Chapter 25 – Give me a break
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While the Christmas break was celebrated and enjoyed as it should be there were more than enough arguments flying around. I was causing most of them as I just trying to face the truth. First there was the argument that I was really not qualified nor experienced to be a teacher. That of course was a weak argument on my part as they pointed out that I did a great job with the DA. I then tried to drop all my classes since I would not have time to teach and attend classes as a student. I won that to some extent. I had to keep Transfiguration and Charms but the rest I could drop. McGonagall arranged my schedule so I was busy the entire week. My lovely Lora was by my side and a great comfort.
My real argument was that I knew I was not qualified, not only as a teacher but as a fighter going up against Voldemort. My Animagus form was great at running from a fight but offensively it was not much help. All I could do was warble a depressing song at Voldemort? The Dark Lord had years of experience several hundred rituals making him faster, stronger and more spell resistant that I could become in years of rituals if I decided to stoop that low. Voldemort didn't look like a snake to start a new fashion trend. Being a strong wizard and having the Weather element was great but it was not called immediately. By the time I built up an electrical killing charge Voldemort could send twenty killing curses at me. The mini tornadoes were quicker but there still was a delay in which Voldemort could send several dark curses at me. All this assumed that he couldn't defend against anything I might throw at him. In the end Voldemort could leave before I could bring any of my stronger powers into the fight.
One of the Christmas presents for the magical community was Voldemort was being reported as returning? The Egyptian museum was attacked by ten Deatheaters with an uglier Voldemort watching them take some artifacts from the museum.
"What are you doing here in the dark sulking, feeling sorry for yourself again? Lora asked as she plopped her lovely self in my lap.
"I guess so. I wonder sometimes if there is ever going to be an end to all this?"
"Of course there will be an end to Voldemort and we will ride off into the sunset. I can see it now the four of us riding of into the sunset on Buckbeak the Hippogriff."
"Lora you forget my image. We must ride off into the sunset on a Hungarian Horntail."
/Scene Break/
Senior year at Hogwarts brought out some interesting views. The number of students that had finished their NEWTs and returned to mundane life was surprising large. Students who stayed chose the classes that fit into their magical career choices. Additional courses were now available like Magical Law or Social culture and morays. That meant that taking all the basis courses were optional and shrunk all the teachers class sizes. To fully utilize the teachers all four houses were crammed into one big happy seventh year class for each subject. The Slytherin house still couldn't get along with any of the other houses but now all four houses were all in one small class room. With me being their age didn't help maintain order. Liberal application of 'Petrificus Totalus' and detentions with Filch finally established a false sense of order.
With the teaching duties came those little things that no one ever sees or thinks about like patrols. There were Perfects patrolling but there had to be a teacher available for the Perfects to haul would-be rule breakers too, this of course was in the middle of the night. On one such patrol in January Lora and I were strolling around. Dobby was monitoring my office should some Perfect need assistance.
"It's eerily quiet in the Castle." Lora stated. The noise of students usually filled the Castle but now you could hear small animals scurrying along the walls even our foot steps did not disturb the eiree quiet.
"To tell you the truth I could come to like all this peace and quiet. Which reminds me my lovely wife Hogsmeade weekend is due next week and…"
"Diffindo" Echoed around the hallway as I pushed Lora to the floor and tried to erect a shield. Tiger large was already racing down the hall after the assailant who's curse had chipped some of the stone from the wall.
We got up and sprinted down the hall to find one large tiger standing on one of the students. Lora started giggling and I soon had to suppress my laughing. Here was a hundred pound Slytherin trying to squirm out from under a five hundred pound Tiger.
"Lora why don't you pick up his wand while I get Tiger from playing with his dinner." I hardly took a step when a scream echoed up and down the halls of the Castle from the Hufflepuff Perfect who was arriving on the scene. We soon had a crowd on the scene, even the curfue breakers and broomcloset attendees were out and gawking. You just knew who had to be lurking in the area. "Potter what is the meaning of this ridicules circus show, release Mr. Blishwick immediately." Snape would have used his drawn wand if not for a number of wands already pointed in his direction.
"That's Professor Potter Professor Snape and you could say Blishwick is now in the great Dragon Dung pile."
"And why is that Professor Potter?" The headmistress had arrived, her hair let down and dressed in her prudish night-clothes." McGonagall took a step back when she saw the tiger sitting on a student surrounded by Perfects, numerous students and teachers.
"I believe your office would be more appropriate for Mr. Blishwick's explanation for attacking a Professor and his wife."
"Quite so, if you would call off your, err, familiar, Professor Snape will be happy to escort Mr. Blishwick to my office. Perfects get those students names and get them back to their common rooms."
