[A/N: Summer again then third year. How in the world did I manage to make it this far? My eternal thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed and left such wonderful reviews and suggestions on how to make this the best story ever. I did get a couple of people who thought that the elective offerings might be a little too much, too soon but let me reiterate. Those are just the classes that I thought the school should be offering to achieve that alleged title of 'the best magical school in Britain.' (Never mind the fact that it's the ONLY magical school in Britain! At least in canon…) One more thing, I abhor GUEST REVIEWS. If you're just leaving a simple congratulation, fine but to use it to flame me, make suggestions, or ask questions; that has to be the most cowardly thing to do to an author. If you're reading this on FFN, get yourself an account. They're free and easy to setup.]
[A/N2: I had to retcon a couple of songs when the kids got back to school from the late 1990s (1995-1999) back to 1993 as there wasn't anything else I could find to fit the narrative. If anyone here knows of an appropriate song and artist, leave it in the reviews. Thanks.]
Chapter 21: Dementors, Dark Creatures and Dating, Oh My!
Saturday 24, July 1993 Little Whinging, Surrey
It was a little on the chilly side of what otherwise was a perfect day but for Harry and Hermione, they didn't mind too much. After spending the bulk of their year at Hogwarts in Scotland, 15 degrees Celsius (59*F) was positively balmy (plus they had the added benefit of knowing how to surreptiously cast warming charms.) The two kids were spending the afternoon at the local park near Harry's house having a picnic and what could be loosely described as a date. Petunia had packed them a veritable feast into a hamper and provided a fuzzy thick blanket as well. She kept sniffling and tearing up every time she looked over at Harry who was growing redder in embarrassment as the moments passed before finally escaping the house, Hermione giggling the entire time.
After riding the swings or tossing a Frisbee around, Hermione 'accidentally' tripped Harry as they raced back to the blanket. He looked up to see the playful grin stretching her lips across her face, "I'll get you for that, Granger!" He chased after her causing her to squeal and shriek in excitement. Harry launched himself at the last moment and the two of them tumbled onto the blanket, panting from the exertion.
"Are you having fun, Hermione?" He asked with twinkling eyes and that damnable lop-sided grin that was guaranteed to make her insides melt.
Hermione flopped onto her back and draped the back of her hand over her eyes, "Oh, why must you torture me so? I'm so ever very bored!" Then she broke down into more giggles.
Hermione had thoughtfully brought a small transistor radio along and at that moment, the song 'Happy Together' by the Turtles started playing. Apparently that was the start of a theme as the next song was 'My Girl' by The Temptations followed by 'Lean on Me' by Bill Withers. Both kids began singing along to the words they knew and played up the sweetness of the scene. Passerbys thought it was hilarious and it wasn't uncommon to see them chuckling as they walked past.
When they finished lunch and talking about what they hoped would be happening this coming year at Hogwarts, Harry packed up the hamper and shook out the blanket before calling for Goofy. They both heard a slight popping noise but didn't see anything or anyone until they heard Goofy's distinct voice say, "Goofy is here, Master Harry." Harry felt a tug on his trouser leg and understood, "Oh, right. I forgot that we're out in the open with the mundane around. Goofy, I'd appreciate it if you would take the hamper and blanket back to my aunt with my thanks."
"Yes, Master Harry." The blanket, hamper and elf disappeared with nary a sound.
Harry and Hermione glanced up at each other, "Well that was easy."
"So what's next, Harry?" Hermione asked him curiously.
"I thought the two of us could take the Tube and go see what's on display at one of the art galleries or museums?"
Another wide 'Hermione Grin' as she linked her arms through his, "Lead on, my Harry."
The British Museum of History, a short while later
Harry was paying for the tickets to Richmond Station with a transfer to South Kensington Station while Hermione was examining the map of their starting point at Staines when she heard their names being yelled. Hermione turned and spotted their Housemate Justin Finch-Fletchley waving his arm rapidly and standing next to a pair of adults who could only be his parents.
"Hey, Hermione! Where you headed?"
"Hi, Justin. Harry and I were headed to the Museum of History," she blushed the next part, "We're on a date." Harry walked up just then.
"Hey, Justin. Fancy meeting you here, almost like magic." Justin snorted his laughter.
"Yeah, my parents and I are heading into London to the Greenwich Market to do some shopping and go on a food binge the likes of which would put Ron Weasley to shame."
Harry looked at him weirdly, "Yeah, I don't think that's possible."
