Between Neville, Harry and Draco their ladies couldn't figure out who was happier that the trials were over and their husbands could focus more on teaching school. Neville had taken to wearing odd socks just to give his class a laugh but when time came to teach he was all business. Draco was teaching the younger students DADA and was pulling out all the stops to make it fun and exciting for them as in the one time they walked into the room and it was like a fun house filled with bogarts, hinkypucks and an assortment of amusing dark magical creatures.
Harry was teaching advanced DADA and was tougher on his students than ever before while making it fun and challenging. He recreated the maze on the lawn and for two weeks they worked on many different kinds of spells and at one point a seventh year broke his wand and set a row of hedges on fire at the same time causing Harry to have to recreate the row of hedges with Neville's help the next day. The day after the hedgerow was fixed was Saturday and McGonagall had Harry take the boy to Diagon Alley to get him another wand.
For some reason the other teachers were finding it more fun as well. Narcissa Snape who had stayed on to teach Transfiguration was making it more fun in her classes as well. Severus Snape was challenging his students as well and while he didn't have the charm the other three did he found that a few of his students and one that was not his yet kept coming back for more. Gwain had been on detention several times curtsey of his father.
"Gwain I am sure your father isn't trying to be overly hard on you." Severus said at one point when Gwain walked in for his detention.
"Are you kidding Uncle Severus, I mean Professor Snape sir." Gwain said smiling. "I've been asking him to put me on detention with you I have fun learning potions with you." He said and Snape chuckled. "Well then its not really detention just a way to learn something new and exciting and hang out with a really brilliant potions master." Narcissa said from the doorway smiling. She came in and kissed her husband. "Can you believe it after these last two weeks I have no one in detention? Gwain tell Jonas if he wants to catch up on learning transfiguration just let me know and I'll put him down for detention with me during our next class." She said chuckling. "I swear that child, I say turn a teacup back into a mouse and in a few minutes he has a rabid gerbil trying to bite us all." She said.
"Yeah lucky dad was passing by at the time." Gwain said. "I mean professor Potter that is because his aim was better than ours." He said smiling.
"Yes well its hard to hit something when your running from it Gwain." Narcissa said. "Funny thing is that is one of the few things I think I am terrified of is a rabid gerbil." She said smiling at her husband. "When ever your finished Severus I have a late supper planned my dear." She said and turned to Gwain. "And I need you to work on your aim cause I am going to put you as my certified rabid creature catcher." She said smiling and ruffling his hair as she walked out.
"Well Gwain we are going to learn about a very important object called a Bezoar which your father once used to rescue your uncle Ron with." Snape said. "Besides being a antidote for poison it's got a great many attributes." He said.
Elsewhere in the castle Josephine was out after curfew sitting with a boy from Hufflepuff house named Mathew at the top of the astronomy tower and McGonagall while guiding Trelawney back to her tower saw them and while she smiled for a moment she knew she would have to give them both detention. Her work seemed to never be done in the castle and for the thousandth time she wondered how Dumbledore was able to be everywhere at once. Not even the headmaster he replaced was half the man Dumbledore was.
Harry, having finished grading papers had the desks cleared to the side of the Chamber and was practicing his staff work. Sweat poured forth from his brow as he continued to work the moves Lijuan had taught him and come up with others that he would add in when he could.
