Disclaimer: The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: My special thanks to John Adams for her friendship and help in beta reading this story, and for keeping me on character with Harry and the gang. Also for her many suggestions that made this story better than it would have been.

CHAPTER 16: NEW CHALLENGES

But it would be wrong to assume that all Harry and Luna did was dream, because as September turned to October, their workload at school steadily increased. As seventh-year students, preparing to take their N.E.W.Ts in the spring, they received more homework than ever before. But more than this, all six of them had to spend two nights a week in advanced defensive and offensive weapons training; for although Voldemort might have suffered a defeat, they were all certain that he would return. They also had to prepare for their teaching assignments; and this involved spending a great deal of time in the library developing lesson plans, study guides, and all other materials that well prepared teachers were expected to have. Fortunately, in this last requirement, they had ample help. Their mentor teachers made themselves available for regular conferences, Ron and Ginny worked hard to help their friends wherever possible, and Hermione's gift for organization proved a real asset.

Much had changed over the past year, but the hostile attitude of Professor Snape towards Harry Potter definitely had not. And now that Luna Lovegood had become a Gryffindor, and her special relationship with Harry had become known to the whole school, she too had come in for a share of Snape's abuse. The fact that together they had defeated the Dark Lord only seemed to further annoy Professor Snape; convincing him that Luna Lovegood, like Harry Potter, was nothing but a showoff.

Severus Snape lost no time in showing his distain for Harry Potter, and by association for Luna Lovegood, when in the very first session of their Advanced Potions class he took away house points without any justification at all. All of the students were at their tables as Professor Snape swept into the classroom, his black robes billowing out behind him. Reaching the front of the room, he turned to face the class with an ugly scowl.

"Mr. Potter! I expect your complete attention. If you and your little girlfriend can't stop whispering, I will separate you two. Ten points from Gryffindor!" It didn't matter a bit that Harry and Luna weren't whispering; Professor Snape wanted to make it clear that his feelings toward the teen hadn't changed in the least.

However, what did unnerve the Potions Master was the stony silence which greeted his remarks. In the past Harry would have disputed the ruling, allowing Snape to add a detention to the points already lost. But to the Potion Master's surprise, the young man seemed to have no reaction at all. He didn't realize that Luna was holding Harry's hand underneath the table; and her very touch had a calming effect on him. But for Professor Snape, the reaction of the Slytherin students was far more troubling. In past years, verbal cuts against Harry Potter would always bring waves of laughter from the Slytherins present; but this time they were absolutely silent, and actually looked rather angry. Professor Snape hastily began the lesson, sensing that this was perhaps a matter which should not be pressed.

A few weeks later the four teens were invited to attend their first Hogwarts faculty meeting. It was going to be held in the same small conference room where Harry was taken in his fourth year, with the other Tri-Wizard Champions. A large oak table stood in the center of the room, and the teachers took their seats around it. The four teens, feeling rather self-conscious, took seats near the end of the table.

When Professor Snape entered the room he looked at the four young people with obvious distaste. He took his seat as far away from the four students as he could get, and glared at them at the other end of the table. Then in a rather loud and snide voice he said to Professor McGonagall, "Don't you think it rather inappropriate that we should have children attend this faculty meeting?"

Harry could feel his temper rising, but he controlled himself and said nothing. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, did have something to say. "There's only one child that I can see at this table, Severus" she said menacingly. "The rest of us are teachers and soon-to-be-teachers; and you had better get used to that idea, Professor."

Professor Snape gave her an unpleasant look, but said nothing more. He knew well that Professor McGonagall was going to be the new Headmistress of Hogwarts, and that she too had a temper.

When Professor Dumbledore entered the room a short time later it seemed that he already knew what had been said. He looked at Severus Snape rather severely over his half-moon shaped glasses, until the Potions Master was forced to look away. Then he welcomed all of them to the meeting, with a special acknowledgement to the school's four newest teachers.

