Harry Potter and the Other Half

Chapter 5: The Ex-convicted Mass Murderer Professor

The mixed group of students from each of the four houses filed into the DADA room, silently wondering what to expect from their new teacher. Harry, Iris, Hermione, Ron, James, and Lily took seats across one whole row towards the front. Draco, Blaise, and the few other Slytherins took seats across the back. In the other rows were ranged students from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and more Gryffindors. The door leading to the teacher’s office at the front of the room slammed open. In the doorway appeared the figure of Sirius Black.

“Ah, I see I am to teach Sixth Years first on Fridays.” Sirius’s voice permeated the room easily, quieting any whispered conversations. “Interesting, isn’t it? First day of classes is the last day of teaching before the weekend.” The convicted mass murderer of three years ago walked casually down the steps leading to his office. “Although, you students will be happy about the strange coincidence of scheduling, I expect you’ll receive plenty of homework to make up for it.” The assembled students groaned collectively.

All in the silent classroom heard a muttered comment from the back, “No doubt McGonagall will account for most of it!” Many heads turned to look for the speaker, Hermione giving him a particularly stern glare. Malfoy just smirked at her, but when the bookworm turned around, he grinned at Lily who smiled shyly back.

Professor Black laughed. “Yes, that was what she did one year when I was at school and the same situation appeared! I shall not dock points, Mr. Malfoy, but I recommend that you show greater respect towards your teachers, or next time I won’t be so kind.” The young man lost his smirk. “Now, you all know who I am, I hope. I will try to learn your names as quickly as possible, but I can’t make any promises.” He reached for something on the large wooden desk in front of the blackboard and picked up a green manila folder. Sirius opened it and began reading out the roster, marking attendance.

After the man finished his task, he began to speak once more. “I know that in the past you have been taught by some exceptional teachers, such as my good friend Remus Lupin. I would like you to know that I have never, ever, been faced with the position of teaching anyone, anything. Well, except for teaching my owl to do a few tricks when I was younger, but that’s beside the point.”

The young professor pushed himself up from leaning against the desk and walked down the rows as he began the lesson. “I want all of you to put away your books and stand up with only your wands.” He waved his wand, pushing the desks to the sides of the room when those instructions had been complied. Sirius stood next to the Trio and looked down at Hermione. “Now, now, Hermione, don’t look so sullen! We’ll do plenty of book learning this year, never fear!” The rest of the class laughed at the Gryffindor girl’s expression, and the tension in the air eased.

James spoke up, finally, in his curiosity. “But, Da-I mean, Professor Black, what are we doing now if we’re not learning from the text?” Sirius raised his eyebrow at his son’s near slip, before answering the question.

“Well, can anyone make a guess?” The new teacher looked around the room before calling on Blaise Zabini. “Yes, Mr. -?”

The Slytherin nodded. “Zabini, Blaise Zabini. The only thing I can think of is dueling.” The students looked to Sirius.

“Very astute answer, Blaise. Now, that you all know, shall we get to it?” Most of the boys, and some girls, grinned excitedly, but the rest looked apprehensive; especially Neville. “I think I’ll pair you up, so we don’t have too many best friends purposely missing hexes to hold up the friendship. Let’s see now … Draco Malfoy, partner with Lily Black. Ron, go with Pansy Parkinson. James, I’m not letting you take on Iris, though I know you may want to. I don’t want to be forced to bring what’s left of you to Madame Pomfry. You go with Padma Patil….” Sirius continued making up the pairs and then the students got down to dueling.

When the bell rang, everyone groaned or made other evidence of their disappointment at the end of the period. Most students bore wide grins, not without sweat or injuries. Neville couldn’t stop dancing from a tango curse and was sent to the Hospital Wing with three other students. Harry nursed several bruises from a nasty baseball throwing attack made by his sister.

