The first time Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley had ever met Professor Evermoore was during Potions class, around the end of their 2nd year. The young professor had stormed into the classroom with a bang rivaling that of the crack of an apparition, eyes blazing. Her mouth was scrunched into a scowl that, by this time, had matched even Snape's.
Oh, she was pissed.
"SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE!" The tone of her voice required utmost attention and respect, and even Snape flinched at the volume.
"Get your egocentric, pompous ass back in bed, NOW!"
If she wasn't so enraged, or if this weren't the classroom of one Severus Snape, the students would have laughed. It was quite comical to watch this little witch, who stood only at five foot three, grab and pull their roughly six foot professor by his collar out of the classroom. With a wisp of magic, the door slammed shut behind them. The room erupted in noise, as the students questioned what exactly was going on.
"Did.. did that just happen or have I gone mad?" Harry turned to ask.
"No, mate. I think she's mad. Dragging Snape out of here like that? Who is she?" Ron replied.
The both of them looked to Hermione, who wore a Cat-Who-Just-Ate-The-Canary grin. Oh, that was going to be one of her favorite memories of this year.
The door opened once again roughly ten minutes later, to reveal the witch who had taken their professor. She strode confidently to the front of the classroom and addressed the class.
"My name is Reneé Evermore, and I will be Professor of Wandless Magics here at Hogwarts starting next year.
"As for my.. removal.. of your instructor, I apologize. Professor Snape, as most of you are astute enough to realize, does not take care of himself very well. At the moment, he is going through quite the case of Scrofungulus, and his stubborn sense of pride refuses to allow him to see anyone about it, I'm afraid. Professor Dumbledore expressed his concern for Professor Snape to me last week, and I took it upon myself to ensure his well-being. However, he has continuously insisted upon teaching this class and I have personally had enough of it. In any case, I believe at this point it would be beneficial for me to continue this class where Professor Snape left off- " At this, the students all groaned, "seeing as we have quite the amount of time before this class ends."
She turned to the blackboard at the front of the class, and noticed that there was nothing written there.
"He just started class when I came in, huh?"
The class murmured their agreement, afraid to rouse the anger of the woman.
"Well, then. I suppose I shall teach a class of my own, then? I daresay I need the practice. Please, put your books away, and come up to the front of the classroom." With a wave of her hand, the desks and chairs quickly vanished. Those who still sat in their chairs, including one Draco Malfoy, fell clumsily to the floor. Another wave of her hand brought forth a series of cushions on the floor arranged in a semicircle. She ignored the complaints of most Slytherins ("We have to sit on the floor?"), and she too sat upon one of the cushions and folded her legs beneath her simple tan robes.
"I expect many of you have questions about m- Yes, miss...?" She looked over at Hermione, who had been waving her hand in the air incessantly.
"Hermione Granger, Gryffindor. What did you mean by 'Wandless Magics,' Professor?"
"Well now, straight to the point, aren't we, Miss Granger. I suppose an explanation is in order. Would you like a biography as well, Miss..." She looked pointedly at Pansy Parkinson, who was furiously scribbling down notes, likely to use for gossip with the others around Slytherin Dorm. At the silence, Pansy looked up at the new professor, who stared at her with intense brown eyes.
"Parkinson. Pansy Parkinson. Slytherin."
"Alright Miss Parkinson. As I have stated before, my name is Reneé Evermoore. I am an American born pureblood, and although I see no reason as to why this makes any difference, at every introduction I have made here in England I have been asked that question. To answer your inquiry, Miss Granger, Wandless magics is a study that most of you are already familiar with. In fact, each and every one of you has used it in at least three forms already, if not more. Potions is a form of wandless magic, as is Herbology and Divination. Not to mention the experimentation most of you went through as children, before you received your wands. The particular subject I deal with is the wandless magics you have not learned so far- The fire and ritualistic magics of Africa, the air and animal magics of the American Tribes, the water magics of Egypt, Japanese Ninjutsu, Chinese Talismans, the basics of Animagus, and so on. Is this explanation sufficient?"
Hermione's hand shot up again.
"You need not raise your hand, Miss Granger. Simply ask your question."
"Where did you learn? I have never heard of any other schools besides Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."
"How did Witches and Wizards learn before these schools were established?"
"By learning from Masters."
"And..."
"And by learning for themselves. You mean to say that you taught yourself magic?"
"The idea of it intrigues you, Miss Granger, I am sure. However, not all of my magic was self-taught. Only some. Most was, as you say, learned from Masters of the different arts. I began my education at the age of 6 with an American tribe outside my home city of Las Vegas."
"Las Vegas? That's a Muggle city! I went there when I was five!" Hermione exclaimed.