- o -

Luna's influence had brought a balance to Harry's life, so along with the work he also allowed himself time for play. This was their last year at Hogwarts, and he intended to make it a memorable one; and a big part of that was Quidditch.

The previous year the Gryffindor Quidditch team was unique in that it actually seemed to have two captains: Harry Potter for leadership and Ron Weasley for strategy and tactics. Harry had early on recognized that Ron had a gift for strategy that he lacked; and although Harry was the official captain, they actually shared the responsibilities.

In the new school year, the leadership responsibilities of the Gryffindor team seemed to be stranger still, for now it seemed that there were actually three captains. During the previous year, Luna Lovegood had demonstrated a remarkable ability to develop plays and tactics which were uniquely suited to the Chaser position. In the new year she had taken over the training and play planning for the Chasers; and she, Ginny Weasley and Freda Shaw made a very tight group. They trained on plays that had never been seen in Quidditch before, either at the school level or professionally, and they eagerly looked forward to the first contest of the season against a resurrected Slytherin team.

Mallick was also looking forward to this first game. Harry had instituted a tough series of practice sessions that brought back fond memories of his days at Durmstrang, and had brought the team to a level of razor sharpness. The Gryffindor team was better than any team Mallick had ever played with, and that was saying something.

The day finally came for the contest against Slytherin, and as he changed into his team robes, Mallick was really looking forward to a good, brutal Quidditch match.

But then something happened that Mallick didn't expect. Harry Potter gathered the whole team together, and as a group they walked over to the Slytherin dressing rooms to wish their opponents the best of luck. The old animosities against Slytherin had disappeared, and this year their match was to be a friendly house rivalry. Those members of Slytherin house who had been sympathetic to Voldemort had been arrested, transferred to schools on the Continent, or had dropped out in favor of home schooling. Now there was solid anti-Voldemort sentiment in all the houses. While Mallick found such sentimentality personally distasteful, he played along and wished the opposing team well; wondering secretly how many of them he would put in hospital before the game was over.

When he flew onto the pitch, with the rest of the Gryffindor team, Mallick felt like he was a teenager again. The first Blodger that came his way he whacked directly at the Slytherin Captain, nearly knocking him off his broom. Harry shot down from his position high above and rescued the other captain, who was hanging precariously from his broom. As the crowd cheered loudly, he flew over to Mallick, a serious look on his face.

"Be careful, Eric. We don't want anyone to get hurt. Take it easy." He said earnestly.

Mallick didn't understand what kind of Quidditch they were playing, and was about to reply when he saw that both teams were watching him closely; and they didn't look happy. No, it was better to keep quiet and maintain his cover; he would play by their rules and not risk his access to Harry Potter.

The Slytherin team was most definitely the underdog in the contest, and no one gave them much chance at all. But they stubbornly fought back from the very beginning, and quickly won the respect of their opponents and the crowd. As underdogs they realized that they couldn't play it safe, and they launched a very aggressive assault. But unlike past years, it was a very clean game, with no penalties against either team. Soon the superiority of the Gryffindor team began to tell, as the score rose quickly to 100 to 0, solely on the efforts of the Gryffindor Chasers. Harry hunted for the Snitch desperately; wanting to end the game before the score became too lopsided. This desire was shared by every player on the Gryffindor side; even Mallick had come to respect the courage that the Slitherin team had shown, and no one desired to see them humiliated further.

But then something rather remarkable happened. Andrew McDonnell stole the Quaffle from Ginny Weasley, and with the other Slytherin Chasers began to work it down the pitch. Cheers rang out from the Slytherin seats as their Chasers neared the Gryffindor goal. Andrew flew towards the lower hoop, the Quaffle held tightly in his arms. Ron Weasley flew down to intercept him, and then at the last possible second Andrew threw the Quaffle up and over his left shoulder to Mildred Hoople, who was flying above and behind him. Without even catching the Quaffle she batted it forward and through the top hoop. It was an extremely daring and risky maneuver, but it paid off for them. The stands went wild, and cheers rang out from all four houses for the courageous team that refused to give up.

