Author's Note: Review replies can be found on my profile page again. Thanks for reading!
Warning: ghosts, evil students, crazy Obi-Wan and long-suffering Anakin in this chapter :D
Chapter 3
Anakin's first classes at Hogwarts School was History of Magic. A ghost would teach them, as Remus explained to him. Anakin would have liked to ask what exactly a ghost was and how it could teach a class. Or was it a... euphemism of saying 'meditation'? Anyway, Anakin could not ask anyone because certainly it was common knowledge to understand what it meant if a ghost was to teach a class.
When the classes started, it proved to be not as spectacular as you would have imagined. The so-called ghost was nothing but a very pale man who seemed to be floating slightly above the ground. But it was scary. Was that man really dead? Anakin shuddered involuntarily.
The other students, however, did not seem to be disturbed in the slightest. Sirius bent to Anakin and said in a low voice, "We think Binns still has not realised he has died. One night, he died, but the next morning, he continued teaching as if nothing had happened."
Anakin shuddered again. That man thought he was still alive but he was already dead? Then how...? And should not someone tell him he was dead? What did it mean? Would the 'ghost' rot slowly in front of their eyes? Or would he just vanish into thin air? Nothingness... There is no death, there is the Force, Anakin recalled the Jedi Code. But it did not help much. When he thought of death, he thought of black, cold, lonely emptiness. So what about this ghost? Could he still feel anything or was everything already empty to him? Or would he teach them about death? Anakin rather hoped he would not do that.
Then, however, the ghost spoke and his voice sounded relatively normal and humanoid, and he did not even say scary things but just a usual, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Anakin replied nervously. He immediately realised something was wrong. Everyone was staring at him. The pale man even looked at him as if he had done something impudent. Awkwardly, Anakin cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to..." Was it forbidden to talk to a ghost? Anakin had not read the whole school regulations yet - maybe that was a very important rule. Would talking to a ghost wake it up from death or make it realise it was dead?
The ghost kept staring at him with his scary milky white, dull eyes. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, Sir," Anakin reassured him. "Everything's fine. I'm the new student. My name is Anakin Skywalker."
"M-hm." The ghost absent-mindedly nodded and then he simply started with the lesson. He talked about the Goblin Wars and Anakin tried to listen very carefully. It was always important to learn as much as possible about a new planet because it might come in useful later during the mission. Knowledge is a more powerful weapon than a lightsaber, was something Obi-Wan liked to say. Anakin suspected the ghost used a Force- or magic-mind-trick. His voice was dull and it gave you an unusual desire to fall asleep. It was certainly a test on how to block others from your mind. It was exhausting but Anakin was quite good at it compared to the other students, of whom many did not listen at all but were resting their heads on their desks.
Anakin's next classes was Defence against the Dark Arts, which Obi-Wan taught. Anakin was curious to see what Obi-Wan planned to teach a group of wizards who knew much more about the subject than the teacher himself. And he was really looking forward to the prank they planned to play on Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan entered the classroom. He looked really strange in the black robes. "Good morning," he said politely.
"Good morning," Anakin replied. Only a few of the other students mumbled a sleepy "morning" in reply. Anakin frowned. It was strange no one said properly 'Good morning' here. But this school was strange anyway, especially with the ghosts. The ghost-thing was still bothering Anakin and he hoped he would soon find an opportunity to talk about it to Obi-Wan. Most of the times, his Master could explain everything and make Anakin's fears go away.
"I am Professor Kenobi, the new teacher for Defence against the Dark Arts," Obi-Wan presented himself smoothly. "As a start, I would like to discuss the nature of the Dark Arts with you today. So, who of you can give me a good definition of the Dark Arts?"
Lily, the girl with the red hair, raised her hand. "Dark Arts means all the curses and potions which include dark magic."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "This is not a good definition because in order to explain 'the Dark Arts' you used the word 'dark'. Now, the question remains: What is dark magic?"
"Magic used to harm other people," another girl answered.
"Hm, alright. What do you do if someone attacks innocent children? What if you kill that attacker in order to save the children? Do you perform dark magic then?"
