Chapter IV: The Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor
Remus groaned as the sound of his alarm clock rattled him awake at six-thirty in the morning. He reached up to the shelf above his head and turned the dial, to make the ringing stop. After stretching and yawning, he pushed back the duvet, sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was far too early to be up, but in order to protect his secret this was a necessity. He pulled back the curtains and peered out, there was no sign of the other boys. So, being careful to not make a noise, he got out of bed, opened his trunk and got his shaving equipment and clothes for the day. It wasn't until he had put his clothes down on a chair in the bathroom, that he looked down at his robe and realised there was a large Gryffindor crest on the left breast. He ran his finger over the emblem and smiled; how he was looking forward today.
He went through his morning routine of showering, shaving and dressing before going back into their dormitory and putting his pyjamas back under his pillow and his shaving gear in his trunk. Drawing back the curtains that surrounded his bed, he fiddled with the heavy material before finally tying a bow on each of the four posts. He made his bed and then realised he hadn't put his calendar up on his wall. This was very important; the date was something Remus knew he had to keep track of. He pulled it out of his trunk and stuck it up on his wall. Sighing, he looked at the date; he only had three more nights until the full moon rose, in his excitement yesterday he'd almost forgotten.
It was at this time that James' floating head appeared next to him and said, 'Good morning.'
Remus almost jumped out of his skin. 'What in the name of-' he started.
'Hey, calm down!' James exclaimed. 'It's an invisibility cloak. My Dad gave it to me the day before I got here. Nifty isn't it?' He pulled off the cloak and held it out for Remus to feel. It felt very strange to touch, like water woven into material.
'It's amazing,' Remus commented.
'What are you doing up so early?' Remus was about to answer, when James reached out and touched the emblem on Remus' robe. 'Nice,' he added, 'do you reckon I've got one too?' He folded the cloak and walked over to his trunk and pulled out his own robe, before putting it on over the top of his pyjamas. 'Being here is so cool!'
Remus smiled. James looked like a child in a chocolate frog factory. He twirled around on the spot, watching the robe spin out behind him, before running over to Sirius' bed and pulling the curtains open and yelling, 'Wake up Sirius,' at the top of his lungs.
The morning's events played out in a similar fashion, with Sirius and James waking up Peter and Dee at the same time, which resulted in simultaneous yelling. This evolved into a large-scale pillow fight, which included everyone putting on their school robes, their room being transformed into an imaginary medieval battleground, and calling one another other 'Sir Lupin' and alike. This, of course, made the four boys who weren't already properly dressed in rather a hurry to get to breakfast. Sirius, however, was so nonplussed, that he ended up going down to the Great Hall still with his pyjamas on underneath his robes.
'You can't see what you're wearing underneath anyway!' he exclaimed. 'You're not meant to wear clothes underneath robes. It's just the Muggle influence on today's society. Well, that's what my Mum reckons anyway. Hence, why I am wearing clothes. Even if they are pyjamas.'
When the boys finally made it down to the Gryffindor table, the girls were already almost finishing eating. As they delved into the piles of food, Remus noted that Elizabeth (whom he was sitting next to) was breathing unusually. Normally he wouldn't have noticed, but with the full moon so close, it was hard not to. She seemed to be trying to block her nose.
'What's wrong?' he asked her, and bit into a slice of toast.
'Id's da kippers,' she responded, 'I don'd like seafood.'
'Oh.' Remus moved the kippers as far away as possible.
'Danks, bud I can sdill smell dem.'
'Sorry.'
'Dat's okay. Dot your fault.'
'Mail's here!' exclaimed Dee, as hundreds of owls swooped into the Great Hall, dropping packages and letters to their respective owners. Remus saw his mother's owl come swooping in from a top window and drop a package on Romulus' table, before swooping over to the Gryffindor table and dropping an identical package in front of him. Picking up the parcel, Remus quickly opened it to find a letter from his Mum and Dad, and some of his mother's chocolate chip biscuits. Grinning, he opened the letter.
Dearest Remus,
Firstly, don't eat the biscuits at breakfast. Secondly, we love
you, and hope that you are enjoying yourself.
Congratulations on your Sorting into Gryffindor, you are our brave
little soldier, after-all. We're sure that you've made lots of
friends to tell us about, and we want to know everything that has
happened since you got there. We're sure you were relieved to
realise that no custard was involved in the Sorting. We're sorry
that we couldn't tell you, but it was so amusing, we just couldn't
resist.