A few seconds later Harry saw the Snitch down low to the ground and went into a power dive, scooping it up just inches off the grass, and the game was over. The final score was 250 to 10; but all the school could talk about was the single goal that the Slytherin Chasers had scored. They had played a hard game and a fair game; and in the end they had succeeded in gaining the respect of everyone.

- o -

Mallick found his return to school to be a more pleasurable experience than he had expected. He knew he would enjoy playing Quidditch again, but he also found that he actually enjoyed many of the classes he attended; finding them superior to the same class he had attended at Durmstrang. His long years of experience had served him well, and he had no difficulty in far exceeding the expectations of his instructors. The one class that did disappoint him was Defense Against the Dark Arts. He felt it was sadly inferior to the classes taught at Durmstrang, as there was hardly any instruction in the dark arts at all. He wondered how the teachers could ever expect their students to get through life without at least a little dark magic. But then, that was not his concern.

It was an easy matter for Mallick to single out Voldemort's sole remaining supporter at the school. She was Mandy Brocklehurst, a seventh-year Ravenclaw student who spent every spare moment spying on Harry and his friends. The girl had a reputation for being arrogant and vindictive, and was probably drawn into Voldemort's camp by its elitist, pure-blood mentality. Mallick realized that she was gathering intelligence, which she would then send on to Voldemort; but he was appalled by the clumsy way in which she did it. He regarded himself as a professional, and this vindictive young woman was anything but. Therefore, he took some degree of pleasure in throwing up unseen barriers in Mandy's way. After all, they were rivals in this game, and he saw no reason why he should make it easy for her.

Once, when Mandy was following Harry and Luna down the stairs, Mallick hit her with a tripping spell, and she fell violently forward. He thought it rather ironic that it was Harry Potter who cast the spell that prevented her from falling all the way down. Nonetheless, she did have to spend a night in the hospital; but that didn't bother Mallick. If she was going to play this game she had better learn that it was a rough one.

One of his favorite classes turned out to be Potions, because at least Professor Snape reminded him of his teachers at Durmstrang. However, he regarded Snape as far too soft. When he was in school, if a student failed to perform he would likely receive a touch of the lash. The loss of House points meant less than nothing to him, 'what kind of pain is that,' he thought. The young Gryffindor soon became the top student in Advanced Potions, much to Professor Snape's disgust. At the same time the Potions Master began to wonder where the boy had learned so much about advanced potions at such a young age. Realizing this could be a danger, Mallick deliberately failed the next potions exam by allowing his cauldron to explode halfway through class. Professor Snape took away twenty points from Gryffindor House, and quickly lost interest in the young man.

Mallick also found it rather amusing the extreme lengths that young girls would go to attract his attention, especially Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Of course he realized that most young women would find his ruggedly handsome, seventeen-year old appearance practically irresistible; as it had so many times in the past. It was an amusing distraction; the greater their efforts to attract him, the less notice he would take of them. Both girls were becoming terribly frustrated.

- o -

The weeks literally flew by, and very soon the four students were to start teaching their own classes. Up until then, they had been demonstrating spells, tutoring individual students, and generally assisting the teachers with their lessons; but in the third week of October they were to be the teachers. It had been decided that they would take over the third-year classes in their respective fields, and do all the instruction until the end of term. This required that their own class schedules would have to be modified, but this was accomplished without too much difficulty. Almost every evening the six teens would meet in the Room of Requirement to finish their homework and work on their lesson plans.

Harry was delighted when he learned that he would be taking over the third-year classes. It covered material that Harry remembered very clearly from his own third-year, and was the kind of material that he knew his students would find interesting, and could also have some fun with. Third-year students in Defense Against the Dark Arts learned about the dangerous dark creatures that inhabited the magical world, and how to deal with them. Care of Magical Creatures dealt with the more benevolent creatures such as Unicorns and Hippogriffs.

One evening, as Harry and Luna were leaving the castle for a sunset walk around the lake, which had become a nightly custom for them, they met a smiling Professor Lupin.

