Darkness greeted Ranma and the students as they disembarked from the Hogwart's Express. The Hogsmead station was on the edge of town, making it all the easier for the half giant grounds keeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor to lead the first year students away as well as for Head Boy and Head Girl along with the Prefects to lead the rest of the students to the carriages.
His initial thought was that it was a trick of the light but as he and the others drew closer to the carriages he was sure that the horse-like creatures had scales and not hair.
"What are those?"
Ranma turned to see a dark haired boy ask as he eyed the creatures tethered to the carriage that his companions were loading.
"There's nothing there Harry," the boy's female companion stated. "The carriages are pulled by magic."
"The kid's right," Ranma interjected. He wasn't sure why but he felt that he should know the boy. "There carriages are being pulled by something."
The busy haired girl huffed indignantly at the notion.
"You see them too, don't you?" Ranma asked as he turned to a sandy haired boy accompanying the other boy and the girl.
The boy in question nodded.
"They're called threstrials," a blond girl with the same group stated. "Only those who have seen death can see them – that's why most students don't see them."
"I've heard of them," Padma added. "It's said that they are omens of bad luck."
"Only because those who can see them have witnessed death," the blond repeated. "They're not the cause of misfortune, but a reminder of misfortune."
"I've never seen you before," the first girl said.
"That's because he's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," Parvati replied. "Professor Ranma Saotome, this is Hermione Granger, the smartest witch in our year."
"Nice to meet you Hermione," he said as he shook her hand. Turning to the boys beside her he offered his hand.
"Longbottom, Neville Longbottom, sir" the sandy haired boy muttered.
"Harry Potter, sir."
Harry seemed to expect more from Ranma, though what Ranma wasn't sure. There was something about the boy and the name that was supposed to mean something, but Ranma wasn't sure what it was.
"Weasley, Ronald Weasley," a gangly redheaded boy added.
Lavender giggled.
"Luna Lovegood," the blond girl with stars in her eyes added melodically.
"We can save the introductions for later," Ranma said as he noticed the growing crowd waiting to claim the next set of carriages. Slinging his satchel over his shoulder he set off after the first group of carriages.
"You're not riding with us?" Parvati asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Ranma shook his head. "I need to stretch my legs."
Few who knew him would claim that Ronald Weasley had a simple life. As the youngest of six sons he was easily overshadowed and daunted by his elder brothers' accomplishments. Charlie had been a quidditch star and eventual captain, Bill was the handsome and charismatic brother who could charm a sphinx, Percy (prat that he was) was a hard worker and had managed to the best grades of all the brothers thus far, Fred and George were the life of the party and as clever as Percy was smart.
It did not help that Ronald's best friends were also bright young stars. Harry Potter, the boy who lived. People still wondered why he had befriended Ron when he could have picked out anyone. Then again, there were those who thought that Harry kept Ronald around just because he needed someone who wouldn't compete with Harry. People wondered about Hermione as well, though many felt that Harry and Ron were perhaps the only ones who could tolerate her. Still, she was the brightest witch of their year, and perhaps generation, though it did not compensate for her lack of charm and personality.
Having grown up as he had, and enduring four years with Harry and Hermione, it was a wonder then that he was even able spare a moment to think or consider anyone else. Yet the off-handed remark by his younger sister's friend had left an impression on him. He hadn't felt it until he'd seen Padma Patil and her twin sister, Parvati Patil, along with a group of others in one of the train compartments having a good time.
Having the emotional range of a dry cup, he paid little heed to the minor nagging feeling, thinking instead that he was perhaps just hungry. The sweets on the train had done nothing towards alleviating that feeling, and then he spotted Padma and her friends by the carriages. With the strange focus on the threstrals or whatever it was that Harry, Neville, Luna, and the new DADA professor could see, Ron had again brushed the feeling aside.
He had continued to ignore the feeling as Harry and Seamus had their row in the Gryffindor common room. It was not until he saw Parvati and heard Lavender giggling at breakfast, that he felt it again. Again he assumed that it was his stomach talking to him but even after consuming copious amounts of sausage, toast, and juice he did not feel relieved.
