Chapter 3 – New Lessons, New Teachers, New Security.
When the six of them got down to breakfast in the morning, Malfoy was telling the Slytherin table about Harry passing out. Hermione told Harry to ignore it and Harry responded, "I know, he's just 'playing the part'."
This caused Ron to look at him with a mixture of outrage and concern. "You're getting better Harry, your senses are improving." Mel said with praise.
"You mean you're learning to be a Jedi?" Ginny asked with interest, Harry nodded with a smile.
"So you're saying that that Jax guy is right and Malfoy really doesn't want to act like a prat?" Ron asked as they sat down with Fred and George.
"Mhmm," Harry answered as he munched on some toast.
"New third-year timetables," George announced as he passed them out to the other six Gryffindors.
"What did you pick Ginny?" Andrew asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and I thought of trying Arithmancy, but Professor McGonagall told me I'd have to take either that or Divination, because the classes are nearly always at the same time." Ginny answered.
"You didn't think about Muggle Studies?" Andrew teased.
"No way!" she exclaimed. "I love my Dad but he can be embarrassing at times, and he took Muggle Studies, he tried suggesting it to me. Muggles are interesting but I think I know all I need to."
Just then Ron pointed out that Hermione's timetable was just insane because she would have to be taking three classes at the same time pretty much every day.
"Easily explained, Hermione, I didn't know you'd met The Doctor," Andrew joked, Mel groaned and Harry and Hermione laughed, while the Weasleys looked confused.
"He's talking about Doctor Who, it's a science fiction show about a Timelord and his time machine," Harry explained in simple terms while Andrew hummed the theme tune, whistling in certain parts. "My uncle and cousin watch it from time to time." Harry added.
Andrew suddenly stopped humming and whistling, diving into his bag and pulling out a sheet of parchment, he started to draw on it. When the others gave him a confused look, Mel explained. "He's just gotten an idea for a new invention," she said simply.
Andrew ate while he drew, by the time they had to leave for their first lesson, Andrew had a picture of a small cube with a few dials and switches on it, and the title read "The T.A.R.D.I.S Cube".
"So what's the idea?" Ron asked as they climbed the stairs in the Entrance Hall.
"Well, The Doctor's ship was called The T.A.R.D.I.S, Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It was always larger on the inside than on the outside." Andrew explained.
"Like a Capaxo Charm?" Ginny asked.
"Thank you!" Andrew exclaimed while hugging her.
"For what?" Mel asked, confused.
"I now know what spell to power the cube with," Andrew answered as they got to the Grand Staircase, they looked at him in confusion and he explained. "The idea, is to adapt a wizarding spell, into Muggle technology."
At this, Ron and Ginny looked a little worried, but Hermione asked, "So how would it work?" Andrew simply answered that he was still going to work on that and they carried on towards Divination.
Ten minutes later, they were all panting for breath. "Don't ... you ... know … the way?" Mel asked as they climbed their seventh staircase.
"Never … been … this way … before!" Andrew gasped.
"There's … got … to be … a shortcut!" Ron growled.
They stopped to catch their breath by a painting of a bare stretch of grass. "I think it's this way," said Hermione, pointing down an empty corridor.
"Can't be, that's south," answered Mel.
"She's right, I can see the lake out that window," added Ginny, pointing.
At that point, someone started shouting at them. "Aha! What villains are these that trespass on my private lands!" it was the portrait, a Knight had come into frame, chasing his horse.
"Oh thank heaven's," Andrew cried. "We're saved!"
At this, the Knight was a little confused. Mel explained that they were lost and were looking for the North Tower.
"A quest!" the Knight proclaimed, suddenly very cheerful. "Come, follow me my dear friends, we shall find our goal, or else perish bravely in the charge!" At those words, he attempted to mount his rather fat horse, and failed. "On foot then, good sirs and gentle ladies! On! On!"
And with that, he ran off the left side of the frame, the six Gryffindors ran too, following the sound of his clanking armour. After ten minutes of flat-out running, some of which on a dizzying spiral staircase, they made it to their classroom.
"Farewell!" cried the Knight, popping his head into the last picture he could get into. "Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!"
"From one Knight to another, thank you!" Andrew called back.
"You're not a Knight yet, Andrew" Mel scolded lightly.
"Can't be long now, Mel. How long do Padawans normally wait, after their first solo mission, before they get to take the trials?"
Mel conceded that Andrew had a point and they joined the other students, wondering how they could get into class, when the door was in the ceiling.
Just as Harry voiced the same question, the trapdoor opened and a ladder slid gracefully down to the landing that they were standing on.
"After you," Ron said with a grin, Harry started climbing, followed closely by Ginny.
When everyone was in the 'classroom' a few were thinking that it didn't look like much of a classroom, more a mixture of an attic and a teashop. Instead of desks, there were little round tables. Instead of the usual chairs or stools, there were armchairs and little pouffes. The whole place was lit with a dim red light, like that of a Sith's blade, the windows were closed and the lamps were coated with red scarves.
With the closed windows and the multiple lamps and the filled fireplace, the place was extremely warm, the fireplace itself was emitting a very strong perfume which made a few of the students slightly light-headed. "Where is she?" Ron asked as the class looked around.
"(Behind us,)" Andrew answered.
"Welcome," said a soft voice in the shadows, making the vast majority of the class jump in fright. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."
Their teacher stepped into the firelight, revealing herself to be very thin, and wearing glasses which magnified her eyes to look larger than what could possibly fit on her face. She was wearing a gauzy shawl, a multitude of chains and beads around her neck and many bangles and rings around her arms and fingers.
"Sit, my children, sit," She said, spurring the students to climb awkwardly into armchairs or onto pouffes. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Andrew, Mel and Ginny all took a table to themselves. The Jedi opted for a lotus position on each of their pouffes, since they so much resembled what they used back at the Jedi Temple for meditation.
"Welcome to Divination," said the Professor as she sat by the fire. "My name, is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school, clouds my Inner Eye."
The class remained quiet as she readjusted her shawl and carried on. "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset, that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can only take you so far in this field."
"(Uh oh,)" Ginny thought to the others, Andrew, Harry, Ron, and Mel joining her in looking at Hermione, who did not look pleased with this news.
Trelawney went on to make a prediction that Neville's Grandmother was soon to fall ill, tell them that they would study tea leaves for the first term and warn Parvati Patil to beware the red haired man, which caused her to inch her chair away from Ron.
She predicted that once they moved onto crystal balls, their classes would be disrupted by flu and that in Easter, one of the class would be leaving forever.
"I'm starting to think my reasoning for joining this class was a waste of time," Mel muttered.
"You wanted to learn to call on visions too?" Andrew asked, she nodded.
Lavender Brown was then called to pass Trelawney the largest teapot, during which she was told that something she was dreading would happen in October. Then the class was told to divide into pairs, she would pour each person a cup of tea, they were to drink it and then read the leaves. As Neville made to stand up, the Professor caught him by his wrist.
"After you have broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink."
