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Chapter 6 – An Interesting New Year

Horace Slughorn started his new assignment exactly one week after Snape's collapse in Potions. Initially he had been very excited to fill in as it would be his chance to finally meet the Boy-Who-Lived. Dumbledore had had custody of the boy since November 1, 1981 and would not let anyone near him, especially Horace Slughorn.

Even once the boy came to Hogwarts Dumbledore would not allow access to the boy without his expressed approval and permission. This meant there was still no chance to talk to the child because Dumbledore had control as to who could enter the school. There were only certain "special people" always allowed to enter the school like the Minister of Magic, the occasional dignitary, etc.

However, they would still have to have Dumbledore's permission to "roam around the school" and definitely to talk with Harry Potter. Therefore no one could contact the boy unless Dumbledore said they could. He was still monitoring the boy's mail "for his protection" and the boy was whisked off at the end of the school year to return to the place of safety where he grew up protected by Dumbledore.

With the exception of this year, the boy had spent every school holiday at Hogwarts. From what Horace had heard, the boy was kept totally isolated from the other Houses and guarded by those who Dumbledore allowed. It was always a Weasley escorting the boy outside of Gryffindor Tower and/or an abrasive Muggleborn witch, who was well-known to be a worshiper of Dumbledore and a complete tattletale.

But now, there were two dead Weasleys and the Muggleborn girl had gone missing. Horace was now the Potions teacher and there was now no way that Dumbledore could prevent Horace from "befriending" and "guiding" the boy especially since he had the blessing of the Ministry.

Their first meeting was a revelation. He had asked Potter to meet with him before the dinner meal to discuss his potions grade as it had come to Slughorn's attention that Harry Potter was hopeless at potions which Horace found difficult to believe since his mother had been a prodigy and James Potter was fairly decent in the subject.

Harry happily explained his problem with potions. Sigh! So Severus had sabotaged the boy, no doubt for revenge against James Potter and Sirius Black for their treatment of the politically helpless Slytherin boy. It was understandable. Not nice or professional but totally understandable. The same thing had happened to the Longbottom heir as well as many, many Gryffindors, at least half of the Hufflepuffs and even some of the Ravenclaws.

Since it was Harry's OWL year, the boy had practically begged Slughorn to help him and Neville pass. "Could you please give teach us what we should have been taught in the first place?" Potter had asked showing off his puppy dog eyes. The poor boy was so desperate that he had even offered to pay Horace for the proper tutoring.

The boy had placed himself in Horace's hands – just as long as Neville could be included also. The three of them would soon become "friends" of a sort with Horace being the all wise, all knowing mentor who would save the boys' potential careers. It was a match made in heaven in Horace's view and there wasn't a thing Dumbledore could do to prevent it.

So for the rest of the year Harry and Neville spent much of their free time with Slughorn, whether it was attending his Slug Club events or getting their private tutoring. Now that Harry didn't have to worry about Quidditch or putting up with Ron and Hermione, he actually had the time and patience to learn more and to study. At the rate he was going both he and Neville should pass all of their OWLS with flying colors.

Harry had managed to get Luna Lovegood into the Club hoping that so much of the bullying done to her would stop. But it hadn't and Cho Chang was the leader of the "mean girls" or at least she was until a few strange things started happening.

She had been flirting with Harry all year but he had been ignoring her for his own reasons. She kept using the "I'd like to know all about Cedric's last moments" tactic to get him to talk to her. He had told her everything there was to know about the two of them sharing the cup, his tragic death on Voldie's orders and how his ghost had asked him to bring his body back to his parents. It had taken him 40 minutes to tell all there was to tell the girl, but she still kept at him.

She had actually asked him out to Hogsmeade to "talk" some more about Cedric, but he had refused. This was after Ginny's death and Ron's threats and he was trying to keep a low profile and survive but she had not taken the hint. She still kept trying despite his polite indifference.

She decided to take her frustration out on poor Luna. Luna was not the first nor was she the last Ravenclaw to be picked on by Cho and her friends. Apparently it was a "Ravenclaw Tradition" to bully the helpless, especially if they just happened to be in the lead for best of the year in Ravenclaw. Su Li in Harry's year had been given "the treatment" and the girl had no female friends in Ravenclaw but did hang out with a few Hufflepuffs for companionship and safety.

