Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter or its associated canon nor, any other already copyrighted material.

(A/N):

Chapter 18

The New Professor

Hermione unrolled her copy of the Daily Prophet as the delivery owl once again took to the sky. All four gathered around to see the front page as she laid it flat on the table amongst the various plates an bowls of breakfast foods. They had been nearly the first ones up after their rare day off and had all eagerly awaited the paper's arrival. The head line 'Heroes of Hogwarts' was indeed splayed across the top in large letters with a good sized photograph below it.

True to Keystone's thoughts, the picture completely cut out the Minister, something Harry was sure he would be fuming over right about now. It showed Keystone and him repeatedly drawing their wands as the photographer had told them. Looking at it now, Harry thought it looked more than a little foolish, especially on a loop as it was. He noticed Ginny however was smiling brightly at it.

"Makes you look rather dashing."

"Oh…great." Hermione meanwhile had been rapidly scanning the article and smiling at certain bits.

"Nice job for making it up on the fly. The professor was right. Not one word about Minister Scrimgeour. He's not going to like that."

"Well…when he helps drive off two thousand Dementors, he can do all the interviews he wants. I'm sure the Prophet will print it. He won't give them a choice." They fell silent as Colin Creevy approached and waited. Ginny rose and leaned in as he spoke a few words.

"You're sure? Okay…thanks." She returned to the table and sat. "Colin says the professor is alone in his classroom. I say we go talk to him right now." Hermione nodded in agreement, as did Ron.

"Quite a little system you've got there Gin."

"Not just mine 'Captain'."

"Fair enough …let's go." Rising, he was joined by the others in exiting the Hall. As they passed through the entryway they became aware of an argument nearby. Turning, Harry could see Lavender Brown and her mother in a heated exchange. Apparently Mrs. Brown hadn't taken the governor's as the final word. She had returned, still intent on bringing her daughter home.

"You're coming home right now and that's final!"

"No I'm not! I'm staying here whatever happens! It's not like I'll be safer at home."

"You'll have me and your father to protect you!"

"I've got my friends and the staff here! Besides, Harry thinks it safe!"

"Well he's Harry bloody Potter!" A split second later the older woman had drawn her wand. "You're coming home!" Lavender's wand was out in a flash.

"No I'm not." Lavender's mother fired something Harry didn't recognize a second later that ricocheted harmlessly off of Lavender's shield, much to the woman's surprise. "I'm not a child anymore. I'm seventeen and that means it's my choice." Several Aurors appeared around them a moment later after hearing the spells and the exchange. The girl turned away and headed for the Hall as a couple of them stepped in front of her mother, who now looked quite distraught.

Before he could step in, the others pulled Harry along down the hall way. Once they had gotten out of sight around a corner, Ron spoke. "Been like that all morning. At least a dozen parents have tried to pick up their kids only to be stopped. Don't think it's gone that far before though. Had the Aurors on their toes all morning." Hermione's head cocked to the side in thought.

"But…do they have a choice? If the parents want their kids to come home…can anyone stop them?" Ron shrugged.

"Most of the time they listen to the kids. Seventh years…and a few sixth just point out they're of age. Not a lot the parents can do then. Teachers have been stepping in too. McGonagall's been frantic trying to keep them here. Even Slughorn's been talking to Slytherin parents, been fairly successful too. Only lost two so far; couple of second years."

"Those students are going to be in a lot more danger out there. Don't they see that?" Harry shook his head slowly.

"They see what they want to Gin. We can only do so much. Maybe that article will convince some of them."

"I hope so." Approaching the open doors to Defense, they looked at each other as they heard what sounded like fighting in the classroom ahead. Dashing to the door they all slid to halt around the frame, wands drawn and pointed in. There was indeed a fight going on inside, but only one fighter.

Professor Keystone stood in the center of the cleared room, gleaming sword in both hands held near his neck, pointing straight up. Around him, above his head, a dozen different weapons that Harry recognized from the shelves moved in a slow circle, random ones moving in to attack every few seconds. It was like watching some odd dance as the professor defended himself from the assault. Each weapon that came in was greeted by the absolutely minimal amount of movement required to block. He would freeze in the necessary position for a second until the block succeeded, then flow into the next position.