"Harsh much?" Andrew asked as he stood up, not relishing the thought of drinking tea when he was a mint drinker.
"I thought of that dear," Professor Trelawney said, pouring his cup from a smaller pot, Andrew cautiously sniffed his tea and was pleasantly surprised to catch the scent of mint. "No sugar though, it will disrupt the leaves."
Sure enough, right behind him, there was a tinkle of china and Andrew spun, hovering his filled cup in the air with the Force, as he fell to one knee and caught Neville's cup just before it hit the ground.
"Here you go Nev," Andrew said as he straightened up and passed the cup back to Neville.
Back at their table, Harry was paired with Ron, Hermione with Ginny, and Andrew with Mel. They drank quickly, swilled the dregs three times with the left hand, turned their cups onto their saucers and waited for the last of the tea to drain, before swapping saucers.
They turned their copies of 'Unfogging The Future' to pages five and six, and attempted to read the leaves.
"So, what can you see in mine?" Mel asked, scrutinising Andrew's leaves.
"Well," Mel started, "I see an acorn, and what might be a sun." she checked her book. "The acorn means 'a windfall or unexpected gold', and the sun means 'great happiness'."
"So I'm going to get lucky in finding something, and it'll make me happy." Andrew suggested.
Before Andrew could read Mel's leaves, Trelawney swept over and snatched Harry's saucer from Ron's hand and proceeded to read from it, stating she could see the Falcon, a deadly enemy (which caused Hermione to snap that everyone knew about Voldemort, not that she used his name), the club which meant an attack, the skull, danger in Harry's path and then she screamed and caused Neville to smash his cup.
"My dear," Trelawney said, over-dramatically, "you have, The Grim."
"The what?" a few people asked at once, everyone else just gasping and clapping their hands to their mouths.
"The Grim, my dear, The Grim!" Trelawney cried. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen, the worst omen, of death!"
At this, Harry, Andrew and Mel looked at each other, Mel kicking herself for what she said in Diagon Alley and the other two vividly remembering the dog on Mongolia Crescent.
Hermione took a moment to look at Harry's cup before pointing out that she didn't think it looked like a Grim. This caused Professor Trelawney to give out a strong impression that she didn't think Hermione would do well in her class, before she called an end to the lesson there and ask the children to pack away their things. Before they left she added to Neville that he would be late to the next lesson and asked him to work hard to catch up.
Their next lesson was in Transfiguration, and even though they had left Divination early, they only just got to class in time. Harry and his friends opted to sit at the back of the class, Harry wanted to avoid all the stares he had been getting ever since Trelawney had pronounced that he would die, but the rest of the class kept looking back at him, as if they expected him to seize up and drop dead.
Professor McGonagall was trying to teach a lesson on Animagi, witches and wizards who could change themselves into animals and back, she demonstrated by turning herself into a cat and back again, frowning a little when nobody applauded.
That was then Hermione put her hand up and explained that they had just come from Divination.
"Ah of course, and which one of you will by dying this year?" McGonagall asked, Harry said it was him and she explained to her class that predicting someone's death was how Trelawney greeted a new class, after which, she got on with the lesson.
She was quickly interrupted by Andrew holding up his hand with a question.
"Yes, Mr Payne?"
"I was just wondering Professor, how does one become an Animagi? Is it a born gift or something you practise?"
Strangely enough, McGonagall smiled. "Well for starters, 'Animagi' is the plural, the singular is 'Animagus'," she explained. "Secondly, a witch or wizard wishing to take on an Animagus form must first drink a potion which can take months to even complete."
She went on to explain how one must hold a Mandrake leaf in their mouth for a full month, without removing it to eat or sleep. Then they had to place the leaf in a phial, under the rays of a full moon. If they succeeded in getting that far, they then had to add some dew which had been undisturbed for a full week and keep their potion out of sight of the sun until the next lightning storm. At this point they drink their potion while using the incantation 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. From that point they could then start to make their transformation attempts.
"So how do you find out what form you take?" Seamus asked.
"That is what the potion is for, it gives the drinker a vision of what animal, or in some cases animals, they can transform into." McGonagall answered.
"I imagine some animals are more difficult to transform into than others," Andrew mused aloud.
"You would be correct Mr Payne," McGonagall replied. "For instance, changing into a quadruped, or a four legged animal, is easier than transforming into an animal with wings."
"How come Professor?" asked Dean.
"Because a dog or a cat has four limbs, like humans, but birds have wings which is an entirely different skeletal structure," Hermione answered, earning herself ten points for Gryffindor.
McGonagall then explained that if anyone were considering experimentation that they should come and see her, as it was stupid and dangerous to try alone and besides, once a person became an Animagus, they had to register with the Ministry of Magic by law.
After the lesson was over, Harry being told that if he happened to die then he was exempt from handing his homework in, the six of them made their way to the Great Hall for lunch, during which Ron and Hermione had an argument over Harry's Grim.
"Listen you two," Andrew snapped eventually. "If, if someone or something comes to claim Harry's life, it's gotta go through me and Mel, Harry's not going anywhere except over our dead bodies!"
Thankfully this succeeded in stopping the argument before it got any further.
"Mind you, Divination is looking to be a total waste of time," Andrew pointed out, explaining that he had hoped the teacher could help him call upon a meditation vision, rather than just getting them randomly and being so shocked by the fact, that he rarely caught everything that the vision was trying to tell him.
"To be honest, my Arithmancy lesson was far more interesting," Hermione answered, pointing out that she was considering just dropping Divination to free up more time. Before anyone could reply to this, she got up and walked away.
"What is she talking about?" Ron asked. "She's been with us all morning, how could she get to an Arithmancy class?"
After lunch, the other five joined Hermione at the main doors and started walking down to Hagrid's hut for their first ever Care of Magical Creatures lesson. "Oh joy," Ginny pointed out. "We're taking this class with the Slytherins."
As soon as the entire class was assembled, Hagrid led them part-ways around the forest to an empty paddock.
"Everyone gather round the fence here!" he called. "That's it, make sure you can see, Now firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books..."
"How?" interrupted Malfoy.
"Eh?" asked Hagrid.
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated as he and the rest of the class took out their copies of 'The Monster Book of Monsters' each clamped shut in one way or another.
"Hasn' … hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" Hagrid asked as he looked around the class, everyone shook their heads in reply.
He demonstrated that the way to open the books was to stroke the spine.
"Oh yes, stroke them," Malfoy said scornfully, earning a clip around the back of his head from Jax.
After Hagrid left to fetch some Magical Creatures, one of the Slytherins, Earon McCarthy spoke up.
"That oaf teaching classes, just wait until you tell your father eh Draco?"
"I'm not telling him," Malfoy answered, "you tell yours!"
Suddenly some of the girls ooo'd in amazement. Trotting in from the other side of the paddock were beasts that looked to be half eagle and half horse.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid proclaimed "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
"Gorgeous is more like it!" exclaimed Mel as she stepped closer.
