Emperor of Slytherin 4
Author's Note: You'll be glad to know I thought up a bigger plot for this story, so lots of surprises will be coming in future chapters! Someone asked if Lord Vader would make an appearance at Hogwarts. That is a big YES but alas he will have a small part, more akin to a guest appearance (unless I change my mind). This story is about Palpatine after all… Palpy is relying on Vader to run the Empire in his absence you know. Other Potter characters may pop up into the plot though. And now on with the story! Oh, I never wrote Madam Pomphrey before so do excuse if she is a bit OOC.
Palpatine cackled at the screaming horde of First Years that dashed out of the Hospital Wing at his sudden appearance. It pleased him even more that the annoying man that had taken to following him around had almost gotten trampled by the students. Unfortunately he had leaped out of their path at the last moment only to crash to the floor in an undignified heap. The Emperor shook his still dripping head sadly. What a pity. It had been years since he had seen someone trampled. Still, the man reminded him of the long deceased Jedi Council and he certainly knew how to deal with that kind! A smile crossed the elderly man's decayed face as he slowly entered the hospital room. Yes, it was clear his helpful follower was nothing but a low-level paper pusher and had no clear idea of the real power he possessed. Of course, the man probably thought he was wise about such things. Well, he would learn the hard way and that pleased the Emperor, for it meant more fun for him!
Lucius picked himself off the floor and brushed his long white locks out of his eyes. He couldn't believe the students had almost trampled him! He, the School Governor and a Malfoy no less! His blue-gray eyes focused on the still-dripping elderly man and he pondered how he had managed to instill such fear in the student body without actually doing anything. Voldemort had to kill and put the Dark Mark in the sky while all Palpatine did was waddle into a room! Straightening his robes and running a hand through his hair in a lame attempt to smooth it, he stepped up to Palpatine. He had, of course, used a simple drying spell on his hair and clothing. It wouldn't do for a Malfoy to go around dripping wet in public. "I do not believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Lucius Malfoy, School Governor."
Palpatine smiled sweetly, his years as a Senator and Supreme Chancellor serving him well. All his evilness seemed to melt away like butter in a hot pan and he seemed to be an innocent old man, one who possessed incredibly bad skin and had an eye problem. The Emperor held out his hand in greeting. "Emperor Palpatine. I can't say how pleased I am at the opportunity to attend such a wonderful institution of learning! I know it's highly irregular and apparently upsets some of the students, an incidence which I'm truly regretful for I assure you. And that poor door in the lavatory; I will gladly pay for that…"
"There is no need. Magic can repair it." Lucius informed him as he uncertainly took the proffered hand. As his black glove touched Palpatine's hand an intense feeling of icy cold and dread filled him. He had never felt such an affect from a living person before, not even Lord Voldemort. A shiver traveled down his spine and it took all his will power not to jerk his hand away instinctively. It would not do to loose face with his opponent. And Palpatine was defiantly his opponent while he was attending Hogwarts. He clasped the old man's hand for several seconds more and then pulled his hand away.
"Really?" Palpatine asked with one eyebrow raised. That was interesting and opened new possibilities. If he could repair things with the Force at a critical moment…
"Yes." Lucius boldly stared him in the eye. The red eyes were unnerving and he was ashamed to admit he was beginning to feel a bit of what the kids felt. Could Palpatine truly be so evil that darkness leaked from the man's pores? But surely that was impossible. It made more sense that the children feared him due to a case of mistaken identity. Everyone feared Lord Voldemort, even his loyal followers. But that did not explain the chill he had felt upon touching him. He had been about to ask Palpatine a more pressing question when Madam Pomphrey hurried into the room.