Now Anakin raised his hand. It was such an easy question. He had hoped he learned something more exciting in this lesson. "No, you don't perform dark magic as long as your thoughts are free from any feelings of revenge and hate. If you kill that person in order to protect innocent lives, it has nothing to do with the dark... arts."
"That is correct." Obi-Wan, however, did not look happy with that answer.
"Ah, Professor, then you think it's perfectly alright to use the Avada Kedavra Curse as long as you do it to save other people?" James asked.
"Ah, well. The question is to you," Obi-Wan addressed the rest of the class. "Would it be alright to use... that curse under such circumstances?"
"Well, the law is pretty obvious concerning that, isn't it?" James said again.
"Yes, indeed," Obi-Wan said confidently. "So your answer to the question is clear. Now, back to the definition of the Dark Arts. What exactly are they?"
"I think Evans's definition was wrong," a dark-haired boy said. "The Dark Arts is not only about magic and potions. I mean, we also learn to defend ourselves against creatures like vampires, werewolves, ghouls, dementors and so on. So you could say the Dark Arts simply means evil in general."
"Evil in general," Obi-Wan repeated thoughtfully. "What is evilness?"
"Merlin's Beard," Sirius groaned without being asked to speak, loud enough for Obi-Wan to hear. "Is this philosophy classes? I thought we were learning something useful. I don't know if it will help me survive against a Deatheater if I start a discussion with him about the nature of evil." Sirius sneered mockingly.
Anakin frowned. So did Obi-Wan. "What is your name?" Obi-Wan asked him sternly.
"Sirius Black."
"Well, Sirius, it is my decision what is useful for you to learn and what is not," Obi-Wan said in his strictest Master-voice. "You must know against whom or what you fight. You must know what evilness is if you do not wish to succumb to the dark side yourself. You must know to distinguish between good and evil. Because how else can you have a justification for fighting the so-called evil?"
"I think someone who kills and tortures people is pretty obviously evil," Sirius said haughtily.
"If it was always so easy to determine evil, life would be simple. Unfortunately, it is not. Often, good and evil is intermingled. Things born from good will can turn out to be evil or the other way around."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "It might still be useful to be able to defend yourself if some lunatic tries to kill you."
Obi-Wan gave him a piercing glance. "I am the teacher here and I decide what I teach. And I decided to teach you some fundamental understanding concerning the light and the dark side today. You will learn other things later but if you do not know why you learn them, it might become dangerous for you."
"Oh, Professor, I am touched," Sirius said in a mocking voice, smiling widely at Obi-Wan. "You care so much for our well-being."
"Sirius Black, your behaviour is very unbefitting. Please go outside for a few minutes and think about what you just said." It was the tone Anakin feared. It was calm but it did not allow arguing. It was the sort of tone Obi-Wan used when Anakin had really disappointed him and had shown once again that he was not the sort of Jedi Obi-Wan wanted him to be.
Feeling a little sympathy for Sirius, Anakin threw his classmate an encouraging glance. Sirius, however, was not disturbed in the least. He got up and threw Obi-Wan one more mocking smile. "Sure, Professor Kockatoo. Thanks for the free time." Anakin gaped in shock. But soon, he forgot his shock because when Sirius headed for the door, he threw something into Obi-Wan's face: a red little bag which exploded and covered his face with orange liquid. Anakin recognised it as the potion James had brewed.
