Chapter 42-Here comes Voldemort, there goes the neighborhood
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With Fudge's Ministry gone and Madam Bones Ministry in operation they forgot about Harry Potter or were told too. So we were able to walk the streets of Hogsmeade Village and Diagon Alley unmolested by the Ministry. Our friends were given access to our subterranean house and pool. The pool was a great success even though it only had artificial lighting but then again it didn't snow indoors. On one such evening a number of our group were lounging around the pool as Susan provided some information.
"Auntie is just starting to get her head above water and she hopes to deal with Hogwarts in the near future. The soggy old rules make it impossible for anyone to fire the Head of Hogwarts and only the head of Hogwarts can fire a teacher."
/Scene Break/
On the last Hogwarts weekend of the year the 'fhit hit the san'. It started quite nice as we sat around and drank butterbeer and exchanged tales. The front doors burst open and a couple of students ran in and one yelled, "There is a giant heading for Hogwarts, one of his companions continued, "And you can't believe what is following it!" We ran outside and looked and to be a giant, followed by a Cerberus which was followed by Voldemort and about fifty Deatheaters.
Being totally insane I grabbed Daphne and ordered her to 'floe' for some Aurors and I headed to the gates.
~"You want to take them on?" Foxy asked as if I was insane.
~"Only if they get past the gates, some of our friends are in the castle."
WE FLAMED!
Taking the closest cover and still being able to see the main gate we waited. The Giant was about eleven feet tall and almost as wide. He was not a pretty thing and could have been a Gogmagog, or Bendigeidfran but a big Paul Bunyan he was. The Giant and the Deatheaters were attacking the gate. The Deatheaters were using blasting spells and the Giant just using brute strength.
Then we got a good look at the Cerberus which Voldemort was clearly in control of, this had to have come from hell. No this was not a freak of nature, or Hagid's nice little Fluffy, this thing was how nightmares started or ended. The center head was in the shape of a lion, while the other two were in the shape of a dog and the other a wolf. It also had a dragon's spiked tail and a thick mane of snakes which were in constant motion.
~"Err, you have any idea how to stop any of these monsters?" I asked.
~"Not a clue, that is unless you want to play David with the slingshot."
~"I think I will pass on that option."
The Main Gate was weakening and so were the wards. We had to stop these monsters if the wards fell but how?"
~"Well there go the gates and the wards." Foxy moaned.
"Well I guess it's your idea Foxy or nothing…"
"Harry James Potter don't you dare start playing David and Goliath with those things!"
I had no slingshot but I did have a large pebble. Hermione 'disillusioned' a very large boulder and I did 'Wingardium Leviosa'. Ordinarily you could spot a moving 'Disilllusioned' item but by now the Aurors had arrived behind the Deatheaters and everyone was fairly busy throwing or avoiding curses.
I did a lucky drop from about sixty feet and got the giant right on top of his ugly head. I wondered if David was a wizard and his pebble was a bit larger than reported.
The Cerberus was single mindedly heading for the school. If it was from hell it wasn't fire-proof and two sun phoenixes lit up its day. It did not just burn, half of it was fire-proof but the front half wasn't. It seemed as if it was a beast that was put together from spare parts, when the front half died the snakes that were unaffected broke off and started attacking anything that moved.
Hermione and I flamed to the front door of Hogwarts to help with the defense and found the great doors wide open.
"That is down right nice of Umbitch to welcome everyone into the school." I just shook my head.
We heard the 'crack' of an incoming 'apperation' to see Amelia arrive and headed in our direction. We then heard an argument or yelling coming from just inside Hogwarts main entrance.
"You dumb old Biddy those are alarms meaning the school is under attack; we must mount a defense immediately." Professor McGonagall yelled.
"Watch you tongue or I will have you removed from Hogwarts!" Umbitch croaked. Upon exiting the first thing she saw was me and pulled out her wand and fired off a 'Confringo" which blasted a hole close to where I had just moved from. She was hit by an 'Expelliarmus' complements of Hermione and a 'Stupify' from Amelia.
"Amelia! What is going on?" McGonagall asked.
"Voldemort brought a Giant and Cerberus with him and his Deatheaters. Harry and Hermione slowed them down after the wards fell. Voldemort port-keyed out with his Deatheaters soon after the fighting got tough." The Minster had been recieveing Auror reports constantly.
"What worries me is that was not a regular Giant or Cerberus those two looked to come somewhere not normal, could Voldemort bring back something if his wrath was pulled across the river Styx?" Hermione asked.
"I have call on the Department of Mysteries to check their remains as I am afraid you are possibly right Hermione." Amelia sighed.
By this time almost all the teachers were listening into what was going on and the Board of Governors were arriving one by one.
"Well Styx or down town London Voldemort will be coming back and will have a bigger force, he never gives up once he starts something." I added.
That was when the fun really started at Hogwarts that day.
/Scene Break/
The Minister, the teachers and the Board of Governors were in the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione were asked to join over the croaking disapproval of Umbitch and a couple of the board members.
"As Minister of Magic I wish to set your minds at rest, Lord Potter and his wife have been cleared of all the trumped-up charges and both are free to come and go throughout the mundane and magical communities. Now we have to plan for Voldemort's next attack on Hogwarts…" Amelia was interrupted by Umbitch.
"Surely you jest; he wouldn't dare attack the wards on Hogwarts."
"Just for information he has and did and if it wasn't for the Potters you would be having tea with him right now!" Amelia was not a fan of Umbitch.
"Well I for one will not stand in a direct line of him and this school, so effective immediately I resign as Headmistress. Find some one else to protect your precious students." Umbridge got up and waddled out of the Hall. A number of Professors also resigned and left.
