Author's notes: I want to thank my readers for leaving constructive criticism. They've helped me with ideas for this rewritten and revised version of my fic. Chapters 1-3 have been severely changed. Harry, Ron and Neville are no longer in Ancient Runes.
PLEASE NOTE -- The chapters fit canon now and have been changed to account for that. Please either try to forget that they were ever in Runes, or read the chapters again ;)
Beta-reader appreciation: Many thanks to the amazing Splatt. Again, this chapter must have been such a challenge to beta. Thank you for the patience. Thanks to Miss K for reading it over as well.
---
Chapter 4 - Malfoy's Mischief
The week before Easter holiday...
Isolde was pleased with the lessons so far, apart from some subtle, sneaky and nasty remarks from the third year Slytherins. Malfoy had been somewhat difficult, although not too difficult, realizing that, as a teacher, Isolde had some power over him. She knew the type quite well. He seemed to be doing his best to spread stories about her stay at the St. Mungo's Hospital and getting students to doubt her sanity, although Isolde believed that it was mainly the Slytherins who would listen.
As she didn't have many classes to teach, like the other teachers had, she spent most of her free time reading, experimenting and teaching Neville – anything to keep her mind occupied. She was very pleased with Neville's interest and progression. She wished that he had chosen Ancient Runes as a subject as he would have done very well in it. She often got the feeling that the boy was lonely and sought her out for lessons when it became too much for him. It was a shame that such a nice boy didn't have more friends – but that's how it always was...
Transfiguration had been cancelled for the day and Isolde had invited Neville to sit in her lesson. He had given her a small smile when she invited him, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
The door to Isolde's office was half open. She was searching through her desk for additional work for those students who had finished their translation. She heard the students in the classroom talk about the next Quidditch match, which was weeks away, and exchange rather rude comments between houses. For a moment Isolde thought if it had been like that when she was a Hogwarts student, but of course it had been – there had probably always been rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. She hadn't been involved much because she had been a Ravenclaw. Straining her ears, Isolde explicitly heard Malfoy seize the opportunity to amuse his friends...
"Hey Longbottom," he said in a smug voice. "When Montage was at the Mungo's Looney Institution, did she play Hide-and-Seek with your parents?" Isolde narrowed her eyes as she heard Malfoy's friends laugh. "Did she make mud pies with them in the sandbox?" More students joined in on the laughing and Isolde peeped through a crack of the door and saw Malfoy playing with a knife with a mark on the handle. Squinting, she saw the letters Neville.
Neville had told her that his grandmother had sent him a new knife after he had lost, presumably, this one. He'd had to borrow one in the meantime, but he had lost that one too, somewhere down in the Potions classroom.
Neville turned red with anger. "You will NOT insult my par... Professor Montage like that Malfoy!" he shouted with a trembling voice and stood up, dropping his quill onto the floor.
"Ooooh..." said Malfoy and earned himself more laughs.
That's it! Isolde thought angrily and opened the door. He was such a typical Malfoy; laughing at the expense of others, egging people on and yet hiding behind money and power. She was certain that Draco Malfoy would never get his hands dirty, just like his father never would. Just like his father, Draco Malfoy would have someone else do it, no matter what the consequences would be for that person...
"No, Neville!" Granger shouted as he jumped in front of Neville. "He's not worth the trouble, Neville" Granger said and held him back, glaring at Malfoy.
"What's the matter Granger?" said Malfoy maliciously, "Can't your boyfriend stand up for himself?"
"That's quite enough," said Isolde in a raised voice as she strode up to her desk. She shot Malfoy a quick warning before sitting down. "Exactly how many of you have finished their translation?" she asked and tried to suppress her anger by clutching her fists under the desk.
A few people raised their hands and Isolde sent the additional worksheets zooming through the air. "Here's additional work. It is optional, but I do recommend that you do it. After all, the exams are only two months away."
"Why did he mention your parents Neville?" Isolde heard Granger whisper over her shoulder.
"I...I don't know..." Neville answered in a low, wounded voice, looking ashamed. He glanced up and blushed when he met Isolde's eyes. She slowly looked over at Malfoy and saw that his face was rather tense with the effort of trying to stifle a laugh.
"What is so funny Mr. Malfoy?" Isolde asked as she opened her book. Come on, give me an excuse you arrogant Malfoy...
"I wasn't laughing - you must have heard it in your head. You do hear voices inside your head...don't you?" He sneered and put the knife on his table.
How horribly alike his father he looked now, leaning back in his chair as if he owned the world. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Mr. Malfoy?" Isolde asked in a very steady voice as she put her wand on the desk, stood up and walked towards Malfoy, her eyes fixed on him.