"What the -," Obi-Wan started, clearly annoyed. His hand was at his lightsaber hilt but then James pointed his wand at Obi-Wan and said, "Tarantallegra." Obi-Wan opened his mouth again but out came some very strange noise. Anakin had never before heard Obi-Wan shout something so loudly. Normally, Obi-Wan never shouted. But now he was... well, singing would be the wrong word. It was the screaming from yesterday evening, only now it was Obi-Wan who did the screaming and there were - fortunately - no drumbeat and other instruments. The class erupted into laughter and so did Anakin. Certainly nobody laughed as hard as he did because they did not know Obi-Wan well enough to see the full hilarity of the situation. It got even better when Obi-Wan started shaking his head and jumping wildly around. Then he grabbed some of his own books and other items and started throwing them through the classroom in ecstasy. He waved his black cloak and roared something like, "Ooohooohooo - ba - by - my wahahahahahand explohohohohohohohohohodes!!!" Anakin doubled over with laughter when he saw Obi-Wan's expression, which was utter shock and blank horror at the things he was doing. Never before had he seen his Master lose control like this. Yes, Obi-Wan could be very active in battle but there was always something which seemed to hold him back. Now he was shaking his hair maniacally and his voice was doubling over at the noise he was forced to produce. He grabbed his chair and threw it through the classroom, forcing the students to duck their heads to avoid it. It seemed the flight of the chair had been intensified by the Force; in any case, it slammed forcefully into the window and broke it.
Unbidden, Anakin remembered Rule # 1 of the school regulations: Students are not allowed to damage, vandalise, pollute and contaminate anything of the school's property. It looked much like Obi-Wan had – involuntarily – broken that rule. Anakin cheered along with his classmates, spurring Obi-Wan on to go on with his great performance.
Soon, however, Obi-Wan's voice got hoarse from the unusual use of his voice. Lily did something with her wand and finally Obi-Wan stopped his crazy dance. The class laughed, cheered and applauded. Obi-Wan coughed a few times and then straightened his hair and cloak. Anakin's laughter died on his lips when he saw Obi-Wan's glance. Obi-Wan tried to speak a few times but as his voice was still hoarse and the majority of the class was still roaring with laughter, it took him some time until he was heard.
"If you think that was funny, then you should probably go back to the kindergarten. I am here to teach you. I am here to teach you important things for your future. I want to help you and what do you do? You just play childish pranks. If you want to mock me, well, go on, I will not stop you. But I assure you one thing: I will not teach you any longer. I cannot teach students who do not want to learn anything. This here, this lesson, this school is an offer for you. An offer to learn something and you just throw it away, mocking it. If you do not want to learn anything, alright, that's your problem. But I am sure here are a few people who are mature enough to understand the importance of learning. Trust me, being a teacher is not an easy job. So I do not want anyone here who disturbs my lessons and who hinders the more mature students. How selfish is that of you! Don't you think I have not more important things to do than trying to get discipline into a bunch of fifteen-year-olds - yes, you are fifteen years old, not five! I give you one last chance: Anyone who is not interested in my teachings is free to leave. Please do it! I do not want little children here. If you want to play, go outside. So, go now."
Anakin swallowed. Obi-Wan had seldom before been so angry. Well, angry was the wrong word. Annoyed was better. Annoyed and disappointed.
With exclamations of joy, James and Sirius got up, grabbed their bags and ran out of the classroom, waving enthusiastically at Obi-Wan and shouting a "Thank you!" Several other students followed, though not as loudly. Anakin could not believe they did that and took Obi-Wan by word. It had been a warning, yes, but surely Obi-Wan had not really expected them to leave, had he? He had only wanted to make them rethink their behaviour. Hardly anyone seemed to be as impressed by Obi-Wan's speech as Anakin. More students sneaked out of the room until there were only Anakin, Remus and Lily left.
"Sorry, Professor Kenobi," Remus said uneasily. "It's kind of a tradition, you know? We, um, play pranks on every new teacher."
"What is your name?"
"Remus Lupin, Sir."
"Okay, Remus. You heard what I said. If you rather want to play pranks, you'd better leave and do not come back to my classes. By the way, I did not think it was funny."
Remus bit his lip. "Yes, Professor. I'm sorry." He, too, left the room. Lily followed him quickly.
Now, there was only Anakin left. He felt very exposed, sitting alone between all the suddenly empty desks.
Obi-Wan straightened his hair again, brushed some of the orange liquid out of his face and coughed a few times. "Get out of here," he said harshly.
"You said everyone who doesn't want to learn is to leave. But I do want to learn," Anakin protested. He hoped that would cheer Obi-Wan up a little bit.
