New chapter. I got really, really sick, and that is why I haven't written for a while (breathing problems, oh joy) Thanks to those who have reviewed, I really appreciate it. Nothing more to say, my disclaimer holds.
Chapter Four: Flying Lessons
"Ok, so Wingardium Leviosa, right?" Rose asked Luna. Luna shrugged.
"I'm not really sure. I think that's what he said."
The two girls were in charms class, and struggling to get their feather to levitate. They were sitting in the fourth row, with Lita and Amy working behind them. Rose was prodding the feather with the tip of her wand.
"I just don't get it. Stupid class. Inferno!" Rose cried out.
The feather burst into flame.
"Ack! I didn't mean to do that! Stop, stop! I meant infernal! Not Inferno!" Rose screeched. The feather continued to burn, and began to burn even more when she said Inferno again. Luna stared at the feather in astonishment. She quickly moved their books and papers out of the way, and then looked around.
The rest of the students were staring at them, with a look mixed between amusement and fear. Luna yanked out her wand, but then realized she had no idea what to do.
"Aquatalus," came a soft voice from behind them. A stream of water came shooting out of Lita's wand as she doused the flame. Luna looked at Lita thankfully.
"Thank you Lita," Luna said happily. Their singed feather sat on the table, and Rose started prodding it again.
"Think we'll get marked down for that?"
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"Oh, joy. Potions next. This day can't get any better," Rose groaned.
Both Luna and Rose had finally succeeded in making their feather float by the end of class, but the feather barely looked the same. It had burst into flames, been turned into a mouse, became invisible, and turned into a rocket by the end of the class. The rocket had, of course, been when they finally had gotten it to float, but they hadn't been able to control where it had floated. The entire class had been under the desks, and Flitwick had tried to get it under control, but ended up having to wait until it stopped. And now they had Potions.
Amy entered the classroom first, trying to find out what they would be doing that day. It hadn't worked. So finally, Luna and Rose went in and sat down at their cauldrons, praying Snape was in a good mood.
He wasn't. He stormed in and handed out their assignment. They had to make a Memory Altering potion.
"I will be testing this on you and your partner by the end of class, so it had better be done," Snape hissed at them. Luna paled and Amy's head fell to the table. Snape glared in their direction.
"Begin."
Luna grabbed her book and flipped open to the page with the Memory Altering potion. It really wasn't that hard, the one they were doing, but it could be easily screwed up and changed into a slow acting poison. Luna gulped and went through her Potions kit to pull out the things that were in it.
"Ok, we have armadillo bile in this, you'll need four drops of blood later on- ewww, that's gross. Um, the abdomen of a caterpillar, then two rose petals, uh... the white of two snake eggs, water from a waterfall, three ounces of fish scales, and finally, some bat saliva. Ok, this is a really icky potion," Luna decided. Amy stared at the directions.
"First we have to boil some water in the cauldron. After that the first thing to add is the waterfall water. Do we even have half of these things in our kit?" Amy asked Luna. Luna shook her head.
"We have the bile, the saliva, and a couple of caterpillars, that is all. The rest we have to get from Snape," Luna answered. She heard Rose groan from behind her.
"Oh, great. Just what I need, an encounter with Snape. So he can attack us," Rose moaned. Luna rolled her eyes.
"We're just getting ingredients. He won't attack us until after we get the potion finished, so don't worry. Yet."
Luna stood and went to the cabinet to get the rest of the ingredients. Snape glared at her again as she asked for them, but he gave them to her in a rush, and then ordered her back to her seat. Amy read the instructions as Luna put them in.
"Add the water. Then the bile and saliva, pour them in at the same time. Ok, then the caterpillar abdomen, the three ounces of fish scales, and now we need to add the blood. Shall you, or should I?" Amy asked. Luna thought a moment.
"I will. Do you have a knife?" she asked. Amy tossed her the one they had cut the caterpillars apart with. Luna wrinkled her nose, but cut herself with it anyway. After squeezing out the drops of blood, Amy read on.
"Whites of the two snake eggs. Ok, and now the rose petals. Allow to boil for twenty minutes, then allow to cool for five. Drink immediately." Luna added the last two things into the potion and then turned to Rose and Lita, who were struggling with their potion.
