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Practice to Deceive	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12424 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Disclaimer: Any characters & situations you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters you don�t recognize belong to me. You can borrow them, but email me first and check on the characters.

Author�s Note: This story is AU after book 5. It contains NO REFERENCES to book 6 in any way, shape or form.

CHAPTER 8: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2 September

Astrid entered the Great Hall with Sarah on one hip and with Kevin and Heather following her. She had decided that breakfast was a good time for the children to make the obligatory once-daily appearance at the Main Table.

She watched while Kevin and Heather sat at a small table near her seat, and then turned to the smiling face of Max. Severus was next to him, not once giving away the confidence he had shared with her the night before. His face and carriage also did not give away the other revelations that had been made, either. He calmly responded to a few questions from Dumbledore, giving no sign of the loathing he must feel for the man.

Max rose from his chair and held hers for her as she sat down with Sarah. Sarah�s emerald orbs searched the area and locked onto Severus as if magnetized.

�Dada!� she shrieked with joy, immediately leaning in Severus� direction.

Without taking his attention from his conversation with Dumbledore about some rumors, Severus pulled Sarah into his lap, and picked up a small spoon. He deftly scooped up some prepared farina and inserted it into Sarah�s waiting mouth.

�Well, well, well,� James Potter�s voice was an unwelcome intrusion at the breakfast table. �Mr. & Mrs. Slytherin, and the baby snakes.�

�Careful, Professor,� Astrid said. �Remember what I told you last night. Lions that venture too near to snakes get bitten, and some even die.�

�Some lions eat snakes, my dear,� Potter replied, leering at her. �It all depends on who is better.�

Midgard chose that moment to poke his head out from under Astrid�s robes and hiss in irritation.

�That�s the end of that, Potter,� Astrid said. �He says he doesn�t like you, and you smell bad.�

�What does that mean to me?� James asked, a sneer on his face. �What does a snake know?�

�He has the venom to back up his dislike,� Astrid pointed out.

Any more conversation was cut by the arrival of a great horned owl bearing a boxy package. The owl landed in front of Severus, and hooted at him imperiously.

Severus handed Sarah back to Astrid, despite her fussing as he did so, and offered the owl a piece of bacon. It hooted again, more softly, took the bacon, and launched itself off of the box. After it had gone, it was visible that there was a red rose attached to the top of the box.

Severus removed the rose, inhaled its fragrance, and then set it aside. He carefully untied the bindings on the box and opened it.

He reached inside and pulled out a cauldron that looked perfectly ordinary except for a silver rim around it, and some silver lettering on the bowl.

Carefully, Severus lifted it to the light, and turned it so that everyone else at the table could read the printing:

�Self-Timing Cauldron� by A. Tyler.

�This is a princely gift,� Severus said. �Did you send it, Maximillian?�

�Severus,� Max said. �If I had sent it, it would have been covered with roses, and there would be a note in the package. Is there any indication of who sent it?�

�Just this,� Severus said, pulling the instruction scroll out of the cauldron. It was tied with a piece of green ribbon. Attached to the ribbon was a star carved out of ivory.

***** *****

When the sixth year students entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, they were completely unprepared for what they saw.

All of the desks and chairs had been cleared away. There was an assortment of cubbys on one wall, and there were benches along the walls. The center of the classroom was taken up with two formal dueling ranges marked out. Up near the professor�s desk, there was a locked flat topped chest. On top of the chest were two golden cats that surveyed the students with unblinking amber colored eyes. Two wolves were lying on either side of the chest.

They filed in slowly, looking around that a variety of cages holding several different magical creatures. Apparently, their new instructor was quite serious about her subject.

�Good morning,� Astrid said. She was standing at the top of the stairs leading to her office. She descended the stairs to the classroom, with Sarah�s cradle floating behind her.

�Put your bags into a cubby at the back of the room,� she said. �You will not be using your books except to get some of the answers when I assign written work. Almost all of your classwork will be practical in nature.�

She waited while the students put their things away, and then gathered into four groups in front of her.