Justin introduced the pair to his parents before they got onto the train. Justin's parents asked both a bunch of questions on what Harry and Hermione's views on magical learning were, the excitement over the new elective classes (Justin ended up signing up for Business and Enchanting with the idea of starting his own company that would blend mundane technology and magic.)
After they separated to go to their respective destinations, Justin's dad peered back at the direction Harry and Hermione had headed towards, "So that was the famous Harry Potter, eh? Nice kid."
Upon entering the museum lobby, Harry could immediately tell that this was going to be a long day…of fun. He'd always loved to read about history but was soured on it thanks to Professor Binns. Here was a chance to rekindle that love.
"Where to first, Hermione?" he asked his starry-eyed girlfriend.
"I think we need to go to the reception desk and get a map of the place. There's so much more to see here and I want to see if they have a magical section."
He pointed to a ticket counter set into one of the walls that everyone else seemed to be overlooking, "I think I found it. Over there, that clerk seems to be getting ignored by everyone."
They walked up to the bored docent who perked up when she realized they could see her, "Hello. Where do we go to see the magical section?"
"Hello, and you'll want to head towards the Enlightenment Room. There will be a sign hidden from the muggles, just like this counter and I am. Go through the passage and it'll take you to the magical version of the museum." The docent explained.
"What's different about the magical section versus the rest of the museum?" Harry wanted to know.
"The displays are animated and interactive just like you'd find at Hogwarts or any other sufficiently magical establishment. If you'd like my recommendation, I'd suggest seeing the muggle side first. They rotate through their displays more often than we do and you might miss something special."
After receiving an enchanted map that showed both muggle and magical interest points, the pair thanked the docent and headed into the museum.
Later that evening back at the Dursley house…
Harry was getting ready for bed after a frankly fantastic day, in his opinion. 'Hermione looked so beautiful in that outfit today. It's official, Hogwarts robes and uniforms are the most unflattering clothing ever created!'
After Hermione had gone home (but not before giving her wonderful boyfriend a searing kiss on the lips), Harry wandered around the house in a daze causing no ending to the snorts of laughter from Vernon and Petunia. Dudley just shook his head and secretly wondered if he ought to be looking for someone already but then shrugged his shoulders and went back to his video games.
Dinner that evening passed by uneventfully broken only by the myriad of questions Petunia had for Harry about the magical side of the museum. Harry waxed eloquently about how interesting it was to speak with the masterpieces about what their creators' mindsets were, the culture from which they originated and how the muggle versions differed from the magical counterparts.
"I did cause a bit of a stir while we were in the Medieval Britain section. There was a painting of three brothers named Ignotus, Antioch and Cadmus Peverell. Apparently, Ignotus resembles me so closely that the docent thinks there's a possibility that we might be related."
"Really? Would that be something we should investigate with Daggerclaw?" Vernon wanted to know.
Harry shrugged, "Maybe later? But if you think about it, Ignotus lived so long ago that I wouldn't be surprised if someone from his line married into the Potter family at some point. I heard once that if you go far enough back, we're all related somehow."
Petunia nodded, "I've heard that too about the magical world. It seems that the magical don't have very many children per generation since they tend to live a lot longer than the non-magical people do."
"Why do they do that?" Dudley asked his mum.
"Do what?"
"Not have many children."
Petunia explained how living longer made the need to have lots of children less important than it was to the non-magical people of the same era. "I take part of that back. It was still important to have children to carry your family name but because the medicines and treatments for illnesses were better than they were on the non-magical side, the push to have children because you might die young was lower." Dudley sat there quietly chewing on his food as he pondered that.
About a week later, two deliveries set the tone for the day. First, the Daily Prophet delivered bad news. Somehow and defying the odds, Peter Pettigrew had escaped from Azkaban and disappeared. Minister Fudge went on record to say that the DMLE was looking into the situation and that his ministry had everything under control, "There's no need to panic."
Harry looked up from the paper and caught his aunt's eye, "Things are going to be bad this year."
"Why?" he handed the paper off to her. "Oh, wonderful. What does this mean for you?"
"Knowing the ministry under Fudge? Anything is possible."
The second sent Harry into the stratosphere of delight; His OWL results came back from last year. Harry relieved the owl of its package and handed it a strip of bacon before turning back to the envelope and ripping it open. He murmured through all of the boilerplate of, "this is the result of the Potions OWL that Harry James Potter took…blah, blah, blah. Ah, here we go! Dun, da, da, dunnn! I, Harry James Potter have received an O* on my Potions OWL!"
Petunia and Vernon applauded him; Petunia asked him what the star meant.
"It means 'awarded in Distinction.' I'm the youngest student in recorded history to not only take my OWLs but to also receive the highest grade possible. I've got to go email Professor Snape, Remus and Sirius!" He bolted from the kitchen, cheering all the way.