“That hurt, Iris!” Harry looked incredulously at his fraternal twin. She smiled cheekily at him while James and Ron laughed. Hermione pulled a vile of murtlap oil from her school bag and handed it to her boyfriend. Lily was still in the classroom collecting her things.

“It’s an American hex, my dear brother! I would have thought you’d know that from the baseballs. After all, baseball is an American sport!” Iris pretended to put on an air, before sheepishly smiling at Harry. “I was only joking Harry… you’re not my dear brother.” The small group of friends started laughing at her second joke. “Nah, I’m just kidding with you!” Then Lily caught up to them, and joined the exchange students questioning the returning Sixth Years about Professor McGonagall.

A small crowd was gathered outside the Transfiguration classroom before the students were let in. Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the large room. She was rolling her wand between her fingers as she waited for the Sixth Years to settle down in their seats.

“This year, you shall be learning much more advanced magic,” the old professor began. “Of those things will be the Transfiguration of a living thing into another living thing. Today, we will begin with a fly into a bumblebee. I think you can all handle that. Mr. Flinch-Fletchley, kindly hand out the flies to each student, thank you. Now, the incantation is imbumblious! Practice it while you are being handed your flies, good.”

As Justin passed from classmate to classmate, several of the “girlier” girls squealed in disgust as they received their flies. Lavender Brown went so far as to push herself as far from the buzzing specimen in front of her as she possibly could; in doing so, she almost fell over, causing Iris and Lily to snicker and Hermione to shake her head in her own reluctant disapproval. When everyone had a fly, Professor McGonagall gave the signal for the students to begin. Neville and Ron had a good deal of trouble in the beginning, but Hermione, Lily, and Iris caught on in no time. By the end of the lesson, Harry looked with chagrin from his three female friends swarming piles of bumblebees, to his own eight.

“Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley! I would have thought better of your efforts than only eight bees apiece! Both of you, and Mr. Longbottom, will have extra practice work!” screeched Professor McGonagall as she saw their dismal work.

The three boys that had been specified gave a collective groan. Hermione gave her friends sympathetic glances, while Iris turned her laughter into coughs. Lily had been sitting with three of the girls from her dormitory, Lauren Kohn, Candice Spoon, and Annabell Fork, towards the back. The bell rang and the students were free to go to their next period.

~*~*~*~

Lily waved good-bye to her Gryffindor friends as Hermione went off to another class and Harry, Iris, James, and Ron went off to a free period they were spending outside. Turning back to her fellow Ravenclaws to go to Ancient Runes together, she saw the Weasley twins talking with some third year Hufflepuffs. Standing a few feet from them were Lily’s three Ravenclaw friends, Annabell Fork, Candice Spoon, and Lauren Kohn.

Annabell was looking through her shoulder bag for something, but Candice and Lauren had interested expressions on their faces and were surveying Fred and George up and down. Lily smiled and walked over to stand next to her three brunette friends.

“What are you two so interested in?” Lily laughingly asked Candice and Lauren. The two tricksters shared one of their mischievous smiles. The two girls, Candice with her dirty blonde-brown hair, and Lauren with her locks the color of milk chocolate, were known as the Ravenclaw Wild Cards because of their tendency to make the most unexpected jokes and pranks. Lily pressed on tentatively. “You guys aren’t planning on pranking the Weasley twins, are you?”

Candice pretended to look offended, and then smirked a little. “Well, no, we aren’t planning on pranking them.” Lauren also smirked then added her own comment.

“Well, not exactly pranking them, anyway,” Lauren gave a half-grin, before continuing to speak of Fred and George as the foursome rushed off to the North Tower. “Can you believe how well muscled they are? I mean, they haven’t really played serious Quidditch since they left last year, now have they?”

Annabell spoke up, having found what she wanted in her bag. “I found it!” She displayed her favorite lip-gloss to everyone. Annabell then noticed the other girls deep in conversation. “Are they talking about the twins again?” Lily laughed and nodded. The other girl rolled her eyes. “How they can still talk about them, when they did the same thing last year, and not exhaust the subject! It is truly unbelievable!” Laughing at their two friends who continued to talk about their hearts desires, Lily and Annabell ran ahead to reach their class before the bell.

