Chapter Ten
Professor Chikara Daikon
It seemed that Tuesday would pass without incident until Potions class, when Goku dropped his wand into the cauldron he was working on. The liquid within burst into flames and shot straight out of the pot, giving several students brilliant green boils, which Snape had to spend most of the class fixing. As a result, they never had a chance to finish their potion and the whole project had to be scraped. Snape took fifty points from Gryffindor for Goku's carelessness and gave them a huge amount of homework. Goku's wand survived the dip into the potion without a scratch, which was a good thing, but still didn't do much to cheer Goku up.
"I'm really sorry, guys," Goku, said, as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. "I cost Gryffindor fifty points." He had learned rather quickly, how much points meant to the students of Hogwarts and was dismayed that he had cost them so many in his first week.
"It's okay," Hermione said. "Snape just looks for excuses to take points away from Gryffindor. We'll make it up, you'll see.
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Snapes was just looking for a reason to blow up and you gave it to him. He ought to be thanking you for letting him work out his aggression."
Goku smiled weakly at this, but still looked unhappy. "He's so grumpy. Why?"
"It's just Snape," Harry said. "He only likes the Slytherins. He's the Slytherin house head, and he favors them above everybody. Plus, he hates Gryffindor. Trust me, Goku, once word gets around what happened, no one will blame you for it. And fifty points isn't that bad. We've lost more than that in one shot." He and Ron and Hermione looked at each other quickly remembering their first year, where a night out of bed ended up costing Gryffindor fifty points for each of them. It had been a miserable time for all of them, Harry especially because he was so well known.
"It's the beginning of the year, Goku," Hermione repeated. "We'll make those up quickly, you'll see."
"Yeah," Ron said, his eyes glowing brightly. "You wait till I'm on the Quidditch team. With Harry as Seeker, my brothers as Beaters, and me as a Chaser, we'll get lots of points for Gryffindor. You'll see, those fifty points won't make a tiny bit of difference, we're still going to get the house cup and the Quidditch cup."
Harry and Hermione smiled. Ron was getting very excited over Quidditch try-outs and they were still almost two weeks away. They could just imagine what he'd be like when the actual day arrived.
The entire student population seemed to be attempting to enter the line for entry to the Great Hall for lunch and there was more than the normal share of jostling. Two younger students were towards the front of the line, looking a bit terrified of all the rushing around. Harry recognized them from the sorting, but he couldn't remember both of their names. He was pretty sure the girl's name started with an E, maybe Ellen or something, but the boy's name escaped him completely. He knew they were also both in Hufflepuff.
"Lucky them, they must have gotten out of class earlier," Ron muttered, spotting both of them too.
"Make way, make way!" Someone shouted. Harry groaned and turned around. Draco Malfoy and his buddies were pushing their way to the front.
"Malfoy, wait like everyone else!" Harry said.
Malfoy and his goon squad pretended not to hear Harry, and worked their way past them to the front of the line. Draco started to push the two first years out of the way. "Hey Eleanor, hey Owen, thanks for saving our place," he said, smirking. "We really appreciate it."
"Yeah, we appreciate it," Crabbe echoed in dull agreement. "But you can go now."
"But we were here first-" Owen began, even though Eleanor was trying to pull him away. "Hey!"
"You don't want to tangle with them," Eleanor whispered.
"That's right," Malfoy said, nodding. "You're a smart girl, move on."
Goku looked over at them, his eyes narrowing. The lethargic feeling over losing fifty points seemed to vanish as he saw Malfoy and his gang with the first year students. "That's not right!" he said, loudly. "They were there first!"
Malfoy whipped his head around to see who was talking. When he saw Goku glaring at him, his eyes narrowed. "Stay out of this, Son, it's none of your business."
"It is if I make it my business," Goku said. His own eyes were beginning to narrow, reminding Harry, Ron, and Hermione of how he had acted on the train. He began pushing his way through the line.
"Uh oh," Ron muttered.
"Yeah," Hermione agreed, trying to grab onto Goku's arm. "C'mon, Goku, don't start a fight."
"I don't start fights," Goku said, twisting his arm away easily. "But that's just wrong. Those kids were there first."
"Oh no, here we go again," Hermione said with a sigh.
"Stay out of this, dog-boy!" Malfoy said, reaching for his wand.
Harry had been expecting Malfoy to do just that and had readied his own wand. As Malfoy held his up, he waved his own and shouted "Expelliarmus!" The wand flew from Draco's hand, hit the wall, and disappeared. Malfoy was knocked to the floor.
Crabbe and Goyle looked confused for a moment, as if they didn't know if they should help Malfoy to his feet or go and fetch the wand. They stared at each other for a moment, in confusion. "Get my wand!" Malfoy shouted at them.
They began looking around for it. Malfoy rose to his feet staring at Harry now. "That does it, Potter, I'm gonna--"
"You're gonna, what?" Goku asked. His tail was curved into a question mark and waving ever so slowly, as if he were stalking Malfoy. "You're the one who started this."
"Where's the wand?" Goyle was shouting. "Give him back his wand!"
"Looking for this?" Someone said.
Everyone turned to the sound of the voice. Vegeta was standing by the wall, holding up Malfoy's wand.
Crabbe and Goyle looked relieved. "Give it back," Crabbe said, heading towards him.