The quartet watched this for a few moments, mesmerized, their wands slowly falling to their sides. After several attacks the professor silently summoned what looked like a bundle of sticks from a table. Gripping them firmly he pointed them at the wall. A second later the bundle broke apart and joined the weapons hovering around his head. Harry tried to see what they were from door.

"What…" A second later one launched a red bolt toward the professor and was blocked by a hastily raised shield.

"Rebel Wands!" The others turned at Ron's whispered outburst. Harry mentally confirmed this as Hermione asked.

"Rebel Wands?"

"Yeah…Fred and George just started selling them. Float around, attack whoever uses them." At her look he quickly added, "Completely safe, promise."

They turned back to find the professor blocking the weapons with his sword and stopping the individual wand assaults with his own shield charms. When two wands fired from opposite side he blocked one attack with the blade. He still moved in the same halting dance, frequently blocking two or more attacks simultaneously. One by one the wands finished expended their spells and fell harmlessly to the ground. Once all the wands had fallen he spun in circle with his wand. "Finite Incantatum." Each of the weapons stopped their attacks and floated harmlessly back to their shelves, neatly arranging themselves. As they did so, the professor pointed his wand to a large chest they Harry had just noticed sitting against the front of the dais. Several locks disengaged and top slowly opened.

To the surprise of all, a carbon copy of the professor popped out of the chest and stood before him. Harry again raised his wand. "He's trapped the professor! It's Moody all over again." Before he could charge into the room though, Hermione pulled him back.

"Wait Harry! Look… That's not human…" Harry took a moment to look closer at the new copy of the professor. Now that he looked closer…he could see differences. Though it moved much the same, there was less fluidity about it. It seemed to be jerking more than flowing, as if moving under another's direction instead of its own thoughts. Seeing its eyes clearly, Harry could see they were glossed over in the undirected stare he had associated with the Imperius Curse. The two professors circled each other slowly, swords and wands drawn.

"But…if it's not human…"

"It's a boggart." Ginny's hand rose and pushed Harry's arm down after explaining. Ron looked confused.

"So…his greatest fear…is himself?"

"Not just himself Ronald…himself out of control. That boggart looks like it's under the Imperius Curse." Harry nodded in agreement.

"You're right. That's exactly what I thought…" He trailed off as the two went at each other. At first they were quick engagements, a couple hits, jump back. Slowly though they became longer and longer until it was one extended sequence of lightning fast sword strikes, curses, counter curses, hexes, jinxes and every other variation of spell they could think of. Each tried the Accio attack that had defeated Ron, only to have it fail this time. The twin whirling silver arcs of steel met and rebounded seemingly many times a second. As the battle progressed, both professors began audibly shouting at each attack. The speed and intensity continued to build until it seemed they would explode.

And then it froze. Facing each other, their swords were crossed just above their heads, wands tips inches apart pointed right at each other at waist height. Both bodies shook visibly with the effort they were using, desperately trying to overcome the other. Harry looked rapidly between the two, wondering which would emerge from the struggle victorious. To his surprise, the real Keystone smiled. His wand flicked to the side. "Ridikkulus!"

The boggart stumbled back as if its heart had been torn out and changed. It was still Keystone, only now he wore dress robes and carried a cane…and a licorice wand. The real Keystone let out a deep laugh at seeing this, which made the copy cringe even more. Before it could recover, he charged and span around, a sweeping kick catching it firmly in the back. The clone stumbled forward, tripped and fell back into the trunk. Reaching out, the Professor closed the lid and magically sealed it once again.

A small grin on his face, he sheathed the blade and his wand with a flourish and let out a deep breath. Stretching his neck he headed for the chest. "You can come in now." It took a moment for the quartet to realize he was talking to them. As they slowly entered, he waved a hand toward himself and the thin sheen of sweat he had built up disappeared. A moment later his hair also straightened itself. Drawing his wand, he returned the furniture to its previous place. "Good morning. That was just a little practice session. I realized I was rusty after the Dementors attacked. Too much time away from the game." He paused for a moment, obviously recalling those times before he was a teacher. "I take it you came to ask about the Dementors, Potter? And how I killed the unkillable?"

