J K Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.
Chapter 3 – Staffing Problems
Even the Slytherins were shocked by what had happened to Ronald Weasley. They were very glad, elated even, but they were still shocked.
Draco got to taunt Potter and Granger at the loss of their friend but for some reason both Gryffindorks managed to ignore him. No matter he knew they were both suffering due to the loss of the idiot so he felt better.
Bets were being made who would replace Weaselwipe as the third member of the Golden Trio. Draco wagered on Longbottom but Zabini and Pansy put their galleons on the Weaselette as it was an open secret that this year she was going to pounce on Potter and officially claim him as her own.
But they would all be wrong as Potter was still recovering from his problems and trying to avoid the curses and hexes still being sent his way due to the fact that his wand was still confiscated. Umbridge was taking over the school at an alarming rate and Dumbledore seemed powerless to do anything about it.
However, Draco wasn't fooled in the least as his father knew that Dumbledore was up to something and had ordered Draco to be even more vigilant and alert concerning Dumbledore. Potter was powerless as everyone knew and his utter and total defeat and humiliation by Umbridge after so short a time proved to Draco at least that as usual, Dumbledore was playing Potter and seeing him tortured for the year. He just wondered what this year's "test" was going to be.
At least without a wand Potter couldn't be accused of anything. Well he could and even was accused of being bad every time a prank was pulled (when everyone knew it was the Weasley Twins who did it), something went bad, a potion expired in the Infirmary or some plants in the greenhouses didn't thrive or up and died. Umbridge saw to it and unfairly gave Potter even more detentions.
She had been advised by Fudge to keep giving Potter detentions but not with her as he had barely managed to save the day after the bastard's allergic reaction to the blood quill had nearly killed him. It had never been said or acknowledged in any way but Fudge knew that Delores had sent those Dementors to off Potter. If the kid had died or been sent to Azkaban it would have been worth it but it had been too close a call to risk something stupid.
So Potter was given as many detentions as possible. The plan was not one of just publically humiliating him and secretly abusing him, no now it had expanded into making sure he failed his OWLS. If he didn't have the time or energy to study and do his homework, he would not have a Muggle's chance of surviving at a Death Eater convention to pass these important tests.
When (not if) he failed he still might be expelled for academic incompetence and exiled from Magical Britain and thus sent away from his homeland. Fudge would gladly settle for that as even Delores couldn't find a way to send someone to Azkaban for miserably failing their school work, or at least not yet.
So far things were going splendidly as Potter's health was still poor due to the allergic reaction, he was being severely and constantly hurt due to being cursed and hexed because he didn't have a wand to defend himself and now his "best mate" had died painfully and under mysterious circumstances. It was a pity that Potter couldn't be blamed for the death but that would have been a stretch and Delores hadn't had the time because she had been so busy destroying the school.
Since Potter was on his way to doom and destruction, Delores had decided to concentrate her efforts on Dumbledore as next to stopping Potter's "lies" getting rid of Dumbledore was Fudge's chief objective.
Despite what she did, Dumbledore merely smiled and, she knew in her mind, allowed it all to happen as he was still such a person of great esteem and popularity, he was still almost untouchable unless she could arrange for something undeniably career-ruining to happen. She was quite determined to do so.
Everything was going her way it seemed especially when that obnoxious Weasley boy died. Then, joy upon joy, something unexpected happened to the annoying Mudblood Granger. She developed a very serious throat problem two days after Ron died. It wasn't life threatening but still, it was a pleasure to behold. She had lost her voice and from what that miserable Half-blood medi-witch was saying she should really be sent to St. Mungo's for further treatment otherwise she might get worse.
Once again luck was on her side as it was an open secret that a Hogwarts student had to be at death's door before Dumbledore would allow him or her to be sent to St. Mungo's. If for some reason that student was a Mudblood, then it was all for the better as they would remain at Hogwarts to live or die. Therefore, Granger was stuck in the Hogwarts Infirmary and Potter had one less protector as he walked the halls of Hogwarts alone and wandless.