"Damn! Is it supposed to turn pink?" Rose asked. Amy frowned at her.
"Don't swear, Rose. It's impolite. And no, ours didn't turn pink. And I think we did it right," Amy told her. Rose sighed, and Lita checked the book.
"No, it isn't supposed to turn pink. It's supposed to turn red after you add the blood. What did we do wrong? Rose, did you remember the fish scales?" Lita asked. That was the longest sentence they had ever heard from her. Rose stared at her for a second, and then shook her head.
"Yeah, I did. Four ounces, right?" asked Rose. Lita looked at the book for a moment, and then turned pale.
"No, three. Crap. What does it turn into if it turns pink?" she asked softly. Luna turned to her book and scanned down the page.
"Ok, black is poison, green is poison, yellow is poison, pink is... ok, pink turns the potion into a Freezing Solution. It will render you helpless, and you'll be stuck that way for a couple of days, or until the antidote is made," Luna recited. Rose sighed.
"So, we start all over again, right?" she said, turning to Lita. She shrugged unhappily.
"Do we even have time?"
"I think so. What do we do with this?" Amy asked, pointing at their cauldron. Rose got a wicked smile across her face.
"I have an idea... Freezing Solution, right? Well, what happens if it 'accidentally' spilt on Malfoy?" Rose asked innocently. Luna bit her lip.
"Points from Gryffindor and a detention?" Rose thought a minute, and then stood, grabbing her cauldron. She walked down the aisle towards Marcella, who was stirring her potion. Rose smiled sweetly at her, and then seemed to trip on a crack on the floor. The Solution went flying, and hit Marcella all over the arm. It also hit a couple of other Slytherins, and much to their dismay-
"You did that on purpose!" Michelle howled as the potion slopped up against her leg. Rose assumed a stricken look.
"Oh my gosh, Michelle! I'm so sorry! There was a crack in the floor- I couldn't help it. Here, want me to help?" Rose questioned. Michelle glared at her.
"Busybody! Know it all! Prankster! Brat! It's no wonder you're related to Sirius Black!" screamed Michelle. Rose took a step back, and then glared at Michelle.
"I sincerely hope you didn't mean that," she hissed, her voice resembling Snape's. Michelle touched her leg attentively.
"Yes, I did. You are a no good, dirty, stupid, brat! You should have been in Slytherin, just as your uncle should have been, he was a traitor," she yelled. Rose turned away from her and stormed back to her seat. Luna stared at Michelle, amazed. Before her mind could act, Luna stood up and marched over to Michelle.
"You, miss, are a bitter, angry girl. Everyone knows that Sirius Black was cleared! Or maybe you just didn't want to hear that, huh? Well?" Luna bit back. Amy and Lita were by her side in a second.
"Do you have a problem with Sirius Black?" Amy snapped. Michelle stared at her.
"Have you even met the murderer?" she asked suddenly. Amy and Lita looked at each other, and then shook their heads simultaneously. Luna nodded, however.
"I've met Sirius, yes. And let me assure you, he is a good, decent man. Have you?" Michelle nodded also.
"Yes, I did. And he pulled a prank on my dad, which left him floating for two days!" yelped Michelle. Luna raised an eyebrow.
"What, Billywigs? They're harmless. Was your father upset?"
"Well... no. He thought it was amusing," Michelle admitted. Luna sighed.
"Then why did you say those things?" she asked. Michelle shrugged.
"Well, she made me angry. She did that on purpose, didn't she?" Before Luna could answer, a soft, nasty voice came from behind her.
"Yes, she did. Ten points from Gryffindor, and Miss Black, you will have a detention. All those hit with the potion, try to make your way to the front for the antidote. Those who can't, get someone to help you," Snape sneered. Marcella instantly got up and ran to the Professor, showing her arm. Snape looked at it, then sighed.
"I'm afraid this potion won't work for you Miss Malfoy. The antidote has to be taken almost immediately. Miss Salvay, on the other hand, can take it." Snape walked over to Michelle and handed her the antidote, which she drank gratefully. Almost instantly, her leg began to move again.
