A/N:- Okay I have declared that Dumbledore, Snape, Lupin and Sirius have magically come back to life, maybe a few others too, therefore I do not own Harry Potter or any of her characters. The plot's mine and so is Jesse...
Chapter One
"That's the fourth time this week! Doesn't any school need a music teacher?"
A rather disheartened and dejected teen exclaimed to his self as he walked the streets of London. Holding out his rejected application form and CV in front of him, he scanned it repeatedly, looking for anything that would have put all the headmasters off the choice of selecting him as a teacher. Frowning, he didn't see anything that was wrong. Was it maybe that they didn't like him personally? Yes, he was rather hyper at times but wouldn't that give him the advantage of relating to students? Confused as ever he continued to walk down the cobbled street; his eyes fixed onto his feet with each step he took.
What he didn't notice was the vast amount of men and woman wearing rather strange looking cloaks and hats; they all whispered excitedly within their small huddles, words and phrases like 'Harry did it!' and 'The Dark Lord is finally dead!' floated through the air. Thinking deeply, these words didn't register in his mind. What he did notice was how hot the sun blazed in the sky. It was nearly the end of autumn and still the sun was scorching everything. A couple of beads of sweat rolled down his brow and cheek as he finally looked up, covering his eyes in the process to shield them a little from the sun.
"There must be a little cafe or bar around here somewhere? It's too stifling out here!" He murmured to himself as he licked his dry lips.
Looking around, up and down the streets he spotted a shabby bar at the corner. It looked as though it had been around for about a century! The windows were covered in filth and dust with cobwebs, new and old, attached to the corners. The windows were barred with plants growing in pots beneath. The leaves were withered and the soil was incredibly dry, it seemed that they hadn't been watered in about a century too. A single sign hung at the right hand side of the entrance with the pub's name 'The Leaky Cauldron' and a picture of a cauldron below it. That too looked as though it could have been renewed; the woodlice had definitely attacked it over the past years.
With one brow up he looked cautiously at the door, as much as it seemed unwelcoming did he dare risk his life for some liquid to cool him down?
"Well it's this or you get de-hydrated. What could possibly go wrong anyway? The place is probably deserted; I hope they have clean water."
Gulping, he clutched a little tighter onto his papers as he walked forward and pushed the door open. The noise that filtered out was astonishing. Looking around; there were people sitting together at the tables enjoying a good laugh while having a drink. There was a waitress walking around holding two full trays of drinks, he was surprised at how well she had managed to balance them all. People were walking up and down the stairs to the left greeting friends and family. The room was rather crowded at that. He was also amazed at the sheer light of the room; with those windows being absolutely filthy, the room looked brighter than it was outside. He was still oblivious to all the people wearing cloaks and hats.
Walking a little further into the room and letting out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding, his gaze finally settled on the bar itself. A man behind it was drying a glass and smiling to himself as if he was remembering an old joke or had heard some really good news. His eye spotted the teen by the door and spoke up.
"Come on in then, have a drink! There's nothing to be scared of now that old Voldy is dead. Here, have a butterbeer on the house." He shouted happily while pushing a glass with a golden frothy liquid inside.
Smiling slightly, he walked over and sat down at one of the high stools and politely took his drink. He was puzzled at who this 'Voldy' character was and what on earth was butterbeer? Looking down at the glass in front of him he was again unsure of whether he should drink it. He sniffed it and swiped a finder over the froth before quickly putting it in his mouth, it tasted sweat. What harm could it do? The bar man offering seemed pleasant enough. Taking a sip his eyes widened as soon as the liquid his taste buds. It tasted like melted toffee and the way it ran down his throat did feel like butter, so soothing. He didn't put his glass down until he had finished every last drop! Taking a deep breath after he licked his lips and smiled widely at the bar man.
"Thank you so much! I really needed that." He spoke appreciatively, still gasping slightly.
"You're welcome boy! By the looks of it you really did need that; it was like you've never had a butterbeer in your life. Almost like a muggleborn having his or her first drink." He replied jokingly while giving a short chuckle.