She wouldn't dare consider giving comfort to Luna because that would only serve to bring her to the attention of her tormentors and there were times when she would still be the victim of an occasional "prank" to let her know that she was still a pariah in her House.

Ginny had basically abandoned Luna once they had gone to Hogwarts and not because they were in different houses. Ginny had been under the spell of the diary during her first year but by second year she had seen how unpopular her eccentric friend was and didn't want to damage her own reputation by associating with "Looney" the crazy Ravenclaw. She also was busy plotting out how to attract the attention of Harry Potter her future husband.

Once Cho had shown her true unkind colors, she was put on Harry's list. All he had to do now was decide what would really teach the girl not only a lesson but make an example of her and her partners in crime so that future Ravenclaws would not be made to suffer like Su Li and Luna and the others had. But it had to be a different punishment and something that couldn't be traced back to Harry or Luna.

Many times Luna was made fun of due to the earrings she wore or the butter beer cap necklace. No one bothered to ask why she wore such unique jewelry. If they had, she would have told them that as a nine year old girl she had made the necklace to give to her mother for her birthday. Unfortunately, her mother was killed right in front of Luna's eyes two weeks before her birthday.

Luna wanted to bury the necklace with her mother, but she was told by a nasty neighbor that it wasn't a very nice thing for her mother to be buried in so she should just throw it in the garbage where it belonged. Xeno Lovegood, Luna's father, heard it all and assured his daughter that it was a lovely necklace which her mother would have been proud and happy to receive.

"But your poor mother's neck was injured so badly in the explosion that she can't wear a necklace." Instead he convinced her to keep the necklace and to think of her mother every time she wore it.

At least the necklace was one of the very few possessions of Luna which was not stolen and hidden during the course of the year as she never took it off. It was considered so ugly by the Ravenclaws that it was not worth stealing.

But then Cho had noticed Harry talking nicely with Luna Lovegood. She heard through the grapevine that it was not the first time. Luna had then been admitted to the Slug Club as the girl was brilliant especially in potions.

So Looney must suffer – a lot more than usual. That would prove to be a very bad mistake because the lonely Ravenclaw was now under the protection of Harry Potter.

Usually the Ravenclaw bullies did their dastardly deeds outside of their House. Flitwick did so frown on bullying and whenever he found out about it he took steps to stop it. He relied on his Prefects to monitor the House and report anything mean going on. Usually his Prefects did exactly that but for some reason since her first year the Lovegood girl had been "fair game" for the many bullies.

The Prefects did not report the abuse given to the girl. In the House itself only her clothes were stolen. Outside the House, her homework was stolen just as she entered a class, she was insulted and made fun of, her food was spelled and many other examples of torment were given to the girl. Flitwick had noticed on occasion but had trusted his Prefects completely when they told him that after careful investigation, it was found that the girl was just…odd.

Then for some reason every time Flitwick had decided to do some personal investigation he would start and then forget what he was going to do. In other words, he was being spelled to not be able to help Luna Lovegood.

Cho was a Prefect so she "took charge" about the "Looney problem" and she and a few others did some really mean, nasty and spiteful things to the helpless girl. For five painful days starting on a Thursday night, Luna was bombarded with "pranks" or rather hexes, curses and even the occasional potion being shoved down her throat.

Since it all had started after Luna's last Charms class of the week, Flitwick hadn't noticed the girl being missing. Then the weekend came. Monday morning Luna was supposed to be in his Charms class. She never missed classes. After asking around Flitwick discovered – from talking with a Hufflepuff – that Luna Lovegood had been found almost on the verge of death and had been taken out of Hogwarts by Potter and Longbottom and was now at St. Mungo's.

He immediately flooed to St. Mungo's and was horrified at what he had found. Not only had some of his Ravenclaws done this to the girl but all of the Prefects knew about it and two of them had participated in injuring the girl. The rest of his House KNEW but said or did nothing except to laugh or agree that the "Looneybin" had gotten some of what she deserved for being a disgrace to Ravenclaw.

When Healer Carrollton heard that "Flitwick had finally shown up" he immediately tore into the wizard and gave him a full report not only of what had been happening to the Lovegood girl since her arrival at Hogwarts but also to other students. Flitwick tried to defend himself saying that he had not known only to be told by the livid Head of St. Mungo's that was no excuse and he should be ashamed of himself.