"All those who cannot be treated, please make your way down to Madam Pomfreys," Snape announced. Marcella glared at Rose as she left the class. Rose just took on a sad face. As soon as the other students were gone, Snape turned to the rest of the class.
"That wasn't funny. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey can un-freeze them almost instantly. I do not have the supplies in my classroom. However, for a spot of good news for those who are left," Snape sneered, looking pointedly at Luna and Rose, "you will be having flying lessons today after lunch. Now lets test your potions. The Memory Altering Potion will alter your memory for one hour exactly. However, we have the antidotes here, so you will be lucky enough to not be living as complete idiots for the next hour." Luna looked unhappily at her potion. Snape handed her and Amy a cup.
Luna peered at their red potion and then dipped her cup in. Plugging her nose, she downed the potion in one gulp, and saw Amy do the same. Snape looked at the class, who had all turned stiff, and were awaiting their commands. Snape smiled.
"You are all dogs, with no education whatsoever," Snape hissed. Instantly, Luna, Amy, Michelle, and most of the Slytherins fell down to their knees, howling and biting each other. Lita and Rose watched, as they didn't have a potion, and a few of the male Gryffindors just started clucking. Snape snapped his fingers, and the rest of the class stopped.
"Please approach the desk so you may get the antidotes."
Luna felt her feet begin to move towards the desk. Snape pressed a cup full of whitish liquid into her hand, and she drank it, feeling a warm sensation overcome her. She groaned and turned to Amy, who had also taken the antidote.
"Why do I have a feeling that I just made a complete fool of myself?" Luna moaned. Amy shrugged. Rose walked over to them, smiling.
"Man, you guys make great dogs."
Amy sighed.
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Luna looked at the empty classroom in disdain. It was her free period, and she had to meet Snape for some reason. She entered the dungeon and took a seat by her cauldron, staring at its contents. It still had remains of the Memory Altering potion.
Bored, she stood and began wandering around the classroom, looking in cupboards, observing the ingredients, and finally, looking at Snape's desk.
Luna saw a tiny brass key at the corner of his desk, and was reaching out for it when-
"Miss Lupin, what are you doing?" asked Snape, who had appeared from no where. Luna yanked her hand back.
"Nothing, Professor. Just looking. What is that key to?" she asked. Snape picked up the key and looked at it thoughtfully.
"It goes to a trunk that I own. But that is not what you are here for. You are here for this," he said, thrusting a goblet at her. Luna looked at it.
"And this is...?" she trailed off. Snape snarled at her.
"The Wolfsbane Potion. You'll need it if you wish to stay at this school," he snapped at her. Luna took it.
"I've never had this before. What is it like?" she asked. Snape looked at her impatiently.
"Do I look like a werewolf to you? How should I know? Why don't you ask Daddy Dearest?" Snape sneered. Luna glared at him.
"Leave my father out of this, Professor Snape," she said. Mentally, she slapped herself. She shouldn't have spoken to a professor that way. Snape narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?" he asked threateningly. Luna stared at his eyes, thinking about how to break an enemy. Eye contact.
"Nothing, Professor. So, do I have to drink it immediately?" she asked. Snape nodded.
"If you don't, it's useless."
Luna plugged her nose and gulped the drink in one breath, as she had with the Memory Altering Potion. She gasped as the potion touched her lips. It was soooo bitter. She yanked the goblet from her lips as soon she finished it.
"That is DISGUSTING! Can't I add sugar?" she asked pitifully. Snape glared at her, and then shook his head.
"No, if you do it's worthless. Now get out of my classroom, and come back after class tomorrow to get the next dose," he snapped. Luna scowled.
"I have to take this more than once?"
"Yes. Get!"
Luna dashed out the door and ran up to the common room. Amy and Rose were sitting on the sofa and talking excitedly as Luna sat down next to them.
"-seem to be really fun. I've always loved broomsticks. What about you Luna? Are you looking forward to flying lessons?" asked Rose. Luna flipped her legs up underneath her and stared at the fire. After a minute she began giggling.
"I just hope that my father's talent doesn't run in the family," she giggled. Rose and Amy stared at her, and then Amy grinned.
"Explain."