Playing along with the old man he gave a small forced laugh, trying to keep his confusement as concealed as much as possible.
"Now what had you frowning when you entered the place, mmmm? This is a day for celebrating! You shouldn't be that depressed now that the war is over."
Thinking that the old man had long-term memory loss he just shook his head but held a suspicious eye towards him. Did he really think it was still World War? It was no wonder he thought that considering how the place looked with a coat of armour on the wall and an old record player in the corner.
"No, it's not that. It's just...I've been looking for schools that are hiring teachers. I can't seem to find a place that will accept me." He deflated slightly resting his chin on his folding arms.
"Mmmm, I think Hogwarts is actually looking for a few actually. Since a few poor souls died in the war they need new teachers to continue on or else the school will shut down. Aren't you a bit young to be teaching?" He asked looking at him suspiciously.
Feeling that familiar annoyance creep up from inside him he blurted out, "I'm not as young as I look you know! I'm nineteen years old in a couple of days, I'm just a little small for my age. I graduated a few years ago so I'm quite capable of teaching!"
"I apologise, I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought tha-"
"I was pulling your leg like everyone else I come across, it's fine, and I'm used to it by now. Anyway, so how do I contact the school?" He said with a slight scowl.
"Well you can borrow an owl and write a letter to the headmaster or you can take one of the pink slips from over there on the wall. That should take you right to it. It's not far from here so you'll be able to get there with ease."
This time he just looked at the man as though he was insane. Owls? Really? Taking the better - and more sane option - he walked over to the wall that held the pink tags, reading over the job description;
Teachers Wanted! If you have any experience with children and are skilled in a certain subject then please contact Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore, either through floo, owl or by taking a tag below. When you have written your name on a tag it should portkey you to the school. Thank you.
Was this some sort of joke? Hell, it was funny the first time and maybe the second but that bar man really needed psychiatric help. Well he had played his game up till now so he might as well continue. Maybe if he wrote his name and address on the tag that they would find it and give him the details. He was desperate, even though there was that voice at the back of his mind telling him that this is some sort of scam. Grabbing the, quill? He shook his head as he began to right his name in his usual neat and cursive writing.
Jesse Azric
But before he could even start to write his address an unfamiliar pull in his stomach began as he was taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Do you think it's wise, Dumbledore? Putting up portkeys around Diagon Alley like that? Remaining Death Eaters could take one and be ported here!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, nearing hysterics.
"Do not worry Minerva; they have to write their name on the portkey before they are sent here. Each name is monitored closely so if one does write his or her name on it and they appear to be a Death Eater or have the morsmorde mark, they are sent to the ministry." He spoke gently, trying to soothe her.
"But there are other people to worry about, what if the person writing their name on the tag was a-"
Suddenly there was a loud cracking sound before a familiar teen fell onto the floor in a painful looking heap.
"-muggle."
Wincing as he attempted to stand up right, his eyes went wide as he realised he was in a completely different room altogether. Rubbing his neck as he stared at the moving pictures on the wall with his eyes wide, he began to turn round, trying to take in everything he saw. The pictures stared back with their eyes slightly wider than his with their jaws slack. Books were flying through the air, tempting anyone to try and reach for the knowledge they contain. If it wasn't for Professor McGonagall's firm cough to catch his attention, he would have stayed in the state of shock all day just staring at everything within the room.
"Holy squirrel!" He shouted, her cough making him jump.
Spinning around hastily to face whoever was in the room with him; he found an old man with the biggest – and most silver – beard he had ever seen sitting down behind a desk with one of those rather weird and pointy hats on his head. His eyes held a mysterious twinkle but they were warm and inviting. Beside him stood a rather stern-looking woman that had a rather prominent frown on her face. She too was quite old looking and wore a pointy hat as well. Her eyes seemed blank from any emotion at the moment and Jesse winced when looking at them.
"Ummm, not to be rude or anything but...Where the hell am I!" He shouted again, panicking.
"My dear boy, you are at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! My name is Albus Dumbledore and it appears that there may have been some sort of mistake. You are a wizard are you not?"