After the class got over the initial shock and stepped closer to the fence, Hagrid began. "Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is they're proud. Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
Crabbe, Goyle and McCarthy were too busy, trying to figure out how to disrupt the lesson, to listen to Hagrid. "Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," he continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk towards him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed to touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right, who wants ter go first?"
While the whole class stepped back, Harry and the Jedi all said they would at the same time.
"Great!" roared Hagrid, "Right then, Harry you go with Buckbeak, Andrew you go with Fleetwing and Mel, you get Stormswift."
Hagrid then unchained three of the Hippogriffs and led them over, removing their leather collars and giving the three of them instructions.
"Easy now, you three, yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink, Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much."
By this point, the three Hippogriffs were glaring at their respective student, "Tha's it," Hagrid said softly, "tha's it, now, bow.."
Remembering 'The Karate Kid', Andrew heard Mr Miyagi in his head "Look eye, always looka eye!" he slowly bowed to Fleetwing, making sure to crane his head back to keep his eye contact.
To his relief, Fleetwing bowed to him instantly, Andrew glanced to his right, to see Mel still bowing low, having broken eye contact, and then to his left to see Harry straighten up.
Harry was told by Hagrid to back off, before Buckbeak bowed too, and Mel stayed bowed until she sensed Stormswift bow to her.
"Well done!" Hagrid shouted ecstatically. "Right, yeh can touch 'em now, go pat their beaks, go on!"
Andrew stepped forward slowly, remembering another film he had seen. He reached out his right hand, hovering it just out of reach of Fleetwing's beak. Fleetwing paused for a moment, before closing his eyes and pressing his beak into Andrew's outstretched hand.
Hagrid then got Harry and Andrew to ride their Hippogriff, but Mel declined. "I'm happy to fly but never in the pilot's seat!" she said firmly, backing away hastily.
Harry didn't enjoy his flight, but Andrew actually coaxed Fleetwing to take a few extra turns around the paddock, loving every second of it.
After seeing their success, the rest of the class had a go, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had Fleetwing, Malfoy and Jax had Stormswift, and McCarthy, Crabbe and Goyle had Buckbeak.
Buckbeak bowed to McCarthy, who deliberately insulted the Hippogriff by calling him a 'great ugly brute' and was consequently slashed by one of Buckbeak's talons. Sure enough, with Hagrid running McCarthy up to hospital, the class was ended.
Andrew and Mel gently led all the Hippogriffs back to their collars and then joined the rest of the class as they walked up to the castle.
"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, trust a Slytherin to mess things up," Ron said angrily.
"Should we take offence to that Draco?" Jax asked innocently.
"Probably not, the whole house has been plotting something to get him sacked the second Dumbledore announced it," Draco answered with slumped shoulders.
"Oh I'm amazed," Ginny snapped sarcastically.
Malfoy muttered something and slipped passed the Gryffindors to get into the Great Hall.
"You're not going to see if he's alright?" Harry asked.
"Why should I? It was his own stupid fault!" Malfoy answered before walking away.
Worryingly enough, Hagrid never showed up at dinner, causing many who were in his class to worry that maybe he had been sacked. Later, while the six of them were in their common room, they were trying to do their homework for McGonagall, but kept looking out the tower window.
"His light's on," Mel pointed out.
"Let's go down and see him," Harry suggested as he put down his quill.
"It's still early enough," admitted Ginny, looking at the clock, "it's not time for curfew yet."
Hermione gave Harry a pointed look. "Oh come on, Hermione, I'm allowed to walk across the grounds, Sirius Black hasn't gotten past the Dementors here, has he?" Harry said, exasperatedly. "Besides, Andrew and Mel won't let me go anywhere alone, right?"
Harry was looking to the Jedi now and they nodded. "Fetch your lightsaber first, just to be safe." Andrew told him, unlike himself, Mel or Jax, Harry wasn't a part of the order, and therefore wasn't permitted to carry his weapon around during lessons.
While Harry ran to his dormitory, the others packed their things away, when he got back they all left through the portrait hole, Andrew taking the lead and Mel bringing up the rear. When they got to Hagrid's hut, they knocked and Hagrid let them in.
One look at Hagrid and they could all tell he'd been drinking, a lot. "'Spect it's a record," he said with a slur, once he recognised who was there. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who on'y lasted a day before."
"You haven't been sacked, Hagrid!" the girls gasped or, in Ginny's case, cried.
"Not yet," Hagrid answered miserably, taking another gulp of whatever was in his bucket of a tankard. "But 'sonly a matter o' time, i'n't it, after McCarthy..."
"How is he?" Ron asked as they all sat down two to a chair.
"Wasn't serious was it?" Ginny added.
"Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," Hagrid said dully.
"I bet he's milking it," Harry growled, remembering how the matron had regrown the bones in his arm last year.
"School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," Hagrid went on, having not heard Harry. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left Hippogriffs fer later … done Flobberworms or summat … jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson … s'all my fault..."
Andrew bit back the thought that Hagrid's line of thinking would mean he'd have to keep the lessons just as interesting which would have been inevitably dangerous. Meanwhile Hermione said firmly that it was McCarthy's fault and Harry added that the six of them were witnesses.
"Yes, don't worry, Hagrid, just call us if you need witnesses." Mel said while patting Hagrid's elbow.
At that point, Hagrid started to cry and pulled everyone he could reach into a bone-breaking hug, only Hermione, Andrew and Mel managed to dodge.
"I think you've had enough to drink Hagrid," said Hermione as Mel levitated the mug outside to tip it out.
"Ar, maybe yer right," answered Hagrid as he released Harry, Ron and Ginny, all of whom rubbed their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his seat and stumbled outside, from which direction they all heard a splash.
"What's he done?" asked Harry, nervously.
Andrew got up and looked out the window. "He's stuck his head in a water barrel."
Hagrid came back in, shaking water out of his hair and beard and drenching them all. "That's better. Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really.." at that point he seemed to realise that Harry was there and exploded, shouting at Harry for wondering around after dark and at the others for letting him.
"OI!" Andrew bellowed back, causing Hagrid to be stunned silent. "I'm guessing you're not aware of mine and Mel's assignment."
Hagrid put his clenched fists on his hips and Mel continued. "We've been assigned as Harry's bodyguards, he's safe while we're with him."
"Right, like Sirius Black's gonna be stopped by a couple fir'een year-olds," Hagrid answered.
"Actually I'm still twelve, my birthday isn't for another fortnight," Andrew responded dryly, "point is, he's never gone against Jedi before, so just cool it, okay?"
"If you feel it's necessary to escort us back up to the castle," Mel said soothingly, "by all means do so, but please allow me and Andrew to do our jobs."
"Alrigh'," Hagrid answered, "but still, don' be comin' down 'ere after dark, it's not safe righ' now and I'm not worth tha risk."
McCarthy didn't show up for lessons until late on Thursday afternoon, in the middle of potions class. Pansy asked if he was still hurting and, to his credit, he made a good show of it. Eventually Snape called for the class to settle down, much to the annoyance of the Gryffindors.
