A/N: I must admit that Mandraco is probably right about England using Celsius. Colin told his classmates it was approx. 180 degrees Fahrenheit in Alice Springs. This is clearly and obviously a factual error, and will be corrected as soon as I can wake up and do the proper conversions.

As an added piece of trivia, the word Nitpicking refers to the useless act of picking nits out of one's hair. The nit is the empty egg casing of the louse (plural: lice). Obviously, one would have done better to pick the eggs out before they hatched.

And Muggle1 has asked the obvious question. Next year will be Harry's last year, but only Malcolm's five year. Will I write a sixth and seventh year for Malcolm. The answer is no. While I do not know what happens to Harry in book 7, I already know what happens to Malcolm. I even hinted at what happens in one of his dreams. Somehow, it's an appropriate ending.

Chapter 16: The School Year Progresses

Draco stared dispassionately into his porridge. He was only vaguely aware that Dewey was sitting next to him. When he noticed, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to staring at his breakfast. Until he had the glimmer of an idea.

"Dewey?"

"Yeah."

"Have you ever been in trouble?"

Dewey snorted. "Are you joking?"

"I mean BIG trouble. And you had no way to get out of it."

Dewey eyed his cousin carefully. "No."

"You've never been in big trouble?"

"I've always had a way to get out of it."

"Oh." Draco was silent for almost a minute. "How?"

"Do you want a specific example or a general explanation."

"I'll choose the general explanation."

"If you're heading for big trouble, do something else but not as big and not as bad, and do it so you'll get caught."

Draco frowned. "Get caught doing something that's not as bad."

"Yeah. Mom always freaks out and punishes me, then when she finds out about the really bad thing she thinks I would never have really done it. It works every time."

Draco was intrigued. "Could I have a specific example?"

"Sure. Mom told us we couldn't get a minibike because they were too dangerous."

"Minibike?"

"Like a miniature motorcycle. Not as powerful but better than a moped."

"Moped?"

"Never mind. Anyway, we got one."

"And?"

"And Reese went for a ride and broke his leg. We were in big trouble if Mom found out."

"And what did you do?"

"Reese and I pretended to be playing in the driveway while Malcolm talked Craig into going for ice cream. We pretended Craig ran over Reese's leg. We got in trouble for playing a cruel trick on Craig."

Draco did not bother asking who Craig was, although he would have remembered the rotund man if Craig Feldspar had been pointed out to him.

"How did that get you out of big trouble?"

"It's easy. We got Craig to move out of the house, so Mom only punished us for getting the bike, not for using it."

Draco nodded appreciatively. "That was clever."

Dewey looked up at his cousin. "Draco. You're getting weird. Even for you."

"I blame it on my relatives."

Draco smiled as his thought progressed. He had a plan. It would cost a lot of money but he knew what he could do. He would buy a certain necklace at Borgin and Burkes. Better yet, Reese's diary had explained that he, as Draco, had cast the Imperious Curse on Madam Rosmerta when he paid a secret visit to Hogsmeade over the summer. Draco laughed, ignoring Dewey's stare. His plan was perfect.

He would give the money to that woman and have her buy the necklace. And he would warn Burke about what he was doing. Then the necklace would be given to a Gryffindor during the first Hogsmeade weekend. Better yet, that student would also be under the effects of the Imperious curse. That student would be caught and they would suspect him. They'd find out about Madam Rosmerta and trace the spell, and the money, to a student in Slytherin.

Draco dreamed about what would happen next. He would be discovered, and Dumbledore would confront him, maybe use veritaserum on him, and everything would be revealed. Voldemort couldn't punish him for failing if he were sent to Azkaban. That part scared him but he reminded himself that the dementors were no longer there. He would be in prison. But he would be safe.

"Reese," Hector Filch called cheerfully.

"I didn't do it."

"Not yet, but you will."

Reese stared curiously at the headmaster. "So, you're going to punish me in advance?"

"Not at all. This isn't about a punishment, lad. It's about the conditions of your return to the school."

"Conditions?"

"Precisely. As you know, you do not have a scholarship for this year. You have to earn your way."

"You mean I have to pay to be here?"

"In a sense," Hector answered, adding to himself, "you barmy git." He cleared his throat and continued. "You and your friend Anthony are in the same position, in more ways than one. You are both required to work in the cafeteria during your daily free period, cleaning up from lunch and helping to prepare for dinner. You also work there every other weekend."

Reese was horrified. "You can't mean that."

Hector raised his arms to say there was no choice in the matter. "You either work in the cafeteria, or you return home and go to your local school."

Reese thought with surprising speed. Two hours every weekday and every other weekend or deal with Mom on a daily basis."

"That's no problem. When do I start."

