KEYnote: Harry is not evil, will not be evil at any point in this story. NO DarkHarry. The start of this story begins at the end of this chapter, thank you all for bearing with this 50k word prequel experiments, the following chapters will not be summaries.

Y'all goin' hate me.

Dramatic Irony: Irony that is inherent in speech or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.

Chapter 13 - Dramatic Irony

Narcissa sat across from Sirius. His beard was trim, his hair curled to his shoulders, his eyes were bright and quite frankly, he had no right to look that good after thirteen years in Azkaban.

"Sooo…" Sirius drawled, giving her a roguish grin, "are we just going to sit in a well of silence?"

"You're the sole heir to our family, are you really going to be a dog forever?"

He leaned back in his seat, "How's Dromeda?"

"Don't talk to me about my sisters."

"You're the one who brought up family, Cissa. And I spent thirteen years locked in a cell beside Bella. Why wouldn't I ask about the good one? The only one of us who turned out alright."

"Shut up, I have a son, a family. You're the one with nothing."

He raised his eyebrows, "I have nothing? I admit, aside from Harry, I don't have much. But Bella? Bella is the one with nothing, not even her sanity. And Reggie? Reggie's dead. And then there's you."

"Don't you dare say a word against my famil-"

"Yes, your perfect family. That's why you brought your son here. Here, not with his close friends or to your sister's home, but to a professor's home. Because you're worried a Dark Lord is going to come back and take over your lives, again."

"Fuck you."

Sirius laughed, "Again, how is Andromeda? The one who made it out."

"I don't know. She has a daughter."

"I'm aware, she's an Auror. The irony is beautiful."

"How did you survive it?" Narcissa asked. "No one survives, not that long, not like-" she motioned toward him, "like this. Barty came out-"

"Bat shit. Granted though, he went in as a kid, and even then, sane people don't torture others into insanity."

Narcissa gritted her teeth, "How?"

He sighed, looking away from her, "I wasn't guilty. At least not for what I had been imprisoned for."

"And that was enough?"

He sighed again, "I don't know, Cissa, how do you gauge your own sanity? I know I'm not a danger to Harry or his friends. That's all that matters in the end, no?"

She agreed, but she supposed she wasn't much of a judge. She hadn't grown up in a healthy household either. "And you will stay a dog?"

"Yes, no one knows."

"Surely Pettigrew told the Dark Lord."

"If he did, it still wasn't widely known. It gives me a split minute advantage if they are attacked and I am with them."

"I thought you would make terrible spy, apparently I was wrong."

He grinned, "Don't worry, cuz, I think you'll recover. You've never taken a mistake to heart before."

"If my son comes to harm-"

He waved his hand, "Yes, yes, eternal suffering, yada yada. Draco will be safe here. Hell, Harry will be with him."

She frowned, "That just makes him a bigger target."

Sirius shrugged, "The boy has a talent for DADA. Too bad he wants to be an artist, he would probably make a splendid Auror."

"No, that's Theo's dream."

"How's his father taking that?"

She stood, "According to my husband, Georald likely doesn't remember. He keeps trying to drown himself at bars."

"Does he even know the Dark Lord is back?"

Narcissa looked at him, her heart aching, "He will soon, cousin, everyone will."

"He showed up at your manor, didn't he?"

"Lucius won't say," she said, the memory of her husband sprawled on marble steps flashed through her mind's eye.

His glazed grey eyes as he tried to tell her not to worry, that everything would be okay.

Lies. All lies.

She could only pray Siri wasn't lying to her now.

That summer Minerva and Malcolm ended up spending a great deal of time at Hogwarts.

The wards of Hogwarts were being reinforced and any and all passages were being blocked. The very walls of the castle were being spelled not to open.

Theo, Harry, and Draco spent a great deal of time studying. It was almost like cheating with so many adults around to help them.

But they had all realized how real the war was becoming.

Theo and Sirius tried teaching the basics of Occlumency to Harry, and when he grew comfortable with the basics Minerva asked for Severus's help.

He began training all three boys.

Theo was a natural, and it was a split between who was worse, Harry or Draco.

But eventually, they all get better.

"Great," Blaise stated. "A government employee, they are really scraping the barrel now."

"We aren't going to learn shite," Theo growled.

"Yeah, Granger's comments on the first day were most illuminating," Draco said.