Looking deadpanned he replied, "No, I am not a wizard therefore I guess I shouldn't be here!" 'Damn it, that's the fifth time this week I've been rejected!'
Turning around and heading for the door when he stopped in the middle of his tracks and turned back around frowning, facing the old man again who had a mischievous smile on his face.
"How exactly do I get back? Since I sort of...well...teleported here?"
"We can send you back home soon but first, I'd like to know how you managed to receive a tag. Where did you get it?" He asked, curious.
"Well I went into the pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron' and the bar man said that you were hiring teachers and so I took one of those tags and wrote my name on it. I was transported to this room, which was extremely uncomfortable! How can you stand to travel like that, it took me a lot of effort to not throw up! And, well, you know the rest." He ended rather bashfully.
"Mmmm, Jesse is it?" He asked, looking at the tag in Jesse's hand, "Do you have any unusual talents?"
'Lie through your teeth Jesse, lie through your teeth. He doesn't know, does he?' "No sir, not really."
Jesse suddenly felt a tightening pressure at the front of his mind; it felt as though his brain was burning slightly. He could feel someone trying to push in; trying to see what was running through his mind. 'Oh no you don't! No one is seeing my mind without my permission!' Throwing the person away from his mind he swayed slightly while holding his forehead. Glaring at the man in front of him, it took all of his self control to not shout at him.
"That was rather rude, you know? I like to keep my thoughts to myself!" He strained, a gasp leaving the other professor's lips.
"I'm sorry Jesse but it was only for caution, especially after recent events. Now, out of curiosity, what exactly do you teach?" He spoke calmly, there was no way Jesse could stay mad at him for long.
"I teach Music Studies, I, uh, have a talent at being able to play any instrument that I hold. I know that I'm the wrong kind of teacher that you need so I don't know why I'm telling you this. I should get back soon, I need to feed Naya and let her out." He almost whispered looking even more dejected that he did earlier. An uncomfortable silence overtook the room until the old man spoke again.
"Infact, I think we might just have a space for you."
Both him and the other Professor gasped and stared incredulously.
"You can't be serious Albus! He looks barely old enough to teach and nearly half the school will be distraught to have him as a teacher. He's a muggle, Albus! Music is not a magical subject and with him being the only teacher, that puts too much pressure on the poor boy!"
Getting more riled up by the second he clenched his fists to the point that they were turning white. Professor McGonagall seemed to stop speaking when she sensed a rather deathly and dark aura drift towards her. Turning to look at Jesse, she cowers slightly at his glare.
Dumbledore turned to face her and argued his point, "Nonsense Minerva; he will do fine as I will assign him to only teach the seventh years and the others coming back to finish studying, it appears that we have a new year time, eighth year. You can't deny that this will help them to relax, especially after fighting in a war. It will give them time to heal emotionally and having a teacher around their age will benefit them in the long run. So Jesse?" He turned to face him now, "Are you willing to take up the responsibility to teach students around your age in a magical school?"
Jesse began to think, deeply. What would happen to him if he taught at this school? Would have the student body hate him for being a what's-it-called...muggle? If they have never taught music before how was he supposed to get all the recourses? But then again they could magic an instrument to appear couldn't they. How would he arrive? How would he get home? Was he supposed to live here? There were so many questions running through his head that he didn't know what to decide. He felt the burn at the front of his mind again but this time he let it enter.
Dumbledore began to recite the answers to all of his questions, almost if he was in a hypnotic trance, "You would do exceptionally well here at this school and I'm sure the students will be glad to have a fair and more hip teacher. There is a room called the room of requirements within the school so everything that you need you'll be able to get there. If you'd like to stay within the school grounds I see no problem to it but we will have to get a room ready. But if you have a certain someone that you wish to stay with then we can arrange travelling arrangements."
At that last part Jesse turned a little red with embarrassment, he wouldn't mind staying here, just as long as he had his Naya with him.
"I'll take the job. So when does school start?" He agreed reaching for a hand that Albus offered to shake.
"School starts in three days but I'm sure you'll have enough time to get together a rough plan."
It was then that Jesse, for the first time being within the magical world, fainted.