It had taken Flitwick swearing on his life and magic to convince Carrollton that he hadn't known and would never have condone it if he had His only excuse was that "Dumbledore is in charge and he…well I am sure you know what mischief Albus gets up to."

Carrollton did and they made some arrangements before Flitwick headed back to Hogwarts.

He called a mandatory meeting for his House and asked if anyone knew where Luna was. All he got from her fellow Ravenclaws was a look of innocence so fake, so phony that it had to be forced. He did notice a few snickers coming from his Claws when his back was turned. His students apparently didn't know that being part Goblin, his hearing was better than the average human.

He quickly turned around to see several Claws trying to wipe the smiles off of their faces. He then realized something was terribly wrong.

"I will now take 100 points from Ravenclaw if one of you doesn't tell me what has happened to Luna Lovegood."

A look of shock replaced the sly smiles. They quickly recovered and looked as if they would rather lose the points then tell their Head of House what happened, so he added a further "inducement" to find out what was going on.

"I will also be taking 5 – no 10 grade points off of all of your final grades unless someone tells me the truth."

"She was punished for being a disgrace to Ravenclaw," a frightened Claw spit out. There was nothing like the threat of losing grade points to make a Claw sell out their own mother.

The information came spewing out from the mouths of all of the Claws. When they were finished they were really that – finished. To say that Flitwick was angry was an understatement. He had never been this angry (at least with his House members) in his entire life. He then immediately gave them a punishment so severe that hopefully it would serve as a warning.

All Prefects were relieved of their badges and 100 points were taken from them. That meant that 600 points was lost by Ravenclaw. He had sent for Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout, Slughorn, Madame Hooch and Medi-witch Aldridge to hear the next pronouncement and to act as witnesses. He wanted them to be able to vouch for and agree with his decision so that Dumbledore could not reverse it. He also knew that the Medi-witch reported directly to the Ministry and would immediately inform Fudge about the "scandal" before Dumbledore could obliviate them all and overturn the decision.

Thus, to punish all Ravenclaws for their going along with the bullying of any and all of their House members but especially Luna Lovegood the following would be happening. Flitwick was taking them out of the running for the House Cup. They were already in the minus column due to the Prefects losing so many points. He was also removing them from participating in Quidditch for this year.

He made it known that anyone caught bullying or playing "a prank" of a hurtful or harmful nature would have 5 points deducted from their final grade average. Seven Ravenclaws actually fainted at this announcement, Cho being one of them.

Then he threatened even more punishments for bad behavior and in the presence of the other Heads, Hooch and Aldridge he asked for and received their cooperation in looking out for unacceptable behavior from his Ravenclaws. Aldridge was allowed to leave first so that she could get her report sent to Fudge before Dumbledore found out. She would probably floo directly to the Ministry to make her report as no Hogwarts house elf and the mail could definitely not be trusted.

The ones who had done the most damage to Luna Lovegood, such as Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe and a few others were given detention for a month with Filch and were denied any and all library privileges for two weeks.

When the sounds of outrage were shouted out Flitwick replied by shouting angrily, "You nearly killed that poor girl. If Dumbledore would only allow it, I would see you all expelled. Just so you know, St. Mungo's has reported it to Amelia Bones and will be conducting an investigation. This time the Headmaster will not be allowed to overturn the punishments no matter who any of you or your parents 'know' at the Ministry."

With that said, he dismissed his House and then he and the other teachers left to have a meeting in his quarters. He discussed his meeting with Healer Carrollton with his peers and about what was going on at Hogwarts now.

Umbridge's treatment of Potter and certain other students was discussed and why Dumbledore had allowed it all to happen and to continue happening despite knowing that it had been done.

"Albus usually gets away with anything he wants to do the Ministry notwithstanding," Slughorn asked, "So why is he acting this way especially when it concerns Potter?"

He had his own suspicions due to his access to the gossip and rumor network but he wanted to hear the opinion of his colleagues. The silence which greeted his question only confirmed the theory. Albus was still up to his old tricks and manipulations and was using his complete power and control over Potter for some of his Greater Good nonsense. As usual, the welfare of any of the students was ignored and the same old same old House rivalries were not only still in operation but stronger than ever.

And no one would know the reason for it or could do anything about while Albus Dumbledore reigned.