Emperor of Slytherin 3
Emperor Palpatine cackled gleefully as he slowly filed out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the other students hanging back and allowing him to exit first. His plan was going along smoothly just as he knew it would. It was almost as fun as outwitting the incredibly dumb Jedi Council all those years ago. They had wasted time and money searching the galaxy for the Sith while he had been right there all along. It had been incredibly delicious! Not that his current scheme was anywhere near that complex, but it was still fun. Yes, it had been a long time since he had enjoyed fun of this magnitude. Chasing after those pitiful Rebels just wasn't the same…
He cackled louder as he thought of the stunned and confused look on the teacher's face when the Boggart had refused to do anything. The man didn't have the slightest idea of what to do in such a situation. After all, such a situation was supposed to be impossible. It was clear he had never met a Sith before. Lupin was obviously incompetent to teach, but then, that went for all the teachers in the school.
His mind focused on the present moment, he walked down the torch lit hallway. He noticed how the other students gave him a wide berth, some going as far as to press their backs fearfully against the cold granite walls as he passed. Palpatine had heard the zombie rot rumors and secretly adored them, as they advanced his plans. The fear and terror in the students' eyes pleased him to no end. Digging the paper from his robe pocket, Palpatine studied it. His next class was something called Charms and he wondered what idiocy they would be teaching there. He could be perfectly charming when he wished to be. It is, after all, how he came to be ruling the galaxy. He walked down the very center of the hallway and stared at a group of First Years. Their startled eyes widened in fear and they went screaming back the way they had come. It was music to his ears…
"Look at that old zombie, hogging the hall!" Draco complained to the ever present Crabbe and Goyle. Since Palpatine had appeared on the train he had been the center of attention. And Draco didn't like it one bit. It had been bad enough with Potter being the star of the school! He wished his Father could just Avada Kedavra him but then he probably would get in trouble. His Father's status as a Death Eater and a loyal follower of Voldemort was supposed to be a secret. It wouldn't do for the school's Governor to be caught murdering a student, even if said student was decaying already. "Who does he think he is? I bet he's not even an Emperor, just some old coot."
Draco considered passing him up as he would Potter and the Dream Team but then remembered that red sword thing in Potions. What had Granger called it, a maser, taser, laser? What if the zombie whipped it out suddenly? The thought twisted his stomach and his face grew paler at the thought of the sword passing through his body. Yet, something had to be done about him. Maybe a hex…
"Draco." Lucius appeared from behind his son.
"Yes, Father?" Draco turned to face the older wizard, his gray eyes focusing on his father's face.
"I want you to stay clear of Palpatine. Don't provoke him." Lucius ordered. Since he had learned that Palpatine was a more advanced form of Voldemort he had grown even more concerned for his son's safety. That old fool Dumbledore had really made a major blunder this time, letting a person like that into the school! Of course, it wouldn't bother him if the man harmed a few Muggle-borns, but the man was an unknown and had no allegiance to the Purebloods. Draco could very well end up in the hospital or even worse. "Don't do anything foolish!"
"Yes, Father." Draco agreed automatically, his face perfectly calm and the model of obedience. But inside, that was a different matter entirely. He hated that his father was treating him like a child! Why, he was thirteen! Surely he could get rid of one old man on his own? The guy couldn't even climb the stairs to Divinations! What he needed was a plan…
"I mean it, Draco!" Lucius glared at him, then leaned closer to his son. "The man is far more dangerous then he looks. You should not judge him by his appearance. Appearances can be deceiving. As a Slytherin you should know this."
Draco nodded. He knew exactly what his father meant. Lucius himself used the idea quite well, until he stupidly started threatening people to sign some dumb paper about Dumbledore last year. He had showed his true colors then and had ruined his 'I'm an honest and respectable nobleman' act. "Yes, Father. Will you be kicking him out of school then?"
"Not yet, Draco." Lucius informed his son, his eyes still on the dark robed figure of Palpatine heading towards Charms. Merlin, the man was incredibly slow! Still, the Governor appreciated the extra time to warn his one and only heir to the dangers. "But I will be staying at the school for awhile as part of the staff. I'm glad you informed me of this situation."