They were making something new today, a Shrinking Solution, McCarthy had chosen to set his cauldron up next to Ron and Andrew, Harry was working with Ron and Andrew was to work by himself, using the Force as his partner.
"Sir?" McCarthy called. "Sir, I'll need some help cutting up my daisy roots, because of my arm."
"Payne, cut McCarthy's roots for him," Snape said, not looking up.
"No," Andrew replied, carrying on with his work, and causing the class to let out a collective gasp.
"Excuse me?" Snape said in a dangerous voice.
"Why should I? If he'd been paying attention in class he wouldn't be wounded." Andrew answered, looking up at Snape coldly, not even sparing McCarthy a glance. "I've no sympathy for stupidity and I am not helping him!"
Before Snape could explode, Jax chipped in from the row in front, "McCarthy, ask one of your friends to help you," he said lazily, tapping the hilt of his lightsaber. "Before somebody gets hurt."
McCarthy noticed the sadistic grin on Jax's face and went very pale, before moving his cauldron to the other side of the room and begging Blaise Zabini to help him. Blaise rolled his eyes and did so.
"Thanks," Andrew muttered, "you saved me from having to do that."
"Oh well in that case, I apologise," Jax replied casually, grinning slightly. "I'd have paid good money to watch you lose your temper."
Malfoy, on Jax's left, choked and started to laugh.
"Okay, har har, very funny. Can we get on with work now?" Mel asked haughtily.
A few moments later, Malfoy spoke up, quietly. "I have some bad news."
"What?" answered Jax, timing his potion while it stewed.
"I got a letter from home, Father's furious."
"What for?" ask Andrew, he too was stewing, in more ways than one.
"For me not telling him about McCarthy's injury, he's told me the 'good news' though, he's planning to personally see to it that Hagrid is sacked."
"Guess McCarthy decided to tell your daddy for you," Ron spat.
"Not likely, he might be milking it, but I doubt he can write much with that hand," answered Ginny, who was standing in front of Harry and working with Draco.
"It was Pansy," Malfoy clarified, spitting out her name as though it tasted foul.
"Oh yeah, I remember now, she's betrothed to you but digs him," Jax answered.
Malfoy shuddered. "Can we get off this topic quick?"
"So what's your father up to this time?" Mel asked.
"Oh he's complained to the school governors and the Ministry of Magic," Malfoy growled.
"The question then is simple," said Andrew, leaning on his desk. "Can we count on you to be a witness?"
Before Malfoy could answer, Snape drew everyone's attention to Neville's potion, which was..
"Orange, Longbottom." he said, splashing some of Neville's potion with a ladle. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours?"
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, Snape!" Andrew said, losing his temper and reaching for his lightsaber.
"You dare to speak that way to a teacher, Payne?" Snape answered coldly, eyeing the lightsaber.
"No, I dare to speak that way to a bully! You have no right to be a teacher with that attitude!"
Trying to be diplomatic, Hermione offered to help Neville. "I don't recall asking you to show off, Miss Granger!" Snape snapped.
"Then I will, I've finished my potion anyway!" Andrew snapped back, shoving Snape out of the way and standing next to Neville.
"Touch one of his ingredients and I will have you expelled, Payne!" at those words, Andrew had had enough.
There was the hiss of an igniting lightsaber, and the room was bathed in its blue light. Andrew pointed his blade at Snape's chest. "Want to threaten me again Professor?" causing Snape to draw his wand.
Jax and Mel looked at each other and then jumped in, Mel getting in front of Andrew and Jax blocking Snape's view.
"Enough is enough," Mel said calmly.
"Professor, even you don't want this to go any further, so just drop it." Jax said, trying, and hurting himself in the process, to be diplomatic. "Just let Payne save Longbottom's hide and call it a day?"
Snape and Andrew glared at each other, over Mel's and Jax's shoulders. Andrew then took a calming breath and deactivated his lightsaber, putting it away as Snape did the same with his wand.
Andrew then proceeded to lean, casually, on the desk next to Neville and ask him what he thought should be done next. Whenever Neville said something that would make it worse, Andrew calmly suggested the right option and by the end of the class, Neville's potion looked the same as everyone else's.
"Now, let's see how good a teacher Payne is, shall we?" Snape said cruelly. He ordered Neville to hand over his toad, Snape took a sample of Neville's potion and announced "If this is a Shrinking Solution, Longbottom's toad will shrink to the size of a tadpole." This caused most of the Slytherins to snigger.
"If, as I have no doubt, this is not a Shrinking Solution, this toad will most likely be poisoned."
"Oh and I'm sure you've just run out of antidotes," Andrew spat.
Snape ignored him and used a spoon to trickle a few drops down Trevor's throat. He gulped, shrank to the size of a tadpole, and Snape applied the antidote to return him to full size.
"Five points from Gryffindor! Class dismissed!" Snape shouted.
Suddenly, Mel was seething and lightning was crackling around her fingers. Before she let loose however, Jax took her hand, wincing from the shock, and pulled her from the classroom.
Outside, she was leaning on a wall and panting. "I'm sorry … I don't know what came over me."
"I think I do," Jax answered, "it's your experiences from last year. The Dark Side has a small hold on you." Mel listened to this and started to cry. "If you like, I can help."
"How exactly? By training her as a Sith?" Andrew answered, not liking the idea of losing Mel to the Dark Side.
"No, by teaching her control, you think I find it easy to act the way I do?" Mel shook her head. "Exactly, I don't. Meet me by the lake on Saturday, I'll help you learn my level of control." Jax said, turning on his heel and leaving.
"Five points off for getting it RIGHT!" Ron shouted the last part back towards the classroom "It's not fair! What do you think Hermi… where'd she go?"
They all looked around and noticed that Hermione was gone. Then Ginny noticed her, running up the stairs and tucking something into the front of her robes.
After Ron tried to make sense of her apparently jumping from one place to another, Hermione's bag splitting and Ron complaining that she was carrying books for lessons they just didn't have that day, Andrew and Mel were a little suspicious.
"(There's something you're not telling us Hermione,)" Andrew said to her, making sure only she and Mel could hear.
"(We're supposed to be protecting you as well you know,)" Mel added.
"(I'm sorry, but I can't explain, Professor McGonagall's orders,)" Hermione answered.
"(Fair enough, I'll take it up with her later,)" Andrew said and they moved on to lunch.
When they later got to the Defence Against The Dark Arts classroom, Professor Lupin wasn't there. After taking seats, getting out their things, and starting a few conversations, he showed up. "Good afternoon, if you would kindly put your books away, today's will be a practical lesson, you will only need your wands."
Andrew and Mel exchanged worried looks as they recalled their first lesson last year, where Lockhart had brought a cage of Pixies to class and let them loose. That had been the only practical lesson they had ever had in this classroom.
Glancing across the room, Harry noticed Jax rolling his eyes, the Slytherins hadn't been sharing this class with them before but word of Lockhart and the Pixies spread around school quickly.
"Right then," Lupin said, once everyone was ready. "If you'd all follow me."
