Hey, Everyone! This chapter we begin to see what kind of impact the new Professors will have on the school, and each other as Umbridge's intentions begin to surface, as well as her frustration at Duncan's interference! Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Classes Begin
"Excuse me, Professor Rosenblatt, but what are you drinking there with your breakfast?", Minerva asked curiously, seeing the rather large steaming black mug and the golden liquid in his goblet. He looked up from his spicy chili-cheese fries with eggs.
"Well this", Duncan picked up the mug and took a large sip, "Mmm, is coffee. I like mine with cream and chocolate syrup instead of sugar. And this one is pineapple juice. I don't really like pumpkin juice, and this is a sweet and healthy alternative. And tea….. well, just isn't my cup of tea. Besides, I find coffee has more kick when it comes to waking me up."
"I see", she replied, adding sugar to her tea. "Well to each their own, as they say. I'd heard that most Americans prefer coffee over tea. Perhaps I could join you for a cup sometime?"
"I'd be delighted, Professor", he smiled.
"Are you ready to teach your first class today?", she asked him.
"I'm confident I'm prepared", Duncan smiled warmly at her, then looked past her down the faculty table to look warily at Umbridge. "But I think I'll observe one or two of my fellow professors this morning, maybe pick up a few helpful hints by seeing how they handle their students."
Glancing at Umbridge herself for a moment, the Deputy Headmistress nodded in understanding, the corners of her mouth twitching up slightly.
xxXXxx
The first class of today for Harry and his friends was Defense. Duncan rounded the corner in time to see Umbridge enter her classroom, heels clicking on the stone floor. He waited a few minutes until Argus Filch passed by('damn that guy smells like rotted onions!') and turned the corner with his cat before Duncan quietly slipped into the room and stood in the shadows in back.
"…how is theory alone supposed to prepare us for what's out there?", Harry asked with the faintest hint of sarcasm.
"There is nothing out there, dear", Umbridge said sweetly with a bit of a giggle. "Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourself?"
"Oh, I don't know", Harry replied with a bit more sarcasm. "Maybe Lord Voldemort."
Whispers and mutterings went through the class, and the sweet smile fell for a moment, then returned looking forced.
"Now, let me make this quite plain", she stated firmly. "You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This. Is. A. Lie."
"It's not a lie. I saw him. I fought him", Harry said firmly.
"Detention, Mr. Potter!"
"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?!", Harry fired back.
"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident!"
"It was murder! Voldemort killed him! You must know this!", Harry urged.
"ENOUGH!", Umbridge shrieked.
"Exactly!", Duncan barked, stepping out of the shadows, his long black coat billowing slightly with his stride. Umbridge and the students turned to look at him in surprise. Harry smiled in gratitude.
"Professor", Umbridge forced a smile and sounded as if calling him by that title left a bad taste in her mouth. "I didn't hear you come in. I assure you I am fully capable of managing my students and classroom myself. Your assistance is not required."
"Yes, I can tell you have a commanding presence", he said dryly. "However, Mr. Potter has a point. By all accounts, Mr. Diggory was one of Hogwarts' best and brightest. To claim that he 'just died' without a cause is not only illogical, but ludicrous. Logic is not on your side, Professor."
"Professor Rosenblatt, the official position of the Ministry and Minister Fudge is…"
"…..To ignore all of Harry's offers to provide his memory of that night's events for official pensieve and testify to the facts under veritaserum", Duncan cut her off. "Tests showed that Diggory was killed with the killing curse and that it was not cast by Harry's wand. Someone had to cast it. Harry had a bloody slash on his arm, but none of the Champions entered the maze with any kind of blade, so who cut him and why?"
Umbridge was growing increasingly angry. The students were starting to respond to this American's words. She was losing control of the situation. This would not do!
'Damn Potter, Dumbledore, and this boy!', she thought to herself. 'I must inform Cornelius!'
"Professor Rosenblatt! You will please leave my classroom and mind your own business."
"Hmm. Okay", he shrugged simply. "I believe my work here is done. Thank you, Professor. I learned a lot from observing your 'teaching methods'."