"All right. I was eight years old and my 'Uncle', as we call him, got me a broomstick. An old Nimbus, nothing like the new Firebolts, and Firebolts X5. Sirius- my uncle- asked my father to show me how to ride. You should have seen the look on my father's face! You would have think that Sirius just asked him to ask the Dementor's of Azkaban to kiss him! So he gets on the broom, and it takes off. He ends up screaming at Sirius to get him down. By the time he said this, he was off the broom, and hanging by one hand. He looked ridiculous. After he landed- actually, Sirius ended up getting him down- he turned to me and said 'And that is how you should never, ever ride a broomstick'. It was hilarious!" laughed Luna. Rose and Amy joined the suit. They were half in hysterics in five minutes. They managed to stop themselves, and Rose turned to Luna.
"Why didn't Sirius tell me about this?" she asked. Luna shrugged.
"Same reason I didn't know about you until a few months ago. For our parent's being best friends and all, they sure don't tell us a lot, do they?" Luna asked. Rose sighed.
"Yeah, well, they have to have some good reason. Come on, we have lunch, and I'm hungry!"
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"Please take your brooms carefully, and set them on the ground," Madam Hooch called to all the students. Luna set the old Comet Two Sixty on the ground and stared at it. Amy and Lita had a Cleansweep Sevens, while Rose had the oldest of the three broom's, a Silver Arrow. She was staring at it in disdain.
"Very good. Now, put your hand directly over the broom handle and say 'up'," Madam Hooch instructed. Luna held out her hand.
"UP!" screamed most of the students. Luna just whispered hers. The broom came flying up into her hands. So did Rose's. Amy's seemed to get to her hand in slow motion, while Lita's just stayed put.
"If you managed to get your broom to come into your hand, please mount it. I will check your hand positions in a minute," Hooch screamed over the mass of confusion and excitement. Luna clambered on top of hers, as did Rose. Amy seemed a little doubtful, but got on it anyway, adjusting her robes as she went. Luna smiled at her friends, and then looked at the Slytherins.
Malfoy seemed anxious to get off the ground. Her arm had been unfrozen by Madam Pomfrey, and she still was nursing it as though it was broken. Luna rolled her eyes, and turned her attention to Madam Hooch, who was coming her way.
"Miss Lupin. Just move your hands forward a bit... there! Perfect!" Hooch exclaimed. Luna smiled despite the butterflies that were working their way into her stomach. She just wanted to get it over with!
"Now then. When I say fly, kick off from the ground with your feet. Please do little more than that. I don't need any injuries," Hooch told them. She paused, then "Fly!"
Luna pushed off from the ground, feeling a bit ridiculous as she did. She shot into the air, and clung to the handle of her broom as she went soaring. She saw Amy and Rose do the same, and most of the Slytherins. Lita had managed to stay only a few feet off the ground, and was flying along the pathway, seeming quite content. Luna looked around.
Rose was doing little circles, and seemed angry. Luna flew over to her and smiled.
"Feeling restrained, Rose?" she asked amiably. Rose grinned.
"Oh, I just want to go and do loop-de-loops all around Hooch! Can you just imagine the look on her face!" Rose laughed. Luna rolled her eyes, and directed her broom over to Amy, who seemed a bit nervous being as high as she was in the air.
"Hello Amy. Fun, isn't it?" she asked. Amy stared at her.
"For someone who was worried about having the family curse in flying, you're doing fine," commented Amy. Luna couldn't help but grin wickedly, knowing she was going to pay dearly for what she was going to say next.
"Oh, did I say that? Did I also mention I've flown before? That broomstick wasn't for sweeping, you know," giggled Luna. Amy's mouth dropped open.
"Oh! As soon as I get onto the ground, you're as good as dead! Heck, I'll kill you right now!" Amy shrieked. Luna grinned and flew her broom in between two burly Slytherins, knowing that Amy wouldn't dare go that route. Luna was so caught up in her cleverness, however, that she didn't see a fellow Gryffindor come out of nowhere. She crashed into him.
"Brian! Jeez, you came out of... well, the air, obviously, but I didn't see you. Sorry. Are you all right?" she asked. Brian Reidly smiled at her.
