school with his friends Ron and Hermione. He gave a heavy sigh as Professor Snape walked over to calm a rather jolted group of students after his sister lit a fireball in front of everyone at the table. She'd been dragged off to the corner, admonished from the look of it, and returned to her seat a short time later. Muttered whispers filled the room from that side of the room that spread across the hall.
"We've not been her a whole day yet, and she's already started." The boy who lived shook his head and scratched the back of his neck.
"What's going on? I heard something about some sort of fire spell..." Hermione leaned towards him and noticed there were a great many students looking over at the table. "It's silly, they say she did some sort of magic without her wand."
Ron was chewing on his breakfast and had a rather lazy half asleep look about him. "I told everyone about that. What's the big deal?"
"Yes." Harry glanced over at him. "You didn't mention that she wasn't using her wand that I can recall though."
"What?" The girl's eyes went wide.
"I thought it was obvious." Ron blinked and woke up a bit more as he seemed to realize it. "I said she was using her wand like a sword at the time. She couldn't really have been casting any spells with it."
This of course garnered a large number of uncomfortable stares from all around them.
Hermione glanced towards the Weasley twins, who were nodding and seemed to be confirming this to students around them. They were holding their arms wide and waving them about to emphasize the size and scale of what she'd been doing.
"Really? I didn't think anything of it at the time. Now that you mention it, I suppose we all sort of expected everyone to assume." Patil Parvati was sitting beside her boyfriend and glanced around him towards the frazzle haired girl.
"I suppose." Hermione didn't seem that surprised after a moment of thought. Something about Harry's face when the girl spoke up made her a little uncomfortable.
"So, how was your summer, Neville?" The boy who lived nodded and looked at the boy next to him.
"It was nice. I expect my Gran will be sending me some of the things I forgot in the mail." The boy smiled pleased to be speaking with him. "I helped my Gran around the house most of the summer. She had me helping her in the greenhouse most of the summer. We've got a big one on the grounds behind the house."
The Potter boy perked up a bit. "Really?"
"Yes. My family is one of the leading suppliers of herbs for potions in England." The large boy seemed a bit surprised. "It's been like that for generations."
Hermione blinked and smiled at him. "Really? I suppose all those shops on the Alley have to get them from somewhere."
"That must make your family pretty important." Harry arched his eyebrow and nodded. "Do you think she'd mind if we stopped by to have a look over the summer one of these days? I bet it's something to see."
"Sure. I don't see why not." Neville was rather shocked.
Ron nodded. "I suppose it would be kind of cool to have a look at some of the plants. It's true everyone knows Longbottom Herbs are in just about every potion shop in England. Quite a few over here as well."
The large boy blushed and nodded. "Hogwarts grows it's own, but we do supply some of the rarer herbs. Some of them are difficult to grow and require a lot of care. Professor Sprout is a good friend of Gran's. She grows a lot here, but some types are too dangerous or finicky for her to keep properly here. I met her a few times before I started here." He seemed to puff out his chest just a bit in pride.
The boy who lived smiled as a package landed in front of Neville. The boy flushed and opened it up, revealing a few small school supplies he'd forgotten.
Ron was fending off Patil as she tried to feed him. "My arms work fine. Really."
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed as she glanced at Harry from behind her book.
"Something on your mind?" The boy looked over at her.
"No, not really. I'm just not sure what to expect this year. We've gotten all these books for Defense Against Dark Arts, but word is Mr. Lockheart was forced away on other business. It's caused quite a stir from what I've heard. Some of the parents are angry about it." She had Voyages with Vampires propped up against a milk jug and was reading through it. "There are a lot of rumors buzzing about, and we've not even started classes yet. Something about drow being seen about, that mess with your sister at the alley, all sorts of things."
Harry shrugged. "I suppose there's not much to be done about it. We'll likely have our plates full once classes start."
Ron nodded and fed himself with his free arm. Patil had hers wrapped around his other and was talking Lavender Brown. "I hate to say it, but I'm kind of looking forward to a little peace and quiet. No way it could be as bad as last year."
