Hogwarts: Reversal

Chapter Two

As usual, Friday night at the Burrow was a cheerful and somewhat chaotic affair. Ginny quickly greeted James as he tumbled out of the fireplace with a bright smile and a bone-crushing hug she'd inherited from her mother.

"James!" She licked a finger and began wiping off his ash-smeared face. "Just like your father - I don't think you'll ever get the hang of using the Floo.... I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"Oh, it's nothing, mum," he said, trying unsuccessfully to escape her. If he wasn't covered in so much soot, she would have seen that his face was flushed a dark shade of red. Wasn't he getting too old for this? "Mum! I'm fifteen! Can't you let go?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Her smile wavered for a moment but James didn't even notice; he was too busy straightening his robes out. She gestured at him. "Come in, dinner's almost ready. What took you so long? You're usually so early, dear...."

He shrugged. "I got caught up with school things. Nothing important."

Ginny nodded. She backed away and walked through the untidy living room into the equally untidy kitchen. James followed her in and saw his grandmother, zipping all around the stove and overseeing his five year old cousin, who was standing on a footstool and stirring something in a pot.

"Now, now, Luc," said Mrs. Weasley, as she looked over her grandchild's shoulder, "don't stir it too much, you just want to make sure it stays moving around the pot." She suddenly spotted her other grandchild. "James!"

"Hi," he said weakly as he was enveloped in another suffocating hug.

"Just you for dinner tonight?" she asked, a hopeful glint in her weary eyes.

"Harry said he couldn't make it but that he really wanted to come," chipped in Ginny. Her expression was apologetic as she added, "Hogwarts is keeping him busy, you know."

"I see." Mrs. Weasley's lips pressed themselves into a very thin line. "You can go and sit down, the food's almost ready."

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs with a side of salad accompanied by warm home-cooked bread with tasty olive oil for dipping. Around the great Weasley table were thirteen seats, but only four of them were occupied. Bill had taken Fleur out for a night in London, Harry had chosen to remain at Hogwarts, Arthur was staying at the Ministry late tonight, the twins were busy overseeing their new Hogsmeade location, and Charlie's, Percy's, and Ron's seats had all been empty in the years since the war - nobody at the Burrow had had the heart to take them away.

"Salad," demanded Luc. "I want salad! Salad!"

"James, would you please pass the -"

Without warning, the large bowl of salad lifted itself up and flew across the table, where it crashed down in front of Luc, splattering everything around it with lettuce and dressing.

"Oh, Luc -" admonished Mrs. Weasley, as she sent everything back into the bowl with a wave of her wand. "You need to learn to be patient...."

"His magic's quite impressive," noted Ginny, as she watched Luc pick pieces of salad out of the bowl with his fingers. "James didn't show that much magic when he was Luc's age."

"Yes, I know. You should have seen him earlier today; he was doing horrible things to the garden gnomes. They were so frightened! I don't think they'll be back for a while." She sighed and turned to James. An apprehensive smile appeared on her face as she asked, "So...how are things at Hogwarts?"

"Okay."

"Just okay? Nothing exciting happening?"

"No."

Mrs. Weasley shared a worried glance with Ginny. "Aren't you going to try out for the Quidditch team again?"

"No."

"Why ever not?"

James stabbed at his salad, not bothering to eat any of it. "I didn't make it last year, so why in Merlin's name would they want me on the team this year? It's just stupid."

"Oh, come on, there's no harm in trying -"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" He pushed his plate away. "I'm done eating. Can I go now?"

"James," scolded Ginny. "Be respectful to your grandmother. And you will not leave until you've eaten something. You're all skin and bones!"

The rest of their meal was carried out in relative peace, with no more incidents of accidental magic or adolescent moodiness. When he finally cleared his plate, James jumped off his seat and stomped out of the kitchen. The distant slamming of a door from upstairs let them know he was sulking in his bedroom.

A few minutes later, after the kitchen had been tidied up, Mrs. Weasley said, "Luc, go outside and play, but remember to stay within sight of the house!"

Soon enough, the two Weasley women were left sitting by themselves at the oversized table. Ginny was staring off into space, her mind elsewhere, when her mother suddenly inquired, "So what was the real reason why Harry didn't want to come over tonight?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, mum?" She shook her head and leaned back in her seat, a worried look overtaking her features. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention...."

