The last Hogwarts feast had already begun by the time Harry had managed to get away from Madam Pomfrey's coddling. He hadn't really been injured other than his aching scar but she had insisted he stayed. He just wished she hadn't made him late for the last feast of the evening. It made for a very awkward entrance.

The Great Hall was decked in green and silver banners to celebrate the Slytherin House winning the House Cup. Upon his arrival, all eyes went to him, and murmuring started up only for him to jump when the doors opened behind him again. Farlan had also been late and was in his usual state of disarray, though he appeared to have singed part of his robes this evening.

Snickers came from a few people as Farlan sheepishly muttered apologies, but he grabbed Harry's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before he passed by. A swirl of gratitude filled Harry for the man who may have come late on purpose if only to get some of the attention off him. Shaking his head lightly, Harry went over to his seat at the Gryffindor table between Ron and Hermione before Dumbledore stood.

"Another year gone!" The headmaster chimed, looking over the group of students from the high table full of professors other than a single empty chair where Quirrell had once sat.

He rambled for a bit, as he always did, before announcing where the houses stood for the House Cup. Gryffindor was in last place with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw between them and the first-place Slytherins. Then, a surprising turn of events.

"I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes. First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Ron was flushed red with embarrassment as the Gryffindor table cheered until Dumbledore continued.

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Hermione ducked her face into her arms, eyes full of tears at the praise.

"Third, to Mr. Harry Potter for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

With those points alone, Gryffindor was tied with Slytherin for first place and the room went silent as he continued for one last round of points.

"There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I, therefore, award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Neville was pale with shock as he was swarmed by Gryffinors. He had done his best to try and dissuade Harry and the others from going after Voldemort to the point of getting jinxed. No one would have guessed he would get points for something like that, but he had and as such, the decorations were changed with a swish of Dumbledore's wand to the red and gold of Gryffindor. It was the best feast yet and the trio of Gryffindors had forgotten about their exam results, which were presented to them once the food was gone.

Farlan had been the one to pass them out, given a majority of the professors were inebriated in their celebrations. When he'd gotten around to the Gryffindor table though, he was stopped by Hermione.

"Mr. Daggrow?" She said, grabbing the sleeve of his robe to stop him from leaving. "I just wanted to thank you for… for what happened and to apologize. I know what we did was stupid and I'm sorry for not thinking you were all trying to help stop this."

Harry nodded along with Ron, both also having been chastised by Hermione when she mentioned Farlan's displeasure. Farlan himself had looked exhausted when he'd shown up in the passageway to save them, and Harry knew he had been in with Madam Pomfrey for a bit too. Farlan defended them and the castle from Voldemort, but his job would have been far easier had they not meddled where they shouldn't be.

Farlan let out a sigh before offering them a rare smile. "It's fine. I should have expected someone to get involved and at the very least, I'm glad it was you three. I doubt many of the other students could have done as well as you."

The trio beamed, proud of what they'd done and Farlan's praise until he gave them a sharp look.

"But you best not do anything so stupid again. I'm not skilled enough to protect you all from things like that and we all got lucky that day," he chided them before sighing again. "But if there is anything you need help with—studies, directions, exams, whatever—my shed is always open…" He frowned then. "Well, not open per se but knock and I will be available. Do ask before jumping headfirst into danger next time, please."

The trio smiled, nodding in agreement and he bowed his head as he went back to passing out exams. The trio hoped the following year would be far calmer but even if it wasn't, at the very least they knew they had Farlan to bother if anything happened.

Summer break had begun and Dumbledore had been quick to make the preparations for me to return to Magnus's farm. I hadn't been eager to go, waking up often in the nights leading up to the trip, but I knew there were plenty of things there that I would like back. It's a shame the creatures were either killed or released… I shook the thought from my mind, making sure I had what I needed in the pack I was bringing, before going to the designated meeting area. While I would be going alone, Hagrid was going to be there when I left and returned. I was using a thestral, after all, and it would be needed for the carriages once the new term began.

I found him petting the creature I'd be using over by the front gates and he offered me a grin.

"Got all your things then, Farlan?"

"I hope so," I replied, hating the never-ending feeling that I was forgetting something that always occurred when packing. "You'll take care of the creatures for me?"

