Chapter Two: The New DADA Teacher:
The first day of September had been a bright sunny day and Harry had been in a good mood getting on the train. For starters he had become good friends with Neville Longbottom who had come to stay in Grimmauld place and he had met and become friends with Luna Lovegood. She had come to stay at Grimmauld place as her father was now being hunted by the ministry for his articles on Voldemort in his magazine the Quibbler. As Sirius had room in his basement the press had been put up here and Hermione looked very smug as news of Voldemort and what the ministry was doing kept filling the magazine. Harry had spent his trip to Hogwarts with Luna and Neville and even was nice to Draco when he came to show off his new prefect badge. Harry laughed when Draco left with a confused look on his face, Fred and George were right being nice to Draco did annoy the Malfoy heir to no end.
Now he sat down in the great hall and looked up at the staff table to see who was the new Defense teacher. He froze as he saw exactly who it was, he recognized her from when she saved his life from the Dementors! It was Mary Jane Taylor the American Auror and Snape did not look pleased, then again neither did she and Harry thought it was because she was sitting by Snape. He was puzzled to see a woman with a toad-like face, short iron colored curls for hair with a bright pink bow that matched her robes sitting at the end of the table. He did not know who she was or what classes she would teach either, he tucked into his meal after Dumbledore gave his opening words. At the staff table as Taylor was tucking into her food Flitwick struck up a conversation with her.
"So are you looking forward to teaching?" He asked.
"Yea, I love being forced into doing something I really don't want to." Taylor said stabbing her fork into her roast. "Damn connections."
"Well you will do fine my dear." Flitwick said patting her arm, "you need help all you have to do is ask you know."
"Thank you professor." Taylor said smiling at him. "I feel I will need all the help I can get."
"You will need luck to survive this year." Snape said next to her.
"Yea well I did get a rabies vaccine just in case." Taylor said smirking as her commit made Snape pale, so at least one person here knew about muggles. "You know bats and all in the dungeons."
"Be careful what you say professor, I am the potions master." Snape said silkily.
"Yes I know and I am an Auror who was pressed into teaching and an American one at that."
"Yes uncivilized, arrogant and annoying."
"You are just jealous that we broke free…"
"Hush you two!" McGonagall said.
"Yes ma'am." Taylor said smirking at Snape.
Taylor enjoyed the good food, she had forgot how good magical school food could be as it had been a long time since she had been in school herself. She did not understand how muggles could make such awful food at their schools, wholly lacking both good taste and nutrition. She had been glad when she had gone to Yarrow Academy in the highlands of Colorado and did not have to either suffer school lunches at her muggle primary or brown bag it taking her own. She just hoped not all meals would be this good or she would have to up her exercise regiment to compensate for it.
The very next day both Harry and Taylor were at odds, this was not because Taylor wanted to be at odds with the boy but he had started it. She was not just a teacher here, as an outsider she could protect the boy-who-lived with out the prejudice that followed him here in England. She would treat him like a normal teen and like it or not keep him as safe as possible. He found this out quickly when he came to her class on that first defense class. He took a seat with his friends and watched as she came into the room, she was tastefully clad in a high-collared long sleeved green inner gown with sleeveless blue gown tightly over it laced that looked good on her. She surveyed the class with her intense blue eyes (contacts you remember) and put her books on the table and wrote her name on the board.
"I am Mary Jane Taylor, as you can tell I am not English." She began, "I believe in being fair to all students, your house system means nothing to me. I will take points where I see fit and give detention when I see fit."
"Professor I was reading through my book for the class." Draco said smirking, "many words are misspelled, how are we to take a book like this seriously?"
"These books are from America and had to be ordered from there as the Defense books here are lacking. You are Draco Malfoy are you not?"
"Yes ma'am I am." Draco replied smirking.
"Your mother is Narcissa Black Malfoy?" Taylor asked. "I met her, she is a very intelligent witch."
"Thank you ma'am." Draco replied.
"Oh and five points from Slytherin is it for what do you call it cheek?" Taylor said getting Draco to frown but not dare speak out, Taylor had made her point with the young Malfoy heir.