"How are you and Harry these days?" asked the elder Weasley, wearing a kind expression. "He hasn't been over here in weeks.... Is everything all right between you two?"

Ginny peered at her mother and decided to lay her cards out on the table. Their marriage had been shaky for years, but only in the last few months had it truly begun to fall apart. She shrugged and said the only thing she could say about Harry. "No."

Seeing an encouraging nod from her mother, she continued, "We've been having problems for a while now, mum. He's...he's just not the same person that he used to be. I don't feel the same when I'm around him and I don't think he feels the same way around me now, either, and it's just...it's just like we're not right for each other anymore. I really don't like saying this, but I think the only reason we're still together is because of James. And things with him are a completely different story."

She shot her mother a weak grin and then let her chin fall into her hands. Her long red hair drooped over her face.

"I think I see why he wanted to stay at Hogwarts, then," murmured Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum, usually I'm always so anxious, so scared, so worried when we're apart," said Ginny, "but this time...it almost feels good that we're away from each other."

"You can't really mean that, Ginny."

"Well, look at you and dad," she pointed out. "You two are the happiest couple I've ever seen! You don't know what we're going through."

Mrs. Weasley tilted her head to the side. "Well, we've had our rough spots...."

"But you've always stayed together."

Her mother sighed and looked her in the eye. "Do you want your marriage to work out or not?"

"Of course I do, mum. More than anything."

"Then just believe in it. Just believe that it'll all work out in the end."

"How can I do that? How can I believe that we'll make it through when he doesn't even want to spend time with me? He didn't even want to talk to me when I spoke to him through the Floo this evening!"

"You just need to believe."

"I don't think I can do that."

"You believed in him before, when he fought You-Know-Who."

Ginny tossed her hair out of her face. "That was different."

"I don't see how, dear," remarked Mrs. Weasley, reaching out and holding Ginny's hand. She smiled. "You had faith then, why can't you have faith in him now?"

oOo

The rest of the weekend at Hogwarts passed by uneventfully. In an effort to forget about the night before, Harry worked so hard on his students' essays that they were all graded by midday on Saturday, leaving him restless for the remainder of the day. In his newfound spare time, he had plenty of time to think - too much time, in fact, as he found that his thoughts kept drifting back to Hermione.

Never would he have suspected that she'd be so lonely, but then again, he hadn't spoken to her since the end of the war, so he'd had no way of knowing what had been on her mind. Even after she'd been hired as a fellow professor at Hogwarts last year, he'd had no real desire to begin talking to her again. It would've been far too awkward - it would've brought back far too many unpleasant memories....

How had his life ended up like this?

He sighed, and decided to go for a stroll around the grounds. Maybe it would help to clear his mind and he'd be able to forget about things for a while.

oOo

A light breeze danced in through the treetops and swept across the lawn outside Hogwarts, where colored leaves lay strewn about in tousled clumps. Harry stepped out from the entrance hall and shivered, wishing he'd thought to bring along his cloak. Although it was just past noon, thick autumn clouds blotted out the sun, hanging in the sky like enormous pieces of dead wool. The dreary lighting and slight chill did nothing to improve his mood.

His boots crunched noisily over the fallen leaves and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep warm. Off in the distance he could see the ruins of Hagrid's old hut. Tangly vines and tall grasses had grown all around it, as if discouraging anyone else from ever claiming the place as home. Harry smiled to himself - he couldn't imagine anyone else living there. He stopped for a moment, staring at the building, feeling nostalgic. Fang had been buried near the edge of the Forbidden Forest years ago, though Harry couldn't remember exactly where. He had half a mind to hike over to try and find it, but thought better of it.

It wouldn't do to dwell too much on the past. After all, his past was much gloomier than his present, and what good would it do him if he worried about depressing things that had already happened? They were done and over with - nothing could change his past; not even the most powerful Time Turner would bring him back far enough to make things right again.

He moved on, away from the forest and past the lake. Up ahead, he could see the sturdy iron gates, the only way in and out of Hogwarts for anyone who wasn't a student. Next to it was a sad-looking tree with a solitary stone underneath its gnarled branches.

