Author: ICountCrows
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, setting, or much of the basis for the plot of this story. That is all property of J. K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, and Arthur A. Levine Books.
Summary: A POV story in which Harry and the gang return to Hogwarts for their fifth year. Harry is extremely vigilant this year because he feels responsible for Cedric Diggory's death, and Draco has gone through a transformation as well...
Chapter: Sei - A Few Charming Charms
Chapter Warnings: None
Author's Note: This chapter doesn't have a lot of plot development, but it does have some Draco character development and a slew of nifty charms. Maybe a few new characters will enter as well, like a big black dog...? I had fun writing this; I hope you have fun reading it.
Thanks: All reviewers - Anne Pheonix, Prophetess of Hearts, Rambling B*tch and Rae Rae
Harry
"Professor Lupin!" I cried, entering the DADA classroom for the first time this year. "I knew you'd come back!"
Behind me, Hermione and Ron entered with similarly excited explanations.
My day had done nothing but get better as it progressed. First, upon receiving my schedule, I had learned that I didn't have to suffer through Professor Snape's Potions class until Tuesday. Then, in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall completely humiliated Malfoy's little stooges, Crabbe and Goyle, by transfiguring their summer essays into two steaming piles of hippogriff manure and telling them both that that was exactly what their work was worth. In Charms, we learned an extremely simple and undetectable silencing spell that I realized would work very well on Ron when I was trying to do my homework. And now this!
"Well, hello there!" Professor Lupin beamed. "I've been looking forward to seeing the three of you all day! How is everything?"
"We're fine," I blurted quickly, not wanting to waste precious time talking about us. I was more curious about him. "But how did you get your job back?"
The professor shrugged and took a seat at his desk. "Apparently, last year when the school petitioned to rehire me, Lucius Malfoy made such a fuss they couldn't do it. But this year, he didn't make a peep."
He stopped abruptly when the door opened and revealed a rather coy-looking Draco Malfoy. My new non-enemy strode in magnificently, taking his seat on the left side of the room and completely ignoring the two morons behind him. That was surprisingly easy to do today, as they were engaged in what looked to be a fairly fierce word-mouthing contest.
Lupin stared at the two goons for a moment, then turned to Malfoy. "Did you..." he began, motioning at the ridiculous muted scene.
Malfoy nodded.
Lupin blinked and contemplated this for a moment, then said simply, "Why, thank you, Mr. Malfoy."
I felt Ron shudder behind me, then heard him mutter softly, "I never thought I'd hear him say that."
As the other students began to filter into the room, we took our seats. More cheerful shouts of "Professor Lupin! You're back!" echoed throughout the room until all the Gryffindors were seated.
The Slytherins sat, unblinking and rigid, on their side of the room, and didn't make a sound. Our reinstated teacher knew not to take that personally, though. The Slytherins sat like that through all their classes. And even if they didn't, I still didn't think Remus Lupin would have given a Boggart.
"Well, welcome back, all of you, to your fifth year of instruction at Hogwarts. As you all have had me as a teacher before, you all know who and what I am, but just for formality's sake, let's review." He cleared his throat loudly and announced, "My name is Remus Lupin, and I am a werewolf."
A few sarcastic gasps made their way around the room before order was restored once more.
"Now, today's lesson will be on freezing spells. For this, I will need two assistants, one of whom I already have." Lupin turned to his left and whistled, at which point an overly large black dog came padding out of his office.
"Snuf-"
Hermione and I both instantly flicked our wands in Ron's direction and yawned, inflicting upon him our newly mastered silencing spell. A few people turned our way, but Hermione, always brilliant, covered our arses rather well, once again.
"Gods bless you, Harry," she said.
"Thank you, Hermione," I responded casually.
The black dog sat obediently next to Lupin, wagged its tail, and barked good-naturedly at us. I could have sworn I saw him wink as well.
"Now," Lupin continued, "I need another assistant." His eyes scanned the volunteerless class. Over the years, we had all pretty much learned never to volunteer in DADA. With professors like Lockhart and Mad-Eye Moody (even if he wasn't the real one), sometimes "lab activities" got a little out of hand. "All right then. Mr. Malfoy, care to show your daring side?"
Malfoy smirked and crossed his arms stubbornly. "You're crazier than my father says if you think you're getting me up there for one of your crackpot demonstrations."
"Very well, then," Lupin continued cheerily. He was, as usual, unfazed by Malfoy's snide remarks. I wished I could be like that. Then again, I also wished I could take away their house points on a whim. "Ten points from Slytherin. Mr. Crabbe?"