Saturday 21 August, 1993 Diagon Alley
Harry met up with Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron to do their now annual school shopping trip. Their list of supplies and books had grown thanks to the new electives. They were passing the pet store, Magical Menagerie when Hermione said she wanted to take a look around. Her parents had agreed that she could get a pet if she maintained her grades the previous two year (like that was ever going to be in question!) They wandered up and down the aisles, Harry got into a conversation with some of the snakes and reptiles while Hermione was quietly listening into the chatter from the others.
["Is that? It couldn't be… It looks like my human-servant's kitten!"] Hermione paused to look around and spotted a large squashed face, ginger cat straining to get a closer look at Harry.
"Hello, what's your name?" The cat's eyes immediately swung over and locked onto Hermione's.
["You…you. I understand you. How?"]
Hermione grinned, "I have the ability known as 'Beast Speak.' So what's your name?"
["Um, if you ask the human-servant here, my name is Crookshanks because of my slightly bowed legs. Fool."]
"Well, greetings then Crookshanks. My name is Hermione and the kitten you were trying to get a look at, his name is Harry Potter." Crookshanks' eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open a bit.
["It's true, then! That was the name of my human-servant's kitten. His dam and Tom's names were James and Lily. Wow, I wonder if he'd be willing to take me home with him?"]
"Harry!" she called out and he came ambling over.
"What's up? Cute cat." He reached out and let the cat sniff his fingers. Crookshanks immediately started purring loudly. Hermione beamed at the response.
"Apparently this cat used to belong to your parents, Harry. He knows their names and even recognized you when you came in. The purring proves it." Harry looked surprised at this.
"Wow, well let's get him out of there." He went in search of the shop clerk. Once the cage was opened, Crookshanks immediately leapt into Hermione's arms and restarted purring like crazy.
"I'm impressed, young lady. Crookshanks there has never been so expressive in his happiness at being held by strangers. If you want him, you can have him. Everyone kept passing him over because he was a stray and because his features looked squashed."
Hermione put on a properly indignant look on her face, "The nerve of some people! Tsk, come Crookshanks; I shall not have you suffer the idiocy of small-minded fools a second longer." Crookshanks chuckled as only a cat could and snuggled in deeper into her arms, his tail swishing happily.
The weekend before the first of September, Vernon and Petunia held a summer barbeque party and invited all of their friends. Dudley and Harry were given permission to invite one friend each. Dudley picked a boy from school named Malcolm while Harry chose Hermione (Dudley teased him about being chained to the girl. Harry responded by starting a pillow fight and wrestling match.)
The food was sizzling away on the barbecue while the chatter about everything and anything flowed. Harry, Dudley along with Malcolm and Hermione chased and played with each other and swam in the inflatable pool Vernon had set up. One of Vernon's friends had brought their two-year old twins who were getting restless.
"Sorry about that, they're normally shy around strangers. I don't know what's gotten into them," their mother griped as she struggled to get the closest one of the twins to settle down.
Harry walked up to get another fizzy drink and spotted the problem immediately. The child was magical and her mother was valiantly trying to hide the results of an overexcited toddler's accidental magic outburst, "Maybe I can help?" He knelt down and peered at the child, "Hi, my name is Harry. Would you like to play with me?"
The toddler immediately tried to hide behind her mother but nodding at the same time. Harry held out his hand to the little girl, "Come on, you and your sister can help me find something special. Have you ever heard of the 'Incredible Chocolate Biscuit of Ravenclaw?'" Wide, solemn eyes stared back at him as she slowly shook her head. "Well, if you both come with me, I can tell you the story."
Armed with Hermione's help, the two teens guided the toddlers on a grand and 'mysterious' journey to find the fabled 'Incredible Chocolate Biscuit of Ravenclaw.' They ventured into the kitchen where both Harry and Hermione made up stories about various items and even took them both into the 'Pantry of Lost Things.' Dudley got involved and used a radio controlled car outfitted with a giant spider on top to chase then lead the toddlers into the living room where the story continued.
After about an hour, the toddlers were triumphant in their 'discovery' of the 'Pillar of Truth' that told them where the 'Incredible Chocolate Biscuit of Ravenclaw' was last reported to be. Harry helped them retrace their steps where sitting proudly on display in the corner of the yard, was a large chocolate biscuit Petunia had brought out. The parents cheered their congratulations on a job well-done and split the biscuit in two so each of the girls got their share.
"Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate what you did to distract them," their parents said after the toddlers were put down for a nap inside. ('A nap, right.' Harry thought, 'After all the sugar in that biscuit?')
"It was my pleasure, ma'am." He pulled the two aside and lowered his voice, "I saw the accidental magic you were trying to cover up." At their suddenly panicking look he held up his hands, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm capable of doing the same sort of things as well as Hermione." He called his aunt over and explained the situation.
Petunia's eyes lit up and started smiling, "Well, this is wonderful! I finally get to share my magical child-raising experiences with someone else." The three began chatting away as Harry left to go find Hermione.
He found her inside, quietly sitting at the picnic table munching on a breaded chicken nugget, "The twins are magical." Hermione nearly spat out the contents ofher mouth and bugged her eyes wide, "What? Really?"
Harry nodded understandingly, "That's why I started that little expedition, if you will. They needed to be calmed down because I don't think the others here are cleared to know."
"Doubtful. So what was your aunt and uncle's reaction?"
"Dunno about Uncle Vernon but I told my aunt and she's over the moon. She's inside talking to them now." She leaned over and gave him a bbq sauce covered lip print on his cheek.
"What was that for?" he laughed as he wiped his cheek off.
"For being such a wonderful person with those toddlers and just because I felt like it."
Wednesday 1 September 1993, King's Cross Station, magical side
Hermione was still laughing at the look of 'why me?' on Harry's face after he had told the story of Vernon's 'performance' on being asked to sign Harry's permission slip to go visit Hogsmeade this year. Vernon had played it up as if being asked to make a 'Royal Proclamation' akin to the signing of the Magna Carta or some such thing. He'd even gone so far as to borrow one of Harry's quills and inkpot to make it all 'la-di-da.' They pushed through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ and received another surprise.
Standing by an open compartment door with a knowing smirk on his face was Remus Lupin.
"Uncle Moony? What are you doing here?" Harry asked in open mouthed wonder.
"What, I'm not allowed to come and travel with you on your trip to Hogwarts?"
Now Harry was perplexed, "But don't you have a shop to run?"
Remus waved that off, "All of the administrative stuff has already been dealt with and Sirius is more than capable of running things on his own. Despite his 'devil-may-care' attitudes towards most things, he's actually pretty well grounded about the rest. Besides, I have another reason to go up to Hogwarts."
Never one to miss a hint, Hermione gasped, "You're our new Defense professor!"
"You're quick and correct, Hermione. Yes, despite the fact that I already have a stable and secure job, I still have my teaching credentials. Professor McGonagall requested me personally not only because I can teach but because of recent events," he glanced over at Harry who grimaced.
"Pettigrew. The ministry still thinks he's headed to Hogwarts of all places?" he growled.
"Unfortunately," Remus replied as he finished helping them store their trunks in the rack, "I've been told they're even going to be stationing Dementors around the perimeter of the school on the off-chance that he shows up."
"Dementors?" Hermione questioned him.
"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places. They glory in decay and despair, drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them... Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling; every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself... soulless and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life."
Harry rolled his eyes in derision, "And Minister Fudge thinks that stationing these creatures around the school full of the nation's children was a good idea? No scratch that, Fudge doesn't think. Whomever it was that does his thinking for him came up with this idea. My money is on Umbridge, talk about a kindred spirit." Remus cocked a finger at him in approval.
As soon as the train got underway, Remus left to go wander the train while Harry and Hermione were joined by Neville, Daphne, Tracy and a few others. Luna drifted in a few minutes later sucking on something that resembled a saw-toothed chocolate stick and carrying a medium-sized box in her hands.
"Luna?" said girl looked up at the sound of her name, "What are you eating?"
"Toblerone. Daddy and I got a box while we were in Switzerland looking for the Crumple-horned Snorkcaks."
"Oh, no I just remembered…last year someone had made the joke of Luna and her father pulling some kind of caper to steal Swiss chocolates or something." Harry commented with a dawning surprised look on his face.
Luna giggled, "No, we didn't do anything 'Mission: Impossible' during our trip. That's just silly!"
"Besides the chocolates, did you find the Snorkcack?" Neville asked the blonde girl who nodded happily and began digging through her leaf-shaped bag.
"Yup! Daddy was ever so happy that we found a wild herd of them. They're so interesting looking, friendly too. I can see why they would be hunted to near extinction," she explained as she passed around pictures of a creature that resembled a Welsh corgi with a pair of crumpled looking backward spiraling horns on top of its head.
"Do you know what they sound like?" Hermione inquired, cooing over the pictures of what appeared to be a baby Snorkcack.