"What are your plans for this Saturday, Harry?" He asked casually.

"If Luna and I can finish our homework we were thinking of a picnic in the forest."

Lupin shook his head with a smirk, "The Head Boy and Head Girl going on a picnic in the Forbidden Forest? Shocking!"

"Oh yeah, like you never did." Harry responded with a smirk of his own.

"Totally different." Lupin replied in a mock defense. "Well if you and your fair lady can set aside your extracurricular activities for this weekend, I have an outing in mind that might interest both of you."

Seeing that he had aroused their interest, Professor Lupin continued. "Seeing as how you are going to be teaching our third-year students about some of the less pleasant magical creatures of our world, I thought we might floo to Diagon Alley and see what specimens might be available for class study; and you can prepare your lesson plans accordingly."

Both teens were thrilled with the prospect of an outing to Diagon Alley. Harry knew he would have to learn where such study specimens could be obtained, and Luna's love for strange and rare animals had become an interest for him as well. Both teens eagerly looked forward to the coming weekend.

Early Saturday morning they left the school grounds and Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, where Professor Lupin treated them to breakfast; and then they entered Diagon Alley. As they walked down the narrow alley, looking in all the shop windows, Harry was reminded of his first visit six years earlier. He remembered how overwhelmed he had been with everything he saw and heard; but most of all by the knowledge that he was actually a wizard. It was a pleasant memory for Harry, and as he felt Luna slip her small hand into his, he felt completely at peace.

But the peace was short lived, as Professor Lupin led them down a side street and into Knockturn Alley. Harry looked around nervously, and carefully watched the dark clad figures moving in and out of the shadows. He held Luna's hand protectively as they moved along; but for her part, Luna seemed more interested than frightened.

"Not exactly the most reputable place," Professor Lupin said with a smirk, "but as Dark Arts teacher you'll be surprised how often you need to come here. It's a resource you'll need to know about; but you also need to be careful"

As they walked along the dreary alley, Harry noticed a distinctly difference type of shopper from the ones that frequented Diagon Alley. These people had a hard and cruel look about them, and they turned away if you gazed in their direction; as if afraid that someone might recognize them. The alley itself was dark and dirty, and had a distinct look of decay. The shops were old and poorly kept, and few had signs to identify them; the owners likely working under the assumption that if the customer didn't know the kind of wares that were sold there, he had better stay out. Professor Lupin stopped in front of a large, dilapidated wreck of a building that seemed to be leaning dangerously to one side; a faded sign in front carried the name of "Poochkin's Menagerie."

"This is the place," Professor Lupin said, and led them up the rickety steps. He opened the door for Harry and Luna, and followed them into the dimly lit interior. They were almost immediately greeted by the deafening uproar of hundreds of animals who began howling, and whooping, and shrieking, and screaming, and generally causing an unearthly racket. But before Harry could even think of what he should do, the entire shop fell silent. Looking around he saw hundreds of cages of all shapes and sizes, containing strange creatures of every possible description.

Lupin led them towards an ancient wooden counter, and Harry realized for the first time that there was someone else in the shop. An ancient hag, with long, scraggly grey hair and a pock-marked face, came out from behind the counter to greet them.

"Remus, it's been far too long since your last visit," the old woman said in a croaking voice. "And you've brought me new visitors." She said, looking at Harry and Luna expectantly. Harry thought the old woman looked every bit the part of the "wicked witch" that he remembered from the stories of his childhood; and his fingers tightened on the wand inside his robes. But Luna immediately stepped forward and extended her hand.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Ma'am." Luna said with a smile.

"Why aren't you just a darling," the old woman said with a crooked smile.

"Luna, this is Madam Poochkin." Lupin said, amused by the look of trepidation evident on Harry's face. "She's an old friend of mine, and not at all as scary as she looks. Agathia." he said, addressing the old woman. "These are my very good friends, Miss Luna Lovegood and Mr. Harry Potter."

