Harry was glad to get back to school as he really did enjoy learning, well all but the essays part. If he never had to write another essay he would be very happy, he was very good at his practical parts of his classes and he was bright but not with the written word. Still he loved learning and was looking forward to defense as Dumbledore had found a replacement. This was an older man who had written defense books for all class levels of the defense class and Dumbledore had managed to get him to come and teach just after Christmas break until the end of year. Harry hoped he was a good teacher, he had liked reading the man's textbook Defense and You First Year, the man really knew his stuff and gave credit where credit was due.
That was why Harry was seated in the front row waiting with the others. When the bell rang a tall thin man walked into the classroom. He had one long thin scar that when from above his right eyebrow, down through his right eye and ended just above his lip. His right eye was magical as he had lost it long ago, however unlike Moody's who's was designed more for function this one matched his other violet eye with only a slight bit of gold around it. He had a crooked nose, thin lips and long wavy black hair that was tied back and hung to his waist. He was clean shaven but for a patch of hair on his chin and he was clad in dark purple robes.
"Hello class, I am professor Marcus Schatten, I am from Germany normally and am here to promote my books that will help you learn defense." Schatten said. "I have seen much in combat and know evil, much of my family died in the Nazi extermination camps, I escaped when my family did not and went to Beauxbatons for magical education. I will not coddle you, you are here to learn how to defend yourselves, now what defense spells do you know?"
"Um Expelliarmus sir?" Neville said.
"Very good, any others you have learned?"
"Protego." Harry said, "shield charm."
"Very good, two good spells, yet you must learn more. You know much about dark creatures but you must learn spells, that I will teach you."
Schatten's classes turned out to be the most physical and Harry loved them. Schatten put them through their paces, though he had a good since of humor too and the students did not complain too much as they learned quite a few spells. He liked to tell tales of those he had learned things from, how to thwart a vampire from an old shriveled witch in Romania to how to trap and contain a werewolf during a full moon from a blind seer in France. He also would tell them about evil people, both muggle and wizard and the things that led them to that path. He stressed people were not born evil but became that because of their own choices.
Harry was headed out of one of these classes when he saw Draco storm by looking very angry. Harry saw he was going to confront Hermione and he rushed forward to warn her. However she had turned, wand out to face Draco who looked at her coldly. Harry knew Draco did not like muggleborn but if he thought he could attack Hermione Harry was not going to let that happen. He stood wand drawn next to Hermione calmly staring down Draco who had not drawn his wand. This was strange, what did Draco want?
"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione said coldly.
"You really think you belong here?" Draco said his voice so cold it nearly sent shivers down Harry's spine, "you think I don't know what your kind is planning?"
"What are you talking about?" Hermione said, "you think purebloods are all the best, save it I have heard it all before from you."
"Muggleborn, what have muggles ever done but kill those they see as a threat." Draco said, "Hitler, over six million Jews, Stalin, twenty million undesirables, Pao Pot two million educated, you are cut from the same cloth as them."
"Take that back." Harry said angrily, "you take that back."
"Oh yes, you would defend muggles and muggleborn, were you not tormented by your aunt a muggle and you defend them?"
"She was evil yes but not all muggles are." Harry said coldly, "just as not all witches and wizards are good, your aunt is a prime example."
"She is a Nazi!" Draco hissed.
Everyone around them froze in shock, it did not matter if one was a pureblood from a secluded family or muggleborn all knew who Hitler was, they could not help but know. Even though the Wizarding world was isolated from the muggle that did not mean that pureblood families did not teach their children about people like Hitler who they believed had hoodwinked and used Grindlewald. To call anyone a Nazi was a horrible insult and one that had to be answered and it was. There was the sound of a slap and Draco staggered back hand to his flaming cheek, Hermione had her wand at his throat and she looked thoroughly angry and very nearly ready to kill.
"How dare you call me that." She said in a deadly whisper, "you ever call me that again and I will kill you I swear it."
