Harry Jr_ and the Ministry's Secret Chapter 04 Chapter 4: Subjects and Rulers
by Pottermaniac

A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers so far. I apologize for the delay. The plot took a while to crystallize in my mind.

***

That night, Richie had lumped Junior, Will, Charles, Scott, and Marcus in the same dorm room. The boys had unpacked and talked until midnight. Then they had all decided to go to sleep.

However, Junior hadn't slept well that night. He daydreamed for hours about what he would accomplish at Hogwarts before sleep came over him.

"Junior, get up." That was Will's voice.

In his dreams Junior had had several adventures last night. By the time Will woke him up, he had performed two daring rescues and won the hand of Julie White.

Junior felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned over. "I'm awake," he said groggily to Will.

"We were going to get breakfast," said Charles.

"Okay," Junior said. The clock read 7:30, so he decided not to take a shower. He got dressed and slipped his feet into his shoes. "Let's go," he said.

***

The Great Hall was full of chatter when Junior and his roommates entered. Jenny was already there at the Gryffindor table, and it appeared that she had already finished breakfast. "Hi you guys," she said.

Junior and Will said hi to her and grinned.

"Just in time, too," said Patrick.

Junior heard a whooshing sound and turned towards the sound's origin. Hundreds of owls flew into the hall through the main entrance. The owls' claws held envelopes, and soon the owls made their deliveries. Junior and his friends looked at the identical envelopes that had dropped in front of them.

"Ooh, these are the schedules," said Jenny.

Junior and his friends opened the envelopes savagely and took out the schedules. "Our first class is potions with the Slytherins," said Will sadly.

"But then we've got History at 9, DADA at 10, and . . transfiguration at 2," said Junior distractedly.

"Magical creatures, charms, and herbology on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays," said Jenny as she looked down at the schedule.

"And we've got three hours a week of potions," said Will grudgingly. "Figures, since Snape's running the school."

Junior looked up potions on the schedule. "Double potions on Friday afternoon?"

"With the Slytherins," said Marcus regretfully.

Will scowled at Marcus, who suddenly apologized profusedly.

"Interesting," said Jenny distantly.

Junior and Will looked in her direction, and Junior saw that she was holding the Daily Prophet. "What is it?" he asked. Jenny had been a long-time subscriber to the paper.

"Look," she said. She handed the paper to Junior and Will, pointing at the cover story:

Ministry Action Sparks Ugly Protest

Yesterday, activist Alicia Wilson led hundreds of wizards and witches in a protest of the upcoming second Global Wizard-Muggle Conference. The protest occured yesterday just outside the Ministry's headquarters in London, and it turned ugly shortly after Minister Ronald Weasley gave a prepared statement from inside the building. The statement said that the next conference would focus primarily on issues regarding the wizarding and Muggle judicial systems.

"What about Richard Moore?" read a large percentage of the protesters' signs. Richard Moore was slain by wizard-hating Muggles last month. The ministry apprehended two suspects, brothers Michael and Larry Clark, a few weeks ago. They received a quick trial, and were sentenced to life without parole in a Muggle prison in London.

Wilson and her fellow protesters demand the reopening of the prison of Azkaban. Many wizards and witches feel less safe due to the prison's closing, but most wizards trust Weasley's judgment. The protesters argue that Azkaban is the only deterrent against acts of violence motivated by hatred for wizards.

Several Muggle diplomats who are staying in the city for the time being reported being victims of verbal harrassment from Wilson's protesters. Victoria Matthews, an American Muggle diplomat, became especially irate with the protesters' comments. She confronted the group, and then a still-unidentified man performed a hex on her. She is currently recovering at a hospital in the city.

***

Junior, Will, and Jenny followed the other students, descending a staircase into a dark and musty dungeon. They carried their heavy, pewter cauldrons in front of them and had several books stuffed in their bags. Jenny talked a mile a minute, trying to straighten out with them all the material she had read over the summer.

"Jen," interrupted an irritated Will. "Will you stop talking? We can't help you. Junior and I barely looked at the potions books over the summer."

Jenny's jaw dropped, and she goggled at them. "Why not?" she managed.

Junior and Will shrugged. They walked in silence until they reached Spate's dungeon. Charles was not saying much, probably because he was thinking about his near-fight with Pallas. Pallas was a Slytherin, and so he would be in their class.