As for Sunday, your Great Aunt's funeral will be on Monday
morning, so you'll be picked up and escorted just before sundown on
Sunday, so don't be scared, and remember that we will be there with
you.
Romulus is there if you need him, and if you want anything sent
from home to make you more comfortable just let us know.
Don't forget to tell us about your new friends, and we hope to
hear from you after Sunday night.
All our love,
Mum and Dad
Remus sighed as he reread the third paragraph. He was happy that his parents had helped him in his first lie; it seemed easier now that he wouldn't have to make it up himself. This would be his first transformation away from his home, it would probably be more painful than usual, and that would mean it would take longer to heal. He decided he should probably go and meet the Matron before his first transformation. After all, she would be taking him to and from the Whomping Willow, and attending to any damage he did to himself over the next seven years, it would be best if he got on with her.
'Blah, blah, blah!' Sirius' voice interrupted Remus' train of thought.
'Huh?' Remus asked vaguely.
'It's my mother,' Sirius responded. 'She's sent me a letter basically saying what a disappointment I am to the family.'
'Why?' asked Peter.
'Because I've been Sorted into Gryffindor. I can't think of a letter I've enjoyed reading more. I think I might frame it.' Sirius held the letter out in front of him and cocked his head to one side, as though trying to picture what sort of frame he should use.
Professor McGonagall tapped Sirius on the shoulder and handed him a sheet of parchment. She walked along the table, handing out more sheets, which contained, Remus realised, their timetables for the year.
'Brilliant!' exclaimed James. 'Double Transfiguration, I can't wait! I like Thursdays the best all ready.'
'Yeah, and Defence Againsd de Dark Ards as well, should be fund,' Elizabeth added.
After finishing breakfast, the ten Gryffindors were so excited they made their way to Transfiguration early, where they found Professor McGonagall standing at the front of the class, her hands clasped together; she looked very intimidating. Most of the Ravenclaws were already sitting down; however, Mary Monahan rushed in behind the Gryffindors and almost collided with Remus before skidding to a halt and falling backwards. Remus and Dee bent down and helped her back up.
'Ta for that,' she said enthusiastically. 'Your brother asked me to give this to you.' She handed Remus a piece of parchment.
'Thanks,' he replied, and noticed that Dee had sat down next to Peter. James and Sirius were sitting next to each other, as were Diana and Holly, and Elizabeth and Sam, this left Remus to sit next to Lily, who looked rather uncomfortable and nervous.
He sat down and smiled at her.
'Hi,' Lily said. 'What's that?' She pointed to the piece of parchment in his hand.
'It's from my brother,' Remus mused, and opened it, finding a letter and a roughly drawn map of Hogwarts with labels of classes written in a few rooms.
Hey Remus,
When I heard that you
had Transfiguration first up, I thought I might impart some wisdom about
McGonagall.
1. She's big on house unity, if you get
the chance, pair up with a Ravenclaw; they all seem pretty good this year
(as always).
2. She doesn't favour Gryffindor even
though she's Head of House; if anything I've noticed she's harder on you
guys, so don't give her a reason to deduct points.
3. She will reward you for
answering in class, you know half the book already, so don't be afraid to
answer questions.
4. Don't pass
notes.
5. Do take notes.
I know you'll help
others if they're struggling, and don't forget to have fun! McGonagall is a
fair teacher, and she knows her stuff. I think you'll like her.
All my love,
Romulus
P.S. Hope the map helps. I got lost four times on my first day.
'It's a few pointers about Professor McGonagall, and a map for where our classes are going to be.' Remus handed the piece of parchment to Lily who scanned it quickly.
The bell rang, signalling the start of class. Professor McGonagall, who had been watching them like a hawk since they arrived, finally broke her silence. Remus quickly stuffed Romulus' note into his pocket.
'Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,' she said. 'Anyone messingaround,' (she looked pointedly at James and Sirius) 'in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.'
She proceeded to take the roll and then turned the blackboard into a cow (much to Mary Monahan's delight) and back again. Remus was very impressed to say the least. With a flick of her wand a large amount of notes appeared on the blackboard and they were told to copy them down (much to Sirius and James' disgust).
After everyone had finished copying them, the Professor walked in front of their tables and placed an unlit match in front of them. As she passed James and Sirius, she paused for a moment, clicked her fingers and the tips of the matches ignited, and in a heartbeat, burned out. Apparently she didn't trust them, and after The Sorting Remus could hardly blame her. She also did the same to Mary Monahan's match, but that was probably so she wouldn't burn down the classroom.
