Author's Note: I'm aware that Gryffindor only shares a few classes with Slytherin House, but for the purpose of this story, they will share all classes. Also the classes may be in a different order than the books/movies.

The Emperor of Slytherin 2

"Did you see that?" Hermoine said to Ron and Harry as the three filed out of Potions for their next class.

"Bloody, yeah!" Ron replied wide-eyed. "Who didn't?"

"What was that red thing?" Harry asked as he hefted the pile of books in his arms. They quickly climbed the stone steps leading out of the Dungeon and he was glad for the momentary breath of fresh air. But he dreaded the long climb all the way up to Divinations. "It looked like a sword almost."

"I have no idea," Hermoine quickly said, her strap from her heavy bag of books biting into her shoulder. "But I'm sure he's not supposed to have it!"

Harry reached the bottom of the Divinations Tower and was about to start up the stairs when a sharp elbow to his side knocked him into the wall. His books went flying when the back of his head collided painfully into the stone block wall.

"Out of my way, Potter!" Draco snarled as he started up the long flight of stairs. Crabbe and Goyle, open-mouthed and huffing for air, were right behind him.

"How rude!" Hermoine glared angrily at the Slytherins' backs, then went to help Harry to his feet.

Ron watched the three Slytherins disappear rapidly up towards the Divinations classroom, a confused expression on his face. "Where are they going? I thought the next class was with either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?"

"Didn't you check your schedule?" Hermoine replied as she shoved Harry's books back into his arms. "We have ALL of our classes with the Slytherins!"

"NO!" Harry and Ron cried together, a look of utter horror on their faces.

Hermoine started up the stairs. "We better hurry up or we'll be late! You want to make a good impression for the new teacher, don't you? I've never met the Divinations teacher, have you?"

Ron shook his head and glumly started up the stairs. Halfway there, he clung to the railing and forced his foot up onto the next step. "Why do they make these towers so tall? What do they think we are, bloody goats?"

"Stop complaining, Ronald! This is good exercise!" Hermoine had actually managed to catch up to the three Slytherins, leaving Harry and Ron struggling to catch up.

Down below, Palpatine had just emerged from the Dungeon into the corridor. He studied his map for a moment, turning it this way and that. Now where was the next class? Just a moment ago all the students from Potions had been just in front of him and now the hallway was deserted! Determining that a left hand turn was required, the Emperor slowly walked until he reached a staircase. He tilted his head back. The stairs went up and up and up…

"Drat place!" Palpatine mumbled, his voice echoing in the empty corridor. "Why don't these fools have lifts?"

Picking a foot up, he climbed onto the first step. A second and third step followed. He leaned heavily on his gnarled and twisted cane, resting. The heavy bag of books he was forced to carry made his back hurt. And his knees, yes, they felt like they were stiff and swollen from all the unaccustomed activity. Determination crossed his decayed face and he climbed a few more steps. His hand clung tightly to the smooth banister. He picked his head up, measuring how much farther he had yet to go. A groan escaped his lips when he realized he was still near the bottom of this insane staircase.

Up in the classroom, Harry shot Draco a dirty glare. The blonde Slytherin, of course, had chosen a table near Potter's. And to Harry's disgust, Malfoy just sneered.

Their new teacher, Professor Trelawney, was almost as blind as a bat. She bumped into tables, tripped over the little steps in her own classroom and peered out at them from behind eyeglasses. How she ever managed to take attendance with such bad eyesight was a total mystery. What was evident, however, was her style for theatrics and her ever-present foreshadowing of doom. Within the first fifteen minutes of class she had already predicted Harry's death due to the Grim in his teacup.

Harry stared fearfully at the dark blob at the bottom of his cup.

Draco laughed gleefully, Crabbe and Goyle joining him.

"Don't pay it any mind," Hermoine said as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's all a bunch of made up nonsense!"

"But…" Harry started to say.

"No, Harry!" Hermoine insisted. "Do you really think anyone can predict the future from looking at shapes in the bottom of a teacup? It even sounds ridiculous! I don't know why we're forced to even take this subject…"

Professor Trelawney moved over to Draco's table. She focused her near-sighted eyes on Crabbe, who held Draco's teacup. "What do you see, dear?"

"Uhhh," Crabbe uttered uncertainly as he tried to make sense out of the sludge at the bottom of the cup. "I don't know."

The teacher held out her hands. 'Give me the cup."