"I've heard they've replaced Mr. Lockheart already." Patil looked over at the group. "The new teacher doesn't start till next week. I heard my mum talking about it at the station earlier."
"Well, that means we won't have that class until then." Ron nodded and smirked.
"We'll miss a whole week of classes then! That's horrible! We'll have a time catching up!" Hermione frowned at him and growled a bit as she poked her nose over her book to glare at him.
Harry chuckled. "Now, it's not that bad. I doubt we'll have that much trouble catching up. We'll probably only miss one or two classes because of it."
"Speaking of that." Hermione turned her head. McGonagall was handing out class schedules and making her way towards them.
OooOOooOO
The first class they attended was double Herbology with Hufflepuff. The second year trio made their way to the greenhouse and found themselves facing rows of little dirt filled troths with rather small leafy plants growing in them. They gave Harry a bad vibe, but he pushed it aside as the squat witch with a patched hat over her flyaway hair moved up to the front of both groups.
The woman called over the class and began explaining the lesson. Everyone had to put on earmuffs, everyone avoided the pink fluffy looking ones, but Harry took them anyway. He didn't care what color they were, and they worked fine. It turned out the lesson was about re-potting Mandrake plants. The leafy plants in front of them turned out to have what appeared to be a rather ugly and colicky baby attached to the leaves rather than roots. Hermione ended up winning a few house points for studying over the summer, and no one was surprised.
Harry turned towards Ron and Hermione and noticed they were both flushing. "What?"
"Why did you take the pink ones?" Ron arched his eyebrow a little. His now rather famous hat was resting on the edge of the troth next to him.
"What difference does it make? They look less worn out than the others." The boy who lived shrugged.
Hermione flushed a bit and nodded. Even she had avoided them. Hers were brown, and a bit ragged along the edges.
"Well, it's not like anyone is going to make fun of him. He's Harry Potter after all." A curly haired Hufflepuff boy that Harry had seen but never spoken too joined them. "Justin Finch-Fletchly." He spoke brightly and greeted them. "Everyone knows who you three are." He seemed pleased to meet them and cheerful. "My name was down for Eaton. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Even if I am a little disappointed that Mr. Lockheart won't be teaching this year. My mum was a bit disappointed, but after she read Mr. Lockhearts books, she seemed to think it might be nice to have a trained wizard in the family."
After that, they didn't have much time to speak. After the class ended the group walked back to the castle and to Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class. It was more difficult than Harry had expected. They were tasked with turning beetles into buttons. The boy who lived had managed to make a few buttons that crawled about on six legs after a few tries, but the lessons from last year were a bit dusty in his mind. Ron had similar success, and ended up with a few legless plastic bugs with holes in the abdomens.
"This new wand is working out pretty well." He seemed surprised at his limited success. All of his school things were new, and his sister had been spared having to ever use handed down materials. It was an inch longer than his old wand, and made of polished black ashewood with a core of black silver.
By the time the lunch bell rang, both boys were relieved. Harry had ended up with three coat buttons, Ron had managed to create one, and another button that was a button, but still shaped somewhat like an insect. Hermione had met them in the hall, and showed them several perfect buttons. She'd ended up partnered with a girl in their class neither boy had spoken too.
"Honestly." Hermione was a bit annoyed. "All she wanted to do was ask me about you two. As if the assignment wasn't difficult enough."
After they ate, the ended up in the courtyard, where Ron and Harry met up with Melvin. The trio started talking about Quidditch. After a moment Harry turned around. "Hello."
A first year boy on the smallish side flushed as he realized he'd been spotted. He was holding a camera and looked rather slack jawed as he swallowed a bit. "All right, Harry? I'm I'm Collin Creevy. I'm in Gryffindor too. Do you think, it would be all right, can I have a picture?" The boy somehow became even more flushed. "Of Melvin and Ron Weasley too? So I can prove I've met you? I've heard all about you, what with You Know Who, and how he disappeared and you got that scar, and your band is awesome!"
