Chapter 3:
The couple emerged from the room over two hours later, eyes still slightly red from the tears they had shed. After explaining all that had happened in their year apart, they had taken some time to mourn the ones they had lost. Even though they would see Remus and some others every day, they knew they would eventually return to a time where they were dead.
Unexpectedly, they felt somewhat happier after this brief time of mourning as they were now determined to fully exploit this strange opportunity to make more memories.
Ginny had also cautioned against their judging people by how they would act in the future. Pettigrew was not a traitor yet, and Snape was currently an annoying git who would join the Death Eaters as soon as he got his NEWTs, if not sooner.
Harry frowned. ''It is strange. The man I recently learned protected me is an enemy while I will have to become friends with the man who will eventually betray my parents.''
They had both decided that they would not reveal that they were from the future, unless they absolutely had to. They had also discussed their cover story to ensure that they would not completely contradict each other.
They arrived in the Great Hall for lunch and Harry realized that he was quite hungry. They had missed dinner last night and their breakfast had been somewhat hurried. And he had not exactly been able to eat his fill in a long time.
Remus stared as he piled food onto his plate while he munched on a sandwich. Eventually, the young werewolf declared. ''Sirius, Peter, I believe you have a challenger in the eating department.''
The two boys turned towards their friend who pointed at Harry's plate. Sirius' jaw dropped.
''Merlin's beard, Wood! I don't think even I could eat that much in one meal! Have you forgotten to feed yourself last summer?''
Harry shrugged and grinned. ''Nah, I am just feeling slightly hungry today.'' Looking at his plate, he conceded. ''I might have overestimated myself, though. But I haven't seen so much mouth-watering food in a while.''
''Shame you missed the feast, then.'' Peter piped in.
Harry tensed. So far, he had mostly tried to ignore the fact that this particular boy was here. It was one thing to say he should act friendly towards him, but it was much harder to actually do so.
Fortunately, James attributed his stiff posture to something else. ''Pete, I don't think Harry – or Ginny – wants to talk about whatever happened.'' He turned towards his son with a genuine smile. ''But if you feel like talking, one of us can lend you an ear.''
Ginny stifled a strangely strangled laugh and blinked back a few tears. When the Marauders – and Lily, Harry noticed – stared at her, she explained. ''Sorry. I have – had – twin brothers who were quite the pranksters. One lost an ear about a year ago, and they have been making jokes about it since then. The… the other one died recently.''
The students offered their condolences and everyone finished their lunch in a somewhat muted fashion.
Defence was apparently highly anticipated by the class. Harry wondered if it was because of the war – purebloods or half-bloods would have to choose a side and muggleborns were targets – or because of whoever the new teacher was. He turned towards Lily.
''So, I heard that there was quite a turn-over of teachers in this subject. I understand the teacher changes every year or so, right?''
His mother nodded. ''Basically, yes. Once, the teacher did not even finish the school-year. He was an Auror, and that year was to try and see if he could change career from chasing dark wizards to teaching. Unfortunately, he was called back by the Ministry when simultaneous raids required reinforcements. He never came back. It was our OWL year. The Headmaster and the other teachers covered up the last part of the curriculum.''
Harry nodded. It was sad for the man, but he had a feeling his parents had had more luck than he in Defence teachers. After all, apart from Remus and Snape, all had tried to hurt him, if not outright kill him.
''So, who is the teacher this year? Do you know?'' Ginny asked, tense. This would probably be the most difficult class for her. Memories of Amycus Carrow teaching students the Cruciatus by forcing them to cast it on one another or enduring his own curse haunted her. She had always refused to cast the spell, and she had received more than one scar because of that. Apparently, the Death Eaters liked to know that there would be some physical reminder of the pain they so gleefully inflicted.
James walked up to them, glancing at Lily. Obviously, the young man intended to use the opportunity to spend more time with the girl he hoped to impress.