"I told you to ge-get -" Obi-Wan's voice cracked because it was still so hoarse from the shouting. Somehow, that made everything even worse. "...to get out of here." Obi-Wan made an angry noise and started picking up the things he had involuntarily thrown throughout the room. Suddenly, he looked extremely old: kneeling on the floor, bent over and slowly collecting the items. He looked old and lonely.
With a big lump in his throat, Anakin jumped up. "Wait, Master, I - I'm going to help you," he said and eagerly hurried through the room, gathering the things in his arms. He avoided looking Obi-Wan in the eye and just put the stack of books down on Obi-Wan's desk. He desperately waited for Obi-Wan to say something but his Master just silently placed his things in his briefcase without paying attention to Anakin.
"Erm, Master...," Anakin said uncertainly, stepping from one foot to the other.
"Be at my office at 6pm. It's detention," Obi-Wan said curtly.
"Yes, Master," Anakin said dutifully. That was alright. He certainly deserved detention. He would do his detention and then everything would be fine again, as it always was: Anakin would do something stupid, Obi-Wan would give him detention and afterwards things would be back to normal. Fortunately, Obi-Wan was not a resentful person. "I'm sorry for what happened..."
But Obi-Wan did not stay to listen to Anakin's apologies. He quickly strode away, trying to keep up his dignity. Maybe that's what we did, Anakin thought sadly. Playing a prank is not wrong in general but if you take someone's dignity from them...
The rest of the day was not very nice. Anakin mostly avoided the other students because they were still talking enthusiastically on how their new teacher had sung and danced - that is: freaked out. In the blink of an eye, the whole school knew. Then Anakin spent a lot of time in the library in order to do his homework for Transfiguration. He had not understood a word Professor McGonagall had told them and he had no idea what and where to look for in the library. There was no one he could ask. In addition to that, thoughts about the ghosts kept haunting him. When he went to Obi-Wan's office at 6pm, he really hoped Obi-Wan was in a mood to talk about it.
Obi-Wan definitely was not in such a mood. He gave Anakin ink, a feather, a scroll of parchment and several books. "Read them through and write a summary of each chapter," he instructed Anakin curtly. "Do it thoroughly because I'll need that information in order to be able to teach. And that means it is for the sake of our mission. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Master," Anakin said in a small voice and immediately busied himself with his work. The first book was a book about the so-called Unforgivable Curses. It was not nice to read and it scared Anakin still more than he already was with his dark thoughts on ghosts. There were very detailed descriptions and vivid drawings of tortured people. In addition to that, the book was very thick, the letters were small, the sentences were long and there were many expressions Anakin had never heard before. And he had to write with a feather and ink. At first, that primitive way of writing had seemed exciting to Anakin. After several hours, however, when his right hand hurt like crazy, he rethought that idea of excitement. The whole time, Obi-Wan had kept silent. He was reading several parchments in deep concentration. Anakin hardly dared to look up from his work for a second. If just his hand would not be that cramped! It was shaking uncontrollably and his letters were getting more and more scratchy. And if he was not so hungry and thirsty! Obi-Wan had made himself something to eat in between but Anakin had not got anything.
"Anakin, how am I supposed to read that?!" Obi-Wan's annoyed and accusing voice made him jump and - there was a new big blot of ink on the last paragraph he had written.
"Shit!" he cursed.
"Will you stop using swearwords," Obi-Wan said and he was even more annoyed than Anakin. "Write that paragraph again and write it in a way I can read it."
Subdued, Anakin nodded, suppressed a sigh and got back to work. His eyes were burning with exhaustion, causing the small letters to blur. Every move with the feather took him an effort. Anakin had never thought writing something could actually hurt. I was better off as a slave at Watto's, he thought in an odd way of self-irony. If I had known life as a Jedi would be like this, I would have preferred to stay on Tatooine. To stay with Mum.
Finally, at long last, Obi-Wan allowed him to leave. "Come back tomorrow at the same time."