She started her lesson and noticed the students realized she was not going to be a push over as Taylor was sure the Slytherins thought she would be. She went over what the class would learn that year, it would be a combination of reading, notes and practical learning too. She was very good at what she did, she could teach as she had done a few training classes in the states, still teens were intimidating and she knew they were harder to keep in line. One such student happened to be Harry Potter who half way through the class just had to mention Voldemort and Taylor had to do what she did next.
"Professor how is meditation going to help us against Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"As far as I know Mr. Potter Voldemort is dead, gone." Taylor said a warning tone in her voice.
"He is back, look I saw him, I did…."
"Mr. Potter enough, five points from Gryffindor and detention tonight with me at eight." She said and looked around the class, "anyone who mentions that name or the fact he is back again in my classes will get detention! Do not test me again!"
Harry was fuming but did not say a word about Voldemort and the class went well after that. Harry came to his detention very angry and sullen that evening and Taylor fully was expecting this. He entered her small but comfortable office and stood before her desk fuming. She knew Voldemort was back what the hell was she playing at? He saw her at the order house and how could she act this way? He felt betrayed and watched as she cast a few spells with her wand before ushering him to a seat.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed Mr. Potter?" Taylor asked him sternly. "The ministry is waiting for you to step out of line, already they are hunting down Mr. Lovegood and if you are not careful it will be you next in prison."
"Are you threatening me ma'am?" Harry said.
"Foolish boy!" Taylor said slamming her hand on her desk getting Harry to flinch, "I am trying to keep you alive, you are not to mention Voldemort, you are to keep your head down. Do you even know who Deloris Umbridge is?"
"No ma'am." Harry replied.
"She is here to punish anyone who steps out of your ministries' way of thinking. You have to learn to play the politics Harry if you wish to stay alive." Taylor said, "you will get your chance to fight but you are far from ready. You cannot close your mind and from what I saw today you lack a filter on your mouth Mr. Potter. In fact right now you wish to know why I am adding meditation to your studies?"
"I was ma'am." Harry said calming down.
"In America it is considered very important that a witch or wizard learns to control his or her mind fully, it protects them and those around them. Now it is time for your detention, I think what I have planned might get you to think about speaking of a certain psychopathic dark lord in public again."
She lead him out of the office and down the stairs to the dungeons. With real dread Harry knew where she was taking him and he did not look forward to this at all. Professor Taylor was evil, just evil to turn him over to Snape! She came to Snape's office and knocked and his gruff reply for her to enter had her ushering Harry into the office. Snape rose his black eyes narrowing and he glared from Taylor who just gave him a smirk to Harry who was looking from Taylor to Snape and he was just smart enough to realize Snape did not know who his detention was with! Oh he was dead that was all there was to it now!
"So the golden boy could not keep out of trouble, one day in classes and already a detention." Snape said softly.
"Yea well he mentioned Voldemort and I had to you know." Taylor said, almost gave young Mr. Malfoy a detention too. He has quite a mouth on him, but even he did not mention Voldemort."
"Stop saying that name!" Snape hissed.
"Sorry sir I should follow my own rules, so here is Mr. Potter, I have stuff to do so I will leave you to do his detention."
Taylor left nearly laughing at the look of pure venom on Snape's face, it really was not fair to torment the man as he was potions master, head of house, teacher and spy for the Order. She was really just teasing him and really did like and respect him but she had to have her fun too with him. She nodded to the dwarf doing his rounds, glad the ministry had taken the suggestion to use dwarfs to guard the inside of the school thus freeing up the professors and allowing them more time to get other things done. She walked to the rooms she shared with her husband and sighed, this teaching was sure going to be an adventure that was for sure…
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
So there it is, the first class with Harry went so well for Taylor…yea right. Now she is trying to keep him alive and safe, she has to keep him from talking about Voldemort. It is simply too dangerous for him to as we found out in the fifth book. It may be harsh to give him a detention but if I was teaching that class I would do the same to Harry, to protect him. I would also be honest that he is not ready to fight, I don't believe in hiding the truth that gets people to not trust you. Harry would hate to be told he is not ready to fight at this time but its better he gets the truth than goes off and gets himself killed.
