disclaimer: JKR's world is not mine, but I really really wish that it was.

Chapter 13... wohoo! it's lucky 13!

September 16, 2011

Over the next couple of weeks my life settled into a comfortable routine. I'd get up around seven am each morning, and change into gym clothes. I'd run around the grounds each day. I actually found a private grove near the lake that was an excellent place to practice my martial arts. Sometimes Pitch would join me, he'd ride along either in the hood of my sweatshirt or in the pocket. He was with me almost constantly, he'd ride around on my shoulder during the day. I wasn't surprised at all when I learned that some of my less enthusiastic students referred to me as "the Rat Lady". Nobody had called me "Dragon Witch" to my face, but I'd heard some whispers.

My students and I got accustomed to each other quite easily. I realized very quickly that I absolutely loved teaching. Each year had it's own unique qualities and quirks, as did each house group.

I saw the first and second year students once a week, they were separated into two groups, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff shared a class as did Gryffindor and Slytherin. There were only fourteen students in my third year class, these children were born during the darkest time of the war, very few couples were having babies, all four houses were taught together. My fourth years were almost the same, only there were seventeen of them. There were enough fifth years to make two classes. Sixth and seventh year students were advanced classes, I only taught one group of either year, but I saw them three times a week. I had thoroughly researched the requirements for OWLs and NEWTs, the OWLs were pretty bad, but I think the NEWTs must give the kids nightmares. I wanted to make sure that my kids were prepared for their academic challenges, but I refused to ignore the practical side of my field in favor of theory, I wanted them to know how to defend themselves.

I spent a lot of my free time perusing bookshelf in my classroom that had all the books that had been assigned by DADA professors that had come before me. When Macgonagle had owled me for a book list after I'd accepted, I told her that she could just go with what the students currently used. Again, I have to thank my predecessor for his excellent taste in textbooks. I'd read The Dark Forces: a Guide to Self Protection and Confronting The Faceless from cover to cover the former would suit quite nicely for my first through fifth years, I think that was the biggest textbook I'd ever encountered, the latter was definitely for my advanced students. Most of the other books on the shelf were rubbish, Defensive Magical Theory was an insomniacs dream, and I wanted to shred Lockhart's entire collection, and use it as bedding in the cage that Pitch barely used.

After my morning run, I'd usually have breakfast with Neville and Theresa. I got along fairly well with all of my coworkers, although Nott was still trying to ooze his way into my robes. I'd been pretty consistent at discouraging him. Theresa Huxtable taught Transfiguration. She was another imported teacher, from Australia. She and I spent a lot of time discussing and comparing native american, and aboriginal magic. We found that our countries had as many similarities as they had differences. She'd come to Hogwarts three years ago, the same year as Nott. She and Neville had become my closest friends, among my coworkers.

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"So," Theresa asked me through bites of grapefruit, "are you going to see Charlie tomorrow?"

"I hope so, he had to cancel last weekend because of another emergency at the Ministry." I hadn't seen him since we'd said goodbye on that first Sunday afternoon. Although, seeing Ruby on my balcony had become such a regular occurrence that I kept a bowl of owl nuts on my desk. Charlie owled me at least twice a week. I kept all his notes in a box on the bookshelf. In his last note he'd made a rather odd but quite romantic request, he'd asked me for a couple of strands of my hair. I wouldn't have given it to anyone but him, and I was pretty sure that he wasn't going to try to make any love potions. I'd sent him a few strands of shed hair from my brush. Neville, and Theresa thought it was a wonderfully romantic gesture.

"Some of my Gryffindors have watched you do your martial arts exercises in the mornings. They requested that I ask you if you'd mind teaching some of them? They want to start a sort of club, would you mind?" I was very impressed with how Neville handled the students in his house, they trusted him, and knew that they could talk to him.

"Sure," I said. "I need to check with Macgonagle to see if it's all right, but I think I'd enjoy it."

"Excellent then," Neville smiled. "I can't imagine why Minerva would object."

"Are teacher's allowed to join this little club?" I heard Nott's voice behind me. He sat himself next to Neville. "I've been watching you practice in the mornings. I think it's fascinating to watch, and it looks quite fun. Can I join you, for private lessons, maybe?" The way he ran his finger across my arm as he said the word "private" made my skin crawl.

