The next day Harry found himself feeling rather apprehensive about Charms class. Fred and George, looking rather shocked, had come up and told Harry that Charms under Professor McGonagall the younger was much different then under Flitwick. They hadn't told him exactly what they had meant by that, however, and he was worried.

Professor Umbridge was waiting for them, sitting in a chair in the far corner. Ron leaned over, "I wonder if both McGonagall's will react the same to her interference. It's not really fair, shoving Umbridge on her her first day back."

Harry wasn't so sure, Professor McGonagall had handled Snape rather well, and if she could do that then she should be able to deal with Umbridge as well. The class filed in, taking their seats and looking around nervously, they had all been told that the class would be different, but no one had said exactly how it would be different.

Just as the bell rang Professor McGonagall walked in, closing the large doors behind her with a flick of her wand. Just as the other McGonagall had, Amanda completely ignored Professor Umbridge. She stepped up to the podium that Professor Flitwick had always stood behind and sat, staring out across the room as if taking them all in. No one spoke, not knowing how she would react. She waited until the last of the stragglers had filtered in, there were quite a few of them, before speaking, her voice low but heard perfectly by all.

"Over the past few weeks, and the four years before that you have been taught by Professor Flitwick, a kind, generous, and forgiving man. I am not." She waited a moment for this to sink in. "For those of you who came in late to my class, you may want to take into account that after the bell ring each day I will close and lock the doors, you will be on time to my class or you will not be in my class. If you have a legitimate reason then after class you may speak to me about make up work."

"Hem, hem," Professor Umbridge made the silly little cough that she had used to interrupt so many of their other teachers, and like her mother before her, Amanda ignored the toad-faced Professor completely.

"I will not tolerate any misbehavior and have no problems failing each and every one of you. However, I would like to thank you for remaining silent while we waited for your colleagues to join us."

"Hem, hem," once again Professor Umbridge tried to interrupt, and once again she was ignored. Professor McGonagall's mouth quirked slightly.

"Today we will be learning a Silencing Charm, and I'm sure you all know how useful such a charm could be. Now, would anyone like to-"

"Hem, hem,"

Professor McGonagall smiled; it was a Snape smile, or perhaps a Draco smile. It was the kind of smile that only came about because someone else was about to be very sorry. She turned to Professor Umbridge, finishing her sentence quietly, "-volunteer?"

"Why thank you, Professor, I appreciate your willingness to help out."

Professor Umbridge opened her mouth to speak but Amanda beat her to it, pulling her wand out and flicking it in her direction in one fluid movement. Professor Umbridge's mouth opened and closed silently.

"The charm is, 'Silencio,'" she said, turning back to them. "Please be sure to flick with your wrist, not your fingers, and enunciate properly. I suggest you pick a raven from the perches over there."

Professor McGonagall smiled down at them all, looking as if she wanted very much to laugh. Behind her, Professor Umbridge was scribbling furiously on her clip board. Harry and Ron snickered behind their hands before picking a raven each and starting to work, whispering quietly.

Professor Umbridge walked up to Professor McGonagall and tapped her on the shoulder angrily.

"Can I help you, Professor?" she asked innocently. The shorter woman mouthed at her furiously.

"Oh, of course, how silly of me to forget, I do hope you will forgive me," she pulled her wand out and flicked it once more in Umbridge's direction, though much slower then she had the first time. "Was there something you needed?" Though polite, her words were cold as ice, frosting the air between her and the diminutive woman in front of her.

"I was merely wondering if you had received my note," Umbridge spluttered. "The one saying that I would be inspecting your class today?"

"Of course, otherwise I would have already asked you to leave. If you will excuse me," she moved toward Seamus, leaning in so that she was level with him before whispering quietly, "If you do that to that bird again I will have to give you a zero for the day, Mr. Finnegan."

Professor Umbridge continued to wander around for a few minutes, while Amanda watched over her students, correcting them when she noticed something wrong. After a few minutes of this Professor Umbridge approached her again.

