Chapter 9
The next afternoon, lunch ended Tony’s Defense class and he sighed as the room emptied.
Yesterday had been hard, just like all the years since 9/11.
Every year, Tony and Elizabeth Burke traded off on taking Peter out of the city and he was glad that this year Peter was as far as he could get.
Sometimes, Donners managed to time a joint case perfectly so that Peter and Tony could spend time together away from New York and the specter of the attacks that hung over man and city alike. They kept up their act and Tony felt a kind of guilt that those were the times that he liked better than others. During those times, he could goad Peter and get genuine responses out of him with actual feeling. He could never be completely sure where act ended and genuine began and he was self- aware enough to see it in himself, too.
Not having to truly pretend all the time was a huge relief to Tony because of his own occasional uncertainty in reality. It was kind of like how Eames could never be sure that he was awake and Tony figured that was one of the reasons they got on so well.
Deciding that the next class wouldn’t set up by itself, he rubbed his eyes and headed up to his office to organize the papers he already graded and to put them in their correct files.
As it always was, his motto was ‘work smarter, not harder.’
To be honest, Tony had no idea how he was going to make it through this year with all these kids, but it turned out that he didn’t really need to worry that much. Of course, now that he was a little more comfortable with them, he was going to shift gears a tad in teaching what new stuff they were going to need to know before the original Defense teacher took over.
He felt kind of sorry for the Witch as she dealt with her family problems and made a mental note to ask Dumbledore for her contact information so he could possibly keep her updated on his lessons. In the meantime, he was noting everything down so that she could catch up without incident or feeling too much out of the loop.
Tony would feel horrible if the lady only had the new material and nothing else to explain the stuff he’d taught, so he deliberately structured his lessons for everyone’s easy review and desperately hoped that everyone would be on the same page with little fuss.
Thinking about the other Defense teacher – the one he was filling in for – made him think of his eventual departure and thinking of that made him feel kind of depressed. But it wasn’t even October yet and the year had barely started!
Tony scowled at the realization and hit himself upside the head for being at least three months early.
Because it was too early to start getting depressed like that, he made himself stop so he could savor the time he had left. He was definitely going to have to be on the ball and keep his wits about him, especially if he was going to figure out what to do with the Trio and how to keep them from the Order’s well-intentioned ways.
Tony hurriedly got everything set up for his next classes before locking his office up. He crossed the classroom and locked the door to that, too.
Tony whistled as he headed for lunch, feeling all nearly right with the world as he went. What would have been even more perfect was if Sherlock –
Tony startled violently when something clanged to the floor and whipped around.
Nothing was spilled on the floor or had fallen down from a high perch… at least, nothing that he could see.
“Hello?” he called out, his nerves not yet resettled from the sudden noise.
Silence answered back.
“Okay… Harry?” he let his eyes move around the hall before him. ‘So… maybe Invisibility Cloak? But Harry would be at lunch, right? Why would he sneak around in order to follow me?’
On the other hand, maybe it was one of the others who didn’t want him to feel bad about being followed to make sure he got to his destination and Harry had, for whatever reason, leant them the Cloak to do so.
Either way, it was strikingly eerie being alone in the hall, so he doubled his speed until he got to the Mess Hall. Well, that’s what he was calling it in his head.
Hello. Navy cop running around.
He spied the Trio shoveling food into their mouths. “Hi, friends,” he raised a hand in greeting.
“Hi, Professor,” Harry beamed. “Would you like to sit with us?”
He looked around and shrugged. “Sure, why not?” he made himself comfortable and started in on his lunch when Mi swallowed her mouthful and spoke.
“Tony? Remember the day before yesterday when Peter came to visit? He said you were extremely tired."
“Yeah,” he nodded thoughtfully. It had been similar to the feeling he sometimes got last year while the Trio dealt with that energy drain. He knew that Palmer had diagnosed it as emotional, but now he couldn’t help wondering if it was more due to Hermione’s majority being so near and their four-way bond adapting to it, than it was anything emotional.
He said as much to the Trio, who nodded thoughtfully.
“So, about it last year,” Ron frowned, “Harry and Hermione said that it was really bad when they were visiting Vince. I wasn’t affected at all, though.”
“Maybe it was because the four of us had been in such close contact that it was playing havoc with the three of us who had to compensate for your absence,” Hermione posited.
“That’s a good answer,” Tony shrugged, “but, yeah. I could see that happening.”
They ate in silence for a few moments before Harry turned to Tony. “When me and Hermione went to the MNP office, those witches had the information on those supervisors that they said they were holding for you.”
“That’s what I kept forgetting to ask about!” Hermione snapped her fingers. “How was it that those papers hadn’t been collected between your disappearance and our arrival? I thought they would have been long gone into the hands of the investigator who was impersonating you.”
