The rest of the week flew by rather quickly.
Rose was still a bit on edge, but she managed to help a few students understand their lessons anyway. Mostly, the ones who came were 5th grades and above, with a few 4th graders and under, but they were a minority. Students from all four houses came and worked peacefully and calmly. They only spoke in quiet voices to explain things and a separate area of the room had been set to practice spells without bothering the others.
On the third day, Cormac McLaggen, who seemed to have come only to flirt with Hermione, Rose and even Ginny, even though they were all officially dating someone, started making a lot of noise, telling jokes and pulling pranks to get attention from at least one of the three girls.
"Cormac, if you're not here to work, you can just get out, this isn't a common room, it's a place to work, learn and become better students. This is something that obviously doesn't interest you since you haven't been helping anyone in three days, and you haven't asked for anyone's help either. You can get on your way and leave or be quiet and study." Rose exclaimed with exasperation after Cormac tried to make another pass at an annoyed Ginny who was trying to help Luna understand a potion lesson.
"Oh, come on Gorgeous, you don't mean that. You love having me around." He told her flirtingly, ending with a wink.
"Oh, I do mean it, and don't call me that. It seems that flirting with girls who are already in a relationship is all that you can do. Go do it somewhere else, with girls who'll be interested." Rose snapped angrily as Fred and George came to stand behind her.
Harry and Ron had been on the opposite side of the room, helping a few younger students with the expelliarmus spell but they, too, were making their way toward them.
"Oh, but I do want to help someone, Pretty Rosie. I bet there are a few hard things you could help me with, and others I could teach you, among other things." Cormac stated with a wink.
"You must have a death wish!" Fred growled at him, fire in his eyes and his wand ready to shout.
"Scared I'll steal your girl, Weasley?" Cormac smirked.
"That would never happen!" Rose and Fred stated at the same time.
"Time for you to go, mate, unless there's someone in here that actually wants you around." George added, looking around.
"Just get him out of here so we can finally work in peace, I have detention with professor Flitwick and I've heard that professor Black would be the one watching it because Flitwick has to visit someone outside of the school grounds. I can't risk being late, I have to be early." A 7th year Huffelpuff girl claimed, making some student chuckle and another girl, a 7th year Slytherin say:
"You're so lucky! A night detention with professor Black... What a dream!"
Smiling wickedly, Fred and George both grabbed one of Cormac's arms and carried him to the door, pushing him outside and telling him not to come back if he didn't want to end up in the infirmary, though Hermione later told Rose that she had seen Fred give Cormac a good kick in the butt on his way out.
At least now that he was gone, they could go back to work.
.
Of course the teachers had all heard about Rose's board of tutoring, that used to be in Gryffindor's common room and had expended to the other houses. Dumbledore just told them that they had found a room to meet, every day after class and that today was their 4rth meeting.
"Can we really trust them to behave themselves, all together, in the same room, without house rivalry getting in the way?" Minerva asked with a frown.
"Only the ones who want to work or help other do their work go there, my dear Minerva." Albus argued.
"They should still be watched over by a competent adult!" Flitwick nodded.
"I think we should trust them to behave themselves." Sirius shrugged his shoulders.
"Of course you would think that! I remember how you were at their age, you know!" Minerva shook her head.
"Why don't you go there, hide yourself and see how they handle things then?" Albus suggested, looking at his transfiguration professor with an amused smile.
"I might just do that, and prove to you that I'm right and we should take turn supervising them." Minerva nodded.
"I, for once, agree with Black. The only ones who go are the ones who actually want to work, I've heard students speaking about Cormac Mclaggen bothering the others, apparently he only came to flirt with Miss Granger, Miss Weasley and Miss Potter, he was, to say the least, obnoxious. Miss Potter asked him to leave, he refused and so they threw him out. One of my 7th year was saying it to one of her friend who wasn't there." Severus explained.
"Cormac McLaggen? What did he do?" Sirius asked, worried for the three Gryffindor teenage girls.