''From what I heard, he is a retired Auror. Name is Mr Crooker. It will be a step up from Old Codgy.''
Lily rose her eyebrows. ''Mr Codgy was a good teacher.''
''I am not saying he wasn't. But he clearly lacked personal experience. I would be okay being taught by a scholar in normal times, but there is a war out there, and the Potters are known for not supporting the supremacists' ideals. Once I leave the school, I will be safer if I know how to protect myself. My dad spent a few hours a week working with Sirius and I to improve our spell-casting this summer.''
Lily sighed and nodded. ''I understand. I am sometimes worried as well, as a muggleborn. It is so easy to forget about the war here, and my parents would never let me attend if I told them everything.''
James shrugged. ''Well, the new law may help.''
Harry intervened, searching his memory for what law his father might be talking about – why did Binns always focus so much on goblins instead of more recent events?
''The new law? What law are you talking about?''
He grunted when Ginny stepped on his toes in silent reproach for this remark. Being ignorant of recent events could only attract unwanted attention.
His father looked at him, bewildered. ''The one authorising the Aurors to use Unforgivables, of course! Don't you read the Prophet?''
Harry frowned. ''Rarely, actually.'' After his fifth year, Harry had never really forgiven the newspaper, and had chosen to read the Quibbler instead – it was much more diverting anyway, and he usually found himself in the middle of the events that made the Prophet headlines so he didn't need to read about it. And of course, he had not read many newspapers last year.
Discussions ceased as the professor arrived. He was not as old as Harry had expected, but the reason for his retirement was clear. His left hand was missing. Harry wondered if the man was initially left-handed, or if he had resigned after the injury.
They all settled down, and this time the Marauders and Harry and Ginny joined Lily and Alice in the front row.
''Hello, class. As Dumbledore said last night at the feast, I am Mr Crooker, retired Auror. This is your last year, and as you probably know the Ministry needs Aurors and Hit Wizards. You chose to take the NEWT Defence course, so I will treat each and everyone of you as a potential applicant. I don't care if you plan another career, when you leave this school you will know what fighting means!''
The teacher paused to ensure he had the students attention. No one spoke up and he continued.
''But I am not stupid. Some of you in this class may choose to join the terrorists rather than the Ministry. I can't force you to chose the side of the law, but I will ensure you know exactly what it means to become a Death Eater.''
He turned around and levitated a huge object covered with a sheet. With a wave, the sheet flew away and folded itself in a corner of the room. The object was a cage that contained a few mice.
With a sickening feeling, Harry understood what the man intended to do for their first lesson and grabbed Ginny's hand. Though he didn't know whether it was to offer or receive comfort.
''As you must be aware, the Aurors are now fully allowed to fight fire with fire, and use Unforgivables on You-Know-Who's followers. You studied these curses before, but only in textbooks. When you walk back through that door today, you will know what they look like on living beings.''
Eyes hard, he stared at the students. ''There will be no mocking, no running from the classroom, no eyes closed. You chose to be here. Assume that choice. Dark Arts are not something great to look at.''
He paused. ''Now, will one of you remind me of one of those curses?''
Harry looked around discretely. He had no wish to speak up, but wondered who would.
Jaw set, James Potter rose his hand. The professor nodded at him. ''Name?''
''James Potter, Sir. One of the curses is the Death Curse. The incantation is Avada Kedavra, and it has a green light. It kills without any visible wounds, and cannot be blocked by a magical shield.''
The ex-Auror acquiesced curtly. ''Good summary, Mr Potter.'' Without further ado, he opened the cage and randomly grabbed a mouse. He deposited it on the table, looked at the students to ensure they were all watching, and exclaimed loudly.
''Avada Kedavra!''
A green light shot from his wand and hit the mouse which stiffened instantly. Then he grabbed it by the tail and shook it for all to see before dropping it by the cage.
''Next curse?'' He asked the class.