Spate's dungeon was dark and had a funny odor. Junior noticed the smell of dust, the bare stone walls, and several wooden shelves. Glass flasks of ingredients rested on each shelf, and they appeared to be organized throughly. The wooden desks were arranged in rows, with plenty of space between desks in the same row. Each desk had several vials full of colored liquid and several containers with herbs inside. The desk spacing would allow room between desks for the students' cauldrons.

The students filed in, and set their cauldrons down on the stony floor. They all breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they wouldn't have to carry the cauldrons again for a long time. Junior looked at the Slytherins. Pallas didn't appear to be a close friend to any of them, though he did exchange small talk with them. Pallas' cauldron was dropped in the front row, still quite a distance from the professor's desk.

Junior and his friends dropped their cauldrons near the back of the class, behind another set of desks. A man stood at the front of the class, watching the students with a cold stare. This must be Professor Tyrus Spate. Spate's arms were crossed in front of him. He was a gaunt man with short, black hair. His skin was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. There was a clock on the wall above Spate. Its minute hand reached 12. It was 8 o'clock, and time for Junior's first class at Hogwarts to begin.

"Good morning to you all," said Spate. Junior wasn't sure how much sincerity was in that remark. "Welcome to Hogwarts, and welcome to potions class. My name is Professor Spate. The goal of the course is to become proficient at all of the basic potion-making techniques. " He looked them over, and his arms were still crossed. "Does anyone know what Rhodus potion is?"

Junior didn't know. He looked around at his classmates. Jenny raised her hand. A second later, so did Pallas. Then, it looked like Charles was about to raise his.

"Yes?" the professor said as he pointed at Jenny.

She cleared her throat nervously. "Rhodus potion makes things turn red."

"Yes," said Spate. "Today we will make this potion. First one to make it successfully earns 10 points for their house. If you finish before class is over, you may be excused from class. Before I let you get started, I would like to have a quick word with the Gryffindors here at the front of the class. You others can begin. The instructions are on page 48 of your textbooks."

Junior and the other Gryffindors rose from their seats and walked towards Spate's desk. Junior felt slightly suspicious of the professor's motives, because he remembered what he had heard about Spate at the banquet.

"Hello, Gryffindors," said Spate merrily.

The students said hello back.

"I don't know your names," Spate said in a cheerful tone. "I'm the head of Slytherin house, so I will get to know all of my Slytherin students' names eventually. Can we start with you, please?" He pointed at a Gryffindor girl that Junior didn't know.

"Kelly Baker," she said.

This went on for roughly three minutes. Spate occasionally asked where a student was from.

Then Junior and the other Gryffindors returned to their seats. Junior felt cheated. He and the others started moving quickly in order to make up for the lost time.

"Unbelievable," muttered Will to Junior. It was fortunate that they were at the back of the class.

"That is so unfair," said Junior. He glanced at Jenny, who did not appear to be paying attention to them.

They continued working in silence.

***


"Done!" said Jenny loudly and confidently after forty minutes had passed. Junior was impressed, and it looked like Will was as well. She was the first person to announce that his or her potion was finished.

They looked at Spate, who continued to monitor the students as if Jenny hadn't said anything. Jenny looked bewildered.

"Finished," said Pallas glumly from the front of the room.

"Excellent," said Spate brightly. He walked briskly over to Pallas' cauldron and picked up a wooden spoon from Pallas' desk. His hands dipped the tip of the spoon into the cauldron, and the handle in Spate's hand turned red. The spoon was raised up, and everybody saw that the entire spoon had been turned that same color. "Good work," he finally said. "Hmm. A bit too dark. More squill and less juniper would make it perfect. You're in Slytherin, right?"

"Yes," said Pallas. "I'm Pallas Moore."

"All right, then. Ten points to Slytherin," said Spate. "You may go now, Pallas."

Pallas nodded. He looked as surprised as Junior. "Yes sir," he said. His hands stuffed his books into his bag, and then he left. He turned his head towards Junior and his friends as he left, and there was an apologetic look on his face.