Vegeta shook his head and twirled it his fingers lazily. "Not until after lunch."
"Ha, ha, very funny," Crabbe fumed. "Give it back, cousin." He had made his way over to Vegeta and lunged for the wand.
Vegeta whipped his hand away, holding the wand between his thumb and fingers. "Uh uh uh," he said, shaking his head. "I said after lunch."
"Give it back!" Crabbe demanded again, trying to grab for it.
Vegeta whipped it out of reach again. "Be careful, cousin," he said, his eyes narrowing. "The way I'm holding this wand… just a tiny bit of pressure, and it will snap like the useless twig it really is. I don't think Malfoy wants that, do you?"
Crabbe's eyes widened for a moment, as it slowly sunk in what Vegeta planned. He looked over at Malfoy for help.
"Give me back the wand, Vegeta," Malfoy said as he started to head towards Vegeta. "Enough is enough."
"Exactly," Vegeta growled, nodding. "Enough is enough and I've had enough of your stupid games. I'm keeping the wand until after lunch. And if you run and tell anyone I have it, I will pretend it's your neck and snap it into a million pieces. Then, I'll tell whoever you bring in authority what really happened here, how you were picking on a couple of first years, and how you pulled out your wand, even though it's forbidden to use magic between classes."
"He started it," Malfoy lied, pointing to Harry. "He had his wand out first. I was just protecting myself."
"Oh, really?" Vegeta's lips curled into a smirk. "That's not what I saw. What I saw was you pulling out your wand, and getting so worked up, that as you went to raise it, you dropped it. Fortunately, I was quick enough to grab it. That's what I saw. I never saw Harry or his friends do anything but attempt to keep Kakarotto from attacking you, for which you ought to be damned grateful." He paused and looked around at the students. "Did anyone else see anything different?" he growled.
Everyone but Goku shook his or her heads quickly. There was no great love for Malfoy among the other Hogwarts students; even his own housemates didn't seem to always love him. Vegeta's suggestion that something different happened instead went unchallenged. "I didn't think so," Vegeta said, nodding.
"Why do you keep calling me Kakarotto?" Goku said. "I keep telling you, my name is Goku!"
"What's going on here?" A voice interrupted the crowd. It was Professor McGonagall. Everyone moved aside to let her through. "What is all this commotion about?" she demanded.
Malfoy opened his mouth as if to speak. Vegeta shot him a look that would have thawed an iceberg in an instant as he placed Malfoy's wand into his pocket. Malfoy's head lowered sullenly. "Nothing," he muttered.
"Nothing?" Professor McGonagall repeated, her lips set in a straight line. "It's rather obvious to me, Mr. Malfoy, that something happened here."
"Something did," Goku said. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and groaned. Was Goku going to blurt out everything? They'd all be in trouble then. "Those boys," Goku paused to point at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, "were picking on those kids," he gestured to Owen and Eleanor, who were looking worried and scared. "I wanted to stop them, but Vegeta beat me to it."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exhaled sharply. It wasn't the entire truth, but maybe it was as Goku saw it. Harry just silently prayed that Goku wouldn't bring up the whole wand issue. Taking another student's wand was not considered acceptable.
"Really?" McGonagall turned to Malfoy and his friends, her brow arched. "Is this true?"
Malfoy hesitated for a moment, obviously debating what would be the best thing to do in this situation. As he looked over the crowd of students, he realized he wasn't going to find too many people on his side with this. Even his fellow Slytherins looked as if they were not too eager to feel Vegeta's wrath. "We were only kidding," he muttered.
"Fourth year students picking on first year students, I'm disgusted," Professor McGonagall said, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Ten points from Slytherin for each of you." She turned to Vegeta and nodded. "But, ten points for Slytherin for being willing to stand up against your own house for what was right. And five points to Gryffindor for Goku being willing to stop it as well."
Just as it was on the train, Goku seemed to suddenly snap back into place and become Goku again. He grinned. "Thanks, Professor McGonagall," he said. "Can my friends have points too? They were helping."
Professor McGonagall turned to Goku. Although she frowned, Harry could see a sparkle in her eyes. "Don't push it, Mr. Son," she said. But her voice didn't sound nearly as strict as it had with Malfoy. "Five points for Gryffindor, that's it."
She looked around at everyone. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle hurried to the back of the line. Satisfied that order had been restored, she nodded and walked away.
Goku looked over at Vegeta and grinned. "Thanks, that was great!"
Vegeta shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't get any ideas, Kakarotto," he snapped. "I wasn't helping you. I'm just hungry and I want to get into the hall for lunch. Nothing else, understand?"
Goku frowned for a moment, rubbed his head, and then grinned. "Okay, Vegeta, whatever you say. But will you please learn my name? It's Goku."
Vegeta turned away, ignoring him completely.
Owen and Eleanor, the first years that had been the cause of this whole situation were staring at Harry and his group with amazement. "Do you know who that is?" Eleanor said, grabbing on to Owens's arm. She spoke in a high, rather squeaky voice, as if she was getting over excited. "The one who made Draco Malfoy lose his wand, I mean."
"Yeah," Owen said, nodding. "That's Harry Potter. The boy who defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby!"
Harry sighed and shook his head. No matter what happened to him, it seemed like that was the only thing folks would ever remember about him, that he was the boy who defeated Lord Voldemort. Since he was so young when it happened, he couldn't even really remember it. Just little pieces of it, like a blinding green light.