With that, he turned around and led everyone into the corridor, once they rounded he corner, they saw Peeves, floating upside-down and stuffing a keyhole with chewing gum. When he noticed the class he cackled and started singing "Looney, Loopy, Lupin!" over and over. Lupin calmly smiled and advised Peeves to remove the gum, but he just got a raspberry blown in response.
Andrew stepped forward and growled. "Peeves, I've pointed my lightsaber at Professor Snape this morning, don't test me!"
Before Peeves could process this, Lupin sighed and pulled out his wand, he placed a hand on Andrew's shoulder to pull him gently back and told the class. "This is a useful spell, please watch closely," he held his wand at shoulder height, pointed it at Peeves and called "Waddiwasi!" causing the wad of chewing gum to shoot out of the keyhole and into Peeves' mouth, he choked and flew off, spluttering and cursing.
"Wow, now that was cool!" Dean exclaimed.
"Thank you Dean," Lupin said, putting his wand away. "Shall we proceed?"
They set off again, the class looking at Lupin with increasing respect, and were led right to the door to the staff room. "Inside please?" said Lupin, holding the door open for them.
Inside, they found Processor Snape, he looked up from his book, saw Andrew and they shared a look of pure hatred. Once Lupin came in he made to close the door, but Snape spoke up, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." Snape said, standing up and sweeping over to the door.
When he got to the door he paused. "Perhaps nobody has warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom, I wouldn't entrust him with anything difficult.."
Andrew and Mel let out identical growls and reached for their weapons, causing Snape to rethink his words and excuse himself.
"Well, that's a shame, I was hoping Neville would help me with the first stage of the operation, don't worry Neville, I'm sure you'll perform admirably." said Lupin, causing Neville to turn scarlet.
"Now then," Lupin continued, brushing passed his class and striding towards a wardrobe at the far end of the staff room, as he approached, the wardrobe wobbled and banged against the wall behind it.
"Nothing to worry about," Lupin told the class calmly. "There's a Boggart in there." This caused most of the students to react with fear.
"I'm sorry, a what?" Andrew asked.
"Not to worry, I shall explain. Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces." Professor Lupin explained. "Wardrobes, the gap under beds, the cupboard under the sink … I once met one that had crammed itself into a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday, and I asked the Headmaster if it could be left alone for my third-years to practise on."
"So you mean to tell us," Jax spoke up. "That when Muggle children go running to their parents screaming about 'monsters' under their beds … it's that thing?"
"Yes as a matter of fact, ten points to Slytherin." answered Professor Lupin. "So therefore the first question we should ask ourselves, is 'What is a Boggart'?" Hermione put up her hand and Lupin nodded to her.
"It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the form of whatever it thinks we fear most."
"I couldn't have put it better myself," answered Lupin, making Hermione beam. "So the Boggart within hasn't yet assumed a form. He doesn't know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us fears most."
"In that case Sir," Andrew started, putting up his hand. "Do you mind if I go first?"
"For what reason?" Lupin asked.
"Curiosity really. We Jedi are trained not to fear, to be honest I have no idea what my fear is, it'll be interesting to find out." Andrew explained.
Lupin considered this for a moment, then motioned him forward. When Andrew got close enough, Lupin whispered in his ear "If you can, think of a way to make your fear comical, then point your wand and say 'riddikulus'."
Andrew nodded and took his place before the wardrobe, Lupin pointed his wand at the doorknob and it opened.
What stepped out looked a lot like Andrew, only his hair was longer, shabbier, and he had no braid. Jax mocked, "What? You're afraid of yourself?"
But Andrew wasn't listening, his eyes were locked on his doppelgänger's belt. Clipped there, were the unmistakable lightsabers of Master Jarod Cooper, Master Dela Balo, Mel, Jax, and two others Andrew didn't recognise.
The Slytherin students in the class were all laughing now, until the Boggart opened his eyes. 'Andrew's' eyes, were yellow, not green, he bared his teeth and drew the two weapons Andrew didn't recognise. Once ignited, they were revealed to be Sith blades.
Reacting fast, Andrew drew his blade, just in time to raise it into a defensive position and block the sabers trying to sever his head. Sith Andrew had let out a blood curdling scream as he shot across the room. The two of them traded blows, neither getting the upper hand, until the remaining weapons on Sith Andrew's belt hovered into the air, and ignited. Andrew flipped over his opponent as Mel and Jax dived in, the three of them fighting off seven blades at once.
"Everyone, quickly, point your wands and shout 'Stupefy'!" Lupin shouted. While Jax and Mel held Sith Andrew's arms wide, Andrew himself tried to reign in the other five blades as the entire class stunned the Boggart and forced him back into the wardrobe.
Andrew fell to the floor, gasping for breath from a mixture of fear and exertion. "Are you alright?" Lupin asked him, helping his student to one of the chairs.
"Yeah," Andrew gasped. "At least, I will be."
"Interesting, the only thing you fear, is yourself." Lupin said.
"I think I'll need to sit this one out, Professor." Andrew gasped quickly, in one breath, sagging back into the chair.
"I quite agree, I've never seen a Boggart take such a violent form."
Leaving Mel and Jax to help Andrew calm down, Jax not helping much since he was too impressed at how powerful Andrew would be if he turned to the Dark Side, Lupin continued with the lesson.
"Now, that little drama aside. We have just demonstrated one huge advantage we have over this Boggart, have you spotted it Harry?" Lupin asked.
Harry thought about it for a moment, Hermione being a slight distraction by bobbing on her toes. "Er … oh, strength in numbers! Because there's so many of us, it doesn't know what form it should take!"
"Exactly, even just now, when Melanie and Jaxon stepped in, the Boggart faltered. It's always best to have company when dealing with a Boggart, it confuses him. Which form should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a Boggart make that very mistake, he tried to frighten two people at once and..." he cut off when Andrew suddenly started laughing.
"I'm sorry, I just got a vivid picture in my head of something like that … I'm seeing a snake tie itself into a knot!" the rest of the class laughed too.
Lupin chuckled. "Well you've just brought me onto my next point." he turned to the rest of the class. "The charm that repels a Boggart is very simple, but requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes off a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing."
"I think I'd like another go at this Professor," Andrew said, standing up as an idea came into his head. "After Neville of course."
"You're sure?" Lupin asked, Andrew nodded and Lupin smiled. "Very well, we will practise the charm without wands first. After me, please … riddikulus!" The class repeated him. "That's good, now with a little more feeling, riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" The class chanted.
"This class is ridiculous," McCarthy muttered.
"Shut up," Malfoy snapped, trying to pay attention.
"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But the charm is just the easy part I'm afraid. You see the word alone is not enough, and that's where you come in Neville."
Neville at this point looked horrified. Lupin called him forward and asked him what he was most afraid of.
"Professor Snape," Neville whispered, Lupin said he couldn't hear and Neville repeated himself, loud enough for the class to hear, nearly all of them laughed.