Tiger returned to me and then Snape grabbed Blishwick, we all then followed McGonagall towards her office. They did not see Tiger revert to Tiger small and be picked up by Lora. We arrived at the headmistress' office and took our seats around her desk.
"Now Professor Potter as teacher on duty tonight please explain what you know of…where is that Tiger? You didn't leave him wandering in the Castle did you?"
Lora giggled and answered, "Oh he is resting comfortable and well in hand."
"Meow" (Nosey aren't you?)
"Well I never." McGonagall huffed. She understood a little cat as that was her animagus form.
"I believe that you best call Madam Bones or at least an Auror as Mr. Blishwick will be leaving in their company if he is lucky."
That set off Markbo Blishwick, "The Dark Lord wants you dead along with your blood trader of a wife…" McGonagall gave a quick wave of her wand and silenced him.
"Harry you said if he is lucky, what were you inferring?"
"Unless I am mistaken he is from the line of Jimbo Blishwick nee Black…"
"Oh dear I see what you mean, he may lose his magic for attacking the Head of House Black if you demand it."
"Let's see if he ends up being tried and convicted. If he beats that then I'm sure you will expel him and snap his wand."
Madam Bones arrived with two Aurors, she saw me and asked McGonagall, "What has Potter gotten into this time?"
The story was told and the Aurors carted off Markbo.
"Madam Bones while you're here maybe you could help convince the Headmistress that the upcoming Hogsmeade Village visit by the students should be canceled." I was almost pleading.
Harry as I have explained before the students morale would be crushed if we canceled something that they look forward for. We will have our teachers there as well as the Order."
"I will beef up the Aurors that will be there so I think we have enough protection for the students." Madam Bones was being optimistic in my opinion. Logic and Voldemort were never introduced.
Lora took up the argument so I sat back and watched her. Her silver long hair and soft tanned complexion gave me a comforting feeling as being the luckiest guy in the world. She was supporting me in not having the weekend for the students. Her electric blue eyes flashed in her conviction and support of my thoughts. Her flashing eyes reminded me of how they flashed this morning as I teased her about having really bad breath as a Cockatrice.
"I am afraid that is my final decision on the matter." McGonagall had spoken so it was game set and match.
/Scene Break/
Saturday February the fifteenth will probably go down as the massacre at Hogsmeade Village. To say I was mad as hell would be putting it mildly. They did it just like Dumbledore did and not tell me anything that was going on and set up everyone to get killed. Their plan was simple and they thought they had it all safely covered. The rumor (via Snape) was that Voldemort was still trying to recover by using dark rituals so was on vacation. That was supported by his raid on the Egyptian museum. The also thought that Big Mac would be the one to show and so they made plans for Big Mac's arrival and never told me squat. I could have done nothing about any of this disaster except not go to Hogsmeade myself and not be in the middle of the insanity.
The disaster unfolded in a very logical and military manner. Where the path coming from the Shrieking Shack meets the main street sit three small houses. Behind them was a tent that had been disillusioned and full of men and women ready to fight. Down where the road from the Hogshead meets the main street is a small shop called The Tinkers Shop. Next to it is an alley and then Dervish & Banges. In the alley was another disillusioned tent full of men and women ready to fight. The idea was to hit the bad guys from both ends of the street. On the roof tops up and down the main street Auror waited also disillusioned and ready to curse the bad guys. What eludes me is no one thought that maybe that the students on the street might be in trouble. It started to go wrong three different ways. The first was that Lora and I had just left Honeydukes and was heading towards Zonkos to check out what they had that could be used on a friendly professor, namely Snape. The second thing was the appearance of Big Mac and about ten of his hit men while at the same time ten of Voldemort's Deatheaters appeared at the other end of the street in front of Gladrags.
With Lora, me and an untold number of students in the street both factions open up with curses and fire from Big Mac's machine guns. Simultaneously a horn is blasting loudly up and down the main street. There is no defense and no time to call the weather; the only thing is to run. I transformed into my phoenix and flamed Lora to The Shrieking Shack. The sound of automatic weapons sounded like they were just outside the front door of the shack. Then there was silence, the wailing of the wounded did not reach the shack. It did become heart wrenching as we entered the town. Something else I was not told was the solders in the tents were squibs in Her Majesty's Service and armed with automatic weapons. Big Mac's fired on them and they did what they were trained to do and that was to survive. The resulting crossfire up and down the street resulted in fifty wounded, fourteen dead students also twenty locals were killed. The bad guys lost twenty including Big Mac.
/Scene Break/
It's now June the second and the leaving feast. It was a bad time for all and the excitement of going home was just not there.