�Good,� she said. She clapped her hands and four bowls, red, blue, yellow, and green, appeared, floating in front of the students.

�Each of you take a piece of parchment from the appropriate bowl,� she said. �Each parchment has a number on it. You will team up together based on numbers. Those teams will stay together for the year. You will duel together, and work together. You will share in successes and failures as a team. If one of you fails, you all fail.�

�That�s completely unfair!� Ron Weasley exploded. �You can�t expect me to work with a slimy Slytherin!�

�Mister Weasley,� Astrid said, adopting her coldest tone. �That is ten points from Gryffindor for raising your voice to an instructor, five points for a slur against another house, and fifteen more points for refusing to follow instructions.�

�Thirty points!� Ron exploded. �Who do you think you are, Snape?�

�That�s another twenty, Mister Weasley,� Astrid said coldly. �Ten for your objection and ten for an implied slur against a Professor. You will leave class now, and report to your head of house.� She turned and mewed to the nearest cat, which jumped up and ran out of the classroom.

�Now, Mister Weasley,� Astrid said. �I will continue class without you, and you will be informed of who your study partners are.� She went to her desk and watched him go to the cubbys to pick up his books, muttering. The only word that was audible was �heartless.�

�No, Mister Weasley,� Astrid said, smirking. �I am not heartless at all. I have a heart.� She opened a drawer of the desk and pulled out a jar. Floating in the colorless liquid was something that looked remarkably like a human heart.

�There it is,� Astrid said. �Now that you know that your assumptions are false, go see Professor McGonagall.�

After he had gone, she turned to the rest of the class.

�Now that he�s gone,� she said. �Shall we continue?�

Hesitantly, the students stepped forward and each one took a parchment piece. Once they all had their numbers, there was some shuffling while they formed groups of four. One group only had three.

Astrid noticed that Harry, young Draco Malfoy, and muggle-born Hermione Granger, all of whom had been together when she and Snape had seen them on the train, were all in different groups.

�Now that you�re all together,� she said. �Your homework tonight is to make a list of all of the spells you know. You will make another list of magical subjects that you feel that you know enough about to make a presentation to class. Rest assured, if you misrepresent yourselves, you will pay in points.�

�For today,� Astrid said. �I will demonstrate to you some things that are essential to defending yourself against another spellcaster.�

The sound of a throat clearing stopped her in the act of drawing her wand, and all eyes turned towards the doorway of the classroom.

Ron Weasley stood in the doorway, with Professor McGonagall behind him.

�I am sorry to interrupt your class, Professor Tyler,� she said. �I wondered if I might have a few words with you.�

�Of course,� Astrid said, and then turned to the students. �Why don�t you get to know the others in your team, and I�ll be back in a few moments.� Astrid turned with the wand in her hand, ready to cast a protective charm on Sarah�s cradle, and found that several of the girls, including Pansy Parkinson and Hermione Granger, had clustered around it, exclaiming over the baby and making silly sounds and faces, trying to make her laugh.

�So much for having the baby in class,� Astrid said drily. She turned a crooked smile to Minerva and sighed. �I was hoping to keep her with me. She�s quiet, but just the presence of a baby distracts some of the students.�

�Well, at least she is not causing trouble,� Minerva said. �Now, about Mister Weasley. Trejgul told me what happened in the classroom, and I have told him that his attitude needs adjusting. I was wondering what kind of detention you were going to assign.�

�I hadn�t made up my mind, just yet,� Astrid said. �I was going to ask the Headmaster if he had any ideas, but I take it that you do.�

�I have several,� McGonagall said. �Let�s step into your office while I see which one you like.�

Astrid led the way into her office, and closed the door most of the way.

