Chapter 1
Harry was irritated.
After a harrowing summer with no contact from his friends, looking for every scrap of news he could manage to get his hands on to try and get some clue as to what Voldemort had been up to, he learned that his friends were living in the headquarters of the current main opposing force to Voldemort. (The only one, actually, since the ministry had decided he was apparently touched in the head and Cedric's death was orchestrated merely to give Dumbledore an excuse to usurp the minister.) Had learned that his friends hadn't contacted him for the sole reason of 'the headmaster had told them not to'. The headmaster who was ignoring him. Who didn't have the decency to even look at him during his hearing, which of course he was subjected to after using magic in self defense whilst being attacked by dementors in a Muggle neighborhood.
And now, Hagrid's missing and that toa- er, woman- who was at his hearing is sitting at the staff table. With his luck, he wouldn't be surprised if she was the new DADA teacher.
He stabbed moodily at a piece of chicken with his fork.
"Harry..." He looked up to see Hermione biting her lip. She continued quietly. "Are you still mad? You are, aren't you? I'm sorry! Really! I know it's not really an excuse, but Professor Dumbledore just made so much sense...!"
Harry sighed. "Hermione-".
"...and with you being in a Muggle neighborhood owls would just draw so much attention, and with Him on the loose..."
"Hermione-" Harry tried again.
"... and it would be really hard for you to get any magical help if something happened, so the guards really seemed like a good option..."
"Hermione!" She fell silent. Harry raked his hand through his hair and continued in a low voice that mirrored Hermione's. "It's fine. I'm not mad- well, I am." Hermione wilted. "But not at you guys! I'm just annoyed that nobody's telling us anything. I feel like I'm being treated like a child, especially by Mrs. Weasley -er, no offense Ron."
"None taken." Ron said.
Or, well, Harry assumed he had said. It was hard to tell what with his mouth full of food.
"It's just- we deserve to know." Harry continued. "It's not like ignorance is going to make the problem go away."
"Try telling that to the ministry." Hermione muttered scathingly.
"I get where you're coming from mate, really, but there's nothing we can do about it now." Ron -and he had swallowed before hand, so Harry knew for sure- said quietly, and then in a more normal tone. "We'll worry about it later. Just enjoy the feast before it's over."
Harry gave up and started eating, trying to ignore the various looks and whispers which, thankfully, were becoming less frequent as students became more focused on their dinner and catching up with friends.
Not too long after Harry had finished his last bite of treacle tart, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore started. "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students-and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too." He said that last part with laughter in his voice.
"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.
"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; our second change of staff is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher-"
"Hem, hem." Dumbledore was interrupted with a girlish cough coming from the end of the staff table. Searching for the source of the sound, Harry saw that Umbridge was standing up and seemed to be gearing up for a speech.
'Wait!' Harry thought, panicked as he considered the only new addition to the staff table. 'I was just sulking! I wasn't being serious about her being our new DADA professor!'
For his part, Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."
Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish, grating on Harry and the rest of the unwilling audience's ears.
"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"
Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.
"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.
"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.
Umbridge cleared her throat again.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.
"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering."
Harry could feel himself starting to zone out and, by the glazed looks on his roommates' faces, he wasn't the only one. Strangely enough, (or maybe not, considering she was the only one who could not only stay awake but also take notes in History of Magic) Hermione seemed to be listening attentively. And as Harry watched her lips thin and brow furrow, he could tell she didn't like what she was hearing.
"A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation-"
To the collective relief of the Great Hall, she was interrupted when the doors opened.
As Umbridge faltered in her speech, heads- student and staff alike- turned to look at whomever it was that had caused the disruption. They stared disbelievingly at the man who had entered the Great Hall and was currently walking towards the staff table.
Harry wasn't sure what he would cite as the oddest thing about the stranger.
Like most of the hall, the man was dressed all in black. Instead of robes, however, he seemed to be clad in...was that leather? He was also completely bedecked with silver and gold jewelry: bracelets, armlets, rings, necklaces- 'Is he wearing a collar?'- , even earrings. If that wasn't enough, the man's clothes and boots were covered in silver buckles and he had two belts on, one of which was covered in strange pouches.
Even his hair was abnormal. Pulled back in a spiky ponytail, it was pitch black with streaks of fiery magenta. There were flashes of gold near his face, which Harry couldn't see, as it was stuck firmly in a large, old tome.
To complete the picture, hovering in the air around the man were three...things. Harry almost assumed they were ghosts, what with the way they moved through the air. Looking closer, he could see that they had color to them, albeit all washed out pastels. They also seemed more substantial than the Hogwarts ghosts, though they're forms seemed to be constantly shifting, fading, and twisting, so he couldn't be sure. As he was watching, he observed that, as much as the details changed, the beings all seemed to prefer a delicate, feminine form with sleek wings.
The assembled students and staff continued to stare as the man walked to the staff table and sat down directly between- Harry winced- a scowling Professor Snape and a smiling Madam Pince.
Wait smiling? Harry did a double take. No, he hadn't imagined it; she was smiling. He hadn't been sure she was capable of it. In fact, he would have expected her to be biting the stranger's head off for daring to read a book outside of the library- and at the dinner table, no less! Granted, the food was long gone, but still. Yet there she was, smiling and looking at the man with a downright fond expression. Harry was beginning to question whether there was anything normal about the man at all.
The stranger was the first to break the silence that had descended since he had opened the doors.
"Sorry I'm late, Headmaster. I seem to have lost track of time." He said without looking up from his book.
"Quite alright, my boy." The headmaster said, eyes twinkling. "However, you seem to have missed dinner- do remember to eat once you've retired to your rooms for the night."
The man gave an absentminded hum of affirmation, his head still buried in his book.
Professor Snape scowled. "Mr. Muto-"
"One moment, Severus," the man cut Snape off, "this passage is utterly fascinating."
All around the hall, jaws had dropped. Harry assumed (and in some instances, was absolutely correct) it was due to the flippancy with which the man had brushed off the potions professor, but then-
"No way." Dean breathed.
At the unfamiliar voice, the man's head snapped up and he glanced around. "Ah...Is it September first already?"