Chapter 11
Valentine's day was worse than what the book had described in Angela's opinion. Everything was covered in pink, frills and hearts and the dwarves. They were ugly things disguised as cupids and they were very tone-deaf. The musical messages they were delivering made her want to never be able to hear ever again. She had cringed so badly when Harry received his own personal love message.
"As green as a fresh pickled toad, who would even compare eyes to freaking pickled toads! Ry's eyes deserve to be at least compared to emeralds! And hair as dark as a blackboard as if there weren't any better comparison! Whoever wrote that has poor taste and no idea of how to woo someone!" Angela was ranting at this point, the poem not having impressed her at all. "You know what I think I'll spend today in cousin Severus' potion lab, at least no one will bother me there."
"What are you always doing holed up there?" asked Ron.
"Brewing of course! I help cousin Severus keep the Hospital wing stocked. Luna also has several experimental projects going on, she really enjoys potions you know!"
"I don't understand how anyone can find potions fun and enjoyable." he mumbled.
"Potions are not that bad when Snape isn't breathing down your neck." shrugged Harry. He wasn't a potion genius but he enjoyed working with Angela during classes, he learnt a lot more from his sister than from the professor.
"See, potions are fun! On the other hand I also want to practice some spells so I could also go to the room of requirement…" She was lost in thought, weighing both options in her mind.
"Again? You're always practicing this or that, you're almost worse than Hermione!" whined the redhead.
"I want to be prepared for all eventualities so that I can protect you guys if need be! I'm not a genius so I have to practice a lot until I can get the spells right. I still can't even produce smoke for the patronus…"
"Angie, patronus is a NEWT level spell, of course you haven't mastered it yet!" Hermione tried to reassure her.
"But what if I face a dementor uh? Or a lethifold?"
"You're being ridiculous, dementors don't leave Azkaban and lethifolds live in the tropics."
"Patronus can also be used as a messenger!"
"You have Morte for that, your bird can even imitate your voice to transmit voice messages!"
"A patronus would be faster and can go through walls."
"Relax Eli, I'm sure you'll manage to produce a patronus soon enough. You already have a spell repertoire wider than ours except maybe Hermione's."
"No you're right, Angie knows more spells than I do even if not by a lot."
"Don't you ever just chill and have fun instead of always learning something Angela? Like do you have a hobby or something?" asked Ron.
Angela looked like a deer caught in the headlights before her face fell. "I don't really have time for a hobby… I'm not always in front so I try to use the time I have wisely. I used to like drawing but it's been years since I last drew something. And reading for fun… it's been a long time too."
"Don't worry, I don't really have a hobby either, I'm always working too." Hermione had wrapped her arms around the slytherin girl, trying to soothe her.
"It's ok, I just didn't realize it until Ron pointed it out." she replied as she hugged the gryffindor.
oOoOo
It was the Easter break, the four of them were in the room of requirement, discussing their options for next year's classes.
"I'm taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy." said Angela, not even looking at the paper with the different classes.
"How can you be so sure of yourself already? It's never too late to think about the future so Divination could be a good option, especially with your gift Angie."
"Hermy, the divination professor is a fraud, I am not stepping in that class even if it would give me an easy O."
"Easy O? Count me in!" exclaimed Ron.
"And muggle studies could be interesting, to see how wizards perceive muggles…"
"Hermy no. Wizards are still stuck in the Middle-age when it comes to their knowledge on muggles. You'll get bored if you take that class."
"And Care of the Magical creatures then?"
Angela looked pensive. "I would love to study creatures like thestrals or hippogriffs but I don't fancy taking care of bowtruckles or flobberworms." She actually shuddered at the thought. "I might study it independently, focusing on creatures that won't make my skin crawl."
"I can't pick, I want to take all the classes, they all sound interesting." sighed the bushy haired witch.
"You'll never have the time to study all that Mione." Harry pointed out. "I think I'll go for Divination and Care of the Magical creatures."
"Ugh, have fun with that. I wish there was a magical theory class so that I could go into spellcrafting. Cousin Severus won't teach me, he said I have to figure it out on my own." she looked a bit sad at that.