Again Harry looked around. Ginny glanced at him, her gaze lingering slightly on his forehead and chest as she held his hand tightly and blinked back tears. The other students were all slightly pale. Lily was staring at the mouse as if she expected it to wake up and scurry away. Clearly, she had never seen the effect of the curse before.
How many of those sitting in this room will end up like this mouse? Or worse? He wondered, his gaze stopping briefly on Alice.
A student in the back of the class rose his hand. The teacher nodded to him and asked for his name.
''Proudfoot, Sir. Err… The Imperius Curse allows control of your enemy's free will. It can be resisted by some people, though.''
''Correct.'' He grabbed two mice and put them on the table. He quickly erected a shield to prevent them from escaping.
He muttered the incantation and once it hit the first mouse, he continued his lecture.
''There are many ways a dark wizard or an auror may use this curse. It can be used to force your opponent to fight his own allies, by harming them.'' The mouse ran to the second one and started to bite it ferociously, drawing blood. The attacked mouse let out a pitiful squeak and tried to get away, but the other one kept following and biting.
''Or even kill allies or loved ones.'' The mouse climbed on its victim and bit hard on its neck, crushing the bones or the windpipe until it stopped moving.
''But it can also be used to force you to harm yourself.'' The mouse started to bite and scratch itself, drawing blood, then ran towards the wall of the cage at top speed repeatedly.
''Or commit suicide.'' The mouse ran to the end of the table and fell. It hit the ground and flailed for a few seconds until it lay still.
Harry felt sick and pulled Ginny's hand on his lap, brushing it with his thumb. He knew she must be thinking of the diary, and perhaps also the Carrows. Though they had not used the Imperius curse on students as far as he knew, they had blackmailed some into doing similar things. Ginny squeezed his hand in return and took a deep, slow breath.
It was, ironically, Alice who gave the name of the Torture Curse to the Defence teacher. Ginny gripped his hand tightly as the professor grabbed another mouse and made it squeak and scream in pain for one long minute.
''I can see on your faces that seeing those mice was hard. Good. Now I want you to replace those mice with your friends, with your parents, with your siblings. This is what awaits you out there. This is what aurors see and fight everyday.''
He waved his wand and the sheet covered the cage again, which then rose and flew up to the top of a shelf.
''Defence, now. It is, in essence, quite simple for the Torture and Death curses: don't get hit. Don't bother setting up a magical shield, because as Mr Potter said they will not block them. A physical shield, however, can do the trick. Transfigure a plank into a rock, summon a table, whatever you can think of. And if you can't find yourself some shelter, then dodge. Later this year, we will have some duels, and I will expect you to treat some spells as Unforgivables. Those of you who manage these exercises well and wish to become an Auror or a Hit Wizard will have a letter of recommendation to show with their application form.''
A few students muttered excitedly to one another.
''The Imperius Curse can be resisted, though it is very hard for most people. I will not, however, waste time teaching such a thing to future enemies. Those who are interested and motivated will be tested by Professor Dumbledore and myself. The Headmaster already gave me a list of people who expressed such an interest before, so raise your hand when I call your name.''
He produced a piece of paper. ''Mr Black Sirius? Miss Blishwick Alice?''
Neville's mother and Sirius raised their hands, and Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance. Until then, they hadn't known her maiden name – she had given the name of the Cruciatus in a whisper, and the teacher had not asked for her name before his demonstration. She was a pure-blood, so perhaps he already knew her. Or perhaps he had seen that the students were already too perturbed by his demonstration to insist on something so trivial.
''Miss Evans Lily?'' She nodded and waved a hand. ''Miss Granger Ginny?''
The young red-head startled but raised her hand. Then she turned towards Harry. ''What the hell is Dumbledore playing at?'' she whispered.
He thought about it. ''Perhaps giving his approval publicly to avoid people asking us too many questions?''
''And putting us in the spotlight after telling us to be discrete.'' Ginny drawled.