Tony had wondered about that, too, and had gone to ask Donners before Abby had dragged the team to Los Angeles. “From what Donners told me, the impersonating Agent had copied the information without the girls knowing. And because I’d ‘gone undercover’ about a week after the information came in, he couldn’t actually be seen and he left the originals for you two to find. Aniston hadn’t realized that his information was being gathered, so no one was the wiser about my location or when this supposed undercover assignment began. My impersonator had managed to get a hold of the witches who had that information to tell them that I would pick it up when I got back and they must have figured I had sent Harry and Mi to get that stuff. It was perfect,” he shrugged. “The MIRS got to get their information and their guy was home free, none of them realizing that they’d effectively signed my death warrant.”
“That is rather ingenious,” Hermione admitted. “But still stupid to get you mixed up in that.”
“Plus the three of you being dragged into it, too.”
“Of course, we were,” Hermione told him. “We don’t really trust anyone else with watching after you.”
“You would if you got to know Eames,” he deadpanned. “And Peter, for that matter. And Shep, now that I think of it. If we ever do figure out what happened to him. Oh, any luck on your Muggle, Lewis?”
“Not really,” Harry shook his head. “We’ve been a bit occupied with relaxing at the knowledge that you’re not out to get me.”
“Yeah, you three just seem to have the worst luck with that.”
“Hopefully, this year will change that,” Ron smiled widely.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Tony warned. “The year’s still young, after all.”
* ** *
Tony managed to finish the day on a high note and it was just in time for dinner.
While Hedwig was still MIA, visiting Hagrid had been interesting.
The Italian had had little reason to interact with the Half Giant before, so he made a point to drop in for a bit.
Hagrid proudly showed him some of his Magical Creatures and there was thankfully not a repeat of the Last Time. Tony was probably going to have nightmares about that for a long while.
He went to the greenhouses and sat in on one of Sprout’s classes – mentally shaking his head at her preference for Hufflepuffs – before making a nuisance of himself in Study Hall.
Some of the First Years had been looking over their Defense books and couldn’t really grasp some of the material. Tony had plans for those lessons, but didn’t see any harm in making it easier for them.
Tony now waited near the Hall doors for the Trio to show up and Ron came into view first. “Hey,” Tony waved. “How were your classes?”
“Boring, really,” the younger shrugged as he came to a stop next to him. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“Don’t be too impatient,” Tony grimaced. “It’s Friday the Thirteenth and not very good luck in America. Or other places.”
Ron nodded slightly. “How will the weather be?” he moved closer.
“Well, we’ve got another four days of good flying weather. Shouldn’t be too hot, either. After that, it’s going to get cloudy and I’d forget flying next weekend.”
“Brilliant,” Ron beamed. “Slytherins are on the field next weekend.”
Tony really should’ve seen that coming.
They waited for Harry and Mi to join them and was about to head inside the Hall when McGonagall waylaid them.
“Professor,” she gave a nod in greeting. “Might I have a word?”
“I know nothing,” he denied.
“About what?” Harry asked.
“About whatever the question is.”
“It’s just a trivial matter,” she assured with a smile. She led him away by the arm and Tony couldn’t help looking back at the kids with a shrug.
They ended up in the teacher’s lounge where a handful of others waited for them.
“This is never good,” Tony quipped as his arm was released.
“I have gathered you here,” the Deputy Headmistress began as all settled and turned their attention to her, “to tell you that Hagrid, the Headmaster, the other three Heads of House and myself will be off on school business until morning.”
Yeah, Tony just bet they were.
“This will leave the rest of you to take care of things here,” she went on. “Professor DiNozzo, what you don’t know or are unsure of, do not hesitate to ask one of your fellow teachers who know the answers you seek. We anticipate returning just in time for breakfast, so it will not be a multi-day affair.”
Tony and some of the others nodded.
Some minutes later, they were released to dinner and Tony dropped a pen and bit of parchment into Mi’s hands before heading up to the Staff Table.
Getting his plate together, he could sense the Trio staring at him curiously and smiled. It was an old trick he and his friends used when they were at school and it always helped keep boredom away while apart.
Tony wrote the Trio’s names on the top and thought for a moment.
‘It was just a notice, nothing bad,’ he paused in order for it to send a copy to Mi and he watched them watching him.
Harry noticed first, starting slightly when he glanced down to see what Tony just wrote.
Hermione followed his gaze and blinked.
Tony watched with a smile as Mi consulted the boys before scribbling something down. ‘Tony, what is this?’
‘Something Peter came up with around his Fifth Year. We started using the system near the middle of my First Year and it comes in handy. There’s a combination of things involved, but it usually works better when in relatively close distance. Long distance doesn’t work for long.’
‘That’s brilliant,’ Harry put in. ‘What did McGonagall want?’
‘Well, apparently, there’s something going on that has a ‘flame’ written all over it. Hagrid, Dumbledore and the Heads will be off on that. The rest of us will man the fort. They should be back for breakfast, so there’s nothing to worry about.’
