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Harry's Head - 3
It turned out that Heggerty wanted new rooms down in the dungeons, which left the rooms that Harry was familiar with on the ground floor for his use. Suddenly he had an office and a budget and a clock like Mrs Weasley's and a stack of books to go through to approve for the first and second year defence books. He thought about writing to Remus for his help (and lesson plans) but in the end decided not to. It seemed too much like cheating at his task, something he was sure Snape was waiting for him to do. After careful consideration, three of the suggested books were handed back to Madam Pince immediately as too theoretical, and a fourth went back as too practical. If he was going to teach defence to young people he needed something that was balanced.
In the end he settled on a set of books that could be easily split into first, second and even third year levels. They were sold as a boxed set, and Harry decided that setting the same text for both years would allow him to cater to three levels of ability in each class, from the hopelessly inept to the advanced. He was really hoping not to have to cope with the Weasley twins reincarnated, and after some thought he wasn't looking forward to meeting the newest version of Hermione either.
Once the books were settled on and Professor McGonagall had added them to the booklist that would go out, Harry sat down with his set of three books to go through them carefully, deciding what he would cover explicitly and what he would set for homework. They rapidly became dog-eared and bristled with bookmarks as he pored over them. He wanted to cover a mixture of magical defence and theory, as well as some of the Dark creatures and plants that his students might encounter. His Head of House showed him the ledger that all the Hogwarts teachers had, which kept track of students' assignments and marks, as well as containing the student roll and the teachers lesson plans. It was charmed to be tamper proof and illegible to students, and between the ledger and his own notes Harry was feeling pretty confident by the end of August. Professor McGonagall had read his plans over and approved them, handing the ledger back with a copy of Harry's new timetable affixed to the front page. The ledger would stay in his new office at all times, but having advance warning of his daily schedule was both comforting and stressful.
In order to manage the teaching load, Harry had dropped Divination and History of Magic - not that his marks were any good in either of them, as well as dropping Astronomy. In addition, there were two afternoons a week that were blocked out for prep time - one for each year level. There was a third afternoon blocked out for marking, and Harry was beginning to think he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Two afternoons a week plus whatever time he could find on the weekend was going to make homework very difficult unless he got even more organised than Hermione. He didn't even want to think about fitting Quidditch into that schedule just yet. Maybe Hermione could come up with a plan for him.
He would stay in Gryffindor tower with his Housemates and as far as Harry knew there would be no grand announcement of his new status. He was allowed to remove points from any student that was misbehaving and assign detentions, though Snape had cornered him and made it perfectly clear that he would be monitoring Harry's use of this particular privilege very closely. As tempting as it was to take his frustrations with Malfoy out on the House of the Snake, Harry knew that to do so would only make Snape retaliate, and he had a lot more experience with making students lives miserable. Not that Harry wanted to make anyone miserable… thoughts like that made his head hurt and he sighed, pushing them away.
His birthday had gone unremarked this year. Not that he expected anything from the teachers, and he knew his friends didn't know where he was either. He'd marked the day himself by adding the Weasley's and Hermione to the clock in his office. His name had already been on one of the hands and it wasn't hard to figure out how to add more using the elf magic that Loola still instructed him in from time to time. The few leisure hours he had found him flying in daylight, and reading at night.
He'd gone through his schoolbooks for the coming year carefully, and had picked up a book on Arithmancy by accident when browsing in the library. It had been a beginner's text and Harry had gotten hooked, finally understanding why Hermione was so fascinated with the study in their fourth year. When he woke from yet another bad dream or painful vision, Harry found that studying the Arithmancy of the spells he'd already learnt steadied his nerves and helped him shake it off. No further mention had been made of Occlumency, and Harry was relieved. He really didn't want to go through all that again and Voldemort seemed to have forgotten their connection.
"Here they come, Mr Potter," Professor Sprout beamed from her place on the front steps of the school, recalling him from his musings, and a moment later Harry heard the sound of the carriages. He straightened his student robes and moved to stand beside the Head of Hufflepuff. People would have noticed his absence from the train and there was no point in concealing his presence at the school.