James Potter and Remus Lupin were also called, and Harry was not surprised when the professor concluded with his name. ''And lastly, Mr Wood Harry?'' He raised his hand briefly.
''All of you, as well as anyone else who is interested, will return to this room after dinner. I won't give you homework for next class, but I want you to think about what you saw today. Oh, and this extra-class on the Imperius Curse and further things may be joined at any time, as long as you meet the requirements, so take your time to think about it. And those who want to drop it can as well, whenever they want. It will not be a place for dallying.''
He looked around. ''Class dismissed.''
The students quickly gathered their books and hurried out of the room.
They only had a one-hour class of Herbology before dinner and their new class of Defence.
Apparently, no other volunteer had shown up, and Dumbledore produced a vial of Veritaserum. Each student was given one drop and asked if they supported Voldemort or his ideals. One Hufflepuff and one Ravenclaw students refused to take the potion, uncomfortable with the breech of privacy and free will it imposed. They left the room, and Mr Crooker reassured them that the class was still available if they changed their minds. The rest all answered negatively to supporting the rising Dark Lord, and Dumbledore then retired after bidding them good luck.
Mr Crooker sat on his desk and began his short lecture.
''There are two ways of fighting this particular Unforgivable. Number one: don't get hit. I already explained that one today in class, so I won't focus on that here. Number two is if number one failed: you resist. Like I said, it is not easy. But if you have any talent for it, you may acquire the skill through practice.''
The Marauders – minus Peter who had apparently only achieved an A in his Defence OWL and had therefore not continued with the NEWT class – and Lily and Alice exchanged surprised and worried glance.
''Don't worry, I am not gonna ask you to harm your friends. But I will ask you to do things that may make you feel humiliated. The reason is simple: it is easier to resist, especially at first, if the order is something you would never do in your normal state. I may force you to speak about things you'd rather keep secret. So, whatever is said in this room stays in this room. I will not get you in trouble for anything you confess either.'' He added with a glance and a smirk at the Marauders.
''If any of you causes grief to someone else because of these lessons, I will ensure you spend every Sunday in detention for the rest of the year. Clear?'' He concluded.
They all nodded.
''Good. Who wants to go first?''
Ginny stepped up. ''I will.'' She said decidedly.
As a third-year, The fake Moody had never cast the Imperius Curse on her, and her experience with the diary made her eager to finally learn to defend her mind. She had also tried to learn some Occlumency on her own.
With a nod, the teacher gestured her forward and spelled her.
''Climb on the shelf.'' He ordered.
Ginny made a slight move in the direction of the shelf, but stood rooted where she was. The teacher repeated the order three times with the same results, until Ginny managed to free herself from the curse.
''Impressive, Miss Granger. I believe you will be able to resist perfectly in a couple of lessons.
Shaking and pale, she nodded and went to sit against the wall near Harry.
James went next, and had far more trouble resisting the curse. By his third attempt, though, his movements were jerky and slower to answer the teacher's orders. The others students all obtained similar results, with varying degrees of jerkiness. The teacher praised them loudly, but Harry could see that the students felt frustrated by the extremely slow progress.
''Your turn, Mr Wood. You are the only one left.'' The professor called out.
Harry advanced to the centre of the room. ''Err… I have been exposed to the curse before, and I already have some resistance to it, Sir.''
Eyebrows rose around the classroom. ''Well, let's see that then.'' The teacher commented.
Without further ado, he cast the curse on him and immediately ordered him to do a somersault. Harry easily pushed back the dozy feeling and simply replied ''No'' before turning around and joining back Ginny by the wall.
The teacher remained silent for a while and then shook his head. ''Well, it seems you don't even need this class, Mr Wood. I wonder, though, how one as young as you has already built up such a strong resistance?''
Harry looked him right in the eyes. ''As you said, Sir: practice.''
The Marauders were in the kitchens, carefully charming all the spoons, forks and knives for their prank. It was shortly after midnight, and they had a lot of work to do.
