Title The Fake Professor / / / Rating T
Warnings Contains mild swearing in this chapter
-The Fake Professor-
Previously on The Fake Professor…
Albus saw the Snitch rise in the air and aimed for it, gaining on it, closer and closer, reaching for hit and grabbing it. He aimed his broom to the ground, landing, keeping tight hold of the Snitch.
"ALBUS POTTER!"
His heart sank faster than a Wonski Feint. Professor Longbottom was running toward the students. Albus got to his feet. "I've never seen such a thing like this – how dare you!" Professor Longbottom said, surprised at what he saw. "Potter, follow me, now." Harry caught sight of Parkinson and Zabini, with their triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly, following Professor Longbottom back toward the castle. He was in trouble, wanting to say something, but unable to form the words. He wanted to defend himself, but he couldn't. Professor Longbottom was speeding ahead, not stopping to open doors, forcing Albus to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it.
Up the front steps, up the Grand Entrance inside, and still Professor Longbottom didn't say a word to him. He waved his wand to open doors, marching along corridors after corridors and Albus following him miserably.
Eventually they arrived in the dungeons, ending down a flight of stairs. Professor Longbottom stopping at a door, knocking, standing in the doorway.
"Can I borrow Birch for a minute?" He asked, his arm resting on the door of the Potions classroom. Albus looked worried; worried he had done something wrong.
Headmasters Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
3rd September 2017
Harry left the Hospital Wing, following his two sons, but instead of following them down the corridor to the Great Hall, he disappeared down a secret passageway which would lead him straight to the gargoyle outside the office of Professor Flitwick.
"Levitation" he said to the gargoyle, giving it the password to access the Headmasters office.
"Harry Potter!" Professor Flitwick said, bouncing down from his balcony. "What brings you here?"
"Auror business. I need to speak to Neville if that is alright?" Harry asked, grasping a piece of parchment from his briefcase. "I need to use his services for a case that the department is involved with. I trust this permission from the Minister is alright with you?"
Professor Flitwick looked at the parchment, dropping it into his pocket. "Anything for you is fine by me. Especially when it is to do with one of our students!"
"Thank you, Headmaster." Harry said, shaking his hand, "I'll go and see Neville now, if he is free and if that's alright as it's urgent."
Harry left the Headmasters office, sprinting through the corridors, heading to the greenhouses where he knew Neville would be. He entered Neville's office, hoping he was there. Looking around, he couldn't find Neville so he sat down on a chair near the desk. Suddenly Harry heard footsteps outside the office so he pulled his wand out of his robes, but replaced it when he saw who was coming.
Potions Classroom, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
3rd September 2017
"Can I borrow Birch for a minute?" Professor Longbottom asked, his arm resting on the door of the Potions classroom.
'I'm getting the cane!' Albus thought, worried about what Professor Longbottom was after. 'I'm in trouble!'
Suddenly a towering Seventh Year Gryffindor came out of the Potions classroom. Professor Longbottom took them out of the dungeons, through the corridors and the Grand Entrance then into the Herbology classroom. They walked through the door to find that Harry was sitting at Professor Longbottom's desk.
Herbology Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
3rd September 2017
"Edith Birch, this is Albus Potter. He is your new Seeker!" Professor Longbottom said to her. He turned to Harry and nodded to him. "Harry, your son is one of the best flyers in the First Year. I think he is just as good as you were!"
"Bloody hell!" Edith Birch said. He turned to Harry and smiled. "You're Harry Potter, The youngest Gryffindor Seeker in a Century!"
"Yeah, that's me! Everyone usually associates me with defeating Voldemort, so it's a shock that someone recognises me for Quidditch instead!" Harry said to Edith. "I'm grateful of that really."
"Yeah, I know my Quidditch very well. In fact, your wife has inspired me to want to play professional." Edith said, going red, "I'm hoping the Harpies have a Chaser spot for me in the future!"
"Hang on." Albus said, shaking his head, "I'm on the Quidditch team? I thought that First Years wasn't allowed to play Quidditch?"
"Believe me, when I was your age, I was surprised to be offered a spot on the Quidditch team!" Harry told his son. He turned to Professor Longbottom, "What happened?"
"Alice injured herself by falling off a broom, so Professor Chang took her to the Hospital Wing." Professor Longbottom explained, "Anyway, I was looking out of my window and saw that one of the Slytherin students had stolen a Snitch from the Quidditch stores. Al flew after it and caught it and that's how it became evident he has your skill."
