Chapter 2: Meet the New Professors
"Snape, Headmaster Dumbledore might have convinced the Wizengamot to let you walk away but I'm no fool." Moody commented as he kept following the alleged reformed Death Eater. "You might find You-Know-Who but I won't let you return into his service."
Meanwhile, at King's Cross station, Ronald Weasley noticed some unusual sight. "Look! Aurors!"
"What?" A confused Harry asked.
"Dark Wizard catchers." Ron explained. "They must be afraid Sirius Black might attack the station.
"It's a personal matter for some of them." Arthur Weasley commented.
"How come, Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked.
Not wanting Harry to know Black used to be friends with Harry's father, Arthur Weasley simply told the Boy-Who-Lived that "Sirius Black used to be an Auror until he was exposed as a Death Eater."
Ron then noticed Harry's confused face. "Death Eaters are how You-Know-Who's followers are called, Harry."
"The Ministry had people working for Voldemort?" A shocked Harry asked.
"Don't say the name, Harry!" Arthur replied. "But yes, some Death Eaters did manage to infiltrate the Ministry."
"Arthur!" Molly intervened. "Harry doesn't have to listen to this! Let them get in the train."
Harry, Ron and Hermione then found a compartment for themselves. "Did you see the two Aurors who got in the train as well?" Hermione asked. "Do you think they're afraid Sirius Black might have entered the train?"
"Those Aurors are Kingsley Shacklebolt and Rufus Scrimegour." Ron explained, shocking the others. "And maybe they must have become new teachers."
"How do you know their names, Ron?" Harry asked.
"I've heard about them from when Dad used to take me to work." Ron explained.
"Ron, I know Hogwarts needs a new Defense teacher to replace Professor Lockhart and an Auror is certainly qualified but, who would the other Auror replace?" Hermione asked.
"Well, my brothers told me the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Kettleburn, intended to retire. Maybe he did so and one of the Aurors is replacing him. That'd explain why we got a different book from the one my brothers had to use when they took this subject during third year."
"If their book didn't bite, I'd rather use it as second hand than using a firsthand version of The Monster Book of Monsters." Harry commented.
"I agree with that, Harry." Ron commented in reply.
Contrary to what some students feared, there was no sign of Sirius Black in the train. The Golden Trio's journey had no interruptions except for an Auror that was identified by Ron as Rufus Scrimegour.
"Look around!" Ron commented. "Anyone can tell Sirius Black is not here."
"Does anyone here have a pet nobody met before Black's escape?" Auror Scrimegour asked.
"Why…" Ron tried to ask the reason for the Auror's question but Hermione interrupted him by showing Crookshanks. Auror Scrimegour then performed a spell that made Hermione's cat briefly emit a green glow. "The cat's clear." He then stared at Hedwig.
"I've got Hedwig ever since I was eleven years old." Harry explained, making the Auror lose interest on the owl. He then noticed something moving on Ron's pockets. "What's that?"
"Oh, it's my pet rat, Scabbers." Ron then showed his rat. "My family got him for longer than Harry has his owl.
Scrimegour frowned. "I thought only owls, cats and toads were allowed to be brought as pets by the students."
"Professor McGonagall opened an exception." Ron explained and the Auror left. "What did he want with our pets?"
"He was checking for the possibility of them being Animagi." Hermione explained.
"What?" Ron and Harry asked.
"Animagi are wizards and witches who can acquire animal forms and retain their normal intelligence in both forms." Hermione explained. "Have you never read your third year transfiguration books?"
"What for?" Ron asked. "We have you."
"There's a spell to check if an animal is indeed an animal or an Animagus in animal form." Hermione explained. "Real animals, like Crookshanks here, emit a green glow while under the spell while Animagi emit a red one. What really surprises me is that the Aurors are searching for Animagi when they should be looking for Sirius Black."
"Maybe they suspect Sirius Black is an Animagus, Hermione." Harry suggested.
"But they should know he's not!" Hermione exclaimed. "All Animagi are required to register with the Ministry. The Animagi register is a matter of public record. I've checked the list for Professor McGonagall's class and Sirius Black's name is not on it."
"Well, it's not like a mass murderer would bother with following rules." Ron suggested.
"If he became an Animagus without proper supervision then he's crazier than I thought." Hermione exclaimed. "So many things can go wrong from performing the ritual needed to become an Animagus. Some end up stuck in their animal forms until some finds and unbinds them."