"Course I will. Ain't no one who'd care for them better." He gave the thestral a pat. "This here's Tenebrus. He'll know right where to go and you tell him ta wait for you and he'll stay put. You ride thestrals before?"

I shook my head but offered a hand to the creature before running my hand down its neck. "No, but I've seen them before. Abraham had a couple though he used hippogriffs mostly."

Hagrid hummed, eyeing me for a moment before dropping a hand on my shoulder. "Sorry about your mentor. Can't be easy goin' back."

I shook my head, knowing he was right and that this trip would be terribly hard for me. "It won't be, but I have to. There might be something important there and… and my things too perhaps. Probably won't be any creatures though."

Hagrid grunted as I got onto the thestral and I offered him a small awkward smile.

"I'll see you later, Hagrid."

He nodded and the thestral pushed off the ground, taking me up into the clouds. I was quick to cast a drying charm and a warming one on my robes, knowing the weather wouldn't be the best and that flying was always a chilly affair. I wasn't disproven either. The second day of flying ended up with us struggling to get through a storm. I almost considered dropping down into the forest below for a break but didn't want to be gone for any longer than needed. There were still people after me and I didn't want to take the chance.

The storm had calmed by evening though, and just in time for us to reach what was left of the farm. The thestral landed in a clearing in front of the main building and my heart lurched at the sight of it. Half of it was collapsed in on itself and the front door looked as though a grenade had gone off, blowing out the door frame and shattering windows. I told the thestral to wait for me in the forest surrounding the home and watched it wander off before hesitantly approaching.

Already I could remember Magnus standing in the doorway with a gruff frown on his face as he eyed me and the other two who were applying for the job. A step into the destroyed building only added to the memories. The kitchen where we switched off on cooking. The lounge where we had a drink after a long day's work. Every room held some sliver of memory, even with it as destroyed as it was.

I knew I would need to thoroughly go through the building but after two full days of flying, I needed to rest. So, I used my wand to push aside debris and carefully moved toward where my bedroom had been. Little had changed other than a broken window, leaving a puddle of water on the hardwood floor, and the scattering of my documents. A cleaning spell refreshed the bedding and I repaired the window before hanging up my robes and sinking into the bed. Tears immediately came to my eyes and I clung tight to the pillow, crying myself to sleep with memories of my time here.

The next day I woke up exhausted and emotionally drained. I used a spell to clean myself up and foraged through my things for something to eat. Then, I began the arduous process of searching for anything useful. All my old notes and books from my room were stored in my bag. Any that were salvageable, anyway. Then, I moved into the other rooms.

The kitchen, lounge, and bedrooms were left alone. Magnus's bedroom as well had little of use in it. His office only had business paperwork and the small safe had just a bit of cash within, which I pocketed with an apology. Dumbledore may have confirmed that—via his will—everything was legally mine but it didn't make it feel any less like me stealing from the dead. The only other place to check was the work shed and there would be just a few more hours of daylight left.

The workshed held the more valuable items. Creature parts used for ingredients, herbs and plants for potions, and a few other odds and ends that I didn't want to part from. Old tools and equipment that I missed and a few small gifts as well. I will admit to having grabbed a few memorable items for myself—a moving photo of Magnus with a Phoenix, his old silver dagger, and a set of dragon hide gloves he had gifted me upon taking me in as his apprentice. When I finished with the shed though, there was little else of worth.

I could have left that evening if I wanted but something held me back, so I ate and settled in for one more night. I wanted to check the grounds and doing so in the dark was a risk—creatures or not. I didn't get much sleep though, the same as the previous night. My dreams were riddled with memories of Magnus dying and the screams of creatures as Voldemort cackled in the background before hitting me with a killing curse. I woke up early covered in a cold sweat and eventually gave up trying to return to sleep.

I ate a small breakfast and pulled on my cloak before stepping out of the home and into the forest. Tenebrus greeted me first but I reassured him that I wasn't ready yet and continued on. The forest was eerily silent, a vast difference from what I was used to when I worked here. There had always been some sound before, be it roars of dragons in the distance or snickers of pixies and fairies. Now the trees were quiet other than when a breeze cut through, rustling leaves.

I started walking through as though I were working again, making my rounds. All the non-magical creatures were gone. A few fences were destroyed which would have released them and a few bones were scattered, letting me know some had starved while trapped there. My heart ached at the sight and I buried what I could. Magical or not, they too had been living creatures once and deserved that right.