~*~*~*~

Later, when the girls had gone out of class to go to the bathroom for a break, Annabell leaned on the edges of a sink to examine her reflection. She saw the usual, dark brown curls pulled up into a side ponytail, molasses brown eyes perfectly lined with subtle black eye liner, and her full face with almost perfect complexion. Lily leaned on a stall door behind her, and Candice reapplied her lip-gloss. Lauren was taking her time finishing up and chatting about anything that came to mind.

“Come on, guys,” Lily requested. “We really should go back to class! Professor Dirshire might get suspicious.” The only black haired girl in the group pushed herself from her lounging pose to stand in front of the full length mirror that stood against one wall. She adjusted the hem of her blue polo shirt and smoothed back some frizz spewing behind her navy headband.

“Don’t worry, Lils,” Lauren had come out of her stall. “He never gets suspicious about us Ravenclaws. We’re too intelligent to do anything bad, according to him!” She shook her head, and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Candice rolled her eyes then moved to the door, followed by the other girls.

~*~*~*~

Harry looked to the large doors that opened to the Great Hall from his seat at the Gryffindor table. Ron was digging in to a chicken leg across from him, and James was reaching for a second helping of meatloaf. Iris and Hermione had disappeared after they began talking about fashion sometime during the fifteen minutes before lunch that Hermione had rejoined them in.

Supposedly, Iris had a more “loose” and “comfortable” wardrobe for Hermione. Harry looked down at his plate and started to eat since he figured that his girlfriend and sister wouldn’t be down for lunch in a while.

Professor McGonagall walked over to Harry on her way up to the head table. “Mr. Potter, I didn’t get the chance to speak to you this morning or last night, but I’m proud to tell you that you have received the Gryffindor Quidditch Team captaincy for this year. Inform me when you schedule tryouts, because you will be looking for two Beaters and two Chasers. Good day.” And with that, she walked away, leaving their section of the table in shock before the news was passed around and the whole of Gryffindor House broke into cheers and congratulations.

~*~*~*~

Hermione looked down at her new outfit, then back at her friend. “Iris, are you sure this looks good on me?” The book worm had some concerns about the pale orange eye shadow, the neon green fish net stockings, and the purple button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“Come on, ‘Mione!” Iris was very proud of the new look she’d given her friend. “It looks great! I especially like the pink chucks!” “Chucks” is what Iris called Chuck Taylor high tops. “Let’s go down to lunch, ‘kay, ‘Mione?”

“Sure, I guess. Let’s go.” The two sixteen-year-olds walked down the several staircases to the Great Hall, and lunch

~*~*~*~

Draco stretched languorously before taking a survey of the Great Hall with his eyes. His gaze was caught by Lily, at the Ravenclaw table, as she swung her shining hair over one shoulder as she talked animatedly to three brunettes. The blonde young man leaned his chin on his palm. Blaise saved his friend’s elbow from landing in the plate in front of him.

“Draco! Draco, they’re coming!” Blaise hissed through his teeth as he smiled towards the rest of the Sixth Year Slytherins coming through the door. Pansy flounced over, pouting, and pushed into a seat between Blaise and Draco. She threw her arms around his shoulders, but Draco not so subtly shrugged her off.

“Drakkikins!” Pansy whined, leaning into Draco’s shoulder as the other Slytherins sat down. “Why didn’t you wait for me this morning? You always wait for me!” She batted her eyes at him and spoke in a voice that made her sound like a dying frog on helium.

Draco sighed. He’d told Pansy a million times that he wasn’t interested in her, but she never seemed to get the message. “I woke up early and I decided to come early, okay?” He silently seethed as she simpered and began talking about how she hadn’t known and why didn’t he just go back to sleep.