Ron usually spent the free period after breakfast eating more breakfast while Hermione and Harry mulled over their class schedule.
"Where are you going?" the ever studious Hermione asked as Ron suddenly stood up. Seeing the look he usually had when he wanted to excuse himself to use the loo, she shook her head. "You shouldn't have stuffed your face."
Making his way out of the great hall he spotted the source of his discomfort. Perhaps it was his stupid Gryffindor courage (which had failed him miserably the previous year thank you very much) but Ron found himself marching towards Padma Patil, Ravenclaw's newest prefect. "Padma," he heard himself call out to her, "do you have a moment?"
Turning to her friends and fellow fifth years she shrugged, "Save me a seat! I don't want to miss his lesson."
Finally she turned back to him, an irritated look in her eyes. "Well, what is it?" she huffed.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
"What?" she scoffed. "You're the one who wanted to talk to me."
He blinked. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "For the ball."
Padma eyed him skeptically, unsure how to take his apology. "Do you believe him?"
The sudden change would have normally thrown the youngest Weasley son off, but the other topic was one that he had grown familiar with lately. "I do."
She eyed him, seeing his faults and merits, "Because you're his best friend?"
"Because I've been through a lot with him," he replied. "Second year we went to save Ginny, but he was the only one to make it down there. Third year with all the demeantors, then the fake Professor Moody last year – I've seen only a portion of what he's endured, but I know that he's not lying. Harry does what he does because he feels that he has too because no one else is willing to do anything."
"What about last year when you two had your row?"
"I was stupid, and jealous," he muttered, unable to look her in the eyes. "Harry's been a better friend to me than I have been to him, but I'm doing what I can for him."
"And what about the rest of us who aren't in his circle of friends?"
"It's no longer just Harry's problem, it hasn't been for a while," Ron explained. He lifted his gaze to meet hers once again. "Do you really think that the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who are going to stop with just getting rid of Harry?
"I know that people are afraid, but are you going to just let your fear overwhelm you or are you going to try to do something about it?"
"We're not all Gryffindors," Padma lamented. "We can't all be brave."
"Then use your clever mind to figure out what would happen to you when You-Know-Who and his lot take over. It may not be the bravest thing to do, but it's the right thing to do."
For a moment the two stood there, not sure what else needed to be said.
"I gotta go," he finally said. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry about the ball."
"Thanks," she reached out to him, grabbing his shoulder and smiling warmly at him. "It means a lot – even if it is a few months late."
Ron shrugged. The nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach had vanished during their conversation. Now there was something else bothering him. "No I've got to sort out a few Gryffindors."
Magic radiated from every surface and structure and even the vary decorations in the castle. Paintings moved as though the figures were actually dressed up actors moving from stage to stage rather than from one painting to another, suits of armor and stone statues followed students and teachers up and down corridors, and of course there were the ghosts that floated throughout the castle. It was breathtaking to see what magic could do, but as Ranma had discovered there was much that it could not do as well.
From the research that he had done since accepting that he could not cure his curse, Ranma surmised that whoever had built Hogwarts had invested a good amount of power into it. The anti-muggle or no-maj wards, anti-scrying wards, anti-disapparation, all of those on top of the shifting corridors, magical ceiling, floating candles, and torches that lit up to illuminate a corridor when someone was present all indicated a serious investment in magical energy from those who had helped build the castle.
As useful as magic could be, Ranma knew that he couldn't depend on it. Magic was a tool, though for far too long it had been a personal foil. The fact that Cologne, Shampoo, and Mousse had used it against him in the past had soured him on magic, but as he studied under Happosai he had begun to see that magic itself was not bad, it was how one used it. Sure, the idiot that had created Jusenkyo was still an idiot, but s/he had not created the springs and magical water thousands of years ago just to screw with Ranma (or the others). It did not make Ranma feel any better about his situation, but it did change how he viewed the people who he had crossed paths with in the past year.
