Claimer: You know the drill

Disclaimer: Ditto

Hey!!! I'm taking a poll. Would you rather see Hermione as an Obliviator or have her constantly switch jobs(i.e. Go from Obliviator, to Auror, to Healer, to ministry official, to teacher) Vote when you review!!!!!

Ch 8- Wha…What?

"P-Professor Lupin?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Wha..how…but you're in the-the…and we're in the middle of a…a... how…wha…what?" stammered a baffled Harry.

"Well, you see, Harry, I had some—er—free time, so I took this position when Dumbledore offered it to me," he replied unconvincingly.

"But—but we're in the middle of a war!" Harry said loudly, despite his attempt to whisper.

"Everything will be explained in good time. Now, would you three please take your seats so that I may begin class?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in the only three empty seats as Lupin addressed the class.

"This year we will go over several defensive spells along with the N.E.W.T material. Everyone here must be able to protect his or herself from whatever may be out there after you leave Hogwarts. One of the most important things you will learn this year is how to create a Patronus…"

Despite his efforts to concentrate, Harry found his mind wandering. 'What is going on? Everyone in the Order are always talking about how busy they are. How could Lupin have free time?'

Later that day, on his way to Transfiguration, Harry had his first encounter of the year with Draco.

"Potter, so good to see you," he said as he stepped out of the shadows. "I hope you had a wonderful summer, since its bound to be one of your last."

"Malfoy! Its so good to see that you finally got a decent hair cut that doesn't make your egg head look as nearly as big as it is," replied Harry with a grin.

Draco's scowl deepened and Ron suppressed a laugh. "You think you're the big man on campus don't you, Potter? Well, don't expect any of us to start bowing down to you any time soon. If the dungheads here aren't as half as dumb as they look, their bound to figure out that you're as conceited and pompous as Macmillan."

"Did you know that you're about a year and three months behind everyone else? People stopped calling me things like that at the end of our fifth year. Though I suppose you're incapable of creating your own insults, so you have to steal the old ones."

At this, Ron broke out in laughter.

"I'd shut my mouth if I were you, Weasley. You know I could beat you in a duel any day, that is , when you aren't hiding behind Potter."

A second later, all three guys whipped out their wands, only to have them knocked out of their hands by Hermione and Jewels.

"You three are soooo immature," said Jewels as she summoned Draco's wand with her ebony one.

"Harry, you really should try to be more responsible now that you're the Head Boy," scolded Hermione.

"C'mon, Draco, we're going to be late for Transfiguration," said Jewels.

"Give me my wand back first!"

"I'll give it back when we're in class."

"You're worse than my mother!" Harry head Draco say as he followed Jewels down the corridor.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"C'mon, Ron, you remember the first time we were late for Transfiguration." Harry smiled at the memory.

"Where are you going, Hermione?" questioned Ron.

"Er-uh-nowhere…well, somewhere….I have to go," she blurted out before hurrying down the corridor on their left.

"What's with her?" asked Ron.

"I told you she's being secretive," replied Harry as they walked into Transfiguration.

He saw a familiar tabby cat sitting on Professor McGonagall's desk. He failed to notice, however, that it lacked markings around its eyes. Ron elbowed Harry and winked.

"That was bloody brilliant, Professor—Tonks?!" said Ron as Professor McGonagall turned into an obviously younger woman with pink hair.

"Wotcher, Harry, Ron… Bet you're surprised to see me! I'm acting as Minerv—I mean, Professor McGonagall's T/A. Did you like the new trick I learned?"

"Uh…yeah…" said Ron.

"You two better sit down now," said Tonks at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Good morning class," said McGonagall briskly as she walked to the front of the classroom. "I trust you have all met our new T/A, Nymphadora Tonks."

Tonks winced at the sound of her first name. "Call me Tonks, please."

McGonagall gave her usually, beginning-of-the-term lecture. Harry wondered why Tonks was at Hogwarts, because she was in the Order too.

'Maybe Hermione will know,' thought Harry. He decided he would bring it up at supper.

That evening, supper was even louder than normal. Most of the students could sense that something was wrong. After all, Lupin was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, Tonks was McGonagall's T/A, and that afternoon Moody and Kingsley had stopped by.

"Hermione, do you have any idea what's going on?" Harry asked after he and Ron told her about the visitors.

"I don't know…"

Gemini came skipping up to them, singing 'I Have a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.'

"Gem! Would you stop? Its really embarrassing, and you know I don't get embarrassed easily," said Taurus.

"In this order; No, too bad, and oh really? What about the time in Paris…" started Gemini.

"Okay, that's enough!"

"Taurus. Are you and Gemini still going to try out for the Quidditch team on Saturday?" asked Ron.

" Duh!" Gemini and Taurus both replied.

"Great! I'm the captain. What positions do you normally play again?"

"I play chaser and Taurus plays beater."

"Excellent!"

Meanwhile:

"Hey, Draco! You're the Quidditch team captain, right?" asked Chris.

"Yeah, do you guys want to try out? We need chasers and a keeper. What positions do you play?"

"Jewels and I play chasers, Eve plays keeper, and Blaze plays beater."

"Blaze, would you consider playing chaser?" asked Draco.

"Whatever," he grunted in reply.

"Looks like we might have our team," smirked Draco.

Almost a week later the Slytherin Quidditch team (comprised of Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Jewels, Blaze, Chris, and Eve) sat laughing their heads off as they watched the Gryffindors practice.

"This is beautiful!" laughed Draco as he wiped tears of joy out of his eyes. "I wonder h-how A-bercombie an-and Creevy g-got on the t-t-team," he studdered between laughs.

They finally calmed down and continued to watch. Eve wore an evil smirk on her face as her eyes followed Harry.

Their laughter was renewed as Colin Creevey and Euan Abercombie collided.

"We a-are s-s-so going t-t-o win this y-year," said Draco.