Please do review as it is the only way I get paid! :)
Chapter Two: The New DADA Teacher:
The first day of September had been a bright sunny day and Harry had been in a good mood getting on the train. For starters he had become good friends with Neville Longbottom who had come to stay in Grimmauld place and he had met and become friends with Luna Lovegood. She had come to stay at Grimmauld place as her father was now being hunted by the ministry for his articles on Voldemort in his magazine the Quibbler. As Sirius had room in his basement the press had been put up here and Hermione looked very smug as news of Voldemort and what the ministry was doing kept filling the magazine. Harry had spent his trip to Hogwarts with Luna and Neville and even was nice to Draco when he came to show off his new prefect badge. Harry laughed when Draco left with a confused look on his face, Fred and George were right being nice to Draco did annoy the Malfoy heir to no end.
Now he sat down in the great hall and looked up at the staff table to see who was the new Defense teacher. He froze as he saw exactly who it was, he recognized her from when she saved his life from the Dementors! It was Mary Jane Taylor the American Auror and Snape did not look pleased, then again neither did she and Harry thought it was because she was sitting by Snape. He was puzzled to see a woman with a toad-like face, short iron colored curls for hair with a bright pink bow that matched her robes sitting at the end of the table. He did not know who she was or what classes she would teach either, he tucked into his meal after Dumbledore gave his opening words. At the staff table as Taylor was tucking into her food Flitwick struck up a conversation with her.
"So are you looking forward to teaching?" He asked.
"Yea, I love being forced into doing something I really don't want to." Taylor said stabbing her fork into her roast. "Damn connections."
"Well you will do fine my dear." Flitwick said patting her arm, "you need help all you have to do is ask you know."
"Thank you professor." Taylor said smiling at him. "I feel I will need all the help I can get."
"You will need luck to survive this year." Snape said next to her.
"Yea well I did get a rabies vaccine just in case." Taylor said smirking as her commit made Snape pale, so at least one person here knew about muggles. "You know bats and all in the dungeons."
"Be careful what you say professor, I am the potions master." Snape said silkily.
"Yes I know and I am an Auror who was pressed into teaching and an American one at that."
"Yes uncivilized, arrogant and annoying."
"You are just jealous that we broke free…"
"Hush you two!" McGonagall said.
"Yes ma'am." Taylor said smirking at Snape.
Taylor enjoyed the good food, she had forgot how good magical school food could be as it had been a long time since she had been in school herself. She did not understand how muggles could make such awful food at their schools, wholly lacking both good taste and nutrition. She had been glad when she had gone to Yarrow Academy in the highlands of Colorado and did not have to either suffer school lunches at her muggle primary or brown bag it taking her own. She just hoped not all meals would be this good or she would have to up her exercise regiment to compensate for it.
The very next day both Harry and Taylor were at odds, this was not because Taylor wanted to be at odds with the boy but he had started it. She was not just a teacher here, as an outsider she could protect the boy-who-lived with out the prejudice that followed him here in England. She would treat him like a normal teen and like it or not keep him as safe as possible. He found this out quickly when he came to her class on that first defense class. He took a seat with his friends and watched as she came into the room, she was tastefully clad in a high-collared green inner gown with sleeveless blue gown tightly laced that looked good on her. She surveyed the class with her intense blue eyes (contacts you remember) and put her books on the table and wrote her name on the board.
"I am Mary Jane Taylor, as you can tell I am not English." She began, "I believe in being fair to all students, your house system means nothing to me. I will take points where I see fit and give detention when I see fit."
"Professor I was reading through my book for the class." Draco said smirking, "many words are misspelled, how are we to take a book like this seriously?"
"These books are from America and had to be ordered from there as the Defense books here are lacking. You are Draco Malfoy are you not?"
"Yes ma'am I am." Draco replied smirking.
