Chapter 43—And so they fall
Umbitch had appointed Draco the head of the schools SS squad which Headmistress McGonagall stated was now forbidden. Those were words of wisdom and not action. Ron was a time bomb ready to explode, how they had finagled him back to Hogwarts was still a headache waiting for my head to explore. Those were the prominent ones; all of the followers were just as dangerous but not as obvious.
Hermione and I had tried to keep that we were Paws and Foxy a secret and we hoped that it was so; at least we had not seen it in the Dailey Profit, YET! We also tried to stay together at all times but we had different classes and that left us vulnerable. Then there was the 'Defodio' or 'Diffindo' cast from the shadows or a secret passage, I had a few already. As a teacher I could not fire back killing curses, and the jackasses knew they would get a 'Stupify' or an 'Impedimenta' in return, not a deterrent to try and hurt or kill me or Hermione.
Then it started to get dangerous for the stupid. Philip Blagdon and Lucian Bole tried to grab Hermione after a class on her way to meet me. Philip had his arms around Hermione from the back and pinning her arms to her side. Lucian we guess had a little of Bellatrix Lestrange in her and tried to use a knife to cut up Hermione.
~"Harry I need help like yesterday that have me and are going to hurt me, help!"
I was unneeded, as I 'flamed' to Hermione, she decided that a personal touch was required and turned into Foxy in Philip's arms. Now a pissed off Hermione is bad enough but a pissed off Foxy with sharp claws and teeth are down right shredding. That was what she was doing to Philip when Lucian tried to stab Foxy and kind of stuck a dagger in Philips chest. While Philip was finished Foxy was not and leaped into Lucian's face with claws flashing. Lucian will never look in a mirror again. When I arrived all there was left was to picke up the pieces after an embrace of boa constricting magnitude from Hermione. After Madam Pomfrey's was done Amelia had Kinsley Shacklebolt and Tonks haul them away. We became quite familiar with those two Aurors for the rest of our teaching time at Hogwarts.
Mcgonagall was trying the best she could to get control of the school and put the student's brains were they should be and not in Voldemort's ideas of insanity. However as much as everyone tried we still had a couple of leaders directing the troops to do mayhem. In the lead for extinction were Draco and Ron although there were a couple of others. Due to previous classes at Hogwarts most students could not spell their way out of an unlocked room but some had received outside or special training, they were usually the leader.
All Foxy and I could do was shake our heads. They wanted Deatheaters and trained the school to get them. Then they turn around and don't train the idiots to be competent in doing curses. We wondered were the Ministry thought they would get their new Aurors from.
One area that was pleasant was that I had no classes with Snape. Actually I had no classes to attend as a student but seeing him and not having his class always brought a smile to my face. His grumbling at meals was easily overlooked and he was not throwing curses at me so everything was a plus. Besides my smiling always seemed to make his day.
Suddenly it was the end of term and McGonagall called Foxy and I to her office.
Harry and Hermione you are becoming my favorite…drat's I was going to call you students and yet you are teachers. Yes you are becoming my favorite teachers. I hope you two will be returning next year as I need you in the worst way." McGonagall was gushing.
"Worst way?" Hermione asked.
"Of course we still have Voldemort's thugs in this school and I want them gone or in Azkaban."
"And we are going to do this how?" I asked.
"Its funny but you two are driving everyone to your side or out of their minds and that is what I want and need here at Hogwarts.
"Don't follow madam."
"When they are on your side we are going to be safe, when you drive them out of their minds they either leave or do something stupid and I can get rid of them."
"OH!"
"Yes, we will be here for next term as I have enjoyed teaching beyond words." Hermione gushed.
"Yes it is rewarding." I added. "Just beware that the students will not like my changes. I have just been station tending this year, next year I will have to fix DADA of all the previous teaching inadequacies. The students are not going to like all the work to bring themselves up to course standards.
"So see you a week before September 1st." McGonagall stated and we left. Once outside we called Mipsy and Dippy to pack and we flamed to our apartment to let Hermione and her parents have a reunion, of course I was included in the homecoming.
/Scene Break/
About two weeks later a letter come in asking for a private meeting in the private rooms of he Leakey Cauldron. The requested date was for three weeks after school started. There was no name and that of course questioned the meeting.
"Come on Foxy where is you spirit of adventure?"
"Its somewhere in a vault with a secure password that's where! Why would we go somewhere to meet someone who we don't know?"
"I agree Foxy but it is the Leakey Cauldron and I don't think Voldemort could make pay for or arrange a private room for a meeting. I think he is too famous to do that." I smiled at my logic.
"Yes you a probably right, we can always flame out of trouble." She sighed.
Well I made a very pleasant mistake and gave her a kiss which she returned there in the library. The library is a stimulant to my Foxy and she started at a level that I enjoy. I have no idea what is considered normal but there is a little voice in my head that says this is super but not normal. We started in the library with clothes strewn everywhere. Deciding to take it to the bedroom but the hallway was there and that caused another delightful moment for us both. We finally slithered to the bed to get things started at a more intense pace. After that we had an undetermined amount of time where we moved to the bath to get our sweaty body's ready for the night I found that her adjustment of the taps an interesting position and we attempted a bit more which gave Foxy an idea which leads to a more exotic position. We finally crawled to the bed where the last thing I remember was Foxy shuttering in delight as my world went black.
Mipsy and Dippy seemed very happy in the morning and provide us with a large breakfast. Mipsy asked and Dippy gave her a sour look, as she asked in fount of everyone if we were going to have little Potters in the near future. She was disappointed that we said, in a few years.