"Today, after lunch."

Malcolm caught up with Dennis as they were leaving the Great Hall.

"Do you still want to take animagus lessons?"

Dennis looked at him with surprise. "What? I guess. Do you mean like going down to the lake and pitching stones and stuff."

"Mostly stuff, but yeah. How have things been going over the summer?"

"Well, Colin wasn't around and I had a lot of time on my hands. I've been trying to figure out what kind of animal I can turn into. There's a lot of animals I'd like to be, but I can't imagine what it would be like. You said that was important." Dennis brushed his hair nervously. "I need to go to McGonagall's office before first class today. I'll see you."

"What did you do?"

"I - I'm not sure."

"Good luck," Malcolm called out as Dennis ran down the hall.

"He's off in a hurry," Ginny said as he walked up. "What happened?"

"He did something and has to see McGonagall. He wouldn't say what."

Ginny nodded. "I have to go by her office on the way to my class. I'll let you know if I hear anything."

She has one of those ears Fred and George make. She's going to eavesdrop.

"Hey, that's on my way, too. I'll join you."

Ginny frowned. "You don't have to."

Malcolm smirked. "Then you don't need a lookout. In case someone comes."

Ginny smiled. "On second thought, I'd love your company."

As they walked toward McGonagall's office, Malcolm had to ask, "Why'd you hit Draco, yesterday."

"As though you don't know." Ginny bristled. "I saw him on the train with Pansy Parkinson. He was talking about me as though I was a . . ."

"Draco wasn't on the train. He missed it and his mom brought him. He was already at the school when the train arrived."

"But . . ." Ginny's confusion suddenly cleared. "I'm so stupid. I forgot all about Reese." She paused. "Why was Reese still pretending to be Draco?"

"Draco was out all summer looking for me."

Ginny laughed. "Mum told me about your accident. I thought someone would have told him."

"The truth is Mister Winter used Draco to do a few things for him during vacation. Draco didn't want to go home and Mister Winter decided to put him to work instead."

"And what happened?"

"Draco realized that his mom really does care about him. He return home to talk to her instead of going to the train. And it all worked out. We needed a plan to trick Reese into going back to school, anyway."

Both Gryffindors looked up as they heard a scream come from McGonagall's office. Malcolm dropped his books and ran to the door. "It's locked."

"Step back," Ginny said as she pulled out her wand. "Alohamora." A pause. "It didn't work."

"The new security spells," Malcolm pointed out. "Wait here. I'll fly around to her office window.

The door swung open and the Professor was standing there. "Don't bother. And you, young lady. Why did you try to open my door?"

"We heard you scream, Professor," Ginny answered.

Malcolm, standing next to her, nodded. "We thought something might have happened to you."

McGonagall glared at both of them. "Something did happen. And it gave me quite a fright. Mister Creevey was telling me about your animagus lessons and his own personal experiments at transforming." As she paused for breath they saw Dennis standing by her desk looking extremely embarrassed. "It seems that, um, Dennis attempted a transformation over the summer. I'm afraid that the shock of him trying such a thing caught me by surprise. I apologize. I didn't realize that I was that loud."

She's apologizing to us? Why?

"Malcolm," McGonagall continued, "Dennis told me that he made similar attempts last year until you advised him not to. It appears that he did not heed your advice."

I think we're about to find out.

"From now on, you are not to give him any more lessons and neither of you is to even give him any advice. I will be taking care of his education in this matter personally from now on. Do you two understand?"

"Yes, Professor," they answered.

"And, to avoid any comments or advice from anyone else, neither of you is to talk about this or mention it. I don't want Dennis to receive any, um, encouragement from ANY student. Do you understand?"

Both nodded. McGonagall waved them away and closed the door.

"That was scary," Ginny said as they walked away. "I'm just glad she didn't ask what we were doing there. What did Dennis do?"

"Last Christmas he showed me how he was trying to change. I warned him that it was dangerous."

"It is," Ginny told him. "Last year, when we ran into Neville, there was this lady in the same ward. She tried to turn into a dog. And it almost worked. I think she's still there. I don't think they can cure her."

"Yeah. Well, I think Dennis tried the same thing and got lucky. They could cure him. That's why McGonagall was so upset. She probably thought he was attacked or something. She freaked when she found out he did it to himself."

Ginny sighed. "Knowing McGonagall, we won't be seeing much of Dennis for a couple of months."

"That's for sure."

Louis didn't know whether to be complimented or not. As soon as he sat down in the Great Hall, a brown-haired girl sat down next to him. Another girl sat across from him, her hair was what he would call dirty blond. A third girl sat next to him on the other side. All three were in Gryffindor and all three were in Malcolm's year.

