Chapter Three

Umbridge's Replacement

Harry tried to wake Ron, but his efforts were only rewarded with a giant snore. He lay in bed until dawn, unable to sleep. Everything he'd just heard turned swirled around his mind. Did he hear properly? Lupin and Tabitha had said they were married—hadn't they? But Lupin was so much older than Tabitha. She had to be younger than Charlie Weasley. And if he was married, why didn't Harry know? Why had he never even seen Tabitha before?

Harry didn't want to think much about what else he'd heard, but it kept pushing itself to the front of his mind. What was Tabitha talking about? When she said she couldn't believe what Snape had done to Harry's parents, that she didn't have a family for the Death Eaters to slaughter … did she mean that Snape and the Death Eaters had slaughtered Harry's whole family? And, if he understood correctly, at his parents' wedding?

Severus Snape was Harry's Potions teacher. They had a strong, mutual dislike of each other. Though Snape was now working as a spy for the Order, he'd once been a part of Voldemort's inner circle. He was in that circle around the same time Harry's parents were married.

Harry thought of the handful of wedding photos he possessed. Each one showed a very happy Lily and James Potter, posing with their best man, Sirius, and their other friends. Had the killing taken place much later that day? Harry just couldn't believe that such a thing could have happened to his family without his knowledge. Wouldn't Sirius or Dumbledore have told him that was why he had no family? A small voice in the back of Harry's mind whispered a defiant "no."

Next day, Harry was very sleepily getting dressed and trying to tell Ron what he'd heard between yawns. But before he got very far, someone knocked at the door. A moment later, Hermione and Ginny walked in.

"Breakfast is ready," Ginny said.

"Just a second. Harry was about to tell me something. They can hear, can't they?" Ron nodded at Harry.

"Of course they can!" Harry jumped right into the story. He'd thought of what had been said so much that he knew the conversation almost word for word. At the conclusion, Ron looked shocked and disgusted, but Hermione and Ginny looked almost skeptical.

"Married? Harry, you must have misunderstood," Ron said vigorously. "I mean, Lupin's young, but he's not young. Tabitha's barely older than Percy! Honestly, they can't be married. Besides, wouldn't Lupin have told you? Or Sirius? Or someone? I mean, we've known Lupin for almost three years. Don't you think the fact that he's got a wife would have come up? Her last name isn't even the same!"

"Honestly, Ron! Her last name," Hermione muttered. "But I agree. Harry must have misunderstood. There's no way Lupin is married to Tabitha."

"How do you know? You didn't hear what I did!" Harry snapped.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks. "Well, it's only," Ginny hesitated. "Well, it's pretty obvious, at least it should be to Ron, as he's been here all summer with Lupin and Tonks." At Ron's blank look, she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron! They fancy each other. Tonks told us last summer that she fancied him, and this year it's really obvious. If Lupin and Tabitha are really married, I don't think he would flirt with Tonks right under his wife's nose."

"Listen," Hermione interrupted. "We'll find out everything from Tonks and Tabitha, all right? But right now, I think it's more important to talk about Harry's parents' wedding. They said Snape and the other Death Eaters killed everyone at your parents' wedding?"

"Yeah, basically."

"But everyone wasn't killed. I mean, your parents, and Sirius, and Lupin, and Pettigrew all survived. And they're the only ones that we know survived. There could be more. Or maybe nobody died. Maybe Snape or someone ordered it, but it never got carried through."

Ron snorted. "Right. A wedding full of Muggles and Muggle-lovers. What Death Eater wouldn't show up to have some fun?"

"Maybe it did get carried through," Harry said softly. "After all, my whole family is dead now. Bit coincidental, don't you think, that everyone in my family except for the Dursleys is dead? They must not have gone to the wedding, as they hated my mum so much, and everyone who did go ended up dead."

"But wouldn't the Death Eaters have made a clean sweep of it?" Hermione said. "Why leave your parents and their closest friends alive?"

"Revenge," Harry replied hoarsely. He looked around at the confused faces. Last year, he'd looked into a Pensieve in Snape's office. A Pensieve stored memories and thoughts that cloud up one's mind. The memory he saw was horrible. A fifteen-year-old James Potter humiliated the young, greasy-haired Snape because Sirius was bored. Lupin and Peter Pettigrew did nothing to stop him—and when Lily Evans butted in, Snape called her a Mudblood (a filthy, inexcusable term for Muggle-born witches and wizards), and Lily didn't bother trying to stop James again. After he saw this, Harry was thoroughly disgusted with the way his father acted as a teenager, but Sirius assured Harry that Snape was just as apt to curse and jinx James during school. But what James had done was really foul, and Harry was sure it wasn't an isolated incident. Had Snape—a fan of the Dark Arts, a Death Eater as a young man—ordered everyone except those five to be murdered at the wedding? Had he done it purely out of malice for his school tormentors? No. As much as Harry hated Snape he couldn't believe it ... but that tiny voice in his head was talking again. Snape was one to hold a grudge. He hated Harry just because of how James had treated him in school. Harry was starting to feel sick. He wouldn't be able to look at Snape anymore.