Malfoy seemed to be choosing his words carefully, looking intently at the ceiling. "My father told me all about your stay at Mungo's," he said in a proud voice, smirking at Isolde, "He also told me that Nev-"
"Is that a fact?" Isolde interrupted. She had gathered that Neville didn't want others to know about his parents' condition. She glanced quickly at Neville and felt very bad for him – he most definitely hadn't expected this when he got invited to sit in this lesson, she was sure of that.
"And how would your father know about my stay at the hospital? Hm?" She was now standing directly in front of him, looking at him intently with a raised eyebrow.
Malfoy looked at the dragon scale gloves he'd put on the table earlier before gleaming back at Isolde. "He has connections everywhere," he said defiantly, "He didn't recognize your name when I asked about you at first, thought he said it sounded familiar... But he sent me an owl as soon as he found out. He said that Dumbledore has gone mad hiring someone like you to teach at Hogwarts," he said loathingly, leaning over his desk and staring Isolde straight in the eye, as if trying to dare her into action.
The boy was exactly like his father – even when he didn't have the power, he acted as if he had. Isolde narrowed her eyes slightly before turning to the class. "You last week's Rune Charts are in the shelves over there," she pointed towards the far end of the room. "Go and find them."
The students stood up reluctantly, clearly wanting to hear the rest of the conversation, and made their way to get their charts. Neville didn't have a chart, but seemed to realize what Isolde wanted and left with the other students. Malfoy was still glaring at Isolde when she looked back at him, and when he was half way up from his seat she started talking in a low, calm voice, determined not to break the reinstated eye-contact.
"I see... And your father sits idly at home, waiting for you to ask him to dig up the past of the teachers of Hogwarts, does he?" Isolde said with a touch of mockery in her voice, but her eyes narrowed as she continued, "You keep stating what an important man he is, but when I look at him, all I see is a weak coward hiding behind a monetary mask and using other people to do his evil deeds. I shuddered when I found out he and his wife were expecting an heir. The world would be so much better if there were no such creatures as 'Malfoy's'."
She seemed to have touched a nerve as Malfoy's usually pale face went pink and his eyes gleamed with fury. To her satisfaction, he stood up, knocking over his chair, and shouted "You will NOT insult MY name! You will NOT insult MY FATHER!" his teeth were bared and his face contort. He seemed to have lost sense of the fact that the classroom was full of watchful students.
"ELIDO!" he shouted and the knife on the table dashed towards Isolde and stabbed her in the arm. Isolde fell backwards by the force of the spell and struggled to stifle the cry of pain that rose within her. Malfoy sat back down in his chair, taking short breaths with a fearful look in his eye, despite the gloating smile on his face.
The students, who hadn't been watching, stopped finding their charts immediately and there was a moment of silence until Su Li and Mandy Brocklehurst ran screaming hysterically towards the door. Some Slytherins moved forward to get a better look with very ambiguous expressions. Terry Boot and Neville ran quickly across the room and took positions in front of Isolde with their wands raised at Malfoy. Hermione seemed to be frozen, with eyes and mouth wide open.
"Calm down class," Isolde said and glanced at her bleeding arm. She got up and pushed Boot and Neville back toward their seats before looking at Malfoy, while trying to hinder her jeer of triumph from taking over her.
"Mr. Malfoy," she said in a calm voice. "I see you're very skilled with the Thrusting Spell. You will, however, go to your Head of House's office and wait for him there. Mr. Goldstein, please go and tell the Potions Master to meet me in the hospital wing, Mr. Hopkins, please find Professor Lupin and ask him to meet me there as well and Miss Granger, can I trust you to supervise the lesson while I'm away?"
"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, now holding her mouth, still in shock after what had happened, but at the same time looking rather proud.
The Ravenclaw, Anthony Goldstein, and the Hufflepuff, Wayne Hopkins, ran out of the classroom and Malfoy, who seemed to have realized that he was in a lot of trouble, took a last look at his table and strolled out. Isolde took a one last look at the remaining students and then left the classroom. How will you handle this one, Lucius Malfoy?
---
Isolde was sitting on a bed in the hospital wing, talking to Lupin, when Snape came rushing through the doors with his black robes billowing behind him.
"Madam Pomfrey is away for the day, and so is Dumbledore," said Lupin while carefully examining the knife that was still stuck firmly in Isolde's arm. "I haven't been able to reach them, so I'm afraid we'll have to take care of this ourselves..."
"Ah, Severus," Lupin said when he noticed Snape. "We might need your expertise."
"What happened?" Snape demanded while frowning over the knife, his shoulder- length, greasy black hair was hanging like curtain around his pale face.