The younger Slytherin smiled, pleased with his father's high praise. It wasn't often Draco was applauded by his father. More often it was the exact opposite. Lucius demanded near perfection from his son, both in manners and grades. Then there was Quidditch. It really rankled that scar head Potter beat him each and every time! It wasn't right, not right at all! He was the Pureblood and was clearly better than Potter, so why did the slob keep beating him? He was an embarrassment to the school and couldn't even keep himself clean half the time with his hair a mess and dirt smeared on his face, glasses askew. "Thank you, Father."
"You best hurry to class, Son." Lucius recommended.
"Yes, Father." Draco turned and stalked down the corridor. The old zombie wasn't in sight now but then Charms was just ahead. Crabbe and Goyle were forced to jog to keep up with him and this secretly pleased the blonde. A smirk crossed his lips as he realized his Father working at the school for a while would surely grate on Potter's nerve. It was no secret that the two didn't exactly get along. In fact, he rather thought they hated each other. That, in turn, could create more fun for him. Draco's gray eyes shifted to his two overweight companions. Crabbe's face was red and he huffed loudly through his open mouth, sweat beading on his forehead. And Goyle wasn't doing much better. In general, the two served him quite well as bodyguards but he was uncertain how they would do against Palpatine. They were extraordinary dumb. That was fine for bullying normal students, especially Hufflepuffs, but if what his father suggested were true about the old zombie then they'd just be in the way. No, one needed brains to get rid of Palpatine.
Draco hurried into the Charms classroom and sat down just before the bell rang. Potter and the other two just barely made it on time and he sneered at them. His sneer vanished when scar head was forced to take a seat next to him, the other seats already filled. But then this could work to his advantage, couldn't it? "Potter!"
"What?" Harry asked as he glanced at the blonde next to him, sure he was going to make some nasty remark.
"Notice who's been following you?" Draco drawled just loud enough for Harry to hear.
Potter stared at him dumbly. "No one's been following me."
"Look behind you." Draco hissed, a pleased expression on his narrow face.
Harry tried to ignore the comment sure it was some trick. The Slytherin and his two cronies would get a laugh at his expense, as there surely was no one behind him at all. How could there be as they were in the last row of the class? But if that was true, why were the hairs on the back of his neck standing up? It felt as if someone was watching him. Twisting his head, he spotted Lucius Malfoy standing in the back of the room. Great, just great!
Draco sneered. "Today just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it, Potter?"
"At least I don't need my father to hold my hand at school, Malfoy!" Harry glared. "I fight my own battles."
"How dare you!" Draco snarled, furious. It rankled that Potter had insulted him again.
"You're just scared of that harmless old man!" Harry insisted. By the expression on Draco's face, Harry knew he hit the nail on the head. "That's why you called your Daddy over. You're just a spoiled git who's used to someone else doing everything for you, aren't you, Malfoy? I bet you can't even tie your own shoes! Is that why Crabbe and Goyle really follow you around? Afraid a shoe will come untied and you won't know how to fix it?"
Draco's face grew red and the muscles in his neck twitched. His hand clutched his wand tightly and the words to a hex flashed through his mind. But he remembered his father was in the classroom and he didn't dare hex Potter, not in front of his old man. If he did, he'd never hear the end of it. So he tried to calm himself, to regain control, but it wasn't easy.
"Thought so…" Potter replied, satisfied he had gotten the last word. "You're nothing but a little coward."
"I am not!" Draco insisted as he glared at the other boy's green eyes. The red jagged scar was clearly visible on Potter's forehead and the blonde couldn't help staring at it for a moment. It was the reason the dark-haired boy received all the attention and it was just stupid. It was nothing but a dumb old scar! The anger bubbled inside him, fueled by the insults. "I am not a coward!"
"Then prove it!" Harry simply said, his eyes intense like dark emeralds. He leaned back in his chair and casually crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked.
"Get rid of the old man," Harry smiled at the blonde, sure it would infuriate him. "Or are you going to start calling him Master and follow him around like a puppy dog?"
"I'll do it!" Draco vowed, the anger still coursing hot through his veins. "You'll see!"
