Year Four - Chapter Ten

The Ravenclaw common room was filled with festive banners, and as the students cheered me on, and patted my shoulders and congratulated me, I smiled while inwardly I just wanted to cry. I wasn't good with a broom like Harry Potter was, and I didn't think my chances would be high in facing a dangerous, magical beast without the usage of a Phoenix. I could try to master the Avada Kedavra, if I wished to win the fight and end up in Azkaban having lost the war.

I didn't even remember if I could kill the dragon or not. Then again, even if I ended up penalized, I'd still be alive. One less dragon with pointy teeth in the world, it would be a clear victory. Also, the nickname of Dragonslayer had a great ring to it.

If chosen, you stand alone. Those words echoed in my skull as I awoke the next morning.

I didn't need to go to classes. I had been excused from the final year's exams. At the same time, I couldn't help but go all the same.

"Today," professor Snape said, "We will be reviewing the twelve uses of Dragon Blood," he drawled, glaring daggers. "Mister Umbrus, recite them."

I quietly looked at the professor with a small smile. "Oven cleaner, verruca healer, spot remover, bruise remover, wound closer-" and then I stopped. "I'm afraid I forgot the others, sir."

"Then that will be five points for each one you forgot, Mister Umbrus," professor Snape all but growled, "And a twenty foot long essay on Dragon blood's natural properties, to be delivered by next week." Then, he resumed his lesson. His review lesson on Fireproof potion.

"He's hating the fact there's not a Slytherin champion," Amanda whispered by my side. I sighed, and smiled at her. She punched me in the sides. "Stop eye-twinkling," she hissed.

I didn't chuckle, because otherwise I reckoned the extra-work would be something even fiercer.

Professor Flitwick's lesson, instead, revolved around the Aqua Eructo, the Freezing Charm and the Seize and Pull charms. Even there, the smile on my face told me that at Hogwarts, nobody would truly be alone as long as they asked for help.

It warmed my heart. "Remember that Aqua Eructo will turn off fires, and extinguish them. Used in conjuction with the Freezing charm, it should douse off even the hottest ones."

Professor McGonagall's transfiguration lesson took an interesting turn too, admittedly. "The switching spell can be used to transform sharp fangs from a snake into softer, mammal teeth like those of a cow, for example. While the cow may inadvertently submit to the fangs' poison, you would face a snake's far less powerful bite," she droned on, explaining the benefits of switching dangerous animals' traits with softer, easier ones.

"The toughness of scales on an alligator could become softer by replacing it with a Flubberworm's skin, which grow in abundance on Hogwarts' grounds," as she finished saying that, I really, utterly, had no doubts.

I had become the teachers' favorite student.

It was either that, or Cedric Diggory had been so dense during his lessons at Hogwarts that he had to literally be told by Harry just what kind of danger he'd face. While History of Magic and Astronomy couldn't help me, and neither could Ancient Runes or Arithmancy, Professor Sprout actually gave a solid and quite stern warning.

"You must never, ever, use the Herbivicus spell on Puffapods' seeds, which are found in the Greenhouse number one. They are a rampant, dangerous plant whose roots can easily burrow within the hardest of rocks and keep you stuck to your place," as she said that, she looked at me too. I gave a small nod, but inside I was laughing.

Defense Against the Dark Arts, unfortunately, took a turn for the worst.

"One gives a lesson about arrogance and one arrogantly goes and does something arrogant to the extreme!" Professor Moody growled, silently slamming enough Expelliarmus my way that the only reason I held on to my wand was because I not only dodged them, but hid behind a desk which sailed off out of the window in a matter of seconds.

I rolled out of the way of another spell, ducked behind a student who yelped, and then flung a desk with an Oppugno straight at Alastor's direction.

"I was wondering when you'd move to other spells!" Alastor actually laughed at that, before twisting his wand and sending what could only be described as the mother of all invisible bludgers my way. It struck me right in the guts, wrenching the air out of my lungs and sending me down on my knees. "Remember your Hex protection does not work against Curses, or against Charms that aren't curses." He grumbled next. "The Protego is a more advanced, far more difficult spell."

"Fine," I gritted my teeth, quietly getting back up and clenching my wand. I swished the wand down, shimmering light briefly appearing, and disappearing, as the Protego spread evenly in front of me. I took a deep breath, and planted my right foot in front of me, my wand held high. "No more mister nice student."

Then, I thrust my left hand forward in a jab, a pulse of force forcing Alastor to shield against it, "Fulgur Percutiens!" I howled, a thundering blast of whiteness leaving the tip of my wand, which sang to my boiling blood and warmed my whole being, drowning all noises into the quietest of peaceful airs.

The windows rattled and broke, but Alastor Moody was still there, his face showing the signs of having been viciously tanned by the close proximity to the sun.

In front of him, a transfigured metallic rod sparkled with tiny lightning. "Good thing I knew that spell," Alastor cheekily added.