Then when she thought that things couldn't get any better, they did. She received an urgent message from the Ministry to attend a very important meeting concerning "the problem." She left for her meeting happy and confident that Cornelius had found a way to get rid of Dumbledore immediately or perhaps even Potter. She had been urging him to bring him to trial for killing the Diggory boy but he had not had any success. Now hopefully he had and not only could they convict Potter but maybe he could be given the Kiss or thrown through the Veil.
The meeting was for 11:00 p.m. at the Ministry. It had to be a secret meeting then for at that time of night no one, not even the reception guard, was there. Not even Aurors guarded the place as it was considered a useless expense so unless there was a justifiable emergency, the place was empty except for a few late night workers who didn't matter.
Unfortunately the floo system wasn't working so she had to apparate to the Muggle entrance and get in that way. That is when it happened. As she started to access the secret entrance to the Ministry she was grabbed from behind, spun around and saw to her horror that there, standing in front of her, his strong arms holding her fast, was a vicious WEREWOLF and he was going to bite her!
The still living body of Delores Umbridge was found in front of the Muggle entrance to the Ministry when a junior associate left after finishing up a project. She was taken to St. Mungo's and a diagnosis was made. Cornelius Fudge was summoned immediately and told the tragic news. It was decided to keep it out of the newspapers. Naturally the story in all in gruesome horror made the front pages of the Prophet.
The full moon happened just eight days after her attack and much to her great fear and dread Delores Umbridge underwent her first and last transformation. The shock of it all was the cause of her death two days later.
Many, many people both at the Ministry and Hogwarts celebrated. Harry sincerely hoped, but knew better, that his many detentions would be lifted and he would get his wand back. Unfortunately this was not to be as the Umbridge was sent to St. Mungo's, Fudge sent another Ministry lackey to carry on with her necessary and important work.
Harry thought that nobody could be worse than Umbridge until he saw the smirking, vicious, rather ugly-looking face of Walden McNair, resident Ministry sadist and known Death Eater, looking directly at him from the Head Table as Dumbledore introduced Umbridge's replacement to the school.
If McNair was expecting a different reaction than the one he actually received from Harry he was in for a disappointment. The cowering fear McNair was hoping for was met with indifference and McNair felt insulted that the boy didn't recognize him as the man who was supposed to execute the hippogriff two years ago. The fact that McNair had been wearing his executioner's mask had been forgotten by the sadist and McNair wondered if Potter hadn't seen him at the cemetery when he had been called like the others to witness the Dark Lord's triumphant return. No matter, McNair would soon put the fear of McNair into Potter.
Harry had recognized him but managed to keep an indifferent mask in place. Malfoy was already trying to get his attention so that he could smirk and taunt Potter concerning McNair's appointment. But poor Draco, and especially McNair, were going to be in for a very bad disappointment as Harry was too busy deciding how McNair was going to meet his doom. Harry had been able to escape from the Great Hall without running into either of his potential abusers.
Draco would corner Potter shortly and although Potter didn't have a defense class until tomorrow, McNair was already making arrangements to summon Potter to his new office so that he could "lay down the law" to the bastard and give him a preview of what horrors he would shortly be enduring.
However, poor McNair, he wouldn't be doing any of that because before Potter could walk into his web of fear he would die – not Potter, McNair. Yep, before lunch McNair had decided to visit Hagrid and remind the half-giant about the end of Harry Potter's third year. But he didn't get to do even that because as he exited the school, one of the gargoyles on an outside wall decided to fall off and land on McNair's head.
In what had to be a record for "losing a professor" at Hogwarts, McNair had lasted about three or so hours "teaching" Defense before his broken, smashed, bloody body was brought into the Infirmary and a Ministry representative could be summoned.