"How long have you been teaching, exactly?" Professor McGonagall looked at the clock before giving Umbridge her full attention.

"I have been teaching at Hogwarts for nearly three hours and fifteen minutes. I taught at Beauxbatons for twelve years before this, however."

"And you went to school here before mysteriously disappearing?"

"I hardly call it mysterious," Amanda said, still sounding light but frosty.

"To work at another school?"

"I suppose this is relevant?"

For a moment Harry looked around, wondering where Snape was. The words had left her mouth in exactly the same sly way and she wore the same sneer on her face, the only differences between the two were the eyes. Snape's eyes were always dark and full of loathing, Professor McGonagall had the piercing blue eyes that Harry had always associated with Dumbledore, and they weren't filled with hatred, it was more of a polite look that somehow gave one the feeling of being the lowest scum on the earth. Professor Umbridge stepped back slightly before gathering herself up angrily.

"Oh yes," she said, "the Ministry wants a thorough background of teachers' pasts."

Professor McGonagall just walked away to deal with a student, leaving Professor Umbridge to scribble on her clipboard frantically.

"Excuse me," said Professor McGonagall, nearing the end of class. Several students fell silent, some did not. Instead of shouting to be heard Professor McGonagall merely raised her wand, and instant silence fell as several of their classmates found that they could no longer talk. "Another example of the use of this charm," she said, smiling slightly. "Now, I'm assigning homework for you all." Those that could groaned and she chuckled. "Don't worry, its not that hard, I just want to know what kind of work I can expect from you all. You are to pick a charm you like, whether its one you have learned or not, and write a short paragraph on why you like it. You may have the rest of the class to get started if you wish. Oh," she said, as an after thought, "those of you who can't talk have lost a point each for their houses, next time it will be more."

Umbridge approached her.

"You will be receiving the results of today's inspection in ten days time," she said stiffly.

"Coolsauce," Amanda said, barely paying attention to her.

Professor Umbridge stalked from the room and shortly after the bell rang, leaving them all free to scurry to their next class. Amanda sighed happily and plopped down behind the podium. She couldn't see the door then. She growled and waved her wand, transfiguring it into a neat desk just as the door opened and Dumbledore stepped in. He smiled up at her.

"Fitting in well?"

"Yes, thank you. I just had a lovely group of fifth years and a High Inquisitor."

"I thought she looked rather upset, troubles?"

"Oh I'm sure, but nothing to worry about." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"I would watch out for her, she may have more power then you think."

"Don't worry about me, Albus; I'm sure that if she tries something I'll find a way out of it. It's one of my talents, after all, getting out of things."

He looked sad for a moment, almost as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Students started to file in behind them.

"I will take your word on it and leave you to your students," he said, bowing his head to her before leaving.

Amanda looked down on her students as a cat watches a mouse, it couldn't hurt to frighten them a little.

Amanda's classes quickly turned into the talk of the day, and the days following. No one could remember a teacher that could be as cruel or nasty as Snape always was and as kind as Dumbledore at the same time. They also discovered that Professor McGonagall was completely unbiased to the houses, something almost unheard of, even the elder McGonagall had been known to budge a little bit for the Gryffindors. But she was sly, often teaching them defensive spells as an example of what a charm wasn't or perhaps helping them with a nasty piece of homework from another class, often Potions.

Even Filch had taken a liking to the woman, if only because he got to give out a lot more punishments because of her. He lurked around her classroom between classes to catch the stragglers; true to her word Amanda had locked the doors the very second the bell stopped ringing for every one of her classes. Filch had become ecstatic when he first discovered that she wouldn't let them in even if they banged on the doors.

She also took the time to get to know almost all of her students. She did, however, seem to take a slight disliking to Hermione Granger.

"Who can tell me the difference between a silencing charm and a charm to take away ones voice?"