Excitement was in the air as Ranma prepared for his first lesson. Each of his classes were considered "double" classes in that he taught two houses for a two hour block of time. The first lambs to be lead to the slaughter were the fourth year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Thanks to Parvati and Lavender word of the new Defense professor had spread through Gryffindor while Padma and Su had done the same thing in Ravenclaw. The young lions were eager for the lesson.
"I am Professor Saotome," he said, his voice echoing off of the cold stone walls. "Put your books and bags away. I've looked over the transcripts of what you've learned over the past four years. Honestly, I have no idea what you've learned and what you're all capable of. That's why I've decided that today is going to be a practical lesson.
"Everyone, take a step away from your desks."
The students did so, allowing him to banish the desks to the back of the room with a simple wave of his hand. "No curses. Try to incapacitate or subdue only."
Many of the students from one house eyed members of the other eagerly.
"Last one standing gets fifty points."
That caused a slight stir.
"Any questions?" Seeing that there were none, he gave the students a moment to prepare themselves. "Begin!"
Ranma shook his head as the students in the center of the room scrambled to avoid being hit while also firing off spells. Seven students went down in the initial volley, but only one of them had been disarmed. He waited for that student, a boy from Slytherin, to be hit with a hex that turned the mucus in his nose into what looked like miniature bats, to go down from the spell but clearly the spell was merely a diversion. A flash of red struck the boy, rendering him unconscious, but not before two other hexes connected with him.
Reaching into his pocket Ranma tossed what appeared to be a blue ball at the now defeated boy, encasing him in a protective blue cocoon. In the span of three minutes he had to toss two more balls as the majority of the spells were merely jinxes that hindered rather than stopped an opponent. For his part, Ranma made note of each wand movement and incantation, mentally categorizing the spells and their effects. While most were useless by themselves the effects when compiled were, well, complicated. One girl, a Gryffindor with raven hair, appeared to have tentacles instead of hair after being hit with four different hexes. Another boy from Slytherin was now the size of an ox and was floating in the air after being hit with three simultaneous jinxes.
Adjusting his expectations, Ranma began throwing the protective balls once a student was hit with three spells thus limiting the interaction of the jinxes and hexes. As most of the spells were either jinxes or hexes, Ranma did not worry about any lasting effects. Most would ware off by the end of the class.
Fifteen minutes into the class and only a third of the class has been eliminated as the students from each house were now aiding each other to eliminate the other house. Most worked in pairs or the occasional group of three with one person focused on offense and the others defending. With their current level of spellwork, a simple shield spell was more than sufficient to block the jinxes or hexes, but could only endure a few hits before another shield spell was needed. Exhaustion was starting catch up with the students as few had ever seriously dueled or sparred for such a long period of time.
After thirty minutes half of the class had been eliminated, most due to exhaustion though a few had been hit by deflected spells. Six Griffindors stood on one side of the room facing six Slytherins, each side waiting for the other to cast a spell before someone on the other side cast a shield spell.
Finally, a tall redheaded girl on the Griffindor side cried out, "Lumos Maxima!"
Caught up in casting a shield spell as an automatic response, the Slytherins were caught flatfooted as a bright light erased any trace of darkness in the room. Her distraction allowed the remaining Gryffindors to flank the Slytherins and placing them in a crossfire. The six snakes were quickly dispatched, though they managed to take out one of the remaining Gryffindors.
Three girls and two boys remained. Two of the girls quickly turned on the redhead who had cast Lumos while the boys took a moment to move apart and catch their breath. Before either could do anything the taller of the two was hit with a stray spell as the redhead moved to put them between her and the other girls. Firing off a quick counter she disarmed the closer of the two girls.
The second girl literally froze as the redhead shot off another spell to immobilize her. The last boy simply yielded, exhausted by the extensive dueling.
"I wouldn't do that Romilda," the redhead advised the unarmed raven haired girl. While the other girl appeared to be winded, the redhead appeared as though she could go another hour.
"That's enough," Ranma seconded. "Last witch standing is" he looked at the register to match her face with a name "Ginny Weasley - fifty points to Gryffindor."