From there I walked toward the other areas with much the same results. The hippogriff stables were destroyed with nothing more than feathers and a few skeletons to tell me about the fight here. The Mooncalves were killed and the Diricrawls escaped along with the dragons. Not even the best-skilled wizards would have stopped them. A crater was in the Erumpent area, telling of a swift end, and the Nundu had seemingly vanished.

Little else was left though. Any creatures small enough or quick enough escaped or left such small traces I wouldn't know otherwise. The creatures that fought back tended to have been killed and the only reassurance I had was that none of the magical creatures had been trapped. They all had a chance to flee, unlike many of their non-magical counterparts. So, when I passed through the final area and started back toward the thestral, I was surprised by a sharp hiss. I froze instinctively, searching the ground for signs of an Ashwinder or some other snake but was instead faced with a rather small Fire-Dwelling Salamander.

I knelt down, making it puff up and hiss again, but eyed it with a hint of sadness. Its scales were black with only a few glowing a dull red like embers, telling me the fire it would have made its home was little more than ash. Magnus had once had a dozen of them scattered in his home in the fireplaces. The attack must have scattered them and once the fires went out… I reached into my bag and drew out a small bottle of pepper, dumping some of it into my hand and reaching out to offer it to the small amphibian. It hunched its back threateningly again but didn't hiss this time, cautiously approaching. It only took a moment for it to curl into my palm, shuffling in the pile of pepper and making me crack a small smile.

It will take some effort to relocate it to a new fire. Pepper only works for six hours. The best I can do is… I curled my hand close around the salamander and hurried back to the house. I found the fireplace that was somehow still warm even after all these years—magic fireplaces certainly last—and drew a large vial. It will have to do, I mused, scooping some of the warm ash and embers into it and carefully nudging the salamander into it as well. It curled up happily in the ash and pepper, burying itself as I carefully sealed it and tucked it away into my robes. It will die if it stays. The least I can do is take it with me… It's my fault it's in this situation, to begin with.

I let out a soft sigh and stepped back out, taking one final look at what had once been my home before turning and calling for the thestral.

Dumbledore couldn't help but smile as Farlan fidgeted in front of him. He had returned from his trip a few days ago and had been allowed to rest until the start of the next week when the headmaster was to test him and show who would be working with him. Dumbledore had someone in mind but hadn't mentioned anything to the young man in order to ensure he did his best… and because Dumbledore enjoyed surprising him. There was something entertaining about startling the young man.

So, as the next week began he called Farlan to an empty classroom and instructed him through a few of the basics. As expected, Farlan breezed through them rather easily and Dumbledore chose to try something more difficult. He already knew he could cast a corporeal patronus—a feat in and of itself—but he had no doubt the man was hiding other talents that hadn't been shown while he was at Hogwarts.

He asked the man to transform a chair into a vulture and he did so with only a hint of effort. The bird could not fly as well as it should but it was still a decent job of transfiguration. Dumbledore destroyed the chair and asked him to repair it and he did, then destroyed it again and asked to turn it into another object. He had some trouble changing it into a wooden dog, the movement jerky at best, but it helped Dumbledore assess him.

There was little point in testing him on potions—his experience doing so with creature ingredients was exceptional. History was a common knowledge thing and rarely of use to protect one's self so Dumbledore left that out too. Being skilled himself in Occlumency, Dumbledore had him attempt Legilimency on him, which brought up the young man's first sign of his lack of confidence.

"Sir?"

Dumbledore waved him on. "I hold no secret that I feel you couldn't keep and am well versed in Occlumency to kick you out should I feel you tread too far. Once you do this, I will try the same on you. These are both skills you should be tested on."

Still, Farlan hesitated so Dumbledore sighed and chose to try and intrude first. Farlan stiffened immediately at Dumbledore's mental attack, though it was kinder than most. That being said, he was pleasantly surprised when Farlan swiftly shoved him out and he had gotten little more than a snippet of memory of Farlan's time with his mother. Smiling politely despite Farlan's small frown of annoyance, Dumbledore gestured for him to act, and this time he did.

