A/N: Takes place after Harry Potter 7, so this does contain spoilers.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, except my own characters.
………………………….
Her cubicle was plastered with the faces of many wanted criminals, namely the few Death-Eaters that had managed to survive the past twenty-five years and their offspring. The folder in front of her held a thin layer of paperwork and a greasy photo of a balding, hook-nosed wizard. Delius Mord, read the file. He was a minor offender, a Dark Arts supporter from way back, one that had seen it fit to send his children off in Death-Eater robes to scare the neighborhood. Since the boys had not known any better, their father was being charged. Pathetic little case, hardly needed an Auror, but she had screwed up a little over a month ago, so she was getting the bottom of the barrel.
Unfortunately, things seemed to go awry when she went out in a group. She would try to perform a curse or hex on the offender, and her wand misfired at or near one of her colleagues. Rather embarrassing, especially to an Auror of less than a year. It was not as though it happened all the time, but every now and then something went wrong. Top marks in all the necessary classes, excellent training record, and now a highly loused career. Oh, she balanced the mistakes with several impressive captures for her age, but that did not mean the mistakes would be forgotten either. Since last month, she had received solo cases that required no spells greater than a Leg-Locking curse, and most needed no magic whatsoever.
A purple memo swooped into her cubicle and was doing circles about her head. When she ignored it, the memo jabbed her several times in the arm and fell open on her desk. "Bloody parchment." She decided it would be best not to ignore the memo, though she had a feeling as to what it was already. It read:
"Ms. Stephens,
Come to my office immediately."
Harry Potter
Head of the Auror Office
She grumbled and incinerated the piece of parchment. Bastard hadn't even taken the time to sign his name. That usually meant he was angry, though she couldn't think for the life of her why he should be angry with her now. Although, he had snipped at her every few days or so, reminding her to be more careful. She stood up from her padded chair and stalked off to her boss's office, leaving her robes on the back of the chair. Robes were too constricting, and she had never gotten used to them after years of Muggle clothing. So, she wore regular clothing underneath and took the robes off to be more comfortable as she worked.
The door to his office was open, but she still felt it necessary to rap on the doorframe. Mr. Potter looked up from his desk. "Come in and sit down," he said, a very cold tone in his voice. When she murmured "Kiss my ass," he sharpened his look and asked, "What was that?"
When she sat down in the hard chair before his desk she replied, "Nice bit of ash. I do hope the last person you scorched didn't lose anything too valuable." She didn't even try to hide the annoyance in her voice. He did not respond. "Why did you want me here…sir?" Again without responding, he tossed the Daily Prophet before her. The headline read "RAIA STEPHENS (?) THREATENS PUBLIC" Aghast, she quickly looked at the picture and was faced with a veritable twin cursing the photographer. "What-" Mr. Potter raised his hand and indicated to keep reading.
"Raia Stephens, Auror for the Ministry, was photographed just as she was fleeing the Ministry late last night. Our dear photographer, whose name has been requested kept silent, is currently receiving treatment for severe burns at St. Mungo's. Stephens, or an exact replica, left a note to the Minister of Magic, which read as follows:
'I thrive on new blood. Watch it closely, for it is only a matter of time.'
"The Minister has refused to comment, though many other sources tell us this is probably a practical joke."
Raia cocked her head, trying to take it all in. "Sir, I didn't do this. Look, I can prove it." She stood from the chair and walked around his desk to the Pensieve in the corner. After she had placed a silver strand from her head into the basin, she motioned him over. "That was what I was doing from the time I left to the time I came in this morning."
He said nothing as he gazed into the Pensieve, and his facial expression had not changed when he was finished. He had sat down even before she returned her memories to her mind. For a few heavy moments, as she looked across the desk at him, he said nothing. Finally, "You were looking at jobs in the newspaper, specifically the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. You must have stared at it the longest."
Confused, Raia leaned forward. "Yes, but this proves I'm not the one in the photo, right? This proves I don't want to hurt children, right?" To her surprise, he smiled.
"I never thought you were the guilty party, and you're too bold to write such a vague note; I've read your reports, and you do not like to waste time. No, I actually wanted that look at your memory, though trying a direct route may have been more difficult." Before she could speak, he continued on louder. "Some of your colleagues talk about how you pour over the job listings night after night, intent on the D.A.D.A position. I wanted to confirm the rumor."
"Why?"
"For a few reasons. Firstly, I dislike the idea that you want to leave your post, though I suppose you would want to if the stress is getting to you." He paused to let her answer.
