Chapter 12

The door creaked open, and the entire class of fourth year wizards turned around. They expected a grand entrance, that their teacher would be a hard-faced ex-Auror, like Mad-Eye Moody. Or an arrogant poser like Gilderoy Lockhart, or in many peoples opinion, James Potter. However the expectations of the class were sadly in vain, as their Professor was anything but extraordinary.

The man who had entered the room was rather short and stout, and looked anything but a Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. He came across too frightened to dare touch a fly, let alone kill one.

He wore round glasses with thick black rims which seemed to magnify his eyes to three times their size, giving him a Professor Trelawney-ish look. His beetling black eye-brows, hid dark black eyes, which seemed to be scrutinising each member of the class. He marched to the front of the classroom in a purposeful way, and slammed his briefcase down on the desk, making the students jump.

"My name, is Professor Baddock." he said in a voice far too gruff to suit a man of his appearance, "I was a member of this school myself not 20 years ago, a Slytherin."

"Typical." James whispered out of the corner of his mouth the Fred, who sniggered.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Professor Baddock roared at James.

"I said Typical, sir. As in, it was typical that out Defence Professor was a Slytherin."

"Think you have a smart mouth, eh? Think because you have a famous dad, that you can insult teachers? You're wrong! Not even Harry Bloody Potter can protect you from the Dark Lord this time. You be sure to remember that class." he said menacingly, the class seemed too scared to even nod, "And a detention for your cheek Potter. My office, tomorrow night, eight o'clock. If you're late, I'll do more to you than give you detention, that's for sure."

He continued to grumble as he wrote the instructions for the lesson on the board. They were to read from a textbook the entire lesson. What a load of rubbish, thought James, Not only was Baddock a nutter, but he was a rubbish teacher too.

"Professor Baddock is a nutter." confirmed Fred, as he James and Lotte walked to Herbology later that morning.

"I couldn't agree with your more Freddy," said James, "I can't believe I got detention in my first lesson of term! That has to be a Marauders record."

"Nope, don't you remember, I got detention on the train in second year. Ha-ha, I can't believe I beat James Potter at something." Fred said, James punched him playfully.

"I can't believe you consider it winning, getting a detention!" said Lotte indignantly.

"Seriously," said James, "Be more of a nerd."

In Herbology, the greenhouses were abuzz with tales of the Summer Holidays. James was talking to a Hufflepuff, Gareth Davies, who had been to Bulgaria with his parents.

"You should have seen the Dragons!" he said, his voice full of awe, his eyes focused on some point far away, "They put our Welsh Green to shame. Not that there are many left, they almost died out about ten years ago, a nasty case of Dragon-Pox."

James couldn't help but laugh at Gareth's dreamy voice while talking about dragons, but decided to be polite and say, "Sounds a blast. I had a really boring summer."

"Really?" asked Gareth, his voice heavy with concern, or maybe that's just how the welsh talk, "I would have thought it would be a hoot, you know, fighting You-Know-Who with your dad!"

"Nope. That's my brothers job." said James, his voice thick with resentment.

The first day of school ended peacefully, and James secured 20 points from Slughorn in Potions, making up for his detention from Baddock. He fell asleep peacefully that night, but had the strangest dream.

He was in a forest, walking through the low lying fog, a long black cloak sweeping around him like a dark mist. It looked like the Forbidden Forest, James had been there once with Kerry and Fred in first year. Lotte would never let the boys do anything so dangerous now. There was a figure in front of him, he had his hood up. As James approached him, the man took his hood down, it was Professor Baddock. He spoke in his deep, gruff voice,

"My Lord. A pleasure to see you, as always."

"Quiet, Malcolm, I haven't got all night." James said in a piercingly high, cold voice as unlike his own as Baddock's voice was unexpected.

"I have a detention arranged with the Potter boy tomorrow night." said Baddock, his thick eyebrows raised as if in great expectation.

"Good." replied James, again in the high, cold voice, "I would like him to know sooner rather than later, I trust you can arrange this Malcolm?"

"You place your trust wisely, My Lord." said Baddock, raising his hood, and walking away from James.

He sat bolt upright in bed. What a weird dream! He had obviously had too many Chocolate Frogs before bed. There were beads of cold sweat on James' forehead, and as he reached up to wipe them away, he could have sworn he felt a thin, scar like line on his temple. He jumped for a mirror, but upon looking at his reflection, he was sorely disappointed, there was nothing but wet skin there.