Luna smirked, "I had a feeling you'd ask so I took along a magical recording device." She held up the cassette and a player which she promptly handed over to a now excited Hermione.
Hermione slipped the cassette into the player and put on the headphones. A few minutes of listening to the wild creatures caused the bushy-haired girl to smile happily, "They're not exactly great conversationalists. Mostly just things like, 'Stranger in our field, watch the younglings' sort of things. They did seem to like you though, Luna. The leader of the group liked the way you smelled."
That caused everyone to burst out laughing.
"I'm curious as to what's inside the box," Millie said.
Luna deftly handed it over to Hermione, "It's something I found over in Bern, Switzerland and made me think of you. I hope I got the right size."
Hermione opened the box and let out a gasp of delight! Inside was a pair of iridescent and glittery high-top sneakers with butterfly wings on each side that fluttered whenever they stood still for too long, "Oh, Luna! They're beautiful!" She quickly pulled her own shoes off and laced up the new ones. The translucent wings fluttered open and closed in a non-existent breeze and sparkled in the light. She grabbed Luna and pulled her in for a warm hug and thanked her profusely for the wonderfully thought of gift.
Conversations flowed amongst the group of friends with everyone trading places every now and then. Crookshanks investigated each and everyone's faces to determine who gave out the best scratches and pettings before finally going back to Hermione and curling up on her lap. The door opened up a little while later to the frowning yet still hopeful visages of Crabbe and Goyle.
"Do you mind if we join you?" Greg asked the compartment at large, "Draco's driving us up a wall."
Harry glanced around at the others then shrugged, "Sure, I guess. There's no more room to sit but you're still welcome to join us. What's he going on about now?"
Vincent settled himself on the floor and grumbled, "The usual mostly. 'Damn mudbloods this, stupid Potter that then he started in on our decisions to attend summer camp amongst the muggles as if we were simpletons. He seems to think that Greg and I are his slaves to do whatever his bidding is."
"Yeah, we finally got tired of it so we left," Greg grunted in agreement, "Don't be surprised if you see him in the hallways alone without us providing backup. I'm ready to ditch him to the curb and forge my own path." Vince agreed with his friend and cousin.
"So how was the summer camp?" Daphne asked the two boys who sighed happily.
"It was awesome!" Vince crowed, "I had no idea that the muggles were able to shape and work with wood so skillfully. The camp counselors showed us pieces from past campers as well as some of the really detailed stuff from the masters of the craft. There was one piece of furniture that I would love to have in my collection. It was a desk from the era known as 'Art Nouveau' and it…flowed. There was not one sharp edge to it. It looked like thought and whimsy came to life." His eyes glazed over a bit causing the others to chuckle and snort in light laughter.
"What about you, Greg? Did you like going to muggle summer camp?" Tracy asked the other boy who nodded.
"Yeah, my focus was on the toys. It's amazing what someone can make with just a penknife and a block of wood. I got the one I've been working on in my trunk so I can show you all later. I'm trying to copy something called a 'fire truck.'" The muggleborn or raised amongst them nodded their understanding while the rest looked confused.
Remus showed up again about an hour later to check in on the kids when suddenly the train lurched to a screeching halt. The lights flickered out and the air became freezing cold. Hermione burrowed into Harry in an effort to remain warm but it just wasn't working. Crookshanks hissed from his position on her lap.
"Stay here. Don't open the door for anyone or anything," Remus harshly warned as he closed the door. He turned and came face to shrouded face with the one creature he'd never wish on anyone…a Dementor. He pulled his wand out and demanded the creature leave the train, that Peter Pettigrew wasn't onboard. The Dementor studied him for a moment before pressing its position. Remus cast…something; a brilliant white animal form that chased the foul beast away.
The lights finally came back on and the train began moving again. Remus cracked open the door to tell everyone that he was going to have a conversation with the driver and for everyone to stay put. The kids weren't about to argue with him. Luna was busily handing out her chocolate stash to everyone saying that it helped ward off the effects of the Dementors.
"That was horrible. It felt like I was never going to be happy ever again. Like all the light and warmth got sucked out of the world," Tracy trembled as she gulped down the chocolate.
"This is what we have to look forward to at school," Harry commented, "It was in the Prophet over the summer when news that Pettigrew escaped. Hermione, I think your Crafting Parties are going be the hot ticket event this year."
When the train got to the Hogsmeade station, the distraught passengers were greeted by the entire staff, Madam Pomfrey as well as members of the DMLE and Saint Mungo's. The adults passed out calming draughts, chocolate or in the cases of the students whose parents were amongst the Ministry and hospital workers, given hugs of reassurance.