"Yes, Master," Anakin said tiredly. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Obi-Wan replied curtly without even looking at him.
Exhaustedly, Anakin stumbled back to his dormitory (he took the wrong way four times) where he just dropped down into bed.
"Anakin, where have you been all the time?" James asked quietly.
"Homework," Anakin replied dully.
"But the library has been closed before long."
"And then I had detention with Professor Kenobi."
"He gave you detention? Why the - Because of this morning?"
"I think so."
"He didn't!" James exclaimed angrily. "He gave you detention of all people? But you were the only one to stay in the end! That's unfair, he punished you because you stayed?! Padfoot, wake up!"
In the bed next to James's, there was an indignant groaning. "Why're ya shoutin'? It's... it's in the middle of the night. What the hell's wrong?"
"Kenobi gave Anakin detention - only Anakin, no one else!"
"What is it?" Sirius sleepily eyed through the curtains around his bed.
"Anakin got detention!" James ranted. "Because he stayed, so he got all the punishment!"
"So what?" Sirius mumbled groggily.
"So what?!" James exclaimed. "That's unfair! We can't let that happen!"
"Sure, sure, Kenobi's a big asshole but is that a reason to shout like that in the middle of the night?"
"Shut up," the sleepy voice of Remus could be heard.
"What is it?" Peter asked nervously.
"Can't we discuss it tomorrow?" Sirius suggested.
"But we have to do something," James insisted.
"Yeah, sleep. Everything else can wait until tomorrow," Sirius grunted and went back to sleep.
"We will do something about it," James promised Anakin.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Anakin said hesitantly.
"What do you mean? Of course we will do something about it! He can't do that! It's not fair!"
"He'll have his reasons," Anakin muttered and then he pulled his blanket around himself and immediately fell asleep.
The next morning, Anakin felt already better. He had Charms, which was taught by a teacher almost as small as Master Yoda. Professor Flitwick (that's what he was called) taught them to use "nonverbal spells". It meant they had to move things (cushions) without saying a word. Surprisingly, Anakin was the best. He slightly moved his wand, trying to do it like the other students and used the Force in order to levitate the cushions. It was a piece of cake, really. Professor Flitwick, however, was freaking out with delight at Anakin's work. He bounced enthusiastically up and down, wriggling his tiny hands and watching Anakin in complete awe.
"My dear boy, you're a natural!" he exclaimed. "I've never seen a student who could perform nonverbal spells as quickly and effortlessly as you can! Everyone, gather round, gather round! Watch how Mr. Skywalker does it!"
Anakin really liked Professor Flitwick. He had given Anakin more words of appraisal in five minutes than Obi-Wan had given him in more than five years! And of course it was very polite of him to call Anakin 'Mr. Skywalker'.
"Great, great!" Professor Flitwick raved. "That's thirty points to Gryffindor because of your incredible performance, Mr. Skywalker!"
Sirius, who had just managed to lift his cushion up from the ground for a few centimetres, scowled deeply. Compared to the other students, he was doing fine. Most of the students just glared apprehensively at the cushions and furiously stabbed their wands into the air. None of them used the Force.
After the lesson, Professor Flitwick called Anakin back. "Mr. Skywalker, I wonder, have you ever performed nonverbal spells before?"
"Yes, Sir," Anakin said truthfully. "A little bit." Well, he had not really done 'nonverbal spells' but at least he had done before what he had done today. It would not be fair to show off and claim he was such a natural.
"Then I guess you're ahead of the class. I hope it's not too boring to you. I would dearly appreciate if you helped the other students."
"That's not a problem, Sir."
"That's nice of you. How come you can already do nonverbal spells? You had private lessons before you came to Hogwarts, right?"
"Um, yes, Professor Kenobi taught me."
"Ah, I see." Professor Flitwick smiled. "He must be a really good teacher then."
Anakin just nodded. What else could he have said? He is a good teacher, maybe, but not as good as you or Master Yoda or Qui-Gon. I'd rather have a more understanding teacher. Someone who sometimes listens to me. Someone who's not such a damn perfect Jedi.