�First,� McGonagall said. �There is the usual detention with Mr. Filch. He has been very creative in his punishments for young mischief makers.�

�He�s not a mischief maker, Minerva,� Astrid said. �He�s a bigot. What are we going to do about him?�

�Why not assign him to tutor Slytherin first years?� Minerva said, smirking. �That, or we could assign him to serve at the main table. None of the professors is terribly pleased with his kind of closed-mindedness.�

�I don�t know if a dose of humility would help him, Minerva,� Astrid said. �I�m not sure that anything will help. I�ve had occasion to notice that when someone is determined to hate, nothing stops them.�

�I know, Astrid,� Minerva said, laying a sympathetic hand on the younger witch�s shoulder. �We may not be able to keep him from hating, but we can teach him that it is unacceptable to express such views in polite conversation, or in school for that matter.�

�Yes,� Astrid said. �No school I�ve ever been in could have qualified for polite conversation, and I�ve heard some very creative insults in the last twelve hours.�

�Well,� Minerva said. �What do you think?�

�I think it�s the best we�ve got,� Astrid said. �Disobeying a professor is a serious infraction.�

�I would suggest a week,� Minerva said. �Not breakfast or lunch, but dinner.�

�That sounds appropriate,� Astrid said. �Perhaps we should add a week with Severus after that. It was his house that was insulted, after all, and I am sure he could use the assistance, scrubbing cauldrons, pickling doxy eggs, and so on.�

�Of course,� Minerva said. �I�m pleased that I could help you.�

�Slytherin will still win the house cup, this year,� Astrid said, smiling. Minerva smiled even more as the two of them headed to the door.

�I don�t suppose you�d like to make a wager, Professor Tyler?� she asked as they stepped out onto the landing.

�Twenty five galleons, Professor McGonagall,� Astrid said, smiling. �Payable at the leaving feast. Twenty five more that Slytherin wins in Quidditch, as well.�

�Done,� Minerva said. She turned toward the classroom, and gasped.

Astrid turned to see Harry and Ron Weasley with their wands leveled at one another, Draco Malfoy on the floor behind Harry with blood pouring out of his nose, and Hermione Granger and Pansy Parkinson trying to stop the flow. From the looks of Malfoy�s uniform, he had bled quite a bit.

Astrid jumped over the balustrade, ran to Malfoy�s side, and pointed her wand at his nose.

�Finite Crudus,� she intoned. The flow of blood stopped almost immediately. She looked around and found the other members of Draco�s study group standing nearby, looking frightened.

�Miss Brown,� Astrid said. �You, Mister Finch-Fletchley, and Miss Patil take Mister Malfoy to hospital wing to be checked over.� She waited while they helped Draco to his feet and led him around Harry and Ron and out of the classroom. After they had disappeared down the corridor, she turned to Harry and Ron.

�Both of you lower your wands this instant,� she barked. �If you do not, you will be in detention for the rest of your schooling!�

Harry obediently lowered his wand immediately, Ron a moment behind him.

�Mister Weasley,� Astrid said. �What ever possessed you to draw your wand in my classroom without my orders? You are in enough trouble already.�

�Malfoy drew on me first,� Ron said defensively.

�Do not lie to me, Mister Weasley,� Astrid said. �I know when someone lies, and even if I did not, your face is an open book. I see I am going to have to dismiss class early, because of you. You and Mister Potter will accompany me to the Headmaster�s office. The rest of you, take yourselves to the library or a study room, and start on your homework. If any of you feel like some extra credit, you can write me a paper telling me what Mister Malfoy could have done to avoid what Mister Weasley threw at him.�

They waited while the other students filed out, Ron looking chastened but not the least bit repentant.

�By the way, Mister Weasley,� Astrid said. �You have one week detention serving the Main Table during dinner, and then you have one week detention with Professor Snape. Keep these in mind the next time to talk back to a teacher or unfairly malign another house in my class. You students have enough problems without fighting among yourselves.�

***** *****

When they arrived at the Headmaster�s office, Severus was already there, along with Madam Pomfrey. They stopped whatever their discussion was when Astrid, Minerva, and the boys came in. Snape looked straight at Harry immediately.

�Thank you for coming to Mister Malfoy�s defense,� he said. �Twenty points to Gryffindor for displaying the best trait of the house.�

�I see you already know what happened,� Astrid said. �Mister Weasley was already in trouble this morning, Headmaster. He seems to have something against Slytherins in general, and Mister Malfoy in particular.�

�There is a long history of rivalry between the two families,� Dumbledore said. �They are two of the most prominent pureblood families, but at opposite ends of the economic spectrum.�

�I see,� Astrid said. �So Mister Weasley tries to make up for the perceived lack by attempting to take Mister Malfoy down a few pegs.�

�I am afraid so,� Dumbledore said.