"If I could have everyone's attention, please!" McGonagall's voice rang out, "Thank you, in light of the incursion on the train, I would like all first years to take the carriages to the school rather than by boat. I know this is a deviation from the normal tradition but needs must." She turned and began ushering everyone onto a carriage. Once it was full, it began trundling off towards the gates of the school.
As they passed by the gates, everyone could see another pair of those disgusting creatures on either side. To their surprise, no one felt the debilitating effects and were whispering about why that was.
"I'd suspect the teachers must have set something up to allow us passage without having to cast that spell Remus used on the train earlier," Neville commented.
Once inside and at their respective House tables, everyone chatted and waited for the new batch of first years to be brought in and sorted. Harry used the time to speak with Luna about tonight's music choices and both agreed that in light of what happened, something light-hearted and catchy was the order for the evening.
When the last first year was sorted, Harry stood up and approached the podium. Everyone from second year on up looked on in eager anticipation at that night's musical selection. "Good evening everyone and welcome to another fun-filled fiesta here at Hogwarts School of What the Heck Was That?" (Nearly everyone laughed) "For our new first years, we at the school have a relatively new tradition where we play music at our meals or during whatever festivities like Hermione Granger's Crafting Parties. In light of what transpired today, Luna Lovegood; our very own 'Musical Maestro' and I have come up with a playlist that we think you'll all enjoy."
With that said, he loaded up the playlist consisting of 'Rock and Roll High School' by The Ramones, 'ABC' by The Jacksons, 'All Star' by Smashmouth, 'Friday I'm in love' by The Cure and 'Tubthumping' by Chumbawumba.
Harry settled back into his seat as the older kids were jamming to the music. To his right, Hermione was chatting with Luna about the language structure of the Snorkcacks while on his left was the surprise sorting of the night, a brand new firstie by the name of Astoria Greengrass, younger sister of Daphne.
"You know, I was surprised when you got sorted here into Hufflepuff, Astoria. I had my bets on you following your sister into Slytherin," he commented as he loaded his plate with his dinner.
Astoria beamed back at him, "I thought about doing that but the hat and I talked it over about forging my own path and it felt that would be best accomplished in Hufflepuff. I think it's because I'm very loyal to my family."
He nudged her shoulder as a way of acceptance, "Whatever the reason, let me be the first to welcome you to the Badgers Miss Greengrass. I like to think of our House as being the best of the other three. Not because of conceited pride but because we hold the ideals of the other three without letting it define us. We have the brave, the intelligence and the cunning but we also like to help others while remaining true to ourselves. When I got sorted, everyone assumed I'd go into Gryffindor like my parents did before me. I didn't want to be part of the ongoing animosity between the Lions and the Snakes so I made my own choices. Now that is a sign of being all three, I was brave to go against the grain, intelligent to see what my options were and cunning to convince the hat to sort me where I wanted to go. As a result, I've made some great friends and still be myself."
The next morning, Harry and the others got their class schedules. Hermione immediately started fretting whether or not she ought to bring her crafting supplies with her and if she had enough or if she should wait to see what the teacher wanted. Justin thumped his head on the table groaning about being forced to wake-up early again after enjoying the lie-ins from the past summer. Neville came in carrying…something.
"Is this the new Charles, Nev?" Harry asked as he curiously yet cautiously peered at the creature that clung to Neville's shirt. It looked like someone had pulled a snapdragon plant out of its pot and gave it legs.
Neville laughed, "I guess it is. I don't have a name for it yet though."
"What is it? It looks like a snapdragon plant come to life."
"That's exactly what it is, Harry. It's an extremely rare magical specimen of Antirrhinum. It's as close to a plant/animal hybrid that one can get without going back to the depths of primordial history," Neville explained as he gently trailed his fingers over the leaves, causing the creature to shiver slightly.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the boy and his pet, "Where did you find it?" Cedric Diggory asked him.
"Kew Gardens of all places. I have no idea as to how it got there but I found it and after getting in contact with the Beast Control at the Ministry, they convinced the curators to let me keep it; especially after it jumped on me and wouldn't let go. I think it likes me."
"Can it speak?" Hermione was curious as she reached out to touch one of the leaves. Neville shrugged a shoulder, "I don't know. The only sound I've heard it make is a tiny dragon-like roar."
Harry's first class of the year was his Goblin language course so he made sure that he arrived early enough to score a good seat in the room. He was eager to learn how to say something useful that would impress Daggerclaw. Once the bell rang, everyone else had found their seats and the teacher introduced himself.