He forced out a sigh and stared dully at it.

Ronald Weasley

Beloved friend, brother, and son.

Your courage will never be forgotten.

His actual body was buried somewhere in Ottery St. Catchpole with the rest of his Weasley ancestors, but this stone stood, serving as an eternal reminder of his last act of bravery, because this was the exact spot where he had died. Even though it was really only a memorial plaque, Harry wouldn't ever think of it as anything else besides a gravestone.

No, he corrected himself, as he thought about Ron some more, Ron didn't just die - he was murdered.

As he turned to leave, he saw the Hogwarts front gates open up and a black-cloaked man strode through. There was a certain grace to his movements, yet the haughty, stiff way he kept his shoulders pulled back and the carefully groomed hair atop his head belied his true nature. A smirk slid onto his face and he stopped a few meters away from Harry.

"Mr. Potter. So good to see you again."

"Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

Draco tsked disapprovingly and shook his head, all the while still wearing his smug little grin. "You should try and be more respectful, Potter. You're forgetting who I am."

"You're a self-interested prick, that's who you are."

He chuckled. "I won't disagree with that. But I'm also a Hogwarts governor...which puts me in charge of your life. Tell me," he said as he examined his fingernails, "how many Galleons do you earn a year?"

"That's none of your business, Malfoy."

"Are you just saying that because you're embarrassed?"

"You never answered my question," Harry pressed on. "What are you doing here?"

Draco lazily shifted his weight around on his cane. "Professor Lovegood."

"I don't understand."

He shot Harry a self-assured smile. It was an absolutely infuriating gesture. "Oh, I do believe you will find out in due time." Draco's gaze drifted over Harry's shoulder to the memorial stone. "Ah...Weasley. Come here often, do you? To cry over your dead boyfriend?"

Harry ground his teeth together and his hand closed around his wand. With as much self-control as he could muster, he said, "Really, Malfoy. Grow up. And get out of my sight."

Draco merely gave Harry an unconcerned wave of his hand before he turned on his heel and treaded up to the castle.

The wind picked up, tossing the leaves through the air - and Harry shivered again, though it wasn't from the cold.

oOo

Harry hadn't seen nor heard of Draco for the rest of the weekend after their initial meeting outside the school, and when he'd come upon Hermione at the Great Hall for supper on Saturday evening, she had smiled at him and treated him like nothing strange had happened. Even when his son had stumbled out of his fireplace on Sunday night, no bitter words had been exchanged - James had simply mumbled hello and slunk out of his office.

In short, Harry had high hopes for a return to normality on Monday. He awoke in a relatively good mood as the sun peeked out over the horizon, and began tidying himself up and getting prepared for the rest of the day. When he arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, his cheerful spirits were suddenly quashed when he saw Draco Malfoy sitting at the end of the teacher's table.

They made eye contact from across the hall and Draco waved smugly at him. Harry warily approached the table and took a seat at the opposite end, wondering furiously what this was all about. He noticed Hermione slip in through a side entrance and saw her do a double take as she spotted Draco.

She took a seat next to Harry and whispered to him, "What's going on with him?" She nodded her head over at Draco.

"I saw him the other day," he replied. "He said he's here because of Luna."

"Luna? She's not in trouble, is she?"

"I don't know - look, here she comes now...maybe she'll make an announcement...."

Sure enough, Luna paused at the front of the table and waited for all of the professors to quiet themselves. She smiled placidly at them and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"Good morning, everyone. I have a few things I'd like the staff to know. First, a Siberian Shambler has been spotted by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so make sure you all exercise caution when traveling near the woods for the next week or so, before it migrates back north. Secondly, Moaning Myrtle complained that someone has vandalized her toilets - if you hear any of your students bragging about this, please take appropriate action. Myrtle can be quite annoying when she's upset. Lastly, I'd like to introduce you all to Draco Malfoy, one of Hogwarts' school governors. He'll be staying here indefinitely while he conducts evaluations of the staff."

No one moved or said a word when she was done - except for Draco. He cleared his throat noisily and then stood up without being asked.