"I can even see the scar!" Eleanor squeaked, pointing to his forehead.
"Are you kids going in or not?" Vegeta growled.
They finally were able to enter the Great Hall and take their seats. Goku seemed a little more cheerful, now that he had earned five points for Gryffindor. "That's only 45 now," he said, nodding. "Every little bit helps."
"See?" Ron said. "We told you it wasn't such a big deal. Once we get the Quidditch season underway, you'll see, it'll soon be like those fifty points never happened."
Hermione and Harry grinned to each other. Goku hadn't even seemed to hear Ron, because the food had just appeared and he was digging in.
The twins and Jordan came in and sat down across from Harry, Ron, Goku and Hermione. "How was Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ron asked them.
The twins and Jordan looked at each other, then to Ron. "It's different," George said.
"Different, that doesn't say a whole lot." Ron snorted.
Lee Jordan grinned. "It's the most different class I've ever taken here," he said.
"Very different," Fred agreed.
"How is it different?" Hermione asked.
The twins and Jordan grinned again. "You'll just have to see for yourselves. Don't you have him tomorrow?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione all nodded. "Well, then, you'll see for yourselves, won't you?"
"That's a lot of help," Harry muttered.
More grinning. Ron finally shrugged. "They're just giving us a hassle," he muttered, glaring at them. "It's their idea of a joke."
"No, really it isn't," George, said, sounding extremely sincere for him. "Professor Daikon doesn't teach like any professor we've ever had. He's got a style all his own. And, he asked us not to discuss his class until he's had a chance to start with everyone. We're just trying to respect that." Considering the Weasley twins were Hogwarts' most notorious troublemakers and pranksters, it was saying something that they were actually respecting a teacher's wishes.
"Oh," Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if it's the teacher's wishes, we should respect that. We'll have him tomorrow, we'll see what it's all about then."
Ron gave her a sour look, which he then aimed at his brothers. "Figures, you won't even tell me and I'm your blood."
George and Fred shrugged. Fred's eyes gleamed. "Just following the professor's orders."
"Yeah," George agreed. "You wouldn't want us to disobey a professor."
"Cause you know we'd never do something like that."
"Never in a million years. It would be a disgrace for us to do so."
"And we'd never disgrace-"
"Oh, shut up," Ron interrupted. He turned his attention back to his lunch, ignoring his brothers and Lee Jordan for the rest of the meal.
After finishing his third helping, Goku looked at Harry. "Can I ask you a question?"
Harry nodded, as he took a swallow of pumpkin juice. "Sure, go ahead."
"Who is You-Know-Who?"
Harry was glad he had finished swallowing before Goku asked, because he might have choked if he hadn't. For some reason, he just wasn't expecting Goku to ask that question. Then he realized that Goku, much like himself, hadn't grown up in the magical community. He had probably never even heard of Lord Voldemort. And unlike Hermione and others, Goku wasn't the type to grab books from the library and look it up. Until now, he probably hadn't even cared. "Uhm, he's a very evil wizard," Harry explained.
"Oh, I know that," Goku said. "I've heard the Weasleys and others talk about him. Like those kids in the line did too. Everyone talks about the bad 'You-Know-Who' or the evil 'He-Whose-Name-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned', and I've heard all about how you were able to defeat him when you were just a little kid, cause your mother saved you. I've heard lots about that. The Weasleys told me all about it before you came to visit. That's how you got the scar." He pointed to Harry's forehead. "Everyone has told me lots of stuff. But what they haven't told me is what's this guy's name."
Harry suppressed a chuckle. He had wondered the same thing when he'd first been told about Lord Voldemort. He remembered having to cajole Hagrid into telling him, and when he had, Hagrid had looked very nervous, as if he expected Voldemort to appear the moment he said the name.
"It must be a really scary name if no one will tell me," Goku continued. "But I feel so dumb. People say, 'You-Know-Who' and I say, 'No, I don't know who, so tell me!' They say how his name can't be mentioned. But how am I supposed to know who You-Know-Who is, unless I know his name?"
Harry nodded. He leaned closer to Goku and whispered into his ear, "his name is Lord Voldemort, but-"
Before he could continue, Goku's eyes lit up and he let out a whooping noise. "Voldemort?" he gleefully shouted, "His name is Voldemort?"
A deadly silence washed over the Great Hall at the sound of 'You-Know-Whose' true name being yelled out by Goku. Everyone single person in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Goku.
Goku didn't seem to notice. "What a silly name!" he cried out, his voice filled with laughter. "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort. It sounds like something that went wrong with cheese or something. 'I can't eat this, it's gone Voldemort!" Due to the extreme silence, his voice seemed to carry through the room and echo off the walls.
Several of the students and teachers began looking more than a bit uncomfortable. Many of the younger students (and a few of the older ones) began looking terrified. Eleanor and Owen began shaking. A first year Ravenclaw student burst into tears.
"Voldemort, Voldemort!" Goku continued, mindless of the shock he had caused. "How can you be scared of someone with a name like Voldemort? It sounds like something that happens when you're sick. 'Sorry, I can't go to class today. I have to go to Madam Pomfrey's cause I'm Voldemort. I was up all night having Voldemort."