She thought a moment on how best to phrase her reply. "Sir, it's not that I want to leave, it's that things sometime screw up for no reason, and I am just waiting for something big to happen that gets me fired. You've read the reports, I don't do those things on purpose. I had to keep my options open should I get canned. And, yes, I would like to help others understand the Dark Arts, so it would not be so odd that I like the position at the school. But, it doesn't matter now, since the school starts first term today. In fact, the students are probably a few hours from the school now."
Again, he smiled. "Yes, though with this news I could not escort my sons to the station. But anyway, I had hoped it was something like that. The second reason I wanted to see the memory is that I do not believe that note was an idle threat or a practical joke, or at least it should not be dismissed so quickly. If the person wishes to attack children, it would be at Hogwarts. Since they are using something to mask themselves, we need a constant watch at the school. "He took a breath before finishing his thought. "You, Ms. Stephens, have just be appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Stunned, she sat with her mouth partially open and a puzzled look on her face. "That position was filled a few days ago. The newspaper you saw in my memory was an older edition."
"He quit a few days ago after finding out that most of those that have filled that position have either died or sustained life-altering injuries. Granted, the last professor lasted more than twenty years, but he was getting a bit long in the tooth for such work. Still, this did not change the man's mind, which means the Ministry has to appoint the new professor. A perfectly adequate person had been chosen, but after the note yesterday, the Minister is taking no chances and wishes to put an Auror in the position."
"Sir, I am confident in my abilities, but I still must ask why I am being given this task. I'm the least experienced Auror here-"
"Youngest, not least experienced-"
"And I wonder, with my recent mishaps, why you feel I deserve the position? Again, I feel I can do it, I just do not understand your reasoning." Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, a position she had wanted even when she still attended the school. Professor Eirns was a good teacher, very ancient though he was, and she found herself favoring his class above the others.
"Because you care about the job, not just the assignment. The students need someone who will teach them practical skills, not someone who lectures from a textbook just so they can keep a better eye on any and all activity. You lack some of the wisdom of the other Aurors, but you have proven you can defend people and neutralize threats without hesitation. Besides, you and I were the only two who seemed to like the idea, and I have too much to do here. You had better pack your things quickly if you wish to arrive on time."
The realization of the time just hit her again. She swore heavily and dashed from the room.
……………………………….
After Apparating home, and spending an agonizing few hours trying to find everything she'd need, she packed it all carefully in a charmed bag that hung on her belt. She had no time to change into her robes, so she would just go as she was and hoped nobody minded too much. The grounds and castle of Hogwarts were not penetrable by Apparition, so she had to really hurry to run from the border of the grounds to make it on time. Before she entered the castle, however, she was stopped by an all too familiar voice.
"Late? Well, no supper for you." The grating voice of Argus Filch reminded her of the many times he had told her she should be given detention, or be suspended, or be expelled. She glanced at her watch, noting that the Sorting would just be ending in a few minutes.
She turned around and gave a cold look to Mr. Filch. "I'm the new professor. Just got told a few hours ago, actually, that I got the position, so I hope you'll let this slide." If he had not known about a new professor, she would have sworn he would have flogged her. He did not stop her from entering the gates.
Now she ran towards the Great Hall, finding it a small relief that her feet still remembered the way. As she saw the large doorway, she slowed down and tried to breathe normally, which was a bit difficult. When she entered the Hall, Headmistress McGonagall had just started her introductory speech. The headmistress fell silent, however, when she saw the new addition to the hall. All the students looked in her direction.
If she had been hoping for as little attention as possible, she had majorly screwed up. Clad from head to toe in black dragon skin –pants, jacket, boots- she stood out rather prominently among the robe-clad students and staff. She wanted to yell "It was the first thing I pulled out of my closet," but she figured no one would care. It was like a death march. All eyes were upon her as she walked hurriedly towards the staff table.
"Sorry I'm late," she said meekly to Professor McGonagall, walking quickly past her and up to the only empty staff chair. The only consolation about this whole thing was that the food had not yet been served. She concentrated upon this fact, completely drowning out the last few words Professor McGonagall said, halfway embarrassed and halfway hoping she would have organized her apartment better. Food appeared on the trays before her and she waited until the other professors started eating before she took a single bite.