"Thank you, Professor Lovegood. It's come to the attention of the board that Hogwarts is losing its shine. Our school has been - and will be - one of, if not the most prestigious wizarding schools in all of Europe. Certain individuals at the Ministry have expressed concern about this - and so, for the next month or so, I'll be sitting in on your classes at random intervals.... You'd better make sure you're doing a top notch job if I decide to show up." He looked pointedly over at Harry as he said this. "That is all. Carry on."

Neville Longbottom, the Herbology professor, snorted loudly and Draco whirled around, a frigid look on his face. "I think I might just stop by your class this morning, Longbottom."

Neville glared at the back of Draco as he walked away. "Just who does he think he is?" he said angrily.

"Don't worry about it, Neville." Hermione gave him a pat on the shoulder. "He's still just as petty and self-centered as he was when we all went to school here together. Don't let his job title scare you. Take a stand against him the next time he tries to intimidate you."

"I don't know." Neville shrugged and looked down at the floor. "I don't want to lose my job...."

"Luna is practically in love with you, Neville," pointed out Harry. "There's no way you're being sacked. I guarantee it."

"Well...."

"It's okay, Neville. Everyone here knows you're the best Herbology professor the school's ever had."

"Er - thanks, Harry."

The two watched him leave the Great Hall with a little more confidence in his step. Hermione lightly touched Harry on the shoulder and he almost jumped, but he managed to stop himself just in time.

"You look lost, Harry," she commented.

Her hand was still on him and his eyes dipped down to look at it before he replied, "I was just thinking...do you really think Draco is just here for evaluations?"

"Well...what do you think, Harry? You're the expert on stopping evil schemes and dark lords."

"Right," he said humorlessly. Then he cast a quick glance around and added, "I'm actually not sure about Draco."

Hermione's expression became serious. "Do you think he has something planned?"

"I don't know. But I think we ought to keep a closer eye on him while he's here." Harry gave her a wry grin. "You with me?"

She looked him right in the eye, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Of course, Harry."

oOo

It was Monday morning - late Monday morning.

James had slept straight through breakfast and most of Potions. He hastily tried to get dressed in his deserted dormitory, struggling to fit on his undershirt (he realized after a minute he was trying to put it on backwards) and frantically searching for his prefect's badge. Then he remembered that his father had taken it away from him the other night, and his mood soured.

He slipped into his Potions class with a scowl on his face.

Professor Macmillan shook his head disapprovingly as James took his seat at the back of the room and set his books on the desk in front of him.

"Mr. Potter," he said reproachfully. "You're late."

"Tell me something I don't know," he mumbled to himself.

"What was that, Mr. Potter?"

"I said," James announced clearly, "I apologize for my tardiness, sir. It won't happen again."

Professor Macmillan smiled easily at him. "I sure hope not. Now...back to the properties of the nirnroot. On page two hundred twenty three you can clearly observe that, when coupled with...."

The professor droned on. James had been in the classroom for only a few minutes and he'd also gotten an extra few hours of sleep - yet he already felt like putting his head down on the desk and dozing away the rest of the day. In an effort to make things interesting, he tried to catch Lily's eye. When she finally looked over, she rolled her eyes and shifted her books to her side so she could ignore him. Slightly put off, James figured the only way to make the time go faster would be to pay attention. He reluctantly pulled out a blank sheet of parchment and began taking notes on the lecture.

oOo

After Potions, James caught up to Lily in the hallway on their way to Transfiguration class. She didn't make it easy - in fact, James could've sworn she was actively trying to avoid him - but eventually he managed to tap her on the shoulder and she had no choice but to turn around and acknowledge him.

"Lily," he breathed, sending her a bright smile. "I -"

"What now, Potter?"

He was slightly caught off-guard by her annoyed tone. "I...er -"

"I see they've taken away your badge," she said, glancing at his breast, where he'd once worn his shiny prefect's badge.

"Oh, that...well, don't remind me...."

"James!" She gave him a disparaging look. "You lost your badge because you were fighting Severus again, didn't you?"

"Hey...er -" He glared at her. "Snivelly is a right pain in the -"

"You won't ever get it, won't you?" she spat. Lily jabbed a finger at his chest. "What did Severus ever do to you, James? You've shown him absolutely nothing but hatred since the first time you ever saw him!"