Hermione's hand instantly shot into the air and everyone just turned to look at her. Amanda sighed, this was becoming a pattern and it was interfering with the teaching of her other students.

"Miss Granger," she said coldly, "are you that much of a know-it-all, or do you just lack tact? Does anyone else know the answer?"

A few people raised their hands, looking rather shocked. After class Amanda called Granger back.

"I don't want you to think I was trying to humiliate you, it is just that if you always answer the questions then no one else will even try, and if they don't try then they won't learn. I realize that you like to answer questions but perhaps in the future you could wait, and answer when no one else seems to know."

After that Hermione was a little more subdued, applying the idea of waiting in all her classes, it was a bit of a relief to all the teachers; they finally got to see what their other students were capable of.

"Potter!"

Amanda was patrolling the corridors and it was well after midnight, not the time for students to be wandering around. Harry jumped and spun around, one hand reaching for his wand. Amanda's wand was already pointing straight between his eyes, merely an inch away.

"While I admire your readiness," she said, lowering her wand, "you should be in bed."

"I had detention with Umbridge," he said, stowing his own wand away sheepishly, "just got out."

Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously. "What happened to your hand?"

"Nothing," he said, trying to hide it.

"Let me see it," she said, sounding both concerned and stern, like a mother.

He held it out automatically. She pulled the scarf away carefully and examined the lettering, pursing her lips.

"Professor Umbridge's work, I believe?" Harry nodded and Amanda waved her wand over the wound, muttering incoherently. He felt a slight stinging sensation and the skin twitched, flowing over the mark seamlessly, leaving it just a little red.

"I suggest Essence of Murtlap; you could probably get some from Professor Snape."

Harry muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "I could get some poison too, provided of course that I promise to drink it in front of him."

"Do you remember what I said about insulting the Professor's of this school? I still stand by that. Besides, if Professor Snape wasn't stingy about potion ingredients then he would be up to his ears in debt. The supply of potions ingredients is already over budget, and any extra comes out of Professor Snape's pocket, so don't take it personally." She straightened up, giving him a reassuring smile. "I have to ask Professor Snape for a favor anyways, I will see what I can do about getting you some Essence of Murtlap, it will help."

Harry nodded, looking much relieved now that the pain in his hand was gone but not believing that she would manage to get the Essence of Murtlap from Snape.

He couldn't have been more wrong. The next night, as he was serving his detention with Snape she proved it to him. He was peeling the skin off of pickled salamanders, an unpleasant enough task with magic, without it it was just plain cruel. Harry kept himself entertained pretending the skin he was peeling off was Snape's. A knock on the door distracted him.

"Enter," Snape barked, as always.

Professor McGonagall the younger walked in, her dark blue robes swishing silently behind her and her black hair swinging from its braid around her hips. Snape scowled at her, and she scowled right back.

"Don't look so happy to see me," she said sarcastically, "you're scaring your student." Snape moved his glare to Potter and she continued. "Besides, there are worse people who could be coming down here to disturb you at this late hour."

"As sure of this as you may be, I am not so confident."

"Either way, I need a favor."

"This would be the reason that I wasn't so sure."

In his eagerness to listen in on their conversation, Harry knocked over a foul smelling jar, it froze midair and he looked up, surprised. Professor McGonagall had her wand out, looking irritated, Snape, on the other hand, looked furious. He opened his mouth to speak but Professor McGonagall beat him to it.

"Can't you watch what you're doing, Potter?" Snape stared at her in shock. "Well? Don't just stand there; get back to whatever it is you were doing."

Harry went back to his peeling and she turned back to Snape, stowing her wand back in her pocket. Snape stared at her for just a moment longer before moving back to his own work.

"What is it you need?" he said grudgingly.

"I would appreciate it if you could either find the time to produce a few very large batches of Cheering Solution and a large jar of Essence of Murtlap, or allow me to take the ingredients for each from your store."

Harry jerked slightly, almost knocking the jar off the table again; she hadn't forgotten his hand. Severus scowled.