It was very odd sitting at this table, especially since she had had many of these professors teaching her just four years ago. There was a new Astrology professor, and a new Potions master, but the rest were the same as she remembered, if not a little greyer than before. Professor Flitwick sat to her left and was chatting with Professor McGonagall. To her right was Professor Longbottom, who was engaged with the new Astrology professor; she must have been here for a year or two. Just beyond the Astrology professor was a wiry-looking man, perhaps a few years older than she, with dark brown hair and heavy eyes. He appeared rather content to keep to himself and enjoy his meal. Must be the new Potions master, she thought, recognizing the rest of the faces on the other end of the table.
No one spoke to her during the meal, and she had a feeling some of it was deliberate. Ministry-appointed staff tended not to be trusted, though she hoped she could dispel that notion of her quickly. Finally, it came time for the longer speech, so she straightened up and made sure to catch Professor McGonagall's words this time.
"A few notices. The Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students, and I would not recommend trying to sneak in there either," she said pointedly to a few giggling students. "Also, Mr. Filch would like to remind everyone that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products are all banned, and the possession of any is grounds for detention. Now, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Ms. Raia Stephens."
Raia stood from her chair and nodded her head a little, sitting back down very quickly. Murmuring could be heard from the students, likely because they knew she was Ministry-appointed. Most of the murmuring, however, came from the lower years. She supposed some of the fifth, sixth, and seventh years might remember her name, if not her face, vaguely, which meant they might remember that she was not a bad seed or anything of the sort.
"It's off to bed now. Follow your prefects, please." There was a loud rumbling as hundreds of students stood from the benches and walked from the Great Hall. Most of the staff had gone, blending in with the crowd or using passageways the students weren't allowed to know about. The young professor at the left end of the table was still there, though he had risen, and he looked her over thoroughly before leaving. Now only she and Professor McGonagall were in the Hall. "Professor Stephens, would you come with me?" It was so weird to be called "Professor Stephens."
She followed Professor McGonagall to the gargoyle that guarded the headmistress's office. The headmistress whispered a password to it, causing the gargoyle to give way to a spiral staircase. She had only ever been here once before, and that had been after Teddy Lupin had smashed her set of scales; it had turned out he hadn't meant it, but being a second-year and rather emotional had caused her to set his hair on fire. Afterwards, he couldn't change his hair colors for a couple of weeks.
The office had changed very little since she had last seen it. The portraits of all the former headmasters and headmistresses were still in their normal places, and many of them were sleeping, or feigning sleep anyway. The one above Professor McGonagall's desk, however, was wide awake and smiling softly at her. She liked this one last time she had been in here too.
She settled into a chair once the headmistress had done the same, and then began to feel the heaviness of the air between them. "How is everything at the Ministry?"
"About normal, though you've probably heard about the threatening note left by, well, my evil twin that threatens school-age children?" The headmistress nodded. "I figured. I found out about the incident about four hours ago, and then Mr. Potter volunteered me for this position. Now, I do like being given the chance to teach, but having only a few hours before the term is really short notice."
"Will you need time to prepare lessons? You will have first and fifth-years tomorrow, two very different levels of magic." When she had been at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had always been a very nice, though strict, woman. Now this rigid demeanor was starting to irritate her.
"The first few days will be easy to teach, and I can make up my lessons at night. With any luck, I'll be sorted out for the rest of the term by the weekend. Now, Professor, I know you dislike the Ministry to some degree, but I doubt Mr. Potter would have put me here if he thought for even a second I would misuse my power. I'm an Auror, not a bureaucrat, and my purpose is to teach and protect the students, not bend them to my will."
A few more silent moments passed, but Professor McGonagall was smiling at the end of them. "I know. I just wanted to hear you say it. Now, please, call me Minerva. You're not in school anymore."
"It's…it's too weird." They both laughed.
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It had been a good idea to set out her robes ahead of time because, despite her familiarity with the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, she had never had to find it from a teacher's room. Still, she managed to arrive before any of the students, though she had only enough time to catch her breath before the first-years came pouring in. After they spent a good five minutes finding the seats they wanted, a small girl raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss…?"
"Nova. Are we going to have to move our seats alphabetically?" A loud groan emanated from the rest of the class. Ah, she remembered this well: The one student that wants to ask every question she can, not realizing the danger in it. She chuckled inwardly.
"No, Miss Nova, the seating arrangement is first come, first serve. Though, we will hardly be using our seats in our lessons." Seeing that they were intrigued, and actually focused, she took roll and then took a deep breath. Here went nothing.