"I was attacked," Isolde answered casually after looking away from him.
"Attacked?" Snape repeated sharply. "By whom?"
"By one of your students," she answered with great deal of sarcasm and glanced up at him, "By Draco Malfoy. I'm told he's your favourite." She drew a sharp breath trough her teeth when Lupin touched the knife.
"Since he used the Thrusting Spell...it won't be easy getting it out," Lupin said thoughtfully, examining the knife further.
Snape sat down on the bed opposite Isolde. He kept looking from the knife, to the floor and at Isolde, as if he was contemplating the situation. "What brought on this attack?" he asked calmly after a while.
"Exchange of words, that's all," she answered as she observed him curiously.
"Can you elaborate, please? I sincerely doubt that Malfoy would attack a professor for no reason," he said, still very calm, but she noticed that he was clenching his fists.
"Fine," she said softly, very much enjoying testing his temper. "He was being insolent. He told me that his father had told him about my stay at St. Mungo's. I lost my head a little and made a comment about the great man, Lucius Malfoy."
Snape seemed lost in his thoughts as he looked at the knife in disbelief and muttered, "He'll be expelled for this... Such misbehaviour is intolerable... We can't have students attacking the professors..."
"No, we can't, now can we?" Isolde said and turned her head to watch Lupin find his way through the medical cabinet, to hide a smile. "But if he won't be expelled," she looked back at Snape with relish, "I want points taken from the Slytherin House and I want Malfoy put in detention."
"Naturally..." he said, still absent-minded while glancing at Lupin, tracing his mouth with his finger. Isolde knew it was a habit of his, something he often did while contemplating situations. "...As a professor you have the right to do that."
"No, you misunderstand me, Severus," she said with great difficulty and he looked at her swiftly with a raised eyebrow. "I want you to do decide what is appropriate," she continued while narrowing her eyes, "I want you to decide how many points, and how long, and severe, the detention," she concluded, stating each word clearly and trying to hide the triumphant feeling rushing through her. This time, she was in the position to make demands.
Snape seemed to be peering through her while his mouth tightened. He seemed to be pondering her words very carefully. "Very well," he said calmly, after long silence, and moved his eyes to the knife again.
"Severus," said Lupin as he read the labels on colourful little potion bottles, "I've found a Wound-Cleaning Potion, but I can't find any Instant- Healing Potion for Cuts and Stabs..."
"I'll go and find some," Snape said curtly before sweeping swiftly out of the hospital wing.
After a moments silence Lupin walked over to Isolde and smiled. "That was very cunning of you, Izzy," he said and she heard him place a potion bottle on the side table.
"What was?" Isolde asked absent-minded, still looking at the doors.
"Making Severus decide the extent of the punishment," Lupin answered as he placed towels and bandages on the table. "You do realize that he's going to give Malfoy a really hard time after what he did to you..."
"Oh, I don't know," she said, now glancing at Lupin, "I know he won't tolerate such behaviour from his House, but he seems to favour that...boy too much," she said with resentment.
After a moment of silence, Lupin poured black liquid into a small bowl and put the bottle away. "You know, as a teacher you really shouldn't have provoked Draco," Lupin said while examining the knife one last time, "I would have thought you more mature than that."
"Please, spare me the lecture," Isolde said, rolling her eyes upwards while slightly shaking her head, "I'm told there's a teacher in this school who continually provokes his students by insulting them and their parents."
"Some of Severus's charming personality seems to have rubbed on you lately," Lupin said seriously, "I remember a very different girl from school. A very optimistic, loving and cheerful one," he said now in a caring, careful voice, as if trying to urge on a conversation.
"Remus, please, I don't want to talk about the past. I was weak back then. I'm still learning to deal with the present... Much changed in the twelve years I missed." She looked at the bandages on the table beside her. "However, I am curious about one thing."
"Yes?"
"Did Sirius jinx my broom in our fifth year?" she asked quietly.
"What made you think of that?" Lupin asked perplexed as he sat on her bed.
When she didn't answer, Lupin smiled and said, "Yes, he did. He told us about it after Lily had taken you to the hospital wing." He paused and continued in a more serious tone, "He never meant to hurt you though. You must know that by now. He didn't know how powerful that jinx was and he was in shock for hours after he realized what would have happened if Severus hadn't been there."
Isolde looked up at him and pushed her jaws together.