Junior heard a sniffle to his right. That's where Jenny sat. He looked to his left and saw Will's red face. The blood began to boil in Junior's veins as well. But he wasn't going to risk making things worse. If he snapped, he might lose points from Gryffindor or get a detention. And this was only his first class at Hogwarts! He had returned to making his potion, his hands grinding some squill with mortar and pestle. Class would be over in five minutes.

***

Class ended, and the students got their books. Junior and his friends left the room in silence and saw Pallas standing out in the hall with crossed arms.

"Let me explain," pleaded Pallas to them when he saw them. His facial expression, however, was stoic.

"Get lost," snapped Will.

Junior didn't feel too much sympathy for Pallas. Jenny was Junior's friend, and she was on the verge of tears. He saw Pallas shrug and then walk away.

As soon as they had walked a considerable distance from where Spate would be able to hear them, they all started talking at once.

"That was horrible!" exclaimed Junior.

"What a git!" exclaimed Will. He had picked up the term "git" from his uncle Ron.

"That was not fair!" said Jenny. Junior saw that tears were running down her cheeks. "I was the first one, and the Slytherins had a head start! What am I supposed to do?"

Junior didn't know what to say.

Charles finally broke the silence. "He sent us a message."

"Message?" asked Junior.

"Yes," said Charles. "The message is: Gryffindors, don't bother trying to get any points in my class."

Junior knew that it was true.

***

They made their way to Concolor's classroom for History of Magic. The other Gryffindor first years caught up with them and offered sympathetic remarks. Junior and Will cheered Jenny up by talking about how fun History would be.

The classroom appeared in the distance, on the right side of the hallway. Junior and his friends rushed to the door and opened it. The classroom was well lit, and the windows let in the fresh air from the outside and offered a third story view of the grounds.

Concolor was sitting in his desk with a pair of reading glasses, poring over what looked like his notes for the lecture. The long hair on the side of his head nearly reached down to the desk itself.

Junior and his friends sat at the back, still discussing how they had been cheated.

All the students had sat down by the time the clock struck 9 o'clock. Concolor had been looking at the clock, and now he rose from his seat. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning professor," the students responded in a frightened monotone.

Concolor grinned. "I'm going to ask some questions. If I call on you, then please state your name before answering. I'd like to get to know you all." Junior and the others nodded. "All right. "Who was Grindenwald?"

A few students, including Junior and Will and Jenny, rose their hands.

"Yes?" said Concolor as he pointed to Jenny.

"Um," she began. "I'm Jenny Weasley," she said nervously. "Grindenwald was the most powerful dark wizard of the mid-twentieth century. He was defeated by Albus Dumbledore."

"Right," said the professor enthusiasticaly. He put his hand in a container on his desk, and the hand came out of the container with a wrapped piece of candy. "Catch," he said.

Jenny held her hands out. Concolor lobbed the piece of candy over to her, and she caught it. "Thanks," she said happily. She was evidently in much higher spirits now.

"Now," Concolor continued, "who was Lord Voldemort?"

Every hand in the classroom that belonged to a student shot up into the air. "Yes," he said as he pointed at Julie White.

Junior took advantage of the opportunity to stare at her. Melissa was sitting next to her. "Er," she began. "I'm Julie White. Voldemort was the most powerful Dark Wizard of recent times. He was defeated by Harry Potter almost two decades ago." She gave Junior a knowing look, and he felt himself blush.

"Excellent," said Concolor. The hand shot into the jar, and then the candy was lobbed into the air. Julie caught it easily.

"Thanks, professor," she said.

"Right," said Concolor. "So is there a connection?"

Will raised his hand quickly, and he was called on. "Will Malfoy, sir. Yes. Doesn't it show that history repeats itself?"

"Exactly," said Concolor. Will eventually received his piece of candy as well and thanked the professor. "Well-put Will," continued Concolor. "History repeats itself. Now, I assigned you to read this material from the textbook over the summer, but I suspect that not all of you finished it."

Some of the students laughed nervously as Concolor turned his back towards them. The right hand picked up a piece of chalk, and he continued speaking. "We're going to discuss a few key facts about Grindenwald and Voldemort. But this is just to get you started, because for Thursday you're going to write a three-length long scroll comparing and contrasting these two Dark Wizards." He cracked his knuckles loudly and raised his right hand to the board. "Right," he said. "Let's get started."