"Please stand up and push your chairs in." She flicked her hand and, using a nonverbal moving charm, arranged the chairs and desks to either side of the room. They were in awe. Just wait, and in a few years you'll know how to do this yourself. "Move your belongings to either side, but keep your wands out. And do not try to be silly and poke someone with it. I know from experience how badly that can turn out." Once they had done this, they sort of grouped into three or four masses. "Now, do realize that if you cannot perform the spell at first all you need to do is practice. In fact, I will be very surprised if you can do it on your first day, but do try and do it." She flicked her hand towards a cabinet and a dummy with a wand emerged into the center of the room. A hand was raised.
"Yes, Mr. Abbott?"
He was a tiny boy, with very round features. "How come you can do all that without a wand?" She thought a moment and then let out a tiny laugh.
"Oh! My apologies. It is an old habit." Upon her right wrist was what looked like a wrist guard, tapering off at the beginning of her index finger. The underside of the wrist guard bulged slightly. "My wand is beneath this guard. It makes my enemies think I am unarmed. Now, back to the lesson. We shall be learning how to disarm an opponent. It is one of the most effective spells in any witch or wizard's arsenal when faced with the Dark Arts. The key is to be faster than your opponent, of course, but for today we shall just learn how to perform the charm." She turned towards the dummy, pulling out her wand to show them the proper wrist movement. "Expelliarmus!" The wand fell away from the dummy and hovered over to her. "Now, you'll try."
By the end of the lesson, most of the students' spells did nothing to the wand, but a few blew up the dummy accidently. Miss Nova was the only student to actually perform the spell with any true effect: the wand had been expelled from the hand, but it dropped right next to the dummy. The groans she heard when class ended gave her some hope that the students had enjoyed the lesson.
The other first-year class reacted in about the same manner, but the fifth-years proved somewhat more difficult. Most of them followed her instructions with enthusiasm, but a couple did not want to do anything. After she levitated them above the class and spun them around, however, they came around. She had expected some resistance: she was not much older than they were.
When the day's lessons were over, she put everything back to the way it was and left the classroom feeling very good about herself. Eventually, she would need to teach them about Dark creatures, but she had not found a way to get them yet. Professor Hagrid would probably know, so she decided to speak with him while she remembered. As she left, students were still trickling through the halls, many with long faces.
"Professor Krum gives so much work! How does he expect us to complete it all by the next lesson?" said a girl who was holding a large book bag. Fifth year, no doubt. She sympathized, but was glad she never had to take O.W.L.s again. So, Professor Krum…That had to be the name of the Potions master. He must be related to the Bulgarian Quidditch player Krum, the former player actually. She intended to ask him some questions, but that could wait a day or so. There was some time before dinner, and she needed to speak with Professor Hagrid.
It was not difficult to find her way down to his hut, having gone this way for a couple school years. If anything, the hut had only gained more interesting objects, half probably contraband. When she knocked on the door barking came from more than one dog within. "Be quie' an' let me through." The large door swung open to reveal two young boarhounds, and the massive Professor Hagrid. "Oh, Professor Stephens, what can I do for yeh?" He did not step aside to allow her entrance to the hut, which often meant a person was on the defensive.
"I received the position here without much notice, so I have not had time to acquire the creatures necessary for my lessons. Right now, I only have access to the grindylows, but I need more than that to teach. I was hoping you could help me get some hinkypunks and pixies, perhaps a few different spiders as well. The higher years deal with spells on the whole, but my younger students need some experience dealing with non-human foes." Hagrid looked her over.
"Yeh goin' to be killin' any of them?" he asked quietly.
"No! No, of course not. Defensive spells only. I cannot guarantee that they will not be hurt, but I am very good at repairing wings and limbs. I will make sure the students have successfully performed the spell on a dummy before performing it on an actual creature. I remember when Professor Eirns brought pixies in for the first time, and he told us that we would not be casting anything on them until we were ready. A few people argued, thinking they were ready…They blew up the dummy. So, I'll do my best to keep them from permanent harm."
Hagrid looked her over and then stepped to one side to let her into the hut, bursting into wild stories about his experiences as soon as she entered. He seemed happy.
…………………………
Dinner was very lively, and she recognized some of her students busily chatting with others; she sincerely hoped they were saying good things about her lessons. As she ate, she noticed that Professor Krum was stealing glances at her with a very concentrated expression. Every time she turned her head, however, he went back to eating as though that was his goal in life. The way he looked at her was not childish, but rather determined to discover something. When dinner ended, she followed him until they were alone in one of the halls. He spoke first.
"Why would anyone want to assume your form?" He did not say so cruelly, just quizzically. A hint of a Bulgarian accent colored his voice.
