Santa Paws
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1.
In case you have not read yesterday's chapter yet, please go back and read chapter 30 first :)
'Hello Harry,' the letter began,
'ever since you left that damn book for me on Christmas five and a half years ago, I have read through it at least ten times. Only recently, I realised that I can do the spells noted in there – even without a wand. In the book, it says that you are the owner of Hogwarts, and as such, I would like to ask you to accept me as a student and help me learn magic.
Your cousin
Dudley Dursley'.
Harry stared at the letter, wide-eyed.
"You gave him a book five and a half years ago?" Daphne asked, incredulously. "You never told us."
Harry stared at the girl, who had read over his right shoulder while Luna looked at the letter from his other side, a surprised look. "No, I didn't. In fact, Santa pranked him and exchanged the content of all his presents with items from the magical world." 'No, I'm not going to tell them about the Harry dolls,' he decided firmly.
"That was a very thoughtful thing to do from Santa," Luna commented, "if it helped Dudley to find his magic."
"Oh well, I don't think that Santa suspected that," Harry replied, wondering if his father had even thought about the matter in such a way. "The problem is what to do with Dudley. Have him attend first-year classes in spite of being 17 by the beginning of the school year?"
"Why Harry invite him to join us on the North Pole. We can teach him during the summer, and then, perhaps he could take his OWLs and attend six-year classes together with me," Luna replied, pleasantly. "That would be fun," she added, pensively.
"Harry, are you sure that it's not a trap?" Hermione asked in apparent concern after skimming his letter. "What book is he talking about anyway?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I don't think so, considering that it relays to the book, which Santa gave him." He let out a chuckle, as he recalled the scene, where Vernon had tried to throw the book into the fireplace a couple of times, only to have it jump out of it every time. "It was 'Hogwarts: A History' of course," he replied to the girl, grinning.
"What else?" Luna added, dreamily.
"I'll go and discuss the matter with McGonagall," Harry decided and rose from his chair. "As the first class is Potions, I have a free period anyway."
HP
Together with the headmistress, who was just about to leave the Great Hall, he headed to her office, where he showed her Dudley's letter.
"Oh, I remember that prank," Minerva said, chuckling. "It was much fun to watch, but seeing that it had such a positive effect is refreshing to say the least."
"What are we going to do with him though?" Harry enquired. "Luna suggested inviting him to the North Pole to teach him during the summer and have him take his OWLs and attend six-year classes from September onwards."
Minerva looked at him in apparent surprise. "That's a pretty rough schedule though for someone who has only just now begun to study magic," she contradicted. "Teaching him over the summer is a good idea, and I will gladly join in, but I suggest setting the goal for him to attend fifth-year classes from September onwards. That way, he can study for the OWLs in a more moderate pace, even if he'll already be twenty upon taking his NEWTs if he still wants to continue after taking his OWLs."
"Yes, that's better," Harry agreed. "May I be excused for thirty minutes to travel home and speak with my father about the matter please? I am sure that Dudley will be eagerly awaiting my response."
"Of course, Harry, please see to this matter right away," Minerva agreed, muttering something that sounded like "All everyone can think about now are the holidays anyway."
'What was that?' Harry wondered in amusement, as he quickly took his leave and activated his Portkey, as soon as he was out of the door.
=Next time warn me beforehand,= Santa Paws woofed in clear irritation, before he dashed away to find his siblings.
'Girls and dogs – always moody,' Harry thought in bewilderment, when the thought 'All but Luna' crossed his mind, bringing a smile to his face.
"Good morning, Grandson," Merlin suddenly addressed him. "What are you smiling about?"
"Luna," Harry replied, truthfully, without giving anything away. "Where are Santa and Claire?"
To his relief, his parents chose that instant to enter the room, and he pressed Dudley's letter into his father's hands.
"You pranked him, you get to sort him out," he quipped, grinning when Santa let out one of his loud laughs.
"You can't deny that it was a brilliant prank now, can you?" Santa laughed.
"That it was," Harry admitted, smiling, before he discussed the details of Dudley's magical education with his parents.
