Harry Potter and the Professor Position

by Starrynyte04

What happens when Fred and George play a prank on Umbridge? This seemingly small event will trigger many unexpected consequences in the lives of Harry Potter and his friends. Introducing Professor Potter! Soon, everything will change. Things aren't black and white. And truths don't stay hidden. UPDATED

2. The First Class

AN: You guys have no idea how long it took me to figure out Harry's schedule. Luckily, I got a lot of help from "Hogwarts Timetable - muridae. co. uk." I used that as the basis of the class schedule if anyone is curious, though I did make a few minor changes simply for the fact that students need time to travel between classes. Not to mention that Harry's Monday lessons are laid out in the book and they are completely different than what's on that chart, so I kept to the book. I actually made an excel chart of both Harry's 5th year class schedule and his teaching schedule, which I will try to find a way to share with you all. If anyone has any suggestions how to do that, let me know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.

...

Chapter 2: The First Class

…

As the next day was Thursday, Harry had an hour in between Charms and Potions. He used this time to go see Professor McGonagall in the Transfiguration classroom before the next class began.

Professor McGonagall smiled proudly at him when he told her that he agreed to teach defense.

"Very good, Mr. Potter, or I should say, Professor Potter," she said. "Do you have time now for me to show you to your office?"

"Yes, Professor. I have Potions at 10," Harry replied.

McGonagall nodded. "Follow me," she said briskly and she swept out of the room with Harry trailing along behind her.

McGonagall led him to a door on the third floor just a couple halls away from the defense classroom.

"Before we enter, you must set a new password," said Professor McGonagall.

Harry raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment before he smiled.

"Do you have one in mind?" asked McGonagall.

Harry nodded. McGonagall tapped the door twice with her wand and looked expectantly at Harry.

"Thank you, Gred and Forge," said Harry with a wide smile.

McGonagall rolled her eyes in exasperation, but walked through the now open door.

"This office hasn't been used in quite some time, but I had the house elves fix it up for you. I had a feeling you would agree to the position," Professor McGonagall said as Harry looked around.

It was a spacious, rectangular office with two wide windows on the long wall opposite the door. To the left of the door was a large wooden desk, on top of which were a candelabra, ink pot, and quills in a stand. A comfortable looking chair sat behind it facing two other straight-backed chairs. On either side of and slightly behind the desk were empty bookshelves. One was situated on the far wall, placed between the left wall and the first window. The other lay opposite it on the same wall as the door. On the right side of the room was a small sitting area with a large floor rug. There was a small couch winged by two armchairs with a low table in the middle and a large stone fireplace taking up most of the right wall. The wooden furniture were all dark, but the fabrics were a warm cream and the rug a dark red. The windows provided a lot of natural light that illuminated the light stone walls, and the iron chandelier would illuminate the room at night.

Altogether, it looked like a very comfortable office to work in. Harry turned to Professor McGonagall.

"It's brilliant. Thank you," he said sincerely.

Professor McGonagall smiled warmly at him, and Harry couldn't help but think that he might have seen Professor McGonagall smile more than any other student now.

"You're welcome, Harry. I know that you will do a fantastic job, but if you need any help at all, you can come to me."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said again.

McGonagall nodded once. "Also, Harry, as we are now coworkers, you may call me Minerva outside of Transfiguration."

"Oh," said Harry, slightly taken aback. "Er, if you're sure…Minerva," he said awkwardly. It would definitely take some time to get used to that, thought Harry.

Minerva smirked, guessing what Harry was thinking.

Harry suddenly remembered what Hermione had said yesterday. "Um, Minerva, I was thinking last night. Surely when the Ministry learns I'm teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, they aren't going to like it. Wouldn't they try to put in their own professor?"

McGonagall's lips thinned. "Do not worry about that, Harry. Professor Dumbledore thought the same thing and has found a solution to the problem. All you need to worry about is preparing for your classes. The Headmaster will announce you as the temporary Defense teacher on Monday at breakfast."

Harry left soon after for Potions, where he whispered to Ron and Hermione about his new office. Harry could tell Hermione was a little jealous, until he told her that she could use it anytime. She smiled her thanks until Harry told her the password to get in.