They were in the common room with nearly all of Slytherin House students gathered.

"But it's been weeks," Blaise complained, "And Umbridge hasn't imparted anything of worth."

One of the seventh years said, "Screw DADA, she's turning the whole school against us, and I swear, if I hear one more story about how 'dark' Potter is becoming a lord I'm going to scream. Who does that Rita woman think she is?"

"DADA is important," Harry said, speaking up for the first time in a while, "We need it. All hell is going to break loose soon and we need to be able to defend ourselves when the fighting starts."

"Or you know," Theo added with false cheer, "when a masked stranger sneaks into our houses and threatens everything we love and care for."

Mili groaned, throwing her hands up, "I thought Umbridge was a Slytherin, wasn't she supposed to side with our House? Why is she turning everyone against us?"

Another older year said helpfully, "Everyone's always been against. And now that everyone's scared we make the perfect scapegoat."

"This is only going to get worse," Harry prophesized.

Professor Snape came in through the door. "I bring ill news," he said with no preamble, "There has been a prison break from the high security cells of Azkaban."

"Damnit Potter!" over half the room chorused.

Snape frowned down at Harry, "What did you do?"

Harry sunk into his seat beside Theo who sniggered at his discomfort. "Nothing, Sir," he mumbled.

Theo covered his mouth.

Trust Theo to laugh driving full speed down the road to Hell.

Snape shook his head, "All of you who need to contact your guardians, please give your letters to me and I will assure they arrive. Any of you who know you can't return home and need to speak with me, I will make myself available for office hours and I will be staying in the room beside the prefect bedrooms in the case that you need to speak with me during the night. And finally, if any of you need me to send a letter or speak with your guardians, I will do so."

The room went quiet as friends looked to friends and others stared at their feet. No one was going to ask for help in front of everyone else.

"What are you going to do about Umbridge?" Draco asked his Godfather.

"What do you mean 'do'? There is nothing to 'do', Mr. Malfoy, she is a professor."

"She a bloody tosser," this time it was a younger student called from the back of the crowd.

"Language," Snape snapped, "And be that as it may, the position is cursed and there isn't anyone who willing to take the job."

"Why not you?" Another voice called out.

He gritted his teeth, "Because, as the Headmaster has put it, he doesn't want me to befall 'an accident.' And then, of course, they would need to find someone to teach potions. And keeping children from poisoning themselves or blowing themselves up is not an envied position." There was heat to his last statement, and Harry finally got a clue as to why Snape tended to be so cranking when was teaching.

Aside from his general dislike of young children.

"Potter could teach it," Blaise threw in.

"Excuse me?" Snape snarled, "Good marks does not a Potions Master make, much less a teacher."

"No," Blaise said evenly as if the professor were being slow, "Not Potions, DADA, Harry could teach it. He's spent more time in the library than Granger of late and from what Malfoy tells us, he's been obsessed over the summer. Whatever he knows is more than whatever is in this government approved nonsense book knows."

"Fudge is a twat!" again, this from another younger student.

Harry and Theo exchanged a smirk as Snape hissed, "Language. And how, Mr. Zabini, would that work? Mr. Potter must attend his other classes, and no one, least of all Fudge, is going to approve it."

"That and the other houses would hate it," this from the seventh year prefect. "Potter is back to being the next Dark Lord in the public eye. Despite being the victim last year."

Theo smiled lazily, "Potter is usually the victim."

Blaise gave a long sigh, "I don't mean teach the class, I mean a club, and screw the other houses. Harry teaches a Slytherin DADA club."

Snape looked at Harry and Harry looked back. He didn't see disapproval in that thoughtful onyx gaze, but before Harry could protest, Draco said, "Yeah, that would work."

"All in favour?" Blaise called.

And to Harry's consternation, every single student raised their hand, including Theo. Harry was rendered speechless.

"Well?" Blaise asked Snape, "you're our Head of House, yee or nay?"

Snape frowned, "Dolores already restricted Quidditch, this club won't pass."

"Would the Headmaster care?" Theo asked.

He almost smiled, "Headmaster Dumbledore will most likely applaud your gall."

"Will?" Harry asked.

"Will," Snape said, "You will do this Mr. Potter, and you will come to myself or Professor McGonagall if you need help. But this will remain within Slytherin, a secret within Slytherin. As your prefects have pointed out, our house is being targeted, when things go wrong, we will be blamed." He looked at all the young faces staring up at him, "But it will not be our fault. The Dark Lord came into power through Slytherin. He used the students, the children of this house to his own ends."