Blaise shared a pained look with his friend over the girl’s head as she moved on to talking about ‘filthy Weasels’ and ‘know-it-all mudbloods’.

This was going to be a long lunch.

~*~*~*~

“Harry!” Harry looked up to see whose feminine voice had called him. It was his sister and his girlfriend. Hermione looked … well, good! Her purple top hugged her full curves and her bright fishnets drew your eyes to her wonderfully shaped legs. Harry looked up at his girlfriend and his jaw dropped. She looked, in his opinion, very beautiful.

“Wow, Hermione,” Ron spoke around a mouthful of chicken, “you look good!” Hermione glared at her red-headed friend mildly. Ron turned a fierce red and ducked his head to avoid her anger.

Hermione sat down next to Harry and continued to glare at Ron. Harry tried to solve this little mishap before his girlfriend could bite Ron’s head off. “When has she not looked good, Ron?” Hermione turned a beaming smile on Harry, making him feel as if Spring had come before Winter even started.

“So?” Iris dragged out the question, looking at the three boys. “What do you think? Did I do a good job?” The hazel eyed young woman had her arm linked through James’s and she was smiling in a self-flattering way.

James rolled his eyes and patted his girlfriend’s arm. “Of course, mon cher. When haven’t you done a good job?” Iris’s smile changed to one of knowing gratitude and she rubbed her head on James’s cheek as if she were a cat.

“Hermione? What are you wearing?” Fred exclaimed, astounded at Hermione’s seemingly relaxed idea of clothing styles.

“’Mione!” George gasped. “Wow!” The brunette looked at him, smiling, and sat down next to him.

“Yeah,” Hermione commented, “Rissy did a job on me.” Iris rolled her eyes at her nickname. The female Potter grabbed a slice of pizza from a nearby tray and took a bite. Laughing, Hermione and the rest of their small group went back to eating.

“So,” Fred startled Ron, grinning, “How are our little sixth years today?” George grinned and went to say ‘hello’ to his ex-girlfriend Katie Bell, who was farther along at the table. The two had broken up over the summer, because of mutual differences, but were still good friends.

“We’re pretty good,” Harry replied offhandedly. Iris rolled her eyes as Hermione rested her hand on top of her boyfriend’s and giggled. Ron’s eyes glazed over as he looked towards Susan at the Hufflepuff table, and stayed that way as Fred sat down in an empty seat. At that point, Lily Black came over with her three Ravenclaw friends.

“Hello, all!” Lily greeted everyone brightly and pretended to ignore her friends’ reactions to the Gryffindors. Lauren and Candice shared a look after they had both watched Fred and George, who had returned, for several moments. Annabell rolled her eyes and nudged Lily, who grinned.

“What?” Iris asked her friend, looking from Ravenclaw girl to girl. Lily gazed at her best friend slightly nervous about the calculating look in Iris’s eyes. “Why were they,” she indicated Lauren and Candice with her head, “looking at the twins like that?” Candice blushed faintly, and Annabell bit back a smile as Lauren’s eyes flicked nervously around, looking at anything but Fred.

Lily laughed. “I’ll tell you later,… if you guys can sneak me into Gryffindor Tower?” Lily eyed the Gryffindors for their reactions. James and Iris smiles hinted at evil as they approved of her daring. Harry and Ron looked excited and Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed in a resigned way, but admitted she would be glad to have Lily come. Fred and George seemed indifferent, but they weren’t really paying attention to begin with.

Annabell glanced at Ron quickly, her cheeks flushed slightly. Lily continued talking with her friends and the Wild Cards were comparing prank notes with the Weasley Twins. Ron enjoyed the conversation, but seemed preoccupied, giving sidelong looks at quiet Annabell. The bell rang and the students and alumni separated to go to there afternoon classes.