"So Harry are we coming back to Hogwarts to teach next year?" Neville asked.
"Yes I told the new Headmaster I would give it a try as long as he didn't keep vital information from us."
"It's a shame they are making McGonagall retire as if it was all her fault." Lora was of two minds over her retirement.
"Yes it is, I am surprised that Umbitch didn't fire Madam Bones over getting the Muggle Prime Minister to provide those troops."
"So since you're the new Professor in Herbology are you planning to bring in deadly plants Hagrid style or a new Herbology 101 with Mimbulus Mimbletonia and Gillyweed for our next tournament?"
"Well I was going to start a Mandrake forest for your next Basilisk adventure."
"Alright Neville I yield and will just eat my salad in peace."
"Gran has me locked in at the estate for the summer, are you going to travel or what?"
"Travel and stay away from chasing the bad guys and girls. I am getting tired of losses and never getting Voldemort. I am just going to live a little and when he finally shows up to end it, I hope to get lucky because I have no idea how to end Voldemort."
"Surly your weather element will…"
"No Neville it's not that simple. I have to call in the weather and while it only takes a minute Voldemort can cast a half-dozen killing curses and 'apperate' away. I am just going to play it by ear and hope to get lucky before he does. Meanwhile I have a girl I love and a family that I want to enjoy"
/Scene Break/
"You have forgotten me again" Hissed Lea as the menagerie was eating at the Leaky Cauldron.
"No we have not forgotten you but as usual we leave you to the end so we can ask you like always, a mouse or a rat?"
Hissing angrily Lea replied, "I want two mice."
I summoned two before she could specify a color or size.
"So Mrs. Potter did you enjoy your travels this year and are you ready to head back to Hogwarts?"
"Yes and No Mr. Potter. Returning is going to bring troubles as usual and I only hope they are small student related problems."
"Come let's get the 'floe' to Kings Cross before we get troubles by missing the train."
"That's another thing, how did you get to be the teacher on the train this year?"
"If I was a mind reader or a seer I could tell you what and why. Just look at the disaster that almost happened this summer."
"Which one there were a few."
"Lora didn't you see in the papers about Hermione and Ron getting married."
"Oh you mean the almost marriage and the Aurors being called in to undo the wedding ceremony?"
"Yes that was a disaster in the making from the very start. They were never compatible and most of the time was spent arguing on the edge of throwing curses at each other."
"Well it might teach Molly that it's the brides wedding and not Molly's to totally arrange."
"Naw, I think it was Ron ordering Hermione to be a stay at home mom and that she couldn't go to Uni."
"Well I'm glad we were not there as with what Hermione did with the orchestra's instruments' after Molly's opening salvo and the food chasing after Ron it must have been a right mess."
"But wouldn't it have been fun to watch food attack Ron and not Ron attacking the food?"
/Scene Break/
The train ride was uneventful as was the carriage ride. The welcoming feast was fairly standard with Flitwick as temporary Headmaster and an Alex MacAndrews as the new transfiguration teacher. Flitwick was going to try and do both headmaster and Charms professor jobs with Professor Sinatra as his assistant.
Things were actually too quiet but Flitwick had made it clear in words and actions that trouble would be severely punished.
November arrived and it was Hogsmeade Village weekend starting in the morning.
"So Lora my love were shall we go? I have no duties this weekend so I am at your disposal."
"Well I am surprised that they are allowing a Hogsmeade weekend after the last disaster."
"It should be safe as they have over a hundred Aurors on duty in the Village for the entire weekend."
"Well that leaves out Diagon Alley. With all their resources in Hogsmeade Diagon Alley will be prime for a Voldemort attack."
"Well let's fake out the whole world and go to Godric's Hollow. I hear they have a quaint pub and a few magical shops. If it's too boring we can hit London and hit the fast food places."
"Actually why don't we do both? Tomorrow Godric's Hollow and Sunday junk food heaven."
/Scene Break/
It is possible that some one overheard us ask what the pub in Godric's Hollow was named or when we called its name and entered the 'floe' we used to leave the Castle, the 'floe' was in the Hospital wing. The meal was great but the reception waiting outside looked like a Deatheater convention. The idiots left me a few minutes and I called in the weather. The town square was full of Deatheaters one second the next my wind tunnel hit. The wind tunnel sucked them up and hurling them hundreds of feet into the air. For awhile it rained Deatheaters in the community of Godric's Hollow. There may have been a few who 'apperated' away but falling would normally caused Splinching. Some may have used their portkeys but portkeys had a factor of the speed you were going when you activated the port-key to the arrival speed. The ground was littered with bodies and body pieces. None were moving.