"maj po. Qel pongwIj qechvam. For those who do not speak it yet and that should be everyone here, what I said was "Good morning. My name is Professor Kingborn."
'Oh, yeah. This is going to be fun.' Harry thought to himself.
Professor Kingborn had his class begin by writing out the Goblin alphabet followed by taking notes as he spoke about a quick introduction of the Goblin histories and culture before giving them a hand-out of words they would be required to learn how to pronounce by the next class. After that, the professor began demonstrating how to shape their mouths and tongues to get the correct pronunciation for words that seemed to skip the 'normal flow' of speech commonly found in the English language.
Their next lesson, Professor Kingborn had each student stand up and repeat a phrase that was given to them so they could all hear. When Harry's turn arrived, the professor had him recite, "It is my pleasure to be here."
"vaj chotu'meH SuvwI' nach Dalo'taHvIS"
Professor Kingborn snorted and waved his hand, "Sorry, but that is incorrect." Harry frowned and tried again.
"choquvmoH'e'"
The professor shook his head again, "One more time, Mr. Potter."
"jIQongmeH neH jI'oy'" Judging by the look on the teacher's face, Harry was screwing up big time. "What did I say?"
"The first time was 'Your face brings me much laughter.'" The class nearly died laughing. Harry felt himself blushing beet red at his mistake.
"Your second time was 'You give me pleasure here.'" Judging by the look on the professor's face, it was clear to anyone that Harry had inadvertently made a sex joke. Harry hung his head in mock-shame and could be heard grumbling prevarications against himself.
"Then to top it all off, your third attempt was 'I give me pleasure here.'" Harry's classmates just lost it at that. Harry sat down and covered his head with his arms before sitting up to show that he could appreciate the humor by joining in on the laughter.
Professor Kingborn held up his hands to quiet down the class, "As funny as that was, at least Mr. Potter made the mistakes here in class and not in Gringotts where comments like that could've been seen as an insult and resulted in a fight. Just out of curiosity, Mr. Potter; why did you decide to take this course? I don't see you as the type of person to become a Goblin Liaison."
"I thought it might be handy if I were to become a cursebreaker for Gringotts and because I've always wanted to talk with my account manager in his language." Professor Kingborn awarded him ten points, five for the valiant attempts and five for having worthy goals.
His next elective class was going to be held on the following Monday so all Harry could do was review his textbooks again in preparation. He spoke with Hermione and found out that her Magical Arts and Crafts class was held on Fridays so all she had that day was the same ones he did last year. Their DADA class was a lot of fun with Remus at the helm. He patiently explained concepts in simple yet easy to remember terms and never once did they have to suffer an overinflated ego like Gilderoy Lockhart's. Their first class assignment was to write down every Dark creature they could think of then explain why when called upon.
"Mr. Potter, would you give us your top five?"
Harry stood and cleared his throat, "Ahem, I chose the Grim, Dementors, Basilisk, Acromantula, and Nymphadora Tonks." The Puffs burst out laughing at the last one.
Remus was nonplussed, "I'm not familiar with the last one. Who or what is a Nymphadora Tonks?"
Hermione raised her hand while glaring at an unrepentant Harry, "Sir, Nymphadora Tonks was a seventh year Metamorphmagus when we were in first year. She was a notorious clumsy person who tripped over everything and had the amazing ability to cause chaos without even trying. She would also morph herself into various people and startle those around her."
A look of understanding flitted across Remus' face, "Ah, so that's why you labeled her a Dark creature?"
Harry looked sheepish, "I was trying for funny. If you'd ever met her, I'm sure that in the first five minutes she'd have either tripped over her own feet and landed heavily in your lap or caused something to blow-up." Remus just slowly bobbled his head and moved onto the next item in Harry's list.
"Why did you pick the Grim and if your next word is 'Padfoot,' I'm going to take points away from you. Your father pulled the same stunt when he was in school."
Harry blinked a couple of times then shook his head, "No, actually. The Grim is well known even to the mundane world as being a large spectral dog that likes to scare people but not do any actual harm."
"Very well. Dementors, I have no problem understanding why you picked them. The same too, I suspect with a Basilisk or an Acromantula. Thank you, Mr. Potter, you may sit down."
After class, Remus mock glared at Harry as the boy approached his desk, "Stinker. You should've known that I wouldn't fall for your jokes. Your dad invented those dumb jokes!" Harry held out his arms in a 'what did I do?' pose.