"See me after dinner, Mr. Potter, for your detention", Umbridge smiled at Harry once Duncan left the room. "My office."
xxXXxx
"Good Morning, class", Duncan greeted the 5th years of all four Houses with a warm smile as they all took their seats. It was a rather large classroom, one that hadn't been used in decades. Dobby and the school elves had gotten it clean and ship-shape in no time. And the room was full. "On your desks you will each find your texts of Modern World History, from the Industrial Revolution to the Present. And along the wall to your right you will find racks holding many current magazines and periodicals, as well as shopping catalogs from the non-magical world. Along the wall to your left, you will see multiple cubicles, each containing a computer with restricted access to the internet. I will also be showing you examples of other modern non-magical technology over the course of this year. You can put away your quills and parchment. Inside your desks you will find pencils, ball-point pens, and fountain pens along with notebooks and writing-pads of common paper."
"*Pfft!* All this extra stuff for class we neither want or need!", a greasy blonde boy snorted, eliciting chuckles from most of his fellow Slytherins seated near him. "Muggles are worthless scum good for nothing but begging at our feet!"
"You must be Draco Malfoy", Duncan observed with an arched eyebrow. "And that would make you five Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson and Bulstrode. I heard about you and your delusional superiority complex."
"Delusional?!", Malfoy barked, taking offense.
"Yes", Duncan replied calmly. "I know all about that ridiculous 'pure-blood' ideology, and the atrocities committed in its name. The assumption that anyone less than pure-blood magical is inferior – and none more so than the non-magical – is not only foolish and wrong, but it's dangerous."
This sent a wave of murmurs through the class, while most of the Slytherins simply scoffed.
"Before my mother and I left to come to Britain, an incident was reported to the American Congress of Magick", Duncan said. "A small group of six blood-purists invaded the home of a witch born to non-magical parents. The young witch routinely out-performed all of her pure-blood classmates at the Salem Institute. They intended to torture and kill the whole family, and make the young witch watch her loved ones die before raping, torturing, and killing her last. However, it was they who were killed that night at the hands of her visiting uncle."
"A wizard, Sir?", a Hufflepuff girl asked.
"No. He wasn't magical", Duncan replied with a smile. Gasps and more murmurs went through the class.
"Impossible!", Malfoy scoffed.
"With all due respect, Professor", a Ravenclaw boy said, "muggles are helpless before wizards. They don't have magick."
"As you will learn in this class, that is no longer true", Duncan replied. "It really hasn't been for more than 150 years. That uncle? He was former Delta Force; a military special-forces group on-par with MEGTAF. He stealth-killed two of the wizards with a combat knife, snapped the neck of another, and shot the last three dead as they stood over his family."
"Bullocks!", Malfoy sneered. "It's just not possible!"
"Really?", Duncan in an amused tone, making a show of placing his 'wand' on his desk. "Maybe you and your boys would like to come up here and prove me wrong? If any of you four can hit me with a flipendo before I hit all four of you, then you can quit this class and still get full credit. But if you can't, all of you will keep your 'superiority' views to yourselves in this class!"
Malfoy led Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott up to the front with a self-assured smirk. The professor didn't even have his wand! How could this muggle-lover be so calm and sure of himself?
"Ready when you are", Duncan smirked.
"Now!", Malfoy barked, and all four brandished their wands.
Duncan pulled a paintball gun from his long coat and sprayed rapid-fire across all four boys before they could even cast! They each took two or three hits of neon-pink to their torsos. As all four winced and yelped in pain, Duncan fired four single-shots, hitting each of them in the forehead, knocking them on their asses.
The class was silent, too stunned to even breathe!
"The beginning of the end of magical superiority was the invention of gun-powder", Duncan told them. "The advancement of guns, firearms, and technology has more than closed the gap. That's the real reason for the Statute of Secrecy; to protect us, not just them. True, this paintball gun is non-lethal, but the non-magical now have guns capable of firing a spray of bullets faster than that and at greater range and accuracy! The non-magical are no longer helpless before the magical. Remember that."
