Disclaimer: I own my character, random HP paraphernalia, and I own the plot. That's about it.
Muse responsible: Rrissa!
Welcome to my first seriously-undertaken, heavily-edited Harry Potter fanfiction that ISN'T a one-shot! I've worked on it for a long time, and I hope you like it. (I have a lot of chapters-it's not quite finished, but I doubt I'll finish it before Half-Blood Prince comes out, sooo....yeah!)
By the way, JK hasn't really enlightened us with much about the Aurors, so I'm taking shameless liberties with their training programs, the way they're set up, etc etc.
My character's name means, roughly, "She who sees like an eagle." AweinaShe who sees, Aquilaeagle (in Latin!). I took a bit of artistic license. Random fact over. (And no, she is not an Animagus, though if she was, she would be an eagle. Like her name. Duh. And guess what her Patronus is? Betcha can't! Or maybe you can. And yes, it is an eagle.)
Basic summary/history/thing: Aweina Aquila (Aweina sounds like "Uh-wain-ya") was an Auror in the days of Voldemort on the team of Alastor Moody, who had been assigned as her mentor before Aweina had made full Auror. However, in one unfortunate incident, she was hit in the eyes six times in a row with a Dark curse called a Lashing Curse, which destroyed her eyes and the tissue surrounding them. (The Lashing Curse tears away flesh as if struck by a whip-just onewould have blinded Aweina forever, and she got six. It scars very badly, and it's difficult to block.) When Aweina was down, Alastor Moody stayed with her until mediwizards could come take her to safety, fending off four Death Eaters on his own and not abandoning Aweina to her fate, rendering him a hero. Again.
After a long period of rehabilitation, Aweina was given two magical eyes created by Alastor Moody, similar to his own, save that they were hazel instead of electric blue. (I am choosing to believe his is electric blue for "image." And if you don't agree, nyah.) Aweina suffered terrible scarring around her eyes from those curses, and always wears a scarf tied around them to save others from the sight of the mutilated flesh. Since her eyes can see through just about anything, the scarf does not hinder her sight.
Now, in Harry Potter's sixth year, Aweina has come to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am fully aware that this is most likely noncanon and the sixth book will be entirely different.
Aweina is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, is still an Auror, and is absolutely deadly at chess. Her wand is rowan and phoenix feather, fourteen and a half inches. She is about five foot five inches-yes, she's small-and keeps her brown hair cut very short. She was a Ravenclaw in her school days, a Chaser on the House Team for two years, (not the best, but not bad)and is one of Alastor Moody's few good friends, though she still sees him more as a mentor. At the beginning of this story, she is thirty-seven, which made her twenty at the time she lost her sight, two years before Voldemort fell. (And she was a brand-new Auror then, too.) Woohoo for my math skills.
Aweina is from a pureblood family, though she rarely ever flaunts this fact and doesn't think it makes much difference to who she is. Her Invisibility Cloak was handed down through her family on her mother's side from her great-great-great-times some big number-grandmother, who was a Druid. It's been kept in good repair and is more than big enough to cover Aweina and another person. She has a trunk similar to Moody's, but with four locks instead of seven. (Another family heirloom, given to her when she finished Auror training.)
Aweina's thoughts
And without further ado, after that FRIGGIN long AN, onto the story!
--------
Aweina got up the morning of the day she would go to her new job at Hogwarts and tied her scarf around her eyes, as was her habit. This did not hinder her in the least as she dressed in her new robes for her job, dark blue with an inside pocket for her wand. Forgoing the hat, Aweina rolled her right eye to the next room, where her supply list was pinned to the wall, and focused on it.
"Robes, check," she muttered, as her left eye looked over the things packed in her trunk, "Formal robes, check, teacher books, check, broom, check, Invisibility cloak, check, Dark Detectoring things, check…" Aweina continued muttering to herself as she made sure everything was in her trunk. Satisfied, she closed it and locked it, strapping her owl Persephone's cage to her trunk. Persephone herself was already in the Owlery at Hogwarts. Aweina went over to the fireplace and set a fire. Taking some Floo powder, she tossed it into the magical flames, dragged her trunk into the chimney, and said, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's office!"
