Hermione looked up from her parchment as she heard the quiet footsteps that signaled the arrival of the teacher and the beginning of her Muggle Studies class. A moment's confusion crossed her mind as she realized that these footsteps were quicker and lighter than those of her teacher, Professor Verns, but quickly remembered that the aforementioned Professor was away on long service leave as of this lesson. She craned her neck in an attempt to see who the new teacher was –
- just as he walked into the room.
Hermione blinked. This professor was amazingly young to be teaching at Hogwarts. He was tall and thin, with dark, spiky hair and an angular face. He had a stack of books under his arm and for some odd reason was wearing a blue muggle suit instead of the usual black robes that the other teachers preferred. He wore a stylish pair of black-rimmed reading glasses and as he surveyed the room Hermione noticed that he had a piercing gaze – one that could almost match Professor Dumbledore's.
"Good morning," the man said quietly. Immediately the room fell silent. It seemed that the new professor had the same skill of silencing a classroom with a single word that was so well-known among the students of Professors Snape and McGonagall. Hermione was amazed.
The new professor looked around the classroom again, his gazing resting on each student as he studied his new class. When his eyes met hers Hermione sat up straight and stared straight back. His left eyebrow rose slightly in surprise but he made no comment as he continued his inspection of the room. Finally he spoke again.
"My name is Professor Smith. As I am sure most of you will already know, I am your new Muggle Studies teacher for this year." He spoke quickly, his voice remaining soft, almost silent as he began to pass around the books he had brought with him to the class. "Please-" he paused for a second and resumed in a voice uncannily similar to that of the head of Slytherin- "-turn to page three hundred and ninety-four."
The entire class stopped dead. Professor Smith grinned. "Yes, I heard about that – poor professor Lupin was out with a touch of Tooth and Claw, wasn't he? I remember meeting him during my application for this job."
Hermione was astonished. As far as anyone knew, no-one had ever dared to make fun of Professor Snape in such a manner – not once throughout his entire teaching career. She expected the greasy-haired Potions Master would have something to say about that little comment very soon – she could already see the Slytherins at the back of the class whispering amongst each other.
"I wasn't joking, you know," Professor Smith said suddenly. "Our first lesson really is on page three hundred and ninety-four: Chapter Nine, The Petrol Car."
Hermione smiled to herself as she opened the textbook. She was liking this new professor more each second.