It must have been early, as the sky was pink outside the Gryffindor Tower, and James could hear Fred's steady breathing in the bed opposite. What was happening to him? Strange dreams, involving James being Voldemort. And Baddock a Death Eater, James hated the bloke, but his mind had some funny ways of showing it. He couldn't go back to sleep, and so decided to get dressed and finish his Potions essay which was due in that afternoon. He would go to breakfast with Fred later, and tell him all about his dream.

"That's not something you see everyday," a girl's voice spoke from behind him, "James Potter actually doing homework!"

James turned around to see Lotte standing in the common room behind him, "Hey I do do my homework… sometimes" he added slyly.

"Why are you up so early? I thought boys liked to sleep as late as possible?" replied Lotte cheekily.

"They do… I do…. I couldn't sleep… Weird dreams." mumbled James. He hadn't meant to tell Lotte, she would only fuss, and then go to the library to research every book ever written about dreams ever.

"What about? It could be very serious you know."

"I was in The Forbidden Forest, I was You-Know-Who, and I was talking to Professor Baddock about my self." said James very quickly.

"You What?" asked Lotte disbelievingly.

"I had a dream about-" he started, but Lotte cut him off.

"I heard you the first time James!"

"Then Why Did You Ask?" he demanded.

Lotte ignored him, muttering to herself, "But you said last year, your dad used to have dreams where he was You-Know-Who?"

"Yes!" said James exasperatedly, "But that's because they had some weird mind connection. I don't have that, REMEMBER! Albus Snivellus is the special one." James slumped in his chair grouchily, and Lotte shot him a pitying glance.

"I know… but still… you tell Fred, but I'm going-" began Lotte.

"-Straight to the library after school. We know you too well Lotte." James finished for her, adding a mischievous grin.

Lotte huffed and said, "You go wake Fred. And please be on time for Transfiguration, you don't want another detention."

"You're right." sighed James.

"James Potter, not wanting a detention and up early. Are you sure you haven't had a personality transplant?" joked Lotte.

"Git!" said James, throwing a pillow at her from the stairs, as she climbed out of the portrait hole.

James and Fred were late for Transfiguration. They also missed breakfast, because Fred was so difficult about James' story.

"But it must have been one of those vision thingies!" he said excitedly.

"But it wasn't, though!" said James, boredly.

"But it was!"

"No It Wasn't! I'm hungry, we've already missed breakfast, if we stay up any later, we'll miss lunch too. Now Get Dressed." said James fiercely, pulling out his wand. Fred knew James was the most talented wizard in the year and did not want to be on the receiving end of one of his curses. So he rushed to get ready, and they were at Transfiguration within two minutes.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley." their stern Transfiguration teacher looked at the panting boys. "Late Again. Take a seat at the back by Miss. Hallam. Make sure you are not late again."

The boys didn't need telling twice. They sat down quickly and begun taking notes from the board about Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. The clock was ticking slowly and quills were scratching on paper. However, James couldn't keep focus. His dream kept playing back in his head, I have a detention arranged with the Potter boy…. I would like him to know sooner rather than later, I trust you can arrange this Malcolm?

What did it mean? James was tapping his wand on the desk, when suddenly it transformed into a pig. The pig began to squeal and run around the classroom, knocking James and Fred's quills and ink flying. The entire class was in hysterics, and Professor McGonagall was running round the room attempting to catch the pig. When Lotte cried, "Imobulus!"

The pig froze where it was, and McGonagall transformed it back into a desk, which she then moved back in front of James and Fred.

"Mr. Potter," she began, looking as though she was lost for words, "I… 50 points to Gryffindor for an excellent piece of advanced transfiguration. However think it would be best if I kept your wand for the remainder of the lesson. Would that be wise?"

James nodded and handed over his wand, grinning wildly at his points for the house. Fred was scowling jealously, but James could tell he was only fighting back laughter.

His detention with Baddock arrived much sooner than James expected. At a quarter to eight, he left the Gryffindor common room and begun to walk through the dark and empty castle to Professor Baddock's office. James passed several ghosts on the way, but even by night they were no longer chilling to him. James had long since got over his fear of ghosts, after all, as Baddock said, there were much worse things out there.