***

The class went well. Concolor knew the material thoroughly and encouraged discussions. Of course, he had personally assisted in the defeat of Voldemort. Junior wasn't sure why he hadn't had a chance to meet Concolor before.

"Harry," said Concolor as soon as class had been dismissed.

Junior turned around. "Me?" he asked. His friends had turned around as well, but everybody else was filing out.

"I'm one of your parents' friends," the professor said.

"Er, yes," said Junior. "They've mentioned you a few times."

"Well, yes," said Concolor. He looked uncomfortable and had his hands behind his back. "Well, I gave them an unusual request, and they reluctantly obliged. They were not supposed to tell you too much about me before you met me here."

Junior was confused. His friends quickly mentioned that they would meet him outside, and then he was alone in the room with the professor.

"You see," continued Concolor, "I'm quite set in my ways. I didn't really want to know one student much better than any of the others before class started. That might sound strange, but that's just something I do. Obviously, your parents already know you, but I think your parents would do a better job than me at being objective. During your seven years here, we'll get to know each other well enough. I just thought you should know, Harry."

"Okay," said Junior. He was still slightly confused. "Er, could you please call me Junior?"

"Sure. Junior," he said. "I'll see you in class on Thursday, then?"

"Yes, sir," said Junior, and he walked out of the classroom.

***

Junior relayed the conversation to his friends.

"Well, he's a bit of an oddball, then," said Will.

"Speaking of your parents," said Jenny. "We'd better hurry to your father's class. DADA starts in five minutes!"

Without another word, they bolted off in the same direction as the other Gryffindors had gone a few minutes before.

It took a lot of effort for them to catch up to the others; they were panting when they arrived at the classroom. They entered just in time and sat down in the back.

Junior looked at his father, who was smiling back at him. Harry Potter, Sr. was his hero for countless reasons. Whenever anybody asked him anything about his father's adventures, he always knew the answer. He hoped that someday his children would look up to him the same way.

Dark black robes hung from Harry Sr.'s broad-shouldered frame. In the professor's left hand was one of the most famous wands in the history of wizardry. If not for this wand and if not for its owner, the wizarding world today would be suffering unspeakably under the reign of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. In his right hand was a white piece of chalk.

The green eyes darted around the room and then up to the clock.

" . . . Herculean Adonis," whispered a voice to Junior's right. Jolina was talking conspiratorially with another girl who Junior barely recognized. They both giggled, and Junior rolled his eyes.

The clock on the wall facing them struck 10. "Hi," said the professor. "I'm Harry Potter." He turned around and began to write his name on the blackboard. The students all burst into laughter, and then so did Harry.

He turned around and looked at them with a silly grin on his face. "It sounds like you already know my name, but I don't know yours'." He looked at Junior and his friends. "Well, most of your names I don't know. If you like, add an interesting detail. So how about we start with this young lady at this end of the front row." He pointed at a brunette that Junior vaguely recognized to be a Slytherin and smiled.

"I'm Stephanie Lane," she said stiffly. "I want to be the Minister of Magic someday."

"Excellent," said Junior. He nodded at the person to her left.

"Colin Mason," said the boy. "I'm a Gryffindor from London."

"Great city," said Harry, Sr.

"Yes it is," echoed the boy.

It was Pallas' turn. "Pallas Moore," he said.

What would Junior's father say now? 'I'm sorry for your loss'?

Harry Sr. didn't say anything. Pallas just stared at him. A second took forever to pass. "My favorite color is blue," Pallas finally said with a grin.

"Mine too," said Harry cheerily. Laughs were heard around the room. Harry nodded at the next person.

Was that just a standoff? What did Pallas exactly think about Junior's father? These questions troubled Junior while the others introduced themselves.

***

"I'm Jenny Weasley," said Jenny when it came to her turn. Junior was glad to see her feeling comfortable again. "And I'm your son's friend," she said.

"Which is a good thing for him," said Harry the professor. Some students laughed with him. Junior laughed especially hard. "He needs a sensible person to hang around with."

"Unlike me, Will Malfoy," chimed in Will with light-hearted sarcasm.

"My point exactly," said Harry Sr. There were more laughs.

"I'm actually very sensible," said Junior with mock indignation. "I'm Harry Potter, Jr, in case you don't remember." There were more chuckles. "I hope to play Quidditch for Gryffindor, just like you did."