'After reading the notes on the board, you should have a firm grasp on how to accomplish your task. You may begin.'
Not surprisingly, James was the first to successfully transfigure his match into a shiny needle, even managing to have a strand of black cotton threaded through the eye as a nod to the charred end. He called over Professor McGonagall, and she gave James the same look as she had at the Sorting Ceremony. She was impressed, but highly annoyed. She told James to correct Sirius in his articulation and moved over to the Ravenclaw table where Adam Leery-Masters had either pricked his finger with a needle, or managed to get a splinter from the match. Either way, he was hissing loudly.
After a few minutes Sirius called the Professor back over to see his needle. And a little while later Remus managed to transfigure his own needle successfully.
Lily, however, was having trouble making her needle pointy.
'Sometimes it helps if you reread the notes,' Remus suggested quietly. 'I know I always seem to miss something.'
Lily smiled and thanked Remus before looking down at her needle again. She had gotten the colour right and the ends had just started to curve, when James tilted back on his chair.
'You're not pointing your wand right,' he said rather loudly to her.
Lily looked up at James sharply. 'Thanks,' she said tersely. 'But I'd like to learn for myself.' Taking Remus' suggestion, she looked over her notes, waving her wand as she read. After about six waves while reading, she looked back at her half-needle, concentrated and said the incantation. Her needle's ends snapped to attention and formed two perfect points.
'Well done,' Remus mused.
'Thanks.'
'Told you,' interrupted James.
'When I want your help, Potter, I'll ask for it,' Lily retorted. James frowned and sat back properly in his chair, before engaging in a hurried discussion with Sirius.
'What's up with you and James?' Remus asked tentatively.
Lily sighed. 'He insulted me at breakfast. I don't think he meant to, but he did all the same.'
'What did he say?'
'I'd rather not talk about it if that's okay.'
'Sure, that's fine.'
Lunch went very slowly, but that was probably because everyone was looking forward to Defence, except perhaps for James, who seemed to have a slight aversion to the subject. They were about half-way through lunch, when Kevin Dunstable came over with Josh Huneycutt.
''Lo.' Kevin said. 'Ah herd you had Defence next. Jist thought you shood know tha' he's no very nice.'
'Right pillock if you ask me,' Josh added.
'Why? What's wrong with him?' asked Elizabeth.
'He's obsessed with taking house points if you don't know the textbook back to front. We lost twenty points because we didn't know five signs that identify a werewolf, and that wasn't even in the textbook.'
Remus gulped. He was asking first-years about werewolves? Romulus told him that they weren't supposed to start dark creatures until their third year.
'Well, we won't lose points for that,' Elizabeth's voice interrupted Remus' train of thought. 'I already know that, my Dad taught me that when I was about seven!'
'Whell then you'll be fine. Jist thought you shood know. See ya 'rund.'
Remus fidgeted nervously as Kevin and Josh walked off, leaving the Gryffindors to ponder just how bad the next lesson was going to be.
They decided to get there as early as possible, so as not to give the Professor any reason to deduct points. When they arrived they found the classroom empty; there was no sign of the Professor. They took seats at the front of the class, and Remus made sure he sat at the back of the Gryffindors. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself if they were going to be talking about werewolves. Apparently the Ravenclaws had the same thought about being early, because they walked in just as the Gryffindors were sitting down. Even Mary Monahan was there on time, and didn't even fall over.
As the bell rang to signal the start of class, they heard the door slam shut behind them. Everyone turned around to see Professor Praeiudico stride forcefully past their chairs and come to rest in front of his desk, setting a large briefcase down.
'Good afternoon students.'
There was a murmur of 'good afternoon's from the class.
'No. When I say 'good afternoon students', you say 'good afternoon Professor Praeiudico'. Try again. Good afternoon students.'
'Good afternoon Professor Praeiudico,' the students chanted together.
'Better. Now, I expect only the very best from my students. I will not tolerate misbehaviour or laziness, nor lateness or excuses. You will hand my essays in on time, you will speak only when spoken to, and I will deduct points for incorrect or incomplete answers.
'Now, when I call your name you will stand up, and answer with 'present'.' He opened his briefcase and pulled out a scroll. 'Sirius Black.'
'Present,' said a very disgruntled Sirius, after standing up. It was obvious he didn't like being told what to do.
There was no incident until the Professor came to Remus' name. He paused after Adam Leery-Masters and looked up from his scroll.