I swung my wand, the glass shards turning into birds, which then shrieked as they launched themselves towards the man. The rest of the students had meanwhile moved as far away from us both as they could, the classroom having literally become a dueling ground.

He swung back, the glass birds becoming large sand statues which impacted harmlessly against an invisible shield around him. Then, they twirled into a column of wind, which flung at me. I jabbed my wand forward, splitting the sand and dimly realizing that in the meantime, professor Moody had disappeared from the room.

"Invisibility cloak," I muttered, swishing my wand in a large swathe of flames, which poured in front of me, turning the sand into a floor of glass, solid, yet brittle, glass. He wasn't there, and the glass shattered as a spell made the jagged edges fly in the direction of my face. There was blood. There was blood everywhere.

Someone screamed. The Protego spell had failed, I reckoned, somewhere in the middle.

The warmth of the blood trickled down my face, my arms, and the deep, jagged shards of glass had torn shreds into my robes.

"Enough being a wuss," Professor Moody grumbled, coming closer from the side with a small phial of something amber-like within. I narrowed my eyes, which made me wince as the agony of the shards came together with the dropping of the adrenaline in my veins. He thrust the uncorked phial straight into my throat. "Always have a cauterizing potion ready, you brats!" he snorted, "And be prepared to see blood flowing! If you ain't got the guts to see through the pain, then you ain't got the guts to survive being an Auror!"

I gritted my teeth as I felt the potion work, the glass shards popping out and falling on the ground, the wounds closing. "That smarmy git of your potions' master knows his stuff at least," Professor Moody snorted. "Now what have we learned, you wise arrogant ass?"

"Glass hurts," I said quietly, looking down at the blood-soaked shards.

"And?" Professor Moody persisted.

"Constant Vigilance," I answered with a small sigh. "Should have checked my Protego hadn't stopped working."

Alastor Moody nodded sternly, and with a flick of the wand removed the glass, and summoned back the desks and the chairs.

It took me a few repair charms to get my clothes back into a seemingly normal shape, and by then another, greater damage was done.

"Brat, hold up a moment," Alastor snapped as the rest of the classroom began to filter out. Amanda waited, watching with a hawk-like gaze of distaste the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but it was Megan and Wayne's stares of loathing that absolutely stumped me. Those were two Hufflepuffs, two kindhearted creatures of love and hot chocolate, and they were glaring daggers at the professor.

It was heartwarming, but unneeded.

"I'll be all right," I said with a smile, letting them leave and coming to the front to take the full brunt of what I expected would be another dressing down.

"You know what Albus asked me to do, last year and this year?" Alastor Moody asked, eyeing me with his usual gruff and stern attitude, "It wasn't just to teach some classes. It was to check on you and your damn hero complex."

I raised both of my eyebrows. "My hero complex?" I snorted. Those were fighting words, especially when they came from Albus Dumbledore, and especially considering what he'd have Harry Potter do. Though, in the end, it wasn't like he wanted Harry to fight, did he? Rather, he wanted him to enjoy his school life, didn't he?

"Yes, your heroic complex, brat," Alastor snorted. "You want to be a hero like Albus, I get that, but you don't have the skills to be like Albus." He stressed on. "Not yet, and not if you die first."

"You made a good enough try," I retorted, and Alastor shrugged.

"Had everything under control in here, boy. And I can't help you, not directly, for your tasks. What I can do is slam you down so many times it will stop hurting when you get crushed by someone else, in a non-controlled environment," he sneered, "But that's then, this is now. You didn't scream, boy. You were hurt, but you didn't scream."

I furrowed my brows, "So what?"

Alastor looked at me, his magical eye twirling straight through my head. "So what, you say," he snickered. "Albus was damn right." He stood up from behind his desk, "You're terrifying, boy. And I can understand why Albus' worried about you. I've seen what a Dark Lord can do in my times, and if you're going to become one, then I'll put a stop on you at the first sign."

"I want my private island and my sexy Veela harem," I retorted quite calmly, much to Alastor's wicked grin.

"Don't we all want that," he snickered. "You're even a charming one; just remember, I'm watching you. Dumbledore is watching you. Everyone is watching you. You put one foot past the line of what is right, and I'll swoop down like a hawk on your sorry arrogant ass."

I made a small smile. "I hope you do," I said as gently as I could. "I'd rather be in prison than be a danger to others."

"Such a Samaritan," Alastor sarcastically quipped. "Next thing you'll grow wings and a halo. Now get going, kiddo. You have to practice your shield charm. Get it up, or get dead."

I raised an eyebrow. "Just because you already have a foot in the cold ground doesn't mean you get to make Necrophilia jokes," I answered in turn, turned, and left as Alastor's raucous laughter hit my back a second later. Then I ducked to the side as the spell hit the wall past me.

I was many things, but let it never be said I wasn't a fast learner.

Now, concerning the dragon thing, I had to wonder if sufficient amount of Dakka would work?

What a silly question...

...there can never be enough Dakka.