"The quiet demeanor gone, correct Luna? No, I'm quite all right, thank you. This broom is tougher than it looks," laughed Brian, patting his battered Cleansweep 7. Luna laughed at his comment, and then flipped herself upside down. Flying was so much fun! And then she nearly fell off the broom.
Her father and Sirius were watching from below, looking highly amused. Luna felt her face go red, and she steered her broom low, towards them.
"Hello Father! Hello Sirius. What are you doing here?" she asked, only mildly surprised. Her father raised an eyebrow.
"I sent you an owl. Didn't you get it? Having fun, I see," Remus Lupin laughed. Luna flipped herself upside down again.
"What, sad that your daughters can fly, while you're terrified of it?" she teased. Her father gasped in mock anger.
"How dare you! I'll have you know I was one of the better fliers," he scolded. Sirius snorted.
"Yeah, Peter was the only one worse then you," he snickered. Remus reached over and slapped Sirius over the head.
"Well, as much as we would love to watch your first flying lesson, we have to meet the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, see Harry and Lupita, and then we have an appointment with Minerva. I will see you again, all right Luna?" questioned Remus. Luna grinned, and then flew straight up, nearly capsizing Amy in the process.
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Remus laughed to himself, while Sirius just out right chuckled.
"What happened to the perfectly nice, very quiet Luna that I met?" Sirius asked. Remus shrugged.
"I don't know. I think her friends helped her outgrow it a bit," he commented. Sirius nodded.
"Not surprising. After all, Moony, we helped you outgrow your quiet shell," remarked Sirius. Remus rolled his eyes.
"I never outgrew it, Padfoot. You and James just had the audaciousness to keep bugging me until the quietness ran away, terrified of you," teased Remus. Sirius pouted.
"You mean you didn't need the ever so magical me as your best friend?" he whimpered. Remus cuffed Sirius on the back of his head.
"Stop pitying yourself, you know that isn't true. Now shut up. You don't want Harry to think we've both gone insane, now do you?" asked Remus. Sirius grinned as opened the door to Snape's classroom.
"Yeah, he already knows you're insane. Severus! Pleasure to see you again!" Sirius greeted Snape. Snape glared at him as the other students looked up from their cauldrons. Remus watched as Harry, Hermione, and Ron's faces lit up.
"I believe you were taught to knock, Black. Or did that civility escape you as well?" sneered Snape. Sirius ignored Snape and turned to Harry.
"Harry. Do you think you could meet us in... the empty dungeon right next to this one later? I'll tell you what time later, all right?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded, an odd gleam in his eyes. Snape glared at Harry and his friends, and they immediately turned back to their work.
"I think he understood the message, Black. Get out of my classroom," Snape snapped. Sirius rolled his eyes, and left the classroom.
"Well, he sure hasn't changed much. So, Lupita now? She's a Ravenclaw, isn't she?" asked Sirius. Remus nodded.
"She'd be in History of Magic right now. It really shouldn't take long," Remus reminded him. Sirius shrugged.
"I don't care. So, Binns won't even notice when we come in. Remember that time-" Remus cut Sirius off.
"I remember ALL the times, Sirius. We were hardly ever on time to his class, and when we were, we were sleeping through it. Actually," Remus reflected, "it was a very helpful class after a full moon." Sirius laughed and opened the door to the History of Magic classroom.
Binns didn't even look up or pause his narrative as they entered. Remus was only mildly amused to see that most of the class was sleeping. They walked down the aisles toward Lupita, who was sleeping in the back row, passing a boy who was drooling on his book, and a girl who was sucking her thumb.
"Lupita? Lupita, wake up. Quietly," Remus whispered in her ear. Lupita blinked her coal black eyes and snapped to attention.
"Shoot! I was supposed to be taking notes," Remus heard Lupita hiss. Then she turned his way, and her eyes lit up.
"Dad! What are you doing here?" Lupita whispered. Sirius grinned.
"Don't forget your old uncle Sirius!" he jested. Lupita rolled her eyes. It was amazing how much alike Lupita and Luna were, if not in looks, then in attitude.
"I tried, don't worry. It didn't help," teased Lupita. Sirius stared at her, then grinned again.
"Well, lady has a mouth, doesn't she? And she certainly didn't get it from you, now did she Moony?" laughed Sirius. Remus laughed along.