"See that you do." Harry replied, satisfied he'd successfully pushed one of the school's problems onto Draco. That was one less thing for him to worry about…
"Stupid Potter…" Draco mumbled under his breath. "Calling me a coward…"
Up at the front of the classroom, Neville was having a truly awful day and had been forced to share a table with Palpatine courtesy of the other Slytherins. He sat hunched over as far to the side as he could in an attempt to avoid catching the dread Zombie Rot. He had heard about the terrible disease from a very helpful First Year in Ravenclaw. His body shook and quivered uncontrollably as he cast terrified glances at the old man. He had never been this close to Palpatine before and he looked even worse, if that were possible. The grooves on his forehead appeared deeper; his skin more rotten and a dreadful stench wafted off him. The smell reminded Neville of open graves and mummified corpses. Worst, an unexplainable cold seemed to drift off him as if it were the middle of January instead of the beginning of September. And then there were those terrible red eyes… So the boy quivered at the table, whimpering in fear.
"Class, class!" Professor Flitwick called from where he stood on a tall stack of books. "Your attention please! Welcome to Third Year Charms! I see we have a new student with us. I understand this is your first year taking Charms?"
"Yes." Palpatine replied.
"Well, this is very irregular." Professor Flitwick remarked as he waved him wand around at random as he spoke. "Do you know any charms? Can you levitate objects? Call objects to you from across the room, anything like that? Because if you can't, you'd be better with the First Years."
The entire class, except Neville, leaned forward eagerly to see what Palpatine would say.
Without saying a word, Palpatine lifted a pale gnawed hand and pointed it at a stack of books. The books floated up from the floor and started to spin around in the air. The old man moved his finger this way and that, the books obeying his commands. More objects within the room began to join the mid-air dance: a stack of pillows from within a box, a lit candelabra which stayed upright and even Flitwick's heavy desk.
The class gasped at this show of wandless magic.
Lucius glanced at the classroom door as it began to slam repeatedly open and closed. Then the shutters over the windows joined the act.
"Marvelous!" Professor Flitwick cried from atop the books. "What a wonderful show of wandless magic!"
Palpatine appeared bored. This was elementary Force use. The books, desk and pillows settled back to where they had come from. The windows and doors stopped banging.
"Why don't you go join the First Years in a flying lesson?" Flitwick asked. "You're obviously an expert at Charms! You'd no doubt be bored here among the Third Years…"
"Flying lessons?" Palpatine asked, interested. This was something new…
"Yes, the First Years are just lining up now just outside in the green courtyard. The Headmaster was sure you'd be an expert in at least several classes here at Hogwarts, so he was sure you'd have time for flying lessons." Flitwick explained as he clapped his hands together in joy. "I'll tell Madam Hooch to wait for you."
Palpatine rose from his seat and headed out the door towards the interior courtyard. As soon as he was gone, Neville collapsed into a boneless heap on the floor. Tears of relief spilled from his eyes.
"Oh my!" Flitwick exclaimed as he gazed down at Neville in concern. "Mr. Longbottom is ill! Would someone be kind enough to escort him to the hospital?"
"I'll do it." Mr. Malfoy volunteered as he boldly marched to the front of the class and gripped Neville by his wrist. It was a simple matter to haul the boy to his feet and drag him out of the room. Once out in the hall, he propped Neville against the wall. "Get a hold of yourself, Mr. Longbottom. Your parents were aurors. Now tell me what's wrong."
Neville blubbered something, the tears still running down his face.
"I can't understand what you're saying." Lucius said. "Dumbledore has put me in charge of this problem with Mr. Palpatine. But you need to tell me what he did or said."
"He … He …" Neville stuttered.
"Yes?"
"He SCARES me!" Neville spitted out.
"He scares you?" Lucius repeated, blinking his eyes. "Has he threatened you?"
"He has Zombie Rot!" Neville cried and desperately clung to Mr. Malfoy's arm, tears soaking in his sleeve. "I don't want to die of zombie rot!"
"There is no such thing as zombie rot!" Lucius exclaimed, unsure of what to do with the clinging boy. No one had ever clung to him in this manner before and to say he felt uncomfortable would be an understatement. He slowly started to head towards the hospital, the boy coming along still glued to his arm. "That's just a rumor."
"He's going to kill me!" Neville shrieked.
"Now why would he do that?" Lucius asked.
"Because … you know."
"No, I don't know. You have to tell me."
"Because he's You Know Who back from the grave!"
Lucius sighed. Did the entire school think Palpatine was Voldemort? If so, it could create chaos among a large portion of the student body. It was almost impossible to squash rumors once they got started. What did that old fool expect him to do? If Longbottom was an example of what Palpatine could DO just by being in a room with students…
He led Neville around the corner and started up the stairs towards the hospital.