The older boy gave him a warm smile. "I don't see why not." He slapped the boy on his shoulder.
Colin's knees buckled a little. "It's amazing here! My dad is a milkman. I'm taking loads of pictures to send back to him, and it'd be really good if I had one of you." He looked over at Hermione. "Maybe your friend could take it, so I could stand with you, and then the three of you could sign it?"
Hermione shrugged and seemed a bit put off. "I guess there's no harm."
"We're used to this sort of thing. No need to be so shy." Melvin seemed pleased with meeting the boy. "Here. You can have one of these." He took a photo of the band out of one of his books. "It's signed and everything." The boy's eyes went wide as he accepted it and saw Tenacious D waving back at him cheerfully with their instruments. "If you listen to one of our albums near it, we'll play the song in the picture."
"Wow! Thanks! Could you still? I mean, so I'm in the..." Hermione rolled her eyes and took the camera.
"Signed Photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?" Draco Malfoy's voice echoed through the courtyard. He was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual. Both boys were even larger and more thuggish than before.
"It's part of the job." Harry was as cheerful as usual, even when dealing with Draco. Ron frowned a bit, but said nothing.
Melvin nodded. "My wrist still hurts just thinking about the crowd outside, Wembley."
"Could you move? You're in the shot, Malfoy." Hermione was holding the camera and looked a little impatient.
Collin was still beet red and stood in the middle of the mess.
Draco gave a rough snort and turned to stroll away. "I suppose I should. You're likely to attract a mob if word gets out you're handing out signed photos, Potter."
"You're just jealous." Collin frowned at the Slytherin students.
"I don't see what's so special about getting a cut on your forehead and not dying." Draco gave an amused chuckle that was echoed by his cohorts.
"Well, there is the band." Melvin shrugged. "Don't be such a stick Malfoy. You're ruining the mud."
"Care to repeat that Boggs?" Crabbe growled and Goyle popped his knuckles as they both moved up to either side of the smaller boy.
"I understand you don't like, Anna. It's not my business anyway." The raven haired boy gave a fearless shrug. "Still, Harry's been a pretty nice guy to you considering. Besides, I'm not scared of you. Your friends should know better than to threaten me."
Draco shook his head and shrugged. "I wouldn't bother with it myself just yet. He'll get what's coming to him. You'll fall into line when that happens. You've got no choice after all. Stop acting like you've got any power of your own, Boggs. You'll only get hurt." He turned away behind his two friends and moved off. Neither of his bodyguards seemed to care and decided to torment the smaller weakling who was dumb enough to speak out of place.
"What are you going to do? Beat us with your sticks?" Crabbe poked the smaller boy in the chest.
"Go and cry to that brat? Having a girl protect you?" Goyle snorted in crude amusement.
"Nah. I don't need to bother her." Melvin looked around and smirked. "Go ahead and touch me again, and see what happens."
Harry had backed away and was hiding his grin with his hand. Hermione and Ron weren't doing anything to help the boy either.
"Hey! You get your hands off him!" Crabe and Goyle noticed Draco had already left, and a large group of students had surrounded them both. Not just Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students as well. None of the nearby Slytherin students was willing to back them up, and had moved back away from the scene to ignore it easier.
"Yeah! You can't talk to him that way!" A fourth year Hufflepuff boy who outweighed either boy cracked his knuckles as he glared down at the both of them. He was wearing a Tenacious D shirt under his robes.
"Maybe I'm not the front man for the band, but I've still got plenty of fans." Melvin smirked at them. "They'll be pretty upset if I get hurt, and can't play."
Both boys backed off and went off to find their leader.
"Enough! Just smile!" Hermione was getting tired of holding the camera. A moment later there was a flash of light, and a very red and pleased looking Collin stumbled away with his camera.
"Just bring it to us after you get it developed and we'll sign it for you." Harry smiled and waved at him.