With a simple nod he sent the desks scurrying back into their original places. "Now, who can tell me the difference between a jinx, a hex, and a curse?"
Word of the new DADA professor's assessment and style of education quickly spread through Hogwarts. Only the first years had been spared as they were still to unfamiliar with their wands and were unable to do anything beyond sending a few sparks flying though Professor Saotome had a different training regiment for them.
With the various looks that most people were giving him, Harry was actually looking forward to the double class with the Slytherins. Thus far Gryffindor had won three of five as both the sixth and seventh years had prevailed against their rivals while second year had been called a no-contest as the last four standing had been so overexerted that they could barely stand. It had been that way with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well were it not for the fact that one of the Ravenclaw second years had hidden herself away until the end. Still, Hufflepuff had split with the Ravenclaws in their series so that both houses had amassed 150 points towards the house cup.
"Padma said that aside from dealing with the Hufflepuffs, Professor Saotome had thrown in some enchanted balls that were acting like bludgers," Ron told the gathered fifth years. "They weren't hard enough to injure, but they still hurt and shield charms couldn't stop them."
"That makes sense," Hermione muttered. "Fred and George said that Professor Saotome had enchanted the desks to run around the room. Katie Bell said that Professor Saotome filled the room with thick fog."
"Fifty points," Seamus sighed. "I don't think I've earned that many points for Gryffindor in four years here."
Though things had started rocky the first night back, the air seemed to have cleared between the Gryffindors. Seamus had made the effort to apologize to Harry before their first class, though he did mention that Ron had taken him aside. For his part Ron had wandered off during their few free periods.
"Time to go," Ron announced to the group.
All ten of the fifth year Gryffindors knew what was at stake. Seamus had been right, fifty points was considerable. In their time at Hogwarts the total points earned by a house in a year was around six or seven hundred. Securing another fifty points for Gryffindor would put them at two hundred after the first week of classes. Slytherin had thus far only won fifty and trailed the other houses by a considerable margin. It was almost like marching to the pitch for the annual Gryffindor vs. Slytherin as members of each house watched the two groups of fifth years head towards their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Tensions were so high Harry wondered if Draco or the other Slytherins were going to play fair or if they were going to try to start something in the corridor. There was plenty of bad blood between the two houses, and a long history of strong dislike that perhaps even crossed over into hatred. Still, this was a chance for them to actually duel.
"I'm going to enjoy this Potter," Draco proclaimed.
"If I remember correctly the last time the two of dueled, you had to be dragged back to your feet Malfoy," the usually quiet Fay Dunbar quipped.
"That was back in second year," Millicent retorted. "I remember Granger tried to take a swipe at me back then too. You're going to need new teeth after today Granger."
"Didn't you nearly fail the final last year?" Eloise countered.
"I won't need my wand to take out Granger's teeth or yours Midgon."
"I'd heard that Gryffindors and Slytherins were like having fire and dynamite in the same room," their new professor interjected, startling all twenty fifth years. "This isn't a place for you to take out your personal grudges. If you want to do that, then have the courage to challenge someone to an actual duel."
This was only the second time Harry had been so close to their new professor. His track record with the previous professors was abysmal as each had tried to harm him (though in Professor Lupin's case it had been instinctual rather than intentional).
The first thing that Harry noticed was that their new professor was young, very young. If he wasn't using magic to conceal his age then he was only a few years older than the fifth years, perhaps only a seventh year or whatever equivalent they had. The second thing Harry took note of was that their professor appeared relaxed, which was a stark contrast to the twitchy fake Professor Moody and the cursed Professor Lupin. Only Professor Lockhard had been so relaxed and he had proven to be a fraud. Thirdly, there was the fact that Professor Saotome was a handsome man. 'No wonder the other girls are so taken with him – I just hope he's not like Professor Lockhart.'
"I've heard of your former professor, Mr. Lockhart," the professor said as though he were reading Harry's mind. "I assure you, I'm not some pretty boy who doesn't like to get his hands dirty. If you really want to see how good I really am you can challenge me to a duel after class."