"Is someone missing?" Louis asked.

"Bridget is dating Seamus Finnigan," the dirty blond answered. "She's curious, too, and I promised to tell her everything we can find out about you."

"You're very direct."

"Thank you. McGonagall said you were an exchange student?"

"Until the end of October."

"Where do you go to school? I mean, in the States," the other girl asked.

"I don't. I'm home schooled."

"A hedge wizard," the brown haired girl said in a loud whisper, and the three girl's laughed.

"Then I guess I ain't good enough for youse," Louis said brusquely.

Neville Longbottom, who was walking past paused when he heard the remarks. He could tell by Louis' reaction that they both felt the same way about that term. Hedge wizard was one of those phrases that Neville had heard many times behind his back as a child. He stopped and said, "Excuse me."

Louis looked up. "Yeah."

"We've never met formally. I'm Neville Longbottom. And I was told that you were Louis Renault."

"I still am."

"I hope you enjoy your stay. I know a classroom will be very different from private tutors." He smiled to himself as the girls frowned at the word 'tutors'. "Try to think of it as a group effort as opposed to a lack of individual attention."

"I'm not used to groups," Louis admitted.

"Would you like to join me. I'm trying to get close to Colin Creevey. He's in the year above yours. He was also an exchange student over the summer holiday. Spent two months in Australia. And he's telling everyone about it."

Louis, who had already noticed the girls' reactions, jumped at the chance.

The blond-haired girl bit her lip and looked at the other two. "I don't believe we were so wrong. Did you hear Longbottom. Private Tutors. As in more than one. I bet he even had his own Quidditch coach."

"Hi, everyone," Bridget said as she walked by with Seamus. "What happened to your love interest."

The blond pointed at the brown haired girl. "Denise called him a hedge wizard, and we laughed. Now we're social outcasts."

"I should have known," Denise complained. "I felt his hair. It wasn't greasy at all."

Seamus laughed at the girl's embarrassment. "Didn't you know? That was a costume he wore, just for show. I asked him about his hair. He said he hadn't greased it since he was here." He turned to Bridget. "Let's show him that at least one girl in Gryffindor thinks before she talks."

Bridget couldn't help but smirk. "Do you mean we're going to introduce him to Hermione Granger?"

Denise frowned. "I wish Amber was still here. She always knew what to say. Have either of you heard from her?"

The other girl answered. "We could ask Professor Vector. She came by to collect her things, back in June, remember. She might have heard something."

The blond girl sighed. "I ran into her at Diagon Alley. All she said was that Amber was going to a different school. She wouldn't say where but she said EJ went there, too."

"What's that," a third year girl asked. "EJ Captain changed schools to be with Amber Dowling?"

The third year and her friends sighed as they went back to their own conversation. "I wish I could meet a boy like that."

"Pull out your wands," Professor McGonagall called out. She frowned when she saw a glint of reflected light. "Mister Renault, please hold up your wand."

Everyone looked at Louis who was holding a silver wand over his head. Malcolm, sitting next to him, whispered. "Is that . . ."

"Chrome plated. My old man did it."

"Your Old Man?" McGonagall asked. "You mean your father did this to a perfectly good wand? Why?"

Louis feigned surprise. "Because a steel wand is just plain ugly."

Now everyone was surprised, except McGonagall who was impressed. "That in itself shows talent. How many times has it been folded." She held her hand out (clearly asking and not demanding) to see the wand.

"Over four thousand times," Louis said with pride.

"And it's core?"

Louis knew he was going to impress her even more. "Phoenix Tears, freely given. My old man had a fit. It was the most expensive wand the guy had. But when he saw that it fit me . . ."

McGonagall handed the wand to Louis. "It is a precious gift. Use it well." She walked back to her desk. "For today's lesson . . ."

"Professor?" It was the girl, Denise, who asked. "Does he have a STEEL wand? Shouldn't wands be made of wood."

Minerva McGonagall smiled and frowned at the same time. Her lesson for the first day might never be taught but she would give her students a different lesson.

"You are almost correct, Denise. Wands are usually made of wood with a part of an animal at it's core. It's a symbolic magic. Animals and plants. It is a symbol of life itself. It is that symbolic magic combined with an individual's compatibility that makes it such an important tool in casting spells. When you have Charms, you may want to ask Professor Flitwick about that."

She paused, smiling to herself. Never had her students been so attentive. "About two hundred years ago, a wizard discovered that steel could be used in casting spells. He never explained how he discovered this and he didn't do much with the information. As a result, his name is almost forgotten. But one person he did tell was a young wizard, a muggleborn, George Carpenter. Carpenter's father, despite his name, operated a muggle steel mill. He returned home and experimented. He discovered that 'folding' the steel made it stronger and also made it more pliable to the use of magic. He also made the discovery, after many years of testing, that a steel wand must have a liquid core. Dragon's blood or the blood of another magical creature was the most effective. Using bile or another bodily fluid could be useful but would give the wand strength in one type of magic at the expense of other types. Are there any questions?"