"I'm honored to meet you both." The old woman said, taking Luna's hand. And in a voice that was now less intimidating she added, "I've read much about both of you in recent months."

"Harry is going to be taking over the third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class this month, and I wanted him to meet you and see some of the specimens that you can supply him with." Lupin said.

"Won't you please step into my parlor and we can have a cup of tea and discuss Mr. Potter's needs." The old woman said smiling, as she gestured to a door at the far end of the shop.

Harry distinctly remembered the old saying about the spider inviting the fly into its parlor and hesitated a bit, but Luna took his hand and helped him along. As the old woman was about to close the door behind them, she said to the animals, "Watch the shop, children." Immediately the sounds of hundreds of animals filled the shop again.

But the minute the door closed there was silence again. Seeing the questioning look on Harry's face she explained. "Silencing charm. When someone enters the shop I just seem to sense it; I've been around animals all my life."

The explanation seemed to satisfy Harry, and he relaxed enough to glance around the parlor; which he found to be surprisingly warm and cozy. As the old woman prepared the tea and biscuits, she and Remus chatted about their previous meetings. Apparently the two had known each other for many years, and Harry was finally put at his ease.

They all enjoyed an excellent tea, and found Agathia Poochkin remarkably knowledgeable on all things related to strange and magical creatures. The old woman freely shared her vast knowledge with the young man, suggesting a variety of interesting creatures that would fit in well with the Dark Arts curriculum.

After tea she led her three guests upstairs, to where she kept the more unusual of her specimens. They followed her into a room that was at least as large as the shop area downstairs. It was well lit and very well organized, with cages lining one wall and tanks lining the other. Down the center of the room was a long oak table upon which a number of brass-bound chests were placed.

Harry, Luna and Professor Lupin began to walk along the line of tanks first, which obviously contained strange and potentially dangerous marine creatures. On the right side of each tank there was a small brass plaque which gave the name of the creature, its background, and the place of its capture.

"Look Harry, a Grindylow!" Luna exclaimed, running ahead a few tanks. "I'm sure your class would find this interesting."

Harry regarded the small, horned, sickly-green colored water demon warily. It had long fingers, sharp, pointed fangs and an evil expression. He remembered his own experience with Grindylows in the Tri-Wizard Competition during his fourth year at Hogwards. He was in the lake for the Second Trial when three of the creatures grabbed him and tried to drag him down. The memory still sent a shiver down his spine, but he had to admit that it would make an interesting specimen for class.

"Would you tag this one please," he said, addressing the old woman.

"A very good choice, Mr. Potter. Grindylows are an excellent example of a dark marine creature." the old woman responded, as she began to make out the tag.

As they neared the end of the row of tanks, Harry noticed that the glass tanks no longer contained water, but contained creatures that appeared to be composed of mist.

"Are these ghosts?" Harry asked curiously.

"No, they are atmospheric creatures. If I kept them in cages they would simply dissolve through the bars, and so I keep them in these specially charmed tanks."

Harry noticed that from one of the tanks emanated a beautiful gold, pink and blue light. Looking at the creature through the glass, all Harry could see was the beautifully colored lights. Glancing down at the brass plate he read: "Will o'the Wisp. Also known as Fairy Light."

"This one seems too pretty to be dangerous." He said in admiration.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" The old woman responded. "But these creatures like to lead unwary travelers into swamps and other dangerous places. From a distance they look like a lantern light, and people have followed them until they were completely lost."

"Would you tag this one too, please?" Harry said, thinking about what an interesting lesson he could develop around it.

As they started back along the opposite side, Harry noticed that one of the cages was covered with a dark-colored tarp.

"What's in this one?" he asked out of curiosity.

"That's a Boggart." The old woman replied. "There's no point in confronting shoppers with their worst fear; it tends to put them off."

Harry remembered his own experiences with a Boggart quite well. "Yes, I'd like this as well, please."