"Revenge?" Ron asked.

"Never mind," Harry said quickly. "Come on, breakfast has got to be getting cold."

"About time!" Mrs. Weasley said as they hurried down the stairs. "Fred and George have just left for work. Your father left nearly ten minutes ago. Now, come on, there's still some food left."

Tabitha, Tonks, Charlie, Bill, and Lupin were finishing their breakfasts. Now that Ginny had said something, Harry noticed that Tonks and Lupin were sitting rather close. Tonks worked at the Ministry of Magic as an Auror—a Dark Wizard catcher. She was getting ready to leave for work. "I'll be late if I don't leave right now," she said glumly. "I'll see you all later." She hugged Tabitha. "We'll do something tonight after the meeting, I promise. We need to spend some time together." She grinned at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and said a quick good-bye before hurrying to the front hall.

Lupin and Tabitha were sitting at opposite ends of the table, not even looking at each other. Tabitha was talking intently with Bill about curse breaking, while Charlie inhaled a third bowl of porridge.

Before Harry had a chance to start eating, Mrs. Weasley walked back into the kitchen with four Hogwarts letters clutched in her hand. "Letters are here! Perhaps we'll take a trip to Diagon Alley today. We'll get to see Fred and George's … establishment." Mrs. Weasley had always disapproved of Fred and George's plan to open a joke shop, but now that they actually had the shop set up, Harry could tell that she wanted to be supportive.

Hermione had her letter ripped open practically before it was out of Mrs. Weasley's hand. She shrieked in delight. "Ten O.W.L.s. And all Os! I thought as much, or at least I hoped, but really!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Great. Let's see how I—" He stared at his results.

"It's all right, Ron, dear," Mrs. Weasley said soothingly. "Whatever you've got—"

"Seven," he squeaked. "I got seven. And look. An O ... "

"Seven! Ron, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley hugged him. "And Harry, what about you, dear?"

"Seven as well." Harry stared at the parchment in his hand. He received an A in both Herbology and Astronomy, and an E in Charms, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures. He didn't get O.W.L.s in Divination or History of Magic, which didn't at all surprise him. He had been expecting the O in Defense Against the Dark Arts ... but in Potions … he couldn't believe it ...

Ron snatched the paper out of his hands. "An O in Potions?" he whispered incredulously. "Harry, how'd you ... ?"

"I dunno. I guess without Snape there …" Snape. This meant that Harry would be accepted into Snape's N.E.W.T.-level Potions class. He could pursue the career he wanted. He could be an Auror.

Ginny squealed. "Oh, Mum, I'm a Prefect!" As Mrs. Weasley congratulated her youngest child on becoming Prefect, Harry meant to remove his booklist from the envelope, but instead he removed the start-of-term notice and a small piece of parchment.

Mr. Potter,

Congratulations on being made Gryffindor

Quidditch Co-Captain this term. You will

have a brief meeting with Madam Hooch

after lunch on the first day of term.

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House

Rolanda Hooch

Professor of Flying and Head Quidditch Arbitrator

Without realizing it, Harry and Ron shouted at once, "I'm Quidditch co-captain!" They stared at each other, then grinned. Even after five whole years in the wizarding world, Harry didn't know half as much about Quidditch as Ron did. Having his best friend—someone who knew the rules and plays perfectly—as co-captain would be even better than being the only captain.

Mrs. Weasley looked around, beaming. "Well, I suppose there's a lot to celebrate today! Charlie, Bill, get dressed, you're coming to Diagon Alley with us today. Remus, Tabitha, you're welcome to come along as well. What do you think? A round of ice creams at Florean Fortescue's? Go on, everyone be ready to leave in ten minutes!"

Normally, the Weasleys would get to Diagon Alley by using the Floo Network—traveling from fireplace-to-fireplace through the use of magical fire. But since last year, using the Floo Network was potentially dangerous, as it was being monitored by the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry did not believe Harry's story that Voldemort was back, so the Order had to work in complete secrecy. Though the Ministry now knew that Voldemort was back, apparently they were taking no chances. Tabitha would be driving everyone in her enchanted convertible. Everyone was intrigued by the steering wheel appearing on the wrong side of the car.

"I've got an Invisibility Shield built in," Tabitha said. "Muggles aren't used to seeing eight people riding in a four-passenger convertible." Lupin had declined to come. He said he was expecting a few members of the Order to stop by.

They drove through downtown London but didn't slow down as they approached the Leaky Cauldron, the gateway into Diagon Alley. "Now, don't get scared!" Tabitha said, turning sharply and driving straight into the building. Everyone screamed, but next second they were standing, perfectly fine, just inside the door. Tabitha was holding her miniaturized convertible in her hand.

"N-neat," Ron said shakily.

The patrons of the Leaky Cauldron stared at them as they marched to the back of the pub. A few moments later, they were standing in the bustling hubbub of Diagon Alley. "Give me your booklists," Mrs. Weasley demanded after they'd been to Gringotts, the Wizard's Bank. Many of the goblins there knew Bill. With their pockets jangling with gold, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny agreed to meet everyone else at Florean Fortescue's in one hour.