"That's what she gets for hanging around you to often. We came here to be with your sister. She had another," Remus paused here, and lowered his voice even more, "dream." Lupita gasped.
"Oh no. What was it this time?" she asked urgently. Remus shook his head.
"We'll talk to you later, dear. We have to speak to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Minerva. I'll talk to you later," Remus said. His daughter suddenly got a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Oh, Professor Micaro. You would be good for each other, if you don't mind me saying," Lupita smiled. Remus frowned.
"Trying to hook me up with your teachers? Lupita, tell me you're getting an education!" pleaded Remus. Then he waved to her, and Sirius and him walked out of the classroom, leaving the students to sleep in peace. Sirius cracked up.
"She wants you to go out with this Professor Micaro? Please! You were never the ladies man. That was my job!" Sirius laughed. Remus grinned.
"Then how come I was the first to go out on a date and not get slapped by the end of it?" Remus asked innocently. Sirius glared at his friend.
"Ok, Jessica wasn't exactly bright, ok? You know, that really hurt," Sirius said ruefully, rubbing his cheek. Remus snorted.
"Your ego maybe. Not much more. Well, this is the classroom," Remus said, suddenly very nervous. Sirius slapped him on the back.
"Worried about meeting your replacement, huh Remus?" teased Sirius.
"I am not! And she wasn't even my replacement, as you so eloquently put it. Moody was my replacement. Well, he was supposed to be. That didn't work out well, now did it?" Remus pointed out. Sirius frowned.
"Who was the teacher after that?"
"Professor Kyla. He turned out to be a spy for Voldemort," Remus reminded him. Sirius scowled.
"Stupid git. He could have killed Harry!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Sirius that was kind of the point."
"Look, let's just go in, all right?"
Remus knocked politely on the door, and a female voice permitted them entrance. Remus opened the door, and saw with relief that there was no class in session. A woman- Professor Micaro, supposedly- stood and walked over to them.
"Why, hello. I'm Meghan Micaro. And you must be Remus Lupin and Sirius Black," she said, pointing at them as she said their names. Sirius nodded.
"Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet you," Sirius said, strangely subdued. Remus raised an eyebrow, but decided to ignore his friends behavior at the moment.
"It really is." Meghan gestured towards the chair, which they took gratefully. She turned to them.
"I've heard a great deal about you Mr. Lupin. All the children from third year and up are constantly talking about you. It is, actually, quite amusing," said Micaro good-naturedly. Remus sighed.
"Oh dear. I hope it hasn't interfered with your lessons. And please, call me Remus," he told her. Micaro nodded.
"Of course. But only if you call me Meghan. And no, it hasn't interfered at all. It is actually quite refreshing to hear about what other teachers have done. They all seemed quite sad to see you go," she informed him. Remus blushed a bit, and then steered the conversation towards a different direction.
"Um, Sirius and I are here just to find out how our children are doing. Mine are Luna and Lupita, and his are Rose and Harry Potter," Remus helped her out. She laughed.
"All right. Harry is doing fine in my class. We are, right now, studying some of the higher level curses, including the Unforgivable curses, and others, such as Ripreceperium, the Mind Melting curse. Harry has done fine on all of his papers, and his throwing accuracy is much better. Throwing meaning aiming curses. I wish, however, that we had a dueling class to teach these things. Anyway, Rose is doing excellent as well. We've been studying vampires, but after today we'll be moving onto different types of vampires, such as the icari and the vampyres. And darkangels. We did shields to block dark creatures, and hers was red. Oh, that is a more modern magic, I'm not sure if you know what that is. It means she has love for a friend, and impulsiveness. That is stronger.
Meghan turned to Remus. "Lupita is doing nicely in my class, just as the others are. She wrote an amazing essay on werewolves, just for extra credit. I don't even know where she got most of the information, as the book we use is rather incomplete about werewolves," Remus tensed here, but Meghan didn't seem to notice, "which is surprising as well. Her shield was bronze, as would be expected of Ravenclaw's. Bronze means quickness of mind, soul, and body. It was very strong. Luna is doing superb. She seems a bit defensive about werewolves. We have Marcella Malfoy in our class, and she seems to love to pick on them. Luna is constantly standing up to her. Or maybe she just hates Marcella a great deal. Luna's shield was silver, which means secrets and ultimate sadness. It shocked me a bit. You usually don't have a silver among students. They are most likely too young to have experienced the ultimate sadness, or too innocent."