Hermione and Ron were staring at Goku with twin expressions of shock and dismay. Harry could feel heat flushing not only through his face, but also through his entire body. "Goku, cut it out!" he hissed.
But Goku was enjoying himself too much. "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort. No wonder people refer to him as You-Know-Who. He probably wants it that way; cause even he must know his name is so silly. Voldemort!"
"Goku!" In desperation, Harry tried to reach over and cover Goku's mouth with his hand. Goku twisted away easily. "Voldemort!"
A couple other students were crying now, and a few more looked close to tears. The rest looked stuck between shocked and horrified as over and over again, the name of the person every witch and wizard feared above all others was shouted through the Great Hall by an overly enthusiastic young man with a tail that wagged in total glee. "Make him stop," Owen moaned from the Hufflepuff table. "Something bad is going to happen if he just doesn't stop!"
"Goku!"
One voice rose over Goku's, penetrating through the hall. The voice did more than the shock or the crying had done. The voice managed to get Goku's attention. It was Dumbledore. "Yes?" Goku asked, turning to him.
"I need to see you for a moment. Would you come with me?" He rose from the table.
"Okay, whatever you say." Goku slid out of his seat and headed towards Professor Dumbledore. As he followed, he looked around and saw everyone staring at him. He frowned and rubbed his head, as if wondering why he was getting all this attention.
Harry stood up as well, to follow. "What, are you crazy?" Ron whispered.
"I'm the one who told him the name," Harry explained. "It's my fault too."
"Yeah, you're crazy." Ron started to stand up. "I should come too."
"No, you stay here," Harry, said. "No sense in all of us getting into trouble. You didn't tell him the name."
Ron hesitated, and then nodded, realizing Harry was right. Harry turned and ran to catch up with Goku and Professor Dumbledore. He could imagine the trouble they were in for, and just hoped he wouldn't be expelled. Why can't I go through one year without worrying I'm going to get kicked out? he thought.
Professor Dumbledore led them outside the Great Hall, but not to his office. Instead, he stopped in the entryway, and turned to both of them.
"Professor Dumbledore, it's my fault," Harry said quickly. "I'm the one who told him the name."
"Yeah, but I'm the one who said it," Goku said. It seemed that he had finally figured out that it was his screaming of Lord Voldemort's name that had caused everyone in the hall to fall silent and for him to be taken out of there. "But you have to admit, Professor Dumbledore, it's such a silly name! Voldemort. Lord Voldemort." He giggled every time he said the name. "I thought it was going to be some great, scary, name and it's just funny. Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort."
"Goku, stop!" Professor Dumbledore said, raising his voice louder than Harry had ever heard him do before.
Goku stopped laughing and looked at him. When he saw exactly how serious Professor Dumbledore looked, he sighed. The entire reality of the situation finally seemed to sink in. "I'm sorry. I really messed up, didn't I?"
Professor Dumbledore sighed and stroked his beard. "Goku, I actually believe that it's wrong to always refer to Lord Voldemort as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' or 'You-Know-Who.' To refuse to call what we fear the most by its name is to invite the fear to deepen. One should never be afraid to call their fears by their proper names."
Goku nodded, his tail swishing back and forth. "Yeah, I can see that. You-Know-Who sounds a lot more frightening than Voldemort."
"And," Dumbledore continued, his eyes glittering a bit too brightly. "I would never forbid you to call him by his name, if it were necessary." He held up his hand to stop Goku, who had opened his mouth again. Goku closed his mouth and let him continue. "However, there are many students whose lives have been tragically affected by Lord Voldemort. They have lost family members and other loved ones. I agree, if you look at it as simply a name, Voldemort might sound funny. But the terrible things the man did were anything but funny."
Goku frowned and looked down. "I-I didn't think of that," he admitted, his voice much lower and very subdued for Goku. "I-I just…I just thought it was funny, that's all."
"Yes, I can understand that." Dumbledore's eyes still gleamed and Harry had the distinct impression there was a part of the man that found this situation more amusing than terrible. "However, since it is so upsetting I would ask that in the future you refrain from yelling his name over and over again and making humorous remarks about it."
"Oh-okay," Goku slowly said. "I-I'm sorry,"
"It will be all right," Dumbledore said, not unkindly. "It may take a bit, but I'm sure Professor McGonagall and the other professors are already calming down everyone. I would, however, suggest you don't go back in there right now. Lunch will be over soon anyway. By the time dinner comes around, it will be past history. Did both of you get enough to eat? I can make arrangements for more food, if you're still hungry."
Goku thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nah, I was going to take another helping, but I'm okay. And I don't need dessert."
Harry doubted that Goku really felt full, but didn't mention it. "I'm fine," he said. "And, I'm really sorry, Professor Dumbledore. It was me who told him the name, because he asked me. I didn't think-"
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Professor Dumbledore interrupted, his expression growing very serious. "He asked you a question and you answered it truthfully. I would expect nothing less from you. You didn't realize how—humorous Goku would find it. You cannot be held responsible for that."
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully.
"Good. Well, this situation seems to be resolved," Professor Dumbledore nodded, seeming pleased that it was over. "I think I should return to see how the other professors are doing at restoring order." As he turned to enter the Great Hall again, Goku stopped him.
"Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.
Dumbledore stopped and turned back. " Yes, Goku?"
"Are you going to take points away from Gryffindor for this?"