"Make sure you catch band practice. We'll be doing a few open practices this year as well." Melvin turned towards Harry. "I should get a camera myself."
The boy who lived gave him a small frown. "Just be careful what sort of pictures you take with it."
"You know me too well." The black haired boy shook his shoulder as the class bell rang.
Ron snorted in half amusement. "Just don't expect the two of us to try and help you out if you land in trouble. Stay away from my sister."
"Jeez, get off that would you, Weasley?" Melvin rolled his eyes. "Ginny's been hanging around Anna anyway."
"What's next?" Harry looked over to Hermione.
The girl shrugged as she tucked Voyages with Vampires under her arm. "Study period. We're supposed to have Defense Against Dark Arts next, but it doesn't start till next week."
A slender hand took the book from under her arm from behind her and she whirled around. A girl of about sixteen, in a brown hooded cloak was peering at her in a half amused way. "Hey!"
"Voyages with Vampires?" She chuckled and looked down at the title.
Ron's jaw dropped a little. "Afina?"
The girl's lips turned up a bit as her hood shifted towards him. "Hello Ron."
Hermione accepted the book back and frowned at her. "You know her?"
"We met in Romania." The redhead scratched his head and smiled. "You're attending here? I didn't notice you at the sorting."
Patil seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Ron." She latched onto his arm and looked the older girl up and down. Harry had backed away a bit, and Lavender moved up beside him. Hermione noticed this and took position on his opposite side. She seemed to realize they were both backing away from the new girl and Ron's girlfriend. "Who's this?"
"I'm Afina Amanar. You'll have to call me Professor Amanar from now on I'm afraid." The girl smirked at the expression the girl got on her face.
Hermione gasped. "Professor? Are you kidding?"
Ron swallowed. "Oh. You're..."
"I'll be replacing Mr. Lockheart as the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher." The girl nodded and pulled back her hood. She looked very young, and was quite beautiful. "It's good to see you again. I was just stopping by to speak to Professor Dumbledore about the final details before I start teaching on Monday. Don't expect any special treatment. I'm afraid I've got to be professional and honor my duties."
"You're the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher?" Hermione was dumbfounded.
"Oh. Well, good luck with that." Ron seemed pleased. "I was wondering what happened to you."
"Romania wasn't safe for me. England was as good a place as any. I already speak the language, and across the pond can be a little rougher for me than others like me. I'm not remembered well in a lot of places on the mainland." Afina gave a small chuckle at the look of surprise everyone but Ron had.
"You're not..." Patil didn't look like she believed a word of it.
"I'm older than I look. Excuse me. I'm afraid I've only got time to say hello and be on my way." Miss Amanar turned away and her cape fluttered in her wake. They were the only students left in the courtyard at that point.
"Who is that? You know her?" Hermione spoke up before Harry could. She was a bit forceful and seemed annoyed, but cautious.
"Yeah. I met her in Castle Dracula while I was in Romania." The redhead seemed to realize Patil was digging her nails into his arm.
"She's some sort of Vampire Hunter?" Patil relaxed a bit, but still seemed wary.
Harry turned towards the door. "Come on. We'll have a bit of trouble if Filtch catches us here."
"Who is she? How do you know her?" Patil was glaring at her boyfriend.
"Yeah?" Hermione had been rubbed the wrong way, and didn't want to believe the girl. "She doesn't look older than seventeen. How can she..."
"She's probably a former vampire." Harry shrugged as they walked down the hall together.
Ron nodded. "Yeah. She was nice once I turned her. I never would have gotten out of hell without her help."
"I suppose she'll be a good teacher then." Harry smiled and nodded.
"You're only saying that because she's pretty!" Patil growled a bit. Lavender and Hermione both seemed to agree.
Harry gave an amused snort and started playing air guitar as he walked. "I think of all the education that I missed, but then my homework was never quite like this. I got it bad, I got it bad, I got it bad, I'm hot for teacher..."