Maw and Paw Granger were not far behind in asking about little Potters on a constant montra of how great it would be to have children. So after Hermione got her hugs and kisses and they chatted for a while the montra was getting old. After a week of when are we going to have little Potters, Foxy said, "Godric Hollow, on exspress flame."
/Scene Break/
In a sense we were growing up or maybe it was called becoming adults. In any discussion of family we just thought it was nice idea for the future and we just kept doing our thing.
Unfortunately Voldemort was doing his thing but with his Deatheaters. Not knowing his way of thinking was a draw back to Godric Hollow, Voldemort had sent troops to destroy a statue and they never returned. What did that mean? To Voldemort it meant sent more to accomplish his will but there was the idea that this was a way of getting Harry Potter to show up so it was time to attack again, and so he did. Hogwarts was still in his future plans one way or another.
Was it the fates? Or was it just karma? There could of course be Voldemort's and Harry's Destiny or it could be just bad luck. Voldemort sent ten of his troops to destroy Godric Hollow and that accursed statue. That was the night that Foxy had persuaded Paws to go to the "The Foaming Mug" the local Pub for a night out. Since the pub was on the Town Square it was quite noticeable that ten Deatheater appeared in that square in front of the pub. They were firing curses in all directions and of course at the statue. The ministry had put up wards and they stopped the immediate destruction of the statue. Harry and Hermione stopped any further destruction that night.
Harry and Hermione stepped out of the pub and started flinging curses at the Deatheaters. There was no worry if they missed as the spells would fly over the grave yard and the Meadow behind it, Godric Hollow was still a small country town. That meant that the spells were not overly nice and the Deatheaters fell because of them. Amelia had Shacklebolt post Aurors after this attack to keep the town safe. Voldemort was mad but also confused. The returning few stated that it was Harry Potter that was in the pub. Voldemort did not believe in coincedences so he sent in his spy, Peter. Voldemort wanted to see if the brat showed up in that town when he was not at Hogwarts.
/Scene Break/
Back a school found me ready to pull my hair out, Umbitch had followed in Dumbledore's footsteps and DADA was a mess. Some students took it upon themselves to study but most just chased after Quittage or the opposite sex. The end result was that the average student couldn't defend themselves no less challenge the Ministry or Voldemort. Some were dangerous as they were trained at home by their parents, others by Voldemort. The wolves were among the sheep.
"I need to see how far I can hex a student?" I asked Headmistress McGonagall.
"WHAT?"
"I am going to start dueling in the class room and I will be going against students who are either lazy or trouble. I want school sanction on some curses, spells etc. The parents will be hearing about this one way or another and I don't want the school to get too many howlers."
"Harry are you sure this is necessary?"
"You and I have seventh years who can't tell one end of a wand from another. They are old enough to know that they know it all and will not listen. The only way to show them that they are in trouble is MadEye's way, no shield, 'hex' to the buttocks."
"Let me check with the Board of Governors and I will get back with you."
/Scene Break/
It wasn't but a few days later the information about using spells on students brought the entire School Board looking for blood in the Headmistresses office.
"Stop, Stop, Stop, please!" I shouted. "We can yell and argue all day when a demonstration will give you what you may not want to know. First let's set up a duel with your weakest dueler." Everyone turned to look at Professor Tofty. "I want you to pick out lets say four of my seventh year class and have a duel with each one. Only minor spells and shields' allowed. After the four duels you can have my hide or give me permission to do this for my classes."
"You best know what you're up to Potter or I will have you in Azkaban." Malfoy threatened.
The four were selected by the board and house elves were called so the elves could notify the students.
"Headmistriss be sure to have the elves to tell the students to bring their wands." I requested.
"What! You can't be serious?" Madam Marchbanks huffed in a superior manor. I just shrugged my shoulders and raised my hands as in surrender.
The duels were set up in my classroom and made private. Linda Chaddesley didn't bring her wand even after being told. Justine Britnel threw his wand down and ran after the first spell hit him, it was a stinging hex. Randolph Burrow stood tall and sent a series of spells at Tofty who returned a 'Stupify' to Burrow's chest.
When they revived Burrow Madam Marchbanks asked him, "Son why did you not raise a shield, that curse was moving very slowly."
"Sorry Madam I have not been able to cast one yet." With his reply and I got my authorization and a list of spells and curses I could use. Later over coffee Lucius Malfoy was looking to stick something to me so he asked why I didn't let the Luke kid duel. "Afraid he could duel?" he sneered.
"I actualy thought that he could duel as he is a Deatheater in training and probably has the mark already. So I didn't want someone to get hurt." Malfoy's question was going to make Voldemort very unhappy with Malfoy senior.
"You have to be kidding us, he is just a kid." Ogden Tiberius was also a member of the Wizengemot and wasn't thrilled with my reply.
"Well if you lot can figure a way for me to pull up the sleeves of the students then let me know and we can have some checking done." Headmistress McGonagall stated.
"Well since we had to call the board into session we are still in session so I move that under the security laws that students may be checked." Tiberius stated.
"Second." Tofty chirped.
"Those in favor raise your hand. Motion carried. Call Amelia as she will want in on this." Tiberius chuckled. It was noted that Malfoy and two others voted no.
So the next evening at dinner an announcement was made that everyone would remain in the hall until released and elves were sent to get anyone not present. Argus Filch was not happy as he had to check off each name from a long parchment as dinner progressed. Amelia and Shacklebolt were not happy as they had twenty four students with the mark they had to arrest. Voldemort was not happy when he heard of Malfoy's stupid remark.