"Yeah, well," he shot back heatedly, "it's not as simple as that!"

"Oh, it isn't? Would you care to explain?"

"I -"

"You're just an arrogant, bullying brat, James Potter."

"No, I -"

Lily's gaze became frosty. "Leave me alone."

She roughly pushed past him and sped away, without giving him a chance to reply. He stared at her receding figure, admiring her beautiful red hair, her shapely figure, and....

Just what does she see in that git? he wondered to himself. James kicked his foot along the floor as he let out an exasperated sigh. I suppose I'll just have to figure out what it is on my own....

oOo

Transfiguration was a double class - an even split between Gryffindors and Slytherins. Hermione always wondered about how this class had ever come to be - of all the house combinations there could have been, the schedules had ended up giving her these two houses specifically.

There were ten students from each of the two houses, and in the years since she'd left Hogwarts as a student, the inter-house rivalries hadn't subsided - they'd flourished.

Hermione decided that the war must have brought students together more than it pushed them apart. However, now that there was peace....

The tension between the students in this particular class was perhaps the worst she'd ever seen in all of her years as a student and a professor at the school. There wasn't a single class in which there wasn't at least some issue.

She could tell as her students filed in that the edginess was unusually high today. James and Severus were usually the worst, so she watched them more closely than the others - and by observing the way they kept shooting hateful glances at each other, she knew that something bad was going to happen. If she didn't do something to separate them, then it would only be a matter of time before one of the two began with the hostilities and then the whole class would be ruined by their shenanigans.

Thinking hastily, she scribbled a pointless note and stepped over toward James.

He looked up at her as she approached. "Professor?"

"James," she said, "could I trouble you to take this note to Professor Abbott?"

"Why?" he asked sullenly. "I'm not a prefect anymore, or don't you remember? Go and ask Remus instead."

How could she have forgotten? "I'm sorry, James," she apologized, trying to make a hasty retreat.

Already she could see her plan had failed. Severus was wearing a broad grin as he glanced over at them. James sank down in his seat, but there was a mutinous shadow on his face now.

"Professor Granger, I can take it," offered Remus.

"Yes, yes, please, bring that to...er - to Professor Abbott," she replied, distracted. "Um." Hermione looked out at her class. They stared back at her expectantly. It was quite possible that they had never seen their Transfigurations professor appear so clueless before.

"Class, take out your texts and -"

"Professor Granger," interrupted Lily.

"Yes?" She fixed the girl with an anxious look. Lily Evans never spoke out of turn. "What is it?"

"You mentioned on Friday that today would be a practical class. I didn't bring my text."

Just then Hermione noticed that nobody in the entire room had taken out their books. All of her students were sitting quietly behind blank desks. Some of them were peering at her with concern now.

"Oh? Oh, yes." She smiled brightly, as if she'd known all along. Suddenly she was back on track; it was time to get into the swing of things and get her sixth year double Transfigurations class up and running smoothly. "Wands out!"

There was a rustling of material as everyone drew their wands from their robes.

"Today we're going through a few exercises on our spells. I hope you've all been practicing the material in chapter six over the weekend! Anyone who can't successfully perform their spellwork by the end of class will be assigned twelve inches of parchment on the six properties of transfiguration when dealing with multiple changes in an object. Now, find a partner and begin."

It was right at that moment that Hermione Granger realized her mistake.

Lily Evans usually paired up with Remus Lupin for their work in this class, but since she had sent poor Remus off on a fool's errand....

"What are you doing, Snivelly?" she heard James bluster.

"Me? What are you doing, Potter?" Severus looked back at him with a sneer.

"I was just going to ask Miss Evans to be my partner."

"I was going to do the same," drawled Severus, "before I was so rudely interrupted."

"Oh, is that what you were doing?" James smirked. "I thought -"

"Stop it, both of you!" snapped Lily. She stepped right in between them. "I am not going to be fought over for something as stupid as this!"

"Lils -"

"Don't call me that, James!"

In a calm voice, Severus murmured, "Lily, come on, you and I both know that he's just being a selfish prat again -"

She whirled around on him, fire dancing in her eyes. "And you're one to talk about being selfish!"