Lupin chuckled, "He had planned to run onto the field, cast the counter curse and catch you when you'd fall. You were meant to land in his arm and your eyes were supposed to beam at him with admiration. When he saw how powerful the curse was he froze," he paused again and smiled, "Of course, he hated Severus even more because it had been him who rescued you, and it was Severus you were admiring." Isolde straightened up to protest these words. "Mind you," he said before she could, "that Accio Spell Severus cast was quite impressive - very advanced for a fifth year. The rest of us only learned to summon a living person in our seventh year, and not all succeeded at it."
"I knew it was Sirius," Isolde sighed and frowned, "And it just goes to show the irresponsible person he is, doesn't it?"
"Well, it shows the irresponsible person he was. We don't really know what he's like today." Lupin replied and Snape walked in as he said this. Safira sighed resignedly over Lupin's ability to be rational and objective – a trait that she certainly didn't possess.
"Severus!" Lupin smiled at him and stood up, "We were just discussing old times."
"How very touching," Snape said coolly as he stopped in front of Lupin, glancing at Isolde from the corner of his eye. "I have the potion."
"Excellent. Now, please hold Isolde down while I make an attempt to remove the knife. Try to relax, Izzy, this is going hurt a lot."
"Oh, no..." Isolde moaned, lying down on the bed, dreading the pain.
Snape sat down on Isolde's bed and put his weight on her shoulder and forearm, but avoided looking at her. Isolde took shallow breaths and turned her head sideways, away from the knife. Lupin pulled out his wand, "Accio!" he called. Isolde winced and let out a small, cry of pain. She looked up at Snape who turned his head away from her, tightening his lips and closing his eyes.
---
While Snape had been away, attending to Isolde's wound, Malfoy had managed to reach his father. Lucius Malfoy was waiting in Snape's office when Snape came back from the hospital wing. They talked calmly about the seriousness of the matter. Lucius insisted that his son had intended to thrust the dragon scale gloves at Professor Montage and not the knife. There was really no way of proving that it hadn't been an accident. Snape admitted calmly that there was nothing that could be done until the headmaster would return. When that would be, he did not know for sure.
Lucius Malfoy managed to gather witness statements, saying that Malfoy had been provoked into action, and that he had aimed for the gloves. By the time Dumbledore got back, there wasn't much he could do. It was Isolde's word against Malfoy's and half the class's word against the other. Since this was Malfoy's first serious offence and there was no way of proving that he hadn't aimed for the gloves, he was not expelled. He did however attack a teacher and was to receive severe punishment as a result. In all fairness, the punishment was to be decided by Professor Isolde Montage and the Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape.
After the hearing, which had taken place in the Ancient Runes classroom, since there were so many people involved, Lucius approached Isolde.
"Isolde Montage, we meet again, at last," he said politely while smiling coolly at her.
"Mr. Malfoy," she replied calmly, holding her head up high. She wasn't surprised that he managed to get his son out of this situation. If there was something Lucius Malfoy was good at, it was getting what he wanted.
"Draco often mentions you," he said while tapping his staff lightly on the floor.
Snape joined them but remained quiet.
"Really?" she said in a cool voice, crossing her arms in front of her.
There was a moment of silence where they simply looked at each other. Lucius looked her up and down and she knew that he was sizing her up for something. "I have a question for you Miss Montage." Isolde knew what he was going to ask and raised her eyebrow at him. "Do you have Rauthskinna?" he asked quietly and looked at her intently.
Rauthskinna... The evil book of spells – her evil book of spells. "I don't know what you're talking about," Isolde answered with a cool smile, fully intending for him to see that she was lying – just for the pleasure of it. She saw Snape raise his eyebrow curiously from the corner of her eye.
"Right," Lucius said after a while and changed his expression into his usual smug one. "I must apologize on Draco's behalf for causing you any...unpleasantness," he drawled, his grey eyes still looking into hers.
"Well, thank you for that," she forced a stiff smile, feeling the intense moment a while ago fade away. "But I'm much more interested in redemption...if you know what I mean. I do believe people should pay for their...mischief," she said, her eyes glinting.
"Quite," he said, wrinkling his forehead. "Well, you know the saying 'Boys will be boys'," he said smiling and turned to talk to Snape.
"Mr. Malfoy, I really must say," Isolde said, in forced calm, but with such seriousness in her tone that Lucius turned back to her. "I do not like bullies - I never have. I regret to inform you that your son is one of the worst sorts." She paused and thought of how she could best say what she wanted to say on this matter. "I have recently come to believe in the saying 'Like father, like son'," she said, slightly narrowing her eyes and then she nodded her head gracefully as a farewell.
"Absolutely charming," Lucius said, while she walked away.
She felt Snape's eyes on her as she left and then heard him talk to his friend, Lucius Malfoy.
