Author's Notes: Once again, thank you to all my readers out there in the past week. And a big thanks to all my reviewers. Please, if you want to comment on my story, I'm more thanhappy to consider your suggestions.
ProfessorChris: Well, you'll have to wait and see what happens on those fronts. Thanks for your continued support.
Also, I'd like to welcome my readers from Switzerland, Iran, Taiwan (or Chinese Taepei, if you must call it that), Spain and the Czech Republic, as well as those already mentioned last week.
Alright, last week's Monty Python reference was one that is more recognizable than past ones. It was when Seamus was making those remarks to Ron before the Sorting Ceremony began. It is part of the famous "Nudge Nudge" sketch from episode three of Monty Python's Flying Circus between Eric Idle and Terry Jones. Need I say more?
Big ups to all you readers out there. Over 4,000 hits! You guys are awesome!
On a more serious note, my prayers are with the peoples of Georgia and Russia. I hope that their conflict will end and that a peaceful resolution will come from this recent outbreak of fighting soon.
And now, on with the show.
Chapter 10: A Lesson With Death
It was shortly before 9:00 A.M. on September 2 when the seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts students walked into the first floor classroom which was about to see its seventh different professor in as many years. And already, Ron Weasley was having problems with a spell.
"Romanus eunt domus," Ron said as he waved his wand, but nothing happened.
"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione asked from behind him as she sat down to his right.
"I was told about this spell that could make you pass N.E.W.T.s automatically," Ron replied, making Hermione Granger give him an extremely dirty look, "But I don't think it's working, cause I don't feel any smarter." He waved his wand again. "Romanus eunt domus," he said again.
Hermione scratched her head. "First of all, the grammar of the spell is messed up," she pointed out, "If that spell is saying what I think it's trying to say, it should be, Romani ite domum."
"Oh, thanks," Ron said as Hermione scowled at him again as he waved his wand, "Romani ite domum."
Ron waited a moment. "Still nothing," he reported.
"That's because it's a fake spell, Mr. Weasley," Ron heard Professor Gryffindor explain from behind him, "The only way to improve your performance on your tests is to study for them. And, of course, to pay attention in class."
"Yes Professor," Ron replied quietly as the bell for the first class of the year rang. Geoffrey Gryffindor, now wearing black robes, went to the front of the class to begin his lesson.
"Students, welcome back to Hogwarts," he began, "I am Professor Geoffrey Gryffindor and I will be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. I'm sure that you know the whole drill by now, so I'll spare you some long motivational speech and get right down to business. Now, I have heard from certain sources that you were introduced to the Unforgivable Curses in your fourth year here. Can anyone tell me what they are?"
Hermione's hand immediately shot into the air. Ron knew what the curses were, but figured he might as well let Hermione have the fun.
Gryffindor smiled at Hermione's enthusiasm. "I admire your enthusiasm, Miss Granger," he remarked, "But your reputation precedes you. I know you know the answers, so how about you give the other students a chance to answer the questions unless they really don't know the answers."
Slightly dejected, Hermione lowered her hand. Meanwhile, Ron raised his.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Geoff called.
"The three Unforgivable Curses are the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse," Ron answered.
"That is correct," Gryffindor affirmed, his mood suddenly becoming less bright, "And today, I will be teaching you how to cast one, and only one, of them."
Immediately, whispers began to fill the room. Most of the whispers were those of great concern. However, a small amount came from the Slytherin students in attendance, and their whispers were of delight.
So, some think this means I'm going to allow the use of Unforgivable Curses in this school? Geoffrey thought to himself, What kind of school do they think this is?
"But Professor," Seamus Finnigan called from his seat, "To use any of the Unforgivable Curses on another human being means a life sentence in Azkaban."
Geoffrey smiled at Seamus. "You are correct for the most part, Mr. Finnigan," he responded, "However, there is one exception to this policy. Does anyone know what that exception is?"
At first, no one raised their hand to reply. Most of the Gryffindor students had thought that the use of any of the Unforgivable Curses in any circumstance was unacceptable and none of them even wanted to cast one. This was shared by the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws in the class for the most part, while the Slytherins still seemed to be too delighted to care about answering.
"Perhaps we need Miss Granger's help," Geoff remarked, "You can raise your hand now."
Hermione slowly raised her left hand. Geoff nodded to her.
"The use of the Killing Curse is acceptable in either self-defense or the defense of another when there are no other options," Hermione answered.