"That's not funny!" snapped Hermione.
Ron was chuckling. "Yes it was. Don't be so serious."
"I was right! You pervert!" Patil dug her nails into Ron's arm.
The redhead winced in pain. "Hey! Come on now! She's like five hundred or something."
The girl's features lightened a bit. "Just watch it."
OooOOooOO
Anna scratched her head and grumbled. She was relaxing in the lab at the top of the dorms. Her computer was resting on the counter top. Several beakers and vials lined the area around her cauldron as a potion simmered over an open flame. She had three books opened up, the pages flipped lazily on their own as she floated on a stool. Several orange and blue screens were suspended in mid air, seeming to be projected from nothing. Sections lit up as she tapped them with her fingers as she worked.
Her first day had been pretty uneventful after breakfast. She'd gone to Herbology and her hands were still a bit dirty from that, and spent two periods cleaning things in the dungeon for Professor Snape. It hadn't been that bad, as he left her alone to work. She wasn't foolish enough to waste time goofing off around him, and he seemed to realize it. She'd had to retrieve a few ingredients for him a few times, but it had been a silent affair otherwise.
She was planning on summoning Kreacher, but decided to put it off for a bit. She was tired and dirty, and could deal with that once she'd settled into school a bit more. Her minions were off gathering forces for her army, and from what she could tell, there were no bunnies who refused. All of them were willing to join her ranks. She wasn't expecting them back until morning. As it was, she was working on her index. It was barely started, and would require a great deal of effort to finish. She doubted it would be completed that year, even with the aid of her new toy. She still had to manually input the information.
"Hey." Anna felt something strange and a cold chill ran down her spine. She turned and looked at her side.
Marci was standing beside her and peering at what she was doing. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just a little personal project." She gave a small sigh and smiled at the girl.
"Oh. What's this?" The blond girl's eyes turned towards the cauldron.
Anna continued to work, ignoring the girl. "Nothing much. Just a little something for Professor Snape. We ran out of blasting solvent for cleaning cauldrons, so he's having me brew up a batch. Don't touch it, it's volatile." It was used to work off particularly solid potion residue. Certain potions created a film that was almost as hard as stone, and nearly impossible to chip away with just a scraper and mallet.
"Oh." The blond girl put her finger up to her lip and leaned in to peer at it. "What's that mean?" She turned her head as she leaned over the cauldron.
"If you..."
Marci tapped the side of the cauldron with her finger.
"No! You..."
The sound of a loud boom filled the dorms, causing everyone to jump.
A moment later Professor Snape stormed into the lab, a thick smoke was billowing out of the doorway as he glared at the two girls inside. His face fell at the scene he encountered.
Anna Potter was cowering behind an overturned table, holding her knees with a rather dazed expression on her face as she rocked back and fourth. Marci Von Camp was crying next to her.
"Waaaaahhhh! I'm sorry!"
Anna was ignoring the fact that the girl was hugging her and staring off into space. "It...it can't be...no way...it..."
"What happened?" Snape sounded firm as he looked over his shoulder. Margaret, Melvin, and Pansy all backed out of the doorway, along with a few other students attracted to the commotion.
Anna looked up at him. "Heh. She's a bubble headed idiot of course." She still didn't look to be quite there.
"What?" The man was cautious in his tone, but didn't soften his demeanor.
"I'm sorry!" Marci sniffled and looked at him with wide blue eyes.
"Come with me." The man snarled. "It seems you can't be trusted with something like this yet, Potter."
That snapped her out if it. She frowned up at him and jumped up. "What? Me? She's cursed! She'll destroy any potion she gets near!"
"What?" The man locked his eyes on her face.
She returned the glare. "You heard me! Damn it. I don't believe this." She glared down at Marci, the girl was on her knees and still crying. "Stop it would you?" She looked up at Snape. "Look, why do you think she's been excused from Potions?"
The man nodded and with much reluctance, seemed to understand. "I see."