Lora and I ventured out with other town people to observe, help or just to gawk, we weren't sure but we wondered around. In my looking for any dangers or whatever I fell behind Lora who was now about ten feet ahead of me. Without warning Voldemort appeared about twenty feet in front of Lora shouting "Avada Kedavra". The curse was not aimed at me but at Lora. The Dark Lord was laughing insanely.
Panic almost took total control of me as there was no blocking that curse and Lora was not moving it was as if we were both frozen in time. It's funny how time seems to slow down as your brain speeds up. What could I do? There was only one thing and that was to swallow the killing curse, I had seen Dumbledore's phoenix do that before. Eating that curse would at the best send me into a burning day but maybe Lora could have time to run. As I was transforming I was almost laughing "but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not..." What it should have read was "the power that Harry knows not..." The old fart Dumbledore never said a phoenix had anything other than healing tears and healing Voldemort was not on my mind. I flashed in front of Lora and opened my beak wide to swallow what was probably my last meal. The idea that neither Dumbledore nor Fawkes told me much about being a phoenix made me made mad in the last mille-seconds and I let out a…squawk…or maybe it was only an anguish cry to say I hate you all.
The Screech for a better word left my beak more like a powerful high-pitched sonic wave. The killing curse seemed to melt and Voldemort did just that and then turned into steam and was no more. The derelict house behind Voldemort exploded when the sound hit it. Transforming I grabbed Lora or she grabbed me for a second it was a 'is this real' moment.
Oh we though that it was finally over when more weirdness happened. Suddenly things that looked like dark smoke appeared and circled where Voldemort was last standing. The kept circling until they seem to just evaporate into nothing.
"Lora do you have any idea what just happened or was all this a weird dream?"
"Well if it's a dream there are a few others that are joining in to…" Dozens of town people had seen what had happened and were milling around. Aurors started arriving by the dozens.
"I think you may have set off Mafalda Hopkirk's underage magic monitor" Lora laughed which sounded like the best sound I had ever heard.
That's when the peaceful life I lead came to an abrupt halt. There were so many witnesses that I didn't have to tell my story, twenty different versions leaped out and at an astounding speed crossed the isle.
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(Note: I have this nasty idea for a weird twist. So this is not an Epilogue. I just wondered how much I could or would take before I said "I just don't care". More chapters are following.)
Voldemort left his immortal life and Harry taught DADA for two years at Hogwarts. He was attempting to hide and stay out of all the glory that everyone wanted to heap on him. That of course couldn't last and Harry was elected Minister of Magic. The Ministry had never had a worst time in their history as Harry Potter started cleaning. For thirty years Harry reigned, cleaning out corruption, bribery and nepotism. The average person was happy with Harry but finally let him pop away to his longing for oblivion and retirement.
Harry enjoyed his four-year break but the people revolted. They fired the corrupt Minister and demanded Harry's return. Favors and bribes again disappeared under Harry's leadership. At Eighty-five years of age Harry demanded release and finally quit against stiff opposition to his retirement. This time he disappeared with his wife Lora but around this time it appeared that Harry Potter had a drastic change in thinking. Some said that he went around the bend mentally others said he had just gotten too old. No one could find Harry Potter so the stories raged on as usual.
"Lora my love this is the life. Our children are happy and their children are enjoying our island in the sun." Their grandkids were indeed playing on the beach under their grandparent's watchful eye.
"What are you enjoying you old fart? All you're doing is sitting around doing nothing."
"Ah! That's the point, its quiet while I sit around watching the children. There are no Dark Lords, Ministry problems or teaching duties."
What I really meant is that I am feeling sorry for myself as I watch Cleo wing her way in to make a delivery. Cleo was Hedwig's daughter and a beautiful snowy white owl like her mother. Hedwig succumb to old age like Lea had and I am doing. Tiger disappeared and while everyone had an opinion I thought she had found her pixie mate. Yes I had my children and beautiful wife but look what I never had or got to enjoy. Did I have a child hood of happy memories? Then there were my happy days at Hogwarts from the Stone to the Chamber of Secrets. Fighting year after year with no time for my godfather nor all the time I never got to spend with my friends that were killed. Then the Minister's job and all those long hours, where was my time for me and mine? Always doing what other people wanted or needed of me and my time. The dream of having my childhood sweetheart and I running bare foot down the beach untill we fell laughing into the surf was again interrupted by Cleo's arrival.
Cleo had two letters and the Dailey Profit. I just shook my head at the headlines. The Magical community had a new Dark Lord and the public was screaming for me to return and save the day.
"I am happy my love, just think, you and I and years of quiet, travel and enjoyment. I love you Lora."
At that moment Harry Potter disappeared.