Without further interruption, the train arrived at Hogsmeade, where the first years took boats to Hogwarts castle and the other students took carriages that don't seem to need anything to pull them.
At the castle, Headmaster Dumbledore started making announcements. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First of all, I'd like to announce three changes in our faculty: Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures, decided to retire ("Told ya!" Ron exclaimed) in order to enjoy his remaining limbs intact and our gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, became our new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, in addition to his other duties; to replace Professor Lockhart, who had to leave us for sake of health, Professor Rufus Scrimegour became our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Snape decided to leave for a sabbatical. Several students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw applauded this. "Please welcome our new Potions Master: Kingsley Shacklebolt." There was a polite round of applause.
"An Auror to teach Potions?" Harry asked.
"A minimum of Exceeds Expectations in N.E.W.T. Potions is one of the requirements to become an Auror, Harry." Hermione explained.
"I'd also like to announce that, with Professor Snape's absence, our Arithmancy Professor, Septima Vector, is now the new Head of Slytherin." Dumbledore announced. "Also, out of fear that Sirius Black, the fugitive, is trying to break into Hogwarts castle, I'm now issuing an order that no student is to be outside their common rooms without supervision from a Professor. For now, enjoy the feast!"
After the feast, the students were led into their common rooms. "Harry, Hermione, have any of you seen Scabbers?" Ron asked. "I haven't seen him ever since Professor Scrimegour went to our compartment."
"Maybe he's afraid of Professor Scrimegour." Hermione suggested.
"Or maybe he's afraid your cat will eat him." Ron replied with an accusing tone, hurting Hermione's feelings.
"Ron, Crookshanks wouldn't eat Scabbers." She defended her cat.
"That's what you say!" Ron replied. Hurt, she went into the girls' bedroom.
In the next day, the Gryffindor students had their first classes with the new Professors.
"Students, who here has already had Transfiguration classes this year?" Professor Scrimegour asked and the Gryffindors in attendance raised their hands. "Then, I assume she has already taught you about Animagi. Does anyone know an advantage being an Animagus has against a certain species of dark creature?" He then noticed a Slytherin student raising his hand. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Animagi can use their animal forms to pass undisturbed by Dementors because Dementors can't feel animals like they can feel humans." Draco Malfoy explained.
"Correct. Five points to Slytherin!" Scrimegour declared. "Because of that, I believe Sirius Black might be an unregistered Animagus and have taken advantage of this to escape Azkaban." He then noticed Hermione Granger raising their hand. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"
"Wouldn't he be in the records as such if he became an Animagus?" Hermione asked.
"Only if he bothered with registering himself." Professor Scrimegour answered. "Sirius Black was particularly good at transfiguration and was arrogant and foolish enough to perform the ritual unsupervised."
"In your face, Mudblood!" Malfoy replied.
"Five points from Slytherin for this, Malfoy!" Professor Scrimegour replied.
Meanwhile, Scabbers the rat was trying to find a way out the castle before someone figured out he's an Animagus when he found a reason to believe Sirius Black was right about a rat being a bad form for an Animagus: Mrs. Norris. Scabbers was now wishing he knew more about those Tom and Jerry cartoons muggleborn students used to mention during his day.
Later on, the third year Gryffindors and Slytherins had their first Care of Magical Creatures class. Ignoring Professor Hagrid's warnings against angering Hippogriffs, Draco Malfoy got himself a wounded arm and kept ranting at how his father would get Hagrid fired for that.
At potions, Malfoy tried to exaggerate the wound to get the Gryffindors in trouble. "Professor, I need someone to cut these roots for me."
"Fine, Mr. Malfoy." Professor Shacklebolt replied. "Any volunteers?" Nobody responded. "I expected more from the so famous Slytherin unity. Well, Ms. Greengrass, please help Mr. Malfoy."
Malfoy wanted to get Ron to do it for him but now couldn't do so without insulting Daphne Greengrass, so he accepted her help. It was the first Potions class the Gryffindors could enjoy as they no longer had a Potions Master that blatantly favored the Slytherins.
Scabbers the rat had just evaded Mrs. Norris and was now trying to escape another enemy: a black dog that looked like he wanted (and boy, he sure did) to tear the rat into shreds.
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