�Well,� Astrid said. �For the next week, he is serving the Main Table at dinner. For a week after that, he has detention in the evenings with Professor Snape. The only other thing I can think of to do is ban him from Quidditch.�

�You can�t do that!� Ron exploded. �You can�t ban me from Quidditch!�

�That�s another ten points from Gryffindor, Mister Weasley,� Minerva said. �I think that Professor Tyler is being completely reasonable.�

�Perhaps a one game ban,� Dumbledore said. �To see if he learns his lesson.�

�Very well,� Astrid agreed. �One game for every time he acts up in my classroom, from now on. If I run out of games before Christmas, Mister Weasley, I will ban you from my class, permanently.�

�What makes you think you�re going to be here?� Ron asked. �No other teacher�s lasted in that class.�

�Skill, Mister Weasley,� Astrid said tartly. �I am a more accomplished witch than you will ever be a wizard, even if you knuckle down immediately and apply yourself to your studies.�

�Very well,� Dumbledore said. �Mister Weasley is banned from the next Quidditch game that Gryffindor plays. He may play after that unless he causes trouble in Professor Tyler�s class again.�

�That is acceptable,� Severus said. �Considering how vocal Mister Weasley has been, it must be quite a hardship to know that he will not be Keeper at the first game. I will see you after dinner, Mister Weasley, one week from today. Do not be late.� He inclined his head to Dumbledore and McGonagall, gazed at Astrid for a long moment, and then swept out.

�How is Mister Malfoy, Madame Pomfrey?� Minerva asked.

�He didn�t lose a dangerous amount of blood, Minerva,� the nurse replied. �Although, I will tell you that he could have, given the curse that Mister Weasley used.�

�I will have a talk with Mister Weasley,� Dumbledore said. �The rest of you may leave.�

Astrid put a hand on Harry�s shoulder and guided him to the door, followed by Minerva. Madame Pomfrey took up the rear as they left the Headmaster�s office.

Once in the corridor, Madame Pomfrey bid them a good day and bustled off towards the Hospital Wing. Astrid patted Harry on the shoulder and suggested that he find his DADA study group. She watched him leave, and noticed that Minerva was watching him with more than a little concern.

�You�re worried about him,� Astrid said.

�I can�t not worry about him,� Minerva responded. �Would you care to have some tea in my office, my dear?�

�I�d be delighted,� Astrid said, wondering what brought this on, so suddenly. She followed Minerva, trying to guess what the older witch truly wished to speak about.

Once they were in Minerva�s office, the Deputy Headmistress called for tea and waved her guest to a comfortable chair near the fire. She took the other chair as a tray with tea and biscuits appeared on a table between the two chairs.

Astrid watched with wide eyes while Minerva cast privacy spells on the room and then sat down and poured the tea.

Astrid prepared her tea with lemon and sugar while her mind whirled. Did McGonagall intend something nefarious, or did she truly not trust someone at Hogwarts.

�I need to tell you something, Astrid,� McGonagall said. �Something very strange is happening here at Hogwarts, and has been happening ever since Harry started school. Before Harry started school, there were incidents from time to time, but nothing that we didn�t expect. Spells went awry, students broke curfew, brewed in their rooms, skipped classes, had trysts due to adolescent urges and teenage emotions, fought a bit, everything like that.

�The year Harry started,� Minerva continued. �Albus suddenly decided that the Philosopher�s stone*, which had been locked up at Gringott�s for years, had to be kept safe at Hogwarts. I argued against it. I pointed out that the students might accidentally stumble across it. I even went so far as to tell him that if the Weasley twins got their hands on it, nothing would ever be the same. He ignored me, and overruled me. He did agree to have several safeguards put on the stone, however, and let me decide who would make them. I chose the craftiest teachers I could.

