(A/N: I can guarantee you right now that this story will stray away from cannon. And I can also promise you that I'll borrow some cannon facts. I imagined a lot of this story years ago, back when there were only four books in the Harry Potter series. With that said, I liked the fifth book so much, that I decided to base this story after it. So, it's kind of like my own version of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts.)

Harry didn't know how he should be feeling, as he sat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. He usually felt excited and relieved on his first day back at Hogwarts, but after last year…

There had been, among other things, the distance between him and Dumbledore. After Dumbledore had explained why he deemed it necessary, Harry had bulleted out of his office. It was that one tear trickling down Dumbledore's face into his long silver beard that had made Harry feel like he had to fling himself away from the headmaster. Seeing Dumbledore cry felt like the words I Must Not Tell Lies were getting carved into his heart instead of his hand.

Maybe, it was because the headmaster was old. Old people and children, the two age groups Harry never wanted to see cry or in pain. And he certainly didn't want to be the person who made it happened. He had made Dumbledore cry, pure and simple. He couldn't deny it, and Harry had tried denying it over the summer.

Harry's image of Dumbledore being like a king, Merlin, or a grandfather had already been compromised as soon as Dumbledore started ignoring him, but he had looked so childlike as he cried. That's why Harry left after seeing only one tear, it could only have been more traumatic to have seen Dumbledore shake from sobbing. Harry didn't know if Dumbledore did, but he had had enough nightmares of it in the summer.

And to make matters worse, Dumbledore wasn't even in the Great Hall. His seat had been empty since Harry and the other students arrived. Professor McGonagall had already brought in the first years for sorting.

After that, she addressed the Great Hall and said, "Attention! Can I have your attention, please? As you may have noticed, Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape are not here. The both of them have gone to meet our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher at the gates. They'll be a long shortly and then we can all have our feast."

Ron moaned, "I should have got something to bring with me from the train."

"Oh, honestly, Ron, is the only thing you worry about your stomach?" Hermione asked him.

Ron turned to her, with his face scrunched up in confusion, "Hermione, it's the only thing worth worrying about right now."

"No, it isn't." she insisted firmly. "Honestly, after last year…" She nudged Harry to make him join the conversation and then continued, "Aren't either of you the least bit curious about who our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher is?"

"It's not Umbridge. So, we're fine." Ron told her.

Harry felt unsettled and shared a distressed look with Hermione. He grimaced, "Ron's right. It's not like it will be Umbridge or anyone else from the Ministry. Dumbledore…"

Hermione smiled, sadly, "He won't let that happen?"

Harry nodded.

Ron considered their conversation. He offered, "Well, we've always survived who ever teaches Defense Against The Dark Arts before. We'll do it again."

Harry and Hermione turned to him, a little surprised by his confidence.

"What's the golden trio talking about now?" they heard Fred ask, jokingly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to look across the table at Fred and George.

After Umbridge had been "relieved of her responsibilities at Hogwarts (as Fudge had put in an interview to the Daily Prophet), Mr. and Mrs. Weasley (especially her) had heavily "suggested" that Fred and George return to Hogwarts. During the summer, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had spent most of their time avoiding whatever room an argument was being held in.

Ron answered his brother, "About our empty stomachs,"

Fred and George turned to each other and chuckled.

"Should have known," George commented to Fred.

Fred pointed his chin at Hermione, "Any idea about who our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher is?"

Hermione shook her head, "No."

Fred turned to George and said, "I told you she wasn't going to know more about it than we do."

Shortly after Fred and George started arguing about whether or not Fred had believed Hermione would know about the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, the doors to the Great Hall burst open. Everyone turned to look and saw Dumbledore come in, accompanied by Snape and, to everyone's surprise, Lupin.

Lupin looked just like he did the first time he came teach at Hogwarts: shabbier than all the other professors and his light brown, wavy hair was prematurely graying.

Ron spoke for the whole trio, when he said, "He could have mentioned that'd he be coming back to teach us."

Lupin looked over at the trio, as he passed by them, with an apologetic smile.

The whole trio was relieved, even with the Slytherins glaring at Lupin and people from each house whispering about the "danger" of being taught by a werewolf. But for Harry, Lupin's arrival made him finally feel like how he was supposed to on his first day back at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore shared a triumphant smile with McGonagall as he got to his seat. Lupin and Snape took the only two remaining seats at the staff table, on Dumbledore's left. Snape made a dash for the seat closet to Dumbledore, without making it to noticeable. Lupin was obviously annoyed, but held it in and just smiled at Snape. Snape smiled back, just as forced.

Dumbledore turned away from McGonagall and addressed the Great Hall, "May I have your attention, please?" Everyone stopped talking and he smiled, appreciatively, "I know many of you are eagerly anticipating are wonderful feast, so I'll keep this brief. Some of you may remember our own Professor Lupin from a few years back. He has very generously agreed to take back his position as Defense Against The Dark Arts professor this year."

Dumbledore motioned to Lupin, who stood up. He looked more anxious than he had back in the trio's third year, but he got plenty of applause from everyone but the Slytherins. Ginny pointed out to Neville that even Filch clapped, just more passively than other people. After Fred and George yelled, "No more Umbridge!" Snape, reluctantly, clapped as hard as Filch. Although, Snape was seething.

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence everyone. Then, he smiled cordially and said, "Now, before we begin our feast," Ron licked his lips in preparation, "I would like to inform you that we are not only fortunate enough to have Professor Lupin," Snape frowned, while Lupin smiled appreciatively up at the headmaster, "with us this year, but two other arrivals that will be here with in the week." Dumbledore let his announcement sink in before he said, "They are from our own Professor Snape's family, his older brother and their niece."

Then, Dumbledore waved his hands and all the plates filled with food, but most of the students, even Ron, didn't feel like eating much.