Harry smiled at his son. "I know you'll do great." Junior beamed. Harry nodded at Charles on Junior's left.

"Charles Chapman, sir," said Charles. His voice was quiet. "This whole place staggers me."

"It staggers me too," said Harry, "and I've known this place since I was eleven." Charles chuckled.

"You're still eleven," muttered Junior under his breath. He smiled innocently at his father.

"What was that, Junior?" said Harry with a grin. He looked at the clock. "All right. Let's get something accomplished before the hour ends, shall we?" There were nods around the room. He took out a transparent box from behind the desk. It had a small hole at the top and what looked like a locked door on one side. The students gasped when they saw what was inside. In the center of the box scowled a winged, rat-like creature. It was grey, with long black fingernails and long whiskers. Strange noises that sounded like a different language came out of its mouth. "Does anyone know what these are?" asked Harry.

Apparently none of the students did. The creature kept talking out loud; it sounded like it was cursing.

"This is a Mupa. They're quite belligerent creatures. Several different types of spells will subdue them, so you can be creative. I'll give you an example."

Harry stood a few feet away from the box and pointed his wand at what appeared to be the door. "Alohomora," he muttered.

The door flew open and the Mupa used its bat-like wings to fly out, making all kinds of racket as it did so. Its long tail whipped around and pointed itself at Harry. The tip lit up, and Junior realized that the tail was being used as a sort of primitive wand.

"Petrificus," muttered Harry calmly. In an instant, a green flash of light shot out of Harry's wand and turned the Mupa into stone. Harry's feet propelled him to the middle of the room in time to catch the falling Mupa in his hands. The professor's hands placed it in the box and closed the door. All eyes were on him. He pointed his wand at the center of the box from a small hole at the top. "Reanimus," he muttered, and a yellow stream of light flowed from his wand. The creature sprang back to life. It yelled in its native language more furiously than ever. Harry continued. "Mupas, like vampires, seek to drink human blood." Junior gulped, but he saw that Pallas was cool and confident. "The easiest thing to do is to petrify them; I'll do the rest. Volunteers?"

Pallas Moore raised his hand. He was so competitive. Well, Junior wasn't going to go down without a fight--especially not in front of Dad. Junior raised his hand as well.

"All right then," said Harry. "First Pallas, then Junior. Anybody else?" No other hands went up. "All right."

Pallas rose from his seat, wand in his right hand. He and Harry stood a long distance away with their wands pointing at the box.

"Ready?" asked Harry excitedly. Pallas nodded. "Alohomora," muttered Harry.

The creature flew out again as soon as the door opened.

"Petrificus," said Pallas. A dark blue light began to shoot out of Pallas' wand, but then it retracted. "Petrificus!" Pallas exclaimed louder, petrifying the Mupa just as its tail began to point towards him. Harry caught the creature and placed it back in the cage.

"Great job," said Harry.

"It didn't work the first time," said Pallas dejectedly. "I didn't concentrate hard enough."

"That's normal," said Harry with a smile. Pallas nodded weakly at Harry and returned to his seat with his head down. The creature was re-animated as before.

Junior rose quickly. He had his chance now. Fame and glory, here he came! As Harry had done with Pallas, the two Potters stood at one end of the front of the room and aimed their wands at the door of the box.

"Alohomora," said Harry.

The creature flew out, more aggressive than ever.

Junior fought the urge to panic. He tracked the creature with his wand. "Petrificus," he said uncertainly. A weak green light fizzed out after shooting out of Junior's wand. The creature bared its pointed teeth at him and began to fly towards him . . "Petrificus!" Junior boomed. A powerful green light burst forth from his wand, and it was so powerful that he staggered back a little from the recoil. The creature turned to stone again, and Harry caught it and stuffed it in the box.

"Great job as well," said Harry proudly to his son.

Beads of sweat were on Junior's forehead, and his breathing was rapid. "Th . . thanks," he said. He also walked back to his room feeling dejected, but he kept his head up to disguise it. His father was beaming at him, but Junior felt like a failure. He had had his chance to go one up on the competition, but instead he and Pallas were tied. Junior had problems concentrating on the action as the other students had their tries with the Mupa. The best performances from the others involved three or four tries with the spell, and there was never any real danger. Everyone else returned to their seats with smiles on their faces, but Junior knew that he and Pallas had a silent competition going on. Neither one of them would be happy until he had an advantage over the other.