Malfoy and his goons groaned in pain as they sat up. They fumed seeing the pink splotches all over themselves. PINK! Pink so bright it was practically glowing!
"My father will hear of this!", Malfoy snarled.
"Like I care", Duncan humphed. "To make sure you never forget this lesson, you four are to go through the rest of the day in those uniforms as they are. See Madam Pomfrey after class if you must to treat the welts, but leave the paint where it is, even on your faces! If you don't, it will cost you twenty points! Each! Don't worry, it washes out easily even once it dries. Now take your seats and pay attention. You might actually learn something."
xxXXxx
After lunch – during which he enjoyed seeing the teasing and flak Malfoy and his goons took from the other students! – Duncan got more gillyweed and headed to the lake. He changed into a pair of board-shorts, and swallowing his first dose of gillyweed, he dove in. He removed the glamour ring and went full-kaiju as he went through the aquatic changes.
Just outside the submerged ruins that served as Queen Rynn's palace, he met with Princess Gena and the warriors that had volunteered for this mission. Gena looked grim.
"The grindylows raided early this morning", she told him. "They caused damage and injuries before the guards could respond. They took nine children when fled back the weeds like the cowards they are."
"Children? Why?", Duncan asked.
"The tentacled scum have been known to eat our young", Gena growled.
"So they're…."
"They're still alive for now", Gena assured Duncan. "There has been no fresh blood shed in the forest of weeds, we would have seen it. The grindylows prefer their food fresh-killed."
"Then let's go", Duncan said with determination. "Princess, I want you and your best warrior to focus on finding and rescuing the children. The rest of you will come with me to cull the horde."
"But I should…."
"The children know you, and follow you without hesitation", Duncan told her.
"Yes, you're right", she said after a moment. "Your strategy is sound. Forgive me for questioning you. But once we have the children clear of the weeds, I'm coming back to help!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Princess", Duncan grinned.
"Do you not need a weapon, Prince Duncan?", Levi, the largest merman, asked holding out his trident.
Duncan extended his claws with a feral grin. "Thanks, but I'm good."
The merman nodded with a smile.
"I think our best bet is to split up now", Duncan said. "Princess, you and your partner will enter the weeds from the edge near the bottom. I'll go ahead of the others, swimming directly over the forest to draw them all out. My cousin Harry told me they swarmed him as soon as they thought they had the advantage. With me being unarmed and alone, they won't be able to resist. Let's go."
Duncan took another dose of gillyweed as they swam toward the forest of weeds. The freshwater giant squid regarded them curiously for a few moments, then gave chase after a school of pike. Princess Gena and Levi dove down to enter the weeds near the bottom.
As per the plan, Duncan swam out over the weeds towards the heart of the forest with the merfolk warriors following at a distance. Their orders were to hang back until Duncan was swarmed by the vermin, then rush in to engage.
Duncan swam slowly, his eyes sweeping not only below him, but in every direction. He stopped and 'hovered' over the approximate center of the weed forest. He could sense them, feel their eyes on him. He'd expected them to swarm him from all sides right away, but it seemed they were being cautious. Either that, or…
Duncan was struck from behind, tentacles whipping around his neck and upper-arms! As he snapped the tentacles around his neck, he was swarmed rapidly from all sides! The ugly, reddish-brown octopus-like gremlins squealed and chittered madly as they attacked. Duncan snarled as he slashed left and right. Back-up arrived in seconds, as the mer-warriors fought with the ferocity of sharks.
Grindylows were dying by the dozens to tridents and claws alike, yet more came. It was getting difficult to see any distance at all from the cloud of blood, bodies, and severed tentacles. Duncan ripped the head off of one, slashed two more and saw others impaled and slashed by the tridents of his allies.
A keening cry was heard, distracting the swarm. They looked toward movement in the weeds some distance away where Princess Gena and Levi lead the mer-children out of the weeds and swiftly toward home. The fighters took advantage of the distraction to kill a number of the distracted grindylows.