"Blimey Al," Harry said to his son, "I didn't realise the everyone v Weasley annual game at The Burrow had forged your skills! You are just like me, breaking the rules and then getting a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I'll send Florence up to Hogwarts with your Firestar later in the week."
"Thanks Father." Al said, smiling at the thought of his broomstick being brought to Hogwarts and being the new Seeker for Gryffindor. "Can I tell Rose and Scorpius?"
"Rose will know because your mother and I are seeing your Uncle Ron later, so we can kill two birds with one curse." Harry said, ruffling the hair of his younger son. "As for Scorpius, I'll let you decide what to do."
"What about James?" Albus asked, worried about what his brother would say, "Who will tell him?"
"As Captain, I will tell our Beaters, along with the rest of the team, the good news at lunchtime." Edith said, pulling out a piece of parchment from her robes. She turned to Harry, "By the way, Mr Potter. Can you get your wife to give me an autograph?"
"Edith, I can do better than that." Harry said, smiling, "I can promise you that if Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup this year, I will get my wife to help coach you to Harpies standards."
"Anyway Al, Birch, get out of here." Professor Longbottom said, smiling. "Expect an owl from Edith with the date and time of practice in the next few days!" He turned to Harry, smiling. "You sure do know how to keep us on top form!"
"Thanks Neville." Harry said, pulling a file out of his battered briefcase, "Anyway. We'll get on to business."
Albus saw Harry put his briefcase on Professor Longbottoms desk, but could see nothing else as the door slammed shut, not allowing the outside to see inside.
"Muffilto" Harry said, ensuring that nobody could hear their conversation. He turned to Neville. "This is of the utmost importance. Both Albus and Ginny are in danger."
"Are you joking? I thought it had been too quiet recently." Neville said, shaking his head, "Apart from that Cruciform lot, showing up in Diagon Alley and attacking Ron, then the fight here at breakfast yesterday that injured Al, it seems too quiet!"
"I know mate." Harry said, his voice breaking. "I'm worried that it's connected, but I don't know how. I've got Susan and Terry shaking down leads in the Ministry, but I don't know whom I can trust. Teddy is training, but I will have him working Hogsmeade after Christmas. To top it off, I've heard rumours of a mole in the department, that's why I need your help."
"I can help you in any way that you need me." Neville said, "It has been getting kind of dull here at Hogwarts."
"We're reactivating Snakeslayer." Harry said, standing up, passing Neville a piece of parchment. "Burn this when you've read it."
With that, Harry stood up and walked out, leaving Neville to his thoughts.
The Great Hall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
3rd September 2017
The afternoon went slowly, first because of Professor Binns droning on about goblin revolts in History of Magic, then because of a Muggle Studies class with Professor Figg, so boring that Albus fell asleep in.
Eventually it came to dinnertime so the First Year Gryffindors joined their housemates in the Great Hall. Albus and Scorpius sat down next to Alice and Sean. Scorpius pulled a note out of his pocket and his face dropped.
"Are you alright mate?" Albus asked Scorpius, noticing the upset face on Scorpius.
He forced the note back into his robes; annoyed and yet relieved that Albus had noticed it. "Yeah, I'm alright. Anyway, it's not like I'm the only one with news in our group! Come on Potter," Scorpius said, looking at his friend. "You've been bursting to tell me something all afternoon, especially after Professor Longbottom pulled you out of flying lessons!"
"Ok. I'll tell you," Albus said, weighing up his options. "You know the Quidditch team for Gryffindor. I've only gone and become their new Seeker!"
"Surely you can't be serious?" Sean said, dropping his goblet of pumpkin juice.
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." Alice said, laughing. She noticed Scorpius looked confused. "It's a joke from a Muggle movie that Mr Weasley watched with me and Al once on an old telly that he repaired. He watches it in his shed where there's little magic."
"Father used to say that the 'Weasley family were Muggle-lovers'." Scorpius said, doing an impression of his father, shaking his head. "The way I see it, however, is your family is really cool!"
"They sound it!" Sean piped up, "Anyway, you fly to get that Snitch because of the snake heads and Longbottom made you Seeker? And in first year too? That's pretty amazing!"
"I start my training next week," said Albus, showing Alice, Sean and Scorpius the note "Just promise me one thing though. Don't tell anyone about it until after the game!"