He shook his head. "I see no reason to take points away for this," he said. "It was merely an honest misunderstanding. I don't think you had any idea the reaction it would cause, did you?"
"No sir," Goku said quickly.
"Then let's just say it was a bad experience and hope that we learn from it."
There was a little bit of tension in the Great Hall during dinner, but by Wednesday at breakfast, it seemed as if the incident was already disappearing from people's minds. By lunchtime, everyone was treating Goku normally.
"That's a relief," Ron said, as they sat down for lunch. "It was a little weird walking in here and getting stared at."
"Weird for us, but I'll bet Goku didn't even notice," Harry said.
"Notice what?" Goku asked.
After lunch was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which all the fourth year students were beginning to get curious about. The class was being held in a room no one had ever been to before, which was located off of a fourth floor corridor that no one had seemed to notice being there before. Yet, there it was, as plain as day. As they walked down it, only one door was visible on either side of the hallway.
"So, which one is the classroom?" Ron whispered.
Hermione looked at the door on the left, then walked across the hall and looked at the door on the right. "Well, this one has a sign that says Professor Daikon. I'll bet it's this one."
"Gee, you really think?" Ron said, rolling his eyes.
The room itself was the biggest classroom Harry had seen in Hogwarts. Along the back wall were three ledges, arranged in tiers, with tables and chairs for the students to sit at. In the front of the room was a large desk that faced the student's seats. Behind the professor's desk was a huge blackboard that ran across the entire room. He could smell faint traces of chalk powder. Except for the grey stonewalls and floor, the room looked more like a Muggle classroom than any other classroom Harry had seen in Hogwarts.
As the other students filed in, they looked around and then scrambled to find seats at the tables. The tables seemed to be made for two students. Harry and Ron found one together on the second tier, just left of the middle, and Goku and Hermione found one next to them, which put them right in the middle.
Everyone had just managed to find a seat when Professor Daikon walked into the room. Even for teaching classes, he didn't wear a robe. In fact, no one at Hogwarts ever saw him in a robe so far. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, and the same dragon hide boots he always seemed to wear. Above, he wore a dark maroon, long sleeved shirt that seemed to be made of silk and over that, he wore what seemed to be the same vest he had been wearing the day Harry and his friends had seen him in the Magical Creatures shop. His long hair was tied back with a leather thong, which wrapped around several inches of his hair. He wore the same red-tinted sunglasses he always wore, with the tiny button on one side.
He waited for a moment for everyone to settle down in his or her seats, before walking over to the blackboard. Then he picked up a piece of what looked like chalk, and wrote on it. But instead of the usual, scratching noise chalk made on a blackboard, the white printing came out smooth, neat, and completely noiseless. It almost seemed to be painted on the board, rather than written.
Everyone looked at what he had written:
Chikara DaikonWhen he finished writing, he turned around and pointed to it. "That is my name. And I don't really care if you call me by my first name or not, but the other professors seem to have some stupid rules about it, so if you're smart, you won't let them hear you calling me Chikara. Understood?"
He waited for a moment. Everyone nodded, deciding he was waiting for some sort of response. He nodded as well and seemed satisfied. "My job, at least for this class, is to teach you how to defend yourself against the Dark Arts and those who use them. Anyone who doesn't like this idea, who doesn't want to learn how to defend yourselves against them, is welcome to leave the room."
He waited again, looking around the room. His gaze fell a bit longer on Malfoy and his cronies and then on Vegeta. When none of them even flinched, he nodded again. "If any of you have any bright ideas of causing trouble in this class or undermining my authority, you can also leave now. I don't need troublemakers, you got that?"
This time, he looked straight at Vegeta, who was the only person sitting alone at a table, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't seem the least bit phased by Professor Daikon's attention being focused entirely on him, and shrugged. Professor Daikon didn't seem happy by the shrug, but he accepted it.
"Now," Chikara Daikon continued, "I've been asking around and looking over the notes and files that your other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers left behind and I've come to the conclusion. Your first two teachers taught you nothing of any use at all. Professor Lupin was the only one of the three you had that wasn't full of shit."
A gasp of surprise went through the classroom at the swearing. While the students themselves were known for doing some cursing (especially when they thought no one in authority could hear) for a professor to swear was almost unheard of. When Lavender Brown heard, she gasped a bit too deeply and coughed. Professor Daikon's head swiveled quickly, so he was looking in her direction. "Are you okay, Miss-"?
"Miss Brown," Lavender said, swallowing. "And I'm fine, I was just a bit… surprised."
"That I said shit?" Professor Daikon's lips curled into a smile that never quite reached his eyes. "Why? It's true. And, when you've seen what I have, done what I have, you learn pretty quickly to call it like it is. And Quirrell and Lockhart were so full of shit, they must have had to use spells to counteract flies from buzzing around them. I won't even dignify them by referring to them as professors, because they weren't. They were jokes to everyone, even themselves."
"And I suppose he thinks he's better," Draco whispered. He was on the third tier, one table to the left of Harry, so Harry and Ron were able to hear him, barely.
Professor Daikon looked quickly over in Malfoy's direction. "No, Mr. Malfoy, I don't think I'm better. I know I'm better. You got a problem with that?"