None of the fifth years dared to question him even outside of his classroom. Turning, he led the way into the classroom. The desks had already been moved to line the walls, giving the twenty students just enough room to move around though not enough to all of them to duel. The score of students stood around as their professor took a quick roll call.
"I know that all of you have a rough idea of what to expect," the raven haired man said from the front of the room. "But given the bad blood between your respective houses, I can't help but think that some of you have already started thinking of various tactics to employ. Well, I hope you're all up for this."
His grin sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"Close your eyes."
"Why?" Leave it to Draco to question an outsider's authority.
"Because I'm going to shuffle you guys around," their professor explained as he set his eyes on Draco. "I already know that you're going to do your best to split into Slytherin and Gryffindor, try to eliminate the other house then work out your own pecking order, but I've gotten pretty board of that.
"Now close your eyes."
Harry glanced at Hermione and then Ron, mentally mapping their position relative to the room before he closed his eyes. He felt something grab hold of his feet before the carpet beneath him shifted.
"Last one standing gets fifty points for their house," Professor Saotome repeated. "Disarm and subdue only – if anyone tries to injure someone I will deduct points and detentions. When you stop moving you can open your eyes and start dueling."
Gripping his wand, Harry waited for the sensation of movement to end. No longer feeling the air whip around him as the carpet moved him he opened his eyes. Directly before him stood Malfoy. Instinct combined with a bit of something else prompted him to whip his wand up and take aim, "Everte Statum!"
Satisfaction flowed through Harry as he watched Draco fly into the wall behind him. It was the same spell that the prat had used on Harry in their duel back in second year. Draco appeared dazed, but not out of it. "Colloshoo!"
He knew that he should have just eliminated Draco then and there, but Harry wanted to do so much more to him.
"Why?"
Harry instinctively leapt to the side, barely avoiding the spell. He chided himself for being so careless and caught up in dealing with Draco that he'd failed to realize that he had his back to the rest of the class. Rolling to his feet he managed to twist around to face his attacker.
For a moment his mind froze as he tried to process what he was seeing – Draco Malfoy was standing before him, wand at the ready while Harry was still on the ground. Behind Draco were seve other Dracos and ten Hermiones.
Instinct prevailed as he aimed his wand at the second Draco Malfoy, "Stupify!"
"Why?"
Another spell flew at him. "Protago!"
His shield held, deflecting the unknown spell cast by a Hermione Granger.
There was no time for him to figure out who was who. The professor's spell masked the students both visually and audibly. Every utterance was a copy of what Draco had said when he had questioned the professor about the need to close their eyes and presumably every boy was Draco and every girl was Hermione. This was how the professor was going to keep the students from teaming up against the other house, leaving it to the individual students to win the fifty points for his or her house.
A quick scan of the classroom revealed that a quarter of the class had been subdued – three Dracos and two Hermiones. Confusion and chaos reigned as jets of green and red filled the room, forcing most of their respective targets to dodge as most of them did not know the shield charm. With the audible clues gone, it difficult to tell what spells were being cast at any given moment.
"Expelliarmus!" He disarmed a Hermione. "Stupify!"
"Why?"
"Protago!"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Stupify!"
"W"
The chorus of why's slowed. Despite all their planning and preparations or perhaps because of it, the number of students left standing dwindled. Hermione went down in a blast of green. Draco fell in flash of red. Draco was tacked by another Draco only for the pair to be stunned by a Hermione.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione was thrown back into a dueling Draco and Hermione, sending all three sprawling. "Stupify! Stupify! Stupify!"
"Why?"
Hermione fell at his feet.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry avenged the unconscious Hermione by sending Draco's wand flying.
"Why?" another Draco blasted the defenseless Draco, causing him to crumple to the ground.
"Why?" Hermione stunned the last Draco.
"Stupify!" Harry stunned Hermione.
For a moment there was silence. Harry quickly scanned the room, looking for anyone standing to stun or disarm.