"Oh! Just look at you! You'll catch your death in those wet robes!" Madam Pomphrey cast a glare in Lucius's direction and immediately cast a drying spell on the Emperor. Astonished, the Emperor held up his suddenly dry sleeve and stared at it in open surprise. "Now lets take a look at you…"
She carefully examined his head and face, paying especially close attention to the skull. She knew he had collided into a bathroom stall door and at his age that was extremely dangerous. It could cause concussion, bleeding and all sorts of problems. And the last thing she wanted was for a visiting dignitary to die while visiting the school. The Headmaster would be furious not to mention the Ministry of Magic! Not that Dumbledore had a bad temper; he was extremely gentle and forgiving. But as a practitioner of the healing arts she felt she must do her utter best, as always, even if he was the cause of fear among the students. And it was unfortunate really. He seemed such a sweet old man…
"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked as she held three fingers up.
"Three." Palpatine answered.
"Well, you seem perfectly fine. You may go and please try to be more careful next time while riding a broom. You were extremely lucky this time." Madam Pomphrey told him.
"Thank you." Palpatine stood up from the bed he had been sitting on and slowly walked out of the hospital room, Lucius following him. They entered the torch lit corridor and started down the stairs towards the Great Hall. It was the lunch hour and the delicious aromas of the food being served floated up to their noses. The Emperor glanced at the other man, an innocent expression on his face. "Is there some reason you are following me?"
"I have concerns about your affect on the students." Lucius admitted as he was forced to slow his pace to the incredibly slow gate of the older man. How he ever managed to attend classes while moving so slowly was a total mystery and one Lucius intended to solve. "Your presence seems to frighten them. I think many seem to have you confused with someone else…"
"Really?" Palpatine carefully made his way down the stone stairs, his robe trailing on the steps behind him. One hand was pressed to the cold wall next to him for balance. "And who might that be?"
"We do not speak his name." Lucius informed the Emperor. "But it will suffice to say he did terrible deeds and many fear his return. Everyone in the Wizarding World knows of him and fears him."
Palpatine paused on one of the steps about halfway down the wide staircase, his thin chest heaving with apparent effort. "I must rest. All these dreadful stairs! A pity you do not have lifts…"
"Lifts?" Lucius asked, curious.
"Yes, lifts. You know, elevators?"
A frown crossed Lucius's face. "Wizards don't need Muggle things."
"On the contrary, I find Muggles very useful indeed." Palpatine remarked as he leaned heavily against the nearby wall, resting. He knew that Muggles were normal people that did not possess the Force and had no magical powers. In the Empire he had all the other Force users hunted down and killed, as they were a threat to his rise to power. He and Lord Vader were the only Force users and he liked it that way. And Vader was totally loyal to him; he had seen to that long ago and had molded him since he had been a mere boy of nine. "They are my loyal subjects."
Lucius eyed Palpatine, a question on the tip of his tongue. The man's unusual appearance was apparently the main root of the problem but it may be a delicate subject and he was uncertain of asking. Still, he needed answers. And to be truthful he was curious as to how his skin got to be, well, decaying. And where in Merlin's name did the man come from? He had certainly never heard of a wizard by the name of Palpatine. "May I ask exactly what is wrong with your skin?"
Palpatine stared at him. "You may."
"Well, what is it?" Lucius asked again and impatiently waited for a reply.
The Emperor beckoned him closer with a hooked finger, a not so nice smile on his lips. "Come closer and I will tell you."
His stomach in a knot, Lucius stepped closer to the Emperor. Being this close to the man was terrifying, there could be no other word for it. He seemed to have the same affect that the Dementors had, but surely that was impossible? Palpatine's red eyes held his gaze and he found himself unable to look away. If he had a doubt before about the man being a Dark Wizard there was no doubt now. He definitely was far worse than Voldemort. What in Merlin's name had that old fool let into the school?
"This," Palpatine touched his decaying cheek with a gnawed bony hand. "Is the affect of the Dark Side. But then, you knew I'm on the Dark Side, didn't you?"
Lucius was rooted to the spot where he stood and dumbly nodded.