Harry Potter had a perfect alibi as he had no wand, his arm was mostly healed but still not usable and at the time McNair was exiting the school Harry had been in potions being insulted, harassed and abused by Snape in front of the entire class.
An investigation was quickly done by the Ministry and the death was found to be due to a piece of masonry which had weathered severe storm damage. Dumbledore got in trouble for this one, not Harry, because it was Dumbles' job to make sure the buildings were always in good repair. He pleaded lack of sufficient funds granted by the Board of Governors and a fight broke out which lasted long after the next two Ministry appointed Defense teachers met their doom.
The next day saw Elton Havelock, one of those totally incompetent fools who only had a job at the Ministry because he was a Pureblood. Havelock worked at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the Ghoul Task Force Section not doing much except pushing parchment around and agreeing with everything Cornelius Fudge said or did just like a good lackey was supposed to do. He had been working in his dead-end job for 13 years and did it "adequately" if only to keep it from going to a worthier Half-blood.
Fudge didn't want to put in anybody he could afford to lose until the investigations into Delores' and McNair's deaths were finalized. He was still hoping one or both could be blamed on Potter but even he knew it would be a stretch. Besides Havelock was flattered as he considered this job a promotion and since he was so incompetent a wizard, he would do his job exactly in the way Fudge wanted it done, namely not teach anything worth a damn.
Havelock made it to his first class and strutted into the classroom like he was a god or a Malfoy. He addressed the third year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and gave them a brief outline of his goals as well as those which the Ministry had written up for him to say.
He then pulled out his wand to show off a bit by causing all the books to open to the page he wanted them to start reading. However, instead of saying the correct spell, he yelled out loudly "Accio" and all the books came hurtling right at him. He attempted to dodge the books and in his haste moved too quickly and ran into a wall. He not only smashed his face very hard into the cragged masonry but all the books swerved and followed him to obey the summoning.
Long story short, he managed to snap his neck and died instantly. At least he accomplished his plan of making a lasting impression on the students in his very first (and last) class.
His death broke McNair's record and probably anybody else's and now Fudge had to find another person/spy.
But the record would, in fact, be broken the very next day. Auror Merlin Mickle wasn't anything like his exalted namesake, far from it. He had barely squeaked by in Auror School and had only gotten into the corps because the war was on and there was a desperate need for Aurors. Most of his "career" was spent serving as a guard in Azkaban, where he was noted for his extreme cruelty to the prisoners. He was just what Fudge was looking for to demoralize the school and "get" Potter.
The very night of the day which Havelock had died Mickle went out to celebrate not only finally getting out of Azkaban but being "promoted" to a Hogwarts teacher. He and his few friends went out and got wasted. He could barely stand because he had gotten so damn drunk. His friends managed to get him cleaned up so that he could arrive at Hogwarts for the breakfast meal and to be introduced by Dumbledore as the new Defense teacher.
Still in a state of partial inebriation he made an impromptu speech outlining "his plans for this school" and glared menacingly while doing it. A very "uncomfortable" meal was had and then Dumbledore sent the Head Boy to show "Professor Mickle" to his classroom.
However, soon a panicked Head Boy ran back into the Great Hall shouting for help. Dumbledore and the Heads ran after the Head Boy to find Auror Mickle lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of one of the movable staircases.
"We were going up the stairs when Professor Mickle started getting sick," said the Head Boy. "All of a sudden he leaned over the bannister and started to throw up but then he leaned over too far and before I could react, the staircase shifted and he fell over. I was too busy hanging on the bannister – the staircase was shaking so I had no choice – and before I could try to accio him, he had fallen and, well there you have it."
Coward that he was, Dumbledore made McGonagall call this one into Fudge.
The "curse of the Defense position" was blamed for the four deaths. Harry Potter had been in the Great Hall finishing his breakfast when Mickle fell off the stairs, so he had an airtight alibi just like he had with all the others.
