"The Man who did not Belong"
There was a man walking toward Hogwarts, with a curious gleam in his eye. He wasn't any sort of magical man as he didn't hold a wand, or was a breed of any kind of creature besides human. Harry and his friends have been raised to refer to his kind as a muggle, but what was a muggle doing walking toward a school strictly only for the magical arts? Surely he probably stumbled upon the castle by accident, or pushed his nose too far into things he shouldn't. No. It wasn't any of those things. The truth is, he was invited, by the Ministry of Magic themselves. Why you ask? Well hold you're horses, because you are going to find out.
He was a tall sort of man, not too tall, but just enough to tower over some. He had dark brown hair, which was greying slightly, showing off his age. His green eyes were old and dull, the color fading for years of wear and abuse. Before he came, he was told to come in with the robes and clothes they sent him. A dark green velvet cloak and ancient looking clothes under. Probably something from the middle ages but he would rather not pretend to be something he wasn't, so instead he came in his modern grey trousers, shiny black shoes, and white button down, tucked underneath his brown leather belt. The dark green tie he wore, sporting the house he was placed under, was loosely tied under his collar. He wondered, if he was a "muggle" then why would he have to be placed into a house?
He was told that the school is separated by these houses. There is a red house, called the Gryffindor's, and they were known to hold the brave and the heroic, which is why their insignia is a lion. The yellow house holds the Hufflepuffs, gentle, loving students, and their insignia is a badger. The blue house holds the Ravenclaws, wise and gifted with knowledge, their insignia is a the eagle, and finally there is his house. The green house holds the Slytherins. He was told many things about this house, bad things, and so his reluctance should be understandable. This was a dark house, to his understanding, full of bullies and wizards destined to eventually fall into the dark arts. He didn't understand why would they have such a house in the school, if they were practically expected to fail, or worse, but more importantly. What were trying to say, by placing him in this house? Was it just by chance, were they trying to send him a message, or are they planning to use him for this house? Whatever the reason, he didn't complain. They say they house you to where you belong, and if he really belongs with the Slytherins then, by God, he was going to wear it proudly.
His whole life, he had never seen a castle. He had planned, one day, to travel to Europe and see them but he never had a chance and let me tell you, no pun intended, he was enchanted. It was as big as he imagined any castle would be, and more magical then Walt Disney, himself, could have ever conjured up. It was definitely something worth traveling for. Mostly, he could have gone his whole life never knowing magic actually existed. Makes him wonder about the rest of the world and thin line between truth and fiction. As he stares at his new home, with a bit of reluctance, he now realizes all of it was real and through all the years he has spent studying history and science, he didn't know a damn thing about this planet, and the things it holds. Now is his time to find out.
He took a deep breath, gripping his beat up, grey leather briefcase, entering the school with his chest out and his chin raised high, mentally preparing himself for what he may find and the adventures he may encounter. Knowing the students and other staff may be suspicious of him, he prepared himself for what he will say when they ask him who he is and that is, "My name is Will, Will Casper, and I am a teacher." Not a muggle, or non-magical creature. He will not respond to any of those labels, but teacher, professor, or Mr. Casper, because that's who he is.
At the doors he was greeted by an old woman with a stern and authoritative glare. "You must be Mr. Casper," she says, her voice as harsh as her eyes.
"Yes, and you are Professor Mcgonagall" Will says raising his hand for her to shake, but she merely just stared at his gesture unknowingly and turned, leaving the poor man hanging.
Will followed her as she rushed inside the castle and up a very grand staircase, "You must understand Mr. Casper. Such a thing has never been done. No muggle, not even muggle parents, has ever stepped foot inside this castle, so please be patient with me in this awkward position."
He tried to keep up, distracted by the amazing detail and architect of the building. Mcgonagall finally stopped in her haste, causing Will to collide with her. "Sorry," he apologized as they recovered from the impact. She stared at him with more indifference that he thought possible, with someone you've just met.
"My job is to watch a whole school full of students who are only beginning to learn how to grasp their abilities. Now I must also watch a muggle, who has no magical abilities what so ever, unable to protect himself from the dangers of wizard normality. Do you understand my frustration?"
Will just nodded his head, understanding completely what she means.
"Then please Mr. Casper, follow the rules exactly. I have them all written down for you in this list. Here is also a list of students attending your classes and the schedules of which you will be teaching. I don't know why Albus's last wishes were for you to teach here, but he must have a reason." She calls over another staff, and that's when Will realizes she'll be leaving him, "Now I have too much work to do, so I'll hand you over to Professor Snape. Please. Please. Please. Do not give me reason to speak with you again." At that, she turned so all he could see was her back as she disappeared behind some doors.
Balancing the folders, and his briefcase in his arms, he saw Professor Snape and proceeded to hold out his hand for him to shake, but once again the gesture was ignored, and Snape just turned in silence. Will followed again, admittedly annoyed by the lack politeness this school seemed to have. It was then he wondered if they were treating him like this because he was a muggle. He should have seen this coming. It was obvious to him, they thought they were above him. Well he was going to show them wrong. He doesn't know who this 'Albus' is, but if he really was the one who requested his attendance, then he was going to stay, no matter how people would treat him.
Professor Snape lead him through hallways, and down stairs. Meanwhile, Will eyed his new home curiously. Occasionally he would stop to say hello, to some of the talking paintings, or over exaggerate in his surprise when some of the stairs would move, making Snape impatient and annoyed. Hey, Will thought, You should have shook my hand. In truth, Will was a bit of a trouble maker and was giving in to his curiosity more than he knew appropriate, for revenge of the lack of hospitality. Eventually, he dropped the act when they finally reached his room. "Dinner will be held in the Great Hall. We will expect you to dine with us as we introduce you to the students." Snape's voice was like a deep moan. Something you'd expect from a ghost or a slow turtle. "Please make yourself at home and welcome to Hogwarts." The lack of enthusiasm in his voice made the greeting sound fake, but Will accepted it anyway. I guess it didn't matter how it sounded, Will expected some kind of manners, and was happy when it was finally given.
When Snape shut the door behind him, and Will was finally alone, he decided to take a look around his new room. It was quite large, there was a large glass window, taking up most of the wall, and giving him an amazing view of a dark misty lake. His bedding were made of very fine silks and velvet, the color of his house, and he owned a large book case, over flowing with books. Though as he took a look into them, he found they were spell and potion books, and gave up on them completely. The potion books did capture his interest for a moment longer, but then he realized he would need a wand for potions too, and his curiosity died. It took until he was done packing, and the hour of dinner for Will to, kind of, settle in. It was still allot to take in but it would be a lie if he said he wasn't excited for it. In fact, if this were merely a dream, may he never wake up.
READER'S NOTE:
Okay so, I'm trying something new and it may be a little bit confusing but please tell me you at least understand that he is a muggle going to teach Hogwarts. If you understand that at least, then I didn't fail too much. If you have more questions like why is he there and what is he teaching, then that's normal. I expected and hoped for it. Anyway, please tell me what you think and please REVIEW! (Also, I'm aware that Snape died, but I didn't have the heart to keep him dead, so just pretend his death never happened. Thank you!)