�At Christmas that year,� she went on. �Albus gave Harry his father�s invisibility cloak. I found the note in the dormitory room after the students left for the year. He told him to use it well.�

�It sounds like he was trying to get him to break rules,� Astrid said. �What happened?�

�Well, Harry was nearly killed,� Minerva said. She took a sip of her tea, made a face, and reached into her robes for a small flask. She tipped a bit of amber liquid into the tea and stirred it. When she sipped it again, she looked a bit relieved.

�Harry got it into his head that the Philosopher�s stone was in danger,� she said. �It was, although we didn�t know it. Professor Quirrell had been possessed by the spirit of The Dark Lord, and He wanted the Philosopher�s stone to remake his body. Well, Harry, and Miss Granger, and Mister Weasley went after the stone themselves. Mister Weasley got injured going up against an animated chess set that I created. Miss Granger got him out. Harry went up against Professor Quirrell himself, and almost died in the confrontation. Albus convinced his friend Nicolas Flamel that it was time to destroy the stone. Mister Flamel and his wife died less than a year later.�

�I heard about Master Flamel�s death,� Astrid said. �I was very saddened that an alchemist of his caliber was gone.�

�Well, the next year was even worse,� Minerva said. �When Mrs. Norris was attacked, I tried to get Albus to close the school so that we could search again for the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and get rid of the monster. Albus refused outright. He said that everything would work out. He was the one who hired Gilderoy Lockhart as the Defense teacher. He said that the man was perfect for the position.�

�A perfect charlatan,� Astrid said. �I�ve read his books. To have done everything that he claimed, he would have to have been over 300 years old, and he would have had to change sexes more than once. I mean, anyone knows that a man can�t get rid of a banshee.�

�Among other things,� Minerva agreed. �Now, I don�t know how Harry found out about Ginny Weasley being taken to the Chamber, but he, Mister Weasley and Professor Lockhart all three went into the Chamber. No one but Harry knows what happened, but Albus knows nearly everything that goes on in this castle. Surely, he knew where the Chamber was.�

�One might think so,� Astrid said, sipping her tea. �What is the point, Minerva?�

�The point is,� Minerva said, draining her cup and fixing another one. �I believe that Albus is deliberately putting Harry into dangerous situations, with the view to preparing Harry for confronting the Dark Lord. The only problem is that these situations could get Harry killed beforehand, and then what would we do?�

Astrid leaned forward and put a comforting hand on the older witch�s knee. She could skim Minerva�s surface thoughts, and she could see that Minerva�s longtime love affair with Dumbledore was making it difficult for her to see how truly evil he was, but she was seeing some of it, despite her infatuation with him. She had admired him in school, and when he had taken over as Headmaster, he had offered her the position. She had accepted. Their affair had started during her first school year as Transfiguration professor, after an intimate dinner.

�I will make sure that Harry does not die, Minerva,� Astrid promised. �I am going to teach him everything I know about the Dark Arts and their Defenses. I may have to ruffle the Headmaster�s feathers a bit, but Harry can�t defend against Dark magic if he knows nothing about it.�

�What do you mean?� Minerva asked, looking at her in surprise.

�I mean that Harry will have to use Dark magic to defeat Voldemort,� Astrid said. �I know Dumbledore will not approve, but I don�t care. It�s the only way Harry will survive. As it is, I�m worried about it. He�s so unprepared, due to the bungling of teachers over the years.�

�I had the worst time during Harry�s fourth year,� Minerva said. �The day before each task, I spent the whole night pacing and worrying. I spent the time during the task worrying. I spent the night after the task drinking. It turned me into a nervous wreck. I was sure he was going to die. If I had known that Alastor was an imposter, I would have been beside myself.�

�That�s probably why you weren�t told,� Astrid said. �If Albus really does see nearly everything, then he had to have known about the imposter. If he didn�t, then he�s slipping.�

�I don�t know which one frightens me more,� Minerva confided in her. �Please take care of Harry. Lily was one of my favorite students, to this day. It�s a terrible thing, but I never understood what she saw in James. I always thought that she and Severus would have made such a nice couple. He likes you, you know, Severus does.�

�Who do you think sent him that cauldron?� Astrid asked. �I told my Dad that I wanted nothing but the best. For me, Severus is the best.�

�Well,� Minerva said. �He and Maximillian come as a set. If you marry one of them, you have to marry both, my dear.�

�Such a hardship,� Astrid mocked, shaking her head. �I don�t know how I�ll manage to put up with it.�

Minerva watched her for a moment, and then she smiled. Her smile widened, and then she started laughing. Her laughter got Astrid started, and the two of them laughed together over the absurdity of Astrid�s statement, until they were both breathless.