Crabbe gladly handed the cup over and the three Slytherins watched with interest as the teacher studied the mass of tealeaves at the bottom.

Trelawney shook her head sadly and gently placed the cup onto the table. "You poor boy. You have a dismal future in front of you."

Harry smiled at Malfoy, glad that the blonde was going to share the upcoming suffering. Draco angrily glared back. Trelawney, of course, didn't see any of the silent exchange between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins.

Outside the classroom, Palpatine had just reached the landing. He paused for a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't remember when he had ever climbed so many stairs. On Coruscant they had lifts that quickly took you from one level to another. When the average building easily had over five hundred floors, lifts were required.

The bell rang signaling the end of class.

Draco leaped out of his seat and was the first to reach the door. The room had been unbearably hot. Worse, some noxious fumes had filled the air. Apparently Trelawney favored burning incense in her classroom but all it did was give the blonde Slytherin a banging headache. If that hadn't been bad enough, then she had predicted gloom and doom for him! It had been funny when she had done it for Potter, but when it had happened to him the smug smile had vanished. The only constant bright spot had been the absence of the zombie. He shoved the door open and almost collided into Palpatine.

"Move!" Commanded Palpatine. "I need to attend class."

"Class is over, old man. You missed it!"

"What!" Palpatine howled, his red eyes glaring at Draco. "I climbed all those steps for nothing!"

Without thinking, Draco held out his hand and shoved the old man backward. "Out of my way, Gramps!"

Palpatine stumbled backward, his back hitting the low railing on the small landing just outside of Divinations class. He tumbled over it backward and fell. His body rapidly vanished from sight as he plunged towards the distant floor far below.

Draco's already pale face went paler. He glanced at Crabbe and Goyle. "I didn't mean to!"

The two plump boys had moved to the railing and were watching the old man fall, chuckling. Any moment they expected him to splat on the hard stone.

Palpatine used the Force and easily slowed his descent. His feet touched down as gentle as a feather. Laughing gleefully, he started towards the next class listed on his scroll. With any luck, he'd reach this one on time.

Draco peered over the railing. "I don't believe it! The old geezer is OK! How the heck did he DO that?"

Crabbe and Goyle shrugged.

His legs trembling slightly, Draco hefted his leather bag of books and started down the long staircase. Truthfully, he was glad the old man was all right or else he would have been suspended for sure if not worse. Yet he hadn't heard the old man say the words to a spell. His head still aching, he hurried on to Care for Magical Creatures.

Palpatine laughed evilly as he reached the large ornate doors that led outside. The funny little boy had done him a favor by pushing him off the landing, saving him a miserable trip down the stairs. The dreary school was just loaded with stairs! Calling on the Force once again, Palpatine shoved both doors wide open at an incredible speed. They clunked satisfactorily to their full open position, just barely missing someone who had been approaching them from the other side. The startled man stood there for a moment staring at Palpatine, the wind from the door blowing his long white hair. The Emperor laughed evilly and hurried past. With any luck, he might even be the first to reach the new class!

Lucius Malfoy turned and watched Palpatine hurry towards Hagrid's hut. The letter from his son was clutched in one hand, his snake-headed cane in the other. It had been hard for him to believe the contents of the letter, but now he had seen the so-called zombie with his own eyes.

"Father!" Draco called as he rapidly approached, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. "Did you see him?"

"Yes, I have." Lucius replied. "And I truly don't know what to think. I will go ask Dummbledore for an explanation."

"In Potions he chopped a desk in half!" Draco quickly informed his father. "He has some sort of red thing that makes a humming sound."

Harry, Ron and Hermoine approached the two Malfoys, Crabbe and Goyle.

"It's a sword." Hermoine said. "I think it may be a laser sword, although I have no idea where he might have acquired such a thing from. As far as I know, it shouldn't even exist; yet he has one. Although I'm sure it breaks dozens of school rules!"

"Laser?" Lucius asked.

"Muggle technology." Hermoine explained. "In theory a laser can cut through anything. They're often used for surgery, as cuts from a laser heal faster and can be more accurate. Although why it would work on Hogwarts grounds is a total mystery…"

"He wanted Snape to call him 'Master'!" Ron offered. Personally, Ron would be all too happy to see the old man leave Hogwarts.

"Ron!" Hissed Harry as he grabbed the red-haired boy's arm and pulled him closer. "What are you doing? He's a Death Eater!"