---
To be continued in chapter 5 - Oakvine and Dragon's Tear
I apologize for any grammatical errors – English is not my first language. Also, this is my first fiction, so please bear with me ;)
PLEASE NOTE -- The chapters fit canon now and have been changed to account for that. Please either try to forget that they were ever in Runes, or read the chapters again ;)
Beta-reader appreciation: Many thanks to the amazing Splatt. Again, this chapter must have been such a challenge to beta. Thank you for the patience. Thanks to Miss K for reading it over as well.
---
Chapter 4 - Malfoy's Mischief
The week before Easter holiday...
Isolde was pleased with the lessons so far, apart from some subtle, sneaky and nasty remarks from the third year Slytherins. Malfoy had been somewhat difficult, although not too difficult, realizing that, as a teacher, Isolde had some power over him. She knew the type quite well. He seemed to be doing his best to spread stories about her stay at the St. Mungo's Hospital and getting students to doubt her sanity, although Isolde believed that it was mainly the Slytherins who would listen.
As she didn't have many classes to teach, like the other teachers had, she spent most of her free time reading, experimenting and teaching Neville – anything to keep her mind occupied. She was very pleased with Neville's interest and progression. She wished that he had chosen Ancient Runes as a subject as he would have done very well in it. She often got the feeling that the boy was lonely and sought her out for lessons when it became too much for him. It was a shame that such a nice boy didn't have more friends – but that's how it always was...
Transfiguration had been cancelled for the day and Isolde had invited Neville to sit in her lesson. He had given her a small smile when she invited him, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
The door to Isolde's office was half open. She was searching through her desk for additional work for those students who had finished their translation. She heard the students in the classroom talk about the next Quidditch match, which was weeks away, and exchange rather rude comments between houses. For a moment Isolde thought if it had been like that when she was a Hogwarts student, but of course it had been – there had probably always been rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. She hadn't been involved much because she had been a Ravenclaw. Straining her ears, Isolde explicitly heard Malfoy seize the opportunity to amuse his friends...
"Hey Longbottom," he said in a smug voice. "When Montage was at the Mungo's Looney Institution, did she play Hide-and-Seek with your parents?" Isolde narrowed her eyes as she heard Malfoy's friends laugh. "Did she make mud pies with them in the sandbox?" More students joined in on the laughing and Isolde peeped through a crack of the door and saw Malfoy playing with a knife with a mark on the handle. Squinting, she saw the letters Neville.
Neville had told her that his grandmother had sent him a new knife after he had lost, presumably, this one. He'd had to borrow one in the meantime, but he had lost that one too, somewhere down in the Potions classroom.
Neville turned red with anger. "You will NOT insult my par... Professor Montage like that Malfoy!" he shouted with a trembling voice and stood up, dropping his quill onto the floor.
"Ooooh..." said Malfoy and earned himself more laughs.
That's it! Isolde thought angrily and opened the door. He was such a typical Malfoy; laughing at the expense of others, egging people on and yet hiding behind money and power. She was certain that Draco Malfoy would never get his hands dirty, just like his father never would. Just like his father, Draco Malfoy would have someone else do it, no matter what the consequences would be for that person...
"No, Neville!" Granger shouted as he jumped in front of Neville. "He's not worth the trouble, Neville" Granger said and held him back, glaring at Malfoy.
"What's the matter Granger?" said Malfoy maliciously, "Can't your boyfriend stand up for himself?"
"That's quite enough," said Isolde in a raised voice as she strode up to her desk. She shot Malfoy a quick warning before sitting down. "Exactly how many of you have finished their translation?" she asked and tried to suppress her anger by clutching her fists under the desk.
A few people raised their hands and Isolde sent the additional worksheets zooming through the air. "Here's additional work. It is optional, but I do recommend that you do it. After all, the exams are only two months away."
"Why did he mention your parents Neville?" Isolde heard Granger whisper over her shoulder.
"I...I don't know..." Neville answered in a low, wounded voice, looking ashamed. He glanced up and blushed when he met Isolde's eyes. She slowly looked over at Malfoy and saw that his face was rather tense with the effort of trying to stifle a laugh.
"What is so funny Mr. Malfoy?" Isolde asked as she opened her book. Come on, give me an excuse you arrogant Malfoy...
"I wasn't laughing - you must have heard it in your head. You do hear voices inside your head...don't you?" He sneered and put the knife on his table.
How horribly alike his father he looked now, leaning back in his chair as if he owned the world. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Mr. Malfoy?" Isolde asked in a very steady voice as she put her wand on the desk, stood up and walked towards Malfoy, her eyes fixed on him.