Their spells were random. Some ensured that the cutlery would remain stuck to the table, others that they would be so sluggish that they would be useless and others that they would set aflame or freeze any food they touched. Tomorrow's breakfast would be complicated for most of the students, and all of the teachers.
James glanced toward the door, were Peter was keeping watch. Confident that the other boy would not hear him, he spoke up.
''Have you found any mention of an attack on September 1st? I mean, the new students were clearly in some battle, but I haven't seen any mention in the Prophet. And I don't think I have ever heard the names Wood or Granger before. Do you think they are muggleborns?''
Remus shook his head. ''Unlikely. They clearly received a magical education outside of Hogwarts, probably homeschooled by their parents or some tutors. They must at least be half-blood.''
Sirius frowned. ''But Moony, my family knows of every wealthy wizarding family. A good, private tutor is not cheap, especially with the war, and I have never heard the names before either.''
Remus shrugged. ''I don't know Padfoot. Maybe they come from abroad?'' He suggested.
James looked doubtful. ''They don't have any accent. And why come to England when there is a war? Unless their parents work for the Ministry. I will try to ask my parents if they have heard of anything.''
Sirius grinned. ''Good idea, Prongs. Are you sure he was asleep when we left? I swear I saw him move.''
The black-haired boy shrugged. ''Check the Map. If he is still in bed, we are safe – either he was truly asleep or he won't tattle to a teacher, which is good enough for me.''
Padfoot dug out the Map they had completed shortly before the summer and searched for their dormitory. At first glance, he was satisfied when a dot was indeed present in Harry's bed. However, he soon realized that there was a problem – the name was too short.
''Err… The Map can't lie, right?'' He asked Remus who had been the one to find a charm that used the Castle's magic to identify and locate any human being inside the castle or on the grounds. It was actually the reason they could not extend the Map to Hogsmeade.
Remus frowned. ''Of course not – unless Hogwarts decided too, but that would imply that the Castle, or at least its magic, is sentient.''
''Well, then, there's something odd here.'' He pointed at their new roomate's dot. ''Harry is not Harry Wood.''
James looked. ''He doesn't have a surname? How is that possible?'' He quickly searched the girls dormitory. ''Ginny's dot is the same.''
Remus' mouth moved silently for a while, until Sirius kicked his shin. ''But… That's impossible! The Castle identifies people by their magic! They must have a name, and the Castle must know it! Why is it hidden?!''
James grinned. ''Well, obviously Moony, it means that the Castle is sentient.''
Sirius laughed. ''So we just proved a centuries-old theory that has tortured every scholars in the world for centuries! With a Map!''
Remus was shaking his head and muttering, but James had already focused back on what interested him right now.
''Okay, so we can say how their surnames are hidden, even from the Map. But why? I mean, you saw how they fought the Imperius Curse. Harry barely noticed it, and Ginny threw it off in less than five minutes! There are adult wizards who can't manage that after months of exposure! Crooker said we might not manage a full resistance before the NEWTs exams!'' He exclaimed
Remus had mostly recovered from his shock. ''Maybe that's why.''
''What do you mean?'' Sirius asked his friend.
''I don't think they are transfer students. They act as if they have been fighting for a while, not just in a raid that unfortunately happened wherever they were. I think they came to Hogwarts for protection, not education.''
James nodded. ''I will try to talk to Lily. The way she was staring at them sometimes, I think she may have some theories of her own.''
Sirius shuffled uncomfortably. ''What do we say to Peter? I mean, we are Marauders, but half of what we know is from the Defence class. Even without the threat of Crooker, I don't really want to discuss it with anyone else.''
Remus sighed. ''Well, we only have suspicions for now. We will tell him as soon as we have enough proofs that do not involve our extra class.''
''Agreed.'' James and Sirius replied together.
They returned to spelling the cutlery for several minutes, until Remus burst out.
''Are we really not gonna talk of the fact that Magic is sentient?!''