"Five points to Gryffindor. That is exactly correct, word for word from Ministry regulations," Gryffindor commented, "Now, under normal circumstances, I would never teach you how to cast the Killing Curse. However, I think you'll all agree that these are the most dire of times. Therefore, I have been given clearance to teach all of you the Killing Curse."
At this moment, Gryffindor scanned the room slowly with his eyes, making sure he had everyone's undivided attention before he continued. He wanted to make sure that if anyone screwed up, he wouldn't be blamed for it. "However, before we begin," he continued once he saw that all the Slytherins had taken notice of him, "I will lay down the law with you about this. This is your only warning. If you are caught fooling around with this spell at all, you will leave Hogwarts immediately and you will never be allowed to return. This spell may only be used in self-defense or the defense of another. Do I make myself clear?"
Most of the students in the room nodded quickly, while the Slytherins lagged behind a little bit as their great day was suddenly ruined. They didn't need a second time to understand, but Ron raised his hand. "Yes Mr. Weasley?" Geoff asked.
"Professor Gryffindor, do you intend to teach this spell to everyone in the class?" Ron inquired, his eyes glancing momentarily at Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherins in the class.
"Yes, I do," Geoff replied immediately, "If you have a problem with that, please approach me with it after class, Mr. Weasley."
"Yes Professor," Ron said, though he was obviously worried now.
"Now, can anyone tell me the words use to cast the Killing Curse?" Geoff inquired.
Hermione's hand went up again, as did Parkinson's. "Yes, Miss Parkinson?" Geoff called.
"Avada Kedavra," Parkinson answered, with a tone of delight in her voice. She had never cast this curse, but was very eager to add it to her bag of tricks.
"Correct," Geoff affirmed, "But simply waving your wand and saying those words isn't going to do you anything. To cast this spell, your mind needs to be totally focused on your target. In order to cast the spell, you need to feel the words reverberate inside your mind. It's a hard sensation to describe in words, but you'll know it when you feel it. And it doesn't hurt if you feel some amount of hatred toward your target, but that's not necessary."
At this point, Gryffindor conjured up a wooden dummy that represented a human with its right arm extended and a short stick of wood coming out from the dummy's hand.
"And sometimes it helps if you feel that you are under attack," Gryffindor added, "Now, each one of you will attempt to use the Killing Curse on this dummy."
--
The period was almost over, and so far, everyone who tried to cast the spell had failed to do so. Many had come close, and Geoff saw that everyone in the room had the ability to cast it, but that it would take some more time and training. But there was one student left.
"Hermione Granger, show your fellow students how it's done," Geoff called.
Slowly and reluctantly, Hermione stood up and walked up to where the others had stood before her. She pulled out her wand and let it rest by her side as she cleared her mind of all thoughts that could distract her from her spell casting. She looked at her target and brought up her wand. "Avada Kedavra," she declared. She felt the words echo inside her head.
A green light sparked from the tip of her wand, but it did not go anywhere and simply dissipated almost as soon as it appeared. It was as if the spell itself had no direction and could not travel anywhere. Geoffrey seemed almost ecstatic at this development.
"You have it!" he cried, "Now focus, Granger! Focus on your target!"
Hermione repeated the process from before, but after clearing her mind she opened her eyes and focused her mind completely on the dummy before her. Suddenly, the shape of the dummy changed before her. It was an older female who now stood there. She had long black hair and harbored cold, dark eyes in her sockets, hardened by a life of murder and imprisonment. Hermione saw Bellatrix Lestrange pointing a wand right at her. And she was laughing at Hermione. It was a mocking laugh, the laugh of one who is convinced that their victim is merely a rat in a cage. It was more than she could bear, as she felt the rage well up within her. "Avada Kedavra," she declared again, waving her wand at the Death Eater. The words echoed and multiplied inside her mind in intensity and power.
The green flash of light appeared from her wand again, but this time, it extended into a green bolt that coursed across the room and struck the dummy in its chest. The force of the spell knocked the dummy onto its back. Hermione saw her death spell hit Bellatrix Lestrange square in the chest as her laughter stopped, replaced by a frozen look of surprise as her body fell backwards, eyes wide open in death.
The implication to Hermione petrified her. I could have just killed a human being, she thought as she was unable to move any more, I could have just taken someone's life. Am I really any better than them now?
Upon seeing the dummy fall over backwards, Gryffindor smiled. "You did it, Hermione!" he half-shouted, "You did it!"
This shouting broke Hermione out of her trance as the vision of a dead Bellatrix Lestrange faded from her sight. She dropped her wand arm to her side again, unsure what to do now.
"Miss Granger, you may sit down now," the professor suggested.
