He walked up to the large iron gates at a steady pace, his face giving nothing away of the turmoil he was experiencing. It wasn't the looming encounters he was about to have that were causing him such feelings; they were actually one of the things allowing him to stay calm. It was the sudden feeling of remembrance that washed over him when he saw the entrance to the grounds of the school that had caused his whole body to go numb for a moment. He collected himself quickly, which was quite a feat considering how much raw emotion had flashed through him.
It was the memories he had carefully pushed aside that had cause the influx of emotion. They had been dealt with a number of years ago, but encountering one of the things that was such a prominent part of his past allowed them to seep into him mind, past the walls he had built. He did not want to dwell on the things he couldn't change. He had grown since the war; he had grown past the pain of his childhood into a man. He would not say that he was a new person. There was always the same personality shining under the surface. He couldn't call it a bad thing- if he allowed the good parts to shine through. There were things he would rather leave behind, and had, but some refused to stop clinging on, hanging around like the panic after a nightmare.
Reaching the gate, he paused for a moment. He had expected someone to come and meet him. He knew that he was on time, so it was odd to not have a guide. They were expecting him to be here today. Minervra had said that she was to come get him herself, so that the big surprise could be in the great hall. Being headmistress, it was possible that she had gotten busy, but she had seemed so bloody exited to see him in person that he doubted it. She must be running late. Maybe something came up that couldn't wait.
It wasn't as if he could not get into Hogwarts. If not through the secret entrances, then through the wards. It was considered rude-if not impossible- to go through another's wards without warning. And if he left and she showed up it might worry her. He debated for a moment and then decided to sit where he was. There was no point in moving, as he had the best view of the grounds from where he was.
It had been so long since he had been here. He couldn't face it- face them- so he had left. He traveled everywhere and anywhere he felt like going, and he had revelled in the freeness. He had not planned to come back. He had not been in contact with anyone from his old life for many years. The only reason he returned is that he was hired. He had told himself when he entered this line of work that it did not matter who was paying him, only the job mattered. Oh, he had his rules in his contracts, but he was not one to be picky about jobs. So when he was contacted by Minervra about a teaching job, well, he had to accept because it fit under his guidelines. When she had found out that he was actually Harry Potter, she was, of course, surprised. After the shock wore off she was thrilled.
He heard footsteps and looked up to see the headmistress walking towards him. She was obviously hurrying, but he caught her relief before her normally stern face transformed as a wide smile graced her face. "It is so good to see you again, Harry." She said as she opened the gate. "Please, come in. Lunch should be starting in fifteen minutes. Would you like to join the staff, or would you like to wait until dinner?" He considered for a moment.
"I think that I may as well get this over with." Seeing her expression he continued, "I will need to get used to the wonderful meals here once again." She smiled once more, pleased with his save. They walked up the lawn in a companionable silence. He was pleased that she did not pepper him with questions like he expected many others too.
"So, what have you told everyone about me?" He asked, preparing himself for what he should expect upon entering.
"Just that the new defence professor is a highly trained individual who contracts out his time under the name 'Thomas Grim'." She scowled. "Did you have to name yourself after that monster?" He smiled at this. He had thought it was rather funny.
"Yes, I did. So, you didn't give them the heads up that it was me?" He was surprised that she had not already told them all. This time she was the one who smiled, a bit maliciously.
"You left with no explanation or contact. Now you get to explain." Great, so now he would have to deal with their full blown reactions to him.
"Who's here?" he asked, trying to decide his best strategy for this. They were already at the doors to the castle. He only had seconds until they entered the great hall.
"You will see in just a moment." She replied, her smile returning. He grimaced, but quickly cleared his face of all emotion and prepared himself. McGonagall glanced at him for a moment and then turned to the entrance to the great hall. The doors were shut, but he could hear conversation inside. He looked closely at Minervra and saw her smile grow before she swung the doors wide open.
The conversations inside we heard clearly for a moment before the doors opened all the way, but as they hit the walls beside them conversation ceased. Harry looked into the room, and saw not five long tables, but one large round table filled with people. People all looking at him. He wondered if they recognized him. Although he had not aged, his physical appearance was still quite different. He was sure that once said aloud they would all make the connection, but so far he just saw curious stares.