Malfoy seemed to be choosing his words carefully, looking intently at the ceiling. "My father told me all about your stay at Mungo's," he said in a proud voice, smirking at Isolde, "He also told me that Nev-"
"Is that a fact?" Isolde interrupted. She had gathered that Neville didn't want others to know about his parents' condition. She glanced quickly at Neville and felt very bad for him – he most definitely hadn't expected this when he got invited to sit in this lesson, she was sure of that.
"And how would your father know about my stay at the hospital? Hm?" She was now standing directly in front of him, looking at him intently with a raised eyebrow.
Malfoy looked at the dragon scale gloves he'd put on the table earlier before gleaming back at Isolde. "He has connections everywhere," he said defiantly, "He didn't recognize your name when I asked about you at first, thought he said it sounded familiar... But he sent me an owl as soon as he found out. He said that Dumbledore has gone mad hiring someone like you to teach at Hogwarts," he said loathingly, leaning over his desk and staring Isolde straight in the eye, as if trying to dare her into action.
The boy was exactly like his father – even when he didn't have the power, he acted as if he had. Isolde narrowed her eyes slightly before turning to the class. "You last week's Rune Charts are in the shelves over there," she pointed towards the far end of the room. "Go and find them."
The students stood up reluctantly, clearly wanting to hear the rest of the conversation, and made their way to get their charts. Neville didn't have a chart, but seemed to realize what Isolde wanted and left with the other students. Malfoy was still glaring at Isolde when she looked back at him, and when he was half way up from his seat she started talking in a low, calm voice, determined not to break the reinstated eye-contact.
"I see... And your father sits idly at home, waiting for you to ask him to dig up the past of the teachers of Hogwarts, does he?" Isolde said with a touch of mockery in her voice, but her eyes narrowed as she continued, "You keep stating what an important man he is, but when I look at him, all I see is a weak coward hiding behind a monetary mask and using other people to do his evil deeds. I shuddered when I found out he and his wife were expecting an heir. The world would be so much better if there were no such creatures as 'Malfoy's'."
She seemed to have touched a nerve as Malfoy's usually pale face went pink and his eyes gleamed with fury. To her satisfaction, he stood up, knocking over his chair, and shouted "You will NOT insult MY name! You will NOT insult MY FATHER!" his teeth were bared and his face contort. He seemed to have lost sense of the fact that the classroom was full of watchful students.
"ELIDO!" he shouted and the knife on the table dashed towards Isolde and stabbed her in the arm. Isolde fell backwards by the force of the spell and struggled to stifle the cry of pain that rose within her. Malfoy sat back down in his chair, taking short breaths with a fearful look in his eye, despite the gloating smile on his face.
The students, who hadn't been watching, stopped finding their charts immediately and there was a moment of silence until Su Li and Mandy Brocklehurst ran screaming hysterically towards the door. Some Slytherins moved forward to get a better look with very ambiguous expressions. Terry Boot and Neville ran quickly across the room and took positions in front of Isolde with their wands raised at Malfoy. Hermione seemed to be frozen, with eyes and mouth wide open.
"Calm down class," Isolde said and glanced at her bleeding arm. She got up and pushed Boot and Neville back toward their seats before looking at Malfoy, while trying to hinder her jeer of triumph from taking over her.
"Mr. Malfoy," she said in a calm voice. "I see you're very skilled with the Thrusting Spell. You will, however, go to your Head of House's office and wait for him there. Mr. Goldstein, please go and tell the Potions Master to meet me in the hospital wing, Mr. Hopkins, please find Professor Lupin and ask him to meet me there as well and Miss Granger, can I trust you to supervise the lesson while I'm away?"
"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, now holding her mouth, still in shock after what had happened, but at the same time looking rather proud.
The Ravenclaw, Anthony Goldstein, and the Hufflepuff, Wayne Hopkins, ran out of the classroom and Malfoy, who seemed to have realized that he was in a lot of trouble, took a last look at his table and strolled out. Isolde took a one last look at the remaining students and then left the classroom. How will you handle this one, Lucius Malfoy?
---
Isolde was sitting on a bed in the hospital wing, talking to Lupin, when Snape came rushing through the doors with his black robes billowing behind him.
"Madam Pomfrey is away for the day, and so is Dumbledore," said Lupin while carefully examining the knife that was still stuck firmly in Isolde's arm. "I haven't been able to reach them, so I'm afraid we'll have to take care of this ourselves..."
"Ah, Severus," Lupin said when he noticed Snape. "We might need your expertise."
"What happened?" Snape demanded while frowning over the knife, his shoulder- length, greasy black hair was hanging like curtain around his pale face.
"I was attacked," Isolde answered casually after looking away from him.
