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Defense, Cancelled


The next morning, the Great Hall was abuzz with the news that all Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for Monday were cancelled. James and Sirius exchanged ominous, knowing glances. “But why?” James asked Bilius, incredulous, “Not that I'm complaining about getting some time off, but – why's it been cancelled for, do you know?”

Bilius shrugged, “Apparently Tutman's gone,” he replied. “Don't know any details, though, mate. Sorry.” He looked at Remus with meaningfully raised eyebrows, then turned and walked on down the table to join Derek and the other Quidditch team players.

James looked 'round at the others. “Obviously this has something to do with what happened last night,” Sirius said, taking the words right out of James's mouth. “Dumbledore must've found out what's gone on!”

“Wonder when we'll have a new Defense teacher?” wondered Remus, staring up at the staff table.

“I hope whoever it is doesn't know about that essay Tutman assigned us last week, I haven't had time to finish it!” Peter said.

The boys ate quickly then hurried out to the entrance hall, planning on waiting around until Dumbledore came out to inquire of him what happened with Tutman, but before Dumbledore got up from the staff table, Lucius Malfoy sauntered up from the dungeons for a late breakfast, his face looking a bit peaky. He glowered at the four of them, “What're you doing, lurking about in the entrance hall?” he demanded, “Oughtn't you be in class?”

Sirius's mouth twisted in a wicked smirk, “Well it seems, Lucius, that our class has been cancelled due to the fact that Professor Tutman's been sent off by Dumbledore so you can't imperius him anymore. Or didn't you hear the news yet?”

James smirked, too, and gave Sirius a slick high-five.

Lucius's face didn't twitch in the least. He allowed them to have their moment of congratulations, and then, in a very calm voice, he replied, “Sent off by Dumbledore? Gracious, no. Professor Tutman had a family emergency, you see. Had to go home right away. Most inconvenient time, of course, with the accusations you lot have made… but you can't control emergencies, can you?”

“Apparently you can,” Sirius growled.

Lucius's mouth thinned into the tightest of smiles. “I'd watch myself, if I were you,” he said, his voice low. He turned and started into the Great Hall, then stopped at the door way, turning back, his eyes twinkling. “Actually… you know what, I'll have five points from Gryffindor for your cheeky attitude, Black. It would do you some good to learn some respect.”

Sirius muttered something quite rude as Lucius disappeared into the Hall.

“Now, now,” Remus said, shaking his head, “No need for language like that.”

They hung around in the entrance hall a bit longer, despite Lucius's explanation for Tutman's disappearance, until Professor McGonagall came out and sent them to the common room. “But we aren't causing any trouble here,” argued Sirius.

“And all the more likely you are not to start if you're where you ought to be!” she said, waving them off up the stairs.

The boys laid about in the common room with their homework by the fire, though not much homework got done except by Remus, whose nose seemed quite firmly planted in their Charms book no matter how frequently James tried to distract him by zooming bewitched objects about his head, claiming to be practicing the spell.

“You seem to have it down just fine,” Remus said, catching a zooming quill from midair. “Perhaps you should practice another one.”

James grinned.

Sirius was laying on his back on the floor, his feet up on the chair beside Peter, who was nervously muttering to himself as he scribbled notes from the Astronomy book. “I can't believe Lucius is going to get away with it,” he said, for probably the hundredth time since they'd settled in. He was staring at the fire, his mouth twisted in a scowl.

“Dumbledore is smart,” Remus said, tossing the captured quill back to James, “I'm sure he knows what's going on more than we do.”

“Yeah, couldn't be more obvious the only reason Tutman's left is because Malfoy's made him go so he can get out of being caught,” James agreed.

Sirius was still frowning, “I s'pose,” he sighed.

But, to Sirius at least, it didn't seem as though anything was being done about the things they'd told Dumbledore. Especially when, within days, Lucius Malfoy was already walking through the castle corridors looking quite pleased with himself and bullying the younger students around as usual.

A week after the incident, and rumors had spread all over the school about where Tutman had gone, explaining the teacher's absence with everything from a nasty case of Dragon Pox to a death in his family back in Egypt. Bilius Weasley came in the common room one night chuckling to himself. “You lot hear the latest?” he asked, finding the four boys working on a diagram for Herbology in the common room, “Apparently, Tutman's gone and joined a rock band.” A smirk danced on his mouth.

“A rock band?” James scoffed, “What'd he want to go and do that for?”

“Dunno,” replied Bilius with a grin, “But that's what this crazy Ravenclaw bloke's been passing 'round all morning.”

Derek rolled his eyes, having come over with Bilius to talk to the boys, “Can't trust a damned thing Xeno says,” he inserted, “Bloody mental, that one is.” He smirked, then ducked around Bilius to go talk to Alice and Lily, who'd just come in the door behind them.

Bilius shrugged, “Just as likely as any other reason that's gone 'round.” He smirked and tipped an imaginary hat to them before turning to join Derek with the others.

By the next Monday, the talk around the school was that Dumbledore had found a replacement for Tutman to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, at least until Tutman's personal matters were in order and he could return to Hogwarts. However, there had been no formally introduction at dinner the night before, so no one was sure who this new teacher would be, not even Bilius had a clue, despite being prefect, and there was no new members at the staff table, filling the recently vacated seat in the morning at breakfast. “Maybe it's just McGonagall or somebody stepping in,” suggested Derek over his bowl of oats in the morning.

“McGonagall?” laughed Peter, “What's McGonagall know about Defense Against the Dark Arts? Transfiguration's got nothing to do with that!”

“Doesn't mean she's not bloody brilliant,” answered Bilius, looking 'round at Peter, “McGonagall could probably teach every subject under this roof single-handedly if she wanted to.”

Peter looked abashed.

“You lot will be the first class to actually know what's going on with the Defense teacher,” Derek said, waving at Remus, Sirius, Peter, James, and nodding towards Lily down the other end of the table. “You'll have to report back, let us know what's what.”

“That's right!” Sirius said, quite excitedly. “Brilliant!”

Eager to be the first class to find out, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter rushed through their breakfasts and ran up the stairs to the classroom, breathless as they reached the corridor. They'd even beat Lily Evans there, a first for the whole term. They clustered around the door and Sirius even pressed his ear against it to see if there was any sort of preparation going on inside.

"Do you hear anything?" James asked.

"Not a bloody thing," Sirius replied, keeping pressed firmly against the door.

Lily came up after a few minutes, trailed by Alice Bell, who was headed to Charms first but was hoping for a glance at the new teacher, and they stood at the end of the hall, talking. She glanced over and saw the boys there and Remus smiled in a friendly way. Lily smiled back before turning back to facing Alice.

Peter listened against the door, too, crouching below Sirius. “I don't hear anything either,” he announced.

“And you bloody won't if you keep yammering,” Sirius snapped rudely.

There was a gasp of surprise from Lily and Alice at the end of the hall. James looked up just as a youngish looking man with wild blonde hair, and an eye patch came around the corner, breezing by Lily and Alice with long, old-fashioned looking robes that flew out behind him as he walked with a fast gait. He nudged Sirius and Peter, and the boys jumped back from the door as the man came closer, eyed them with his one good eye, and pushed open the door.

They looked at one another in apprehension.

"Well? Are you coming in or are you starting a club out in the hallway?" called a rough voice from within.