At that moment a puff of smoke shot from of one of the end cages, attracting Harry's attention. Looking inside the cage, Harry saw an ugly green creature that resembled a cross between a snake and a dragon. It had a long muscular body, short stumpy limbs and nasty jagged teeth. Its body was covered with hard, studded scales that looked like armor plates. The creature appeared to have a mean disposition, and breathed out another puff of smoke in Harry's direction.

"What is this?" he asked in something approaching awe.

"That's a Snollygoster," replied Luna promptly. "It's a breed of Knucker. You know, a Pigmy Swamp Dragon. They're not very nice." Luna said, pulling Harry back from the cage a bit.

But Harry thought the Snollygoster was a fascinating creature, albeit one he would have to be careful with; and believed his students would think so as well. In the end, Harry had selected six dark creatures for his class; also tagging a Spriggan and a Bacca. The Spriggan came from Wales, and had the appearance of an ugly, stunted dwarf. It lived in the mountains, and led travelers into dangerous places. The Bacca was a goblin-like creature from Cornwall, which had a particularly mischievous reputation, but was well behaved as long as it was fed regularly.

The old woman explained that Harry could send word to her when he needed each specimen, and it would be delivered in time for his class. When he was finished the creature would be picked up and returned to Knockturn Alley. Considering the quality of the specimens and the information provided, Harry considered her rates extremely reasonably and readily agreed to her terms.

As they prepared to leave Harry had completely lost his fear of the old woman, and had quite enjoyed his visit with her. She made it clear that they were welcome at any time, and that if she acquired anything that might be of interest she would owl him at Hogwarts. He resolved to return soon and see what other interesting creatures she might have that he could use.

When they returned to Diagon Alley, Professor Lupin suggested that they stop at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for one of their famous triple-chocolate ice cream sundaes. Both teens were delighted with the prospect, and so they walked over to the nearby shop. While Professor Lupin went to get the ice cream, Harry and Luna went to find a table. They selected one a little distance from the main dining area, where they could talk in private.

On the walk over Harry had been thinking about how he would use the dark creatures in his lessons. It was clear that the Knucker and Grindylow would fall near the end of the class; otherwise their fearsome appearance might frighten some of the young children. Harry decided to build up to them slowly. Just as in his own third-year, Harry decided to start with the Boggart. He felt that it was important to teach his students to face their fears, and he thought he could make it a fun experience as well.

As he was thinking, he glanced over at Luna. He considered her one of the bravest people he had ever known; she possessed an inner strength and courage that would allow her to face anything. He wondered what she could have possibly seen when she faced a Boggart in her third year.

"Luna, can I ask you something?" He began tentatively. Her warm smile reassured him that he could ask her anything in the world. "In your third-year, when you faced your Boggart, what did you see?"

Harry was surprised to see Luna looking rather sad at the question. She looked down at the table, her long dirty-blonde hair falling forward to hide her face, and she was quiet for several seconds.

"I'm sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to…"

"No, Harry. It's alright," she said, interrupting him. "I saw an old woman….An old woman who was all alone and friendless. She had long gray hair and…and silver eyes." Luna said sadly, still looking down at the table.

Harry reached over and took her hand, saddened by what he had heard. "It was you, Luna. You saw yourself grown old and alone, didn't you?"

"Yes," she replied, in almost a whisper.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. "You're never going to be that old woman; you know that, don't you? You and I are always going to be together." And saying this, Harry gently pulled the hair away from Luna's face, and tenderly kissed her.

Looking up into his emerald eyes she smiled slightly. "I know that, Harry. That's all in the past, just a bad memory. I'm not afraid of becoming that old woman anymore."

"Only good memories for you and me from now on." Harry said softly, and pulled her into a deeper kiss.

"Ah Hum," someone said, clearing their throat behind the two teens. They reluctantly pulled apart and saw Professor Lupin standing beside the table holding a tray of ice cream, a wide smile on his face.

"So sorry to interrupt," he said jokingly, "but I….Wait, did you see that?" He said in a voice of panic, as he pointed behind them.

"What!?" Harry asked, apprehension evident in his voice.