"Attacked?" Snape repeated sharply. "By whom?"
"By one of your students," she answered with great deal of sarcasm and glanced up at him, "By Draco Malfoy. I'm told he's your favourite." She drew a sharp breath trough her teeth when Lupin touched the knife.
"Since he used the Thrusting Spell...it won't be easy getting it out," Lupin said thoughtfully, examining the knife further.
Snape sat down on the bed opposite Isolde. He kept looking from the knife, to the floor and at Isolde, as if he was contemplating the situation. "What brought on this attack?" he asked calmly after a while.
"Exchange of words, that's all," she answered as she observed him curiously.
"Can you elaborate, please? I sincerely doubt that Malfoy would attack a professor for no reason," he said, still very calm, but she noticed that he was clenching his fists.
"Fine," she said softly, very much enjoying testing his temper. "He was being insolent. He told me that his father had told him about my stay at St. Mungo's. I lost my head a little and made a comment about the great man, Lucius Malfoy."
Snape seemed lost in his thoughts as he looked at the knife in disbelief and muttered, "He'll be expelled for this... Such misbehaviour is intolerable... We can't have students attacking the professors..."
"No, we can't, now can we?" Isolde said and turned her head to watch Lupin find his way through the medical cabinet, to hide a smile. "But if he won't be expelled," she looked back at Snape with relish, "I want points taken from the Slytherin House and I want Malfoy put in detention."
"Naturally..." he said, still absent-minded while glancing at Lupin, tracing his mouth with his finger. Isolde knew it was a habit of his, something he often did while contemplating situations. "...As a professor you have the right to do that."
"No, you misunderstand me, Severus," she said with great difficulty and he looked at her swiftly with a raised eyebrow. "I want you to do decide what is appropriate," she continued while narrowing her eyes, "I want you to decide how many points, and how long, and severe, the detention," she concluded, stating each word clearly and trying to hide the triumphant feeling rushing through her. This time, she was in the position to make demands.
Snape seemed to be peering through her while his mouth tightened. He seemed to be pondering her words very carefully. "Very well," he said calmly, after long silence, and moved his eyes to the knife again.
"Severus," said Lupin as he read the labels on colourful little potion bottles, "I've found a Wound-Cleaning Potion, but I can't find any Instant- Healing Potion for Cuts and Stabs..."
"I'll go and find some," Snape said curtly before sweeping swiftly out of the hospital wing.
After a moments silence Lupin walked over to Isolde and smiled. "That was very cunning of you, Izzy," he said and she heard him place a potion bottle on the side table.
"What was?" Isolde asked absent-minded, still looking at the doors.
"Making Severus decide the extent of the punishment," Lupin answered as he placed towels and bandages on the table. "You do realize that he's going to give Malfoy a really hard time after what he did to you..."
"Oh, I don't know," she said, now glancing at Lupin, "I know he won't tolerate such behaviour from his House, but he seems to favour that...boy too much," she said with resentment.
After a moment of silence, Lupin poured black liquid into a small bowl and put the bottle away. "You know, as a teacher you really shouldn't have provoked Draco," Lupin said while examining the knife one last time, "I would have thought you more mature than that."
"Please, spare me the lecture," Isolde said, rolling her eyes upwards while slightly shaking her head, "I'm told there's a teacher in this school who continually provokes his students by insulting them and their parents."
"Some of Severus's charming personality seems to have rubbed on you lately," Lupin said seriously, "I remember a very different girl from school. A very optimistic, loving and cheerful one," he said now in a caring, careful voice, as if trying to urge on a conversation.
"Remus, please, I don't want to talk about the past. I was weak back then. I'm still learning to deal with the present... Much changed in the twelve years I missed." She looked at the bandages on the table beside her. "However, I am curious about one thing."
"Yes?"
"Did Sirius jinx my broom in our fifth year?" she asked quietly.
"What made you think of that?" Lupin asked perplexed as he sat on her bed.
When she didn't answer, Lupin smiled and said, "Yes, he did. He told us about it after Lily had taken you to the hospital wing." He paused and continued in a more serious tone, "He never meant to hurt you though. You must know that by now. He didn't know how powerful that jinx was and he was in shock for hours after he realized what would have happened if Severus hadn't been there."
Isolde looked up at him and pushed her jaws together.
Lupin chuckled, "He had planned to run onto the field, cast the counter curse and catch you when you'd fall. You were meant to land in his arm and your eyes were supposed to beam at him with admiration. When he saw how powerful the curse was he froze," he paused again and smiled, "Of course, he hated Severus even more because it had been him who rescued you, and it was Severus you were admiring." Isolde straightened up to protest these words. "Mind you," he said before she could, "that Accio Spell Severus cast was quite impressive - very advanced for a fifth year. The rest of us only learned to summon a living person in our seventh year, and not all succeeded at it."