HP
On the first day of the summer holidays, a sleigh travelled to a certain park in Little Whinging with Holly, Minerva, Harry, Luna and Santa Paws on board to fetch wizard Dudley to the North Pole.
When Dudley stood in the park a few minutes later staring at the sleigh in apparent disbelief, Harry quipped, "Did Hogwarts: A History not tell you that students use to travel to and from the school by sleighs?"
Dudley stared at his cousin in obvious shock. "No, it didn't, and Mum said something about a train, the Hogwarts Express or so."
"That is correct, Mr. Dursley," Minerva spoke up in a soothing voice, "and we're not going to Hogwarts now, as it is the first day of the summer holidays."
"We're going to take you to my home on the North Pole," Harry continued.
"On the North Pole?" Dudley asked, incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"
Only when they arrived on the North Pole and Harry introduced Dudley to Santa and Claire, Dudley slowly began to accept the reality.
HP
During the following two months, everyone took turns teaching Dudley, and to Harry's enormous relief, the boy settled in well with his extended family. He even got along well with his friends, who as usually arrived on his birthday and stayed for two weeks. 'Thank Merlin,' Harry thought, still remembering how his cousin had behaved during their childhood. 'He completely changed, which is good, because otherwise, I wouldn't be able to tolerate him, neither here nor at Hogwarts.'
Much too quickly for his liking, the summer holidays passed and his final year as a student at Hogwarts began, which brought several new tasks upon him. He and Daphne intensely observed the younger students fly to find adequate candidates for the house team and the school team. They also had to decide on new heads for both Quidditch teams. Harry still shared prefect duties with Neville, while Hermione had become the head girl. Harry was very happy with the choice, which had been a combined decision of Minerva, Severus and him. 'Hermione really deserves it,' he thought. 'She's the most studious of all of us and has the best grades anyway.' Head boy was Draco Malfoy, Hermione's boyfriend, who was still good friends with Harry and had even joined the group of his friends on the North Pole during the summer.
Harry also had to decide what to do after his NEWTs and to consider what positions he could offer to his friends, who wished to remain at Hogwarts. He did not even know what he wanted to do himself; however, he had an idea, which Severus destroyed quickly, when he told him that he expected him to become his successor, so that he could completely retreat to the North Pole.
'Dudley is not bad at Potions,' Harry thought. 'Or Draco. Maybe one of them could take the teaching position, while I wouldn't mind continuing to work as Potions master. It wouldn't interfere with my own classes.' His cousin had been sorted into Hufflepuff and was attending fifth-year classes as planned, however, had decided to not join the fifteen-year-olds in their dormitory but stay in his own room in the founders' quarters, which Harry had assigned him.
'It's really time now to separate the teaching positions from the head of house positions,' he mused. So far, he had only separated the positions for Gryffindor by making Frank the Transfiguration professor and Alice the head of Gryffindor. 'Perhaps Draco could become the head of Slytherin,' he thought. 'He could still take his Potions mastery at the same time.'
He resolved to speak with Pomona and Neville about their intentions for the future, and Pomona informed him that they had already made a decision.
"Neville is going to take his mastery in Herbology by Christmas next year at the latest, and from that point onwards, he's going to take over my classes, while I will remain the head of Hufflepuff and still assist in the greenhouses," Pomona explained, smiling in apparent happiness.
Ravenclaw was more difficult, as Harry did not have friends in the house of the ravens. However, when he suggested to Eileen, one of his classmates from Ravenclaw, to become the head of the house, she happily agreed.
"Is Professor Flitwick going to retire?" Eileen asked in apparent surprise.
"Yes, and I want to separate the teaching positions from those of the heads of the houses," Harry confirmed. "Now I only need to find a good Charms teacher."
"Perhaps Daphne or Hermione from your house?" Eileen suggested. "They're both very good at Charms."
Harry let out a deep sigh. "Yes, but they don't want to teach Charms. Daphne wants to further study Arts with Professor May, and Hermione wants to become an apprentice to Professor Lestrange studying Muggle Science."
When he spoke with Minerva about the matter, the headmistress advised him, "Ask Alice to become the Charms professor and Sirius to become the Gryffindor head. He should be able to fulfil the job beside his responsibilities as the head of the Wizengamot."