"Why?" the gentle whisper caught Harry off guard. He felt his body go ridged and watched as he toppled over. By the time he hit the floor the illusions were removed, revealing Pansy beside him and Dean Thomas beyond her.
"Congratulations Mr. Longbottom," Professor Saotome announced. "You've earned Gryffindor fifty points."
In a few minutes the students were revived and any injuries cured. The desks were returned to the center of the room and the Gryffindors and Slytherins sat on opposite sides of the room.
"Can anyone tell me who they saw?" Professor Saotome asked.
Hermione raised her hand.
"Miss" the professor looked at the register "Granger."
"The boys all appeared as Draco Malfoy and the girls all looked like me," she stated.
"Close," the Professor replied. "Each person who looked like Mr. Malfoy were actually Gryffindors and everyone who appeared to be Miss Granger were Slytherins.
"Now, let us go over the playback of the fight."
Harry and the rest watched as the fight minus the illusions were replayed for by the professor. Clearly he was a master illusionist, something that Harry had not encountered yet.
"Mr. Potter, can you tell me what you did wrong here?"
Harry could feel his face heating up as the class watched him send Neville flying then hit him with a sticking hex. "I…, um, I failed to adequately follow up with my initial attack."
"Correct."
The illusion shifted to Ron and Pansy. "Mr. Weasley, what did you do wrong here?"
"I thought that it was actually Hermione," the redhead replied.
"So you failed to take into account the illusion even though you could clearly see that there were four of her before you?"
"Yeah," Ron mutter abashedly.
Try as he might Harry focused on the feelings he'd had during the test and when he'd thought that all the boys were Draco. 'I thought Neville was Draco… I had him beat but why did I try to rub it in? And that was Dean that I sent crashing into the desk. There I am hesitating to stun Greengrass because she looked like Hermione.'
The end of the class couldn't come soon enough for Harry. While the rest of the class filed out of the classroom Harry remained behind. By extension Hermione and Ron followed suit.
"Yes?" Professor Saotome asked as he noted the trio's presence.
"Sir," it felt odd addressing someone who was barely older than him so formally.
"You have an anger management issue," the professor interjected. "I know from firsthand experience that keeping your anger bottled in is not good for you.
"Yes, I purposely chose those illusions because I knew that Gryffindor and Slytherin dislike each other, but I had no idea that any of you would act out the way you did Mr. Potter."
He felt like a foolish child before the youthful professor.
"You are fairly advanced for your year, well ahead of the others, but you need to learn to control your temper. I know that the Prophet has been dragging your name through the mud, but that is no reason to take out your frustrations on others. Doing so just makes you a bully and validates what they write about you.
"That's what a responsible adult would tell you. Unfortunately I'm not a responsible adult." Professor Saotome shrugged before walking over to the door and closing it. "I know how it is to feel like the world is against you, but I also know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of someone else's anger."
The trio watched as he walked back to the front of the room, no one sure what to say.
"I'm sure you're thinking that you'd give anything to have the world believe you, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Even if the price was Mr. Weasley's life? Or perhaps Miss Grangers?"
Harry flinched.
"You never thought of that, did you?"
He shook his head.
"Do you know why I can see threstrils?"
Again Harry shook his head. No one knew much about the new professor really.
"I killed someone in defense of the woman I love," Professor Saotome stated. He had a slightly pained look on his face as he clenched his fist. "You know about the Unforgivables and the Killing Curse in particular. It takes considerable emotional intent to cast them as they feed off of the caster's emotions and magical power. Any dark mage will tell you that you have to mean it when you cast them.
"When you're fighting to protect a life, you have to be prepared to take or lose a life. Voldemort and his followers know that. Unfortunately they're also arrogant enough to think that they're the ones taking a life, and not that their lives are at stake as well."
It was a sobering thought, one that did not sit well with Harry.
"Oh, that's right," Professor Saotome said as he seemed to remember something important. "You're the one that killed a basilisk, right?"
Unsure where this was going, Harry nodded.
"Could you get back down there?"
Again Harry nodded.
"Cool. Tomorrow you're talking me down to the Chamber of Secrets."