"You know Mr Potter, when Albus was the schools apprentice, he had entered his seventh already. He was highly skilled in transfiguration and defence and the first apprentice that was also a student. As far as I know you are the youngest apprentice we've ever had."
If this speech was supposed to make him feel better, it was failing dismally. Sprout must have read his thoughts because she chuckled and patted him on the shoulder heartily. The first carriage cleared the gate and the thestral pulling it tossed its head as it trotted up the gravel drive.
"Buck up, young man. You'll be just fine. Dumbledore wasn't the one who suggested the apprenticeship, and nor was he the one who seconded it. Filius and I think you'll do just fine, and Minerva is over the moon about it," Sprout smiled, "Even Severus barely objected, though I think he was looking forward to having his dungeons scrubbed."
"Thanks," oddly enough the knowledge that two teachers that had nothing to do with his House or his guardianship had suggested his apprenticeship made Harry feel a lot better. Favouritism was fickle, look at the way the Ministry had been treating him, but honest regard was hard to earn. He'd never be a top-flight herbologist or charms master, but he'd always worked hard for his marks in those subjects and it looked like the professors had noticed.
The carriages were pulling up and Harry watched anxiously for a glimpse of his friends. He heard Hermione coming before he saw her and hugged her wholeheartedly, not minding the tight grip or mouthful of hair that he got as a result.
"All right Harry?" Ron's hand thumped his shoulder carelessly and Harry cleared his mouth to grin and reply. Ron was lightly tanned and very fit looking. It made Harry glad for concealing student robes. Ron was interested in being his friend, and nothing more. If he was honest with himself, Harry knew Ron had more of a thing for Hermione than him.
"Yeah. How was Egypt?"
"Brilliant," Ron sounded happy, "I've got loads to tell you."
"I've got loads to tell the both of you as well. Tonight, after the feast, ok?" Harry peeled Hermione off him, the badge in his pocket suddenly heavy.
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The Great Hall buzzed with talk and Hermione spotted Professor Heggerty in her seat immediately. She did not improve upon acquaintance, which wasn't doing her any favours with the Heads of Houses. The woman was abrasive and stubborn, which made Harry think that she wouldn't be someone to cross during lessons. Heggerty was wearing dark blue robes with silver threads woven through them, and Ron whistled quietly when Hermione pointed her out.
"That's Professor Heggerty, she's teaching Defence this year," Harry whispered to them both. Ron looked startled but Hermione beamed.
"I knew it! You were here all summer!" she crowed quietly, "That's why you couldn't write to us! The mail is still being watched!"
"Shh," Harry cautioned her, "Look, wait until after the feast, ok? Do you two have prefect duties straight away?"
"No, it's the fifth and seventh years that do the introductions. Sixth years take third year prep on Mondays," Hermione replied briskly, and Harry nodded. He also had prep then, and on the Tuesday following it as well. Friday was marking day, which left Wednesday and Thursday free. His eyes drifted to Ron again and this time he noticed the small badge beside Ron's prefect pin.
"You made team captain?" he asked the redhead, stunned. Ron flushed and nodded. Harry felt another grin creeping over his face but he didn't have time to do more than slap Ron on the back before Professor Snape limped in, leading the first years. Immediately the Slytherins started whispering and pointing, a reaction that Hermione misunderstood.
"How anyone can be worried about that slimy…mmmph," she glared at Harry who had a hand over her mouth.
"That's part of what I have to tell you," he whispered, "Shh."
He took his hand away before she could bite him and rolled his eyes at Ron when she huffed and turned a shoulder to him. Ron frowned a little - probably confused about why Harry was defending a teacher he hated - but turned to look at the Sorting Hat as it began to sing.
"That was short and to the point," Ron muttered gratefully as they all clapped minutes later, "The sooner we can get this over with the sooner we can eat."