"A photographer for the Daily Prophet was taking pictures of you and Luna!"

"What!" Harry shouted, and spun around so fast that he fell out of his chair and onto the ground. Luna started to laugh uncontrollably, pointing at the hero of the wizarding world as he sat on the ground. She was laughing so hard that she had to hold onto the table to keep from falling herself. Harry looked up and saw that his old Dark Arts teacher was grinning from ear to ear. "Got you, Harry," he said; causing Luna to laugh even harder.

"I'll get you for that, Professor" Harry responded, now grinning himself. He realized there was no photographer, and that Remus Lupin still had what it took to pull a good prank.

- o -

When Harry entered the defense classroom for the first time as the teacher, he was quite surprised to see a rather large pudding floating above his desk. His students were all seated in their places, wide grins on their faces as he warily approached the pudding.

"What is this all about?" Harry asked.

One young Gryffindor girl stood and spoke up, "Miss Lovegood and Miss Granger brought it in a few minutes ago. They said to ask you to read the card."

Harry thought it strange to have other students speak of Luna and Hermione with such formality, since they were still students themselves; but he guessed that it just went along with being a teacher. At least now he understood why Ron had asked him all those meaningless questions in the hallway. He realized that he was being stalled so Luna and Hermione could set this up. He picked up the card on his desk and read it, starting to chuckle as he did so. The card read: "Just remember that no matter what happens you've had worse disasters than this!" He remembered with a smile how Dobby had dropped his Aunt's pudding just before his second year, and how he got the blame for it.

Harry waved his wand and the pudding floated over to a nearby table. "We can have some of that when we finish our lesson. But first, which of you can tell me what a Boggart is?" He asked, placing a hand on the brass-bound cabinet that stood next to him.

Immediately several hands went up. This class was a mixed group of Slytherins and Gryffindors, and Harry was determined that he would not show anything that even looked like favoritism. "Mandy," he called out, selecting a young, dark-haired Slytherin girl who was sitting in the front row.

"A Boggart is a shape-shifter. It will take on the appearance of that thing that a person fears most."

"Excellent, Mandy! Five points to Slytherin." Harry responded. "Now can anyone tell me how to get rid of a Boggart?"

A Gryffindor boy waved his hand frantically. "William," Harry said, calling on the boy.

"You have to laugh at it," he boy responded tentatively. The brown-haired girl sitting next to him immediately shot her hand up into the air.

"Yes, Katie?" Harry said, calling on the eager child.

"First, you have to think of a way to make it funny, and then cast a charm to make it change its appearance," the girl said proudly. Harry thought about how much the girl reminded him of Hermione at that age.

"Both of you are right. And do you know what the charm is, Katie?"

"It's Riddikulus!" she declared.

"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor. But the charm has to be cast with a great deal of force of mind, otherwise it won't work. Now everyone say after me: 'Riddikulus!'".

"Riddikulus." The class repeated.

"That's good, but with even more force of mind."

"Riddikulus!" They all shouted.

"Excellent, now let me demonstrate." Harry said, taking the wand from his pocket. He waved it at the cabinet and the doors opened. At first all the class could see was a formless gray shape, which was the Boggart's natural appearance. But as soon as Harry stepped in front of it, the Boggart began to change, and soon a Dementor emerged from the cabinet and into the classroom. The students gasped and shrank back in horror from the terrible creature.

But Harry stood his ground and, aiming his wand at the Dementor, called out "Riddikulus!" There was a sharp, whip-like crack and the Dementor changed into a circus clown, complete with fright-wig and a large red nose. It's black, torn rags had changed into a bright clown suit, covered with large red and blue polka dots. The class began to laugh as it stumbled around the room using feet that were much too big.

"Now that's not very frightening, is it?" And then with a swish of his wand he sent the Boggart back into the cabinet, and the doors slammed shut. "Now if we had wanted to be completely rid of him, all we would have to do is give him a good loud 'Ha!' and they explode. But this Boggart belongs to a friend of mind, so we'll just practice with him."