"I know that many of you have been affected by the war, I know there are prejudices that persist, and I know there remain family loyalties, but I implore you all to take care. The Dark Lord can seduce and lull as easily as he can threaten. But he will never be on your side, he is selfish, and he is dangerous.

"He is not Slytherin, you are."

"And Slytherin takes care of their own," everyone chorused back.

Harry stared at Snape in awe, these were students he was trusting. He was a spy, he shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have warned them against the Dark Lord.

He glanced at Crabbe and Goyle, they were both bastards, dumb bastards. Harry wouldn't have trusted them not to tattle on Snape to their parents.

But Harry also saw the younger students, and knew that it was worth the risk, worth it to at least warn them of the danger they were in.

Ice dropped into Harry's stomach as he realized it would now be his job to protect them. To give them a fighting a chance against whatever might come at them.

Harry straightened, this was it, this was his chance to do something. When the Dark Lord came for them, they wouldn't be mindless sheep.

Slytherin would be a united house, despite what family loyalties remained, they would remain loyal to each other first.

People like Snape and Minerva had their best interests at heart. But they had all learned that trusting all adults was overrated.

Let Voldemort come for them. Let Umbridge declare her decrees.

This was war.

End of the 5th Year After the Exams

Harry, along with all the 5th Slytherins had been called to Umbridge's office.

Suffice it to say, Slytherin house had done specularly well on their exams, both OWLS and NEWTS.

And Dolores Jane Umbridge had one person to blame.

"Drink the tea, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled at her, "Bloody hell no."

She hadn't been able to find the Room of Requirement and they had never been caught in the halls because Minerva, Flitwick, or Snape were always the ones patrolling those nights they had HC (Hedwig Club) meetings.

"Ten points from Slytherin!" she yell/spat into his voice.

Theo whisper cried, "Oh no, negative numbers."

"You all will tell me what you have been up to. I will have you and seventh years test scores discounted for cheating, and next year, oh mark my words; next year you will suffer.

"Still bitter about the Weasley twins then?" Blaise asked.

She growled, actually growled at him.

The fun thing the school had learned, don't let the school pranksters team up with the smartest girl of the generation.

Hermione hadn't been caught, but there was a reason the twins had survived until their NEWTS tests before flying of into the sunset, and that reason was the debacle mind that had driven Umbridge to near insanity and Rita Skitta packing away her quill.

"Are you done?" Harry asked, crossing his arms, "we are going to be late for the closing feast. We aren't going to talk."

"Oh, you will, Mr. Potter, you will," she turned on him, wand raised and they all ducked to the ground, calling up shield charms.

But Umbitch aimed low, "Crucio!"

Pain flattened Harry to the ground, his back arching as he fought not to scream.

Coming back to life last year had hurt more, but the torture curse was no picnic.

It didn't last long, however, because Umbitch was brought down by several stunners.

Harry rolled onto his stomach, pushing himself up as Theo walked over to the stunned teacher.

He kicked her in the head, then hit her with another overpowered stunner, right between the eyes.

Daphne caught Harry's arm as he got to his feet. "You didn't even scream," she whispered.

He shook his head, "Let's get out of here. Next year I think we all need to focus on more offensive spell work."

Mili skipped beside, "Yeah!"

They shut and locked the door behind them.

"Where is the Dolores?" Severus asked in a low tone, though even in a whisper he made her name a sneer as Albus stood to give his speech.

"Well, another year has come to an end-"

Minerva didn't answer, she was staring at Harry where he sat rubbing his temples at the Slytherin table.

"I would like to congratulate Slytherin House for winning the House Cup!" The drapes flashed green, but Slytherin house did not cheer and nobody clapped.

Severus sighed, "Oh, Albus..."

"Upon review, the last two Quidditch matches were not disqualifying for the Slytherins, and I am rewarding a hundred points to the 5th and 7th years, each, for their outstanding performances during the OWLS and NEWTS."

The seventh year Slytherin prefects stood together, "No, Headmaster," one said, and the other finished in perfect agreement, "Ravenclaw won the House Cup and Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup. You can't change it at the last moment."

Minerva stood and transfigured the banners blue before Albus could stick his foot in his mouth.