�Gods above,� Minerva said, calming down. �I don�t remember the last time I laughed like that. It�s so nice to have a youngster on the staff, again. I hope you stay with us for many years, and I hope Severus sees what�s in front of him.�

�You mean that I�m desperately in love with him?� Astrid asked. �If he doesn�t come around by Christmas, I may spike his bedtime tea and climb into bed with him.�

�Professor Tyler, I�m shocked!� Minerva drew herself up stiffly and tried to look disapproving. She failed miserably.

�I hope it works,� she finally admitted. �Now, I have a WARTs student to test. I will see you at lunch. I would like to do this again, sometime. Shall we say, this Saturday?�

�It�s a date,� Astrid said. �I hope to give the older students a demonstration later this week of what I would like to expect them to be able to do, one day. Lilith and I used to duel on a regular basis, and I think it would be educational.�

�She is taking a WART in Defense,� Minerva admitted. �Perhaps you could arrange for all of the older students to observe at once. Perhaps you could use the Quidditch pitch?�

�Perhaps,� Astrid said. �I dislike going so close to Professor Potter�s territory, though. I�d rather stay in one of the open areas near the castle walls.�

�I�ll approve it if you want, my dear,� Minerva said. �You�ve defeated Death Eaters, you and your friend Lilith, and the students should see what kind of witch manages that.�

***** *****

Astrid entered the Great Hall at lunch and slipped into her seat next to Severus. She could see that most of the students were already seated, and it seemed that the remaining students were coming into the Hall. She smiled briefly at Severus, and then frowned in confusion as a red rose was dropped on her plate with a piece of parchment tied to it.

She carefully untied the parchment and read the message it contained.

Meet me at the Three Broomsticks tonight.
J.P.

Astrid raised her eyes to meet the twinkling brown eyes of James Potter. She caught and held his eyes while she raised the parchment to eye level and whispered one word.

�Incendio�

The parchment burst into flame and fell away from her fingers, curling into ash. She raised the rose into his line of sight, ripped the petals from the stem, and proceeded to tie the stem into knots.**

�Not in this life, or any other, Professor Potter,� she said, just loudly enough that he could hear her. �You don�t have brains enough to interest me, as I�ve already told you.�

�What are you going to do,� he asked chuckling. �Are you going to marry Severus?�

�Whyever not?� Astrid asked. �This is, of course, assuming that I decide to get married at all. Perhaps I�ll simply adopt magical orphans and purchase some huge house to raise them in. Maybe Hogwarts will be inundated with Tylers for the next hundred years or so.�

�I think that�s an admirable idea,� Minerva said, trying to break the tension. �The last war left magical orphans all over. Young Mister Potter is only one of them. The war coming might leave more.�

Under the table, Astrid reached over and squeezed Severus� knee in reassurance. She was only speaking for Dumbledore and Potter�s benefit. She didn�t want Severus to doubt what they had said to one another last night.

Severus� hand slipped down under the table to squeeze Astrid�s hand briefly, and then he picked up his fork and speared a bite of his shepherd�s pie.

�Leave me alone, Potter,� Astrid said. �I have more important things to worry about than you, such as my students. You would do well to do the same.� She turned her attention half to the plate in front of her, and half to the room full of students, and put James Potter and his propositions, out of her mind.

==========

Author�s notes:
*For those whose first HP book said �the Sorceror�s Stone,� the true name of the alchemical product that was mentioned is the Philosopher�s Stone.

**For those who don�t know, it can be done, I�ve done it.
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Practice to Deceive