Crabbe's mouth hung slightly open and I think he would have been speechless even if he hadn't been bewitched by Draco's silencing charm. Beside him, Goyle sniggered silently, and he turned to Malfoy for instruction.
"Well, get up there, you bloody fool, before he docks more of our points," was all the silver-haired God of Goons would say.
Crabbe reluctantly stepped up to the front of the room.
"Now, stand just there," Lupin said, positioning him about two meters in front of the window. Then, looking at the dog, he commanded, "Vim inferre!"
In the blink of an eye, the humongous canine was leaping at Crabbe, and then he was on top of him. His remarkably large paws rested square in the center of the petrified boy's chest and his sharp teeth were bared within centimeters of Crabbe's astonished face. He was growling.
"Snuffles, desiste," Lupin called calmly, and Snuffles returned to his "owner", wagging his tail and (unfortunately) having caused absolutely no injury to the student.
The whole class was still in shock, especially Crabbe, who had just barely managed to pick himself up off the floor. His face was pale and his jaw hung loosely, making him look extraordinarily thick, even for one of Malfoy's Morons.
I shared an amused and astonished look with Ron and Hermione. I had never seen "Snuffles" look so dangerous.
Crabbe had nowhere near recovered from the first attack when Lupin ordered another, but this time, he shouted, "Petrificus tempus!" and the dog froze mid-leap, balancing dangerously on his hind legs.
Crabbe looked almost as stunned as he had when he was knocked to the floor.
Professor Lupin turned to his shaken students. "A simple freezing spell," he stated. "It's much like a the stunning spell Stupefy, but instead of tranquilizing the recipient, it completely stops time for them." He smiled. "This dog has absolutely no connection with reality right now."
As we left the classroom at the end of the lesson, Ron leaned over and said quietly, "Good for Sirius. I think he deserved a little 'time off', so to speak."
********** * **********
Draco
I ditched the squibs on the way to dinner and told them I'd meet up with them at the table. It wasn't easy; the two of them are so dependent on me it's sickening, but eventually their fear of upsetting me overcame their fear of being alone.
So I was finally able to make it to the owlrey. I had waited all day, my fingers itching to write my father about Harry's ignorance of his indiscretion, but knowing I couldn't do so in such a crowded place. There was too much of a chance someone could read over my shoulder. I wouldn't have been able to get an owl until now, anyway, and that would have meant walking around all day with a potentially very important letter in my pocket. I suspected that Father would not have been proud of me for that and would have expected me to use much more caution in any further circumstances.
I spat angrily on the ground among the owl droppings and tried not to give a damn what my father thought of me. But hell, who was I kidding? I was here wasn't I? 'If I were a real man,' I thought furiously, 'I wouldn't send him anything at all. I wouldn't have even asked Harry about it.' But I wasn't a real man. I was Daddy's Little Bitch just the way Daddy was the Dark Lord's.
I snorted at the similarities between the two of us. I hated him so much, and yet I knew I was so like him. We were both ruthlessly cruel and devious (there was no doubt I did belong in Slytherin), and we shared the ability to control people. It was the name, the money, the family arrogance - a person's environment could really get to him. My whole life he had raised me to believe I was better than everyone, and because he had done it so well, I was able to make others believe it, too. Everyone except for him. I realized then that that was another trait we shared; we each had our demons. He was mine; the Dark Lord was his. We controlled everyone around us, except for the one that controlled us.
I pushed the thoughts of my father away as I entered the private part of the owlrey, where the students' owls were kept. I passed Harry's Snowy Owl on the way to mine and envied them both for a moment. So beautiful, so white, so pure...So good.
I sighed and forced myself to move on, realizing with a groan when I reached my own bird, Nuntio, that it was stationed right next to the Weasel's pathetic excuse for a pint-sized post-carrier. The bothersome little thing fluttered about excitedly in its cage, beating its wings like a hummingbird and distracting me the whole time I was trying to formulate my letter.
Finally, I decided on the short and to-the-point approach. Father didn't need to know that The Golden Boy and I had shaken hands or anything of the sort. I would only tell him what he asked for.
"Potter doesn't know," I wrote, and that was it.
I folded the small piece of parchment, tapped it with my wand, said "Dissimula proscribere," and gave it to the bird.
It was done, and I washed my hands of it. I vowed to myself right then that I would never again do any more work in any way connected with the Dark Lord.
I felt dirty.
********** * **********
Well, what do you think? Draco is working for the Dark Lord, even if he doesn't want to be. I know I'm a big tease, but get used to it. You love me anyway, right? Anyway, speaking of teasing....
- What are Lupin and Sirius doing back at the school?
- What was that charm Draco used on his letter?
- And what will Lucius Malfoy think when he receives it?