Remus nodded at her long statement, albeit slowly. He stood up.
"Well, thank you Meghan. We greatly appreciate being able to take some of your time. However, we have an appointment with Minerva, that we cannot miss. We shall talk later, I would assume. Good luck teaching this year," Remus said, offering his hand. Meghan took it, and then shook hands with Sirius.
"Good bye, Meghan. Have a nice day!" Sirius called over his shoulder. Meghan waved to them, and then they were out in the hall. Remus sighed.
"Well, that certainly was a very interesting meeting. To Minerva's?"
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"We- we can't! It just can't happen!" Remus exclaimed, shocked. Sirius was staring at Minerva as well.
"What Remus is trying to say, is that we don't think that we are the best candidates for Dueling Teachers. Why can't you get Micaro and Snape to do it?" Sirius persisted. Minerva shook her head.
"They would end up killing each other. They, er, aren't very fond of each other, as was to be expected. But you two are perfect! You wouldn't kill each other, you're-Remus- is responsible enough to handle the job, and you're both skilled wizards!" Minerva pressed. Remus shook his head again.
"What about my ongoing problem? It could put students in danger. Plus," Remus added, sounding miserable, "no parent wants a werewolf teaching their child, especially in the Dark Arts."
"Or a convicted criminal," put in Sirius. Minerva scowled and folded her arms.
"No, they wouldn't want a werewolf or a convicted criminal teaching their child. However, I see a very nice man, who wouldn't harm a fly unless sorely provoked and a man who is free of all charges sitting in front of me. You will take the job," scolded Minerva. Remus and Sirius frowned, but nodded sullenly. Minerva smiled.
"Good. We shall make the announcement tonight."
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Harry sat down next to Ron.
"I heard that we have new teachers coming to teach us in a Dueling Class!" Ron erupted immediately. Harry nodded.
"I heard that as well. I wonder what person would dare to take up a job that will probably end up getting them killed. At least, if Snape is involved in it," Harry added as an afterthought. Ron grinned.
"Hear hear." Hermione sniffed at both of them.
"You two are very rude. You never know who it might be. It might be anyone, from a Muggle to-" Harry cut her off.
"Sirius!"
"Well, that wasn't what I was going to say, but I suppose Sirius could be a teacher, were he not so- irresponsible is the word I'm looking for, I think. No offense to him, of course. Sirius is a good man and all, but-" Ron elbowed her.
"Shut up, Hermione. No, Sirius is the teacher! Look!" Ron said, directing her gaze to the Staff Table. Indeed, Sirius sat there, looking quite pleased with himself. He shoved the rather pale, thin man sitting next to him, that Harry immediately recognized.
"Look, Ron! They got Remus roped into it also. Wonder how they managed that," Harry thought out loud. Ron grinned.
"Who cares? The only thing that matters is that we have two great teachers teaching us this year!"
McGonagall stood up and smiled down at all the students.
"As many of you have heard, we are starting up a new class. This class will be for all years, and you will be expected to take it. This class is Dueling Class. It will be instructed by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."
The Great Hall erupted into cheers, the loudest from the Gryffindor. Most of the Slytherins didn't even clap, Harry noted with displeasure. He ignored it for a moment, however, and clapped for Sirius and Remus. Then he glanced down the table towards where Luna usually sat, and found she wasn't there.
"Looking for me?" a soft voice came in his ear. He started, and nearly knocked over his pumpkin juice. Luna stood behind him, looking vaguely amused.
"I thought so. Scoot over, will you? Rose is serving a detention, and Amy decided to help her," Luna said, carefully adjusting herself to accommodate to the small seat. Harry moved over and looked at her.
"What class, what did she do, what is the punishment," Harry asked. Luna laughed.
"Snape's class, she poured Freezing Solution on some Slytherins, including Malfoy, and she has to clean the cauldrons in the dungeon. After the third years did that really smelly potion, what is it called?" Luna asked. Hermione smiled at Luna.