Dumbledore allowed him to get in and would put up an occasional mental barrier or a small nudge backward. Farlan did well to dig further though, and it wasn't until he had touched lightly upon Dumbledore's relationship with Grindelwald that he was forced out. He shrank slightly, assuming he'd gone too far but Dumbledore waved him off.

"Again, there is nothing I felt was too dangerous or intrusive for you to see. You have worked hard though. Practice makes perfect and it's apparent your skills trying to commune with creatures have improved your Legilimency and your Occlumency. Your shields could use some work so I encourage you to practice making them sturdier. Have you ever protected yourself from the Imperius Curse?"

Farlan shook his head slowly, not looking thrilled at the prospect and Dumbledore lifted his wand, waiting for him to prepare himself before casting it.

"Imperio."

Farlan stiffened as Dumbledore encouraged him to kneel on the ground. For a moment, Farlan started to bend, folding into the curse as it forced him to do the headmaster's bidding. Then, he froze and grimaced before the spell broke and he stumbled back with a hand on his head.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore chirped, impressed with his mental capabilities. "Yes, your mental prowess is exceptional and I have no doubt you will not cave under pressure anytime soon. Not that I hope you will ever have to deal with such a thing, but one must always be prepared."

Farlan nodded slowly, still rather uneasy with being tested by the headmaster, when someone knocked on the door.

"Ah, and your dueling instructor is here," Dumbledore hummed with a mischievous smile. "Do come in."

Farlan paled at the sight of McGonagall who cracked a smirk herself as she rolled up the sleeves of her robe.

"Are you ready to duel, Mr. Daggrow?"

Farlan sagged in realization but nodded. "If I must."

Dumbledore grinned, pleased, and gestured for them to do as they wished. Yes, she will certainly improve his skills and, if need be, I can find other teachers for him to continue to improve. He is exceptionally skilled and it's a shame his talents were missed early on. Now, he can only do his best to catch up, hopefully before things regress to how they were before. His smile fell as he left the room, glancing out a window and hoping beyond hope that Voldemort wouldn't start up yet another war.

The new term had finally started, though the first day didn't quite go as planned for Harry and Ron. After borrowing Mr. Weasley's flying car when the barrier on the train station refused to let them in, the two proceeded to crash it into the Whomping Willow, show up late to the Great Feast, got caught by Snape, and had a Howler delivered the next morning from Ron's mother. The worst part was that they had incidentally upset Hermione in the process and the new teacher appeared to be a bit of a… dunce.

Gilderoy Lockhart was a proud, pompous man who had already caused trouble with the staff of Hogwarts despite the term having only just started. Harry hadn't missed the disgruntled expressions of the professors at the head table at breakfast the next morning. Then, there was an instance in front of the greenhouse where Professor Sprout looked rather annoyed at Lockhart demanding to speak with Harry. Harry himself wasn't impressed with the man who rambled on and on about the price of fame and his accomplishments before rushing off as quickly as he'd appeared. The worst part was, they would have him that afternoon for Defence Against the Dark Arts and the only one who appeared thrilled was Hermione and other young witches who he had somehow charmed into adoring him.

Then, of course, the trio was caught by Malfoy and only narrowly avoided getting detention by Professor Lockhart thanks to Hermione telling them to watch out. Though, Harry knew it was more because the professor had heard about signed photographs and dragged Harry away to ramble on some more. He was only released once Lockhart had hauled him all the way to his class and, determined to get as far away from him as possible, Harry took a seat in the very back; piling up all the books Lockhart required of them in the hopes he would be unable to see him once class began. The rest of the class joined him then—Hermione and Ron taking the seats on either side of him—and once everyone was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat.

Before he could begin, the door opened again and Harry was surprised to see a distracted Farlan enter the room. Said man was as messy as ever, looking as though he had run a hand through his hair repeatedly in the last few minutes and rather uncaring of the state of his robes. Said robes were dusted with dirt and had fur and some feathers sticking out of them, telling of his time in the hippogriff stables recently. He never bothered to clean them up between lessons or he just didn't care how others might have viewed him. Harry's guess was the man honestly just forgot to clean them off with how distracted he was.

"Ah, Mr. Daggrow! I almost thought you weren't coming," Lockhart greeted with a smile as Farlan glanced up from the parchment he was reading with the blandest expression possible.

"I considered it," he muttered, earning a few snorts and snickers from the students who heard him and Lockhart's smile twitched before he gestured toward his desk.