"Do it kill him!" Someone shouted.
"My family is from Germany, my grandparents helped hide Jews from the Nazis and helped them get free. They spent time in a camp for that and very nearly died. So don't you ever call me a Nazi you foul disgusting worm!" Hermione said coldly while Draco was whimpering in terror.
"What is going on here?" Severus said walking up surveying the students.
"Malfoy called Hermione a Nazi sir." Harry said.
"I see, come with me Mr. Malfoy." Severus said. "You and I will have a talk."
He led Draco away and said nothing to Hermione or the other Gryffindors, inside he was shaking in rage as he took Draco down to his office. Once there he shoved the boy in a chair and walked to the floo. Draco's eyes went wide in fear, his godfather couldn't, wouldn't call his mother! He had a right to say what he did, he was right but deep down he knew his mother would not see it that way. Within a few minutes the tall shapely figure of Narcissa Malfoy stepped carefully through the fireplace and into the room. She brush a few stray ashes off her robes and golden hair and fixed her gray eyes on her son. Severus went to sit down at his desk leaving Narcissa with the motherly duty to discipline her wayward son.
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The weeks passed and it seemed as if it would be a term, yet fate had other ideas. Harry was heading back from a defense class to drop off some books when he saw something that made him stop and stare in horror. Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's dusty colored cat was hanging from an invisible rope and more there were letters in green paint that said "The Chamber is Open Beware Muggleborns". Harry had his wand out and had gone up to Mrs. Norris and managed to get her down, he very nearly slipped on a puddle of water and he turned to see a very upset and horrified Mr. Filch.
"What did you do to my cat boy?" Filch snarled.
"Nothing sir, I found her like this." Harry said calmly though he was scared, "sir I would never harm Mrs. Norris!"
"You killed her I'll…"
"What is going on here?" Severus said walking up, he read the message and turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter you know anything about this?"
"No sir, I swear on the graves of my parents and on my magic I did not have anything to do with this." Harry said.
"My cat is dead!" Filch said taking the cat from Harry, "I want whoever did this punished!"
"So do I sir." Harry said meaning it, "I swear I will do what I can to see whoever did this pays…"
"She is not dead, just petrified." Severus said after he scanned the poor cat, "Pomona usually has a group of mandrakes growing that she normally sells. We could use those to make the Petrifaction potion when they mature in a few weeks or so."
"What about him?" Filch said pointing at Harry.
"Let's all go speak to the headmaster." Severus said, "come Potter."
Harry followed Severus up to a gargoyle that guarded the entry to the headmaster's office. He gave the password Gobstoppers and led Harry up a moving staircase with Filch still clutching poor Mrs. Norris in his arms. They came into the office and Harry was about to sit down when he heard a thrill of music and turned to see the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. His eyes went huge as he recognized it as a Phoenix, the Phoenix nodded to him he walked up and hesitantly reached up to stroke the bird with a finger. The bird gave a thrill of notes and Harry grinned and petted the gentle bird feeling all his cares go away.
"Ah I see you have met Fawkes, he likes you, that is a high honor." Dumbledore said getting Harry to turn to see the aged headmaster at his desk.
"He is beautiful sir." Harry said.
"That he is, now what has happened to bring all of you here?" Dumbledore asked.
"Harry, you saw it first." Severus said not caring if Filch knew how he cared about this child, "can you tell us what you saw?"
Harry did, he went over the whole thing, how he was going back to his dorm to get books and how he came on Mrs. Norris. Severus frowned when he called the person who had done this a "bloody wanker" but he did not correct him, not this time. Harry seemed more upset that Mrs. Norris had been hurt than about the puddle of water or the sign, and Dumbledore was glad that Harry's giving heart had not been squashed by his aunt. Once Harry was done Dumbledore had him leave as he needed to speak to Severus and Filch, he looked over as Lily came into the Potter Portrait and listened in.