***

Harry Sr. accompanied Junior and his friends on their way to lunch at the Great Hall.

"So how's your first day been?" asked Harry Sr.

Junior looked at his friends cautiously and decided to pre-empt them. "Everything's been great, Dad," said Junior. His friends gave him strange looks, but didn't say anything. "Potions, Magical History, and your class were all great."

"I'm glad," said Harry. He smiled. "I've heard that Professor Spate doesn't give many points to Gryffindors."

Junior felt exceedingly uncomfortable lying to his father, but he didn't want to have to rely on his father for anything. "Well, we didn't earn any today," Junior said. "But the Slytherins only got 10."

"I see," said Harry.

They finally reached the Great Hall, and then Harry parted with the kids. As usual, Junior saw his Dad's eyes light up upon seeing Cho. Junior waved at his Mum. She was wearing blue again, which his Dad had often said was her color. It was no surprise for Junior to hear in class that his Dad loved blue.

"Let's go eat," said Junior. "I'm starving." The others nodded. They reached the Gryffindor table and sat down, exhausted already.

"Why didn't you tell your Dad about Spate?" asked Will bitterly.

"You know," said Junior.

Will just looked at him sternly. Jenny had a concerned expression on her face. "Honestly," Will replied. "We're just going to have to work harder just to keep up with the Slytherins."

"We'll be fine," said Junior confidently.

"I think you should have at least hinted at something," said Jenny. "You know, lying is wrong."

"Uh huh," said Junior distantly. He wasn't really paying attention anymore. Julie's eyes had captivated his attention from across the hall.

***

Junior and his friends returned to the common room with full stomachs. Junior dropped his heavy bag in his dorm room and replaced the contents with his transfiguration books.

A couple games of wizard chess helped pass the time before they decided it was time to leave for transfiguration.

***

It didn't take as long as they expected to reach the transfiguration room. As they approached the door from the hallway, they saw that the door was slightly open. They heard a male voice say, "Orchideous," which Junior recognized to be a spell that made flowers burst from a wand tip.

"Ah! Please don't scare me like that," said a female voice that Junior thought he recognized. He heard her giggle. "Well, these are really nice," they heard her say sheepishly.

Junior peeped in, and then he brought his head back out into the hallway just as quickly. "Oh brother," he groaned quietly.

"What is it?" asked Jenny.

Junior put a finger to his lips. "My parents," he whispered.

"So?" whispered Will.

"They're kissing," clarified Junior.

"Well I . . I guess we're a little early," whispered Jenny. She glanced at her watch. "Class doesn't start for fifteen minutes."

During the ensuing silence, Junior and his friends could hear whispers from inside.

"I love your soft hair, darling," they faintly heard Harry say.

"Oh honey, it's not that soft," they heard Cho reply with delight. Her weakness was her husband.

"We're getting out of here," whispered Junior sternly to his friends. They looked at him with confused expressions. "At least I am going to take a walk around the halls." With that, he took off down the corridor.

***

Junior walked briskly, not really wanting the others to follow. He never looked back, so he wasn't sure if they were following him. The faces in the paintings that lined the hallway followed him with their eyes. Some smiled at him and waved. A few annoying ones begged him for some conversation.

"Sorry," Junior would mutter to them. "I have a class soon." After a few minutes of walking, a sight made Junior stop. A painting of a dark landscape hung from the wall. In the background of the painting, Junior saw words. They were laced throughout what would appear to the average person as a background of squiggly green lines. But Junior knew immediately what had grabbed his attention. The writing was in Parselmouth, and he was reading it clearly.

In the future, those with and without the Knowledge will be at odds. A Betrayer will be said to serve both sides, but truly serve another. The Betrayer will aid the arrival of the Lord of Night and Day. This Dark Wizard will cause the terrible War that the King fears. All this is foreseen, unless the Intersection of the Lines can solve the puzzle.

That made absolutely no sense. Junior tried to sort it all out, but his watch told him that he had to get to class. Perhaps his father could help him with it. No, that wasn't necessary. Junior would come back to the painting later to try to decipher the meaning. It's not like the painting was going anywhere.