"Feel free to sit at my desk. Professor McGonagall mentioned you might find something of use in my class and you are welcome to make yourself at home."

Farlan took one look at the desk full of his books whose covers were winking pictures of him and instead turned toward an empty seat in the very back across from the trio. "No, thanks."

Again, Lockhart's smile twitched and he cleared his throat before picking up one of his books to show it off. Harry though, glanced over at Farlan. It sounded as though he'd been brought in reluctantly and sure enough, he wasn't at all focused on anything Lockhart was saying; having laid out his parchment and pulling a few other items out from his robe. Harry realized then that he hadn't seen the large Grim with him, only to shiver as he spotted its blood-red eyes staring at him from the shadows under the desk. The creature had hidden in the man's shadow apparently or had snuck in some other way.

Harry nudged Ron then, nodding toward Farlan and speaking under his breath. "What's he doing?"

Ron, who was closer to the end of the table craned his neck to try and see. "Uh, looks like more runes."

Sure enough, Farlan had ground up something on a small plate, glancing up briefly to see if Lockhart was looking before using his wand to conjure a small bit of water. He then brought out a brush and began drawing out runes on the parchment. Harry quickly turned away when papers were being handed out and he eyed the sudden quiz with a frown. Every question was about what Lockhart had accomplished or random facts about the man like what his favorite color might be. Harry saw the same paper be placed on the desk beside Farlan who frowned at the interruption as Lockhart returned to the front of the room. Harry's eyes widened though when something slipped out from under his robes and shot a tiny ember at the paper, turning it to ash as Farlan went back to work. He only saw a hint of red and blue before it disappeared again. What—

"You have thirty minutes. Start, now!"

Harry quickly tore his gaze away and attempted to get through the quiz. By the end of the testing period, Lockhart rambled out the answers and gave Gryffindor ten points for Hermione getting every one correct. It was only when he brought a cage up and placed it on his desk that Farlan paid attention.

"Now, be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind!" Lockhart announced. "You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm. I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them."

The cover on the cage was removed and revealed the cage full of pixies.

"Yes, freshly caught Cornish Pixies."

Seamus Finnigan snorted in laughter, obviously unimpressed by the creatures and drawing Lockhart's attention.

"Well, they're not very dangerous, are they?" The boy choked out, fighting to hold back laughter.

"Don't be so sure! Devilish tricky little blighters they can be," Lockhart warned. "Right then, let's see what you make of them!"

No one could believe that he just opened the cage and released the pixies. Chaos had immediately ensued and Farlan had stood up in surprise. Pixies shot for the windows and he cursed under his breath, flicking his wand to rubberize them and bounce the pixies back into the room. Two went to hoist Neville by the ears into the air and Farlan scowled, turning to them.

"Ebulio," he said, trapping the two pixies in bubbles and releasing Neville, who sank into his chair in relief.

The others had begun to tear up books and papers, knocking things about, and throwing others. Lockhart did little to help, telling the students to round them up before attempting his own spell.

"Peskipiski pesternomi!"

The spell did nothing and one pixie grabbed his wand and flew up to the chandelier, waving it around mockingly. Farlan had had enough and with a sweep of his wand, he called out over the noise.

"Immobulus!"

The pixies all froze where they were, dropping the items they had and spinning lazily. All the cowering students turned to Farlan as he twirled his wand, drawing all the pixies together, and wandered over to a window. He opened it and threw the group of pixies out, releasing the spell and allowing them to fly off into the forest as Lockhart poked his head up from behind his desk where he'd taken cover.

"Y-Yes! Well done, Mr. Daggrow! I knew you could do it, though you should have returned them to the cage so they could be used for my next lesson—"

"Which is all the more reason why I released them," Farlan said sharply, in a tone Harry hadn't heard him use before.

The man had always been patient and calm, even shy at times but never angry. Yet, Lockhart had appeared to have pushed his luck and the young apprentice was fighting back.

"What the devil were you thinking releasing any creature among a group of newly-turned second-year students?" He bit out, gaze sharp. "Much less keeping them all crammed in a too-small cage together like that. Seems you know your creatures as well as you know your spells; not at all."

Lockhart flushed, eyes running over the students who looked uneasy as well. "I-I was going to show them—"

"A useless incantation?" Farlan questioned, making him flounder again.