Draco slid down in his seat as if trying to disappear. Daikon continued looking at him with the same, penetrating gaze. He reached up and tapped the side of his glasses. Something seemed to flash across one of the lenses for a brief moment, so brief that Harry later wondered if he had imagined it. "Just what I thought, Mr. Malfoy. Your mouth likes to write checks your body can't cash. You might want to avoid that in this class, 'cause it could get you seriously hurt. Do you understand?"
Malfoy's lips set themselves in a thin, straight, line but he finally nodded. Harry could almost hear him thinking Wait till I tell my father about this. Harry had the feeling even if he had said the threat out loud; Professor Daikon would have not been impressed.
"Oh, please, Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure your father raised you better than that." Chikara said, a faint trace of a smirk playing on his lips. "You can do better than nod. Now, I'll tell you again that it would be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut in my class, do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir," Malfoy said, sounding surprisingly sincere for him at least.
Professor Daikon seemed satisfied and nodded. "Good. Well, since young Mr. Malfoy over here has questioned my qualifications, I might as well get that part out of the way. As Professor Dumbledore told you when I arrived, I have worked as an Auror for hire for the Ministry of Magic in this country. I've done the same thing in a lot of other countries as well, although sometimes they call it by different names. Miss Granger, you aren't going to get tested on this, you can put the pen down."
Hermione put down her quill and parchment, and looked slightly embarrassed. She had been writing down every word the Professor was saying.
"I do appreciate your enthusiasm though," Daikon, added, which restored her good humor quickly.
He looked around the room. "I've been doing this since I was younger than you are now. My father was an Auror, and still occasionally works for the Ministry of Magic when needed, although he's officially retired. He took me with him as he traveled about and I learned first-hand about dangerous creatures. Professor Lupin took care to teach you about most of the common, annoying ones. Boggarts aren't a lot of fun, but from what I understand, all of you are almost professionals with Boggarts. Anyway, he taught you most of the basics. Which are fine when everything is going well. I'm going to teach you to go beyond that. I'm going to teach you how to deal with the magical bad guys and girls who won't wait for an invitation to attack you. They'll just go right for the jugular and to hell with you, or with fighting fair."
He reached into a pocket on his pants and pulled out his wand. It was a bit shorter than most wands and was made of a very dark wood. Harry doubted it was "springy" or "swishy" it looked rather rigid to him. "See this? You all have one, right? Hold 'em up."
Everyone took out their wand and held them up. He looked around the room and nodded. "Good. Now, put them away, 'cause most of the time you won't need them in this class."
Another gasp of shock went through the class. Pavital's hand raised and Professor Daikon looked at her. "Yes?"
"Sir, how are we supposed to defend ourselves if we don't use our wands?"
Professor Daikon nodded. "Glad you asked. There's something you folks need to learn. A wand is merely a focal point for something inside of you. It helps magnify something within you, but the key is that most of it is within you. The advantage of wands is that due to being made with the core of a powerful magic creature, it does magnify your inner energy, your inner magic, if you will. That's good. The bad part is that a wand is what we call an obvious, visible, focus. Meaning, others can see it easily and try to take it away. Which is bad for you if you've come to depend on it too much."
Everyone in the class looked at each other, but said nothing. There was something to what Professor Daikon was saying; if magic was only on the part of the wand, then anyone with a wand could be a wizard or a witch. But usually their wands were a major part of most classes.
The Professor waited patiently, giving everyone time to gasp and be surprised before he continued. "I suppose at this point a little demonstration is in order." He paused, reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of thin, dragon hide gloves, which he drew over his hands. "Can I have a volunteer?"
Hermione, Justin, and Goku's hands shot up immediately. "Good," he nodded. "Five points to Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for both of you," he pointed to Goku and Justin, dismissing them, and looked at Hermione. "Miss. Granger, you first. Come up here."
Hermione walked up to the front of the classroom. "Okay, we're going to play make-believe," the professor explained, moving across the room, away from her. "You're going to be yourself, and I'm going to be a vampire. You're somewhere remote, minding your own business, and you see me coming for you." He started towards her, walking at a normal pace.
"Why doesn't he just turn into a bat and fly at her?" Millicent Bulstrode whispered to her seatmate, Blaise Zabini. Blaise snorted.
Professor Daikon whipped his head around. "Because I'm not one of those vampires who can turn into a bat," he snapped, holding up his hand to Hermione to stop the demonstration. "Yes, Miss Bulstrode, there are vampires who have other abilities, but can't turn into bats. Did I teach you something new today? Good, write your daddy and let him know I'm earning my salary. As for the rest of you, you should keep in mind that I have excellent hearing." He looked over at Malfoy, his eyes narrowing. "Really excellent hearing."
Malfoy had been leaning over to say whisper something into Vincent Crabbe's ear when the Professor looked at him. He straightened up quickly and made a motion as if he were pulling a piece of non-existent lint of Crabbe's shoulder.
Chikara Daikon just smiled and turned his attention back to Hermione. "Are you ready?" He moved back a few more feet. Hermione nodded as she reached into her pocket. "Good. And just so you know, anything goes in this demonstration. Do your worst, I can take it. Begin."
Hermione pulled out her wand, as Professor Daikon started towards her. But just as she raised it, Professor Daikon seemed to disappear, then reappear next to her, holding her wand. Hermione stared at him in open-mouth shock. The rest of the class was astonished. "That's a fast apparation!" Ron whispered to Harry.
"It wasn't that," Goku said, "Professor Daikon moved over there; he just did it really, really, fast."