"That it is, Miss Granger. You'll find quite a few magical folk in Vegas. In fact it is one of the few areas left in the world where Magic is practiced in full view of Muggles. Of course it is in limited quantities, and they believe it illusion. Muggles are quite... reluctant to accept magic as real, no matter where you go. In fact, Europe is the only place in the world where witches and wizards may use their magic freely and in relative safety. Everywhere else in the world, particularly in America, there is... How do I say this... A large population of Muggles who make it their jobs to hunt us down. They are a rather large organization which has infiltrated every corner of the globe and pervaded almost every level of every Muggle government today. They are the reason that your Ministry of Magic exists in the first place, and it was that same Ministry working in tandem with the Magical Governments of the rest of Europe which has effectively made it the last major stronghold of Magic on this planet. I'm sure you will find more and more international children coming to this school over the next few decades, as this organization begins to wipe out the last vestiges of Magic Civilization across the globe.
"It was for this reason that you saw no assistance from the International Magical Community during your first Wizarding War."
"So, you mean to tell us that you live in fear of Muggles?" Sneered Malfoy.
"Magic cannot shield you from a bullet, child. Neither can it save you when you bleed to death. Despite your discriminatory nature towards Muggles, you must realize that they are inventive and resourceful creatures whose imaginations know no bounds and neither are they restricted by the same limits as you or I. They will never run out of Magic because they have none. They will use all of their resources until they find no resources are left, at which point they will move on and find new resources. They are stubborn to a fault and they will pursue their prize without regard to its cost to themselves or others. Muggles are afraid of us, and because of that reason alone, those Muggles who do know of our existence have hunted us down. There are very few of us left now because of their consistent hunting and it would do you well to remember that fact if you ever leave this country."
"Why aren't your lips moving, professor?" Hermione asked.
Professor Evermoore looked surprised at that statement, and the class suddenly realized that she hadn't been moving her lips.
"Well I suppose it was going to come out at one point or another. Best get it out of the way now. I am mute. The voice you are hearing is an approximation of what my voice would have sounded like based upon my thoughts. In simpler terms, it is a charm that projects my thoughts. Before the charm, I communicated through Sign Language. Of course, most here couldn't understand me, and so Professor Dumbledore invented the spell to allow me to 'speak' as it were. I am still getting used to the idea. It is an exceedingly difficult charm to get used to."
"But... if you cannot speak, how do you use a wand?" Came Neville's little voice.
"I don't." The reply sent shock waves through the classroom. Neville looked upon the professor with newfound adoration.
"I have relied my entire life upon wandless magics. In the beginning, most of my magic was simply emotion-based, same as yours. When I was three, my parents decided to teach me to become an Animagus, not only to give me a form of magic, but for hiding purposes as well. It was the only 'real' magic I knew until I was six."
"What's your form, then?" Asked one Blaise Zabini.
There was a subtle shift in the air as Professor Evermoore changed. In her place was a majestic bengal tiger.
"Ultimately, this form was the reason my parents decided to move to Vegas." She continued speaking as though nothing had changed, even though her form was still that of a tiger. "Some of you may even know my father. His name was Siegfried Fischbacher, and he was a student at Durmstrang before coming to America to perform Magic." At the class's blank stare, she clarified. "Have any of you heard of the duo known as Siegfried and Roy? They're rather popular now in the Muggle World. In fact, they got a contract with the Wynn Casino about 3 years ago."
"You were the tiger in that show?" Hermione interjected.
"At first, yes. But as I said, I began my formal training when I was six. It got too suspicious when, after a year, my form had not grown to a full size adult tiger. The tigers you saw were likely other Animagi, all who lived under the protection of my father and his cover. I, on the other hand, have been learning wandless magic around the globe."
"How... How did you lose your voice? I mean, you had a voice once, right?" A Gryffindor asked.
Professor Evermoore paused. "I... We... My father and I... were attacked. When I was two. Hunters. They... crushed my voicebox. Almost crushed my windpipe, too. If my father hadn't been a mediwizard, I wouldn't be alive."
A resounding crash echoed through the walls of the chamber next door, startling all of the students and making Professor Evermoore, still in tiger form, jump to her paws. Realizing it came from the other room, which also happened to hold Professor Snape's office and quarters, she visibly relaxed and went to leave. As she reached the doorway, a massive paw reached up and turned the handle. She then turned to the students.
"Those of you who wish to leave may do so. I shall return presently."
Author's Note: Hi everybody! Wow, it's been a while since I actually published anything here. X_X In any case, here is the beginning of a story. Those of you who know me know that i don't do well with stories more than a chapter long. Sorry. In other news: this was the first story in which I had actually filled out a character sheet on my OC. Just forgot to add in the whole detail of, you know, what she looks like? Whoops. Promise, will fill in the details as time goes on. IF time goes on. Finals are coming up this week, and this was banged out in a little over an hour after studying an incredibly boring Astronomy text. X_X In any case, please, give any form of feedback you have, i would appreciate it!
Lexi