Harry Potter But AU??? - Chapter 191

Fred’S POV

As they were waiting in the grand hall for the firsties to come and get sorted, Fred’s mind kept going back to the summer and their store.

The store was everything they had ever wished for.

It was successful, innovative and made people have fun, yet Fred couldn’t help but feel hurt about their family, except their father, nor coming once to visit.

Sure, all of them sent letters, with Bill and Charlie congratulating them and explaining they will come when they return to Britain in a month or so, Ron and Ginny explained they were staying in an undisclosed location for protection against the ‘dark side’ and that their mother doesn’t allow them to go out, and even Percy sending them a letter telling them how proud he is with them, something that might have warmed their heart more then all the others, as Percy was never proud about them, before reading the rest of the letter and understanding he is proud they left the family and not supporting Dumbledore in his statement about the return of ‘You know who’, which made them burn the letter.

Their mother, of course, sent many letters demanding their return, all of which but the first was ignored, with the first asking their mother to accept the situation and come see how great Wonder Alley is.

The entry of the new students snapped Fred out of his thoughts, and then the hat started singing.

Here I go!

Unh, ooh, woo!

Back up! Uh-oh! Watch out! Unh!

You done wound me up!

Boutta show you what I’m workin’ with, unh!

Well, you managed to reach Hogwarts,

It means you have magic in you

But, before, you learn any spell a sorting I must do

You got a hat in your head now

One that will look deep in you

You got ambition, courage, loyalty, or mind?

All you gotta do is put the hat

And then I’ll say

“Mr. – Man, what’s your name? Whatever –

What will your house be?

Let me choose for you, you won’t regret”

You ain’t never seen a hat like me

This choice will be life changing

A decision for 7 years

Come, whisper to me whatever it is you want

You ain’t never seen a hat like me…

Fred held his laughter, looking at his twin who has apparently also recognized the song as ‘a friend like me’ from one of the movies they watched with Harry and Luna- Aladdin.

The thought of Harry and Luna brought a frown to Fred’s face.

It was clear as day that Luna is head over heels for Harry, and that Harry also has feelings toward her, but each of them seem to wait for the other person to do the first move. Up until now, the twins decided to stay out of it, believing that they will eventually be together, but last night it changed.

They were at Harry’s apartment, when he came back with an Asian woman in toe.

He introduced her as Nagini, telling them about her unfortunate circ.u.mstances and her need for a place tonight.

Now, Fred did feel sorry for her, being stuck for years as a snake must have been a nightmare, and of course he felt proud his honorably little brother was willing to let her sleep in his place, especially after letting the two of them stay for the summer, but that doesn’t mean he liked what he saw when he looked at Nagini’s eyes as she looked at Harry.

He saw more then just affection one should have as a friend, and more then just thankfulness, he saw something he recognized because he saw it in his baby sister’s eyes whenever she looked at Marcus Potter- Hero worship.

It wasn’t in the same intensity his baby sister seem to have, one that grew with their mother telling her bed time stories about him, and from the chamber of secrets fiasco, but it had the same glint both Fred and George spent the last two years trying and failing to destroy in their sister.

If that wasn’t enough, when Fred and George found Luna at the train and talked to her about everything Harry told them, she looked like she guessed it already.

Afterward, Fred and George had a talk that ended in a decision that the pranking they promised Harry last year be about trying to pull the two of them together.

The sorting was finally over, and the food appeared.

As they ate and talked with their friends about the summer and Wonder Alley, Fred finally pushed his plans for the future away as he enjoyed the meal with everyone.

HARRY’S POV

Just like last year, Harry decided against going to school with the train, instead using the vanishing cabinet in his house, though this time it was because it wasn’t practical to go in the train as he not only had an extra person with him as they found out after the night, in which Nagini slept on the couch, that a side affect of the ritual and his magic being permanently in her, was her discomfort in being away from him, so it was decided that until they find a solution she will stay human whenever they were alone or with only people that know, and the rest of the time she would stay in snake form.