"Yes, this is the price one pays for being a Dark Wizard." Palpatine smiled, his partly open mouth revealing black and yellow teeth. A horrible stench, corroded, dank and smelling of graves wafted out to strike the other man in the face. The Emperor saw him flinch and was pleased. Lucius was clearly vain and he had hit him where it hurts. "Your body rots while you are still alive. But it is of no concern to me. Surely you knew this, didn't you?"
With that last statement, Palpatine turned and continued down the staircase to the Great Hall. With any luck he would still have time to eat something.
Shocked, Lucius watched the Emperor descend the steps and vanish from sight. Suddenly feeling tired; he sat down on the steps to rest. To think that he was actually decaying while alive, that was utterly horrible. It was worst than horrible, it was ghastly! His Master had never told him anything about THAT when he had joined the Death Eaters. No, Voldemort had just promised him power and the opportunity to eliminate the annoying Muggle-borns. Without knowing it, his hand rose to touch his still smooth cheek. He wanted power, yes, but he didn't want to end up looking like a zombie! And that smell… It was obvious Voldemort had been keeping secrets from him and big ones to boot!
In the Great Hall, Draco was actually enjoying his dinner. The old Zombie hadn't showed up for lunch and the blonde Slytherin hoped the old coot had gotten lost somewhere. Or better yet, maybe he was stuck comatose in the hospital ward and would end up an onion in St. Mungo's. Was that how the Muggle expression went, end up an onion? Draco shrugged, as it really didn't matter. The important thing is that the zombie was gone and now he wouldn't have to prove himself to Potter.
The doors to the Great Hall opened and Palpatine waddled in. The old man slowly made his way across the huge room and headed towards his special chair at the end of the Slytherin table. A hush fell across the room and it was suddenly so quite that one could actually hear the candles burning, the crackle of the open flames. A pleased expression was on the zombie's face. He finally reached his padded chair and seated himself. Slowly the voices resumed, with most if not all of the whispers centering on the new student.
"Look!" Semus shouted with excitement at the Gryffindor table, the Daily Prophet in his hands. "Sirius Black has been spotted!"
But no one spared him a glance as all eyes were locked on Palpatine.
"What are you going to do about him Harry?" Ron asked as he licked the last of the chocolate frosting from his fingers. They had served chocolate cake for dessert and Ron had helped himself to it twice.
"About what?" Harry asked as he glanced up from his plate still full of cake.
"About that creepy guy!" Ron replied as he rolled his eyes. "It's what everyone is talking about! Haven't you been listening?"
"I'm not going to do anything." Harry stated as he stabbed a piece of cake with his fork and moved it to his mouth.
"But Harry!" Hermoine cried, aghast at his words. "You have to do something! Look what he did to poor Neville!"
"But why does it have to be ME?" Harry asked, afraid that he already knew the answer. "There are other people in this school you know…."
"Yes, but you killed the basilisk and got rid of Professor Quirrel!" Hermoine pointed out from her place across the table. "You have GOT to do something!"
"Yeah, you have to!" Ron agreed as he stared at the boy with the glasses.
"Didn't anyone hear me?" Semus asked from where he stood near Hermoine. "I said Sirius Black was spotted near here! He's the escaped prisoner from Azkaban, remember, the raving lunatic?"
"So?" Ron shifted his gaze to Semus and rolled his eyes. "Who cares about that? We're talking about that old guy!"
Shaking his head and mumbling, Semus returned to his seat.
Ron returned his attention to Harry. "So, what's your plan?"
Harry sighed. "I took care of it last hour, in Charms."
"What do you mean?" Hermoine narrowed her brown eyes and stared at him in confusion.
"I dared Draco to get rid of him." Harry admitted as he stabbed another piece of chocolate cake.
"Harry!" Hermoine cried, horrified. "He'll be killed!"
"So?" Ron remarked as he stared at her, puzzled and unconcerned. "He's just an annoying git anyway."
"Even if he is, it's not right!" Hermoine insisted as she glared at Harry. "You better make sure he doesn't get hurt or it'll be your fault!"
"My fault?"