"I don't know. It's possible they grabbed a hair at random and just took whatever shape they could get, assuming they used a Polyjuice Potion. If they picked me specifically, then I have no idea. I'm an Auror, but I've never been threatened by a third party, just by the criminals themselves. Perhaps someone dislikes Aurors in general, and wanted to tarnish their reputation by turning one into a criminal. There are so many theories about this that, until we find the person who did this, I am unable to give a direct answer." She paused, but he did not speak. "If any ingredients go missing from your stores, please tell me. Polyjuice Potion isn't the only thing to worry about." He nodded and continued down the hall, disappearing around the corner. What a strange man.
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Damn, she's gotten hot, thought Albus Potter as he woke up the next morning. Raia Stephens had been a fifth-year when he first started at Hogwarts, and he had found her mildly attractive at the time. She had sat a few seats down from him at the Gryffindor table, so he saw her regularly. Now, four years after she graduated, she looked roughly the same, but his mind had changed. At sixteen, he now realized how pretty she had been during Hogwarts, but he had barely been a teenager for a year when she left the school. He was not the only one to notice.
James, his older brother, had noticed and made a habit of telling anyone who would listen that Professor Stephens had kissed him during his fourth year. Actually, he had run up to her in the common room one day and kissed her juvenilely before retreating to his room for the next two days. Albus hoped Professor Stephens heard the rumor by the time James had his first lesson in her class, for he had heard the rumors that she upended a few fifth-years for not doing what they were told. The seventh-year lessons, however, did not begin until tomorrow.
Albus, however, being a sixth-year, had Professor Stephens today, and was thoroughly looking forward to it. His class was scheduled for the afternoon, however, so he would not be seeing her for a few hours. Meanwhile, he had to sit through Professor Binns' lesson, and Professor Krum's lesson. Neither professor really bothered him, though Binns was boring as all hell and Krum gave way too much work. After lunch, he had Professor Longbottom and finally Professor Stephens. It was going to be a long day.
Binns gave them a report on the Muggle and wizard interaction laws, set at fifteen inches and due next week. Krum took them through a tedious lesson about multiple poison antidotes, and told them to be able to identify the hundred most common poisons by the next lesson. By lunch, he felt as though he would never see daylight again, not after all the work he had been given. And he thought classes were supposed to get easier after the O.W.L.s; that's what his brother always told him, but then again James only received half as many O.W.L.s as he did and was not taking quite as many classes.
He felt better after lunch, learning that most of his other professors were not giving much work at all. Herbology was actually fun, and the only homework was to check on their Sleeproot once a day until the next lesson. Now it was time for his Defense Against the Darks Arts lesson, and he made sure to arrive on time. Other students seemed to think along the same line and arrived just as promptly as he had. By the time Professor Stephens took roll everyone was sitting upright and gave her their full attention.
"Please stand up from your chairs, push them in, and take out your wands," said the professor, flicking her wand and placing the chairs and desks to either side of the room when everyone complied. "Pair up and spread out. We will be reviewing spells that you should have learned during your fourth and fifth years." When groans came from the students, she added: "If you can perform the spells properly, this should take no longer than half the class period. However, if I see flaws, we will continue to do these spells until you get them right. Now, pair up quickly."
Albus partnered up with Rose Weasley, and stood very silent until Professor Stephens gave out instructions. "We will begin with the Shield Charm, which is a standard fourth-year spell, at least in my opinion. Now, so that no one is hurt…" Another flick of her wrist and the room became heavily padded. "I will be walking around and assessing everyone's actions. If I see that most people have the spell down, we will continue. If not, we will stop for proper instruction. Begin."
He held up his wand, readying himself for Rose's jinx. As soon as she moved her wand, he yelled "Protego!" which sent his partner a few feet back and onto the floor. Around him, other students were performing the same as he had, yelling the Shield Charm and sending their partner's flying about the room, some going so far back as to hit the walls. Professor Stephens was walking around, smiling and raising an eyebrow when someone sent someone against a wall, quickly containing her approval and making sure the student was alright.
After about five minutes of this, Professor Stephens called an end to practicing the Shield Charm. "Very good. Now, we will-" A loud crashing sound came from the large window to the left of the professor's desk. Glass flew everywhere, but he couldn't see what caused the window to break.
………………………………
As the glass sprayed harmlessly to the stone floor, Raia saw the leathery, skeletal figure of the thestral. Something was odd about it, however, and she heard why.
"YOU CANNOT PROTECT THEM! NO ONE CAN PROTECT THEM! I SHALL HAVE THEM AND I WILL FEAST ON THEIR SOULS!"