"Your mother is Narcissa Black Malfoy?" Taylor asked. "I met her, she is a very intelligent witch."
"Thank you ma'am." Draco replied.
"Oh and five points from Slytherin is it for what do you call it cheek?" Taylor said getting Draco to frown but not dare speak out, Taylor had made her point with the young Malfoy heir.
She started her lesson and noticed the students realized she was not going to be a push over as Taylor was sure the Slytherins thought she would be. She went over what the class would learn that year, it would be a combination of reading, notes and practical learning too. She was very good at what she did, she could teach as she had done a few training classes in the states, still teens were intimidating and she knew they were harder to keep in line. One such student happened to be Harry Potter who half way through the class just had to mention Voldemort and Taylor had to do what she did next.
"Professor how is meditation going to help us against Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"As far as I know Mr. Potter Voldemort is dead, gone." Taylor said a warning tone in her voice.
"He is back, look I saw him, I did…."
"Mr. Potter enough, five points from Gryffindor and detention tonight with me at eight." She said and looked around the class, "anyone who mentions that name or the fact he is back again in my classes will get detention! Do not test me again!"
Harry was fuming but did not say a word about Voldemort and the class went well after that. Harry came to his detention very angry and sullen that evening and Taylor fully was expecting this. He entered her small but comfortable office and stood before her desk fuming. She knew Voldemort was back what the hell was she playing at? He saw her at the order house and how could she act this way? He felt betrayed and watched as she cast a few spells with her wand before ushering him to a seat.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed Mr. Potter?" Taylor asked him sternly. "The ministry is waiting for you to step out of line, already they are hunting down Mr. Lovegood and if you are not careful it will be you next in prison."
"Are you threatening me ma'am?" Harry said.
"Foolish boy!" Taylor said slamming her hand on her desk getting Harry to flinch, "I am trying to keep you alive, you are not to mention Voldemort, you are to keep your head down. Do you even know who Deloris Umbridge is?"
"No ma'am." Harry replied.
"She is here to punish anyone who steps out of your ministries' way of thinking. You have to learn to play the politics Harry if you wish to stay alive." Taylor said, "you will get your chance to fight but you are far from ready. You cannot close your mind and from what I saw today you lack a filter on your mouth Mr. Potter. In fact right now you wish to know why I am adding meditation to your studies?"
"I was ma'am." Harry said calming down.
"In America it is considered very important that a witch or wizard learns to control his or her mind fully, it protects them and those around them. Now it is time for your detention, I think what I have planned might get you to think about speaking of a certain psychopathic dark lord in public again."
She lead him out of the office and down the stairs to the dungeons. With real dread Harry knew where she was taking him and he did not look forward to this at all. Professor Taylor was evil, just evil to turn him over to Snape! She came to Snape's office and knocked and his gruff reply for her to enter had her ushering Harry into the office. Snape rose his black eyes narrowing and he glared from Taylor who just gave him a smirk to Harry who was looking from Taylor to Snape and he was just smart enough to realize Snape did not know who his detention was with! Oh he was dead that was all there was to it now!
"So the golden boy could not keep out of trouble, one day in classes and already a detention." Snape said softly.
"Yea well he mentioned Voldemort and I had to you know." Taylor said, almost gave young Mr. Malfoy a detention too. He has quite a mouth on him, but even he did not mention Voldemort."
"Stop saying that name!" Snape hissed.
"Sorry sir I should follow my own rules, so here is Mr. Potter, I have stuff to do so I will leave you to do his detention."
Taylor left nearly laughing at the look of pure venom on Snape's face, it really was not fair to torment the man as he was potions master, head of house, teacher and spy for the Order. She was really just teasing him and really did like and respect him but she had to have her fun too with him. She nodded to the dwarf doing his rounds, glad the ministry had taken the suggestion to use dwarfs to guard the inside of the school thus freeing up the professors and allowing them more time to get other things done. She walked to the rooms she shared with her husband and sighed, this teaching was sure going to be an adventure that was for sure…
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