"But he's a school governor!" Ron whispered back. "Maybe if we complain enough, he can kick the old guy out! I don't know about you, Harry, but I don't want to be stuck with the creepy guy for a whole year, especially after what he did in Potions! What if he hit a PERSON with that red sword thing?"

Harry's face paled as he realized that if Hermoine was right the sword would just as easily pass through flesh as it did through the table. It would be terrible! Moving closer to the small crowd around Lucius, Harry decided to help Ron with his plan. "He skipped Divination!"

Hermoine's eyes widened and she grabbed Harry by the wrist. "We're going to be late!"

Harry raced after Hermoine down the steep hill towards Hagrid's house. Taking the grassy hill at breakneck speed had been dangerous and he had almost slipped once but had managed to stay on his feet. Out of breath, he joined the crowd of students milling around Hagrid's house. Glancing about, he quickly spotted the old man with the unusual red eyes. The rest of the students kept away from him as they eyed him suspiciously. Whispers passed through the crowd and the Boy Who Lived listened, even if he normally ignored gossip.

"I heard he has some Muggle disease called Band-AIDS." A Slytherin boy whispered. "It's supposed to be contagious."

"No, he has Zombie Rot!" A Slytherin girl insisted. "If he touches you you'll get it and your skin will fall off in big patches!"

"I heard from a Hufflepuff it was Athlete's Feet that spread all over his body…"

"Never washes…"

"It's You Know Who reincarnated!"

"No, it's You Know Who's father reincarnated!"

"You're all wrong! It's Slytherin himself come back to haunt us!"

"Don't let him touch you!"

"He's really an undead creature. Look at those eyes!"

"A vampire for sure. But wait, he can't be. The sunlight didn't melt him."

"I don't want to catch Zombie Rot!"

Harry was amazed at the wide variety of rumors that was flying around about Palpatine. And like most rumors, they all were probably wrong. But the majority of the school believed them and that's what counted. If a person believed a thing, in a way that thing became real. Before long the entire school would be scared of the man and getting too close for fear of Zombie Rot or some other equally hideous disease.

Hagrid appeared and the class followed him to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Soon the class was introduced to Buckbeak, the Hippogriff. Harry stared at the Hippogriff in awe. He had never seen such a wondrous creature before. It appeared to be half bird and half horse! It was also large with razor-sharp talons on its forefeet and a sharp, down curved beak. All in all, the creature looked very dangerous as well as magnificent and Hagrid was attracted to dangerous creatures. And the way it gulped down the raw ferrets that was tossed towards it wasn't exactly reassuring. The point being that it was obviously a carnivore that ate raw meat.

Palpatine stood near the front of the class, a large empty space around him. Unlike the other students, he was not impressed by the Hippogriff at all. It was just another alien creature and he had seen thousands. What was one more?

"All right. Everyone open your books!" Hagrid called after he threw Buckbeak another ferret. "Today we're going to learn about Hippogriffs."

"What is the point of this lesson?" Palpatine asked.

"To learn about Hippogriffs, of course!" Hagrid replied, the big man rolling his dark eyes as he thought the answer was obvious.

"Yes," Palpatine continued. "But WHY are we learning about these Hippogriffs?"

Every eye in the area was focused on Palpatine and Hagrid. They all remembered the incident with Snape and sensed another episode was about to take place. Snape had obviously won the first round, but who would win the second? It was so quite in the paddock that the only sound was the slight whistle of the wind in the trees and the sounds from Buckbeak.

"Well, because this is Care of Magical Creatures class." Hagrid explained. "I see you're new here so it's perfectly natural to be a tad confused. You need to learn about magical creatures because if you ever meet one you'll know what to do. Take Buckbeak here for example. You'd know that Hippogriffs are proud creatures, so you'd bow when you see one. You do that and the Hippogriff won't rip your head off. So you're learning for your own protection, like if you ever met a creature out in the wild somewhere."

"I've seen many creatures more dangerous than this Hippogriff." Palpatine replied. "Do you actually expect me to bow to this beast?"

"That IS part of the lesson." Hagrid said as he looked at Palpatine. "Do you want to go first? There's nothing to be scared of. Buckbeak won't hurt you if you do what I say."

"I fear nothing." Palpatine stated, and then stepped forward. "Yes, as Emperor I will go first."