Lupin chuckled too. "Yes, Professor Snape, frightens all. And I believe you live with your Grandmother?"
"Yes, but I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either!" Neville answered quickly.
"Don't worry, it won't, now I want you to picture the clothes your Grandmother usually wears," Lupin said.
"Well … always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top..." Neville started.
"No need to tell us Neville, if you can see it, we'll see it," Lupin cut him off, confusing the rest of the class a little. He stepped forward. "When that Boggart steps out of the wardrobe, in the form of Professor Snape, here is what I want you to do." he then bent low and whispered something in Neville's ear.
Neville recoiled slightly and looked at Lupin like he had gone mad. But Lupin straightened up and announced to the class. "If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to turn his attention to each of us in turn, I would like all of you to take a moment now, to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..."
Andrew took a second to snigger at the image in his mind, hearing Ron mutter behind him. "Just give it skates." he prepared himself, by removing his wand from his lightsaber.
"Everyone ready?" Lupin called. Everyone nodded and rolled up their sleeves and Lupin called for everyone to give Neville some room, the response was for everyone to form an orderly queue behind Andrew.
Lupin opened the wardrobe again by pointing his wand at it, and Snape came out, looking as menacing as ever. Neville backed up, mouthing wordlessly as Snape reached into his robes, then Neville finally uttered "R-r-riddikulus!" and, with the sound of a whip, Snape stumbled back, wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat, topped with an ugly-looking vulture, and swinging a huge crimson handbag from his hand.
There was a roar of laughter and the Boggart stood there, confused. "Excellent, Neville!" Lupin cried. "Andrew, forward!"
Andrew stepped forward and the Boggart took the form of his dark side again, leaping into battle, Andrew blocked with his blade in his left hand and, with his right hand, pointed his wand at the Boggart's stomach and said "Riddikulus!" his opponent turned black and white, and said "I like trains" in a monotone, before a black and white drawing of the Hogwarts Express slammed into him, blaring a horn. Andrew creased up, giggling, "I saw that on the internet once!"
Parvati was next, her Boggart was a bloodstained mummy, which tripped on its own bandages when she cast her spell. Following her was Seamus, who had a banshee, he cast his spell and she lost her voice.
With a series of cracks, the Boggart turned into a rat, chasing its own tail, a slithering snake, and a single bloody eyeball. "It's confused, we're getting there, Dean!" Shouted Lupin over the laughter of his class.
Dean stepped forward and the Boggart took the form of a severed hand, crawling towards him like a crab, he cast his charm and it was caught in a mouse trap. Ron was called forward and his Boggart made a few people scream as it took the form of one of Aragog's children. Ron called out "Riddikulus!" and its legs went everywhere, due entirely to each one now sporting a roller skate.
Ron moved out of the way, letting Harry step forward for his turn. He was grinning quite happily as he raised his wand.
But Lupin noticed who was next and jumped in the way, causing the Boggart to take on the form of a full moon, coming out from behind a bunch of clouds, Lupin said "Riddikulus," almost lazily and the moon turned into a yellow balloon, letting out a loud farting noise as it zoomed around the room and ran out of air, until finally it crashed into the open wardrobe and the door slammed shut.
"Well that certainly was fun," Lupin said, "Five points to Gryffindor for everyone who took on the Boggart, and five each to Harry and Hermione."
"They didn't even do anything!" McCarthy spat, annoyed at how many points Gryffindor just got, none of the Slytherins had a turn at the Boggart.
"They answered my questions correctly, at the start of class." Lupin answered calmly. "Excellent lesson, everyone. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarise it for me. That will be all."
The Gryffindors chatted excitedly as they left, Andrew pointing out that Dean's fear looked like something out of 'The Adams Family', making a few Muggle-borns laugh. Lavender wondered aloud why Professor Lupin was afraid of crystal balls, but Harry stayed quiet.
"What's up Harry?" Ginny asked.
"I wish I knew why he stopped me." Harry answered.
"What do you mean?" asked Ron, having not noticed.
"I was about to take on the Boggart, when Lupin jumped in front of me." Harry explained.
"I'd ask him as soon as you can," Mel answered. "Until then, no sense worrying about it."
"By far, best Defence lesson we've ever had!" Andrew exclaimed.
"I still can't believe you got your idea from Youtube," Jax said, shaking his head.
"ASDF wasn't it?" Mel asked.
"Yep," Andrew answered with a huge grin.
"He seems like a good teacher," Hermione added approvingly. "I just wish I got a go at the Boggart."
"What would it have been?" Ron asked. "A piece of homework you only got nine out of ten on?"
"Oh very funny Ronald!" Hermione snapped.
Lupin's class quickly became the school favourite, the only people who could say anything bad about him or it, were of course the Slytherins, most of them anyway. Some of the Slytherins liked him, the others just kept saying he shouldn't be a teacher, based solely on how he dressed.
The vast majority of the castle, however, didn't care that his robes were patched or frayed. His continuing lessons were just as interesting as the first, the third-years went from studying Boggarts, to Red Caps.
Red Caps were goblin-like creatures which lurked wherever there was bloodshed, like the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields. If they ever encountered someone who was lost they tended to bludgeon them to death.
From Red Caps, they moved onto Kappas, a sort of scaly monkey which lived in water and strangled anyone who waded into their ponds.
Sadly as Defence Against The Dark Arts became more popular, Snape became more difficult to cope with. He had heard about Neville's Boggart and had taken to bullying him even more than usual, but he toned it down, eventually. Andrew had taken to calling Dumbledore with his Hovercam during one of the lessons.
Dumbledore got a front row seat into what Snape was doing to Neville, and midway through one lesson, the Headmaster burst in and gave Snape a thorough telling off, even quoting some of the things he had said.
Divination was also proving to be an awkward subject, what with Trelawney nearly bursting into tears every time she looked at Harry, but some of the class, Parvati and Lavender being head of the line, chose not to listen to what McGonagall had said about the Divination Professor, and took every word she said with reverence.
Sadly Andrew's prediction, about Hagrid leaving a tough act to follow, proved to be correct, as now Hagrid was teaching lesson after lesson on the care of Flobberworms.
"Am I the only one bored out of my skull?" Mel and Ginny asked at the same time, followed by them both saying "Jinx! Double Jinx!" and proceeding to giggle.
Midway through one lesson, Andrew was bored too, and started humming the tune to 'The Banana Boat Song'.
"Daylight come and me wan' go home," Dean and Seamus chimed in from their spot next to him.
"Work all night on a drink a'rum!" Andrew sang a little louder.
Within a minute most of the class was singing while they fed the Flobberworms. But they only got through the first verse, before Hagrid joined in and created a fit of giggles.
Once October started though, Andrew and Harry had something else to think about, Quidditch. A fact they were delighted to be reminded about. Oliver Wood had called a team meeting one Thursday after classes, to discuss tactics for the upcoming season.
Oliver was seventeen, and in his final year at Hogwarts, a fact he was quick to point out to his seven team mates. "This is our last chance. My last chance, to win the Quidditch cup." he was pacing up and down, like a General, inspiring his troops. "Gryffindor haven't won the season in seven years."