"Oh well, considering that Dumbledore held that position while being headmaster, it should be possible," Harry replied, thoughtfully.
To his relief, Draco and Dudley both agreed to become Potions Masters and share the teaching job and the brewing job. Harry then only had to convince Severus to remain for another three years and teach the two of them while continuing his work at the school.
"Harry, may I ask what you are going to do?" Pomona enquired, when the extended family was sitting in the screen room discussing the upcoming personal changes at Hogwarts on Christmas.
Harry smirked. No one but Minerva and Luna knew about his plan yet. "I'm going to become the professor for the newly founded subject Animagus Studies."
"Plus he's going to be the deputy headmaster," Severus spoke up, smirking.
"Animagus Studies sounds cool. Will teachers be allowed to attend it?" Alice enquired, giving him a sharp look that made Harry laugh.
"I can teach you, Aunt Alice; that's not a problem," Harry replied, grinning. "Minerva and I were thinking to make it a new elective from third year onwards."
HP
The remaining months of Harry's seventh year passed quickly. Just like during the last few years, the Hogwarts team won the Trimagical Quidditch Cup, and the Hufflepuffs won the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup.
"Oh Merlin, now we got both cups seven years in a row," Pomona sighed aloud, letting out a few sobs of happiness at the high table. "I'm so going to miss you, my seventh-years."
Harry rose from his seat. "As Professor Sprout just stated she's going to miss winning the Quidditch Cup, of which I see no reason why, as our new team is going to be equally good, I have a suggestion," he announced. "Let's put together a teachers' team, which is then going to play against the Hogwarts team. What do you think?"
The applause following his announcement was deafening, and the matter was decided quickly.
"We will set up a teachers' team, however, under one condition, Harry," Minerva replied after two minutes of discussion at the high table. "You must become the captain."
Grinning, Harry nodded his agreement. "All right, practice will be at five in the morning every weekday," he replied in a loud voice, causing the students to cheer.
HP
After the leaving feast, Harry gathered his friends together with his extended family in the founders' quarters.
"If you want to visit me on the North Pole," he informed his friends, "you'll have to come in the middle of July instead of my birthday, as on the first of August, I'll have to return to Hogwarts, considering that I'm the deputy headmaster now and have to take turns with Minerva. This summer, I also have to prepare my classroom and office and several other things. Plus, I am still going to have Unspeakable training on five mornings every week."
=Harry, you should set up a fireplace here in the founders' quarters and at home,= Santa Paws instructed him, =so that it'll be easier for you and the others to travel between here and home.=
"That's a fantastic idea," Harry commended his familiar, while Luna quickly translated for those who were not dog Animagi.
"Harry and Santa Paws," Minerva spoke up in a soft voice, "thanks so much for your consideration. Now, Harry, don't you think it's time to tell everyone what qualifies you as the professor for Animagus Studies?"
Harry stared at her for a moment, before he relented. "Oh well, we believe that it qualifies me that I have three Animagi forms."
"Three?" Hermione blurted out in apparent shock, causing Harry to chuckle.
He quickly transformed into his canine form, only to have Santa Paws to jump at him and pull him into a small mock fight, before he could do as much as change back. As soon as his familiar released him, he transformed into his phoenix form and flashed onto Fawkes' perch, before he flew back onto the floor and finally transformed into his third form.
"Where is he?" Hermione blurted out in disbelief.
"He's here," Luna said, smiling, carefully picking a small beetle up from the floor.
"A beetle Animagus," Alice blurted out, staring at the small form of her godson in apparent amazement.
"Well, no better form than to spy on our students," Harry said, chuckling, once he was back in his human form. "That reminds me of something," he said, as he lowered himself into his spot on the sofa next to Luna. "The other day, I spent some time in my beetle form and met another beetle. We talked a few minutes, and to my huge surprise, she was an Animagus as well and was spying on everyone at Hogwarts."
"Who was that?" Daphne enquired from where she was sitting with Neville's arm around her back.