"Yes, yours!" Hermoine repeated, her voice firm. "He doesn't know any better and he's just dumb enough to try it! You two are always bashing heads and now you dared him to do something extremely stupid!"
"But it's OK if I try to get rid of him?" Harry asked her.
"Well, that's different!" she remarked coolly as she gazed into his green eyes. "You're a great wizard, Harry. You've proved yourself twice already and you know it. But you know he's a little coward. He's liable to get hurt."
Harry moaned and hung onto his suddenly aching head. "I wish that old guy had never come here…"
Over at the Slytherin table, Draco was having similar thoughts. The old zombie apparently was not on his way to St. Mungo's but was apparently alive and well. "Great, just great! Now I'll have to think up some way to get rid of him…"
The problem was that Draco had no idea of how he could do that without getting expelled or caught by his Father. The senior Malfoy seemed to be following the old guy everywhere, no doubt thanks to Dumbledore's orders. It rankled that his Father was apparently taking orders from the old fool, but he couldn't do anything about that. Leaning out from his seat, he peered down the table at the zombie. Yes, he was there busy eating. "Maybe I could hex him later…"
Yes, that might work. Maybe the old guy didn't know about hexes.
And maybe he knew something far worse than hexes could ever be and that worried Draco to no end. His gray eyes flickered to the teacher's table and he grew slightly concerned when he realized his Father wasn't there. Had the zombie done something to him? But then the doors opened again and he breathed a sigh of relief when Lucius walked in and seated himself next to Snape. His Father looked out of sorts and Draco wondered why. It was obviously the zombie's fault though. "I'll hex him tonight! Slytherin House is mine!"
Crabbe and Goyle cast him worried looks.
"What? Are you two scared? I'll do it myself if I have to, if you're scared of an old man that can't even climb the stairs to Divinations…"
"Well, he is kind of creepy…" Goyle nervously stated.
"And old wizards are usually powerful, aren't they?" Crabbe asked.
"Well, if he's so powerful why is he attending school?" Draco asked his two cronies.
They glanced at each other and shrugged.
"So he can't be all that bright then, can he?" Draco drawled, feeling more confident as he talked.
"But didn't your Father say not to mess with him?" Crabbe asked a bit fearfully. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Draco angry with him.
"What? Do you do everything your Father says?" Draco demanded to know. "I'm not a baby! I'm thirteen! Act your age, Crabbe!"
Embarrassed, Crabbe hung his head to hide his bright red face.
"Now, we'll try a simple hex on him first just to see what happens. There's a chance he doesn't know about them at all I think." Draco planned out loud as he idly ran his fingers across the table's smooth surface.
Pansy Parkinson cooed at the blonde Slytherin. "Oh, Draco! You're so brave!"
Draco leaned back a bit, a satisfied smirk on his narrow face. The old zombie wouldn't know what hit him!
Goyle was leaning over the table, his thick waist jammed up painfully against the unforgiving wood. He could see the old guy way down at the end and he appeared to be doing something. "Draco, look! The zombie is doing weird stuff!"
"What?" Draco also leaned over the table to see what Palpatine was doing that was so interesting.
Finished with his meal, Palpatine had pulled a padd out of his pocket and was busy typing away on its keys. Since it was far advanced technology it worked just fine inside Hogwarts. Although he appeared to be typing a report, the Emperor was doing something far more devious. He had promised the inept Care of Magical Creatures teacher a reward and he planned on keeping his word. Oh yes, class tomorrow would be FAR more interesting! Cackling evilly, Palpatine pressed the big red button on the padd and sent the order out to the Star Destroyer in orbit. Within moments the Captain of said Star Destroyer would be bending over backward to follow the Imperial order. Finished for the moment, he tucked the padd safely back inside his pocket and pulled out the piece of parchment with his classes on it. "What insanity must I face next?"
The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and the students scrambled from their seats to hurry to the afternoon classes. Rising more slowly, Palpatine waddled out of the Great Hall towards his next class.
To be continued…
Hope that was OK. I know it wasn't very funny but I need to work the plot in, too.