"I promise on Merlin's left ear!" Scorpius said, in awe of his friend. 'It's a pity I didn't do the same!' he thought, eating a roast potato, 'But looking at Al, he's a natural at Quidditch. Must be the Potter genes that he got from his father'
After what felt a while, James and his cousin, Fred Weasley now came over to Albus, grabbing his shoulder. "I hear some congratulations is in order, my dear little brother," said James in a low voice. "Birch caught us at lunch time, said we had a team meeting. She told us then that you, an ickle firstie, was the new Seeker. You seem to be as bad as Dad!"
"We're on the team too as Beaters." Fred said, in a voice only detectable to the four of them. "I've a feeling Birch will train us to death this year!
"From what Croxley was saying, she is going after this year and she wants us to win that Quidditch Cup this year," said James. "You must be as good as Birch made out, apparently Professor Longbottom was laying down the law in the team meeting!"
"Anyway, if you'll excuse us, we're off to terrorise Filch." Fred said, menacingly, "We've got some new Wheezy products to test out!"
Fred dropped a Galleon in front of Albus, bending down so only he could hear him. "Meet us in the Room of Requirement when the coin gives a time, Seeker. It can be found on the sixth floor. James will put the Cloak and Map in your trunk tonight."
"Will do Fred." Albus said, quiet as a mouse, "I'll be there!"
After what felt ages everyone in the Great Hall heard a bang. Students jumped up from their meals to find Mr Filch running into the Great Hall with a squadron of Pygmy Puffs following him, not on the ground but by air!
"Get these pink things away!" Mr Filch shouted, running around trying to find a space where the Pygmy Puffs wouldn't find him. Everyone laughed, seeing the discomfort Mr Filch was enduring. Albus turned to the door to find his Fred and James smiling at him. He left the table to speak to James.
"What have you done to the Pygmy Puffs?" Albus asked, confused but smiling, "I didn't know they could fly!"
"Normally they can't, but they can with the Levitation Rings that Uncle Ron developed," Fred said, laughing at Professor Finnegan vanishing the Pygmy Puffs away from Mr Filch, "They have an incredible ability to fly!"
"Think Wingardium Leviosa but in a ring." James said, worried as Professor Finnegan had managed to vanish them completely away. "They even work with humans. It would make it easy to do it without brooms!"
"How do they work?" Albus asked, fingering the galleon that Fred gave him. Suddenly James levitated off the ground.
"Remember that galleon I gave you?" Fred asked, smiling, "It's hooked up to them. James is wearing a Levitation Ring on his arm, underneath his robes." Suddenly Albus stopped fingering the galleon and James dropped to the ground.
"POTTER, WEASLEY AND POTTER!" Mr Filch shouted, limping towards James, Fred and Albus. "You've gained yourself a detention each!" Albus couldn't help his face drop. He ran, upset, to Gryffindor Tower, through the portrait, and up to his dorms. He saw Rose and Scorpius come in.
"Rose!" Albus said, jumping off the bed to hug his cousin. "It's only been a day and I've missed my cousin! How's Uncle Ron?"
"Al! You look better already!" Rose said, jumping on Sean's bed. "He's alright. According to Healer Kumar, Madam Longbottom's assistant, he should recover from the attack. I hope Uncle Harry catches whoever did it!"
"Fathers been here today, but he was heading to see you, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione this evening as he had some news himself." Albus said, lying on his bed. "You missed our first Flying Lessons today with Professor Chang!"
"Did I?" Rose asked, her face dropping. "How were they?"
"Al has only gone and got himself on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as their new Seeker!" Scorpius said, suddenly covering his mouth when he realised what he had said.
"Surely you can't be serious?" Rose asked, shocked at the revelation. "You. Seeker. Quidditch?"
"Yes, I am!" Al said, "Longbottom caught me catching a snitch that the Slytherins had nicked and lo and behold, I'm on the Quidditch team!"
As the rain lashed at the Gryffindor tower, little did they expect to have a busy few weeks ahead!
-The Fake Professor-
Coming Up in Chapter 07 – A Betrothal to Lily…a new Minister…
Disclaimer I don't own the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only. Any text used from the Harry Potter series is used under the fair use allowances of various copyright acts
Social Media You can now like "GryffindorTom" on Facebook and Twitter to get all of the latest news, bits I'm working on, story updates and much more. You can also discuss this story and much, much more on Reddit - just navigate to r/GryffindorTomOfficial on there.
Reviews Please remember to review this story as it helps improve the stories that I write for you guys. It's the only payment, along with adding to community's and favourites that I get for writing these, and I admit I enjoy that payment.
Type Multi Chapter / / / Status WIP
Distribution FFN, AO3, GryffindorTom Online
Story ID 066 / / / Publish Date 10/03/2017