"It was Rita Skeeter," Harry announced, observing everyone's reaction in amusement, as he had only informed Minerva about the matter until now. "I made a deal with her though. If she writes anything about anyone from Hogwarts, be it a student or a teacher, she must send the article to me for approval before publishing it. Otherwise, I'll ask Hogwarts to change the wards to keep her out at any time – even in her Animagus form."
Turning to Luna, he asked, "Love, would you mind checking the articles in case I'm not available please?"
"Of course," Luna replied, smiling happily.
"Harry, please allow me one question," Amelia spoke up. "Have you registered your forms with the ministry?"
Harry shook his head. "No, you only need to register your first form, and that I have of course. I will also see to it that all of my students register their forms."
"Oh, I didn't know that, but that's fine then," Amelia agreed, seemingly contented.
'Oh well, I just made that up, but since I'm a proper Unspeakable now, I can just go and charm the registry that way,' Harry thought to Luna, who shared Harry's amusement, chuckling.
HP
"Harry and Luna," Minerva addressed the young couple, once she was able to speak with them in private. "Luna, would you perhaps be willing to study for your NEWTs and take them at the end of the summer?"
"Because relationships between teachers and students are forbidden?" Luna sked in quick understanding that made Harry stare at her in apparent surprise.
"We'd all be willing to teach you," Minerva added, giving the girl a rare smile.
"Yes please," Luna immediately agreed and – to her surprise – added, "I was wondering when you'd ask."
HP
To Harry's great pleasure, Hermione and Daphne assisted him preparing his classroom, while Luna was studying for her NEWTs. One half of the fairly large classroom was covered with thick mattresses, on which the students could practise. Next to them was a shelf for them to put their shoes in if they wanted to restfully sit or lie on the mattresses to relax. The rest of the room was equipped with comfortable sofas for the students to sit or those with smaller Animagi forms to practise in.
The walls were decorated with animated photographs of animals that continued changing into series of other animals.
Ever since Santa Paws had first laid his eyes on the photographs though, the original form, to which all the animals returned in the end, was a white Santa puppy like himself.
When Harry showed his classroom to his colleagues in the morning of the first of September, everyone stared around in apparent amazement.
"This room has just the right ambience to practise the Animagus transformation," Alice was the first to comment, and everyone full heartedly agreed.
The new subject was only announced at the welcoming feast, where Minerva also introduced the new professors – including Luna, who was replacing Professor Trelawney as Divination professor. The headmistress promised that all students from third year onward, who wished to partake in the Animagi class, could still change their electable subjects accordingly.
To Harry's shock and annoyance, simply everyone chose his class. 'Some of them will really regret this,' he thought, grimly.
When he greeted the students in their respective first class, he informed them, "If you took this class believing that it would give you time to relax without homework, you are sadly mistaken. There will not only be the occasional homework, but you are all expected to show up here in the classroom every evening from Monday through Friday for at least half an hour of practice between the end of dinner and curfew."
Ten percent of the students left his class after this announcement, causing Harry to smirk. 'Lazy students,' he thought in amusement.
He and Santa Paws spent every weekday between dinner and curfew in the classroom supervising the students, giving advice and comfort for their inefficient efforts. Even when the Christmas holidays approached, no one had so far been able to transform as much as their left hand.
HP
Santa Paws and Harry insisted to accompany Santa delivering Christmas presents to their friends, just like they had done the previous years.
When the sleigh returned from their visit to Britain very early on Christmas morning, Santa Paws was strangely agitated.
"Santa Paws, what's wrong?" Harry enquired, eyeing his familiar in concern.
=I sensed something at Draco's manor,= the canine replied. =I believe that the evil one might be there. His magic is gone, but I can still sense dark magic coming from his body.=
Harry translated for Santa, and Santa decided, "We're going to give him a present to remember. Santa Paws, will you please prepare something?"
=Of course.= Santa Paws woofed his agreement and dashed away in apparent eagerness, causing Harry to wonder what the puppy had in mind. He was a real puppy again at this time, as Santa had taken him to the ice crystal just a couple of days ago.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Any ideas or opinions are welcome.
Have a wonderful fourth Advent!
Next chapter: "The Christmas stocking".