"Spellcrafting? Is professor Snape any good at it?" asked Hermione, her interest picked.
"He's brilliant! When he was a student he created a lot of spells, I can teach you one of them. It's Muffliato, it prevents people from eavesdropping! The wand movements are like that." she said, showing off before Hermione mimicked her and successfully cast the spell.
"Thank you Angie!"
oOoOo
"You wanted to talk to me, professor?" Angela asked. Lockhart had asked her to stay after the defense class, Ron, Harry and Hermione stayed behind with her.
"It has come to my attention that you don't work with my books miss Schiffer and I would like to know the reason why."
Angela laughed coldly as Nox took over, brought forth by her anxiety. "Why would I use the work of a fraud? The timeline in your book doesn't add up and guess what, I'm a seer, I know you haven't done a single thing that is written in those books. So I use other books to not fall behind and actually learn something."
"Angie!" Hermione gasped.
"That is an issue I hadn't planned for, how long have you known little seer?"
"From the start." she smiled and suddenly there was a wand pointed at her.
"Expelliarmus!" It was Harry who sent the professor's wand flying.
Ron also had his wand drawn and Lockhart took it from him so forcefully that he didn't realize he cracked it.
"See children, no one can know about this. I can't let you go and tell my secrets to the whole school so I'll have to Obliviate you. Else I won't be selling another book… Obliviate!"
Ron's cracked wand refused to cooperate and the spell was sent back to Lockhart who crumpled on the ground.
"What do we do now?" asked Ron.
"Morte, I want you to go to cousin Severus and to tell him Lockhart attacked me, can you do that?"
The bird on her shoulder cawed and then imitated her "Lockhart attacked me."
"Good boy, now go fetch cousin Severus!" The raven flew from her shoulder.
"Now we wait. And Ron, this summer let's get you a new wand, consider it a gift from me."
Ron was retrieving his wand and grimaced when he saw the state it was in. "I know it was old but there is no way it's going to work with that crack on it, look at that we can see the unicorn hair all the way. Mom's gonna be furious…"
"If she is furious, we'll talk to her! She can't blame you for being attacked by a grown wizard!"
They waited a bit before the door burst open letting Severus enter and immediately take the situation with his eyes, scanning Angela several times to make sure she was alright. If one was observant enough they would notice he was looking slightly ruppled and out of breath as if he had rushed.
"What happened here? What do you mean 'Lockhart attacked me', explain Angela." he demanded.
"He asked me to stay behind to know why I wasn't using his books in defense. I told him it's because I know he is a fraud so he decided he would obliviate me. The first time he tried, Ry disarmed him. Then he stole Ron's wand and broke it in the process. He still tried to obliviate us but with the wand broken it backfired and now he is unconscious. I sent Morte immediately and here we are."
"Ennervate." cast Severus, reanimating the wizard.
"Hello. Who are you? Where am I?"
"See, it backfired cousin Severus."
The potion master pinched the bridge of his nose. "Use Morte to send a message to professor Dumbledore. Then get out, I will handle it from here."
Angela wrote a short note and sent her familiar to the headmaster before the four of them left the two professors together. Hermione was looking heartbroken to see that Angela had been right.
"I know you warned me but I still believed that he did what he had written about…"
"Hermy, don't believe everything that's in the books, you need to take a step back. And remember, I wouldn't warn you for nothing." she smiled gently.
oOoOo
The four teenagers were in Dumbledore's office, recounting the event with their defense teacher once more when the door suddenly opened violently, letting Lucius Malfoy and Dobby enter.
"Aggressions on students and now a professor sent to St Mungo! Are you sure you are still worthy of being headmaster? The Governor's board will hear of this! Is the situation with the Chamber really fixed or was it just a lie to cover up something else?"
Dumbledore took out the pierced diary from one of his drawers and showed it to Lucius. "The culprit was the same as last time, Lord Voldemort. But this time he acted through someone else by the way of this diary."
"I see."
"It was a great plan. If young Harry and young Angela here didn't discover the diary, another student would have appeared as the sole culprit. No one would have been able to prove that they acted against their will."