"I'd like nothing better than to throw you across the lake, Theodore," I said with a rather feral grin, there are sometimes I actually appreciate having fangs. Neville laughed so hard, he almost snorted pumpkin juice out his nose. Theresa had to pound his back to stop the choking.

"Thanks Terry," he said, looking a bit sheepish.

"No problem, Neville," She answered.

I looked up at the clock on the wall in the staff lounge, it said 1:50. "Well, gotta run," I said, "my third years await." I grabbed my mug of tea and headed back to my classroom.

"Who summarize last night's reading assignment?" I smiled as I watched fourteen hands go up.

"All right, Mr Rovener, tell me something about red caps?"
"They like to kill people for their blood. They use it to color their hats." Christopher Rovener was probably the shortest thirteen year old boy I'd ever seen. He was also smart as a whip, and a Ravenclaw through and through, he liked to learn for it's own sake. "They exist in northern Europe, including Scotland."

"Excellent Christopher, five points for ravenclaw. Mr Lupin, can you tell me their preferred habitat?"

"The prefer to live underground, under old battlefields, and in castles and such. The like places where blood has been shed."

"Very good Teddy, five points to Gryffindor," when he grinned he looked even more like his father. "Miss Sloan, how would you repel an attacking red cap?"

"They are repelled by most hexes and charms, Were I to encounter one, I would use a confundus charm on it." Miranda Sloan, the only Slytherin in her year, and the rumored reluctant object of Christopher Rovener's affection, looked quite pleased, when I awarded her house five points for her correct answer.

After a short question and answer session, I brought out a few objects for show and tell. I held up a handful of rust colored stocking caps. "These are examples of the caps which the red caps get their name from. These were taken from a nest destroyed here on the grounds here eight years ago.

Do you understand why Hogwarts would attract these creatures?" I dropped the caps on my desk.

"Because of the battle of Hogwarts" Teddy answered. "Redcaps are attracted to violence."

"Correct, does anyone know why, after the first nest of redcaps were exterminated from Hogwarts, there have been no further infestations?"

The entire class looked a bit mystified. I just smiled, and said. "I think we need to go on a little field trip outside. Everyone, I want you to take your notebooks, and your pens, and follow me. The class followed me through the first floor corridors and out to the main lawn. We stopped in front of the large stone monument that sat in the center of the lawn, surrounded by benches. I motioned for the students to take seats around me. I pointed to a carving on the very bottom of the monument. "Anyone volunteer to read the inscription?"

Miranda raised her hand, "It's quite hard to read."

"Yes." I agreed, "it's very hard to read because most of the inscription is under the ground. I can tell you what it says. It says: PAXTOLIFINO." I spelled it out so the students could write the word down. "Now, your assignment, is to research this term in the library. I want three pages from each of you, by next friday on the meaning and the use of this term, and any related terms you may discover with it."

"Miss Goode?"

"Yes, Miranda?"

"Can you give us a hint???"

"Sure, it'll be in the last place you look. Actually, I expect you guys to work together on this. But everybody does their own paper, got it?"
Fourteen heads nodded simultaneously, and the clock in the tower struck four, meaning that class was over. "Don't you think that kind of magic is a little advanced for thirteen year olds?" I heard Charlie's voice behind me, as the last of my third years walked out of sight.

I turned around and smiled. "When did you get here?" I asked. He pulled me into a bear hug.

"About ten minutes ago. I wanted to watch you with the kids. They really respond to you."

We walked back towards the castle.

"I didn't expect you till tomorrow afternoon. I thought you had work to do at the Ministry?"

"Petula kicked me out of the office again, told me point blank that she was tired of cleaning up my messes. I really am a total git when it comes to paperwork. I give her my notes, she'll type up the report for me, I'll read it on Monday morning and sign it. Actually, I though you might like to get away for the weekend, I promise I'l have you back by Sunday. You can spend the weekend at my flat."

"Well, I took Theresa's Saturday night watch last week, so, yes, I think I will. I need to pack an overnight bag, and let people know that I'll be away."