Angered by the loss of their feast, the grindylows attacked with even greater numbers and ferocity! A particularly large one attempted to bite Duncan's arm, only to break several teeth! Duncan grabbed it as it recoiled in pain and ripped its head off. Several minutes of heated battle later and another keening cry of a different pitch sounded. The remaining grindylows retreated back into the weeds.
Duncan and his allies remained there for several minutes, just in case the retreat was just a trick. But when the pike, salmon, and other fish moved in to feed on the shredded remains, they knew it was over and headed back to the home of the merfolk. As they left, even the giant squid arrived to feed. Princess Gena and Levi met them about half-way and escorted them back to Queen Rynn's palace. Duncan was unharmed, and injuries to the mer-warriors were minor.
"You have my gratitude, Prince Duncan", Queen Rynn told him. "Our children are safe, and the grindylows are not likely to trouble us again for many years. You have my word that I and my people will defend the school against any attack from our waters. I also offer you the hand of my daughter, Princess Gena, in marriage."
"I'm grateful and flattered, your Majesty", Duncan bowed. "But my true home is the land and sky, and I could not in good conscience ask your lovely daughter to leave you or your people. Besides(he looks over to smile briefly at Levi), I think there is another here far more worthy of her than I; one whom I suspect already harbors feelings for her."
Queen Rynn looked back and forth between Gena and Levi for a few moments, and smiled.
xxXXxx
After drying off a re-dressing, Duncan went to back to his quarters. In his office, he went over his lesson-plan for the Care of Magical Creatures class he was teaching the next day. At dinner in the Great Hall – where he saw that Malfoy and the others were still 'in the pink' – he was puzzled when Minerva brought out the Sorting Hat and stool, and Dumbledore went up to his lecturn.
"May I have your attention, please?", the Headmaster called, and the Hall quieted. "We are most fortunate this evening to welcome a transfer-student from the United States. Due to travel constraints, she was unable to arrive until tonight. Please join me in welcoming Miss Raven Thunderbird, who will be starting her fifth year and completing her magical education here with us at Hogwarts."
One of the doors opened, and the figure who strode in was…..striking, to say the least! She had to be seven feet tall and built like a busty amazon! Her copper-toned complexion, shamanic staff, and her feathered head-band showed that she was the daughter of one of the Native American tribes. She was also very beautiful; heart-shaped face with high cheekbones, full lips, and her long black hair was in a single braid reaching her lower-back. However, her eyes were as blue as the sky and twice as beautiful. When she reached the front, she turned and nodded in greeting with a warm smile. When she sat on the stool, it was painfully obvious it was too small. Minerva placed the Sorting Hat on her head.
'Oh my! You're an interesting one, aren't you?', it said in her head. 'A Cherokee shaman mother and a giant for a father. Already well-versed in shamanic magick. You would defend to the death anyone who had earned your loyalty, and you have great courage to leave your family and tribe behind to come here. You are cunning in your way, but your lack of ambition and your mixed heritage would make you unwelcome in Slytherin. But the quality that truly defines you most is your intelligence…..'
"Ravenclaw!"
A mixed reaction went through the Hall. Raven smiled and joined her cheering housemates. She sat down next to a petite girl with platinum-blonde hair who had a nice aura. Malfoy and his cronies at the Slytherin table snickered in disbelief. She was clearly half-giant and so couldn't possibly be that smart.
xxXXxx
After the interesting events at dinner and going over his plans for Non-Magical Studies for the other years, Duncan decided to see if Harry was out of detention yet. The Gryffindor Common Room was full and busy with music and conversation. Fred and George was peddling their wares to their housemates, and others were just talking, laughing, and hanging out. He saw Harry on a couch across the room with Ron and Hermione on either side of him. They looked like they were discussing something serious. Concerned, he quickened his pace.
"Bloody Hell, Harry, the woman's torturing you", Ron said. "If your parents, or you aunt and cousin knew about this….."
"If I knew about what, Ron?", Duncan asked, startling the three teens.
"Look at this", Hermione urged, showing Duncan Harry's left hand before he could stop her. Duncan's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously seeing the fresh-cut scars.
"What did she use?", he growled, knowing full-well who was responsible.