‘What are they up to, then?’
‘I don’t know.’ Although, now that he thought of it, ‘I can’t be sure, but I think there’s something going on. Palmer sent a note with Peter telling me to keep an eye out for DE activity… Donners got word from people overseas that something seems to be going on. Dumbledore and company leaving for ‘school business’ soon after? Something’s up. Maybe you should keep an eye out, too.’
‘The school will be fine without the Headmaster, right?’ Mi fretted.
‘Wards are in place,’ Tony assured. ‘Shouldn’t be any problem. Some of the O teachers are going to still be on the grounds and I’ll be here, so there’s that. I could ask Mac or Deeks over if you want.’
‘I think we’ll be fine with you,’ Harry scribbled. ‘But why wouldn’t Palmer be invited?’
‘You saw him a few months back. You tell me.’
This went on for a bit while they ate.
Tony always liked that line of communication and he’d gotten Eames onto it, too. He also converted Sherlock, Mac, Palmer, Donners and ‘Fred’ Stevens. Peter had shown him and Booker and they’d taken off with it. It had been something that Peter had always wanted to do and Tony, Booker and Shep had gamely beta tested it. They fixed things as they went and Peter was ecstatic with what they had.
When dinner ended, the four lingered at the doors.
“Alright,” Tony collected the pen and paper. “Prefects go one way, teachers go the other.”
“We’ll be back, Harry,” Mi told him.
“I know,” he shrugged.
Tony studied him for a moment. “It’s alright if you’re not a Prefect, Harry,” he finally said. “You know, I won’t like you any less.”
“I’m fine,” he assured. “Actually, I was going to go out and see if Hedwig made her way back.”
“I want to go with you,” Ron volunteered. “I can, right?”
“I don’t see why not,” Mi shrugged.
“Not quite curfew, yet,” Tony pointed out.
“We know,” Harry told him, “but I still don’t want to get stuck out again.”
The four split up with Tony and Mi heading further inside as the boys went down the stairs and out.
Mi led him further into the school on the pre-curfew rounds and Tony figured that he should probably start going on actual rounds since he was supposed to be getting his bearings.
Tony was trailing along after his friend when she paused.
“Hey, Tony?” she suddenly seemed uncertain and nervous. “Do you know enough about marriage bonds to know… um… if they can… well, I mean…”
Tony came to stand next to her as she fidgeted with her fingers. While he made sure their bond in particular was safe, they could speak in general terms. “Question?”
She seemed to have a slight flush on her cheeks as she tried putting her thoughts into words. “I… um, overheard someone during the wedding talking about … marriage bond pregnancies, so… I was wondering…”
“Oh. Oh, no,” he suddenly understood. “Mi, listen to me, okay? Bond potions cannot make a Witch pregnant,” he connected their gazes. “There are potions to help, but you can’t… if you don’t… you get the picture.”
“Oh,” she suddenly slumped with overwhelming relief. “That’s good to know. So, what is a ‘bond pregnancy’?”
Tony thought about it. “Sounds like the babies were introduced while the bond was forming. That’s what they would usually mean, so I wouldn’t worry.”
It would probably take her a little bit to let that sink in, but she was obviously more relaxed when they met up with Hannah in front of the Great Hall. Tony bid them a goodnight and left to go to his appointed quarters.
They weren’t big rooms, but they more than sufficed.
On the right, there was the living room with obligatory furniture – plus preferred additions – and the fireplace; on the left, a small kitchen area for making his favorite foods unavailable in this part of the country – and world -; a master suite and two extra rooms, each with their own woodburning stoves. His laundry went into a basket in his shower and the Elves took care of that along with everyone else’s laundry. A small bathroom stood in the hall leading to the bedrooms and there was a ‘guest basket’ for laundry next to the dresser in each guest room.
In the back corner of the living room, there was a desk for grading and he dropped into the chair with a sigh. There was probably a thing in his contract about giving homework to each year. He wondered if Mac saw something on that when she read a copy and mentally made a note to ask her the next time they ran into each other.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes, really not wanting to grade but not having a choice.
The pile of papers were already sitting in the left corner, so he pulled the first stack toward him and shook his head.
How did Gibbs, Vance and various file clerks do it? Tony just filled them out.
But he managed to get through half the stack before calling it a night.
* **
They went farther away from the familiar sight of the water and toward where they thought the glow came from, but it was further than they both thought.
“You know,” he mused as they went, “we could run back just in time to get to curfew.”
“We can go faster,” she pointed out.
They walked faster straight into the trees that stood in a straight line from their viewpoint across the water. There couldn’t be any curves or the glow wouldn’t have been visible, right?
She kept an eye on the horizon, though, wand at her side.
He did, too, the both of them marching toward the source of the glow with every step they took.
Every step that was reflected by their observer as the figure followed them even further away from the school.