"I wished for them to get hands-on experience!"

"With what spell?" Farlan countered. "None of these students know what to use to capture anything. They would resort to what they know which is dangerous for not only the pixies but for other students in the room. You are a professor. Your job is to teach, not try to show up every person who walks in your door. You are not posing for a portrait or talking to a reporter. Do your duty to your students and do your job."

Lockhart pursed his lips, seeing that he'd lost the trust of a number of his students because of Farlan's interjection and when Farlan went to return to his seat, he stopped him.

"Then, why don't you do it?"

Farlan stopped, facing the back wall and not turning around as he spoke coldly. "Excuse me?"

Lockhart flinched before regaining his confidence. "W-Well, if you think you could do better, then why don't you teach them without the pixies."

Farlan took a deep breath and rubbed at his face. Lockhart grinned as though he'd won but Farlan turned to look over his shoulder.

"Fine. If that's what you want, I'll teach the next lesson."

Lockhart's smile faltered and he went to backtrack on his words but the bell rang and the students were quick to gather their things.

"And you won't need any of his books," Farlan announced to the students who looked relieved to not have to bring the seven various books Lockhart wanted. "Just your wands, parchment, and quills."

The class filtered out, muttering to one another, as Harry glanced over at Farlan as he packed his things. He still looked annoyed and frowned at his ruined parchment covered in ink. The paper was set aflame like the last and once the ink stick, brush, and slab were put away, he caught Harry looking. He merely gave Harry a small nod of greeting before stepping out the door, leaving Lockhart to fall back in his seat in stunned silence.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair as I carried a number of books and a parchment in my hands. I was on my way to deliver said books to McGonagall before lunch, after which would be my lesson with the same second-year students Lockhart had tried to set pixies on. There was little doubt in my mind that the entire staff heard what happened, judging by how pleased they'd looked at breakfast.

I knocked on McGonagall's door, vaguely registering her call to enter, and stepped in. "I brought your—"

A spell was shot at me and the books were thrown upward as my wand snapped out, slowing their ascent (and subsequent descent) before dodging and firing off a stunner. McGonagall blocked it and fired off a water spell, as well as transfiguring a nearby desk and chair into a knight and sword that rushed at me. I muttered a curse and hit it with an exploding spell, snuffing out the water with a paper rune I yanked out of my robes that caught fire. Steam covered the room and we both attempted to use it to our advantage.

I threw a desk in front of me as a spell was shot out of the fog, gritting my teeth as it was transformed into a toad. Throwing a leg of a chair I solidified into a metal spike was fine except it sank into the wall, missing her entirely. The steam was gone now and my eyes ran over the room, searching for her before I whipped around. It was too late though as the cat shifted and I was hit in the chest with a stunner, getting thrown across the room into a few desks and dropping my head backward with a groan.

"That's cheating," I complained as she held up a hand and easily caught my slowly descending books and parchment.

"That is using my skills to my advantage," she corrected as I hauled myself to my feet and she handed me the parchment alone. "You would do well to not underestimate your opponents. Not everyone is as forthcoming with their skills as I."

"Animagi are registered," I argued with a grumble as I took the parchment on pixies and rolled it up.

"Not all of them," she mused, turning toward her desk to put the books down and fixing the damage our duel had caused in the process. "Your transfiguration has improved and you use your surroundings well. However, I want to see more variety in your spells and a better application of those skills you're good at." She gave me a look as I rubbed my bruised back. "Runes can be exceedingly useful if you can use them quickly and efficiently."

"That's the problem," I grumbled. "Paper runes can only be used once and are weak. I'd like to use my runic stones but…" I reached into my hip pouch and showed them to her. "Each stone has a single rune on it. Solitary runes aren't normally useful on their own and the time it takes to set up a pattern is too long for duels."

McGonagall toyed with a few stones before returning them. "There are a few patterns you can have already set up, isn't there?"

I nodded, putting the stones back and pulling off a chain of stones and bone from my opposite hip, handing it over. "I can make chains to link them but it depends on what they're being used for. The best application I have is as a restraint but there are limits."

"Such as?" She asked, sitting at her desk and returning the chain.

"Some chains can be knocked aside either physically or magically. That, and depending on the pattern, some runic spells work better as circular rings while others do best as lines. Restraints can be either but it depends on what you want."

