For once, Dumbledore did something useful and furiously confronted the Ministry of Magic about the incident during the Quidditch match, refusing to explain where the missing Dementors had gone.
Harry was downcast when he learned that his broomstick had an "accident" during his fall. Even though, as Barnaby reminded him, he could buy another one, this was his first broom and one of the first sincere gifts he received after arriving at Hogwarts.
When the next Hogsmeade visit came around, Harry approached Barnaby to find out how he could go with the others despite not having his permission slip signed.
Barnaby simply asked him to show an example of Vernon's signature using magic. After Harry did so, confused, Barnaby skillfully copied it onto the permission slip with a Muggle pen, producing a perfectly usable signed document.
"Will it work?" Harry asked, still happy but now doubtful. "There's magic to check if it's fake, right?"
"There's magic to detect if magic was used to replicate the signature, which is why I used this and copied it by hand," Barnaby said, waving the pen between his fingers. "And as long as you haven't been going around telling everyone you don't have the signed permission slip, who will know?"
Harry realized that was true—nobody, not even McGonagall, would go around memorizing every signature from every guardian, comparing them with a magnifying glass.
"Thanks, Barnaby!" Harry thanked him, quickly heading back to the castle to submit the permission slip and join the others.
Barnaby waved him off, considering it a small compensation for the broomstick burned to ashes. He pulled out a bucket of fish he had gotten from the Black Lake and began feeding a pair of little ones that had arrived in the morning, until he noticed Ron's younger sister approaching.
"Hi, Ginny," he greeted without stopping the feeding. "What brings you here?"
Ginny didn't respond immediately, staring intently at the strange creatures Barnaby was feeding in the middle of the snow, feeling a peculiar mix of cuteness and malevolence.
"Are you sure those are penguins?"
She had to ask because, while they looked like penguins, there were clear differences.
"This is Pingu," Barnaby pointed to the penguin on the right. "And this is Gunter," he said, switching to the one on the left.
Both penguins waved their flippers at Ginny while continuing to eat happily.
"Okay…" Ginny had gotten used to Barnaby's strange creatures, though most of them had disappeared this year, probably removed due to the presence of the Dementors. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you could teach me some Patronus Charm lessons during your free time."
She couldn't go to Hogsmeade yet, nor would she dare with the Dementors lurking around.
But what happened at the Quidditch stadium had scared her, and she wanted to at least be able to defend herself. However, this year's professor, Lupin, had refused due to not being in good health and being too busy.
Although it was true that he looked awful every few weeks, Ginny knew Lupin was teaching Harry; it wasn't even a secret. So why couldn't he just let her join the same lesson?
Those facts, along with the rumors of Lupin's addiction to chocolate, made her seek out someone else capable, and Barnaby's performance came to mind. Not because of the fire creature, but because of the barrier she saw him cast, which McGonagall later explained was a Patronus.
Though she wouldn't mind learning about the fire giant as well…
"Um…"
Barnaby hesitated to accept. He had experience teaching the Patronus to Tonks, but she was his girlfriend! He didn't really consider himself capable of having students of his own, as he was quite strict with his standards.
Not to mention he had to help his girlfriend complete some things secretly while she still had access to the Ministry of Magic, visit his property occasionally to keep it clean, and assist various people at the castle.
Ginny had far more free time than he did, to be honest.
"I'm not asking you to do it for free!" Ginny seemed to misunderstand his silence and pulled out a blank square of parchment. "I'll give you this in exchange."
…
"Ginny, despite what you might think, I can afford a blank piece of parchment," Barnaby commented with a deadpan expression.
"What?" Ginny took a moment to realize her mistake. "Oh, I didn't mean that! This is the Marauder's Map…"
The explanation was brief and concise.
A parchment the twins guarded very carefully, though not carefully enough to prevent Ginny (who was used to their behavior patterns) from discovering it and seeing how they used it. So she "borrowed" it from the twins; they already knew the castle inside and out and didn't need it anymore.
"This shouldn't even be legal; it violates everyone's privacy in the castle twenty-four hours a day," Barnaby thought as he examined the revealed parchment.
"So, what do you think?" Ginny asked anxiously.
"Alright, I'll teach you the Patronus, but I warn you, if you don't take it seriously, I'll take the same policy as Aunt Minerva in Transfiguration class," Barnaby cautioned.
"Thank you!" Ginny was thrilled to see her plan, "funded" by the twins, was working. "By the way, one of the penguins is trying to take the fish bucket."
"Huh?" Barnaby turned around, and sure enough, there was a fugitive.
"Gunter, get back here with that salmon!"