'Time, I think, for a random question. The next person on the role,' he looked down, giving the appearance he didn't know who it was, 'Remus Lupin, give me five signs that identify the werewolf.'
Remus shakily stood up, and took a deep breath. 'Well, the shape of the snout-'
'In human form,' Professor Praeiudico interrupted him.
'Um, well-'
'Quickly boy, we haven't got all day.' The Professor seemed to be smiling rather unnaturally.
'In human form a werewolf exhibits unnatural strength, keener senses and sharper premolars than is usual in humans. Werewolves also have an aversion to silver, because this can result in burning of the flesh, and sometimes have abnormal hair colouring, which reflects the colour of their fur in wolf form.'
'Correct. But you could have also mentioned their pointed ears, the often-yellow colouring of the eyes, thick hair or elongated middle fingers and fingernails.'
Remus sat down and subconsciously clasped his hands together under the desk, hiding his middle fingers. The Professor had pointed out the most visually obvious of traits, making Remus feel highly self-conscious. He had the feeling that Professor Praeiudico didn't much care for him. The staff of Hogwarts had been informed of Remus' condition, but it was quite obvious that this Professor didn't think he belonged here. Fancy asking him, of all people, what to look for when identifying a werewolf in human form.
From the other side of the room, Adam Leery-Masters had raised his hand tentatively.
'Yes?' Professor Praeiudico said sharply.
Adam hesitantly stood up. 'I was just wondering, sir, why we are expected to know about werewolves when they aren't spoken of in the textbook.'
'You should have been taught how to identify dark creatures from an early age. Not only do I expect that you know how to identify beasts, I require it. And you will not question my teaching methods again. Five points from Ravenclaw.'
The Ravenclaw side of the room made noises of shock and disbelief.
'Would you like to make that ten?'
The room went quiet and Adam shakily sat down, appearing to be mortified at the thought of losing Ravenclaw points.
'Good. Now, on with the role.'
Unsurprisingly, there were no more "random" questions directed to anyone in the class. Professor Praeiudico then proceeded to hand out pieces of parchment to everyone, which had questions about the textbook he had set. By the time everyone walked out of the class, they were all adamant that Defence Against the Dark Arts was probably going to be the least enjoyable subject they took, so long as they had "Professor Prat" at the helm.
Remus certainly wasn't happy. This man was going to do everything he could to try and get Remus' secret out in the open. It was very obvious that he wanted Remus not out of the school, but he also wanted him to fail Defence.
That wasn't going to happen. Remus had already read the textbook, now he was going to read it again, and again, until he knew it inside out and back to front. He wasn't going to let the Professor get the better of him, and he certainly wasn't going to fail a subject he knew he could enjoy.
During dinner the topic of conversation was, unsurprisingly, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Professor Praeiudico. Sam made a good point in wondering how Muggle-borns were supposed to learn about dark creatures from an early age. Remus stayed quiet for most of the time, pushing peas around his plate and poking at his steak. He knew that it was best to eat a lot nearing the full moon, but he was a little preoccupied.
Romulus came over sometime between the poking of the steak and the pushing of the peas and sat down sideways next to Remus.
'Hey,' he said quietly.
'Hey,' Remus replied. Romulus put his arms around Remus and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
'I heard what happened today in Defence. Did he really ask you about a werewolf in human form?'
'Yeah. He went through the role and asked me a "random question" that turned out to be not so random. He knows, and he doesn't want me here.'
'Well, I want you here, and I know. Don't let him get you down. Just do the work, and you'll be fine. Besides, the Defence job is cursed; I haven't had a teacher for more than a year during the five years I've been here. So hopefully he won't be here for too long.'
Remus grinned as a thought struck him. 'Everyone's calling him "Professor Prat".'
'Don't let him hear you say that!' Romulus laughed. 'How was the rest of your day?' he unwrapped his arms, picked a carrot off Remus' plate and popped it into his mouth.
'Fine. Transfiguration was good. I managed to turn my match into a needle.'
'Well done!' he replied, playfully punching Remus' arm.
'Thanks. James managed to transfigure some cotton to go with the needle as well. He was the one that changed the Sorting Hat,' Remus added.
'Pfft, so he learnt stuff before he got here, he won't have much more of a head start. What have you got tomorrow?'
'History of Magic and Charms. Then Herbology and Potions on Monday, which obviously I won't be able to go to on account of our Great Aunt's funeral. Which you're not going to.'