"I'm not sure, I overheard that he was pulling pranks, telling jokes, making too much noise and bothering the others, then Miss Potter asked him to leave, he made some innuendos towards her, Her Weasley boyfriend and his twin threw him out after asking if there was actually anyone wanting him around." Snape replied.
"You see Minerva? They can be trusted!" Albus smiled triumphantly at her.
"I'll believe that when I see it for myself." She insisted.
"As you wish, it's too late to go today but you can always go tomorrow, though I don't know if a simple desillusion charm would be enough, this is a special room..." He replied thoughtfully.
"She could use Polyjuice, turn into a student that we know for sure is somewhere else." Sirius suggested.
"I do have some ready. We just finished it last week with some of my students." Severus offered.
"Yes, I believe I'll do that." She nodded, agreeing to use the polyjuice.
"Now we have to decide on who you'll be." Flitwick squealed, excited.
"May I suggest one of my students? A 3rd year who was going to go tomorrow for the first time but I had to give her detention for handing out and eating candy in potion class. Astoria Greengrass. I'll get you one of her hair tomorrow, you'll just have to drink a slightly larger dose to last 2 hours." Severus replied and Minerva nodded, agreeing on when and where to meet him.
.
The next day, Minerva McGonagall arrived in the Room of Requirement at the same time as Neville Longbottom. None of the Gryffindor Quidditch players were there that day because they had training, but she had to admit that there were a lot more people than she expected.
"Neville, I didn't know you were coming today! What do you need help with?" She heard Rose asking Neville.
"Oh, nothing, just a 2nd year who needs help in Herbology, I thought I'd give back a little." He smiled and Rose nodded with an encouraging smile.
Minerva tried to be discreet but already Rose was coming towards her, and the professor in disguise was hoping Rose had never spoken to her before.
"Hi, I haven't seen you here before, it must be your first time. Are you meeting someone or do you want me to find someone to help you?"
Apparently, Rose truly organized and oversaw everything with Hermione's help.
"I... It is my first time, I just came to see how things happen, do some homework... Can I? Even if I don't need anyone's help yet?" She asked, thinking that she should have prepared a better story, invented something she needed help with.
"Of course, take any available seat you want. If you want to practice spells and charms, you can go over there, behind the red rope, the room created a sound barrier so that we don't hear everything." Rose explained and Minerva smiled, found a well placed seat and spent the next 2 hour realizing that Albus and Sirius were right, everything happened quietly.
Everyone knew that Rose, or Hermione if Rose wasn't here (because she had cheerleading to oversee), were in charge and oversaw things, and that they could throw out people who misbehaved. She even managed to get the complete story of what happened with McLaggen and she decided that she'd keep an eye on him. He was definitely behaving in a way that wasn't right.
"So, Minerva, do you still believe that they need to be watched?" Albus asked her as soon as she entered her office.
Of course he was waiting for her, sitting on her couch like he owned the place, with a confident smile on his face. She'd like him to be wrong at least once. Was this too much to ask?
"No, you were right, they are capable of handling things on their own, but it was irresponsible of you to believe that without checking it out first!" She argued.
"Which is why I went there on the first day, pretending I was a 1st year who wanted to learn the expelliarimus spell and Harry helped me, quite well might I add. Mister Potter would make a fine teacher some day." Albus replied.
"And you couldn't tell us that yesterday? Rose Potter would make a fine teacher as well. I did notice that Neville Longbottom's work was much better this year, and I was wondering why that was. I heard that Rose was helping him, but I didn't think it would be enough. It is and today, I saw him helping out another student. I am quite proud of them, what they're achieving. At first they argued that better grades meant more point for their houses, but this goes beyond it. I think we should make this more official, even after Rose leaves this school." Minerva admitted.
"I was thinking the exact same thing, my dear Minerva." Albus agreed before he left her office.
Did you like this or not?
Do you think other teachers should sneak in and spy or not?
I'm working on Chapter 60 now, a look into Voldemort's beginning of summer.
OKAY, BIG QUESTION. At some point Lucius (Malfoy, of course) will be in Azkaban (again, yes I know). Should he escape when given the opportunity, be killed or be tortured but saved? What do you think?
Lorelei Candice Black