Angel Laughter: Year One
First at Hogwarts
The castle is like a big labyrinth and Harry freely admits he gets lost more often than not especially during his first week. He is not the only one, he finds. His fellow first-years are plentifully late to lessons for not finding their respective ways from wherever in the castle they have been previously. Dutifully, he deals with it, occasionally asking for directions from older years and generally leaving much earlier to upcoming lessons, taking the time Ron and he will be lost into account and steadily keeping in mind that they'll know their way around soon enough.
When one day he meets a smiling someone looking like they belong to the higher years and who is just as lost as he is, this believe takes a staggering blow, making him wonder for the rest of the day if it is possible to make a map of a place that has moving staircases and whatnot.
Then he has History of Magic for the first time and he sits stupidly in his chair for a few moments when minutes after the lesson has begun it finally sinks in that the person he has believed to be a lost student is in fact his teacher. Consequently he broadens his newly acquired magical horizon some more, considering their teacher looks to be at the end of his teen years, twenty at most. Now that Harry really looks and isn't worried about upsetting strict Professor McGonagall by being late again, he finds that nothing about the teachers seems even remotely normal enough to be a student.
He reminds Harry of the ghosts he is still getting used to with his white hair and gray eyes. Were it not for the presence given to him by his eccentric black robes and the red, almost black scar running down the left side of his face Harry might have thought him just that despite the apparent solidness.
Professor Allen Walker he is called and when asked replies that of course he is a bit older than he looks, seeing as it his job to teach them history.
.
He learns that both the teachers of Defense against the Dark Arts and History of Magic are new and are teaching for their first year. Previous to Professor Walker, he hears, a really boring ghost has been teaching and that the general consent is that anyone is better than the now twice-late Professor Binns.
It goes along with the gossip chain of Hogwarts and Harry thinks that he doesn't care either way who is teaching him as long as it isn't another Snape. He can't really imagine anyone being so boring that he can't focus on what is being taught, though.
Maybe, he thinks, the rumors are just overly exaggerated, but when he mentions this thought to Ron, the second youngest of many siblings replies that, no, really Binns has been that terrible. Even Percy says so.
Harry chews on his lunch, hoping the despicable Potions' teacher be replaced as well.
.
The young teacher insists on being called by his first name with the title attached, saying he doesn't want to feel old and thinks that students who are almost visibly at the same age will find it easier to respect him when he doesn't demand of them to address him overly formal.
It's not that Harry doesn't see the point as were it not for the lack of school uniform Professor Allen would definitely pass as a student, but he does feel awkward about addressing a teacher by first name.
.
It is at Halloween that Harry notices something else about Professor Allen.
As they stand in the destroyed girls' toilet, a troll behind them and teachers all pale to some degree, either worried or angry, it is the youngest of them only who still smiles. It is directed at the three Gryffindors and Harry thinks that at least one of them isn't angry with him and his friends.
In hindsight he finds that smile a bit odd; too calm, too natural, like the smile he always gives when someone has answered his questions in class. It is as if Professor Allen alone is not affected by the chaos rankling throughout the castle.
It worries him a bit; it doesn't fit with what Harry thinks of the Professor usually. But he supposed that everyone is different and that the Professor probably worries in silence when he doesn't have to see to it that he keeps the authority assigned to him despite his young age.
.
He is walking around with his father's invisibility cloak, strolling through the castle at night on his way to the special mirror. It has been some time since he has gotten lost, but as he chooses different ways leading to his goal every night, climbing up and down previously unknown staircases he wonders if he really will know the castle one day, or if he will have to search his way through it till the end.
"Who is there?"
Under his cloak, Harry startles. Accidentally his way has leaded him close to the History of Magic classroom. Professor Allen is standing in front of it. In the darkness of night he looks more than ever like a ghost. His hair is almost glowing, catching the faint moonlight and dark clothes make him seep into the shadows.
Most startling is that for one he isn't smiling, expression set in something neutral, while his eyes have a gleaming sharpness to them that Harry is uncomfortable with.
When he doesn't answer the professor sighs, folding a gloved hand over his eyes. For some reason Harry is frozen to the spot, unable to move his gaze away from the kind teacher and a chill crawls up his spine.
Just as suddenly the sensation leaves, and the professor is smiling in Harry's direction. "Shouldn't you go to bed, Mr. Potter?"
Despite the softness of the voice Harry hears a coldness in it that makes him ill at ease and something that feels a bit like fear forms a lump in his throat.
It is the Professor that leaves first, turning right back around into his classroom.
Harry still runs, imagining soundless hands reaching for him.
.
In the following weeks Harry has his hands full figuring out the secret of Hogwarts and its connections to Nicolas Flamel and suspecting, that he pays his strangest teacher not much thought.
Plus, he can't really look at Professor Allen and remember that fear without feeling ridiculous, though the nightly terror he experienced stays with him.
Telling himself to worry about the other young professor when he can be sure Snape is no longer within reach of immortality, Harry puts it from his mind.
.
He is whispering with Ron about Norbert and occasionally the Stone when weights fall down on both their heads. They startle, hesitantly looking up the smiling face of Professor Allen.
"What is so important that it couldn't wait till after class?" While the professor asks lightly, Harry cannot help but flinch. "Or is it that I bore you with ancient revolutions and Merlin?"
They are silent.
The professor's mouth is curled upwards.
"Please stay after class."
Hermione glares at them.
.
Professor Allen, nice as he is, is very strict. He does not tolerate talking in class at all. Punishment for doing so is strenuous. It is, according to Fred and George, so boring and so long it is the better choice to just stay quiet for the duration of the lesson. In exchange the teacher usually doesn't take points, though.
History of Magic is the only subject where students do not talk to each other. At all. If communication is needed then it occurs via ink and paper, risking the chance of the professor intercepting it.
Harry and Ron stand before his desk, waiting, denying they feel nervous. It will be their first detention.
"Well," the white haired teacher asks, eyes smiling."What is so important that it you couldn't help it?"
They shift guiltily, and Harry's mind imagines telling the teacher the truth and thinks it would only land them in even more trouble.
On the teacher's head, his snitch-pet opens its mouth, revealing sharp looking teeth in an evil grin.
Maybe, Harry thinks, it is the teacher's pet that keeps everyone silent in class.
"Timcampy seems to think that raising an outlawed dragon in place with students is a bad idea."
They jump with guilty looks, and half formed denials and excuses almost leave their lips when the professor starts laughing with an amused chuckle. "I'm kidding, of course." Then, mistaking Harry and Ron's wide eyes as an expression of incomprehension, he continues, playing with his pet, still smiling at them. "Who would do such a thing?"
Chuckling once more, he waves them off, expecting them back after dinner for detention.
.
"He knows," whispers Harry furiously to Hermione, the shock still not having worn off.
"He said he was kidding, didn't he," Hermione whispers back over lunch.
"But he knows. Hagrid must have let something slip," Ron adds, eating.
The lone girl sniffs. "Not necessarily," she says. "Just think about it. Raising a dragon here at Hogwarts is implausible enough to be a joke." Hermione certainly seems to think it such. "Just think. In a wooden hut."
They consider this, and Harry has to agree Hermione's point holds some merit. "But he was spot on."
"Well, maybe he overheard you talking in his lesson," she hisses and, hoping she isn't right, Harry can only sigh at her.
Timcampy, like always circling through the hall, lands on Allen's shoulder.
AN: this little piece of work is inspired by The New Teacher by Corkboard and will cover all seven years.
I intend this to be mostly from Harry's point of view, leaving knowledge about Allen implied.
Please leave a review and tell me how I'm doing with this.