Dracology 1001 For Non-Majors

(My writing style might have changed, so I apologize for it... I am trying to pick right back up into the story where I was before. And as promised, twenty reviews will get the lesson of a lifetime! I haven’t even wrote it up yet, maybe I should instead of rambling!)

The First Test

Hermione checked the sundial out the window, ten past the top of the hour, again. Professor ShadowLight was always late to class by at least ten minutes, but she had gotten use to that by writing what the students had to have done in that time on the chalk board.

Or, the professor would write a note and leave it for Hermione to write up, seeing how in the past few weeks Hermione had learned Dragonic very well.

Professor would write the note in Dragonic and Hermione would write it up on the board in English, that way, nobody knew that the teacher could barely read or write English.

Mostly, she had Harry, Ron and Hermione help her after classes, grading tests and helping her learn English, and so far, she could almost grade things by herself, with a little help from them. But writing was still difficult, although she hid the fact well.

It had been several weeks since the beginning of class, all pupils and teacher were learning very well. The students greeted the mornings frantic Dragonic \"Good Morning\" with their own grumbling hellos.

They learned by reading and doing things, and they all seemed to have fun with the subject, all except for Malfoy.

Malfoy never got to class on time, using the teachers chronic tardiness to his benefit; he never did any of the class work and always knew how to piss the teacher off just enough to get to stay after class. Today was no different. Just seconds before the teacher came galloping into the classroom, Malfoy slipped into his seat and looked up at the board that said in Hermione\'s fancy handwriting, \"Read Chapter 6 today\" Malfoy opened his book just as Professor ran in.

She grumbled the good morning and sat her sloppily kept briefcase on the floor beside her empty desk. The class grumbled back their own good mornings.

\"Close your books... today is the test I have promised you all!\" She smiled happily. Malfoy turned whiter than snow for a minute. \"Test?\" He whispered to Goyle, who looked slightly prepared.

\"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, a test on the first six chapters that you have read every morning because I have a slight problem getting to class on time, I am SURE that you have read all six chapters and are fully prepared for the test? Right sir?\" She grinned her gleaming white teeth at him and he gulped, \"Of course I am Ma\'am...\" Something about that smile made him VERY uneasy around her.\"Very well... Draco, hand out the tests, and be sure to note that they are charmed to prevent any use of magic, cheating and such, to improve one\'s score...\" She glanced over at Crabbe and Goyle, and then at Malfoy. \"So no cheating...\"

Malfoy handed out the parchments, sweating the whole while. He hadn\'t read a single chapter, and these were very long chapters. He mumbled to himself as he sat down with his own parchment and looked at the questions, penned in the ‘teachers’ long and fancy handwriting, which was actually Hermione’s handwriting.

\"You have an hour, begin.\" She said softly as she sat down and watched the class.

Malfoy turned and glanced at Hermione, Harry and Ron, who were all scribbling down on their parchments, then he glanced at Crabbe and Goyle, who to his surprise where also scribbling quickly on the parchments in front of them. Malfoy gulped and realized that he was the only one in the class not to have studied. He looked down at his parchments in front of him and read the first question...

\"Mr. Malfoy, in chapter One, what is the natural habitat of most eastern types of dragons? Please lable the map below and tell where each type originated...\" he read to himself quietly. He sighed and scribbled down something, something that he knew was going to be wrong. Then he read the next question.

\"Draco, what is the way to talk down a charging dragon?\" He knew this one... he had heard it in class, one of the only days he had actually paid attention. He scribbled it down.

\"Describe the mating behaviors of the LionDragons\" Malfoy became perplexed. What were liondragons? Malfoy felt the sweat beading on his brow as he swallowed hard. Then he got an idea... Goyle was sitting right next to him, and he seemed to know the answers to the test just fine. Goyle was Malfoy\'s friend and wouldn\'t mind if he just got one answer off of him... besides Malfoy needed help, and badly.

The silence of the classroom was interrupted with the loud ZAP from over by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy had attempted to cheat, and everyone knew it now.

\"Mr. Malfoy... detention for attempting to cheat, after I told you not to.\" Professor said to the charred and blackened Malfoy.

Harry looked at Ron and Ron looked at Harry. \"Remind me not to cheat off of Hermione...\"

The professor glared at Malfoy, “Meet me after class.”

