Sirius caught the look in Harry's eyes and immediately assumed the boy had run into trouble at school. With a bark—"Woof woof woof!"—he tried to get Douglas's attention.
That snapped Harry out of his daze. He blurted out, anxiety overriding everything else,
"Uncle—Professor, sorry, I forgot for a second..."
Douglas had told Harry back at home to address him as "Professor" at Hogwarts. At the time, Harry hadn't thought much of it—he never expected Douglas would actually stay on as a teacher. Now, the memory rushed back, and he quickly apologized.
He hurried on,
"George and Fred were selling fake Defence Against the Dark Arts answers, and now the students they tricked have them surrounded.
Professor McGonagall is furious. She asked me to come get you..."
Douglas stopped in his tracks. The mention of Professor McGonagall made him hesitate—he suddenly wasn't keen on facing her.
He asked quietly,
"Who else is there besides Professor McGonagall?"
Harry blinked, then replied,
"All the model students from the Houses, and all four Heads of House. But their expressions are kind of odd. Professor McGonagall was really angry at first, but then she started talking with the other Heads, and now they're all laughing.
Oh—and George and Fred didn't sell any answers to Slytherins. I'm not sure why Professor Snape is there."
Douglas rubbed his temples, then gave Harry's head a light, chiding tap.
"Next time, call him Professor Snape. No matter how much you dislike him, he's still your Potions Professor."
Harry mumbled a reluctant "Okay," though he clearly wasn't convinced.
Sirius wasn't having it. He barked at Douglas in protest—"Woof woof woof!"—as if defending Harry's honor.
Harry couldn't help but wonder: Wasn't Padfoot supposed to be Douglas's pet? Why did he always seem to take Harry's side? Maybe it was all those snacks Harry sneaked him.
In the end, Douglas followed Harry to the Great Hall to see what was going on.
From the staircase, Douglas could see the long tables packed with students eating dinner. George and Fred were surrounded by a knot of younger students near the staff table.
At the high table, the professors were deep in conversation, looking unusually cheerful. Only Professor Snape seemed out of sorts, half-heartedly answering Professor Flitwick's questions while glaring daggers at Professor Lupin. Lupin, for his part, was thoroughly enjoying himself, chatting with Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout about Douglas's "glorious" past.
Percy and the Head Girl were laughing together, as if the two troublemakers weren't his brothers at all.
No one seemed to notice Douglas's arrival—until Harry dashed down the stairs and called out,
"Professor Holmes is here!"
Douglas felt a flush of embarrassment, but managed a smile as all eyes turned to him.
He strode quickly to the staff table, but before he could speak, Professor McGonagall greeted him with a smile,
"Douglas, I see you're already aware of the situation? I've already deducted fifty points from each of them, but I'd like your thoughts on further punishment."
Douglas nearly rolled his eyes. If they really wanted his opinion, they'd have asked in private—there was no need to make a spectacle of it.
He glanced at the professors, all wearing the same knowing, mischievous smiles. He was certain: somewhere among the Hogwarts faculty, a new troublemaker had emerged.
Douglas turned calmly to face George and Fred.
The twins, catching his look, instinctively took a step back and chorused,
"Professor, we know we messed up. We've already given everyone their money back..."
Douglas gave a cold, pointed chuckle, but said nothing. Instead, he looked to Percy.
Percy scratched his head, then stepped forward to explain in a low voice,
"Boss, I actually spotted what they were up to last night.
Thinking about their antics last year, I decided to play along and talked it over with Professor McGonagall.
Once they got caught, we'd hit them with a big points deduction—better that than letting them lose points all term, especially with things so dangerous outside Hogwarts this year.
Then, we'd make them earn the points back. And if they can't, I'll help cover the rest...
Professor McGonagall wants you to give them long-term detention again this year.
I was going to talk to you about it tonight and see what you thought, but I didn't expect their scheme to blow up so quickly..."
Douglas glanced over at Professor McGonagall, who was still watching him with an amused smile. He took a deep breath—now he understood why the usually strict McGonagall seemed so relaxed.
Percy gave the four Heads of House a wry look, then leaned closer and continued,
"Because of their record last year, this morning Professors McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick each gave Penelope and me a list—students who tend to get into trouble.
They want us to help you assign them detentions, to keep them out of unnecessary conflict with the Dementors..."
He handed Douglas a piece of parchment with more than a dozen names—every one a repeat offender. At the top: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
Douglas couldn't help but sigh. The Hogwarts professors had grown cunning—they were using strategy on the students now.
He whispered,
"Why aren't there any Slytherins?"
Percy shook his head.
"No idea. Professor Snape hasn't said a word to me or Penelope."
Douglas slipped the parchment into his pocket and asked,
"Why did the Heads pick me? Why not talk to me first?"
Percy struggled to keep a straight face.
"Professor McGonagall reckons you're the only one who can handle them..."
Meanwhile, George and Fred watched Douglas and Percy whispering, noting the rare, wicked smile on Percy's face. The twins felt as if they were sitting on a bed of needles.
Douglas turned to the Heads of House. Professor Sprout smiled,
"Douglas, we're counting on you for this. It's just too dangerous outside this term—we have to take precautions..."
Snape arched an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm,
"Professor Holmes, I'm not interested in the rest, but I am quite curious what punishment you'll dole out for these two little... Gryffindors. Don't tell me you're going to have them clean toilets for a year?"
Douglas's expression darkened. He corrected, deadpan,
"Three months. Not a year."
The other professors—many of whom had once taught Douglas—burst out laughing.
That incident, years ago, had affected nearly every subject at Hogwarts. To fix the chaos caused by Douglas and Bill, the staff had to set new exams just before the holidays.
Percy had to bite his lip to keep from laughing—he remembered the story well, having joined the old study group once. He'd heard Bill grumble about how, before the group was founded, Douglas would spend hours scrubbing in the baths after cleaning toilets.
The students who'd been duped by the twins, clustered near the staff table, had no idea what the professors found so funny about scrubbing toilets. But that didn't stop them from applauding the decision, cheering on Hogwarts's most notorious professor.
George and Fred exchanged a look of utter despair. Never mind a year—even three months sounded like a sentence.
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]