He was finally home again, but the pit in Harry Potter's stomach wasn't lessening. He had taken a chance to return to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft & Wizardry after a year hidden away after Voldemort's defeat. A chance that could hurt or benefit more than just him. There he stood, pacing outside of the Great Hall and willing himself the nerve to walk through the double doors into the room that had awed and sent his stomach into a familiar rhythm 8 years earlier. The feeling remained the same, yet everything, everything, had changed.

"Harry, my boy," said a familiar voice behind him, "I have been waiting for your arrival since I finally got your owl in reply to my offer."

"Sorry that it took so long for me to get back to you, sir," Harry explained with a smile "I had a lot of things to consider. I was hoping that we could sit down in your office and iron out a few details that I didn't really want to owl about."

"Of course, Harry, but let's sit down for a nice lunch first and we can get you settled."

Eyes twinkling madly, Albus Dumbledore slipped his arm around Harry and guided him through the heavy doors into the Great Hall. Empty except for a large circular table in the front of the hall, Harry couldn't help but smile when he saw the familiar faces of several of his former professors. Students would not arrive for two more weeks, but the professors were beginning to settle back into life at Hogwarts from their summer vacations.

"HARRY!" yelled the excitable half giant who jumped up from his seat next to Professor Sprout "Professor Dumbledore didn't say you would be visiting! What a surprise this is, a surprise I tell you."

"Rubeus, Harry and I only ironed out the details last week, but he will be taking over the Defense against the Dark Arts position at my request."

"Oh, what a smart idea, Headmaster. There is not a soul who would be better at that then our Harry here."

Even at nineteen and far from innocent, Harry blushed at the compliment from his first magical friend. "Thanks, Hagrid. I'm happy to be back."

A throat cleared and the dry, professorial voice of Minerva McGonagall spoke up from the group around the table.

"Mr. Potter, I take it that you are the surprise that Albus promised us today."

Though her words were formal, her bemused smile welcomed Harry, one of her favorite lions, with warmth and a grandmotherly pride.

"Yes, Minerva, Harry is one of the surprises I have in store for the upcoming term, and I think that Harry himself will have a surprise or two to share when he is ready," muttered Dumbledore with a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

Harry nodded and accepted the smiles and handshakes from around the table as he sat himself down for lunch, which already overflowed with food. It was with this group of people who had known him since he was 11 years old that he felt comfortable and like he could be more than the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the defeater of Voldemort. He did not doubt that his status as the hero of the wizarding world had guaranteed that the school board could not deny his hiring, despite only being a year out of Hogwarts himself, but Harry knew that he would be an excellent teacher. Some of his fondest memories of Hogwarts were in the Room of Requirements where he lead Dumbledore's Army and taught his classmates to defend themselves. Regardless of his complicated and painful memories of the final battle, he knew that the defense lessons in that room had saved many of his classmates and Voldemort's death did not stop the need to teach students how to protect themselves. Especially with death eaters still at large.

Harry was interrupted from his thoughts by Professor McGonagall nudging him besides her, "How is Miss Granger, Mr. Potter? She is often in my thoughts and I have spent the last year trying to convince her to serve as my apprentice."

"Hermione is getting stronger every day, Professor. After we lost Ron, she...I guess she reconsidered what she wants out of her life and has been trying to come to terms with everything that has happened in the last year. She has been there for me in the last year like no one else. Neither of us have much left the Burrow over the last couple of months. The Weasleys wanted to keep the whole family close after losing Ron and Fred," Harry's voice trailed off still having a hard time talking about the death of two of his closest friends. Truthfully, Hermione had all but broken down after the final battle. Only pulling herself together to take care of Harry and the Weasleys. She needed more than that though. She needed to move on with her life. "I think that she might be close to accepting your offer soon, ma'am. Just keep pushing. She gets that little excited look every time you owl."

With a knowing look, the Scotswoman looked pleased with his obvious maturity gained over the last year. "Enough of this ma'am business, Mr. Potter. Now that you are a Professor here, please call me Minerva. I think that we know each other well enough by now."

"I will try, ma'am." Harry replied with a devilish grin that wasn't lost on the head of Gryffindor.

Harry enjoyed his lunch back in the castle and was beginning to feel the butterflies abate slightly. As he watched several of the faculty members leave politely to return to their offices and continue preparations for the school year, Harry smiled and trusted that he had made the right decision in taking the DADA job. He could make a difference as a teacher, but have a flexible schedule that being an auror would not allow. Merlin knows that Hogwarts is never dull, so he would be able to have some excitement in his life, but still be home every night for dinner. Hogwarts was the first home that he had ever known. Where he first learned to fly; met the people who he considered his family; where fell in love for the first and only time. This is where I want to raise my son.