'Yeah, you know, she and I were never close.' He shared a small smile with Remus then turned to face the rest of the Gryffindors. 'So, you've got Binns and Flitwick tomorrow eh?' he spoke like he was an old professional, imparting his wisdom. 'Well, Binns actually died seven years ago. Didn't even notice apparently. Got up from has chair and left his body behind. History of Magic is quite interesting, but Binns does drone on a bit, take a lot of notes and try not to fall asleep.'
'Fall asleep?' James asked incredulously. 'Is that seriously going to be an issue?'
'Some people have a better attention span than others,' Romulus replied. 'His voice seems to make people sleepy for some reason. Anyway, Flitwick is head of Ravenclaw, so he's obviously brilliant. He's really kind, and has a good sense of humour, and he likes people who try their hardest. You'll really like him; so don't take advantage of his good nature. Okay?'
The Gryffindors nodded.
'All right then, I think my work here is done. Have a good day tomorrow, and since you get the end of the day off, I suggest you go down and visit Hagrid, the gamekeeper. He's a great bloke, and he loves Gryffindors, so you should get on well with him.' He went to get up and stopped halfway. 'Don't forget to tell them about Great Aunt Muriel, Remus,' he added, before kissing the top of his head and walking off back to the Ravenclaw table.
'Great Aunt Muriel?' Peter asked.
'Yeah, I have to go to her funeral on Sunday,' Remus said quietly. 'I won't be back until Monday night because it's in France.'
The Gryffindors offered condolences to Remus, and he suddenly felt even guiltier than he had been. These people were genuinely sorry that his nonexistent Great Aunt, who apparently was now called Muriel, had died.
'I only met her twice,' Remus added.
'Do you want me to take notes for you?' Lily asked gently.
'Um, yeah, that would be good, thanks, Lily.'
'That's fine. I know you'd do the same.'
For the rest of dinner, Remus stayed quiet again before excusing himself early to sneak off and meet the Matron. After asking a mousy haired Slytherin prefect the way to the Infirmary, he took her directions and walked through the doors to the Hospital Wing. There were a large amount of beds in the room, covered in white sheets, and one had white curtains surrounding it, obscuring the person behind from view.
A woman bustled through the curtain, placed a bottle of some foul looking potion on the table beside the bed and bustled over where Remus was standing.
'Come and sit on the bed dear,' she said before Remus could say a word. Pushing him to a bed, she placed her hand on his forehead and tutted. 'You do have a slight temperature, any dizziness at all? Nausea? Embarrassing boils? Open.' Remus opened his mouth and the Matron placed a wooden stick in his mouth. 'Say 'Ahh'.'
'Ahh,' Remus said, and she removed the stick.
'Throat isn't swollen. You appear to be in good health, so what seems to be the problem?'
'Er, I don't actually have a problem right now. I'm Remus Lupin… I just thought I should come and meet you before Sunday night.'
'Oh! Mr. Lupin, of course, I should have known, you look too much like your brother not to be. I'm Madam Pomfrey. I assume you know how things are going to happen on Sunday?
Remus nodded.
'You will come here an hour before sunset and I will escort you to the Whomping Willow. For this first time I will take you to the abandoned shack at the end of the tunnel, to make sure that you know where to go. After that, hopefully I'll just drop you off at the Willow. Does that sound agreeable?'
'Yes, that sounds fine. I should probably tell you that I will probably be knocked about a bit more than normal,' Remus said uncomfortably. 'New place and all.'
She smiled sadly. 'I understand Mr. Lupin. I assure that you'll be in good hands with me. You should be back on your feet by Monday night.'
Remus left Madam Pomfrey a little while later and walked to the Gryffindor Tower, thinking over the day's events. After dodging a hyperactive Sirius and James in the common room, who seemed to be talking about tap dancing aardvarks, he went to his bed, got out his Defence textbook and began reading it for the second time that week. He eventually drifted off to sleep with the book on his lap, and had a very disturbing dream.
Professor Praeiudico tapped Remus on the head in class and he turned into a werewolf. Elizabeth and Sirius started pointing at him and laughing, before he bounded over to them and they joined, turning into a giant Professor Praeiudico, who smiled unnaturally before killing him with a silver needle.
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Next Chapter: Chapter V: The Keeper of the Keys
The boys meet Hagrid, and witness his amazing culinary skills, first-hand. We
learn an interesting fact and "Professor Prat" and Remus has his
first transformation in the soon-to-be-known Shrieking Shack.
Peace,
Rotae