"This will happen any time she gets into a lab with something going on inside." The redhead grumbled and clenched her fist. Marci was clutching at her robe. "Can it would you? You're fine! You're just lucky no one died! Bubble head!" Anna growled and crossed her arms. "Stupid Mihoshi. I don't believe this."
"What is a Mihoshi?" Snape seemed confused by the word.
"Yeah?" Marci sniffed but calmed and stood up to let Anna go.
The redhead flushed. "It's nothing. Look. Good luck trying to keep her out of the lab. She's cursed. I'm willing to bet it draws her like a moth to flame, literally."
"It's true." Marci shrugged. "I'm sorry." She hung her head and played with the floor with her toes.
Snape growled, he had enough with the start of the year, and didn't need to be bothered with foolishness. "I see." He turned his eyes to the mess that remained on the counter. "Clean up this mess Potter. As for you." He turned towards the blond girl. "Stay out of the lab. You're not permitted to enter this room if you're not attending a Potion's course." He looked at the redhead again and pulled Marci out by her wrist with a bit more force than he needed. "I expect you to be finished with this before lights out, Potter."
"Yes, Professor." Anna growled a bit. She knew better than to think his warning was going to be enough. "Great. Just what I need. Stupid Mihoshi..." Her head fell and she held back a few tears. "I don't believe this...how in the hell? This sucks."
OooOOooOO
Meanwhile...
"At last! Hedwing!" Carrot pointed his wing through the skylight of the now abandoned gnome room. "At long last, we can finally begin our plans to take over the world!"
"Ha ha! Narf! Excellent Carrot...um...how are we going to do that?" The larger owl seemed pleased as she sat on the wooden floor of the rather barren room.
"I'm glad you asked Hedwing!" The shorter owl puffed out his chest. He used his wing to remove the sheet from the only object in the room. "We're going to use...this!"
"Poit! Excellent idea Carrot, it's sure to work! Ha ha!" Hedwig seemed quite excited. She turned her head sideways and peered at the object. It was a foot tall metal box with a round antenna on top and a dial on the front. "Um...what is it?"
"It amazes me how you can be both correct, and utterly thoughtless at the same time." Carrot hopped on top of the antenna. "Say hello to the automatic vortex machine!"
"Narf! Hello! It's nice to meet you, I'm Hedwig! Mr. Automatic Voltron Machine!"
"No Hedwig. Automatic Vortex Machine." Carrot sounded a bit irate as he corrected her.
"Not very friendly is he?" The larger owl tapped the side of the machine with her beak. "Must be one of those quiet types."
Carrot shook his head. "I'd hurt you Hedwig, but I'm not large enough to carry the Automatic Vortex Machine myself."
"Narf! So we're taking him out then? Perhaps some dancing, oh! We'll be needing rubber gloves and nylons then!"
"No Hedwig...wait..what? Never mind." Carrot shook his head as his brain stopped on his cohort's line of thought. He hopped over to a chalkboard on the wall with a crude drawing detailing his plan. "With this machine we can create a vortex of air, a cyclone of such power and force, that the humans will tremble before it's might!" He slapped his wing on the board on a drawing of two owls carrying the machine with a cyclone under it. "Once we reach the proper altitude, we will activate the machine. With it, we will decimate the world financial districts, swooping in to take control in the ensuing chaos!"
Hedwig cocked her head. "Proper attitude? I suppose a proper attitude is important for anything, Carrot. You can't do much in life without the proper attitude."
The smaller owl thwacked the back of her head with his wing. "Not attitude, Hedwing, altitude. We must reach an altitude of five thousand meters before activating the machine. Otherwise it will be quite painful for the both of us."
"I'm not sure I like this plan, Carrot." In a surprising moment of forethought the larger owl seemed wary.
"There's no danger. Only a large pressure wave, such as a nearby explosion, will set off the machine without activating it first. Once we get it into the air, there's no real danger of that." Carrot shook his head. "There is no cause for concern. Now come! We've got to reach an altitude of five thousand feet."