"Professor McGonagall, would you be as kind as to fill in as Headmistress until as we can officially convene the board and make it permanent?" Madam Marchbanks asked.
"I would be delighted but you will have to fill the Transfiguration position as I will be unable to do both."
"Oh dear, Professor Tofty moaned, we have a problem as we do not have any replacements available and with the Dark Lord beating on the door I doubt we will have many applicants."
"Are you saying you are unable to fill teaching positions here at Hogwarts?" Amelia asked.
"Griselda Marchbanks grimiest and stated that it was true, even Lucius Malfoy was not being unhelpful. Lucius Malfoy had arrived just as Umbitch resigned. Headmistress McGonagall also confirmed their immediate problem of filling the teaching positions.
"Since that is the case I must invoke the rules and as Minister appoint teachers as you are unable to do so. I appoint Harry Potter as DADA and Hermione Potter as Transfiguration instructor."
"You can't do that!" Malfoy was on his feet.
"I think you will find that I can and have done so Lord Malfoy." Amelia smiled.
"They do not have the OWLs or NEWTs to accept the position." Malfoy voice was rising.
"There again I think you will find you self in error, check the Ministry files and I believe you will be quite surprised." That was enough for Malfoy and he stomped out of the Great Hall, most likely to check the files at the Ministry.
~"Harry we best tell her that we have not sat any of the examinations, its only fair not to cause her any trouble."
~"Yes dear."
"Amelia we have not sat any of the examinations you…" I was cut off by Amelia.
"Believe me Harry I was surprised myself but let me ask you a question. Have you had tutors before in your life?"
"Yes of course, we have had tutors coming out our ears in different countries, why?"
"Laws Harry, in many if not all countries, not England, have laws that all tutors must be registered and all their students must be reported. You are reported not only by your name but what you are being tutored for and your attained skill at the subject. While you may not have recognized your tutor's names, many were renowned masters in those areas. Their training and registration was one thing but the number of tutors in each subject gave you a qualified status. At that point the country reported to the ICW that you are qualified and England can not object or dispute the claim."
"See you two Monday to help finish up the year and with luck next year as well." McGonagall said. I will send the class syllabus and outlines via owl this evening."
/Scene Break/
Potters Secret house in Godric Hollows:
You would expect us to have fear of Voldemort and our close call that morning. Would the Goblins and the Ministry get the gates back up and wards replaced in time? No, by evening we were terrified of having to teach and making complete fools of ourselves.
~"Let's do a run and check out some of Godric Hollow my love." I got a kiss and we changed clothes and exited in the forest.
A little later after our run in Godric's woods as Paws and Foxy, we slipped from the woods by the general store onto the lane next to the town square. It was a quite and peaceful night with clear skies. As we were skirting the town square we walked towards the church and the graveyard when the sounds of 'apperating' came from the graveyard.
Foxy and I flamed to the Sheep's Meadow the other side of the graveyard and changing to Paws and Foxy. Foxy went first as she could sneak into the edge of the graveyard to listen as she was small, quiet and could mind talk with me. The Deatheaters were not very quiet in their intentions.
"Just remember to have fun but the statue in the town square must be destroyed or the Dark Lord will have our asses."
There were only five Deatheaters but they still were Deatheaters. I slipped up behind a straggler and Paws had him down in an almost silent crack of the neck. Changing to ourselves we then gave them several 'Stupify' and 'Incarcerous' spells. That left the leader who wanted to fight.
"Avada Kedava" he shouted. That got him a 'Confringo' to the chest from me and he died in pieces.
The Aurors were the next group to show up in force. We had our Auror badges out but that brought Amelia as the Aurors didn't believe us. Amelia was not happy with anyone.
/Scene Break/
We could not put off Monday arriving so it started with breakfast, it was an odd feeling sitting at the head table and looking over the Great Hall. Amelia had let us keep our badges as she knew we were always in trouble. That did not sit well with us, all we wanted was, what?
Any thoughts or discussion of what we wanted was interrupted by a yelling Ron Weasley. He was still not coherent, something about always getting and he was going to, and I had enough.
"That will be 10 points for unruly behavior." I said.
"You ass kissing double…"
I interrupted his rant." That will be another 20 points for cursing in the Great Hall."
"You can't assess points you…"
"I am afraid that I can Mr. Weasley as I am a teacher here at Hogwarts."
It was funny in a way; everyone looked at the rubies for Gryffindor house points and watched them fall. About that time Neville and Seamus grabbed Ron and basically gagged him and drug him out of the Great Hall. I knew this would be more trouble as that meant Ron would miss breakfast.
If I had any thoughts that there were no more problems coming in the near future, the Slytherin contingency entered the Great Hall. It took a few minutes but Draco started when he saw Hermione and I.
"Look who is visiting, the looser and his mudblood!" Draco sneered.
"That will be 50 points from Slytherin Mr. Malfoy for that despicable word."
"My. Father will hear about this." Draco's reply was about normal for him.
"I hope he does as he will also tell you that 'that word' is banded here at Hogwarts."
"Nott was not as smart and asked in an arrogant way, who do you think you are? We are Slytherin and we will call a mudblood a mudblood anytime we want!"
"That will be 50 points from Slytherin for each time you said it as you were just informed over that words usage, who are we to do this? Why Mr. Nott this muggleborn is a teacher and will be happy to enforce the rule, want to try for more loss if points?" Hermione was ready they just didn't realize it.
It took about one day of classes to see that this place had turned into a Deatheaters training camp and that was not just the Slytherins. Umbitch had done a job on the school and it appeared that a lot of the students were ready for the mark to be branded on their arms regardless of house. While the rest couldn't tell one end of a wand from another.