After being dismissed from giving his list of five Dark creatures, Harry had thought it would be funny to induct their new DADA professor into the Hogwarts New Professor Hall of Shame by pulling some (in Harry's opinion) minor pranks. An apple 'mysteriously' appeared on Remus' desk that emitted a colorless, odorless and tasteless potion that cause his voice to change pitch, then there was the moment where Remus' chair suddenly behaved like a bean bag chair and…squished when sat on or the books that made farting noises whenever he walked in front of them.
Harry leaned up against a desk and sighed, "I'm sorry, Uncle Moony. I just got so excited that I finally have a Defense professor worth learning from that I let myself go."
Moony gave him another stink-eye, "I'm also betting that Sirius gave you some of those ideas too, huh?" Harry just kind of gave a rolling shrug of his head and shoulders, "I thought so. Harry, please remember that I'm only doing this because Wormtail is on the loose. If it were up to me, I'd rather be back in my shop selling games and puzzles and trying to keep Sirius…serious."
Harry accepted that and started to leave the room but stopped, "Hey, Uncle Moony. Wormtail is an Animagus just like my dad, Padfoot and Professor McGonagall. How did you get the Marauder's Map to recognize their forms?"
Remus slowly shook his head, "We never did. It was on our list of ideas but we ran out of time before graduating. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if anyone's ever thought of configuring the school's wards to identify and incarcerate any Animagus not previously approved to be in the school. Set it up so that the wards tag Professor McGonagall as 'safe' and ignore her while highlighting all unapproved ones on the map in a bright color like red. That way they can be tracked the moment they enter the castle."
With that said, Harry waved goodbye and left to go find his friends leaving a flustered and thoughtful Remus behind.
Staff lounge…
Severus was relaxing in his favorite chair, sipping a cup of coffee when Remus entered; his face showing that he was utterly oblivious to his surroundings and only dimly aware that he'd entered the teacher's lounge.
With an amused sneer, he barked out, "Lupin! Where is the homework you said you'd make up last week?"
Remus flinched then stopped when the realization that he was no longer a student crept over his face. He bowed his head and snorted in laughter then looked up to see a supremely amused Severus grinning back at him, "Nice one, Severus. How long have you been waiting to do that?"
Severus saluted him with his coffee mug, "Since I got hired as a teacher. What's the matter? Did you just have the Weasley Twins in your class?"
Remus waved that off, "Nah, they're okay; especially since I'm one of their mentors and summer employer. No, I had the third year Puffs in my class which included Harry. He thought he could pull a couple of pranks on me. I don't think it registered with him that he was trying to prank one of the original Marauders. Anyway, at the end of class, he posed a question that has my head on automatic."
Severus grunted as he took another sip, "He does that a lot. He's a rare breed of student and a delight to have in my class. Did you get the email from him about his OWL results?" Remus chuckled at the memory. "I want to take him on as my apprentice but he's got two of the most difficult classes that I don't want to overload him. You know, if he's not careful; he could run into the 'can-do-everything and know-it-all, superpowerful in his own mind Gilderoy Lockhart personality trap."
"I agree and that's why I try to keep him grounded by reminding him just who he's attempting to tangle with. I'll need to delve into my own repertoire of revenge pranks to pop that swelled head of his."
Severus was quiet for a moment, "Lupin…ah, Remus. I want….I want to apologize for some of the things that happened between us when we were in school. If things had gone…differently that time during fifth year. I had no business poking my nose in places it had no reason to be there. I still have nightmares of that night. What I'm trying to say is I'm sorry for the way I treated you. Harry's been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I was able to make my peace with him regarding his mother and aunt. I will never be able to say I'm sorry to his father but I hope that you and I can at least start fresh?"
Remus stared wordlessly at the man before extending his hand with a smile, "Hi, my name is Remus Lupin. Part time Defense Professor and shop owner. What's yours?"
Minerva burst in at that moment, grabbed a chair and yelled for an elf to bring her the biggest glass of firewhiskey they could find and sat there and brooded darkly. She spotted Remus and leveled a disapproving finger at him, "You! I blame you for the horror you've unleashed unto the school!"
Remus pointed at himself, "Me? What did I do? I was the good boy, if you remember."
"Two years ago, the Twins introduced exploding Guinea fowl excrement. This year they've gone beyond that and I now have something called 'Gack' spreading all over the walls of my classroom. Any time I try to vanish it, it bursts into flame and spreads even faster! I've had to move all my things and seal off the room in the vain hope that it doesn't eat through the walls!" She took a large gulp of firewhiskey and leveled the patented 'Minerva McGonagall Terrifying Glare of Death' at him.
Both men burst out laughing. Remus had thrown his head back as he failed miserably to contain himself while Severus was wheezing at the thought of Flaming Gack.