"What do you need all the Cheering Solution for?"

"A demonstration for my classes."

Severus sat back, looking at her for a moment before standing and walking away, leaving Amanda standing by his desk. He returned a moment later holding a large jar of something gray. It landed in front of Professor McGonagall with a slight 'thunk.'

"I'll get you your Cheering Solution tomorrow morning." She picked up the jar and nodded to him, smiling sincerely.

"Can I pick it up after breakfast?"

Severus just nodded.

"Thank you, Professor, it is much appreciated."

He grunted and returned to his papers.

"See you in class, Potter." Amanda said, bouncing out of the classroom enthusiastically. "See you around, Professor!" she called back.

Harry looked to Snape to see what his reaction to the excited Professor would be. The Potions Master hadn't moved, except maybe to reach for another paper.

It didn't take long for Amanda to get to put her cheering solution to good use; she had only to wait until the next day, in fact. When Harry and the others entered her class the next day they found Professor McGonagall perched on her desk in the front of the room with a large cauldron full of a light yellow mixture bubbling in front of her. She waited until the bell rang before locking the doors as was customary with her and addressing the class.

"Today and tomorrow we are going to do a bit – Mr. Finnegan bring me that magazine – of an experiment," she said, not missing a beat. Seamus brought the magazine up and set it on the desk next to her, it was some muggle thing a friend had given him. "We're going to see what the difference between a Cheering Charm and a Cheering Solution is. Now, I want you all to pair up, try to pick someone you'll see over the next few hours. Then decide which one of you will take the potion today and which will take it tomorrow."

Professor McGonagall waited while they all paired up; Harry and Ron, Seamus and Dean, and so on. Poor Neville was left at the end, standing in the middle of the room hopelessly.

"It seems that we have an odd number of students, you can practice on me, Mr. Longbottom."

Neville looked as if he wanted to wet his pants, Professor McGonagall managed to scare him almost as much as Snape, and she gave less warning about it. Harry was more worried about Professor McGonagall, Neville wasn't the best at magic, and when he got nervous he was even worse, often with disastrous results.

They got to work almost immediately, with Neville waving his wand a few times to no effect. Professor McGonagall showed him the correct movement again patiently but had to leave him for a moment before he could try it out. Hermione's partner had collapsed into uproarious laughter, holding her sides tightly. The girl had to be escorted to a quiet room, where she would spend the next few hours calming down. Seeing Hermione fail had only heightened Neville's own nerves, making him shake uncontrollably.

His raised his wand shakily and said the spell, waving his arm around in a poor imitation of the pattern they were supposed to be using.

The wand appeared to explode. Professor McGonagall was thrown back over the cauldron and over her desk, crashing into a shelf of books and causing them all to come tumbling down on top of her, completely burying the Charms Professor. The class fell silent in shock, their wands still raised from their own practices. Neville was staring in open mouthed horror, now shaking so violently his robes swayed around him.

Once the dust settled they were able to see her hand poking out from the rubble, someone screamed, "You've killed her!" The hand twitched, and the books shifted. Several students rushed forward to help, pushing books away and helping their Professor to her feet. She stood up and winced, dusting off her robes and saying, "I am not dead, Miss. Hart, and I'll thank you all to close your mouths, we are not fish."

Professor McGonagall stepped over to her desk and sat gingerly in her chair, pulling her wand out as she went.

"Ten points each to those of you who moved books, except you, Mr. Thomas, throwing books is never acceptable. You should all go back to your pairs now, I still expect you to learn this charm."

She waved Neville over as the others went back to work, he approached slowly, looking more terrified then anyone had ever seen him. "Perhaps we'll wait and you can work on this again tomorrow." She raised her wand and flicked it at him. Neville tensed for a moment and then smiled, now under the affects of her Cheering Charm.