Palpatine took several slow steps forward and bowed from the waist, his red eyes watching the winged creature. Standing in this position made his back ache but he ignored it. He had the Force and it was powerful, that was all that mattered.

Buckbeak tilted his head as he studied the old man. He pawed and scratched at the dirt with a forefoot, making odd sounds. There was something about this man he didn't care for; a coldness. Yet he was bowing respectfully… With a loud squawk, Buckbeak lowered his head and bowed low.

"Wonderful! Look here, class! He did it!" Hagrid shouted happily. It was his first day of teaching and he was nervous, worried something would go wrong. "Now you can move closer. Go on!"

Palpatine slowly straightened, his back making a loud POP sound as he did so. Slowly he approached the beast. Buckbeak sniffed at him suspiciously, but Palpatine having a bit of knowledge about animals allowed the Hippogriff to make the first move. Only after Buckbeak had rubbed him with his beak did Palpatine touch the creature. "There. I touched it. Is this foolishness over now so we may learn the REAL reason we are here?"

"Huh?" Hagrid said, confused. "That is the reason we're here. What other reason is there?"

"To learn magic, to gain power." Palpatine explained. "This is a school of Force-Users, not a petting zoo."

"Ahhhh….." Hagrid stalled as he puzzled over what Palpatine had said. "You have to ride him now."

"Ride THIS?" Palpatine stared at Hagrid with his red eyes. "I do not need to ride this beast."

"You don't need to ride the beast." Hagrid replied.

"You will address me as Your Highness." Palpatine said.

"I will address you as Your Highness." Hagrid agreed.

"I do not need to take this class." Palpatine said.

"You don't need to take this class, Your Highness." Hagrid nodded.

"I have passed this class with the highest possible grade."

"You passed with high grades, Your Highness." Hagrid said, a blank look on his face.

"Thank you." Palpatine smiled as he started to walk back toward the castle. He paused, and then glanced back at Hagrid. "You shall be rewarded for your faithfulness to the Empire."

Hagrid blinked several times and glanced around in confusion. "Ahh, who wants to go next?"

Hermoine leaned closer to Ron and Harry. "Was that the Imperious Curse?"

Harry had a puzzled expression on his face, as did the entire class. "It couldn't have been. He didn't even have his wand in his hand. As far as I know, you can't curse someone without a wand. There's wandless magic but it's very hard to control. I never heard of anyone being an expert in wandless magic, did you?"

Hermoine shook her bushy head. "No, not that I know of. But that man is STRANGE. First he had that red laser sword and now this! I don't like it at all."

"Come on, there's nothing to be scared of!" Hagrid continued to urge the class. "Who wants to meet Buckbeak?"

Draco shoved his way to the front, a confident expression on his face. He stared Hagrid in the face. "I don't need to take this class."

Hagrid laughed. "Of course you do! Now step forward and take a nice low bow…"

Grumbling under his breath, Draco bowed to the Hippogriff.

Cackling, Palpatine climbed up the steep hill and headed for the castle. The teacher was a weak-minded fool and had fell for the Jedi Mind Trick. He paused a moment to study his schedule and saw that Defense Against the Dark Arts was next. Palpatine hurried on for he was eager to see what sort of defensive skills the class would teach. So far he hadn't really learned anything, except that the building had too many stairs. He would have to find a way to get to his classes without actually climbing all those annoying stairs. The Force would assist him with that. After all, he wasn't the Master Sith for nothing!

While Palpatine hurried back to the castle, a meeting was going on in Dummbledore's Office. The Headmaster sat behind his desk while two others stood before it. One was Lucius Malfoy; the Governor of the school and the other was Professor Snape.

"He CHOPPED a desk in half!" Snape bellowed angrily. "And he left big hunks of SKIN behind in my classroom! The next class that came in after the Third Years left saw the pieces of skin and went into hysterics! They were all convinced they were going to catch a fictious disease called Zombie Rot. By the time I calmed them down class was over!"

"Furniture can be repaired, Severus." Albus Dummbledore calmly stated.

"Exactly why IS this person attending school?" Lucius Malfoy asked. "He is certainly past the age where one normally attends Hogwarts."

"He made a generous donation to the school, one we could not afford to refuse." Dummbledore explained as he offered his guest a bowl of candy.

Lucius declined the candy offer. "Exactly how generous?"

"In the millions."

Lucius blinked in surprise.