"Uh…yes sir."

"Figured you'd be by yesterday. Well…no time like the present. This will take a while and we might as well be comfortable. Come on in." Waving his wand, the chest rose a few inches and floated after him as he crossed through the doorway into his office. After exchanging glances, they followed.

The office was a little larger than the previous Defense classroom, though less crowded. On one end sat a simple desk with a small pile of books, a quill…and not much else. A simple swiveling chair sat behind it. The other end of the room, which held a large fireplace, had been set up as a sitting area. One large, comfortable chair sat at an angle to the fire facing a second across a small, low table. On it Harry was surprised to see a chess set. Its pieces were simple compared to most he had seen and it looked well worn. There appeared to be a game in progress, though Harry had no idea who he might be playing.

Other than that, the room was nearly empty; having only a pair of lamps illuminating the office and a half circle carpet under the chairs. After a moment's consideration, Harry realized it perfectly fit the professor; simple, clean, nothing without distinct purpose and everything in place. The trunk came to a silent rest against the far wall near his desk. "Come, sit." The professor sat to the right of the table and waved his wand again. Three more chairs popped into existence to form a semi circle on the left of the table. He began manually moving the pieces on the board back into their starting positions. "Anyone care for a game?" Ron, unable to resist the challenge, nodded and sat across the table from him.

Hermione took the seat between Ron and the fireplace, leaving Harry to sit on his other side with Ginny between them. The professor spun the board around so Ron was playing white. The red haired wizard took several moments before falling into the position Harry fondly recalled from so many of their games in the common room. After looking over the board and its worn wooden pieces, he intoned clearly, "Pawn to e-5." He waited a moment but the piece stayed completely still. "I said Pawn to e-5. What's wrong with you?"

"Oh…sorry. Forgot to mention…this isn't wizard's chess. It's just an old fashioned chess set. You actually have to move the pieces yourself."

"Oh…" After a moment Ron reached out and moved the pawn, double checking the spot before setting it down. With the same fluid movements he had demonstrated earlier, the professor moved his pawn to counter. While Ron considered his next move, and nearly spoke it aloud, Keystone turned to Harry.

"So Mr. Potter, what is it you wanted to know?" Harry had so many questions they nearly tripped over each other racing for his mouth. He decided to begin where he entered the fight.

"First…how were you able to survive surrounded by that many Dementors that close? Surely one of them should have been able to kiss you…"

"Or overwhelm me with fear? Yeah…should is the operative word there." He moved another pawn as he responded. "It goes back to my parents and my birth. Both of my parents were….are gifted at casting the Patronus charm. Oddly, it's not as useful as we have far fewer Dementors back home. Anyway…around the time I was born, there was a group of renegade Dementors roving the countryside nearby, terrifying muggles, attacking witches and whatnot. They attacked the little hospital while my mother was in labor. My father was forced to cast an extremely powerful patronus right there in the delivery room and it came in contact with my mother. No one was quite sure how it happened…but my body became infused with a portion of that Patronus's power. Ever since, I've been all but immune to Dementors, both the fear they cause and their kiss. I can't vouch for what would happen if I was unconscious…but so far…well…you've seen the results. Your move." He leaned back in his chair, leaving each in surprised silence.

"Wow…" Ginny and Hermione's reactions were in accord with this view; Ron seemed to be concentrating fully on the game. "So…that would protect you…but how did you kill them?"

"Ah…well…I grew up with a…let's say strong dislike of Dementors that later extended to other malevolent magical entities. Boggarts for example. As I grew older I learned of the Aurors and their fight against darkness. At first it seemed like the perfect avenue. Later however I realized the strict order of their work was a little more than I wanted so I looked for another way to hone my fighting skills other than the Aurors career. Returning to the states I discovered the Dueling Club. I had found the place I belonged. Seeking a way to fight as many of the dark magical entities as I could, I also came across Brian Semsestra, the 'inventor' Miss Granger mentioned. Very thorough job by the way. Where did you find that?" Hermione blushed slightly at the compliment.

"There was picture of you together…after your first championship. It took some digging but I worked out who he was." The professor nodded, impressed.

