Chapter Eleven: Extra Credit

"Kevin Ethan Levin!"

The so named young man shut his trap, winced, pulled on his patented 'Kicked Puppy Left out in Ice Cold Rain' face and slowly turned to face his fuming fiancée, "Gwen?" he whimpered.

"Couch," was the verdict, delivered with an eerie serenity. And then she walked away.

"Oh c'mon! He's just a portrait and he's crazy!"

She did not respond. He sighed, shouldering his bag and following after her with his head hanging.

There was also silence between Ron and Hermione. It was at this point that Harry became glad that Uncle Vernon had made him learn to hold his tongue, guard his thoughts, and above all to stay quiet as not to incur conflict upon himself.

In fact it seemed that the only pair not fighting, in Gryffindor at least, was Ben and Julie. They were still blissfully in love, walking hand in hand. The notable fights were as follows: the entirety of the unattached female population, save Hermione, was currently fighting over the right to approach one guy. Do not get between a sufficiently infatuated teenage girl and the person of her interest. (Too bad that guy had a girlfriend who could kill them all with just a wink and a thought.) Things were becoming dirty in this war.

Another dirty three-way war was happening between Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan. The muggle-raised would name it World War III. At this point eating, drinking and/or using anything without checking it first was considered Too Dumb to Live and it was the general view that if you did so you deserved whatever you got.

Still yet another row was being had between Percy and Ginny Weasley. No one knew what it was about and no one dared to ask.

And something was causing the Gryffindor males to hate each other.

All in all Ben and Julie were the only ones not sucked into the Hate Wars and Harry worked diligently to keep himself out of it as well.

"Professor!" Neville piped up in relief as Lupin came from the backroom of the classroom. The older man was paler than usual and seemed exhausted but smiled all the same, "Friends, I assume that you had Snape as your supply teacher, what did he assign as homework?"

"Three rolls on werewolves sir." Hermione answered, "We tried to tell him we weren't due to study them yet, sir, but he wouldn't listen!"

"I see," Lupin said, uncharacteristically broodingly, "and how many of you completed the assignment?"

All of the Gryffindors raised their hands; none of the Slytherins raised theirs.

"Right." Cheery Lupin was back, "it's due today and each house gets five points for every three rolls turned in."

The Slytherins seemed shocked and disgusted while the Gryffindors cheered and passed in their work.

"We will review werewolves after Easter Holidays but for today…vampires!"

Julie raised her hand, asking tiredly, "Please tell us they don't sparkle sir."

The teacher, and the muggle raised students, laughed, "I promise these are real vampires we're talking about. Vampires are not the stuff of muggle romance novels or of Halloween fun but true, tragic beings on par with werewolves…"

"I like this school," Ben said enthusiastically as they left the classroom, "we should talk to Professor Dumbledore, see if we can't finish out our magical educations, even if we or Harry manages to kill Voldie…"

"You really want to?" Julie asked surprised.

"Duh, why shouldn't we? Especially you, you have a better way to protect yourself from our enemies now. We should strengthen every advantage we have…"

"What about our diplomas?" Gwen brought up.

"Summer school or adult education or another way during our breaks," he waved away her question, "And Grandpa Max and his little team can protect the town, we've earned a break haven't we?"

"I don't know Ben," Gwen chewed her lip, "We have lives, duties, back home; we can't just give that all up."

"We wouldn't be," he stopped, causing the entire group to stop, "C'mon Gwen, everything happens for a reason right? We were brought here for a reason—"

"To protect Harry, as soon as Voldemort's gone we will be put onto another assignment. You can't ignore your duties Ben—"

Ben was suddenly in her face, his eyes burning with tranquil fury, "Ignore my duties? That's what you think? Tell me, Gwendolyn, who was it that kept Vilgax from the Omnitrix? Or Hex from world domination? Or Kevin El—" He was throw back by a punch, her fist smoked pink.

"Do not dare to bring that up," she intoned in a slight echo, "half the stuff you've stopped was your fault to begin with. Including him. Yes you've stopped the world from ending but do not dare forget how it started." Her eyes went pink, she was embarking on a power trip "I am of the primal energies and I can end you easily, dear cousin; you are but a bug to me."

With that threat delivered she picked up her bag and glided off, her feet not touching the floor, leaving her friends behind in stunned silence.

Julie knelt beside Ben, her fingers gently touching his bruising cheek and eye and saying softly, "She really does want to stay."

Kevin herded the kids onward, leaving them alone.

"She doesn't act like it," he muttered darkly.

"She's torn, Ben; she wants to stay here and learn, she can learn magic here without wasting seventy years of life, she'll be allowed to live her life and still be as powerful as Verdona. But she worries about Grandpa Max, he's getting older and those juniors of his are still so green…."

"All the more reason to stay and learn," he spoke ardently, "if we learn all we can we'll be better able to do our jobs…you'll be safer…"

She smiled, helping him up, "I'm as safe as possible; I have you, the Wielder of the Ultramatrix, as a boyfriend. I know you won't let anything hurt me." She frowned, his face was darkening by the moment.

"Can I try a spell?" she pulled out her wand.

"What spell?"

"Just one to get rid of a shiner; I've been studying magical first aid in the library. Seemed prudent…"

"Alright…"

"Hold still," she traced the outline of the bruising with the tip of her wand, "Sano frendo plene."

It felt like that side of his face was on fire briefly before it iced itself and then went back to feeling normal, "How does it look?"

"Better," she inspected her workmanship, "it's still slightly discolored though."

His stomach rumbled, "Let's go eat, shall we?" he offered her his arm,

She smiled, stowing her wand, and accepted his arm and they headed to lunch.

It was half past midnight when the scream and then the sounds of a heavy thud, a roar, and finally shattering glass rented the House.

"What the hell's going on?" Gwen demanded, dressed only in a pink silky bathrobe, as she entered the third year boys' dormitory, only to find it totally destroyed. Ben sat, slumped against the wall, knocked silly once again. Harry and a couple other boys sat barricaded by upturned beds, away from the door or window. Ron was standing, feet planted firmly and wand raised, before the shattered window and was very pale and shocked.

"Sirius Black," he repeated over and over again, in shock, "in our dormitory?"

"Sirius Black?" Gwen yelped, "He was here? Kevin," the young man had just arrived, "Go get Dumbledore, now!"

"Right," he spun around on his heel, racing down the stairs.

"Hermione," the girl had just arrived as well, "get everyone, except Ben, into Kevin's and mine dormitory. The password's 'wrath'…"

"Alright, sonorus" her voice magnified as she pointed her wand to her throat, saying, "Alright, everyone up the third staircase. Now."

Julie forced her way up through the retreating students, sending Ship with them, and came onto the scene to see Ben unconscious and being laid out to be healed.

"BEN!" she fell to her knees at his side, looking him over frantically. There was a cut on his forehead that was still bleeding. His nose was bleeding and his arm was positioned oddly.

"Don't worry," Gwen soothed, "he'll be alright. Just a concussion and a broken arm and nose."

"What happened?"

"Ron says Black was here but nothing else; what I'm guessing happened was Black got in, woke them up, Ben charged, got thrown back, the boys barricaded Harry and Ron blasted Black out the window…"

Julie moved to stand at the window, peering down at the very distant ground, "He must've teleported away or something because there's no way a human could survive the fall…"

"Never say something like that, you know how things work. You just guaranteed his survival."

"Sorry."

"What the hell happened?" an older voice demanded.

"Couldn't find the old geezer, got Professor McGonagall instead."

"Five points from Gryffindor, for calling the headmaster an 'old geezer'."