"Now I realise we've had the worst luck, injuries," he glanced at Harry "then the tournament being called off last year. But, we have the best team in the ruddy school!"
Andrew and the twins let out at cheer at this. "We've got three superb chasers," he continued, pointing to Alicia, Angelina and Katie, "two unbeatable beaters."
"Oh stop it Oliver, you're making us blush!" Fred and George said.
"We've got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match! AND, we've got an all-rounder who leaves everyone else eating his dust!" Oliver finished, Andrew got off his perch, he was sitting on the blackboard, and placed his hands on Oliver's shoulders.
"Don't forget you, you put this team together, you are our leader!" the young Jedi told him.
"Here, here!" the team chorused.
Wood smiled, a tear welling up in his eye, then he continued pacing. "The point is, that cup should have had our name on it for the last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I've thought it was in the bag. But we've still not gotten it, and this is our last chance to see our name on the thing."
"And like you said, we've got the best team!" Andrew shouted, punching the air.
"This year's our year!" Fred crowed.
"We'll do it, Oliver!" Angelina cried with a nod.
"Definitely!" Harry added.
So with high spirits, the Gryffindor team started training, none of them cared that they were getting colder, wetter, muddier, or anything. Even Andrew was taking it seriously and keeping his antics in check.
One night, after a particularly freezing training session, Andrew and Harry got back to the common room to find it abuzz. It turned out the first Hogsmeade weekend had been scheduled for Halloween. Fred was happy to hear this as he needed to visit the joke shop there, but Harry's good mood was slowly being destroyed.
"Maybe you can go next time Harry," Hermione said consolingly "After-all, Black's already been sighted once already, so they're bound to catch him soon." she added, referring to a recent publishing of 'The Daily Prophet' that said so.
Ron pointed out that Black wasn't about to try anything in Hogsmeade and that Harry should ask for McGonagall's permission, arguing that Harry couldn't be the only third-year left behind.
"Well he's not, don't you remember?" Andrew pointed out. "I burned my permission slip."
"Plus, I don't really feel like going," Ginny added, sitting on the arm of Harry's chair. "I know it sounds stupid, but I'm still only twelve, I don't think I really should be going until next year."
The next few minutes were a blur, involving Crookshanks making another attempt at Ron's rat, followed by Ron and Hermione having another row over their pets, much to the amusement of the other Gryffindors.
Ron stormed off to bed afterwards, leaving Hermione to grow very upset. The next morning at breakfast, they came close to speaking again after Andrew received a letter.
Dear Mr Payne,
Re: Your 'Duplication' Charm
You will be pleased to hear that we have tested your new spell extensively and are now able to supply you with the results.
We have found that the use of this spell on inanimate objects is both harmless and long-lasting, perhaps even permanent, the goblets we copied are still with us. However extreme caution should be taken when copying anything biological.
Experiments showed that any bio-matter, living or dead, disintegrated within thirty minutes of being copied, with one exception where an elderly dog was duplicated, the copy expired of natural causes and the body remained intact.
As a result of these experiments, we have deemed it safe and prudent to have this spell taught in all Witchcraft and Wizardry schools across the globe.
Congratulations on a fine creation.
Gilbert Wimple, Head of The Committee on Experimental Charms.
"Awesomeness!" Andrew cried, leaping from his seat at the Gryffindor table. "I've officially invented a spell!"
Some members of the Hall applauded while some called out, asking what it was, causing Andrew to demonstrate by duplicating his watch. "Always good to have a spare," he said casually as he placed the spare in his pocket.
Hermione and Ron both congratulated Andrew at the same time, then looked at each other. Before Hermione could say anything, Ron got up and walked away.
It wasn't until their Herbology lesson, that Hermione screwed up the courage and asked how Scabbers was, to which Ron angrily told her that he was hiding at the foot of his bed and shaking.
Things got worse outside their Transfiguration class, where Lavender Brown was crying her eyes out. She'd had a letter from home to say her rabbit Blinky had been killed by a fox.
"It's just like Professor Trelawney said!" Lavender cried. "'That thing you are dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October.'"
"Not entirely accurate though," Andrew said thoughtfully.
"How could you say that?" Parvati snapped.
"Well, it couldn't have happened today," Andrew pointed out, as it was the sixteenth.
"It'd be one bloody fast owl if it did!" Seamus added.
Lavender sniffled. "It was last week," she wiped fresh tears from her eyes. "My parents couldn't bring themselves to tell me until now."
Mel put a hand on Lavender's shoulder. "I know this won't help much. But Blinky's not gone, he's one with the Force now."
"Was Blinky an old rabbit?" Hermione asked, putting her foot in it.
"No, he was only a baby!" Lavender answered, starting to cry again.
"I'm just trying to figure out how you were dreading him dying, since it's come as such a shock." Hermione added.
"Ignore her, Lavender," Ron chipped in. "She doesn't think other people pets matter very much."
Andrew was about to smack Ron upside the head, but McGonagall opened her door before he could.
They sat at the front, Ron and Hermione refusing to even look at each other, which made for an awkward lesson. At the end of the class, Professor McGonagall brought up Hogsmeade, stating that they should hand her their permission slips before Halloween.
As Neville tried to tell her that he had lost his, Ron urged Harry to ask if he could go, since his slip was confiscated by Fudge. Harry agreed and tried to explain.
"My Aunt signed my form, but the Minister for Magic took it from me, saying my Uncle was supposed to sign." Harry explained, Andrew added that he was a witness.
"I'm sorry, Potter, but I cannot overrule the Minister," She answered him, putting a pile of her papers in a draw. "Mr Payne, I presume you have your slip."
"As a matter of fact, Professor," Andrew started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I set mine on fire, deliberately."
McGonagall narrowed her eyes a little. "Might I ask why?"
"I'm assigned as Harry's bodyguard while Black's at large, didn't see any point in going out while he was stuck in here." Andrew answered simply.
"Very well, I'll arrange for you both to have another slip sent to you during next summer." McGonagall said, adding that the boys should get going before they were late for their next lesson.
So with nothing to be done, Harry and Andrew drowned out everyone else's plans, for where they would be going first, by planning what they would do with their day, besides homework.
"If everyone else is taking a day off from homework, I say we do so as well!" Andrew proclaimed.
This was met with a cheer from Hermione, which caused Ron to gape at her in shock.
Thanks to that, Hermione and Ron had completely forgotten their squabble by Halloween, deciding to put their combined efforts into cheering Harry up. Offering to get Harry sweets from Honeydukes didn't help, but Andrew decided to do something.
As he casually walked into the Great Hall, McCarthy was mocking the thought of anyone not having permission to go to Hogsmeade, and was sorely punished by Andrew's surprise.
"Serves you ri-ight," Andrew sang quietly as he pulled the pin on a Holy Hand Grenade and lobbed it towards McCarthy's gang. While it was in mid-flight, he point his wand at it, "Duplicus Maximus," he commanded, experimenting. There was an explosion of duplicates, each one zooming off in a different direction.