"Ah. Well…he prefers the title 'Forge Wizard.' Quite gifted at making magical objects. We worked together for a year before we finally managed to craft this." He drew the sword and held it out. "Don't worry. The repelling charm only works if I don't willingly hand it over. One of the things we managed to incorporate." Harry tentatively took hold and examined it closely. Now that he saw it up close, he could see the blade wasn't one solid piece; it had other, slightly different bits of metal running through it like tiny streams. "The majority of the time was spent imbuing it with a patoronus like ability. It focuses my natural ability to the point it can overload and destroy a Dementor with one solid strike. That's how I killed them." Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. At the Professors motion he handed it to Ginny and Hermione, both of whom also looked it over closely.

"You said entities, what else can it do?"

"Very good. The blade is chased with silver. As you know, silver can be fatal to werewolves and incapacitating to vampires. As well as the Patronus ability, the blade can break controlling spells with a direct hit. It's there mainly for Inferi, but it could also be useful against the Imperius Curse…though that's a rather brutal way to break it. It can also repel most spells, though I prefer to use that as a last resort." Impressed, Hermione handed the sword back carefully. Sheathing it again he countered Ron's latest attack, making him focus even harder. She watched as the blade disappeared.

"I would think any Auror on the planet would kill for such a powerful magical object."

"Most likely. That's why I've taken the protective step of not telling any of them about it. The other night may raise a few questions, but they've got a lot on their minds right now. Not that it would do them any good even if they had it. Most distain melee weapons and wouldn't learn to use it. More than likely they'd send it to the Department of Mysteries for study, never to be seen again." As he leaned in to look at the board, Hermione surreptitiously motioned to Harry. He got the message quickly.

"That is really powerful…what would it take to stop something like that? Or destroy it?" The professor glanced up from the board, surprised at the question for a moment before returning to the game and moving.

"Check." He leaned back again. "Hmm…well…as you saw, a well trained swordsman could block it, though those are rare. If…you could hit it hard enough on the side you could break the blade and dispel the enchantments. The Killing Curse might break it…though…against a normal object that tends to just cause and explosion…which wouldn't do much to it. Hmm…" He moved again as he thought. "Check. Well…I suppose the best way…for any enchanted object…would be to use an extremely powerful Curse Breaking spell. They destroy whatever enchantments there are on an object." Harry leaned in, trying to show a little less interest than he felt so the man would continue.

"Brian told me once about a really dark bit of craftsmanship he had heard about while working somewhere in Eastern Europe…called a…Horcrux…I think that was the name. Didn't go in to much detail, something about tearing a soul… Eh…probably doesn't matter. Anyway…the point I was making…he said that the only way to safely destroy these things was a really strong curse breaking spell. I was intrigued so I went to see the head of Gringott's Curse Breaker Brigade, who was actually one of the people killed while we were under attack. This particular wizard didn't know a stronger spell than I knew though he did know of Horcrux, though not much about them. He mentioned an Auror…Frank…somebody that had unfortunately suffered a rather terrible fate as knowing some rather powerful curse breaking spells." He moved again.

"Check. So…that was a dead end. Pretty much gave up looking after that. Figured if anyone was strong enough to destroy the sword, I was probably screwed anyway. And that's checkmate." Harry looked incredulous at the nearly empty chessboard, thinking Ron had lost. Instead he saw a moment later that his friend had in fact won. "Excellent game. Thank you." With deft movements he rebuilt the board as it had been when they first arrived. Now…any more questions?" Harry thought about it for a moment before responding.

"When we arrived…you were fighting…you. Well a boggart you. I was kind of wondering…"

"Why my greatest fear is myself?" Harry nodded. "Excellent eye noticing it was boggart by the way. Miss Granger again?" Harry confirmed with a nod. "Well…then you also noticed it wasn't a perfect copy of me. It was me under the Imperius Curse. To someone like myself who prides himself on perfect control of all my actions, my greatest fear is losing that control and being subjects to another's will. That's what the boggart became. Rather useful for training, though terrifying just the same."

"And when it changed…?"

"Oh…the dress robes? Yeah…I always thought I looked ridiculous in those. The licorice wand I just find funny." He grinned at the thought. "So…anything else?" One last question rolled through Harry's mind.