Fudge was now in full panic mode as nobody wanted to be assigned to this cursed job. Fudge wanted to withdraw the class from the Hogwarts curriculum but that certainly could not be allowed as even the Board of Governors forbade his request. Defense was a core subject and Hogwarts standards had deteriorated too much since Dumbledore became Headmaster and this class just had to be taught.
Therefore, Dumbledore took the opportunity to use the deaths and the Board's desperation to his advantage. Even though there was no way possible for Harry Potter to be the cause of these deaths, Dumbledore noticed that all "teachers" assigned by Fudge had or would have (if they lived) abused the boy as much as possible. Although Dumbledore really didn't care how badly treated Potter was, it was suspicious.
Granger had reported that Potter had been very withdrawn and more brooding than usual before the trumped up trial and since the trial he was withdrawn deeper into himself. She was worried that he didn't care that Ron was dead. Then she had come down with her throat infection and had been out of commission for over a week but she had mercifully survived and was back to her nagging ways only to receive indifference from Harry.
Since Fudge was so desperate to find a teacher, he would probably accept even a werewolf, so now Dumbledore called back Remus Lupin to teach.
It was greeted with joy and even relief because despite the fact that he was a werewolf, he had been certifiably the best Defense teacher in the last twenty years. Since Harry loved him he would never see harm done to Remus as it would also break the heart of his beloved godfather. So Remus came back to teach, the Umbridge books were thrown away and new books quickly bought and distributed and things looked fine.
But Dumbledore was wrong. Harry was really, really pissed at Remus and Sirius and just about everyone but most especially Dumbledore. Poor Remus lasted a few days or at least until it was time for him to take his first dose of Wolfbane potion as the full moon was nearing.
Snape had not only brewed the potion but made sure that Lupin would take it to prevent "the accident" which had happened the last time he was teaching at Hogwarts. After taking the first dose, the potion would be placed at Lupin's seat at the Head Table by the house elves at the dinner meal. All Lupin had to do was to drink the potion and then eat his meal. And he did. Then he died.
After he finished off the potion in his usual one big gulp, he set down the goblet, picked up his fork and was about to eat when the potion hit his stomach. He screamed in agony, clutched his stomach and then started foaming at the mouth. A snarly Ravenclaw Muggleborn would later refer to the incident as "dinner theater" as everyone watched the latest Defense teacher writher in his death throes as Snape, Pomfrey, Flitwick and even Dumbledore tried to help him.
An investigation was begun and it was found that the Wolfbane potion had been tampered with and silver dust as well as mercury had been added to the bottle containing the potion doses which the elves were in charge of putting in his goblet. Four poor, hysterical elves were roughly interrogated by the Ministry but were found to be innocent but one elderly elf died due to the coarse and brutal treatment he received.
It was decided that for this year at least, all students, even those who needed to take their OWLS and NEWTS would read the textbooks and "practice" on their own as no one was crazy or desperate enough to consider taking the job.
That suited Harry just fine. As long as he had a decent book and a place to practice he would learn. He added Neville, Hermione, and certain other Gryffindors to his practice sessions and a few others from Ravenclaw such as Padma Patel, Su Li, Terry Boot and Luna Lovegood. A few Hufflepuffs snuck in like Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and their year mates and for the first time since Remus Lupin had taught, they actually learned something. Harry was a great teacher but, naturally, would not be given any credit for it, except by the students he taught.
Harry only had two problems – Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. Hermione tried to take over the teaching and make it seem like she was the one doing all of the work so as to reap the rewards and receive the grateful thanks of her Housemates and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. She did "suggest" many spells, mostly those she heard were most likely to be found on the OWLS and NEWTS from previous years, but Harry just taught the ones he was good at (namely all of them) while Hermione taught her spells to "her students."
Harry ended up with more students than Hermione who slunk back to be taught but she still took a large amount of credit.
