Harry Potter and the Prince of the Enchanted Forest

Chapter 3: In Which Morwen Teaches, and Daystar is Interrogated

Harry woke up early the next morning. He dressed and went down to the common room to polish his Firebolt. About fifteen minutes later, Daystar came to join him.

"Harry, good morning."

"Good morning, Daystar."

"Oh my, a broom. It flies, doesn't it?"

"Well, yes of course! I play Quidditch with it."

"May I?"

"Well, it's covered with polish, but you can look at it." Harry handed it to him.

Daystar examined the broom. "A Firebolt. Morwen doesn't have anything like this."

"Of course, this is a racing broom."

"Yes. Very impressive." He let go of the broom and watched it hovered in the air. Then he sat on one side to get a feel for it. "Nice."

"That's not how you mount it."

"Well, Morwen was the one who suggested I ride it sidesaddle. Telemain told me horror stories of what riding on a broom is like, and he rides the traditional way."

Harry had memories of when Neville lost control of his broom. "How would you control it?"

"That's what I'm going to find out. I'm going to flying lessons with the first years. Truth be told, I've never really flown before."

"No?"

"No. Well, wait a minute. There may have been a few times, but I didn't have control over the thing flying."

"What was that.''

"A drag--never mind."

Harry's green eyes grew wide as saucers. "Dragons?"

Daystar got to his feet and handed Harry back his broom. "Man, I'm hungry. Ready to get some breakfast?"

Harry didn't like Daystar suddenly changing the subject like that, but he had to admit he was hungry too. "Sounds good."

"All right." Daystar grabbed something out of the air and started twisting. He started fading out, but then he came back into focus. "Whoops! I forgot I couldn't do that. I guess we're walking."

"You know how to Apparate?"

"Yeah, I guess that's what you call it."

Harry must have lost track of time. Before he and Daystar entered the great hall, they heard intense screaming. One unintelligible syllable was enough to give Harry a headache. He quickly closed the door.

"What's going on?" Daystar asked.

"Howler obviously. Who'd have a reason to get one?"

"I'm sorry, a Howler?"

"It's a magical message that magnifies a person's voice a hundred times. It has to be opened immediately, or it explodes. It's the ultimate disgrace to get one."

"Interesting," Daystar nodded.

"What? You've been through worse?"

"Much worse. I've been to a place where even a whisper was so magnified. Yes, I could guess what that Howler was made of."

Shortly after, the Howler's wrath was through, but the torment had just begun. The Great Hall now exploded into laughter. Harry and Daystar went in to see a boy at the Ravenclaw table, his head buried in his arms. The remaining embers of the Howler glowed beside his left elbow.

Daystar and Harry took their seats near Ron and Hermione. "That was one angry girlfriend," Ron observed.

"What was that all about anyway?" Harry asked.

"Take my advice, Harry," Hermione said in a low tone of voice. "Don't go there."

All of them laughed. "How are you this morning, Hermes?" Daystar grinned.

"HERMES?!?" Hermione cried in an offended voice. Ron and Harry laughed. "I'll have you know only one other person was cowardly enough to avoid pronouncing my name, and he didn't even exist! At least, I don't think he did."

"You may be surprised," Daystar told her. "What have we got first?"

"Let's see. Well, we got DADA first with Morwen. Everybody's gotta take that. And Potions, that's next. Then we have a couple of hours off for lunch. Then, hey we got Advanced Charms with Hufflepuff!"

"What do we have, Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron sighed. "Divination."

"When's Magic Theory?" Daystar asked.

"Thursday at 3:00," Hermione answered.

"Figures."

"But school ends at 2:00, doesn't it?" Ron asked.

"A couple of these honors classes meet after school, but only once or twice a week," Hermione answered.

"Are you sure you're not biting off more than you can chew, Hermione? I mean, remember last time?"

"It's not going to be like that. The Honor's classes should be refreshing, with a low student to teacher ratio and more challenging topics. And the houses and sometimes the years are intermixed, since so few students are on this level. It will be interesting mingling with students we'd hardly see otherwise."

"Is it just me, or is she sounding more and more like Percy?" Ron muttered to Harry.

Harry decided not to comment, but he had to admit, Hermione's head looked rather big right now. "Well, I'm looking forward to see how Morwen teaches, so let's finish up so we can head to class. Wait, now I'm starting to sound like Perce--I mean Hermione."

Ron giggled furiously. Hermione's face went really pink. Harry just finished eating so he could go.

A few students were already in the large DADA room. A few minutes passed before class started. To Harry, it felt like an eternity. He doubted Morwen was late, rather they were early.

The witch finally came to the classroom door, Dumbledore at her arm. "The wand is all yours, my dear," Harry heard him say quietly. "At your request, you will be observed for evaluation by some of our own professors. We will not be in the room with you, but if you need any help at all, we will be here for you. There is absolutely nothing to be nervous about."