***

Junior retraced his steps until he saw his friends standing outside. Jenny was looking at him and giggling.

"What is it?" asked Junior defensively. "They're not still . . "

Junior saw the door swing open gently, and then his Dad stepped into the hallway. His hair was more toussled than usual. The smile on Harry Sr.'s face disappeared when he saw the kids outside. "Er, hi son," Harry Sr. said awkwardly.

"Hi Dad," mumbled Junior.

Harry looked at the others and then at his watch. "Well, I have a class to teach in a few minutes. Have fun, you kids. Don't get on your Mum's nerves, Harry." A grin broke out on his face just before he left.

The other students in the class started to arrive. Will, Jenny, and Charles were all looking at him with smug expressions. "You wouldn't believe the cute names they have for each other," teased Will as soon as Harry was out of hearing range. Jenny and Charles were visibly fighting the urge to snicker.

Junior didn't feel too flustered. He'd get back at them by not immediately telling them what he had seen a few minutes before.

***

The transfiguration room was bright, orderly, and inviting. It suited Cho's personality perfectly. The curtains were up, and the sun shone through the windows. The desks were arranged in rows of six. A tall, green houseplant stood in a corner at the back of the room. Harry's orchids were in a white ceramic flower vase on Cho's desk.

Cho's big brown eyes lit up as the students entered. She was really beaming at them. Junior and his friends decided to sit at the back; Junior told them he worried about his Mum embarrassing him.

The clock struck 2. "Hi," Cho said. "How is everybody?" It appeared that she was still partly on cloud nine; Harry must have made her day.

The students nodded and made shy comments about the day.

She continued to beam at them. "My name is Cho Chang Potter, but you can call me Professor Potter or Professor Chang. Welcome to Transfiguration," she said cheerily. "My hope is that you Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs enjoy this class as much as I. Would you mind going through introductions for one more teacher?" she asked sweetly.

Some students chuckled. Junior had already been through two such introductions today. This was his first class with the Hufflepuffs, but he still wasn't really in the mood. His eyes roamed the room. Several boys were indeed grinning foolishly at their professor. How pathetic could they be?

Junior didn't pay too much attention to the introductions. It had been a long day, already. Cho seemed genuinely interested in learning everybody's name, and she was her usual witty self in the small conversations that ensued. The students laughed heartily, enjoying the laid-back atmosphere. Junior suspected that some of the louder laughing boys would erupt into laughter even if her jokes weren't funny.

***

"Jason Sargone, ma'am," said Jason when it was his turn. "Future dragon keeper."

"Fascinating job, that," said Cho. "All the dragon keepers I know love their jobs. Transfig might help you a bit in that field, don't you think?" She grinned at this shameless act of self-promotion. Junior didn't know that his Mum had dragon keeper friends.

"Of course," said Jason with a broad smile. "Transfiguration is the difference between life or death when it comes to dragons."

The whole class laughed. Jason was really a cool guy, thought Junior.

***

Junior reflected during the next few minutes of introductions. Of course Cho knew dragon keepers. She had such a staggering amount of friends from so many different backgrounds that Junior didn't know how she kept up with them. Of course, her best friends were her husband, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Draco. The herbology professor, Carolyn Green, was also one of Cho's older, and more talkative, friends from Ravenclaw.

***

Soon it was Jenny's turn. Jenny and Cho smiled at each other. There was definitely some kind of understanding between the two that much resembled Cho's connection to her daughters.

"I'm Jenny Weasley, professor," Jenny said brightly. "I think I might want to teach Transfiguration someday."

Cho smiled back. "That's wonderful," she said. "It's a great job." Junior knew when his Mum was genuine, and she definitely was right now. "Please keep my son out of trouble, OK?"

"I'll try, Mrs. Pott-- I mean, Professor Potter," Jenny said.

"Speaking of your son," began Junior. It was his turn to introduce himself. Cho smiled at him, which always seemed to relax him a bit. "I'm Harry Potter, Jr. And, er, I'm nothing but trouble."

Cho and Junior's classmates laughed. "I think you're exaggerating a bit, dear," the professor joked. "Don't expect to get away with anything in my class," she added. Junior grinned back. She looked to Junior's left. "Will?" she said.