Some things never changed, and Harry grinned in agreement. He hadn't even had the benefit of the sweet trolley today, too busy ensuring that everything he'd need this term was in the classroom and ready to go. Hagrid had been delighted that Harry was branching into magical creatures and had supplied several as well as advice on their care and feeding, and Professor Sprout had given him several cuttings from her greenhouse which he'd nurtured carefully into small, manageable potted plants.
The Headmaster stood for his usual start of year speech, but before he could open his mouth several students started clapping enthusiastically, and the next thing people were jumping to their feet and cheering. Even the Slytherins were clapping for the most part, and Dumbledore had to take a moment to calm them all down. When things had quietened again Harry caught his friends eyes and they beat their Headmaster to it.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" Hermione, Ron and Harry chorused as the beaming wizard opened his mouth and there was a moment of general hilarity. Even the teachers were smiling.
"Thank you, I believe that's my line," the Headmaster chuckled, "As are these…"
"Let the feast begin!" Hufflepuff got into the act, chanting along with Dumbledore and food blossomed onto the tables. People laughed again as the first years looked around in confusion and started helping themselves to food as the Headmaster resumed his seat. Professor Sprout was beaming at her House, and Harry passed the mash to Hermione automatically while waiting for Ron to be finished with the chicken legs.
When the last of dessert had been cleared away, Dumbledore stood once more and pinned them with a mock glare. No one opened their mouths, letting the Headmaster have his say unimpeded.
"There are a few start of term notices I would like to give," he announced, and Harry was tempted but decided not to push his luck, "A reminder to all students that the Forbidden Forrest is out of bounds to all students with no exceptions. Our caretaker Mr Filch has a full list of banned items attached to his office door, and has asked me to remind you all that magic is forbidden in the corridors. We have a new member of staff this year, taking the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Heggerty."
There was a polite yet reserved round of applause and Harry could see people whispering in clumps as they speculated on the new teachers status - evil witch, or hopeless incompetent. Harry wasn't sure either, as he'd never seen her teach and she was decidedly uninterested in the person who would be training her future students in preliminary defence skills.
"It is my pleasure to announce that the Educational Decrees of last year have been overturned, and the Inquisitorial Squad disbanded," Dumbledore continued when the small amount of applause had tapered off, "And Hogwarts has reinstated an old tradition. We have an apprentice with us. I know that those of you who have classes with him will treat him with the same respect that you would give any other teacher."
"I don't see any apprentice," Ron muttered, scanning the staff table, "Hermione, did this come up in Hogwarts: A History?"
"Now it is time for us to wend our way to bed," Dumbledore dismissed them, and Hermione frowned, obviously trying to recall any mention of an apprentice.
"I know about it," Harry muttered to them, "Come on you two."
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Hermione conjured up dozens of pillows and bolsters while Ron sealed and hardened Harry's curtains and Harry placed the privacy spells he'd learnt this summer over the bed. He planned to use these this term to keep his irregular sleeping habits and late night studying from his dorm mates. There was no point in disturbing their rest as well, and he'd trained himself to get by on only a few hours of sleep a night. He had a feeling he'd need all the time he could get to keep up this year.
Together the three of them settled themselves comfortably, shoes kicked off on the floor and collars undone. Harry had no intention of monopolising this conversation, and definitely wanted to know as much about their summer as they were willing to tell him.
"Ladies first," he and Ron chorused and then grinned at each other while Hermione rolled her eyes and curled more comfortably at the foot of the bed.
"Ok," she sighed, "Well, mum and dad weren't too happy about the battle. In fact… they wanted to pull me out of Hogwarts altogether."
"No!" Ron exclaimed in horror, clearly forgetting that if Hermione was here to talk to them now she'd obviously persuaded her parents against that course of action. Harry knew how he felt, though, it wouldn't be the same at school without Hermione.
"It took a lot of talking to get them to agree to let me stay in school here, and one of the conditions was that I have a complete break from magic during the summer. So they packed me off to my Muggle Aunt and Uncle Perkins. They're farmers, and have four children all younger than me."