"It's nothing, Duncan", Harry said quickly. "Dumbledore and McGonagal have enough to deal with right now. Besides, I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction."
"Oh, I can assure you she'll get none", Duncan all but snarled. "I'm not asking as your teacher or as a Hogwarts professor, Harry. I'm asking as your guardian; what – did – she – use?!"
Harry exhaled deeply in surrender. He'd known his cousin long enough now to know better than to argue with him in this state.
"It was a blood-quill. She made me use it to write lines; the more I wrote 'I must not tell lies' the more it cut me, using my blood for ink."
Nodding, Duncan left without a word.
xxXXxx
Delores Umbridge sipped her tea and smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the parchment of lines she'd bled from Potter. Perhaps now the brat will keep a civil tongue and toe the Ministry line!
Just then the heavy oak door to her office was smashed off its hinges! A very angry Duncan Rosenblatt stalked in to glare at pink-clad toad of a woman.
"What is the meaning of this?!", she barked indignantly. Duncan saw the ornate feather quill and parchment written in blood in her hand.
"Is that the quill and parchment you made Harry use tonight?", he growled. She reflexively held them higher and closer herself, confirming it to him.
"And what of it, Professor?", she huffed. She found his sudden smirk unnerving.
He inhaled slowly, then breathed out a jet of flames, igniting both the parchment and quill!
"What?! Oh! Ow!", Umbridge squawked as she dropped the burning items. But before she could attempt the stamp out the flames, Duncan blasted them with a sustained breath of fire! She looked up at him in anger and shock. With both the parchment and quill destroyed, Potter's hand will instantly heal completely with not even a scar; totally defeating the whole purpose of the punishment!
"Incendia Respiro. Fire-Breath. A handy little piece of wandless magick I learned back home", he lied with a wicked grin.
"How dare you!"
"No! How dare you use such a thing on a STUDENT!", he shouted. "The acceptable disciplinary practices of this school are very clearly defined, and you crossed the line!"
"I will do whatever I must to maintain order and obedience from the students in my classroom!" she barked firmly, standing her ground. "As is my right as a Professor!"
"And as one of Harry's Guardians, it is within my rights to over-rule you if I deem your actions excessive or unjust!", he shot back. "What you did could be considered a premeditated attack on the Head of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House! Or were you unaware that Harry is Lord of House Potter? And Heir to several others? I should report you to the DMLE! You're lucky I'm here rather than my mother! She would've disemboweled you with your own teaspoon!"
"Regardless, how dare you just…..smash your way into my office like brainless troll rather than knocking and waiting for a reply like a civilized human being!", she berated him, trying to regain her footing.
"Oh, but I just had to surprise you", he smirked. "See, I knew you'd still be gloating over your 'prize' and I couldn't risk you hiding them. And you call this an office?! It looks more like a Pepto-Bismol bottling machine exploded in here! And kitten plates? Seriously? I doubt even the first-years are fooled by your sweet old-lady act."
Umbridge was now sputtering incoherently out of sheer rage! "Get out!"
"Have a pleasant remainder of the evening, Professor", Duncan bowed exaggeratedly with a grin, his voice thick with sarcasm; then turned and left, stepping on the fallen door on his way out.
xxXXxx
Author's notes: The story Duncan recounted to his class was inspired by an actual scene in Dragonraptor's "Harry Potter and the Curse's Cure" in which a team of Death-Eaters attacked the Granger home one night looking to torture and kill Hermione and her parents. However, she wasn't home, but her uncle – a just retired Captain in the 2nd Para – was awakened by the noise and acted. Lucius Malfoy and I think two others escaped, while the rest were killed.
IDK if the flipendo spell is in the books, but it was one of the spells you could use in the "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" video game on the PS1. It was basically a 'knock-back' spell.
What did you all think of how Duncan dealt with Umbridge and put Malfoy and his goons in their place! LOL!
Raven Thunderbird is an OC conceived and contributed by FeralG3, I provided her name. She will become more prominent as we go along, and will be a key character in the sequel to this story.
Long reviews and suggestions are always welcome! Flames will be used to BBQ chicken.
xxXXxx