Professor Daikon looked over at Goku and smiled at him. It was the first smile that held any form of true warmth Harry or anyone in the classroom had ever seen the professor give to anyone. "That's right, Goku. You've got good eyes."
"Big deal, I saw it too." Vegeta snapped. "And if you ask me, you could have been faster."
"Yeah, but I didn't ask you, did I?" The warm smile disappeared almost as fast as it appeared as Daikon turned his attention to Vegeta. Vegeta shrugged and Professor Daikon's eyes narrowed even further. "Uncross your arms in my classroom," he snapped. "You can't learn if you're too busy hugging yourself."
The rest of the class broke into a nervous titter of laughter. Vegeta's eyes narrowed as well, until they were twin slits of anger, but he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on the table instead.
"That's better." Professor Daikon looked back at Hermione and handed her the wand. "As you can see, sometimes in the time it takes you to pull out your wand, you could be in serious trouble. But, very nice try. Ten points to Gryffindor for you being the first volunteer, who's next?"
"Wow!" Goku cried, unable to stop himself. "Twenty of those points I lost are made up already! Woo-hoo!"
Professor Daikon looked at him sharply, but there was a faint trace of warmth in his eyes. "Glad to hear it," he said, nodding. "But let's keep the enthusiasm to ourselves till the class is over."
Justin Finch-Fletchley went next. Again, he tried to pull out his wand to use against him, but Professor Daikon was able to remove it from him just as easily. Justin returned to the table, staring at his wand as if it had betrayed him, even though he had just earned Hufflepuff another five points.
Draco Malfoy went next. He walked towards the front of the class smirking as if this were child's play. He didn't even pretend to go for his wand. When Professor Daikon disappeared, he swung his arm out and around, trying to hit him. The air moved with the motion, but his fist and arm didn't connect with anything. Then Professor Daikon was standing there, holding up Malfoy's wand and smiling triumphantly.
"See? You didn't even have it out and I could get it," he said. "And nice job, enchanting your wand so it would burn any user but yourself. However, these gloves have their own magic as well."
Malfoy scowled. Professor Daikon continued. "However, you are the first person to actually try to use something else besides your wand. Congratulations. Ten points to Slytherin and good job."
Malfoy's scowl vanished and he looked almost happy (or as close to happy as Draco ever got) when he returned to his seat. Crabbe and Goyle almost knocked him over trying to congratulate him.
"Who's next?"
One by one the students came forward and each time, Professor Daikon was able to disarm them. Many still tried using their wands, a few even attempted to cheat by pulling out their wands before the demonstration even began, but it didn't matter. Every time, they were left wandless.
Others tried Draco's trick, a physical attack, but none of them were able to land a punch. Goku's hand began waving furiously, but Professor Daikon ignored it. He also ignored Vegeta's hand, which wasn't waving nearly as furiously, but was in the air.
"You!" He pointed to Ron. "You're next."
Ron came forward. Harry had seen him hide his wand with his books. When Professor Daikon called "Begin" he didn't move. Daikon seemed to disappear for a moment, and then appeared again, holding Ron by the back of his robe. Ron tried to reach around behind him and grab the Professor by the hair. Professor Daikon moved his head easily and put Ron down. "Thought you'd just let me go first then attack, eh, Weasley?"
Ron nodded, looking glum that his plan hadn't worked. Professor Daikon did not look at all unhappy though.
"Sometimes that's how it goes in life," he said, nodding. "Sometimes you don't know till it's upon you and you come up fighting. If I had been a vampire, you'd be dead by now, but at least you fought till the last minute. I like that. Ten points for Gryffindor."
Ron brightened considerably and returned to his seat. Professor Daikon looked at Harry. "Potter, your turn!"
Harry came forward a bit slower than the others. This whole game reminded him a lot of Dursley and his pals. Yes, Professor Daikon was a lot faster than Dudley even dreamed of being, but the concept of being taken advantage of by those stronger than him was nothing new to Harry. He also knew there was no way he was going to get the better of Chikara Daikon.
Professor Daikon moved away from him, across the room. "You ready?" When Harry nodded, he stopped and held up his hand, then dropped it. "Begin!"
The words weren't even finished coming out of the Professor's mouth, when Harry turned away and leaped over the Professor's desk, and tried to hide under it. He had almost succeeded when he felt the air around him moving, and a hand reach out and grab him by the back of his robe. Harry was hauled up, dangling by his feet. He felt his face turning red as he was held up to the class like some type of trophy.
Several of his classmates snickered and Harry felt the embarrassment go right down to his toes. Professor Daikon set him down gently and looked at the class. "Something funny?"
The laughter stopped immediately. Daikon kept a hand on Harry's shoulder, which made Harry feel like he couldn't just walk back to his seat. "Would anyone like to explain to me what was so amusing about this demonstration? I heard some of you laughing."
The ones who had laughed were pretty easy to spot, because they were trying to look in every direction but Professor Daikon's. But no one seemed willing to discuss it with him. Professor Daikon's eyes narrowed further as he looked around the room. "C'mon, you all thought it was great until a second ago, what gives?"
"Nothing gives, it's obvious," Vegeta snapped. "He tried to run away rather than face the enemy. Harry Potter is a coward."
Malfoy and his friends began laughing at that remark. "Potter the coward!" Malfoy called out.