"There was a Perkins in Ravenclaw, wasn't there?" Ron turned to look at Harry, who nodded. Jim Perkins had indeed gone to Ravenclaw, much to Hermione's obvious relief.
"That's my cousin Jim," Hermione laughed, "He's a Muggle born too. We didn't know, and they didn't know I was a witch naturally."
"So did you enjoy the farm?" Harry asked curiously, wondering if it had been lack of access to her books that had Hermione so upset when he and McGonagall had visited. Ron looked interested too, though he'd never admit it; he was just as fascinated with Muggles as his father.
"I hated it," Hermione admitted in a small voice, "They were really nice to me and everything, but… it was so quiet and out of the way and even if I hadn't had my school books, at least at home there was the library nearby and I could go shopping or to a movie or something."
Ron and Harry abandoned their comfortable cushions to hug her sympathetically, if awkwardly, and she wrapped her arms around them tightly for a moment. Harry could feel the tension inside her, and actually felt the moment it eased, like a knot unravelling and eventually loosening her muscles as well.
"Thanks," she sniffed and they mumbled 'don't mention it' as they settled back in place.
"So I guess the arrival of Jim's letter must have been a shock," Ron prodded the tale along, and Hermione sighed.
"I didn't even know he'd gotten one, and the school didn't know that I was his cousin or they'd have told Aunt May to ask me about it or something. As it was, I didn't find out until I fell in the pond behind their house and walked in on Professor McGonagall and Harry explaining about Hogwarts to Jim's parents."
"What were you doing there?" Ron frowned over at Harry.
"I'll tell you later," he promised and Hermione gave him a curious look. He smiled at her, happy to wait his turn, and she smiled back, taking a deep breath to finish her tale.
"I went back home two weeks before school started and mum and dad had a big talk to me about taking risks and avoiding danger," she sighed, "Mrs Weasley managed to ease their minds about some things though, she talked to them while we went looking for our things in Diagon Alley."
"So you and Ron met up for the school shopping trip?" Harry asked curiously, and they nodded, shooting apprehensive glances at him. He smiled, glad they'd had some time together outside of school and they relaxed when they realised he wasn't going to fly into a temper over nothing.
"Your turn, mate," Harry told the redhead sitting at the head of the bed. Ron grinned and fished in the pockets of his robes for a moment, pulling out two flat fabric wrapped parcels.
"Well, it's kind of hard to know where to start," Ron fiddled with the green parcel for a moment and then put it on the mattress next to him, "I guess it all started in the hospital wing after the battle. I was pretty confused by that spell and the brains and all, and I just wanted to get away for a while. I knew that mum and dad couldn't afford to send me off on holiday or anything, and I thought that maybe Bill could help out. You see every year the Gringotts Goblins take on… sort of apprentices. All you have to do to qualify is have your OWLs. They go out with qualified curse breakers for a couple of months and do the drudgework and record keeping, and if they're lucky they get to see a bit of the action as well. Bill swung me a spot on his team in Egypt for a short while, and off I went."
Harry noticed that Ron wasn't talking about what had confused him or why he'd felt the need to leave the country to deal with it, but from the look on Ron's face it wouldn't be a good idea to push the matter, and a shared look with Hermione showed them to be in perfect agreement. Ron would tell them when he was ready. Asking him about it would only make him clam up.
"It was brilliant, I learned all about some really cool curses, and towards the end Bill had me going in with him to check some of the chambers. The apprentices even get a finders fee at the end of their term and part of mine were these. I found them in a small chamber off to one side, and Bill said I could have them. I want you guys to have them."
The brown parcel went to Hermione and Harry watched as she opened it curiously. In the folds of the fine linen was a gold bracelet, made of several very fine threads that seemed to have been spun from the clasp, which was actually a very detailed pair of hands.
Ron leant forward and helped fasten the bracelet around Hermione's left wrist. The hands clasped each other tightly and Hermione held her arm up to admire it.
"Does it have any charms on it?" she asked, and Ron nodded, grinning a little at her.