Hedwig gripped the machine's antenna with her claws at the same time as the smaller own and they both flew out the skylight and into the night sky.
As they passed by one of the towers just outside the school, just as they passed by one of the windows, a resounding boom filled the air.
"Bother." It was the last thing Carrot could say before the machine started beeping. A moment later, a small but forceful cyclone consumed both owls and tore across the grounds away from the castle. It was quite painful.
About ten minutes later, both owls were lying in the grass of the pitch, with the shattered remains of the machine between them. Neither was moving.
"Ha ha! Narf! Mr Voltage was a better dancer than I'd thought! Poit!" Hedwig stood up and stumbled around in a wobbled circle.
"Shut up Hedwig. If I could walk straight, I'd smack you." Carrot staggered back in the general direction of the castle. "Come on Hedwig. It's time to go home to plan for tomorrow night!"
"Why? What are we going to do tomorrow night?" The larger owl paused her stumbling for a moment.
Carrot was feeling a little ill and haunched over to breathe. "The same thing we do every night Hedwig. Try to take over the world!" He pointed at the sky with his wing and fell flat on his beak.
"All right, Carrot, but I think we should try ballroom dancing next time."
OooOOooOO
She was alone in the darkness. Alone, abandoned, suffering. There was no joy, no light, only darkness. In a way, it was comforting, familiar. Her body shivered, cold against stone. Chains bound her wrists, nothing but stone and shadow surrounded her as she stared into the mouth of death itself. It's face inches away from her, waiting, patient and cruel. Feeding from her very soul, waiting for the last drops of her spirit to drain away, to take her into it's embrace with a final kiss.
Out of the darkness a face, familiar, featureless, cold. Something else stirred. Features formed upon death's face, looking her in the eyes, familiar, cold, cruel. "Master."
"My servant."
"My life...for you...my soul...for you." She whispered, her voice harsh and cold. Her screams long since faded. Only pain, suffering, and anger remained.
"You are weak, useless. I have no need of you as you are now."
"Yes." Her voice haggard, her hair fell over her face and eyes. Tears of bitter disappointment fell down her pale and gaunt cheeks.
"You will become strong."
"Yes."
"Soon. Our time will come."
"Yes...my..."
"No. You are mine, and you must suffer."
"For you...master."
"Yes. For me." His features faded, death returned to gaze into her eyes.
The screams of the fat one started again, his mad mutterings of terror and weakness. She wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd stopped. He was weak, the worm. He would be useful again, but now he was nothing, and he would be destroyed in the end. Useless and weak. She was no different, but it would change. She would become strong, she would make them suffer. The child who had dared defy the true master of the world, he would suffer, he would die. Everything he loved would be destroyed, and things would be as they should.
A window high above her head, small and useless save to mark the passing of day and night flashed as a crack of lighting lit up the sky outside the walls of Azkaban.
"Soon." She would be patient, she would suffer. It would not come soon enough. It was not yet time, but she would be free. Ripped from the arms of death itself. It was a matter of time. Inevitable.
She needed only to be patient. In time, what had been started could be finished as it should have twelve years ago. Their time would finally come.
OooOOooOO
Harry Potter frowned as he sat up in bed and rubbed at his scar. It felt like it was burning, not as much as when he'd been in the chamber with Quirrel, but he felt uneasy. His eyes were hard to keep open, but he turned let his legs hang off the edge of his bed. His fingers rubbed at his scar and he squeezed his eyes shut. "I sense a disturbance in the Force." He muttered it and frowned. After a moment of sitting, rubbing at his scar, he sighed and pulled his legs back onto the bed, putting his head on his pillow. It didn't matter now, it was distant, and there was nothing he could do. He could only be mindful, and aware.
He closed his eyes, and rolled onto his side. He could get a few more hours before his sister came to fetch him for the morning routine.
TBC...
Next time: Defense Against Dark Arts, and a stirring in the shadows.