There were familiar faces that he expected: Flitwick, Vector, Hagred, and Trelawny. There were also unexpected ones: Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Snape. Snape should have been dead. He saw him die. So how was he sitting right there, sneering just like ten years previously? His mask of indifference almost slipped, but he held strong to what he secretly called his 'inner Slytherin' and managed to slide his eyes over him after a brief hesitation.
He looked back a Minervra and he could practically feel the anticipation as she also looked over the people. He realised that this is what she wanted. She wanted to see how long it took them to recognize him. She made eye contact and raised an eyebrow in question. He decided he would play along. He gave her a nod back, and saw her smirk.
"As I have told you all before, this is out new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Thomas Grim. He is highly skilled in the area of defence and will be a great addition to the staff. Please make him feel welcome. Thomas, please take a seat anywhere you would like." She smirked again as she took the open seat next to Flitwick, leaving the seat between Hermione and Snape open.
"Why, thank you headmistress, for your wonderful welcome." He managed to sound sincere, and pitched his voice a bit lover than usual. He walked toward the seat where Hermione was smiling at him and Snape was looking curiously, but not unwelcoming. "Hello." He said, knowing that sitting next to Hermione the charade wouldn't last long. Of course Hermione spoke first, in a way that reminded him of the first time they had met.
"Hello, I'm Hermione Weasley. I've heard about you. You take dangerous contract jobs all over the world. I gathered all I could once I heard you would be coming here to teach. I know you will enjoy it here at Hogwarts. Everything here is amazing, and the library is-"
"Let the poor bloke breath 'mione. Sorry about that, she gets rather exited about learning." Ron interrupted her. He smiled and held out a hand across Hermione. "I'm Ron, Ron Weasley, Hermiones husband." Harry shook his hand, and smiled back.
"Yes, sorry about that, I do tend to get a bit exited-" Ron snorted. Hermione carried on as if she hadn't been interrupted. "-about learning. Unfortunately, I'm not a teacher here, but I do enjoy my work at the ministry. I help magical creatures. It's quite fulfilling. I'm sure if I didn't work there, I would be here." She looked closely at him. "Have we met before? You do seem ever so familiar." Harry wasn't going to lie, as he didn't see much point, since they would figure it out soon.
"Yes, we have. In fact we-" Harry was interrupted by McGonagall.
"Why don't we have a round of introductions? After we all introduce ourselves, Thomas can tell us a little about himself, so we can get to know him better." There seemed to be a round of agreement. Other than the people he already knew, Harry was introduced to The transfiguration professor, Martin Kaleder and the Runes professor, Melinda Hopskitch. The other professors were not around, but he was assured that he would meet the other two in the evening. Then he had to stand and Introduce himself.
"Hello. I am the new Defence professor, contract name Thomas Grim. I have fought the dark arts since I was eleven, and have been doing contract work for almost ten years." Before he could continue, Snape interrupted him.
"Are you telling us that you have been doing contract work since you were eleven? Minervra sais you are proficient, but you cannot have been doing that for so long, boy." He sneered. Ahh, good old Snape, always a snarky git. Harry raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, McGonagall did it for him.
"Severus, Thomas did not say that he has been doing contract work since he was eleven. He has been doing it since he was nineteen." There were a couple of gasps around the table, as he only looked to be nineteen.
"Thank you Minervra." He smiled at her and ran a hand through his hair. "So, I guess that covers it all." before he could sit, Hermione spoke up.
"Where did you go to school?" She sounded curious, but also suspicious. "You sound British, but I don't recall another magical school in Britain. Also you said that we had met before, but I didn't go to school with anyone under the name Thomas Grim." He looked at McGonagall. she shrugged as if to say, 'It's Hermione'.
"I went to school here actually." He put up a hand to silence her before she spoke. " I don't go under my real name because it is dangerous. Also I was trying to leave my old life behind, but I guess the adrenaline rush from the action led me to my job. It' like you always said, Hermione." She began to cry, while Ron looked as if he had just been his over the head. He heard gasps once again as the others figured out who he was. "I could just never get over my 'saving people thing'."