Albus finished his speech sitting back down looking completely miffed. "Wha-" he began but Minerva and Severus cut him off, "We will speak afterwards."

"Does Harry look alright to you?" Filius asked, "He looks a bit pale."

Minerva looked back at her son, and no, he didn't look like his normal self.

She worried throughout the feast, but he didn't make her wait long once people started exiting.

Dolores never showed.

Harry came right up to the head table, and said in a low voice so his voice didn't carry, "Umbridge called our class to our office to interrogate us about high marks. She snagged me the Cruciatus Curse."

Minerva stood, her chair toppling back, "That bitch did what!?"

Those exiting stopped to look at their very Scottish professor.

"Are you alright, my boy?" Albus asked weakly.

Minerva could almost hear him think it, we almost got through this year.

"Yeah, it was less than a minute, everyone stunned her. We locked her in her office, hence why she isn't here."

Minerva pulled him into a hug.

Harry was definitely going to be the death of her.

oOo

"I'm fun, Mum, we will see you when we get home."

Minerva had no desire to let Harry ride the train.

Poppy patted her arm, "I'll ride the train back with them."

As soon as the train set off, Minerva apparated to Malcolm's.

"Sister," Malcolm greeted warmly, "I was just preparing dinner for the little mon- what's wrong."

"Another Unforgivable!" She bellowed.

Sirius transformed back into a human, "Harry's!?"

"He's alive!" she shouted at them, "But that fucking bitch crucioed him! My son!"

Malcolm's expression was cold, "Is she still breathing."

"No," Minerva said, falling into a dining room chair. "No, she didn't survive the dozen stunners. Those kids are trained now, and they were enthusiastic."

"They were scared and pissed," Malcolm said, throwing a pot into the sink. "Minerva, we can't keep doing this, if it had been another Killing Curse…"

"Harry wasn't under longer than a minute. Poppy says he's fine," she tried to assure him, but her accent was thick enough that she knew she sounded far from convinced herself.

Sirius cussed a stream of vulgarity, and Minerva wanted to sing along with him. She wished Umbridge was alive, wished she could be alive to experience the Dementor's Kiss.

She put her face in her hands, "This isn't going to play well in the public. The Slytherin 5th year class killed a Hogwarts professor, another professor."

Malcolm put a hand on her back, "Another professor who used the Unforgivables against Harry."

She looked up at him, "I can't keep doing this. I can't have another year like this. I was damn near helpless this year. Albus's reputation was debilitating, and the ministry interfering…"

"You're assistant Headmistress," Sirius stated.

"So what?" Minerva snapped at him. "Albus-"

"Perhaps," Malcolm interrupted, "What Sirius means to say, is that it is time Albus Dumbledore step down as Headmaster."

Minerva looked at her hands, and tightened them into fists, she looked at him, "It is time. Past time. Next year will be different. Next year the defence professor is not going to torment my students."

Start of the 6th Year

"Are you alright, Albus?" Minerva asked as she caught her friend's arm.

"Yes, yes. Just a headache, I think I had a bad dream last night, I just… I just can't remember it."

"Some nightmares are best forgotten," she said, her hand tightened on his arm. "Are you okay with this?"

He smiled up at her, "This school is in good hands. I find myself relieved, and I confess, a bit excited to just be teaching again. I also don't envy you the paperwork, my dear."

Minerva smiled back, glad to see the twinkle return to his gaze, "The government seems to have learned their lesson, for now."

Albus laughed as they entered the Great Hall, "Oh my dear, dear Headmistress, the government never learns their lessons."

The new DADA professor smiled at them as they sat down, Minerva in the centre between Albus and Filius. Severus sat on the other side of Albus and Pomona on the other side of Filius.

Pomona flushed and giggled as the new DADA professor flirted good-naturedly.

Aside from being actually qualified for the position, Minerva had tested him herself, the wizard struck an impressive image.

He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a slim waist, his posture was rigid. His silver hair was thick and slicked back, his intense brown eyes gazed at the students over thin ovaled, silver-rimmed glasses.

When the time for announcements came, Minerva introduced the professor she had such high hopes for, "And to fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, may I introduce, Professor Tom Riddle."

The wizard stood and bowed, a hand to his heart.

AN: This story begins here :D Reactions, thoughts, ideas, requests, or magical serpents? Pretty, pretty please?