"There's a location charm on it, so we'll always be able to find you," he stroked the threads slipping over her wrist and then sat back. Harry looked down at his parcel for a moment, wanting to give them some privacy. It looked like they'd bought a clue about each other when they were buying their school things this summer. As strange as it seemed to be having romantic thoughts about anyone, let alone his best friends, Harry was a little jealous that Ron had chosen Hermione over him. Not that Ron knew that Harry was interested in him as more than a friend, and not that Harry would ever be so stupid as to tell them and wreck their friendship…
"Go on, then Harry," Hermione broke into his thoughts.
He looked up and grinned, unwrapping his own small parcel of green linen. Inside it was a single strand necklace, also very fine, with a small golden talisman on it. It looked like a tee with a loop on top of it, and again the clasp was a pair of hands.
"It's called an ankh, and it's the Egyptian symbol of life," Ron told him and Harry held the bundle out for Hermione to examine it.
"Do you want help with the clasp?" Hermione asked, and Harry shook his head, the chain so long that he could simply slip it over his head as it was. He admired it for a moment and then stuffed it inside his shirt, the metal cold against his skin.
"It's brilliant, Ron, thanks," he grinned at his friend, who grinned back, a little embarrassed by the whole thing.
"Your turn," Hermione said briskly, and Harry sighed. He'd hoped that this could go on a little longer before he introduced his news.
"Ok, but you won't like it," he warned. He took a deep breath and explained in as few words as possible the vision that had led to his discovery of his ability to do elf magic. Ron's eyes widened so far that Harry thought they would fall out, and Hermione instantly demanded a demonstration. Harry obligingly popped off to his classroom and back, not that he told them where he'd gone.
"Wicked," Ron sounded envious, "That's going to come in right handy, Harry."
"So then you spent the rest of the summer here?" Hermione was not to be distracted, "And Professor McGonagall took you on the home visits."
"She told me it was because Professor Snape was still in the hospital wing, but I found out later that wasn't true," Harry sighed, dreading their reactions. They were prefects, and that was something they'd always done better than him. His new status as school apprentice now put him above them, even above the Head Boy and Girl.
"Apparently, the members of the DA did really well on their exams," he picked at the fringe of the cushion he'd pulled into his lap and avoided their eyes, "And then Professor Heggerty was hired to teach the Defence class. Problem is, she announced that she would only teach teenagers, as in thirteen year olds or higher. That left the first and second years without a defence teacher and Professors Sprout and Flitwick got this idea in their heads that I'd make a great school apprentice, and could teach the years that Heggerty wouldn't cover."
He pulled the small badge out of his pocket and handed it to Hermione, who took it numbly. He was grateful that they were too shocked to speak, so he could get it all out in one go.
"So I've got the defence classroom on the ground floor, and have to take prep for the first and second years once a week each, as well as mark their homework and take my own classes. I'm the youngest one they've had since Dumbledore started his apprenticeship in his seventh year."
"Bloody hell," Ron mumbled. Hermione passed the badge to the redhead, who glanced at it briefly and then handed it over to Harry, "No wonder I made captain of the house team."
"Ron," Hermione groaned, "Don't…"
Ron shook his head though and waved his wand at the curtains. Harry had just enough time to sit up before his support vanished and the redhead climbed out of the bed, disappearing into his own. Hermione bit her lip and patted Harry on the shoulder. She couldn't quite meet his eyes though, and Harry shook his head. He pulled Ron's gift off and wrapped it back in the green linen, handing it to Hermione and taking off the privacy spell, then vanishing her conjured cushions.
"Don't be like that, Harry," Hermione pleaded but he got up and started pulling his robes off, feeling very much as if someone had fastened a steel band around his chest that was slowly but surely tightening. Hermione made a frustrated noise and stomped out of the dorm, barely avoiding knocking Dean down the stairs.
"You lot haven't had a row already, have you?" he asked tiredly, but Harry didn't answer, pulling on his pyjamas and sealing his bed curtains once more, calling his Arithmancy notes to him. For a long time he just stared at them without really taking them in.
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