"Back to the other night… Your Patronus. A horntail?" The professor grinned a bit and nodded in response.

"I did say to ask me later. Very well. My natural ability with the charm is the result of the strange events and conditions surrounding my birth. Its form comes from a time in late youth. Several years ago I met a wonderful woman named Jennifer on one of my trips to parts unknown. She was a Dragon Rider, an elite clan of people who have lived in cooperative existence with the creatures for centuries. It's her memory that I hold while launching the spell." Harry had caught the tense with which he spoke of the woman.

"What…what happened to her?" Keystone's eyes drifted off to the side and Harry noticed the pain hidden just behind them. "I'm sorry sir that was personal…"

"She…died. A long time ago." After a moment of thought his eyes again cleared and turned to the group. "Was there anything else?"

"Uh…no. Thank you."

"Any time. Well then, until class tomorrow." He gestured to the door and they each rose with a nod, Ron's eyes still locked on the board. Harry was the last out and just heard him before leaving. "Come now Baron, we can finish our game."

None of them spoke as they headed back up through the castle to Ron and Hermione's room though Harry could tell both of the girls' minds were working as feverishly as his own mulling over all they had just heard. Ron, on the other hand, seemed to be replaying the game in his head, judging by his hand movements. Harry was the last to enter and take his seat.

"There was a connection." Even Ron looked up at Hermione's words. "Between the Curse Breakers and the killings. But it's not just them. Who's he been targeting recently?" Harry half shrugged.

"Uh…Ministry workers?"

"Not just any Ministry workers Harry, Department of Mystery workers. I'll bet anything they were all studying death and how to overcome it, which can only lead to…"

"Horcrux."

"Exactly. He's killing anybody that might know about Horcrux and how to destroy them. That's why Dumbledore was so adamant about getting Slughorn back. He was the one who told Voldemort about them, so he's got to be a top target."

"And he's killing Curse Breakers…"

"Because they might be able to destroy them. He's killing anyone that can threaten his perceived immortality." She considered it for another moment. "You know…both the Professor and Dumbledore mentioned Frank Longbottom. I bet that's why he was tortured. It wasn't the Death Eaters trying to find Voldemort, they were acting on his orders. He had already begun removing the threats to him. That means…"

"He knew how to destroy Horcrux." Hermione nodded as Ginny finished the sentence. Harry considered that.

"Damn it!" They all jumped at his low growl of an outburst. "I'll bet it's still in his head somewhere…but beyond our reach forever." He rose and began pacing in front of the fireplace. Ron and Hermione knew from experience that a Harry Potter Tirade was coming and did their best to brace themselves. Ginny however rose and stopped him with a hand to his chest. He looked down at her hand then back up to here eyes. "What?" Neither of the others moved, afraid anything might set him off at this point.

"Harry…sit down." Ron and Hermione tried to disappear into the cushions, knowing anyone trying to command him when he was like this was as likely as not to end in a duel. He looked outraged for a moment but she continued in an even, if firm, tone. "Take a deep breath and think this through. There has to someone else we can talk to." For a moment he looked indignant and about to explode…then his head fell forward and he nodded in agreement. The others emerged from their braced cower as Harry and Ginny returned to their seat. Both stared at her in wonder.

Harry noticed none of it though as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, focusing on some random spot on the floor. "You're right…okay. So Frank was probably our best shot. His wife's also…unable to help and Neville was only a baby. What about Neville's grandmother?" Hermione nodded slowly.

"She might… She seemed to be rather involved in her family's lives."

"Had her fist right in the middle of them is more like it."

"Right Ronald…as I was saying… It might be worth asking her Harry. But how do we reach her?"

"Well…she visits St. Mungo's over Christmas. We could ask Neville when they're going and just show up."

"Yeah…but do we have that much time?" Ginny leaned forward as well, Harry nodding in response.

"We have to. It's our best lead, though if we can come up with any others, it couldn't hurt."

"I'll get on it. Maybe there's a book in the Restricted Section with a forgotten note scribbled in the margin."

"Thanks Hermione. All of you." They each nodded in response, knowing their mission was still far from over.

(A/N): If you feel it is warranted feel free to review. I welcome any and all opinions.