Ginny Weasley was becoming a problem as she had decided to "make her move a year earlier" and make Harry date her. He wasn't interested and let her know in very clear terms that he wasn't. He went so far as to inform the Twins that "I'm not now nor can I foresee ever being interested in your sister so call her off."
The Twins, who really liked Harry but had their orders from Mummy refused to get involved and warned that what Ginny wanted she eventually got so if Harry was smart and wanted to avoid a lot of grief, "just date her, give her what she wants and your life will be a lot easier."
Harry had merely looked them both in the eye and snapped out a few obscenities at them. He even threatened to "uninvest" in their future joke shop until the smiling Twins informed him that it was too late to do that so just accept his fate and date Ginny. "She'll get you one way or another, so just give up now," they laughingly told him before pranking him with a few hexes and going on their merry little way.
But now Harry was more than angry and it was time for someone to die. He still had an alibi for using magic as his wand was still only given to him to use when he was in the Transfiguration and Charms classes. Professor Flitwick took pity on Harry and "loaned him his wand" when he taught and practiced his Defense "homework" but was duty bound to take it back immediately.
Of course Harry had complained to McGonagall several times but "she could do nothing about it" as Umbridge's punishment stood and even though she was dead Fudge was still enforcing it as, apparently, Harry was being investigated for several things so it was considered "prudent" that he shouldn't have unsupervised access to a wand until the investigations were completed.
"And what do these investigations consist of?" he had asked McGonagall.
She had sighed wearily before replying, "You are suspected in the death of Cedric Diggory, the attempted murder of your cousin Dudley by luring Dementors to Surrey to suck out his soul and thus kill him, you are being investigated as Fudge received a tip 'from a reliable source' that you committed the murders of all of this year's Defense teachers, even Remus Lupin and, last but not least, having an agenda to create panic and overthrow the Fudge Administration by lying that You-Know-Who is back."
"Oh is that all?" Harry replied sarcastically. "Hasn't anybody accused me of dropping those two atomic bombs or Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Black Death of 1348-50, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the huge but unexplained and purported meteor explosion in Siberia in 1908, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the…"
"Mr. Potter that will be quite enough out of you," snapped McGonagall. "Why do you always think yourself to be a victim when you clearly…"
"Because I am a victim."
"MR. POTTER! Enough is enough. You are not going to get possession of your wand until the Ministry says otherwise. Just accept it and…"
"So why won't Dumbledore talk to me?"
"That is Professor or Headmaster Dumbledore and he is very busy and cannot be bothered by the whining of an adolescent boy," he was told by his annoyed Head of House.
Now Harry was really getting mad and he walked up to his Head of House and got close enough to her to rub noses before demanding to be told, "What's this latest bit of nonsense about me being thrown off the Quidditch team? "I was told by Angelina that since I am being punished and investigated that I am being replaced by Ginny Weasley and that they expect me to 'GIVEher my broom' since she doesn't have one good enough to play against the Slytherins."
That was news to McGonagall. She hadn't heard that one but it sounded like something the Ministry might do, removing him from the Quidditch team at least. But Ginny Weasley being chosen as his replacement and he was supposed to give his broom over to her.
"What do you mean Ginny is now your replacement and you have to give your broom to her?"
"Just what I said. Ginny was subbing for me at practice until my arm healed. Now today Angelina informed me what I just told you. I want clarification that I am officially off the team whether it is by Ministry edict or because someone here suddenly decided I was to be abused in such a way."
"I'll check and get back to you about that," she said sheepishly before basically kicking him out of her office. Harry was their star player and she really didn't want him off the team. If he was being punished with more detentions – Snape was seeing that he received several since he had finished the ones Umbridge had given him – and was prevented from doing his homework and studying, well she could accept that, but missing Quidditch practice and playing, no she could not allow that to happen.
So once again Harry was being given the runaround, abused, overworked, taunted, insulted and told that there was nothing could be done about it.
But they were wrong as it was time for a little shaking up, a lot of mischief to be done and extreme payback to be given to the wicked.