Sitting in the centre of the Gryffindor table, moping, Harry's head shot up when he heard several familiar chorus' of "Hallelujah!", followed by the explosions, like everyone else, he burst out laughing when he noticed that more students than he could count had their faces plastered with rubber noses and comedy glasses.
"Ah, that'll teach him to mock!" Andrew said loudly, every explosion falling short of him as every grenade landed at the edge of the room.
"Why'd you get the Gryffindors?" Ron laughed out.
"To be honest, I had no idea what would happen if I tried 'duplicus maximus'. I'll need to write to the ministry!" Andrew laughed back, glad to see a smile on Harry's face. He took the time to write a letter, detailing this dose of serendipity as it was technically new research.
They saw the others off to the Entrance Hall, Mel taking up the rear so she could watch for trouble, Jax was standing beside her and promised Andrew that he'd help keep an eye on Harry's friends.
Just then, Ginny came down the marble staircase, said her goodbyes to Ron, Hermione and Mel, and joined Andrew and Harry as they made their way up to the common room, where Colin offered them to join him and his friends.
"Thanks for the offer Colin," Harry started, glad to see that he'd toned down on the fan-boy personality.
"But we swore off any involvement in homework today," Andrew finished, eyeing the various pieces of parchment sitting on their table.
They turned and wondered out of the portrait hole again, which annoyed The Fat Lady, and wondered aimlessly.
"You know, avoiding homework? Not as easy as it sounded when I suggested it." Andrew joked.
They were just heading towards The Owlery to see Hedwig and Snowfire, Andrew thinking of sending his letter to the Ministry, when a voice called them. It was Professor Lupin, once he realised that half of their little group was in Hogsmeade, he invited the three of them in to look at the Grindylow he'd had delivered for their next lesson.
"A what?" Harry asked, they stepped into his office and looked at a water tank in the corner, inside which was a greenish creature with horns, pulling faces against the glass.
"A water demon," Ginny answered.
"Correct, Ginny," Lupin said. "He shouldn't be much trouble after the Kappas, the trick is to break his grip."
"I can imagine," Andrew blurted out. "Those fingers look like they'd snap most people like a twig."
"Yes, they're strong, but very brittle," answered Lupin, before offering them some tea, Andrew dropped one of his own mint tea bags into a cup and Lupin poured them a cup each. "I daresay you've all had enough of tea leaves."
Andrew chuckled and Ginny giggled. "McGonagall?" Harry asked.
"Yes, she told me, you're not worried are you Harry?" Lupin answered, showing his concern.
"No," Harry answered, not wanting to look like a coward, especially after the Boggart incident.
"Anything worrying you Harry?" Lupin asked, Harry lied and said 'no', before he put his teacup down and changed his mind.
"Yes, you know that day with the Boggart?"
"Yes," Lupin said slowly, putting his cup down too, Andrew and Ginny just watched.
"Why didn't you let me fight it?"
"I would have thought it obvious, Harry." Lupin answered, his eyebrows raised.
"No, it's not," Andrew answered, taking a sip of his sugared tea.
"My apologies," Lupin inclined his head. "I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, Harry, it would take the form of Lord Voldemort."
Ginny squeaked and dropped her cup, Andrew moved to catch it and regretted it "Fu-g! That's hot!" he only just managed to stop himself swearing as Ginny's tea scolded his hand and his own tea spilled into his lap.
After clearing up the mess, Lupin continued. "I imagined that people would panic if he had appeared in the room like that."
"I did think of Voldemort at first," Harry said carefully, Ginny didn't react this time. "But then I … I remembered those Dementors."
"Well then, I must say I'm impressed," Lupin said, looking Harry dead in the eye. "That suggests that what you fear most, Harry, is fear itself. Very wise, Harry."
Harry didn't answer that, he just drank some more tea.
"So I take it, you've been thinking I didn't believe you capable of fighting the Boggart?" Lupin asked.
"Well … yeah," Harry answered, lamely.
Harry was about to ask about the Dementors when there was a knock on the door. Snape came in when Lupin called, carrying a goblet that was smoking slightly. He stopped when he saw the three students there, narrowing his eyes.
"Ah, Severus," Lupin called, breaking whatever spell was over Snape. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"
Snape placed the smoking goblet down, glancing between Lupin and the three Gryffindors. "I was just showing these three my Grindylow," Lupin explained, pleasantly, pointing at the tank.
"Fascinating," Snape dead-paned, not even bothering to look at the tank. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."
"Yes, yes, I will," answered Lupin.
"I made an entire cauldron full, if you should need more." Snape went on.
"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."
Lupin waited for Snape to leave before taking a sip and shuddering, he explained vaguely that he needed Snape to mix it and that he'd been a little off-colour. Harry tried to warn Lupin off drinking it, thinking to the others telepathically that Snape might have just served Lupin poison.
Lupin brushed off their worries and sent them on their way, so he could get back to work.
"There you go," Ron said as he, Hermione and Mel dumped a huge load of sweets into the laps of Harry, Andrew and Ginny.
They then spent the next half an hour telling them all about what Hogsmeade was like, the wizarding equipment shop, the joke shop, the pub.
"Hang on, how come you could get into a pub?" Andrew asked, miffed.
"It caters mostly to school students on weekends, but they serve alcohol too, just not to kids." Mel explained.
After they finished telling their stories, Andrew suspicious of Jax when Ron sniggered about them waiting outside whenever he and Hermione were inside a shop, the six of them made their way down for the feast.
While on their way down, Harry told them about Lupin drinking a potion that Snape had brewed, Ron asking if Lupin was mad. Hermione, ever the voice of reason, pointed out quietly, that if Snape was trying to poison Lupin, he wouldn't have done so with witnesses.
The feast, to be honest, was fairly uneventful, as opposed to feasts they had shared in the past. Harry kept watching Lupin and Snape but eventually left it alone and enjoyed the food. "This is great, but still doesn't hold a candle to that feast at the end of last year," Andrew laughed, remembering how some of the first-years from that year had passed out at four in the morning.
"Only because you had the entire castle to keep you company for once," Mel laughed back.
Just then the Hogwarts ghosts flew through the walls of the Great Hall and did a little formation gliding. "OK, that's new," Harry thought aloud. After the gliding, Nearly-Headless Nick and the Bloody Baron performed a re-enactment of Nick's botched beheading, to great applause.
Unfortunately, the great evening was ruined. As the Gryffindors moved up to their common room, nobody was going in. The Fat Lady's portrait had been slashed, so violently that bits were littered on the floor.
Dumbledore was summoned to the scene, where he called for The Fat Lady to be found in another portrait. At that point, Peeves chose to make his presence known, saying he had already found her and gotten the whole story.
"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked the poltergeist calmly.
"Oh, yes, Professorhead," answered Peeves. "He got angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves then grinned at Dumbledore, gleefully. "Got a nasty temper, he has, that Sirius Black."