"I knew it was Sirius," Isolde sighed and frowned, "And it just goes to show the irresponsible person he is, doesn't it?"
"Well, it shows the irresponsible person he was. We don't really know what he's like today." Lupin replied and Snape walked in as he said this. Safira sighed resignedly over Lupin's ability to be rational and objective – a trait that she certainly didn't possess.
"Severus!" Lupin smiled at him and stood up, "We were just discussing old times."
"How very touching," Snape said coolly as he stopped in front of Lupin, glancing at Isolde from the corner of his eye. "I have the potion."
"Excellent. Now, please hold Isolde down while I make an attempt to remove the knife. Try to relax, Izzy, this is going hurt a lot."
"Oh, no..." Isolde moaned, lying down on the bed, dreading the pain.
Snape sat down on Isolde's bed and put his weight on her shoulder and forearm, but avoided looking at her. Isolde took shallow breaths and turned her head sideways, away from the knife. Lupin pulled out his wand, "Accio!" he called. Isolde winced and let out a small, cry of pain. She looked up at Snape who turned his head away from her, tightening his lips and closing his eyes.
---
While Snape had been away, attending to Isolde's wound, Malfoy had managed to reach his father. Lucius Malfoy was waiting in Snape's office when Snape came back from the hospital wing. They talked calmly about the seriousness of the matter. Lucius insisted that his son had intended to thrust the dragon scale gloves at Professor Montage and not the knife. There was really no way of proving that it hadn't been an accident. Snape admitted calmly that there was nothing that could be done until the headmaster would return. When that would be, he did not know for sure.
Lucius Malfoy managed to gather witness statements, saying that Malfoy had been provoked into action, and that he had aimed for the gloves. By the time Dumbledore got back, there wasn't much he could do. It was Isolde's word against Malfoy's and half the class's word against the other. Since this was Malfoy's first serious offence and there was no way of proving that he hadn't aimed for the gloves, he was not expelled. He did however attack a teacher and was to receive severe punishment as a result. In all fairness, the punishment was to be decided by Professor Isolde Montage and the Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape.
After the hearing, which had taken place in the Ancient Runes classroom, since there were so many people involved, Lucius approached Isolde.
"Isolde Montage, we meet again, at last," he said politely while smiling coolly at her.
"Mr. Malfoy," she replied calmly, holding her head up high. She wasn't surprised that he managed to get his son out of this situation. If there was something Lucius Malfoy was good at, it was getting what he wanted.
"Draco often mentions you," he said while tapping his staff lightly on the floor.
Snape joined them but remained quiet.
"Really?" she said in a cool voice, crossing her arms in front of her.
There was a moment of silence where they simply looked at each other. Lucius looked her up and down and she knew that he was sizing her up for something. "I have a question for you Miss Montage." Isolde knew what he was going to ask and raised her eyebrow at him. "Do you have Rauthskinna?" he asked quietly and looked at her intently.
Rauthskinna... The evil book of spells – her evil book of spells. "I don't know what you're talking about," Isolde answered with a cool smile, fully intending for him to see that she was lying – just for the pleasure of it. She saw Snape raise his eyebrow curiously from the corner of her eye.
"Right," Lucius said after a while and changed his expression into his usual smug one. "I must apologize on Draco's behalf for causing you any...unpleasantness," he drawled, his grey eyes still looking into hers.
"Well, thank you for that," she forced a stiff smile, feeling the intense moment a while ago fade away. "But I'm much more interested in redemption...if you know what I mean. I do believe people should pay for their...mischief," she said, her eyes glinting.
"Quite," he said, wrinkling his forehead. "Well, you know the saying 'Boys will be boys'," he said smiling and turned to talk to Snape.
"Mr. Malfoy, I really must say," Isolde said, in forced calm, but with such seriousness in her tone that Lucius turned back to her. "I do not like bullies - I never have. I regret to inform you that your son is one of the worst sorts." She paused and thought of how she could best say what she wanted to say on this matter. "I have recently come to believe in the saying 'Like father, like son'," she said, slightly narrowing her eyes and then she nodded her head gracefully as a farewell.
"Absolutely charming," Lucius said, while she walked away.
She felt Snape's eyes on her as she left and then heard him talk to his friend, Lucius Malfoy.
---
To be continued in chapter 5 - Oakvine and Dragon's Tear
I apologize for any grammatical errors – English is not my first language. Also, this is my first fiction, so please bear with me ;)