Hermione was about to do so when the bell signaling the end of the first class of the school year rang instead.
"Ah, homework for next class is a short essay on the acceptable use of the Killing Curse, citing examples of its accepted use," Geoff called to the departing class, "The essay should be at least six inches of parchment long, so don't try to extend the essay with needless details or large letters. You'll find there is plenty of material on the subject, so I want your opinions on this. This will be due next class."
As the other seventh year students left the classroom, Hermione had no intentions of leaving just yet. And neither did Ron Weasley. He had gathered his things together, but was not leaving.
"Professor Gryffindor, I'm not going to use this spell," Hermione informed her teacher.
Geoffrey realized that Hermione was still shocked by what she was able to do.
"Hermione, who did you see?" Geoff asked the star student of Hogwarts, "Who did the dummy turn into?" He saw the look of fear and rage in her eyes just before she cast her spell. He knew that she had seen something evil.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Hermione answered.
Geoff nodded. "Hermione, do you think she would hesitate to kill you?" he inquired, sitting down behind his desk and staring right at her, "You have seen her in action. You've seen what she is like."
"She wouldn't hesitate, no," she replied immediately, for there was no denying that.
"Then why should you feel any remorse about defending yourself against her?" Geoff asked pointedly.
"What you are teaching us is wrong, Professor," Hermione declared, "You are teaching us to take the lives of others."
"No, I am teaching you to defend yourselves from the very people you speak of," Geoffrey corrected, "I am not training you to be ruthless killers."
"Professor, I disagree with this spell," Hermione said, "I will not use it."
Geoff lowered his head slowly down to his desk. "Hermione, if that is your choice, so be it," he conceded, "But there may soon come a time when the lives of your friends will depend on you. I hope you don't leave them disappointed."
Geoff was expecting Hermione to say that she didn't appreciate being sent on a guilt trip, a reply that he would not punish her for. She would have been entirely within her right to swear in his face. However, Hermione surprised Geoffrey by simply nodding, picking up her things, and leaving the room. Perhaps she hadn't thought about it that way before now, he thought, as he refrained from peering into anyone's mind from here on out. "Mr. Weasley, if you have something to say, you may say it now," Professor Gryffindor declared.
Ron walked up to Geoff's desk. "Professor Gryffindor, are you insane?" he asked, a panic seeming to build up in his eyes by the moment.
"And what would make you say that?" Geoff retorted.
"You're teaching Slytherin students to use the worst curse that the Wizarding World has ever seen," Ron pointed out, "Once they learn how to use it, you could be their first victim."
Geoff laughed at that. "Mr. Weasley, why are you so afraid of your fellow classmates?" he asked.
"Because from my experience, every time something really bad has happened at this school, someone from Slytherin was always behind it," Ron explained, "Draco Malfoy was the one who got the Death Eaters into Hogwarts at the end of last year, which ended up killing Dumbledore."
"But does that mean everyone in Slytherin is evil?" Geoff inquired, "Or that everyone in Gryffindor is good? Don't tell me that Peter Pettigrew can do no wrong, Ronald, because I know you know all about him."
"But didn't you see them when they were trying to cast the spell?" Ron implored, "Didn't you see they were far too eager?"
"I consider wanting to learn a very noble path to follow," Geoff explained, "Ronald, the Killing Curse is a power. Like any power, it isn't good or evil in and of itself. It is the way it is used that is good or evil."
"How can a spell that kills on impact be used for good?" Ron asked.
"Self-defense, or the defense of someone else," Geoff answered calmly.
"The Slytherins won't use it that way, I assure you," Ron stated.
At this, Geoffrey had heard enough. He stood up and looked Ron right in the eye. "Mr. Weasley, you may be Head Boy of Hogwarts, but this is quite enough," he stated with strength, "I informed everyone in the class that the improper use of this spell will be grounds for immediate expulsion from this school. That should be enough to prevent them from trying to kill you."
"What about whom they share this knowledge with?" Ron inquired, his strength of will fading before the professor.
"I have ways of knowing things, Mr. Weasley," Geoff assured, "I'm sure your father told you that already. Now, I don't want to make you late for your next class, so I hope that I have addressed your concerns."
Ron hesitated a moment before nodding. He then took his things and left the classroom. How can Hogwarts stand the coming storm when we are this divided? Geoff worried as he moved the wooden dummy to the edge of the room, Even the Gryffindors shut others out so easily now. Damn you Voldemort!
--
Geoffrey Gryffindor had just finished up his last class of the day and was about to leave the classroom and retire to his office on the second floor when a voice suddenly shouted at him from the door.
"Professor Gryffindor!" Neville Longbottom shouted, "Someone told me you're teaching the Killing Curse. Tell me it's a joke!"
Geoff looked up at Neville and smiled. "Relax, Neville," he replied, "I won't do anything that would put you in mortal danger. If I see anyone fooling around with the Killing Curse, they will be leaving Hogwarts immediately."
"By the time that happens, I could be dead," Neville pointed out.
"Neville, I understand why you are worried, and you have every right to be worried," Geoffrey explained, "But trust me, I will make sure that no harm comes to you. I will do everything in my power to ensure that you remain safe."
At this point, Geoffrey Gryffindor stood up and walked around his desk in order to stand next to Neville Longbottom, who had gotten the idea that it was okay to approach the professor's desk. Neville now felt puzzled by the statement Geoff had just made. "Professor Gryffindor?" he asked.
"Neville, I suppose your grandmother never told you about me," Geoff stated, "I suppose Augusta told you that you were rescued from your parents' home after the awful attack on them. That you had escaped the harm of the Death Eaters' grasp by some miracle."
"Yeah, that's what she told me," Neville confirmed, "But I've always had doubts about that. It just seemed too easy."
"That's because you weren't with your parents at that time," Geoff revealed, "You were with me, and I was taking care of you."
This revelation was something that Neville wasn't quite ready to believe, although he felt that the man in front of him was not lying. It just didn't make sense at the moment. "Why was I with you?" he asked.
"Because your parents felt that they could be attacked at the time, even with Voldemort defeated," Gryffindor explained, "With him gone, to attack a Gryffindor was to invite tenfold retaliation without restraint, so your parents knew that you would be safe with me. Your parents and I were good friends when I was here at Hogwarts, and so they entrusted me with you for your protection and to give me some experience in taking care of a baby, as I knew I would become the leader of the Gryffindor family one day. In addition, I was, and still am, bound by my honor to protect you."
"Why is that?" Neville inquired.
Geoffrey Gryffindor weighed his options at this point. If I tell him that I'm his godfather, he pondered, He will almost certainly ask Augusta if it is true. Whether she says yes or no, it will reveal to the Wizarding World that I am in a position of power, as the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts. This will make the Death Eaters hesitate in attacking anyone associated with me, including the Order of the Phoenix. Besides, Neville is an adult now. He did a bloody good job at the Department of Mysteries a year-and-a-half ago. He deserves to know the truth.
"Neville," Geoffrey began, "I am your godfather. I would have taken you under my permanent care after what happened to your parents, but your grandmother insisted that she could take better care of you. But I will do everything I can to protect you. I always have, and I always will."
Neville was dumbstruck. He didn't know how to reply to what Geoffrey had just told him. "I... I don't know what to say," Neville struggled to say, "But then where were you when I was in trouble at the Ministry two years ago?"
"I was there," Geoffrey replied, "I was with the Order members who came to your rescue. When I heard that you were in danger, I went to the Ministry as quickly as I could. I wanted to make sure that you didn't die there. I must say that your resourcefulness in that battle made me very proud. Macnair ended up losing his eye completely. Not that it matters much to him now, being locked away in Azkaban."
Neville blushed at being reminded of that. "I just saw an opening and took it," he said.
"We all did what we could," Geoff replied, "Initially, I simply wanted to make sure you could survive without losing your mind. As you know, some important things in life can only be learned through hardship, and your experience that night was one of them. I was going to spring into action myself once Lestrange killed Sirius, but then I saw her run off with Potter and Dumbledore held me back. He told me that it wasn't the time for my name to surface again. I was there, but I couldn't interfere with what was happening. Looking back, I'd have to admit that he was right."
"So what are you doing here now?" Neville asked.
"Well, I know that Voldemort wants to take Hogwarts and call it his own," Geoffrey replied, "And with Dumbledore gone, I decided now was the time for me to step into action. I have no doubts that this school will be invaded again, but when it is, it will be on my terms, not the Death Eaters'."
"I don't think I understand," Neville stated after a short pause.
"In time, you will Neville," Geoff assured, "But know this. I will do everything I can to make sure that you stay alive and well. You have my word."
Neville nodded and left the room. Professor Gryffindor followed shortly after him, locking the door behind him.
--
Author's Notes: Next week's chapter is another part of why this story is rated M, albeit a smaller part than the whole torture thing several chapters back.
Well, I really don't know what to say about this chapter right now, so everyone, read, review and enjoy.