***
The rest of the class had finished their tests, and they were clearing out of the classroom.

\"Let\'s hang back, the teacher is going to talk to Malfoy.\" Hermione said.

\"Yeah, I would love to see the look on his face when he learns that he is going to flunk a class.\" Ron smiled.

\"I don\'t know guys, there is something weird about this...\" Harry said softly as he began to pull the invisiblity cloak from his backpack.

\"Yeah, Malfoy is getting into trouble and it isn\'t OUR fault for once.\" Ron said, almost bursting into laughter.

The door was cracked to ShadowLight\'s office as the trio snuck towards it. The yelling inside came from Malfoy.

\"You are a horrible teacher, wait until my FATHER hears about this!\" Malfoy stormed out of the room.

\"Oh, I was hopping for that, Mr. Malfoy, your father and I have some unfinished business to attend to...\" Came the soft growling response. It sounded almost like a half threat half promise... but to the professor, it meant that she would see someone she hadn’t seen in ages.

***

Lucius Malfoy came as soon as he could to Hogwarts the next week. He was greeted by his only son, Draco.

\"Where is this teacher that is giving you trouble boy?\" Mr. Malfoy snarled as he walked along side his son.

\"Down in the dungeon... she teaches Dracology.\"

Mr. Malfoy turned a shade whiter when he heard the word Dracology... then he looked at his son, \"Lead me to the teacher boy!\" Draco didn’t detect the slight mixture of fear and wonder in his father’s voice.

Ms. ShadowLight was grading papers when she heard the knock on the door, she glanced up and smiled, hissing a bit... \"Come in, Lucius... come in Draco.\" Her eyes glistened as she looked down and put the parchments away. The way she said ‘Lucius’ was soft and gentle, very welcoming.

Lucius walked in, and almost froze in his tracks when he saw Zalana ShadowLight sitting behind the desk. \"Professor...\" He said in his normal demanding tone.
\"Call me Zalana, Lucius...\" She smiled at him, \"Draco, would you give us a moment in privacy?\"

Although Draco didn\'t like the idea, and felt the uneasiness his father shown, he left the room and let the door pull to behind him. There in the hallway he ran into Harry Potter.

\"What do you want Potter?\" He snarled.

\"Well, for one, I know how you can hear what they are saying, without being seen...\" Harry began.

\"Like I need your help...\"

\"I am offering my assistance... Draco, no need to be enemies when you are at stake for being expelled.\"

Draco shuddered. \"I could be EXPELLED?\"

“Yes,” Harry said, “For not paying attention in a classroom... remember Zeek?”

Draco shuddered. He thought for a moment... \"What is it you want?\"

\"All I want for you to do is leave Ron and Hermione alone for the rest of the school year...\"

Malfoy thought about that for a few minutes... \"For the rest of the school year...\" He said out loud.

\"Yes, and in return... I will let you borrow my invisibility cloak...\"

\"I knew you had something like that Potter...\" Draco snarled at him. \"But, it\'s a deal.\"

\"I must say Lucius... that you did surprise me when you did name the child Draco, like you promised...\" ShadowLight stood up and walked over to Lucius.

\"I do try to keep my promises, Zalana.\" He said softly as she walked towards him.

\"And what does he know about his mother?\" She stood a foot away from Mr. Malfoy now.

\"As little as possible... I assure you, he thinks she is some human I use as a mere servant in my household.\"

That seemed to piss ShadowLight off, \"A human? A HUMAN! How dare you Lucius... I know that our pact was not to let the boy know several things, not to lead him to think that his mother was a HUMAN!\"

Draco and Harry were over in a corner, covered in the invisibility cloak, taking in all of the arguement. Draco looked at Harry and made a questionable look on his face.
\"Zalana, I assure you that I will talk to Draco, he is a really nice boy.\"

\"You raised him with no respect for dragons, Lucius... wasn\'t that too part of the pact?\"

Lucius began to sweat a little. \"Yes, but he shows no interest in such things as that.\"

ShadowLight almost roared, \"NO INTEREST???\" She raised her hand up as if she was going to strike Lucius, and in that moment, Draco threw back the invisibility cloak and ran up to stop them.

\"Don\'t you DARE hit my father, you bitch!\" Draco snarled.

Zalana withdrew and looked at Lucius. \"This is how you raised the boy?\"

Mr. Malfoy took ahold of his son\'s shoulders and sighed. \"Draco, that is no way to talk to your mother...\"