Dummbledore unwrapped a peppermint and popped it into his mouth. "He paid it in gold the day before school started. He IS an Emperor and if I'm not mistaken, a very powerful wizard as well. I feel it is best that we humor him for the time being."

"And the disruptions he's causing?" Lucius asked. "What will you do about those?"

"Perhaps," Dummbledore leaned forward. "We could get a special staff member who could handle the complaints from the students, someone who could run a bit of interference. The person would need to be quite brave and bold, as Palpatine is quite intimidating to say the least. They would need to inspire confidence in the students. And they need an air of command so students in a panic would obey."

"And where do you suggest we find such a person on such a short notice?" Lucius inquired, curious as to what the Headmaster would say. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"Why, yes." Dummbledore smiled. "Since you're already here and connected to the school, I thought you'd do nicely."

Lucius stared at Dummbledore in surprise, his blue-gray eyes widening. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Dummbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "Did you not say last year that the students and the school were one of your concerns? Isn't that why you're here now?"

Lucius nodded. "Is he like Voldemort?"

"A very advanced Voldemort." The Headmaster leaned back in his chair. "I do believe they shall be headed towards Defense Against the Dark Arts about now…"

"Headmaster!" Snape butted in, his hands on Dummbledore's desk. "This is all very well and good putting Lucius in charge of this MESS, but that won't stop the STUDENT from SHEDDING SKIN in MY classroom! What do you propose we do about that?"

A smile appeared on Dummbledore's face. "Well, Severus, I think we should take a page from the Muggle's book on this one. On their flying devices called airplanes they have this special device for when one gets sick. It is commonly called a Puke Bag. I suggest you hand these out to the students and tell them to deposit any body parts that fall off into said bag."

Snape glared at the Headmaster, the nostrils on his large nose flaring. "That's ridiculous!"

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Dummbledore placed a box of the bags onto his desk.

"No, I don't." Snape turned on his heel and stomped out of the office, the large box of the Muggle bags tucked under one arm.

"I will go see what I can do." Lucius turned around to leave Dummbledore's office.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Dummbledore smiled. "I'll have a room prepared for you."

Sighing, Lucius stepped onto the moving stairs that led out of Dummbledore's Office. As of yet he didn't have the slightest idea of what he could possibly do about Palpatine. And if he truly was a more advanced version of Voldemort, there was nothing he could do. But still, he had accepted the position so he might as well go track the man down. The stairs came to a stop and Lucius stepped into the hallway just in time to see his quarry disappear around the corner. Snake-headed cane in hand, Lucius marched down the hallway after him. By the time he rounded the corner he saw Palpatine enter Defense Against the Dark Arts. Bravely, Lucius set off after him. He would observe him in class and see for himself what the man was like.

As in his other classes, Palpatine sat at the front. He had reached the class just in time. Within moments of his arrival the rest of the students filed in and all the seats were filled. Attendance went smoothly and then Professor Lupin asked them all to follow him into the other room. There he stood before a big wardrobe and started to explain about Boggarts. Palpatine listened carefully, fascinated, as he had never heard of such a creature. He watched the demonstration with Neville and when Lupin asked them to form a line, he was certain that he was first.

"All right, Palpatine!" Lupin called, waving his arm in a forward motion.

Palpatine stepped forward to face the Boggart. The Boggart, which had taken the form of a very confused Professor Snape in an old woman's clothes, changed into a gray puddle on the floor. The puddle just sat there, unmoving.

Lupin stared at the pale gray puddle for a moment, confusion clear on his face. A noisy buzz drifted through the class as they too became confused as to what the gray puddle was supposed to be.

Lucius silently slipped into the class and watched with interest.

"Palpatine," Professor Lupin said. "Exactly what are you frightened of?"

"Nothing." Palpatine replied, his red eyes on the now shapeless Boggart.

"But everyone is scared of something!" Lupin insisted. "There must be something…"

"As a Sith, I am fearless." Palpatine stated.

"Surely death fears you…" Lupin suggested.

"I have clones prepared and waiting that day, so it does not concern me." Palpatine smiled at the clearly upset teacher who appeared to be at a loss of words. "You do not understand the true nature of the Force. I do."

"Professor," Hermoine butted in as she stared at the shapeless gray puddle on the floor. "Is that a Boggart's true form, the one that no one has ever seen before?"

"I guess it must be…" Lupin replied, clearly shocked. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts had just become much harder than he ever dreamed.

To be continued…