Tutoring A Dragon

French, Suicide, and Quidditch

"Bacon, Mr. Goldstein?" asked Dumbledore innocently.

"No, thank you, Headmaster," replied the addressed calmly. In fact, Anthony was incredibly angry. How dare this old man make a fool of him!

~*~

Albus looked over at Severus, who shook his head. Since Severus was an accomplished in Occlumency and Legillimency, he had agreed to see what the Head Boy's mental response would be.

And by that shake of his head, it obviously wasn't good. Albus sighed, and rubbed his temples. Children these days had no respect. No respect and no reserve.

He snorted into his coffee. Merlin, he was starting to sound like his father!

~*~

"I wonder why Dumbledore had Anthony and Hannah sit up at the Staff table this morning?" wondered Hermione.

"Well, since Percy was Head Boy, I know why," said Ginny like she was a little kid with a 'secret'.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me," said Hermione, shaking Ginny.

"All right, all right!" protested Ginny. "Stop shaking me though or you'll never know." Hermione stopped. "Thank you. Dumbledore only has the Head Boy and Girl sit at the staff table when he has to tell them bad news. Or that he's going to relieve them of their duties." Ginny shrugged. "It could be either one."

~*~

Over at the Slytherin table, Draco poked Xander Milnei.

"Xan," he said, poking the boy again. "Amanda was Head Girl when she was here, wasn't she?" Amanda was Xander's older sister.

"Yeah," said the 6th year. "Why d'you want to know?"

"Well, Dumbledore has Goldstein and Abbott up there at the sti- staff table, and I was wondering if you know any reasons he'd have them up there."

Xander nodded, he was in the middle of a bite of his artichoke waffles. "Yeah, only if he's got bad news he wants 'em to tell the students, or he's going to axe 'em. That what you needed to know?"

Draco nodded, and caught Hermione's eye. She raised her eyebrows at him, and flicked a glance at the scowling Heads.

He rolled his eyes in agreement. Before he fixed his attention to his food, he saw her laugh. Not just a giggle-laugh, but a throw-your-head-back- laugh. He noticed that she laughed with her whole body.

~*~

Fighting his way through the crowd, Draco ducked under the red velvet rope that was blocking the stairs to the top of the Astronomy Tower.

Dumbledore had sent House-Elves to fetch all of the Senior Prefects, and two of the Junior Prefects, to the topmost of the Astronomy Tower.

Jogging up the stairs, Draco quickly passed Ginny, who had had a five minute head start, and caught up with Hermione.

"What do you know?" he asked her through the huffing.

"Absolute rien," she said, her French impeccable.

"D'Accord," he replied.

They reached the observing deck of the Tower and were struck by the sight of Anthony Goldstein standing on the railing, knees bent, prepared to jump.

Catching sight of them, Dumbledore hurried over to Hermione and Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you would kindly send Twinky, Minky, and Tinky for all the Seekers from the House Quidditch teams?" asked the Headmaster, eyes twinkling at the House-Elves' names. "I fear Mr. Goldstein may try to jump, and I want some adapt people and the ready to catch him, if need be."

Draco bowed from the waist up, and walked over to the House-Elves.

Dumbledore turned to Hermione. "Ah, Ms. Granger, would you please go try to distract Mr. Goldstein? I do not want him to notice the people gathering under him."

Hermione nodded, and walked over to three feet away from the railing. "Anthony, why are you doing this?" she said to the teetering Head Boy.

He sneered at her. "Because all of my hard work, my diligence, my respect, my ingenuity, my everything is being taken away from me," he said, spitting as he spoke the words.

"What do you mean?" She caught a glimpse of red-and-gold Quidditch robes.

The suicidal maniac, also known as Anthony Goldstein, Head Boy extraordinaire, started pacing. "It was all Hannah's idea. She was tired of settling the inter-House disputes. She wanted the 'little brats' as she called them, to go to their Heads of Houses to get their petty arguments settled. So, when the Headmaster introduced the Halloween Ball to us, she came up with the plan to pair up the most incompatible people together so that they'd get involved in being mad and disagreeable with each other that they'd screw their project.

"But no! You lot all had to come up with menus, decorations, seating, etc. plans on the bloody, sodding schedule!" Anthony glared at her. "I told her we shouldn't have done it, I told her! But nobody listens to the Ravenclaw! Nobody listens to the logical, think-things-through person!" He went on ranting for ten minutes, but Hermione was busy watching the entirety of Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff's Quidditch teams assemble below Anthony's jumping radius.

"You're not listening to me, are you?" he screeched. "Well, if the one person refuted to listen to you, no matter what, won't listen to me, then I'm jumping!" He made a flourishing sort of bow. "Goodbye, world!" he said, and fell backwards.

Hermione rushed over to the railing and saw Anthony's form being supported by Ewan McAlpin, a Hufflepuff Beater, and Crabbe, who looked confused.

She winced as she heard the words that came out his mouth floated up to her ears. "Hey, Anthony!" she yelled down to him. "Since you're the Head Boy, what are you doing knowing those sort of words?" The four Quidditch teams snorted in synchronized laughter at this. They looked at each other, laughing, before they realized they didn't like each other.

~*~

The Senior Prefects were all sitting in the Headmaster's office, waiting to hear whom he had chosen to appoint to the Head's positions.

Dumbledore came in; his twinkling periwinkle blue robes, swooshing behind him. He sat in his chair, and pulled a yellow box out. "Lemon drop anyone?" he asked.

"No, thank you, Headmaster," replied the impatient Prefects.

"Hmm..." said the old man, sucking on the candy in question. "Now, there is the question of the new Senior Prefects for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Any suggestions?"

Padma timidly raised her hand. This was the first time she'd been in the Headmaster's office, and she was a smidge nervous.

Dumbledore smiled benevolently at her. "Yes, Ms. Patil?"

"What about Terry Boot, sir?" Padma offered. "He had wanted to be Prefect, and was a bit disappointed when he didn't make it."

Dumbledore stroked his chin. "Excellent suggestion, Ms. Patil. I believe he would be an admirable choice for Prefect. Now, for a female Hufflepuff?"

There was much discussion amongst the Prefects. Finally, a decision was reached.

"How about Susan Bones, sir?" asked Ernie. "I know her, as she's an old friend of mine. She'd be good Prefect material, sir."

Dumbledore nodded. "Again, a brilliant choice made by my students by themselves! Maybe the Senior Prefects should run the school, and not me," he joked.

Everyone laughed, and then looked at him, waiting for his decision for the Head positions.

"I'm afraid that I need more time to think about the choices for Head Boy and Girl," said Dumbledore. "Perhaps on Wednesday I will have reached a decision. You are all dismissed."

The Prefects all walked out together, murmuring in disappointment that they didn't know who the new Heads were.

Before heading off to their respective classes, Draco gave Hermione a quick kiss that lingered on her lips as she walked to her next class.