"Who says I'm nervous?" Morwen said defiantly.

Dumbledore just laughed and patted her shoulder. "Good luck. You will do fine." With that, Dumbledore turned on his heel and left. Morwen entered, and the lesson began.

"Good morning, class!" The students promptly looked up, pleasantly surprised. Most of their teachers weren't quite as cheerful. "My name is Morwen. Now, I'm not like any of the teachers you've ever had before, in more ways than one, some more obvious than others. Let me go through a few that aren't quite as noticeable. First, I really haven't had any official teacher training before this point. I am more of a student teacher. Thus, I would prefer that you would not call me Professor Morwen, Doctor Morwen, or Ms. Morwen and the like. Just plain old Morwen will be fine.

"Secondly, I am not from around here. You can probably tell from my accent that I am not English, but that's not the only thing. I do magic much differently than you. I don't have a wand, and I don't know the Latin mumbo-jumbo."

Several students laughed at that. "You called it, Morwen!" Seamus exclaimed, while someone was making a fake cough that sounded suspiciously like, "Muggle!"

Morwen's smile faded. "Silence!" Her tone was so stern, it shocked the students into silence immediately. "I am able to do magic just fine. That brings me to another point. I do expect to have fun with all of you, but I will not tolerate nonsense from anyone. I don't need any horseplay. Rest assured, if I see any foolishness, I will do more than take off points.

"Now, I have reviewed everything you have covered thus far and what they expect me to cover. I am not completely familiar with all this material, but I was surprised that you haven't learned the bare basics, some of the most important spells I learned from the start. You have many defense charms and knowledge, but you lack the most important weapon of all: preparation.

"That is what I intend to teach you. I will show you how to have the most important magic items on hand at all times. I will teach you important spells to make you ready for almost everything. We will also discuss some of these dangerous creatures and dark forces, but mind I may give a different spin on them than any of you will expect. We will start next time we meet."

At that, Morwen started passing out sheets of parchment to each student. The parchment contained a list of ingredients. "I need for you to gather these ingredients from your potions stash. Professors Snape and Sprout will be happy to give you what you lack. As you will soon tell, that is another difference. I want this class to be in close conjunction with your other courses, as it is one of your most important. Please make sure you bring these ingredients next time, as well as your pet. We're going to have a critical lesson, so you must be prepared! I don't have anything beyond that, so until next time."

Hermione raised her hand. "Please, Profes--um, Morwen, we have forty-five minutes left of class. Surely you have something."

Ron shot her a look as if to say, "Shut up! She's about to dismiss class early!"

"Well, I suppose there is one other thing. I still need to call roll. I know many teachers here have been able to teach you without knowing who you were, but I would be more comfortable placing names with faces. As I call your name, raise your hand, and share with us whatever information you think I need to know."

Several students nodded and smiled.

"Very well. Daystar!"

"Right here, Morwen!" Daystar replied raising his hand.

"Daystar is from the same place I am, and I actually know him very well. But, is there anything you would like for the other students to know?"

"Well--"

"How did you do that spell?" someone blurted out.

"Very carefully," Daystar answered. "Seriously, I am 21, but I hope my age doesn't intimidate you. Dumbledore was gracious enough to open a lifelong learning program for me. I do know quite a bit of magic, but I am eager to learn it at a different angle. I guess that's it."

"Well done. This, by the way, is Genie beside him. She's my kitten. She got that unusual coat from an accidental incident involving magic pink smoke. She's in a familiar program that Dumbledore also started at our request. But more on that later."

She went through the rest of the list. It was very interesting. Harry was learning stuff about his fellow Gryffindors that he didn't know, and Morwen always had kind things to say. She called Seamus Finnigan's name "a fine Irish name." And when she came to Neville--

"I don't think I will do very well, Morwen. I'm not very good at remembering things."

"Ah, I was hoping for a demonstration for some doubters in the class." She came up to Neville, put her hand on his parchment, and said,

"Sunlight bright,

Water wet,

Make sure Neville won't forget."

The parchment glowed a bright yellow light for a few seconds, and Neville's eyes lit with an understanding Harry had never seen in his round face before. "There. That should be useful. And if you need anymore help, don't be afraid to come to my office.

"All right, Harry Potter."

"Here, Morwen."

"What do I need to know about you, dear?"

Several students spoke out. "He defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby! Show her your scar, Harry!"

"He saved Hogwarts from the monster in the Chamber of Secrets a couple of years ago!"

"He was one of our champions in the Triwizard Tournament last year!"

"Thank you!" Morwen called out above the noise. "I didn't ask any of you, I asked Harry. What do you think I need to know about you?"