"Lucius!" Professor McGonagall called, her voice in a panic. "You must come at once! There's a riot going on outside among the First Years!"
"A riot?" Lucius pulled Neville off his arm and hurried back down the stairs towards Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, a riot!" She confirmed. "I saw it through my window! That new student is involved! I'll take care of Mr. Longbottom."
Lucius hurried down the hall and headed for the nearest door that led out to the courtyard. Once outside, he saw that McGonagall was right and a riot was going on! Terrified First Years raced around the green square of grass shrieking as loudly as they could. A few held broomsticks but most of the brooms lay discarded on the grass and were getting trampled. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and yelled at them to calm down but to no avail. One girl with a pair of long pigtails stood near the center of the grassy square and cried. Palpatine lay on the ground near her, a broom in his hand. It was easy for the Slytherin Governor to ascertain what had happened. Palpatine had attempted to mount his broom, lost his balance and must have fallen on top of the girl with the pigtails. The terrified First Year was now convinced she was going to die of zombie rot and her classmates were in a wild panic less they catch it, too!
After much yelling and screaming at the First Years, he managed to get them herded together and back into the castle. The only thing that had calmed them was a promised visit to the hospital where they could all drink a 'cure' to zombie rot. He only hoped that Madam Pomphrey could find some harmless yet foul tasting potion for them. It was only after they were all safe in the care of the nurse did he realize he had totally forgotten about Palpatine!
Alarmed, he hurried back to the courtyard.
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Palpatine shrieked as he clung to the broom and zoomed through the air. He hadn't quite got the hang of riding a broom yet and so he smashed right into the side of the castle. His red eyes were wide open and his mouth was a black gaping hole.
"Mr. Palpatine! Come down here!" Madam Hooch yelled.
"AAHhhhhhhhhhhh!" Palpatine shrieked as he hit the castle again, then zoomed off straight up into the air. The broom seemed to have a mind of its own and it was taking the Emperor on a wild ride. Flipping over, it dove straight at the ground. At the very last moment it pulled its handle up and the broom zoomed straight at Lucius. The Governor was forced to flatten himself onto the ground and he felt Palpatine zip by right above him, the air of his passage tugging on the Slytherin's hair and robes.
"Really! I never saw anyone who was so terrible at flying!" Madam Hooch complained, her hands on hips. "Except for Mr. Longbottom, that is. But I do swear this one is far worse!"
Lucius crawled to his feet, ignoring the grumpy flying instructor. His only concern was Palpatine and his whereabouts. It was oddly quite and he couldn't hear the elderly man's screams anymore. Glancing behind himself, he saw to his horror the door to the castle was still open! Palpatine must have flown right inside and was even now zooming down the hallways!
"Merlin! He'll create a real disaster!" Lucius raced into the school and listened for the sound of students screaming. It was too quite and he didn't care for it at all. The school was huge and who knew where the old troublemaker had flown? The bell rang signaling the end of class and the beginning of the lunch hour. The hall began to fill with excited students, most heading towards the Great Hall.
A loud shriek cut through the usual murmur of voices and he hurried in that direction. It seemed to come from just up ahead…
A crowd of girls stood outside the girls' bathroom. Some appeared to be excited while others looked fearful. This bathroom, he noted, was near the Charms classroom Palpatine had left less than an hour ago. A familiar head of bushy brown hair appeared in the crowd and he saw it was Miss Granger.
"He's in the girls' bathroom." Hermoine pointed towards the bathroom with one hand.
Of course it would have to be the girls' bathroom, not the boys' bathroom.
Sighing, Lucius pushed his way through the crowd and peered into the large, empty room. The floor was covered in a thick layer of water and he could see the lower half of Palpatine's body sticking out from a door on a toilet stall. He marched up to the still kicking legs and pulled the old man free. At first Lucius was slightly confused as to where all the water had come from but then he realized the big, thick stone sink had been sliced in half. Water sprayed up into the air like a fountain and the wizard swore under his breath. It was clear Palpatine must have used his red bladed sword again! The sink had been between the bathroom's doorway and the toilet stall. If he had hit the stone sink head-on it probably would have killed the old coot.
His robe soaking wet, Lucius hauled Palpatine out of the bathroom and towards the hospital. The man appeared uninjured but it was best to take no chances.
To be continued…