They headed right to 93 Diagon Alley, the home of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. To their surprise, the shop was almost too full for them to enter. Ginny spotted some fellow fifth-years and went off to say hello, while Ron, Harry, and Hermione fought the crowd to find Fred and George. They ran into many fellow Hogwarts' students, who praised Ron for having such amazing brothers. A large clump of students was gathered under a display for Fantastic Freezing Guns, laughing hysterically as the twins' school friend, Lee Jordan ("He works here now," Ron told Harry), demonstrated the effects of the gun on various parts of his person. "Oy, Lee!" Ron shouted over the din. "Where're Fred and George?"

"Or'ere!" he mumbled through a paralyzed mouth. With his working hand, Lee pointed to the far corner of the shop.

"This is great!" Hermione panted as they squeezed through the growing crowd. "How much gold do you think they're making?"

"More'n I've ever seen in my life, I'd reckon," Ron replied.

They managed to reach the counter where Fred and George were standing, roaring with laughter at something a girl with long, shiny, curly black hair was saying. "All right, Tabitha," Fred gasped. "We've got you beat. You tell her, George, about how we dropped out of Hogwarts last term ... "

"Oy!" Ron shouted. The twins spotted him.

"Little brother!" they cried. "Tell us, what do you think?" George asked.

"I never would have guessed," Ron said honestly. "We always thought it was a hobby. We never really imagined ... "

Tabitha had turned around. Harry hadn't noticed until now that she was looking quite well today. Hermione remarked as much. "Tabitha," she said brightly. "Have you recovered already?"

"Not exactly. But I've had this before. It takes a long time before you're really well again. You know, you have some off days …" She suddenly stroked a piece of Hermione's hair. "Your hair is really pretty, Hermione. Have you ever tried a relaxing balm? Muggle stuff, you know. Works much better than all the wizarding products on the market. It would really tone down some of the volume …" They wandered away, discussing hair products.

"Are you friendly with her?" Ron asked the twins at once.

Fred looked surprised. "With Tabitha? She's one of our oldest—"

"And dearest—"

"Hogwarts' chums."

"She was Head Girl in our first year," George said. "Took us under her wing, you'd say." He leaned closer to Harry. "How d'you think we learned how to work the Marauder's Map?"

"After we nicked it from Filch's office, she saw us trying to work it. Said she'd been using it when Filch caught her and confiscated it. She seemed reluctant to let it go, but said we'd find good use for it."

"Which we did, of course. She taught us a lot of our favorite jinxes, actually. And a paralyzing potion she spilled on us once gave us the idea for our Fantastic Freezing Guns."

"But don't tell Mum that she's the one who helped corrupt us," Fred said to Ron. "Mum likes her too much. I don't know what she'd think if she knew that Tabitha helped us become even bigger than we would have been."

"And don't leave out all those moves she taught us," George added. "Tabitha was a Gryffindor Beater before us. We learned a lot of good maneuvers from her, a bit dodgy, but legal. And she was funny. Not a typical Head Girl at all. More like we suppose Bill must've been like when he was Head Boy. I only wish we could have had more than one year with her."

"Ah, there you are!" Mrs. Weasley said, fighting her way through the crowd, laden with books. Hermione rejoined them a moment later without Tabitha. "Fred, George, it's even busier than it was last week! I just can't believe it. Oh, here you go," she said to Ron, Harry, and Hermione as she handed them their books.

"Rather heavy load this year, don't you think?" Ron said, struggling under the weight of his books.

"Well, sixth-years do more in-depth study," Hermione said. "But this—" She held up their Defense Against the Dark Arts book, which was the smallest of the lot. "—seems a bit odd. I don't want to do all book work like we did with Umbridge, but we need more than this." Professor Umbridge had been their Ministry-appointed, tyrant of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. They had done no practical work last year, only theory from books.

"Believe me, your new professor is very qualified," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm really not supposed to say anything more than that, but she must not feel that you need a large textbook." She looked at her watch. "Oh, look at the time! Bill and Charlie must be waiting at the ice cream parlor already!"

"We'll be there in a minute, Mum," Ron said. Once Mrs. Weasley was gone, he turned to the twins, who were both wearing a we-know-something-you-don't look. "Spill it," Ron demanded. "Who's our new professor?"

"All I have to say," Fred said. "Is that Dumbledore's gone completely mad himself, or he's aiming for every boy at Hogwarts to go barmy by the end of term."

"You mean our professor's a dish?" Ron said incredulously.

"Like a female Lockhart, but qualified," George added.

"Well, who is it?" Ron demanded.

"I don't know, Mr. Weasley, that information is highly classified," George said to Fred.

"But these are paying customers, Mr. Weasley," Fred replied.

"You make an excellent point, Mr. Weasley." To Ron, Harry, and Hermione, George said, "Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is none other than our very old ... "

" ... very dear ... "

" ... very lovely friend and mentor, Miss Tabitha McNoira."

Harry groaned. The last thing he needed was another teacher who hated him.