"Well, I, er--I am seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Oh, that's the sport played on flying brooms, isn't it? I'm anxious to see you play it. It's surprising no one came up with such an idea where I'm from. We're running out of time here, and I would like to dismiss you early, so let's make this quick."

She went through the rest of the list. Ron was last, and he wasn't sure what to say. "Uh, you'll have three of my siblings in your other classes."

"Well, that will make your last name easy to remember, anyway. All right, thank you! Enjoyed meeting all you, and I'll see you next time. Class dismissed!"

The class let out about fifteen minutes shy of the bell. "Man, I like Morwen already!" Ron exclaimed.

"What do you reckon all this stuff is for?" Harry asked.

"Let's see. Peppermint salve, unicorn water, rose nectar?"

"Sounds like some sort of perfume," Hermione observed.

"Oh, you're telling me you don't know?"

"Never seen anything like it before."

"Well that's all Pigwidgeon needs, to smell better." Ron rolled his eyes.

"Daystar, why does Morwen want to be observed?" Harry asked. "I reckon we've had teachers before without official teaching experience."

"I'm not completely sure, but I think she wants to teach on a higher level. Either that or she feels insecure. She only taught once before, one on one to my girlfriend at home. I don't know how that went; I was unconscious at the time. Ready for Potions?"

"No, but I guess we better go anyway."

Daystar stopped by the common room to gather his Potions stuff and Genie's. He put her ingredients around her neck and carried her cauldron and stool in his hands.

Once again, the three arrived at class early, and Snape bounded in right on time. Without a word in greeting or introduction, he started to call roll. Harry saw Snape's lip curl as he pronounced, "Daystar."

"Here sir!" Daystar smiled. Snape scowled back. Daystar continued to smile and nodded. That took courage, Harry thought.

"Genie."

"Yow!" Genie answered raising her paw.

Snape stepped up closer to the cat. "Is this your idea of a joke, Potter?" Snape asked coldly.

"No sir," Harry answered nervously.

"She's part of that program to teach familiars more about magic, you know," Daystar answered cheerfully. "Another is across the room there, Wachoo from Slytherin. It's Morwen's idea."

"Yes, Morwen," Snape nodded darkly. Harry knew Snape disliked Morwen directly because she had once again kept him from getting his dream job in DADA. It seemed to Harry there was more to the story, though. Snape continued with the list, then turned once again to Daystar.

"So, we have two celebrities this year. Let us see how soft fame has made you." He walked over to Daystar's counter and looked him square in the eye. Daystar sat up a little straighter, and his smile faded from his face. "Daystar, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to wormwood?"

Harry gasped. It was the grilling! Snape asked Harry the same question his first day, just to make him look like a fool. Yet to Harry's surprise, Daystar stared Snape down and answered.

"You'd get the Draught of the Living Death, a very potent sleeping potion. In a most infamous incident, a witch dipped an apple into this dreaded potion and--"

"Thank you, Daystar, but History of Magic is a completely different course." Several people giggled at this, probably some of the Slytherins. "Another one. Where should I look if I wanted to find a bezoar?"

"You'd look in the stomach of a young goat, particularly unblemished and otherwise healthy. It is a chief ingredient in poison antidotes."

"Getting that confused with religious rituals? Any goat will do, Daystar."

"My mistake, I apologize."

"And what is the difference between mule's ear and dragonsbane?"

Snape hit a nerve here. At this, Daystar raised his voice and almost leapt to his feet. "There is no difference. They both leave you with a dying or dead dragon, and a lot of trouble!" There was an uncomfortable silence for a little while. Daystar leaned back. "Sorry. That's just a delicate subject at home."

But Snape wasn't through. "If you're so smart, why don't you teach class?"

"I only know one potion, Professor. You are probably better suited for the job."

"Very well, I shall pair you with Longbottom. Then let's see how smart you are."

The students bent over the cauldrons, listening to Snape's instructions. Neville was getting it horribly wrong, but Daystar could tell. "Something is not right here."

"What do you mean?" Neville asked nervously.

"The threads of magic are all knotted together. It's just messed up. Don't worry, I can straighten them out." Daystar bent over the cauldron and directed his hands as though he was working a loom. "There we go. Perfect."

"What are you doing?" Snape snapped as he passed. "This potion does not call for any hand waving."

"Do you want this potion to work or don't you?" Daystar answered rather vindictively.

"Oooooooh," several students gasped. Harry knew that look in Snape's eye. He was about to take off tons of points.

It seemed to Harry that Daystar did not mean that outburst, and he was feeling uncomfortable. "May I please speak with you after class?" Daystar asked quietly.