Her brows furrowed in thought. "So, to restrain someone with rope or chains you would need—"

"Runes in a single line," I explained, holding up a chain. "But if I wished for handcuffs or an ankle trap I would need a ring and it would have to be appropriately sized. Too large of a ring and it will act as nothing more than a belt. Too small and it won't work at all. They can only shrink so small. I… haven't worked out how to make them adjust to size properly yet. It risks… well, if I get it wrong I could accidentally amputate something I shouldn't."

She nodded in understanding before drawing a line with her finger on the desk. "What about barriers? Could you not use a chain and create a line of fire or use a ring for a pit of water?"

I glanced upward, thinking. "I would have to test it. The issue would be the height or depth. Getting it wrong could mean a chasm instead of a more shallow pit or a candle-sized flame instead of a bonfire. The other issue then would be carrying all the chains and ensuring I grab the appropriate one in the middle of a duel."

"Then that is something for you to work on. I look forward to seeing it applied in combat. You are doing far better than I expected. You have the potential to be a formidable foe should you increase your strengths and speed; if only for your unpredictability."

I cracked a small smile. "Thank you."

"Though, you might make a decent professor as well," she said with a smirk. "Dumbledore might offer you the Dark Arts position, I hear."

I groaned, sinking into a chair and dropping my head onto her desk. "Don't remind me. It's your fault this happened, you know."

"My fault?"

I lifted my head to lightly glare at her. "You sent me to his class under the guise of me learning something. Only thing I learned is he's an incompetent, narcissistic fool who undoubtedly lied in every single book of his."

She raised a brow. "You read them?"

"No. He just talks about them every chance he gets. Why did you send me there?"

"Because you seemed the best suited to deal with him," she replied with a shrug, adjusting her glasses and pulling over some marking to be done. "You have far more patience for stupidity than I do, and you have the time to watch him. Albus said to keep an eye on him."

"He could've hired someone else," I grumbled, accepting half the marking to work on as well.

"People think the position is cursed. He was possibly the only one willing to try. If no one can take the position, the Ministry have threatened to fill it with one of theirs and you know how they are."

I, unfortunately, did thanks to a small incident over the summer. Magnus had left a will that I needed to have looked through, which required a visit to the Ministry. It may have looked grand to a recent Hogwarts graduate—all of whom were always encouraged to apply for positions there—but the people I dealt with to get ownership of property, funds, and business rights transferred were insufferable. I needed two whole days to recover from the short time spent in their presence.

"I wouldn't say Lockhart is much better," I argued lightly, giving her a look. "The kids might learn something from a Ministry member but all he teaches is what his favorite color or birthday present would be. You heard what happened, didn't you?"

She nodded. "He's an utter fool. Releasing Cornish pixies on a group of students. We're lucky he didn't do the same with the more dangerous creatures for the upper levels."

"He wouldn't get a hold of them," I countered, shaking my head. "I had the Swooping Evil check his office. He has nothing and probably can't get anything either. Regulations on trade and sale of creatures are difficult enough, much less the higher ranked beasts. Cornish pixies were the best he could do given how common they are. Even then, he wasn't caring for them properly."

She shot me a look, knowing I had a soft spot for any creatures before looking back at the papers. "Do you know what you have planned for the lesson?"

I winced, glancing at the parchment with my notes. "Yes a-and no. I know pixies well enough but… I-I'm not great at public speaking."

"Did you not run every study session for exams the past few years?" She challenged with a raised brow.

"Yes but that's different," I whined, finishing and setting my quill down before leaning back and pressing my palms to my eyes. "I-I just walk around and give advice to a single student or a small group. This is a whole class."

"You did well enough telling Lockhart off from what I heard."

I peeked out from under my hands with a frown. "Who told you?"

"I believe you've made an impression on the students in the class who have been singing your praises," she explained, stacking the papers and giving me a smile. "You should accept that you are well-liked by the students and, as such, they will talk about anything you do when you stand up to someone. The twins were quite eager to spread more rumors once they heard."

I groaned again as she chuckled lightly, getting up from her seat as the bell chimed for lunch.

"You will do fine, Farlan," she encouraged as I dropped my hands and she started for the door. "As you said, anyone can do better than Lockhart, and I believe you are far more exceptional than that moron."