"Professor," a boy asked. "He said his wand had Phoenix tears?"

"Phoenix tears that were freely given. That makes his wand extremely rare, and I believe he said it was extremely costly as well. As with all wands, however, if you are not attuned to it then it doesn't matter what it's made of. The real point of interest here, I should tell you, is not that Mister Renault has a wand made of steel. Steel wands always sell quickly, mostly to collectors as valuable curiosities. Mister Renault, unlike wand collectors, uses his wand." McGonagall smiled again. "And now we will test his wand against all of yours. Your first task of this school year is to change the tea kettles on your desks into guinea pigs. Who wants to go first?"

It was too good to be true. Crabbe and Goyle, minus Draco had come across Louis Renault during a brief moment when he was alone. They considered it their duty to harrass the exchange student. They began by shoving him to the floor.

Louis automatically rolled when he hit the floor and surprised the two Slytherins by doing a backward flip and landing on his feet. Louis's wand was out.

"Expeliarmus." Crabbe's wand went flying before he could draw it. In anger he started to rush Louis while Goyle pulled his wand out. "Stupify." Goyle fell, stiff as a board while Crabbe lunged at Louis. The American stepped sideways, while tripping Crabbe and at the same time striking him sharply in the side with the flat of the wand. Crabbe fell, gasping for air.

"Well done."

Louis turned to see the new teacher, Professor Slughorn staring at him with approval.

"Thanks, Professor."

"And what spell did you use on this boy. It was nonverbal."

Louis frowned. "He was too close for a spell. It was a martial arts trick." His frown turned to a bragging smile. "I got me a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and in Karate, and I also . . ."

Slughorn laughed. "Muggle defenses. You are a clever boy. And I see McGonagall was right." He paused and pulled out his wand as Crabbe pulled himself up. "Get out of here, you miscreant." He pointed his wand at Goyle. "FINITE INCANTATUM. And take your partner in crime with you."

Both boys left quickly, ignoring the small crowd that was forming.

"As I was saying,"Slughorn continued, "I understand that you have a steel wand. And I observed that you can use it with skill." He glanced at the various students watching curiously. "But a hallway is not a place to chitchat. I'm having a small dinner party tonight, to get to know a few of the students. I would be pleased if you would join me."

"Thanks. Sure," Louis said with surprise.

"Be at my office at Six sharp. Do you know Hermione Granger. She should be able to show you the way. She is also a guest."

As Slughorn walked away, a familiar girl stepped up to Louis. It was Denise. Louis brushed his hair back in his familiar habit of annoyance, then felt further annoyed. He had promised his old man not to use anymore hair gel, it lacked class. But it made Louis feel cool. He hadn't felt like himself since he came to this school. His last thought before the girl began to speak was: I hope I'm not turning into Malcolm.

"Look," Denise said quickly, "I know I was a jerk this morning but I can't help myself. It's just that you're really cute and you're the most interesting person I've been able to talk to except I keep saying stupid things without thinking and it makes me nervous and I start rambling on and on about . . . anything."

Louis looked down at the embarrassed girl. "I'm cute?"

"It's your hair," Denise said in an embarrassed whisper.

"Oh?" Now Louis was nervous and embarrassed. "I'm going to lunch. You wanna join me?"

"I'll just annoy you."

"As long as it's just you annoying me. I don't think I could handle your friends as well." Louis began to walk away, and looked back. "Are you comin'?"

"Um, Louis," Denise said as she pointed in the other direction. "The Great Hall is this way."

"Oh."

Reese grumbled as he entered the kitchen after lunch. He was given an apron and told to clear all of the tables. Anthony had the easy tasks of cleaning the tables, refilling the condiments and resetting the chairs. Reese had the task of helping wash the dishes. He also had the unwanted pleasure of watching the cook prepare dinner. It was spaghetti. Tuesdays were always spaghetti.

Three large pots were prepared for the pasta, and two for the sauce. Reese grimaced as large cans of tomato sauce were opened and poured in, followed by handfuls of oregano. The assistant cook was busy making the meatballs. Three for each student. Four for each teacher. And all he could eat for himself.

"There has to be a better way," Reese muttered, and an idea began to form in his head. To be fair, the idea had nothing at all to do with food or even the school, and it fell into nothingness before it ever became anything. Instead, Reese concentrated on cleaning the dirty plates simply by spraying them with really hot water.