"Now who would like to be the first to try?" Harry asked, looking out over the now excited students. Katie, the little girl who had been so ready with the answer earlier, shot her hand up into the air.

"Ah, Katie, I can see you were well placed in Gryffindor House. Would you step up here please?"

The little girl got up from her seat and walked up to the front. "Now get your wand ready," Harry counseled gently, "and remember that the charm is 'Riddikulus….Ready?"

When she nodded her head Harry opened the cabinet doors. For a second the circus clown just stood there, and then with a crack it turned into an ugly black spider. The little girl shuddered for a moment, but then aimed her wand and shouted, "Riddikulus!" The spider immediately changed into a blue and yellow ball that bounced around the floor harmlessly.

"Excellent, Katie." Harry said congratulating the young girl, and then he bounced the ball back into the cabinet.

"Now if you'll line up in front of the cabinet, you can all have a try." After they had all successfully faced the Boggart, and there was still a little time left in class, Harry transformed some bowls and spoons and they all shared the pudding. Harry's first class had turned out to be an outstanding success.

- o -

Luna was also well prepared for her own first teaching assignment. Though she loved the study of runes for their own rewards, she had to admit that the subject was less than exciting for most students. This was a sad fact that she was determined to change, and she intended to start the transformation with her very first class. As could be expected from someone like Luna Lovegood, her teaching plan was unorthodox to say the least. But she took pains to clear her lesson plan with her mentor-teacher and Professor Dumbledore; for she knew that she would need their support for such a unique approach to teaching the subject. She was pleased and surprised when they both expressed their full support.

Third year students in Ancient Runes studied the rune texts of Scandinavia, specifically those of the Vikings and Goths. Scandinavian runes had always held a special appeal to Luna, and now she intended to convey that passion to her students. She had always loved the Rune Puzzle that was included in every issue of her father's newspaper, the Quibbler; and she had in fact created several of the puzzles herself. Now she adapted that idea to teaching, and on her first teaching day she presented each of her students with a rune puzzle of their own. Although each puzzle was slightly different, to prevent students from sharing answers, they all had the same objective.

"This is a treasure hunt," she explained to her class. "For the rest of the term I will give you a new puzzle every month, in addition to your regular classroom instruction. The material I teach in class will help you crack that month's puzzle, so those who pay the closest attention will have the best chance of finding the treasure. There will be a total of eight treasures, one for each month remaining in the term; so if you miss finding one you may find another. The clues provided in each puzzle will lead you to the treasure for that month, the first of which is currently hidden somewhere in the castle."

The idea became a resounding success, and rune students concentrated on the subject like never before. At the end of the first month a particularly bright Hufflepuff girl found the first treasure, a large box of Honeyduke Chocolates. Being kind and generous, like most students in her house, she shared the chocolates with the rest of her class. The next month Luna's students studied even harder; and the other teachers began to acknowledge that the unusual approach did seem to be effective. At the end of the year, test scores were showing a significant improvement.

Everyone was happy except Mr. Filch, who saw students wandering through the castle in search of "treasure" as an open invitation to mischief. He went to Professor Dumbledore and asked that Miss Lovegood observe normal teaching etiquette, and restrict instruction to the Runes Classroom. Professor Dumbledore showed Mr. Filch a stack of parchments from parents who said their children had never been so excited about learning, and declared that he had no intention of restricting such a new and effective teaching method. In fact, at the monthly staff meeting, he suggested that the other staff members might take a page out of Miss Lovegood's book, and incorporate some new ideas into their own curriculum. Luna was a bit embarrassed to be singled out for such praise, but rather proud as well.

Hermione and Neville were also quite innovative in the management of their classes, introducing truly unique lessons to both Herbology and Transfiguration classes. Very soon the four student teachers became particular favorites among the student body at Hogwarts. Snape made a rather loud snorting sound at the suggestion, but dared say nothing more. It was clear that Professor Dumbledore was very pleased with their innovative teaching styles and with the significant improvement in test scores.