The Traitor's Blood

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Professor Whiting moved aside and the students began filing into the classroom. Harry pulled Ron away from Malfoy and they began to make their way to some empty seats at the back of the room. But Hermione soon caught up with them and steered them towards a desk much nearer the front. Ron groaned at her but she simply shushed him and settled herself into a seat. Harry and Ron dropped their bags onto the desk beside her and sat down too.

"How come Malfoy's in this class? We've never had Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherin's before," Harry whispered to Hermione as he looked around the room.

"There are less people taking this class, that's why," replied Hermione impatiently. "NEWTs are very difficult and we only have time to take 5 or 6 subjects. So lots of people will have dropped this class. All the classes this year will probably have students from all four houses in them." She did not remove her eyes from her textbook the whole time she spoke to him.

Ron jabbed Harry in the side. "Looks like Malfoy's sidekicks decided to drop this class." He pointed to Malfoy, who was sitting at the very back of the room with a couple of Slytherin girls. Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's cronies who never usually left his side, were nowhere to be seen.

Hermione suddenly seemed interested in this observation from Ron. She scanned the classroom herself for Crabbe and Goyle. "I wonder why they would've dropped the class," she muttered to herself.

"Quiet please!" Whiting raised his voice above the chatter of the students.

Hermione quickly straightened herself and looked attentively at Whiting, who was now standing at the front of the class.

"As I said before, I'd like to welcome you all to my Defence Against the Dark Arts class." Whiting began pacing up and down the centre aisle between the desks. "I am Professor Whiting and I hope to be taking you through the next two years to your NEWT exams."

"Not likely," Ron whispered.

"Shh," Hermione hissed.

"Is there something you would like to share with the class, Miss...?" Whiting looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Um, Granger," Hermione stammered, "and, um, no, I was just ..."

"I was just saying that none of our Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers have lasted more than one year," Ron interjected, to Hermione's great relief. "So, it's unlikely that you will be here right through to our NEWT exams."

Harry looked at Ron in disbelief. He had never heard Ron speak so boldly in front of a teacher like this before. Ron had definitely changed a great deal since the events of the summer holidays.

Whiting stopped pacing the aisle and moved in front of Ron and Harry's desk. "Is that right, Mr...?"

"Weasley," Ron replied confidently.

"Well, Mr Weasley, maybe it's time to change that little habit." He perched himself casually on the edge of the desk. Now that Harry could see him close up, he realised that Whiting was much younger than most of their teachers. He could only have been in his mid-thirties.

"I'm going to be totally honest with you all," Whiting continued. "I have never taught this subject before. In fact, I haven't even been living in the Wizarding world for the last fifteen years." There was a flutter of surprise at this statement and Hermione had a look of complete horror on her face. "But I have been teaching the last few years. I'm actually muggle-born and decided to return to the muggle world to attend university and become a qualified university professor. I've spent the last few years teaching Mythology to muggles."

"Sorry, Professor, but how can you teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts if you've been away from the Wizarding World for so long?" Hermione sounded extremely worried.

"Don't apologise, Miss Granger," Whiting replied earnestly, "you have every right to be concerned. But I will put your mind at ease. Before I left, I became a fully-qualified Auror for the Ministry of Magic. During my time away I have continued working for the Ministry. I cannot tell you exactly what my job entailed but rest assured that it has given me enough experience to guide you through your Defence Against the Dark Arts NEWT."

"What a load of rubbish," a sneering voice proclaimed from the back of the room.

"Please have the decency to introduce yourself before insulting me, Mr...?"

"Malfoy," came the simple reply.

"Ah, yes, of course." Whiting stood up again and walked over to Malfoy's desk. "Well, Mr Malfoy, if you have any comments about my teaching abilities, I suggest you take them to the Headmaster as soon as he returns. Until then, I would appreciate it if you would keep them to yourself."

"My father told me about you," Malfoy continued confidently. "You were a pathetic Auror. You ran away when the Dark Lord was at his strongest. There was no 'top secret' job for the Ministry. You were just too much of a coward to fight." Malfoy looked very pleased with himself.

Whiting turned away from Malfoy and headed back towards the front of the class. "Well, I'll leave you all to believe what you will," he said dryly. "I'm not here to win your friendships. I have a job to do and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. Now, if you will all take out your books and turn to chapter two. I would like you to read the chapter and answer the questions printed at the end." The whole class groaned audibly. "I know. It's all very dull. But I need to know what standards you are all at. I promise there will be more practical work in future."

The rest of the double lesson was spent in relative silence. Harry struggled to concentrate on the text he was supposed to be reading. He spent most of the lesson staring at Whiting and trying to figure out if he had been telling the truth or not. When he came to answer the questions at the end of the chapter, he only had time to scribble out some very pathetic answers which he knew were probably completely wrong, before the bell sounded for the end of the lesson.

"Please bring your answers to me before you leave," Whiting called out above the noise.

"I'll take them." Harry gathered up the pieces of parchment that he, Ron and Hermione had written their answers on. "Go ahead, I'll catch you up."

Harry hung back at his desk and pretended to be looking for something in his bag. When the rest of the students had handed in their work and the last one had left the room, Harry strolled up to Whiting's desk and handed him the three pieces of parchment. He was about to ask Whiting if what Malfoy said was true, when he changed his mind and turned silently to leave the room. When he was almost at the door, Whiting called after him:

"Mr Potter, wait a moment will you."

Harry stopped and turned to look back at Whiting. "How do you know my name? I never told you ..."

"It's, er, on your parchment here," Whiting replied nervously. "And well, I, um, guessed who you were as soon as I saw your, er ..."

"My scar," Harry finished for him. Whiting had been so confident before, especially with Malfoy. Harry was amazed at how nervous he was right now.

"Yes, that's right." Whiting seemed to be avoiding Harry's gaze as he spoke to him.

They were both silent.

"What did you want, Potter?"

"Nothing, Sir, you asked me to stay back." Harry looked awkwardly at Whiting who continued to look everywhere but directly at him.

"Oh, yes, I did," Whiting laughed. "But only because I thought you had something to ask me."

How did he know? Harry began to feel very uncomfortable. For a moment, he thought about turning around and leaving the room as quickly as possible. But there was something he was desperate to know the answer to.

"I just wanted to know if what Malfoy said was true," Harry blurted out suddenly.

Whiting laughed again. "What difference does it make?"

"It makes a lot of difference to me," Harry replied earnestly. "I want to know that I can trust you."

"I guess that is a hard thing to decide when you first meet a person." Whiting kicked back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk. He looked much more at ease than he had been before, but he was still not looking directly at Harry when he spoke to him. "There's nothing I can do to make you trust me, Potter. You just have to listen to what your own heart tells you."

Harry laughed this time, but it was a bitter laugh. "That's not done me much good in the past."

"I'm sorry, Potter, but that's the best I can do for you." Whiting leaned forward, picked up the stack of parchments and began rifling through them.

Harry turned and walked out of the classroom without another word. He went straight to the Gryffindor common room were Ron and Hermione were sitting in their favourite chairs near the fireplace.

"I can get used to this," said Ron, pulling out the Wizards Chess board and setting up his pieces.

"These are meant to be 'study periods'," said Hermione bossily, pulling out her textbook from the previous lesson.

"What is there to study?" Ron laughed. "We've only had one lesson and he didn't set any homework."

Hermione simply shook her head before burying it behind the book.

"That Whiting guy seems OK," Ron turned to Harry.

"I don't like him," Harry replied coldly.

"Why not? He seems really laid back. And the way he dealt with Malfoy was genius. Malfoy won't bother doing that again if he's not going to get a reaction." Ron began setting up Harry's chess pieces for him.

"I asked him if what Malfoy said was true and he didn't answer me," Harry told him.

"What?" Hermione looked up from her book. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to know if it was true," Harry replied. "I wanted to make sure he didn't run away when Voldemort was in power last time."

"Of course he didn't." Hermione put her book down and looked directly at Harry. "Malfoy was just stirring. Since when have you believed anything that Malfoy says?"

Harry did not answer. He looked away from Hermione and started looking over his timetable again, counting all the Potions lessons that were listed.

"I'm going to see McGonagall," he said finally.

"What about chess?" asked Ron. "I can't play on my own!"

But Harry did not answer. He had already disappeared through the portrait hole.