"I...what?"

"You're just as much of a prat as he -" she jerked her head toward James "- is, and you know it."

"I don't understand -"

Lily let out a deep breath, blowing her hair out of her face. "Of course you don't." She glared. "Neither of you seem to be capable of understanding anything."

And with that, she brushed past the two of them, leaving them speechless. After a short moment, James glowered at Severus.

"You just had to go mess things up for me, didn't you?"

"Me? Mess things up for you?" Severus scowled. In a low, threatening voice he said, "Your life's perfect, you spoiled prick."

"No, it's not perfect, because you're in it."

He scoffed at James, shaking his head. "You're such an ignorant fool, Potter."

"You two!" called out Hermione, hurrying over. She stopped a few feet away and leveled a steely gaze at them. "Have either of you found partners yet?"

"No," they both replied.

"Mr. Crick still needs a partner. Would one of you be so kind as to work with him?"

Severus grunted and walked away, leaving James standing next to Hermione.

"Well then, James," she began. "Since we have an odd number of people in the class right now, I'll work with you."

"Oh, no, professor, I couldn't possibly impose -"

"Nonsense, James. Let's see how your spells look today."

He shot one last fleeting glance over at Lily before drawing his wand. "What am I changing?" he asked dully.

"This." Hermione pulled an apple out of her robe and set it on the desk in front of them. "Try and make three distinct transformations to it...."

James pointed his wand at the apple and frowned in concentration. His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he muttered, "Mogriphicus."

"It's pronounced moh-gryf-i-CUSS, James, not mog-rif-i-kiss," corrected Hermione.

"Sorry, professor."

"That's quite all right. Try again."

"MogriphiCUS."

The apple stubbornly remained a dark red and didn't display any dazzling effects of magic. James sighed noisily and Hermione saw his gaze travel over to Lily again.

"Concentrate, James!" Hermione lightly scolded him.

He rolled his eyes and tried again. "Mogriphicus!"

Once again, nothing happened.

"This is stupid," he said.

"You're just not applying yourself, James," Hermione mentioned. "You have to have a crystal clear image in your head of what changes you want to make...."

"This is stupid," he repeated.

"You're being disrespectful. Five points from Gryffindor."

"Why don't you make it ten?"

"Fine then, if that's the way you want it," she replied evenly. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Any more points you'd like deducted?"

James avoided her gaze and didn't say anything.

"All right, then. Try the spell again."

He tilted his head to the side. "Professor?"

"Yes, James, what is it?" she responded curtly. He was starting to get on her nerves.

"On Friday...in the Owlery...I said something to you."

On Friday, in the Owlery? She'd brought both he and Severus to Luna's office on that night...but what had he said to her?

"Yes, go on," she murmured, mildly curious as to where the young man could be going with this.

"I...I think I said something like, 'I thought you and dad were supposed to be friends.'"

"Yes...." Hermione did remember that. And she also remembered that she'd nearly ripped his head off for saying it. But why was he bringing this up now? "Yes...is there anything else you'd like to say, James?"

He shrugged. "I guess...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, that's all."

"Why are you apologizing, James?" she questioned softly. Never before had she seen such an honest expression on the boy's face.

"I think I offended you. You and he aren't friends anymore, are you?"

"Well, I -"

"He used to talk about you a lot, so I just thought that...."

"Harry used to talk about me?" Hermione blinked. Post-war Harry...talking about her to his son? In a quiet voice, she asked, "What...what did he say?"

"All sorts of beautiful, wonderful things, I'm sure," said a cold voice.

Both Hermione and James jumped as they saw Draco for the first time. He was standing only about a foot away, and judging by the pleased expression on his face, he'd been eavesdropping on their conversation for some time now.

"Mr. Malfoy, how nice of you to...to drop in," stammered Hermione, still a little unbalanced from the combination of her conversation with James and Draco's unexpected arrival.

"Yes, I've learned a great deal about your teaching style, Miss Granger. First you let your students bicker among themselves and then you engage in off-topic conversation with your friend's son. Blatant favoritism." He smiled blithely and wrote something down in a notepad. "Yes...this has been a most informative visit." His emotionless grey eyes stared unsettlingly at them. "Good day, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter."