Ch. 63

After dinner, Harry made his way to the Headmaster's office. He found Professor McGonagall waiting for by the stone gargoyle.

"I'm rather disappointed with you, Mr Potter. While I would not agree with Professor Snape in the Great Hall this is not the kind of thing the Weasley twins would be involved with as they are included in the prank also. This leaves you is the only remaining suspect." stated the professor. "Your disruption of the returning feast is not appreciated."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, professor," Harry said with a shrug. "We were just trying to show how all three schools could get along."

"I don't understand how you feel that this prank makes this possible, Mr Potter."

Harry grinned. "Well we had students from Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons all included in creating the cards. Fleur did makeup and costumes, Al did the photography, and Victor helped insert create the cards."

"And what did Hogwarts provide?" Now Harry's grin threatened to erupt off his face.

"Why, our models of course," Harry said with a laugh. "Fred and George learned a very valuable lesson that night."

"And what lesson would that be, Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Never get drunk and pass out at the house of a Marauder," Harry said with a cheeky grin. The Transfiguration professor's lips twitched as she fought back a smile. Like his father Harry had always been a favourite of hers. As a professional teacher she knew she really shouldn't have favourites but there was something special about the Potter boys. Not that you ever tell them she found their antics amusing.

"Yes well… We still cannot have students acting disrespectful of our professors, especially in front of our foreign visitors. You will have to serve detention, Mr Potter. Now come with me. I shall do my best to get professor Snape calmed down and prevent you from getting detention through the rest of the year." The stern professor turned and led Harry up the stairs to the Headmaster's office.

....

The term started rather quietly after that. Harry received several detentions for the prank at the returning feast. The five detentions were assigned to Filch rather than Snape. Harry chose to see this as the lesser of two evils. He still had to clean filthy, disgusting objects for the caretaker but at least he didn't have to listen to the foul potions master say things about his father at the same time.

Having spent the summer with Sirius and Remus, Harry now knew all about the rivalry between the Marauders and Snape. The boys despised each other from the first day of their first year at Hogwarts. Both sides went way out of bounds to embarrass, injure, and humiliate the other. Where the Marauders used pranks to embarrass Snape used his potions skills and information gathered by other Slytherins in attempts to send the Marauders to the hospital wing or have them expelled. Lily Evans may have been the biggest point of contention between them but not the only one. Remus reckoned that Snape hated James and Sirius for being purebloods and "blood-traitors" while Snape was a half blood that wanted nothing more to be a pureblood and away from the Muggle world.

Yet even knowing the history and Remus is speculation didn't justify the potions professor's treatment of the non-Slytherin students particularly Harry. Blaming a boy with no conscious memory of meeting his father for that father's actions while in school himself was ridiculous. At times Harry was tempted to introduce the foul git to the Beast.

Three days after the students returned to Hogwarts, Professor Moody announced the first of the duelling club meetings. The duelling club would be divided into an upper half made up of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh year students. The lower half would have the rest of the school. To Harry's relief, Snape would be helping the upper half while Flitwick would be working with the lower half.

With the help of the house elves Moody created a duelling area out of two unused classrooms. The wall between the rooms was removed and three platforms were installed along with bleachers and shields to protect spectators.

Harry and his friends filtered into the new duelling arena along with the rest of the lower half students. Many of the students were excited about the new club but they were all rather nervous about Professor Moody teaching the class.

"I bet old Mad-Eye has us doing something out of Auror training," Ron said in an excited voice.

"Really, Ron?" Ernie asked with a straight face. "Is that anything like the troll you assured us we would have to wrestle to get sorted back in first year?" Ron started making sounds of denial while his ears turned red with embarrassment. It didn't help when his Slytherin girlfriend noticed.

"Oh I love it when his ears go red," Daphne said as she reached up to cup Ron's ears with her hands. "It's always good for warming up my hands." The rest of the group laughed as Ron turned and tried to scowl at the pretty blonde witch. When she simply smiled back at him Ron gave it up as a bad job and shrugged.

"What is this - pick on Ron's day?" He asked.

Daphne laughed. "Yes, and tomorrow's pick on Ernie day and the next day is Harry's turn."

"And when is it your turn?"

"We girls have to deal with you knuckleheads. Isn't that enough punishment?" Padma and Hermione laughed and nodded their agreement with Daphne's statement. For a moment Ron looked like he was going to reply but instead he just sat down on the bench. Daphne took this as an admission of defeat.

"See girls, I told you he could be taught. And you thought he was a lost cause!" This brought the girls another round of laughter as Daphne settled into a seat next to Ron. The red-haired boy pretended to be mad as he turned to Harry.

"I told you all Slytherins were evil." The group started to laugh again except for Ron who winced as Daphne gave him a little jab in the side.

Ron was saved from further retaliation by Moody and Flitwick stepping out onto the stage.

"Now listen up, you lot. I told you all at the beginning of the year that I had one year to whip you all in the shape," Moody announced. "I didn't realize in just how bad a shape Hogwarts students had gotten. The performance of your so-called champions last month was abysmal! Britain once claimed the best, most powerful magical fighters in the world! Our Aurors were known and feared by criminals all over the world. I wouldn't put you waste of wands against a First year from a fourth rate school in Mongolia! "Instead of teaching the best magical students I have a squib making jokes about who really is more dangerous with a wand - a Hogwarts student or a three-year-old! My bet is on the three-year-old!"

Moody was really on a roll. It took Flitwick another five minutes to pull the Defence professor back on the topic. The Charms professor started explaining to the class about the basic rules of duelling in a civilized venue. After explaining the rules, Flitwick started explaining basic duelling exercises and strategies. The last half of the class was spent performing some exercises.

Harry found the class did not live up to the expectations he had put on it. Fred and George had talked about watching a duel between Moody and Snape. The dual had gotten progressively nastier until Flitwick ended it. Fred commented that Moody didn't look like he wanted to stop until Snape was dead. George added that it was an attitude he could live with if it meant no more potions with Snape.

Unfortunately for Harry that first class set the tone for the next few classes. It wasn't until the fourth class that the professors allow the students to start duelling with their classmates. That was when Moody decided to throw a spanner into the works.

Unfortunately for Harry that first class set the tone for the next few classes. It wasn't until the fourth class that the professors allow the students to start duelling with their classmates. That was when Moody decided to throw a spanner into the works.

"Potter, get up here!" Moody commanded. Harry shared an uneasy glance with Padma before standing and walking forward. Moody scowled down from the platform at Harry.

"I understand your Godfather has taught you a bit of duelling. Well congratulations! You just volunteered to be our sparring partner."

"You mean I have to spar with you?" While Remus and Sirius had given Harry some training he really didn't want to duel with the former Master Auror. While the beast gave Harry some natural advantages he really didn't want to display them in front of half the school.

Moody gave him an evil grin that made Harry really nervous. "No boy. You're going to be the target dummy while I work with all these brats."

"Professor, you can't do that!" Hermione yelled as many of the Slytherin students celebrated amongst themselves. "You can't make Harry face all of us!"

"Oh, I think I can missy. Potter here has the best practical scores in Fourth year Defence along with outside training. I'd bet on him well before that over-bred popinjay Malfoy!"

This comment brought laughter from many of the students except for Harry and Malfoy and his followers. The Slytherins were angry over the slight to their leader while Harry realized the defence professor had just painted the target Harry's chest. Every student wanting to prove they were better than the Boy-Who-Lived was going to get a chance at him now. Harry was sure the pureblood society would be first in line.

Moody turned to Harry and pointed him to a spot on the opposite side of the platform. When the former Auror came near Harry growled, "What do you think you are doing?"

The professor gave Harry and evil grin. "I've given you an opportunity, Potter. Sink or swim. You succeed and none of these little ankle-biters will ever bother you again. Fail and…" Moody gave an elegant shrug that said it all.

Harry stepped into the position Moody indicated and drew his wand. He waited while Moody called up the first students. Then he noticed professor Flitwick standing nearby.

"Oh dear, Mr Potter. I suggest you look on this as a learning experience," diminutive man said in a somewhat cheerful and supportive voice. "No one could reasonably expect you to face your entire year successfully. But I will help you out when I can't."

"Thank you, professor. But when has the Wizarding world ever been reasonable where I am concerned?" The charms master found he didn't have a response for that.

...

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