~*~*~*~

The group of sullen teenagers silently entered the dungeon that was their Potions classroom. Professor Snape stood in the front, his long, black robes wrapped around himself. He waited impatiently for the students to get settled. There was markedly more Slytherins than any other House in this class, and very few Gryffindors. In fact, Harry and his friends were the only ones.

“Now,” Snape began pacing, his voice steely and cold, “I will warn you that this class will not be easy. I expect very few of you to get top marks this year, not that I expected anything else for all of your other years of schooling. Today you shall work on the Memoir Elixir. It is very difficult to make and I do not believe many of you will succeed. Ingredients are on the board!” The greasy haired, anti-social man waved his wand and words appeared on the blackboard at the front of the room.

Ron started muttering under his breath about Snape being an ‘insufferable git’ as he got his ingredients out at the table he shared with Harry and Hermione. Iris sat with James and Annabell Fork towards the back. The other two of Lily’s three Ravenclaw friends sat at a table nearby with a Hufflepuff, and Lily sat with Draco and Blaise. The whole class got started on the potion.

Ron was having issues with one of the ingredients. “Hermione, what’s peau de fleur?” Hermione looked thoroughly exasperated as Ron was often heard to do.

“Honestly, Ronald! It means ‘flower skin’ in French! Daffodil would be best,” she couldn’t believe that after five years of going to Hogwarts, Ron still couldn’t make a decent potion without some help.

“Oh. Thanks, ‘Mione.”

The Trio went back to there work as Harry asked his girlfriend to pass a jar of powdered honey.

~*~*~*~

“James, do be careful with that!” Iris quickly saved a glass beaker of measured fairy wings from her boyfriend’s precarious grip. “Don’t drop those! Aug! Why do you have to be so …” He kissed her cheek, his black hair brushing her jaw.

“Adorable!” James finished Iris’s sentence. She just rolled her eyes at him, a half smile on her lips.

“Hey, can I have that mortar and pestle?” Annabell asked the couple. Iris promptly passed it over. Annabell watched quietly as Iris and James continued finishing their potion in good humor and mild silliness. Lily had introduced her roommates to her Gryffindor friends earlier and Annabell quite liked the two Americans she shared her Potions desk with.

~*~*~*~

Draco smiled at his love when she sat down at his table. “Blaise, this is Lily Black. Lily, this is Blaise Zabini, my only true friend in Slytherin.” Blaise smiled at the shy Ravenclaw and courteously brushed his lips along her fingers.

“What a charming girl you’ve found, Draco! You shouldn’t let Pansy meet her. She just might turn green with envy!” The brunette started chuckling. Draco punched his friend on the arm when Lily blushed prettily, eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Really, Draco, you have the most charming friends. If all of Slytherin was like you two, I’d be surprised if you had the same reputation!” Lily chuckled at her secret boyfriend’s incensed look when she complimented Blaise so outwardly. Professor Snape gave their table a sour look that Lily knew to mean ‘do not make trouble’. “Come on guys, I think we should start working on the potion.”

~*~*~*~

After the class finished mixing the potion and they were all waiting for it to finish simmering, Professor Snape decided to quiz the students on the potion bubbling in their cauldrons.

“Who can tell me the uses of the Memoir Elixir,” Snape’s voice hissed through the small and gloomy chamber. Several hands went up, Hermione and Lily’s among them. Snape surveyed the sixteen-year-olds before him before he chose the one student he knew to know the answer and who would make it seem as if he was just being a ‘greasy git’. “Miss Black, let’s hear your answer, shall we?”

Lily nodded meekly as she sat turned around in her seat. “Certainly, sir. The Memoir Elixir is a potion that, when properly made, will force anyone who drinks it to relive random memories and the potion will then proceed to act as a hallucinogen, creating visions of the drinker’s recollections.”

“Very good, Miss Black. When your potions have been finished, we will test them on each of you.” Shocked gasps throughout the dungeon met this announcement. Draco and Lily flushed, and Iris bit her lip in concern for her friend.