Amanda spent the rest of her class in her seat, calling out their homework from behind her desk. "You will inform your partners when your potion or charm wears off and record the time difference, bring it to class tomorrow." She also spent the rest of her other classes in her seat, moving only when absolutely necessary and wincing slightly with each step.

It wasn't long after her last student had filtered out that Amanda was visited by someone else. The elder McGonagall approached.

"Mr. Longbottom seems to be under the impression that you are going to kill him," she said, taking in the broken bookshelf and the pile of books behind Amanda. "What happened?"

"I did not realize just how much like Steven Neville is when he gets nervous." She waved a hand in the air, gesturing to the bookcase. "He sent me crashing over my desk and into that shelf, I was buried under books."

"What did you do?"

"I got up, and told him we'd try again tomorrow," she said, shrugging. Professor McGonagall looked slightly doubtful but turned to leave anyways.

"I think I need to go to the hospital wing," said Amanda quietly.

Her mother turned back around and looked at her in confusion.

"Then why haven't you?"

"I don't think I can make it, I'm," she waved her arm around as if trying to get across that the world was spinning rather faster then normal in directions contrary to the laws of nature, and kept spinning even with her eyes closed, "dizzy." Amanda placed a hand to the back of her head and pulled it back with blood coating her fingertips, "And I'm bleeding." She held her other hand out to Professor McGonagall for support.

Minerva pulled her up and put her arm around her shoulders, allowing Amanda to lean on her heavily. In this fashion they stumbled together down the hallways, both thankful that it was dinner and no one was around to bother them. Walking past a colorful tapestry Amanda suddenly broke off, pushing her mother away and stumbling quickly into a bathroom. Her mother rushed in just in time to see Amanda, clutching the edge of the counter and the wall, lose the contents of her stomach into the toilet. It was mostly liquids; Amanda hadn't had time to really eat anything that day. Her grasp on the counter slipped and she fell heavily next to the toilet, cringing away from it and grasping at her head.

Professor McGonagall pulled her back up and they staggered the rest of the way up to the hospital wing, periodically stopping for Amanda to lean against a wall and catch her breath. When they finally got to the hospital wing Amanda did it again, rushing off to the bathroom to lose whatever else she may have eaten. This time she was huddled on the far side of the room, leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed when Minerva came to get her. Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall maneuvered her onto a bed and gave her a potion to drink; they spent the next half hour trying to keep her awake.

"You need to be more careful," Madame Pomfrey admonished, "I've never had someone who was in here more then you, what with the fights, and the illnesses, and especially that horrible accident in the shrieking shack!"

Amanda hadn't really been listening, instead trying to force her eyes to remember that the world did not spin. But her mother was listening.

"How many fights did she get into?"

"Oh, Amanda was in here at least once a week, often bringing her attackers in with her, usually a few older Gryffindors. Funny thing, she was never in too bad of shape, and after the first few years the attacks stopped."

Madame Pomfrey bustled away after that, going to check on a student that had just wandered in. Professor McGonagall looked at her daughter sadly.

"Why were you a Gryffindor?" Amanda stared at her for a moment, trying to remember what Poppy had been talking about.

"Would you have accepted anything else?"

"I never wanted you to be unhappy."

"It's over now," she said, shrugging. "Wasn't too bad, I learned how to duck pretty well." They sat in silence for awhile longer before Professor McGonagall got up.

"I'll have Poppy get you a Dreamless Sleep Potion, you look exhausted."

"I can't, it's the full moon tonight." She waved a hand at the door. "You should get to dinner; I'm feeling much better now." Her mother leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Rest, at least. I'll find someone to take your classes tomorrow."

"Don't bother, I'll be there."

Professor McGonagall nodded and left. Not much longer Amanda followed her out, stealing outside and quickly transforming into a wolf. She had said she felt better, which was true, she didn't feel as nauseous, but she was still dizzy. In her wolf form she didn't notice as much.

