Chapter Thirteen: Teachings of a 'Deranged Wizard'
With the Sorting of new students completed, Harry watched as Dumbledore rose from his seat, spreading his hands wide. "Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts! Before we indulge ourselves in our excellent feast, first I will introduce you to our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor: Sirius Black"
Every eye in the Great Hall swivelled to the man sitting between Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Harry swallowed waiting for the reaction that was bound to come: he could already hear whisperings beginning and he realised then that it would take more of Dumbledore's assurance that Sirius was actually harmless. It was understandable especially since last year the students had been told that he was a dangerous criminal and Sirius had attacked the Fat Lady and entered Gryffindor Tower with a knife during the year as well.
The silence was unnerving and Harry could see Sirius shifting uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes sweeping across the hall as he tried to make himself feel welcome. No clap came, just silence as the students continued to stare. Harry realised the whispering were becoming louder and with an ounce of effort he blocked himself off from the words they were uttering. A few were looking at him, their eyes narrowed in suspicion, and to Harry's estimation, probably wondering if the Boy-Who-Lived was truly someone they could be safe with.
Finally Dumbledore broke the silence after sweeping his eyes around the hall. "I realise that for most of your young lives you have believed Sirius Black to be a murderer and a Death Eater, however due to recent events, he has been found innocent of all crimes against him. The Ministry of Magic may not feel happy with Sirius Black teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts, however I have found him to be quite apt in the subject. Before his unjust imprisonment, Sirius Black was a well-known Auror in the fight against Voldemort from the time he left Hogwarts in nineteen seventy-eight until the fateful night of October thirty-first nineteen eighty-one. He possesses much knowledge on defence and will surely be able to equip all students with the help they need to defend themselves when they leave Hogwarts. I do not want to hear of any student," here the headmaster's eyes swept throughout the hall, lingering on the Slytherin table for a few seconds more before continuing, "judging Sirius Black for his past. He will treat you with respect just as he deserves to be treated by all students currently attending Hogwarts."
The whisperings had stopped but the next moment a rounding chorus of clapping was heard as Fred and George Weasley led the procession. Within moments Harry, Ron and Hermione had joined in, followed by more than half of the Great Hall. The only table not obliging to Dumbledore's instructions was the Slytherin table. Harry felt hatred well up inside him but he ignored it, sending a smile in his godfather's direction and receiving one in return.
For now Sirius had been accepted, but Harry had to wonder if he would survive a week as a Professor. There was bound to be parents protesting against the appointment, but Harry could only hope that Dumbledore knew what he was doing.
"The Triwizard Tournament is coming to Hogwarts?"
"Can't believe it…"
"They must be mad! You have to be seventeen to enter!"
"Not fair!"
That was all they heard as Harry with Ron and Hermione made their way to Gryffindor Tower. Once they had been dismissed from the Hall, Harry had witnessed Fred and George rushing ahead, clearly planning to get themselves involved in the Tournament, despite the age limit that Dumbledore had imposed.
"Do you think there is a way to get past Dumbledore's Age Line?" Ron leaned in close to Harry, whispering. However Hermione overheard and intervened.
"Ron, that is very unlikely. Dumbledore is awfully hard to fool and he is a powerful Wizard. I hardly doubt Fred and George could get past the Age Line, whatever they may try." Hermione ran a hand through her bushy hair. "Why? You're not thinking of entering, are you?"
Ron scoffed. "Of course I would! Anything to win that amount of galleons!"
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Surely you would think that because there is an age limit the tasks would be too hard for someone our age? They would be designed to test only the able of students, the ones with the most knowledge of magic. We're barely half-way through our education, Ron. We haven't learnt enough to participate!"
Shrugging his shoulders Ron dismissed her reasoning. "So? That's not going to stop anybody. Anyone who wants fame and riches would go for it! What about you Harry? Are you going to enter?"
Smiling slightly, Harry said: "Why would I? I've got enough fame as it is being the Boy-Who-Lived and being the heir of the Potter and Black families, plus the publicity that has been focused upon me since I moved in with Sirius, is enough for me. Sirius has inherited a fortune from his family estate and I've got my parent's money that I will receive when I leave school. I don't need any more fame and fortune."
"I'm glad that at least one of you has got your head screwed on," commented Hermione dryly.
Ron scowled, feeling slightly annoyed.
Tuesday 2nd September 1994
BLACK TRAINING STUDENTS IN DARK ARTS UNDER MINISTRY'S NOSE!
By Rita Skeeter
Albus Dumbledore, current headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has surprised the Ministry of Magic by hiring the recently-freed-convict Sirius Black as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. He claims that "Black possesses much knowledge on defence and will surely be able to equip all students with the knowledge they need to defend themselves when they leave Hogwarts." But can the Wizarding World truly believe that Albus Dumbledore has the right to hire dangerous criminals that could - and most likely will - teach the students things they shouldn't learn at their young ages?
It is known that Sirius Black hails from one of the darkest and most ancient Wizarding families: half of his family today remain inside Azkaban prison for hideous crimes committed during the reign of terror that You-Know-Who embarked upon during the late nineteen seventies, before his downfall by Harry Potter in 1981.
The Daily Prophet believes that Black is a danger to anyone he comes in contact with and this reporter demands his immediate removal from the position he currently holds before he can inflict dark knowledge upon the innocent minds at Hogwarts. It is only a matter of time before the Ministry realises their mistake in releasing Sirius Black without much proof.
"Without much proof?" quoted Hermione as she slammed the newspaper down on the Gryffindor table, grumbling under her breath. "How can she say that? There was ample proof for Sirius' innocence! Pettigrew being alive and admitting to the crimes actually helped his case!"
The morning's front page had certainly irked Hermione and she pushed her breakfast away as she continued to read the paper.
Harry exchanged glances with Ron. "I hate this. Whenever I think Sirius is free from the public condemning him, that bloody reporter decides to write a cock-and-bull story to simply arouse suspicion! I swear Dumbledore said that he would deal with her if she made any attempt to harm my future with Sirius."
"Maybe he did," suggested Ron, "but she took no notice of it. If there are doubts in the Ministry…Dumbledore could lose his job and if that happened whoever took his place would have the authority to sack Sirius. Either way, Sirius has got to earn the public's support - there just hasn't been an opportune moment yet."
"No, there hasn't," admitted Harry. "I'm going to be saying this a lot this year, but Sirius doesn't deserve the doubt, not after what he suffered in Azkaban. I just wish that Skeeter would leave him alone to live his life. If anyone deserves it, he does."
"Yeah," Ron agreed.
Harry had been looking forward to being taught by Sirius, unfortunately he didn't have a Defence lesson until Thursday, which made him feel disappointed, but it did at least give Sirius a chance to get used to being a Professor. By the time supper came on Tuesday evening the hall was abuzz about Sirius' lessons. Harry overheard a few of the older girls swooning over him and that only made him laugh. As he sat at the Gryffindor Table eating, Fred and George Weasley joined them, followed by their best friend Lee Jordan. Hermione had already left, having mysteriously gone to the school library though she didn't have any homework. Whatever it was, Harry and Ron were not interested.
"Harry," said Fred, leaning over the table so that only Harry and Ron could hear, "is Sirius Black 'Padfoot' by any chance?"
Harry did a double take. "How did you know about that?" he demanded, and then suddenly realised that he had just in fact revealed Fred's suspicions to be correct.
Fred grinned. "Sirius - or should I say Professor Black - received a note during class. George and I were sitting at the front and we both saw the word 'Padfoot' written on the front, and the only people who use those names would be the Marauders."
Before Harry could reply, Ron butted in, demanding: "How come you were sitting at the front of the class? You usually sit at the back!"
George shrugged as he leaned in beside his twin to answer Ron's question, a sparkle in his eyes. "We figured that Professor Black would be a brilliant teacher considering what he's been through. And well, we decided to see if he would be fun or not. And he was. Brilliant methods and he's certainly not a deranged maniac that Skeeter woman keeps saying."
Sighing in relief Harry sat back. "At least you have faith in him when others don't."
"But we had an advantage: we got the chance to get to know him over the summer. The others haven't," Fred explained. "Unlike you Harry – and to an extent us -, no one knows who he really is. This is their chance to form an opinion themselves without the interference of that meddling cow."
Ron sniggered.
"So, how did Sirius get the nickname 'Padfoot'?" George asked curiosity alight in his eyes.
Harry smiled. "What makes you think I'd tell you?"
"We are the ones, after all, that gave you the map," Fred replied, folding his arms.
Harry nodded. "You sure you want to know the secret behind the Marauder's names?"
"Yes," the twins said in unison.
Grinning, Harry laid his hands out in front of him before speaking: "They were Animagi."
There was a stunned silence. For ten seconds the twins stared in shock wondering if Harry was joking.
"That can't be possible," George said, slowly. "They did it when they were at school?"
"Yeah," nodded Harry. "They did. Want to know the others?"
The twins inclined their heads.
"Moony is Remus Lupin because he is a werewolf; Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew since he can transform into a rat," here Harry felt his voice grate a bit with anger, "Sirius is Padfoot because he is a big, black, grim-looking dog, and my father, James was Prongs since he transformed into a stag."
"And they did that when they were in school?" Fred needed clarification again.
"In the fifth year, I think," confirmed Harry. Leaning in close he whispered: "Don't let anyone else know. I think Sirius is now registered but I'm not sure. He might be, but might not be officially placed on record, just in case. Please promise me you won't tell anyone."
"We promise Harry," said George. "If it is meant to stay a secret, we'll keep it."
"Thank you," Harry replied. "I don't think Sirius would want a secret as big as that out. Imagine what Skeeter would do if she found out?"
The consequences were not even worth thinking about.
Thursday 4th September
Sirius paced nervously in his classroom as he awaited the arrival of the fourth years after lunch. Surprisingly his first lessons had gone well, though he did suspect most of the students were frightened of him; at least that meant they were going to do their work and listen to him. He was more worried about Harry's year than anything, especially with Draco Malfoy in his class. He was sure the ignorant little Death Eater wannabe was going to cause trouble for him.
The door to the room opened and Sirius almost jumped but managed to contain himself as he swivelled round. Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting just outside and he beckoned them in. Choosing three seats at the front the trio sat down. It was the first time since the term had started that Sirius had seen Harry properly. He had realised Harry was giving him a chance to settle down into his new role as a Professor, was giving him space, and that had helped him a lot, though he had worried about the reception Harry might be getting in Gryffindor Tower for living with him during the summer.
Despite his worries over the impending lesson, Sirius couldn't help feeling relieved that Harry had arrived first. He had been worried that Malfoy and his cronies would turn up and attempt to wind him up, trying to get him fired. With Harry there at least he had a reason to control his temper. He couldn't disappoint him.
He just couldn't.
"How are you coping, Sirius?" asked Hermione.
Sirius shrugged, unsure what to say. Finally he said: "I've enjoyed it…I'm surprised that most of the students are well-behaved and don't question me… but that might be due to the fact that they are afraid of me."
Harry sniggered - he couldn't help it. "Sorry, it's just that I don't find you frightening at all."
"I'd be worried if you did," commented Sirius, smiling slightly.
Just as Harry was about to reply, the door opened once again and in waltzed Draco Malfoy, his nose sniffing the air as if he had detected something foul beneath it. Sirius' eyes narrowed but he forced himself to not feel disgusted with Malfoy's actions. The blond boy strolled over to a desk in the second row, with his two henchmen sitting on either side of him. Several minutes passed in silence before the remaining class walked in, walking close together in groups, their eyes giving Sirius a glance before looking down at their feet.
This is going to be one hell of a lesson.
"Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am Sirius Black, your new Professor. I realise that a lot of you may be wary of me, considering my past, and if you wish to ask me anything, I am asking you do so." He fell silent, tracing his eyes over every member of the class, until, quite surprisingly, Neville Longbottom raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr Longbottom?" Sirius asked.
Neville's voice was timid but his voice gained strength as he spoke: "Everyone has read loads of stuff in the papers about you lying to everyone. How can we be sure you mean us no harm when that reporter says that you're just biding your time?"
Sirius frowned, trying to form an answer. He was pleasantly surprised that Neville had come up with that question, but the way it had been asked gave him the opportunity to explain more about himself to the students. "If I had been biding my time waiting to strike, then I would have taken the opportunity at the World Cup when the camp was attacked. If I wanted to harm Harry - since that is what everyone believes I am going to do - I would have done so before the new school year had started, so that he was out of the way. If I did want to kill Harry then I would have taken him to the house I inherited from my parents but I didn't. Plus I spent most of last year hunting down the traitor who framed me and sentenced James and Lily Potter to death. All I ever wanted to do was protect my Godson, and I failed at that once, and I'm not going to make the same mistake again." He fell silent, wondering if he had said too much about how much he cared for Harry, but he realised that the only way to convince this particular group of students was to show the compassion he felt in words.
After a minute's silence, Sirius spoke again: "Any more questions?"
But there were none, and as he swept his gaze around the room, he found himself smiling slightly as he saw trust reflected in most student's eyes.
With that, and his confidence growing more by the minute, Sirius launched into the lesson he had planned for the fourth years.
"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed. "I never thought Sirius would give us homework, what with the notes he made us take in class."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly Ron, the homework isn't that bad! It's just to collect five old newspaper clippings whenever an Unforgiveable was used. We can just use the archives in the library."
"Still, I didn't think he would actually give us work."
"You'd be surprised what Sirius does even if he seems like the type of person who wouldn't," Harry replied, trading a look with Hermione as they walked into the Great Hall to have dinner. "He may seem like a laugh and a fun guy, but Sirius isn't going to take things lightly, not while he's got to prove himself to the public. As long as he gets good reports - and Skeeter leaves him alone - the lessons should be more fun. Besides, I found it quite interesting myself."
"You did?" Ron asked incredulously. "I thought you hated writing?"
"Yeah, but the subject material was more fascinating then endless garble about Goblin rebellions," replied Harry. "We learnt about the Unforgiveable's. We didn't see the spells since they are illegal but he gave us enough background information for us to know why they are considered dark magic. Despite what others may believe, Sirius is just trying to prepare us for what to expect when we leave. The world is darkening: I don't know what will happen in the future, but whatever happens, I'm glad I will know enough to adequately defend myself."
"And that is all that matters," added Hermione.
To be continued...