Aweina materialized with a bang and levitated her trunk out of the fire, stepping out quickly before the powder wore off. Turning her face towards Dumbledore's desk, she nodded her head at him.
"Welcome, Professor Aquila," said Dumbledore jovially as she moved her trunk to a spot beside the door. "Please sit down."
Aweina sat. "Please call me Aweina," she said, "You've known me for too long to call me otherwise."
"Very well, Aweina," said Dumbledore, leaning back in his chair and stroking Fawkes absently. "You know what your duties as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be, I presume?"
"I have a curriculum planned out for each year, sir," replied Aweina, "Though their lessons have certainly been inconsistent. First that Quirrell, then the…author, then Remus Lupin, then that fiasco with Bartemius Crouch Jr, and last year that Ministry woman." Aweina scowled, though how much Dumbledore could see of her expression behind the scarf was questionable. "Dolores Umbridge set back most of the students a year or more. On the whole, the only professor I really approve of is Remus. Though apparently Bartemius was rather…extraordinary."
Dumbledore didn't move or change expression, but an extra twinkle in his eye showed he agreed with her. "You shall also be teaching…special…Defense classes," he said at last, looking intently at Aweina. "I'd like you to take off your scarf so I'm sure you're looking at me," he added.
Both Aweina's eyes swiveled to look at Dumbledore through the fabric. "If it's all the same, I'd rather not," she replied, quietly, "Rest assured that I am looking at you with both eyes."
"But it isn't the same," replied Dumbledore in exactly the level tone Aweina had used. "Even if you can see my eyes, I would prefer to discuss this without hiding anything."
Aweina looked at Dumbledore for another moment. He wouldn't ask me to do this without a reason, she thought, If he wants to meet me eye to eye…
She reached up and undid the knot, unwrapping the blue silk from around her head, letting it fall into her lap, readying herself for the startled stare she always got when she revealed the scars and bulging, swiveling hazel eyes.
Dumbledore didn't even blink as he regarded the mutilated flesh around her eyes for a moment, where the curses had hit hardest save her eyes themselves, where the burns of the Lashing Curse still looked unhealed and livid. His blue eyes returned to her hazel ones, no longer swiveling as she focused on him.
"Now," said Dumbledore, as if nothing were out of the ordinary, "As I said, you will also be teaching 'special' Defense classes. As an Auror, you are doubly qualified."
Aweina leaned back in her own chair, a part of her savoring the openness of having her scars bared without anyone concentrating on them. "Do you mean the organization young Potter started? The one he nicknamed 'Dumbledore's Army?'"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again as he smiled and nodded. "A foolish name, but I appreciate it."
Aweina looked at Dumbledore for a moment as her lips quirked in a small smile. "I suppose the initials can remain. After all, did you not confess to organizing it last year?"
Dumbledore chuckled for a moment, then returned to the topic. "As a teacher, you will be expected to patrol the halls once every week, or whenever you cannot sleep, in the hope of catching miscreants. If you happen to meet Harry Potter under his Invisibility cloak, let him pass unless he seems to be on a suicidal mission. But it would not hurt to let him know that you can see him."
Aweina nodded. "Shall I be expected to do anything in my Auror capacity?" she asked.
Dumbledore's eyes turned hard for a moment. "Do whatever you must to protect Hogwarts and the students."
Aweina studied his face for a moment, then nodded. He means go on full Auror alert, she translated in her mind, Keep the Dark wizards from gaining even a thumbnail on us here.
The Headmaster stood. "Now that we understand each other," he said, "You know where the Defense room is. Your office is adjoined to it, and your quarters are adjoined with that room."
"Very well, said Aweina, "I shall go attend to my duties. With your leave, Headmaster."
Dumbledore nodded again as Aweina retied the scarf around her eyes and levitated her trunk. Exiting the office and going down the moving spiral stair, Aweina paused at the bottom for a moment and smiled.
It was good to be back at Hogwarts.
------
Ta-da! First chapter! And feedback is always wonderful! Hint, hint. And I do realize this is a little short and a little simplistic. It gets better, I promise!
-Fireblade K'Chona