It was a beautiful night, the stars sparkled in the clear sky and the snow glinted in almost as bright. She made her way to the lake, still unfrozen, and sat, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Movement out of the corner of her eye ruined the moment. It was Severus; it seemed he had been called to a Death Eater meeting. She followed him to the edge of the school and barked, catching his attention. She wagged her tail and flattened her ears playfully, laying her head on her paws with her butt still wagging in the air. She thought she saw him smile slightly before slipping on his mask, taking a deep breath, and disappearing. Amanda whimpered and lay down in the snow to wait, she hated when he had to go, he always came back injured.

It started to snow again and before long it covered her, leaving her nearly invisible, save for the two blue eyes that never left the gates. Hours passed while she waited, but she didn't care, she couldn't sleep, and she was too dizzy to do much else.

Finally, he returned, looking tired but unharmed. Amanda rushed over to great him, playfully nudging his hand.

"Have you been waiting here this whole time?" he asked, incredulous. She looked pointedly at the moon.

"Right, silly of me to think you would be reading or grading papers instead of sitting out it the snow."

She wagged her tail enthusiastically, whacking him in the back of the legs repeatedly.

"Alright! Alright!" he said, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "you mangy mutt." She whacked him again and he shivered in the crisp winter air. "You do realize that it is snowing, right?" She nudged his hand and he obligingly pet her, ruffling the fur on the back of her neck. He drew back suddenly.

"Amy, you're bleeding!" Amanda rolled quickly in the snow to wash it off and licked his fingers reassuringly, whining quietly.

They trekked through the snow and made their way through a back entrance so no one would know they had entered, or even been gone, and Severus flicked the snow clear with his wand, leaving almost no tracks. Once in his room Amanda obediently waited in the warm front room, while he changed before joining him.

"No dogs on the bed," he growled, hoping she would just transform and tell him what wad going on.

Amanda just sat by the bed and stared at him, her muzzle resting on the sheets and a pathetic look in her eyes. It worked.

"Oh, just get on," he said irritably.

She jumped up and curled into his side, her head and one paw resting on his chest. He ruffled her fur again and fell asleep promptly, his hand still nestled in her soft fur.

Amanda watched him sleep, lulled by the rhythmic beating of his heart and the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He looked so peaceful when he slept, as if nothing could bother him. Amanda wished her own sleep were as peaceful, nightmares had plagued her constantly since returning to Hogwarts.

She whimpered as her head began to spin again and pushed her muzzle further up his chest, wedging herself under his arm. And then the worlds swayed. Amanda leapt up, springing from the bed to the door in one mighty leap. Severus, jolted awake by her sudden movement, looked up just in time to see the wolf disappear into the bathroom and the door slam shut. He heard the faucet kick into life, nearly masking the retching sounds that followed but not quite.

He was there in an instant, throwing open the door to see Amanda, in her human form, leaning over the toilet, looking pale and blood dripping from her mouth. Her eyes were unfocused and she swayed. Severus took her into his arms, pulling her out of the bathroom and setting her back on the bed.

"What happened?"

She whimpered and put her hands to her head, clutching her hair.

"There was an accident in my class; I hit my head rather hard."

"So naturally the first thing you would do is run around as a wolf all night, that makes perfect sense," he said sarcastically, waiting for an explanation.

Amanda lay down and curled into a little ball, holding her head and screwing her eyes shut.

"I don't feel as dizzy like that," she said, wincing once more, "do you mind?"

"Go ahead."

She transformed back, perking up almost immediately and pressing her head against his arm affectionately. Severus rolled his eyes and motioned for her to get comfortable. This time Amanda curled up at the top of the bed and Severus stretched out behind her, wrapping his arm over her shoulder and rubbing her side. He rested his head on her shoulder.

"Aha, so that's what your good for, a pillow."

She thumped him in the leg with her tail, making him chuckle, and nuzzled his hand tenderly. Severus quickly fell back asleep, nice and warm with his arms wrapped in Amanda's warm fur.

So cute. Well that's all for today, I hope you all got a kick out of Umbridge.