"Oh, shut up, Draco," Professor Daikon snapped, and then turned his attention back to Vegeta. Harry really wished he'd just let him return to his seat.
"You really think that, Vegeta?" he asked.
Vegeta nodded, staring at the Professor. "A true warrior fights, even when the odds are totally against him. A true warrior does not run away like a scared little child."
"Oh really?" The smile on Professor Daikon's face was thin and cold. "Well, the last time I checked, Harry isn't in training to be a warrior, he's in training to be a wizard. Little confused on the W words, Vegeta?"
Vegeta scowled. "A battle is a battle, no matter what the means of weapons. If you indeed were a vampire, it would be Mr. Potter's obligation to attempt to defeat you. Not to run and hide like-"
"-a scared little child, yeah, we all heard you the first time," Professor Daikon interrupted. "And I'm going to give you a news flash, Vegeta, so listen closely." He paused and looked around at the rest of the room. "All of you pay attention too. This is something you can actually write down if you want. Sometimes, it's better to run away."
"Right," Vegeta snorted. "If you're a coward, it is."
Professor Daikon looked at him again. "Or, if you know the odds are against you now, but you're sure you can get the better of your enemy someday. Even you understand that, don't you Vegeta? The importance of being able to someday defeat the enemy, that sometimes it's better to get yourself away from the situation and train yourself further? You must understand that, because you're here, aren't you? You aren't there, are you?"
Vegeta's eyes widened as his brow furrowed and his lips curled into a scowl. He said nothing though, but crossed his arms over his chest again and looked away from the Professor. Professor Daikon just smiled and looked at the rest of the class.
"Mr. Potter here realizes something that most of you already know, but you don't want to show it. Sometimes it's better to run away, so you can return later, better prepared to face your enemy." He looked down at Harry, still smiling, and tousled his hair. "Good job, Harry. You were thinking. It didn't work very well, but it still shows you were thinking. You knew you couldn't get the better of me, so you did the smart thing and tried to get away. Fifteen points for Gryffindor."
Goku was cheering wildly as Harry returned to his seat. "The points are more than made up!" he shouted. "Yippee! Please, Professor, can I be next? Pretty please?"
Professor Daikon shook his head and finally nodded. "Okay, Goku, you're next."
"Woo-hoo!" Goku shouted and jumped from his seat.
Harry sat down in his seat, very glad his part was over. Ron slapped him on the back and whispered, "Good job!" Harry wasn't too sure if he had done a good job or not, he was just awfully glad the Professor seemed to think his trying to hide was a good idea. He had the feeling Malfoy wouldn't let it go with that though.
Goku was standing in front of the room, bouncing on the soles of his feet, like an over-eager puppy watching his master get ready to throw a ball. "C'mon, let's do it!"
Professor Daikon moved across the room. "Okay, Goku. On my mark." He raised his hand in the air. "Begin!"
Both Professor Daikon and Goku seemed to disappear for a moment, then reappear in the middle. Goku's foot pulled back and shot forward in a streaky blur that was hardly recognizable, until it connected to Professor Daikon.
Right between his legs.
Chikara Daikon's eyes widened into an expression of total shock and he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Everyone in the class looked shocked as well and several of them began clutching themselves, feeling sympathy pain.
Goku stopped short and leaped back. "Ooops!" he cried. "I didn't mean to get you there, I was going for the solar plexus. I guess I aimed wrong. I'm really sorry." His cheeks turned a faint pink and he rubbed his head.
"Tha-tha-tha's o-o-okay," Professor Daikon gasped, still on his knees.
"Well, you did say 'anything goes,'" Goku said, grinning. "And I didn't mean to get you there, but if anything goes, anything goes. Sorry though. I know that hurts."
"Yeah," the Professor gasped. "My mistake. Oh…" He struggled to his feet, his face looking green around the edges and white in the center. "Uh, I'm going to, uh," He paused for a moment, shaking his head as if to clear away the pain. "Uh, I'm going to let you all go early today. R-read the f-first three chapters of the book. We-" he paused again, to shake his head and collect his thoughts. "We won't use the, uh, book, much in class, but it's got, uh, stuff in it, uh… class dismissed."
Goku started to return to his seat to grab his things, then stopped. "Hey, Professor Daikon?"
"Y-yes?" Professor Daikon's eyes were watering and he kept wiping them dry.
"Don't I get some points for Gryffindor?" he asked, rubbing his head. "I mean, I know I missed on where I kicked you and it wasn't very nice, but on the other hand, I did bring you down and you did say anything goes."
For a moment, Harry and the rest of the class thought that Professor Daikon was going to overcome his pain, reach out, and grab Goku by the neck. He stared at him, as if that would be about the only thing that would make him happy. Everyone paused and waited to see what would happen, but finally, Professor Daikon managed a watery smile. "Y-you're right," he said. "F-f-f-fifteen points for Gryffindor."
Goku shrugged. "It really should be more, cause I was the only one to figure it out, but since you're not feeling good, I'll settle for fifteen."
The anger flashed across Professor Daikon's face again. "Goku, get the hell out of here!" he gasped.
Goku nodded and turned for a moment, then turned back. "Your class is lots of fun," he said. "The best one I've had so far!"
Professor Daikon groaned. "You d-don't know how h-happy that makes me," he gasped.
End Chapter Ten.