"Yes," said Will. "I'm Will Malfoy," he addressed to the class. "I don't know what I want to do, but I am not going to become an actor like my parents."

There was more laughter.

"No acting, then?" asked Cho.

"Nope," said Will.

"Well, you certainly have the looks," said Cho genuinely. Junior felt disgusted as Will's face turned red. Half the class turned to suddenly scrutinize Will more closely. The color in his face subsided as the last few students introduced themselves.

"Okay, that's everybody," said Cho. "Let's talk about transfiguration, then. First of all, can somebody define transfiguration?" She looked around at the students. "Yes?" she said as she pointed to Jason.

"Using magic to turn one thing into another," said Jason.

"Exactly," said Cho. She glanced at the clock. "Does anybody know what an Animagus is?"

Hands shot into the air, and Cho called on Will.

"An Animagus is a wizard who can change into an animal," said Will confidently.

"Right," said Cho. "Would you all like to see this kind of change take place?"

The students nodded excitedly. Junior had already seen this before.

Cho raised her wand hand and pointed the wand tip at the top of her head. She muttered something, and with a soft popping sound she was replaced by a white dove. The wand fell to the floor and all the students gasped.

It made sense in so many ways for Cho to pick the dove. She loved to fly. The coldness, the thin air, and the view at the high altitudes thrilled her. That's why Quidditch appealed to her so much. Harry and Cho would still occasionally have broom races. The fact that the secret of magic had gotten out to the Muggles meant that wizards could travel by broom out in the open.

In addition, Cho was an innocent and pure creature. Ron still joked with Harry about the years when Harry had been "going out with a nun." Cho had had "The Rule", as she had called it. It was old-fashioned courtship, which meant that she wouldn't even allow anyone to kiss her until her marriage. It had severely tried Harry's patience.

According to the books, Harry had a particularly difficult time with the rule one day when Cho had saved his life. He had begged to thank her with a kiss, and she had desperately wanted to receive it. Somehow, she had held fast to her rule. In the end, Harry had kissed her at that moment--on the forehead.

Though he had been irritated, in the end it must have been worth it. Everyone knew that Harry and Cho were a very happily married couple. Cho must have felt priveleged to have that kind of commitment from the man she loved.

With another small popping sound, Cho returned to her human form. "Doesn't that look like fun?" she said cheerily. "You're not allowed to know the incantation yet," she said sternly. "It's a ministry rule."

"Does it hurt?" asked a Hufflepuff girl.

"A little bit, Leena," said Cho gently. "But it happens so quickly that one barely notices." She looked at her watch. "That's as interesting as transfig gets," she joked. "Now, we're going to try a simple spell today. Could everybody please take out an extra quill and set it on your desks? Take out your wands as well, please. We'll attempt to turn our quills into rulers."

***

The students found this quite difficult. Jenny was the first one to get the spell to work to a noticeable degree, but the ruler still had a feather tip at the end.

"Almost," said Cho encouragingly.

Jenny scowled at the ruler and closed her eyes. Cho was watching intently from a few feet away. Junior set his wand down to watch Jenny. She whispered the incantation to herself a few times, and then her eyes focused on the quill-ruler hybrid. Her hand pointed the wand at the thing, and she muttered, "Centrimicus."

Jenny couldn't help but scream with delight as the thing became a full ruler. She put her fists above her head then hugged the closest person next to her, who happened to be Junior. The wind was knocked out of him, and she let go almost as soon as she had put her arms around him. She then hugged Will. What did he and Will have to do with it? Junior felt a mix of other emotions, but he had to admit that he had never seen Jenny grin so broadly.

***

A/N: Enjoying the ride? That's the most clever chapter title I've ever picked. (Recently learned free tip to writers: pick the title after you write the chapter).

Jason Sargone is based on the title of the myth "Jason and the Argonauts." Mupas are my invention. Surprised to see actual plot details for a change?

Your reviews can influence which characters I develop or neglect. Feel free to ship via review. Maybe you can convince me to change my plans :-)

Herb names obtained from this fantasy game-related site: http://www.quantal.demon.co.uk/saga/ooc/herbs.html#herblist

--Philip "Pottermaniac" Gonzales, May 4, 2001.