"Admirable suggestion," Snape nodded as he turned away. Harry couldn't believe it! Daystar stalled from Snape's taking away points. Then there was a loud yowl from the other side of the room. Wachoo had jumped on top of Goyle's head and had covered his eyes. Goyle knocked Draco and Crabbe into his concoction while Wachoo continued to leap around like a maniac. Everyone was laughing, except for Snape.

"What is the meaning of this? That does it, ten points from Gryffindor!"

"Sir, Wachoo's a Slytherin," Seamus spoke up.

Snape glared at him. "You heard what I said." He looked almost like he was going to push it up to twenty when the bell rang. "Class dismissed," he sighed.

"Guys, don't wait up for me," Daystar said. "I'll join you in the Great Hall in a few minutes."

"You sure you don't need moral support?" Ron asked.

"No thank you, I'll be fine." He disappeared into Snape's office.

"Reckon we should--" Harry started to ask.

"No!" Hermione snapped. "Daystar apparently doesn't want to hang around. We better get our stuff and get out."

No sooner had she said that than Genie walked by Harry's cauldron and knocked it over. "Genie!" Harry whined.

"Mew," Genie answered softly, almost sounding apologetic.

"Oh, Harry, she didn't mean it," Hermione said gently petting the kitten's pink fur.

"Sure," Ron said rolling his eyes. "Genie's just good at making magic stuff fall down."

"Well, we better clean it up." Harry sighed. "Snape will have our heads if we don't."

Hermione knew the charms to clean the mess up, but Harry wanted to preserve as much of it as he could. It was his schoolwork after all. As they tried to manage that, they couldn't help catching a few words from Daystar's conversation.

"Look, I'm sorry I'm so particular about the subject. Father made me study as much about Potions as I could before I came. He keeps saying, 'Potions are deadly and dangerous! They brought down many a monarch.'" Snape said something, but Harry couldn't quite hear. Then Daystar said quite loudly, "But what do you expect me to do? I want to do well, and I don't want to get on your bad side! I've heard from more than one source that that's easy to do. What is the deal? You really just listen to some opinion of a hat?"

"You insult the Sorting Hat? The founders of this school chose that for--"

"I don't insult it, but I cannot keep myself from thinking that it's a silly idea! You heard how unsure it was last night! All the maybes and I guesses--but that's beside the point. Professor, you're my father's advisor's best friend. You helped me get home when there seemed to be no way. What have you against me, besides what house I happen to be in?"

"Did you have to be friends with the Potter boy?"

"You know I do. Your boss made the suggestion to. Something about keeping a certain Dark Lord in check."

Harry nearly dropped the mess he had gathered into his cauldron again. Daystar was his friend only because Dumbledore told him to?

Snape was raising his voice now. "You listen here! I don't care about your lineage. I don't care about the way you can do magic. I don't care about your age. In my dungeon, you are no more than a student, a dunderhead like all the rest."

Silence for a little while. Then Daystar spoke up. "I'll show you. I will be the best Potions student you have ever seen. You will not be able to deny it. I will follow your instructions to the letter. I will take notes word for word. I will answer all your questions correctly. I will put together my potions without my extra sense if need be. And if you try to take points off from me for doing the best dog-gone job that I can, I will go straight to Professor Dumbledore! I'll show you what a dunderhead can do!"

"You're not doing a good job staying off my bad side."

"If I can't do that, so be it. Terribly sad, but I can't control your mind. But if I can't do something to end your unjust way of teaching, I will at least try."

Daystar was just then opening the door when Snape called him back. "Daystar!"

"Yes sir?"

With one last piercing look that Harry noticed through the door, Snape said, "Isn't that the true name of the Devil?"

Daystar gave a rattling sigh and closed the door. He looked as though the thought had never occurred to him, but then looked up in surprise to see Harry and the others there. "How much did you hear?"

Hermione showed immediate concern. "Daystar, please understand that we didn't mean to eavesdrop. It just happened."

Ron's face lit up. "Man, way to go, Daystar! Somebody's standing up to Snape and winning at last!"

Meanwhile, Harry stared at Daystar with mixed feelings of anger and embarrassment. "All right, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"You're a babysitter," Harry gasped at Daystar.

"What?" Daystar asked.

"I heard you. I thought you became my friend because you respect me for who I am, not because of what I've done. But you're my friend just because Dumbledore told you to. Thinks I can't face Voldemort by myself!"

"Don't say that name!" Ron said through gritted teeth. Daystar looked like he was suppressing a giggle.

"I met Voldemort several times in my life, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm still alive! I'm in my mid-teens; I can take care of myself! I don't need a babysitter!"

He turned on his heel and was about to leave them all behind, when Daystar yelled at him, "HARRY POTTER, I AM NOT A BABYSITTER!'

Everyone turned and looked at Daystar. "Anyone have the time?" he asked quietly.

Hermione checked her watch. "10:30."

Daystar sighed. "Come on. It's time I told you."