"It doesn't officially have a name. It gets stains out of carpets and clothing. They use stink slugs in it," Hermione provided. Luna nodded.
"Sorry, I couldn't remember. And Potions is one of my better subjects," Luna announced. Harry stared at her, and Ron dropped the forkful of food he had been holding. Luna looked at the faces around her. "What?"
"Potions is usually Gryffindors worst subject," Ron whispered in awe. Luna grinned.
"Well now. It's pretty simple potions, after all," Luna reminded them. Harry shook his head.
"It's not that, Luna. Snape hates the Gryffindors, so he usually doesn't pass them," explained Harry. Luna sighed.
"I heard about that. I do the potions correctly, he has to pass me," Luna contradicted. Hermione nodded.
"Quite right. What are your bad subjects, Luna?" asked Hermione self importantly. Luna sighed.
"Rose and I set flame to our feather today in Charms, so I'm really not that good at Charms. I'm also really bad at Astronomy and Herbology. Well, Herbology isn't so bad. But Rose set one of the plants on me, and I couldn't get it away from me," Luna informed the group. They all nodded sympathetically.
"Ron here kept swinging his arms around. He looked really funny," Harry said, pointing at Ron. Then he did a very funny imitation of Ron. He began swinging his arms around his head in odd, crooked circular angles. Then he stopped suddenly and pointed at his food.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry shouted. The food didn't move. Ron stared at Harry.
"Uh, you haven't got a wand, Harry. How do you expect your food to move if you haven't got a wand. It won't move," Ron repeated. Harry grinned.
"And that is exactly what happened to Ron's feather the first couple of times he tried it. It didn't move," Harry laughed. Ron dropped his jaw.
"Hey! I didn't see you making any magic that day, either Harry!" Ron protested. Hermione giggled along with Luna. Then she felt a slight tap from behind her. She whirled around.
Sirius and Remus were standing there, looking quite amused.
"So, that is what happened in your first Charms class, Harry? Ron?" Remus said. You could see the glitter in his eyes as he said this, and Ron blushed a bit.
"Yeah, well. What can I say. I was young. Give me a break!" Ron muttered. Remus smiled again.
"Ron, I wasn't making fun of you. My feather nearly beheaded a kid in my class the first time it even moved," Remus told him. Sirius nodded.
"I was that kid, trust me, it wasn't fun. But I got back at him. Turned his hair green. He wasn't very pleased, but I thought green went very good with his complexion," Sirius countered. Remus sighed.
"Remind me to get you back for that sometime. Anyway, Luna, did Professor Snape give you the potion for your cold?" asked Remus. Harry frowned for a minute, trying to see the hidden meaning behind it all. But the thought that it was code was immediately dispelled when Luna nodded.
"I should be healthy again if I take it for a while. Another week or so," Luna told him. Remus nodded, smiling slightly, and then turned back to the rest of the group.
"We really must be going. We were just given this job today, and Sirius and I need to figure out what we're going to do," Remus explained.
"Don't worry, Moony. I'll go easy on you," Sirius teased. Remus laughed.
"YOU go easy on ME? If you'll remember, the last time we dueled you lost miserably," Remus reminded him. Sirius scowled.
"Ah, shut up. See you guys later!" Sirius called cheerfully. Before leaving, however, he dropped a slip of paper onto Harry's plate. He quickly pocketed it and smiled at Luna.
"Do you want to sit with us tomorrow, with Rose and Amy, of course. Is Amy that red headed kid?" Harry asked, remembering when he had seen her. Luna nodded.
"She has a twin, too. Her name is Lita. They have another sister in Ravenclaw. Her name is Mina. They all have red hair, from what I understand." Harry nodded.
"Oh, and yes, I'll sit with you tomorrow. I'm sure that Rose and Amy will have no objections either," said Luna. She rose from the table and disappeared in the crowds. Harry made sure she was gone, and then pulled out the note from Sirius.
Harry,
Bring you and your friends up to the Divination tower tonight, and I will explain all about Remus and his kids.
Sirius
Well, that's the end of my very, very, very, very long chapter. Sorry about that. I just kept writing, you know? Please review this, just don't flame it. I can't stand flames!