Yet, because he knew about the Hogwarts wards identifying people when they walk through the castle gates, going through the vanishing cabinet was a way to avoid as such.

The other reason he decided to come early, was to enact his plan.

Walking through Hogwarts with GAI in his ear, he quickly found the office where Umbridge is, coming in quickly, Harry casted an ‘Imperio’ before the woman had a chance at noticing him even if he was disillusioned.

“Open your mind, relax, let the peacefulness and happiness take you.” He ordered. With the difficulty in resisting the curse being difficult when unprepared, the feelings it being being addictive, the need to listen to the caster is already hard enough when he asks you to do something You done want to do, telling you to do something you want, like keep being in that state and not resist is much harder.

But Harry had no intention keeping the woman in this state for long, as it takes too much energy, nor make her like Remus as he doesn’t have the time nor need to manage someone as problematic as her, and unless he plans to delete everything about her that makes her herself, it is impossible to delete the things that make the woman that much problematic.

Instead he planed to keep her under the spell enough to go through her mind and do some changes, not a lot, but enough for the woman to actually cause damage to Dumbledore’s reputation instead of helping him.

It took an hour for the changes to be complete.

The most important changes was in her way of thinking, where instead of just focusing on harming the headmaster’s reputation, she now also focus on the children’s education.

Another one big change was inserting the knowledge about the magical phones and make her think it is a ministry approved product.

The rest of the changes were about giving her the necessary knowledge to actually teach the students.

“Now Dolores,” he said. “Open your floo network and take me to the minister.”

He now needs to do some changes to Fudge.

Arriving to his office together with Umbridge, he quickly had the man under the same spell before doing almost the same as he did to Umbridge only making him think more positively about Wonder Alley.

Coming back to Umbridge’s office, he canceled the spell before leaving it, preparing for the meal.

“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,” said Dumbledore, launching his yearly speech about the forest and Mr Flich, before telling about the new teachers.

“We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.”

He was trying to continue when, now Professor, Umbridge cleared her throat.

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge said, “for those kind words of welcome.”

“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth.

“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I’m sure we’ll have so much fun exploring the wonders of magic together.”

Harry could see people looking interested in her words, which is better then her intended speech about friendship.

“The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching, something that in recent years seemed to be to be done incorrectly.”

The entire school seemed to gasp.

It is one thing to imply the headmaster does bad job in the school and another to outright say it.

The DADA Professor didn’t seem to notice that as she continued.

“According to a research our ministry conducted, the last 40 years of OWLs and NEWT grades has reached an all times low!”

Hearing that, whispers started spread around the students.

The Professor waited until they calmed down before continuing.

“Of course, when the minister found that out he decided to send me here to not only check what is the reason and to teach you all, but to also have this year’s student body become the first ever to use the new wands our ministry has worked on for the past five years.” She took out a magical phone.

“We call this thing a ‘casting assisting devices’ or CADs, those devices work just like wands, except instead of wand moment you put numbers inside, making mistakes made by the trembling of hand eliminated.” She looked at the shock of the students with a smile before continuing.

“In addition, after casting a spell once, it is ‘saved’ on the device, making it so that by calling out loud the name of the magic, having the right intent, and putting inside the necessary magical energy will be enough to cast it.” The shock was even more pronounced in the students, but Harry saw it is even more so in the teachers.

Each Professor seemed to have a different feelings about it.

Dumbeledore’s face seemed to change from its original interested look to a pale horror as he seemed to realize the meaning that carried.

Professor Snape was looking toward him with a knowing look.

Professor McGonagle seemed to complement the meaning of it.

Yet the one that made him smile the most was the excited expression his charm Professor seemed to have, as he seemed to understand a new era of magic is about to start.

“So once more,” Professor Umbridge said “let’s explore the limits of magic!”

This time the entire castle except a few cheered.