"You don't even know who had the diary?"
"Oh, I know it was young Miss Weasley. And imagined what would have happened had she been considered the culprit. Imagine the consequences there would have been for the Weasley, for Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if it was discovered that his daughter was attacking and killing muggleborns. Fortunately this diary was found in time and all its memories erased. Who knows what would have happened had it not been the case?"
"Fortunate indeed." sneered Lucius, looking as if someone had taken a shit under his nose.
"Don't you know how Ginny came to possess this diary, Mr Malfoy?" asked Harry as Angela took his hand, shaking her head slightly.
Lucius turned toward him. "How should I know how that little idiot found this diary?"
"Because you're the one who gave it to her. It was in Flourish and Blotts. You took her old transfiguration book and you put the diary inside, am I right?"
"You'd have to prove it!"
Ron was seething, his face becoming red but Angela shook her head again, trying to keep him from acting rashly.
"Oh no one can. It's impossible now that Riddle has been erased from the diary. On another hand, Lucius, I'd advise you against distributing Voldemort's old school things. If some found their way in the hands of someone innocent, I'm sure Arthur Weasley would do anything in his power to prove that it belonged to you." Dumbledore was warning him, giving Harry a small smile.
Lucius looked ready to take out his wand at any moment but the lord turned simply, ordering his house-elf in the process. "Let's go, Dobby." He violently opened the door of the office and literally kicked Dobby out of it.
Harry looked at professor Dumbledore and remembering what Angela had taught him about house elves he grabbed the diary, removed one of his socks and put it inside the battered book.
"I'm borrowing this professor Dumbledore."
Harry ran out of the office, the other three following him. They caught up to Lucius and Dobby right before they reached the stairs.
"Mr Malfoy, I have something for you!" Harry told him, out of breath before putting the diary and sock in his hand.
Lucius looked disgusted and threw the sock on the ground or so he thought for Dobby caught it without him noticing.
"One day, Harry Potter, you'll meet the same end as your pitiful parents. They too couldn't keep their noses out of others' business. Now come Dobby!"
"Master has given Dobby a sock."
"What are you saying?"
"Master threw it and Dobby caught it. Dobby is free."
Something snapped in Lucius who drew his wand, pointing it at Harry. "You made me lose my servant!"
"You won't hurt Harry Potter!" bellowed Dobby, using his magic to push Lucius in the stairs behind him. "Leave now, Dobby won't let you touch Harry Potter so leave!"
Lucius didn't have much choice and after wrapping his cape around him, he left, looking thoroughly pissed.
"It was risky Harry! He could have killed you!"
"But everything is fine and now Dobby is free!"
"Speaking of that…" Angela knelt in front of Dobby. "Dobby, allow me to introduce myself again, I'm Angela Schiffer and Harry Potter is my brother. I would like to offer you to bond with me so that together we can work on keeping my baby brother alive and safe. You'll get paid and as many days off as you want and you'd be working at Hogwarts most of the time. What do you say?"
Dobby was looking at her, analyzing her words, looking for a trap. Five minutes passed before the house-elf slowly nodded. "Young mistress Angela was always kind to Dobby and Dobby wants to protect the great Harry Potter. Dobby wants to be paid a Galleon and have a day off per week. Dobby wants to be able to wear clothes."
Angela nodded. "We'll find a way, maybe if I give you fabric or wool you can craft your own clothes!"
The house-elf nodded before taking her hand. "Dobby bonds with Mistress Angela Schiffer."
"I accept the bond with Dobby the house-elf, so mote it be." she answered before smiling. "Let's see professor Dumbledore to discuss working here during the school year."
Hermione looked about to blow up and Harry and Ron looked confused. Angela went back to Dumbledore's office while the other three went to the Great Hall to eat.
The remainder of the year was a peaceful event, Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup but Slytherin won the House cup, Angela's work for the Hospital wing brought a lot of points to her house. The end of term exam came and soon it was time to go back home for the summer. Angela promised Harry to have him visit once more and to write a lot.