Back at Hogwarts for her second year in the modern world, equipped with a brilliant group of friends and a boy who loves her dearly, Azalea Hogwarts, protector and shield of the school itself, could not be happier, despite the war raging on around h...
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Azalea Hogwarts watched in amusement as the perfectly upholstered blue chair twisted impossibly and became a man, blue pyjamas and all. He did not transfigured quietly.
"Merlins beard! No need to disfigure me Albus!" He shook his limbs awkwardly, springs sounding as he returned to his natural form. Harry's eyes showed evident shock at the situation but Azalea could not help but find the thing entirely comical.
"May I say, you make a very convincing armchair Horace." The older man was clearly amused also, smiling as he visibly relaxed. If not for the way his shoulder slumped in his calm, nobody would ever had known that he was worried.
"It's all in the upholstery, I come by the stuffing naturally" he chuckled, patting his rounded stomach as he shook his arm in a bid to disfigure it. "What gave me away?"
"Dragons blood." Azaleas voice chipped in and his eyes scanned over her and her companion.
"Ohhh"
"Oh yes, introductions. Harry, Azalea. I'd like you to meet an old friend and colleague of mine. Horace Slughorn. Horace, well you know who these are." He gestures to the people at his side.
"Harry Potter" Horace chuckled excitably. "And Azalea, the Hogwarts princess." He informed and the brunette knew how he could possibly have known, her image had been front page news on one particularly uneventful Sunday morning a few weeks ago. Her secret was very much well known now but she couldn't bring herself to regret that fact.
"So what's with all the theatrics Horace, you weren't by any chance waiting for someone else, were you?"
"Someone else?" Horace whipped around to face Dumbledore. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean.... oh, alright. The Death Eaters have been trying to recruit me for over a year. Do you know what that's like? You can only say no to these people so many times. So I don't stay anywhere more than a week. The muggles who own this place are in the Canary Islands." He informed happily and Dumbledore smiled down at Azalea.
"Well, perhaps we should put it back for them, hmm?" He questioned and Azalea practically bounced in excitement at the prospect of doing magic. Waving her hand softly through the cold air, things instantly started to correct themselves. Paintings straightened, newspapers that had once been scattered, stacked into a neat pile upon the desk as the lights flickered back to life and the piano stood proudly, keys tinkling a small tune before renaming dormant again. It was marvellous to behold as the patchwork of broken plaster corrected itself.
"That was fun." Azalea beamed happily, clapping to herself and Harry shot her a small, proud smile.
"Do you mind if I use the loo?" Dumbledore was moving before Horace answered.
"Yes of course" he gestured to the door on the far side of the room. "Don't think I don't know why you're here Albus, the answers still no. Absolutely and unequivocally no." He reiterated as he was left alone with the teens. An awkward tension seemed to settle on the group then as he assessed them and the couple exchanged looks. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hogwarts. It's brilliant to be in the presence of such power." His eyes seemed to sparkle as he shook her hand violently and she nodded with somewhat of a comfortable smile.
"Please, call me Azalea. It is a pleasure to meet you also, sir."
"You must have to call me Horace dear, your status gives you the permission" he chuckled. "You will have to tell me all about your travels. I'd be overjoyed to hear it."
"Why, of course. Horace." She smiled and he beamed back in pride as he nodded along.
"You look very like your father" he turned, staring deeply at Harry with a cheery smile. "Except the eyes of course you have-"
"My mother's eyes" Harry nodded. "Yeah"
"Lily" Horace smiled softly, eyes reminiscent. "She was exceedingly bright, your mother. Even more impressive when one considers she was a muggle born."
"One of our best friends is muggle born" Harry returned strongly, sounding slightly offended. "She's the best in our year."
"Oh please don't think I'm prejudice. No, no, no. Your mother was one of my absolute favourites. Look there she is, right at the front" he gestured to a collection of photographs standing proudly on the cabinet to the left. "All mine, each and every one. Ex-students I mean. You recognise Barnabus Cuffee, editor of the Daily Prophet. Always takes my owl if I wish to register an opinion on the news of the day. He's the one that confirmed that delightful piece about Azalea here." He chuckled proudly, watching as Harry lifted a frame.
"Ah yes, Regulas Black. You no doubt know that his older brother Sirius died a few weeks ago." He continued to speak and Harry nodded solemnly, a gentle hand slipping into his and he glanced down at Azalea softly. "I used to teach the whole Black family. Except for Sirius. It was a shame, talented boy. I taught Regulas when he came along of course but I'd have liked the set," he chuckled and Azalea couldn't help but be slightly disgusted.
"You two do make the most marvellous couple. Powerful, famed. I'm sure the writers at the Prophet would have a field day with you." He chuckled, smiling happily as he watched the two of them exchange looks, hand in hand.
"Horace!" Dumbledore suddenly reappeared. "Can I take this?" He held up a magazine happily. "I do love knitting patterns" he assessed it, proud of his find as the teenagers rejoined him.
"Yes of course but you're not leaving already, are you?"
"Oh, I think I know a lost cause when I see one. Regrettable, I would've seen it as a great personal triumph if you'd consented to return to Hogwarts. Oh well, you're like my friends here. One of a kind. Well, bye bye Horace" he marched away and they were forced to follow.
They had just reached the gate when Horace chased them out through the front door.
"Alright; I'll do it. But I want professor Marrigolds old office, not the water closet I had before. And I expect a raise! These are mad times we live in. Mad!"