Ron snorted in amusement when he heard and ended up stirring his potion too much, making it give off toxic fumes and receiving a zero for the day.

…

Starting that night, Harry was busy catching all the way up on schoolwork before planning for Monday. He made liberal use his new time turner, trying to get used to the fact that he was in two places at once. He spent much of his time with Ron and Hermione in the Common room doing his homework, but would head to his office before each meal to go back and spend that time alone.

As Hermione had suggested, Harry had asked Dobby for food anytime he got hungry and also got used to napping during the day. Harry's office quickly became essential to him. He started filling his bookshelves with his defense books after he had skimmed through them for ideas on what to teach. Minerva had provided him with past professor's lessons plans, and Harry drew his own based mostly on Professor Lupin's.

Harry was initially dejected when he looked at the sixth and seventh year syllabuses. While he knew or could quickly learn a good half of what was planned, there were some spells and defensive theories he'd never even heard of, and he spent Saturday morning second guessing himself. Hermione and Ron picked up on Harry's mood at lunch and questioned him.

"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione placated. "You don't have to know everything. No one has learned anything in Defense this year. Just focus on what you can teach for now and in your spare time, learn what you don't know. Ron and I will help," Hermione said.

"Yeah mate," said Ron. "There's still loads that people can learn from you. Just ask Fred and George."

Harry took Hermione's advice and planned out four weeks worth of classes for first through fifth year, and two weeks of classes for sixth and seventh. He knew that he would end up changing some things once he discovered where everyone was on various topics.

When the monotony of planning became too much, Harry would take a break and read from the Occlumency books Minerva had given him as promised. It only took the first five pages for Harry to learn that Snape was a horrible Occlumency teacher. After reading the introductory chapter, Harry actually found himself interested in everything the art involved, which was so much more than "clear your mind."

He was immensely grateful to Professor McGonagall for scheduling his days, as it would have taken him hours to try to work it all out. Just his Monday schedule was packed full:

Monday:

8:00-9:30 – Double History of Magic

8:00-8:45 – Teach DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 1

9:00-9:45 – Teach DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 2

10:00-11:30 – Double Potions

1:00-1:45 – Divination

2:00-3:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 5

3:45-4:30 – Teach DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 4

After History of Magic, Harry would head to the defense class and use the time turner to go back to 7:45 to teach the first year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class. After that, there would only be the standard fifteen minutes between classes before the second year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class.

Harry would then continue with his normal schedule, or at least, normal after he had made a small change.

After some internal debate, Harry had gone to Professor McGonagall and asked if he could drop Divination. He knew that he would end up dropping it after OWLs anyway, and saw no point in wasting all that time when he already had a busy schedule. Professor McGonagall had agreed and had filled in his required second elective course as "Independent Study". That way he would have more time to complete his homework after eating lunch. Luckily students could chose when they wanted to get meals from the Great Hall. Breakfast was open from 6 to 8, lunch from 12 to 2, and dinner from 6 to 8, except on days when there was a feast.

Harry would be able to use his time turner anytime in the day, particularly in the afternoon, to grade assignments or finish homework while his counterpart would be in class. He would probably go back in time to nap after completing his morning classes.

The rest of the week's schedule wasn't any less complicated.

Tuesday:

8:00-9:30 – Double Charms

10:00-11:30 – Double Transfiguration

Use time turner to go back to 7:45

8:00-9:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff/Slytherin 6

10:00-10:45 – Teach DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 1

11:00-12:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 2

2:00-3:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 3

3:45-4:30 – Teach DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 3

Use time turner to go back to 12:45.

1:00-1:45 – Care of Magical Creatures

2:00-2:45 – Herbology

Wednesday:

8:00-9:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff/Slytherin 7

10:00-10:45 – Teach DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 5

11:00-11:45 – Astronomy

Use time turner to go back to 10:45.

11:00-12:30 – Teach Double DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 5

2:00-3:30 – Double Herbology

Use time turner to go back to 1:45.

2:00-3:30 – Teach Double DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 4

3:45-4:30 – Teach DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 4

Thursday:

8:00-8:45 – Charms

10:00-10:45 – Potions

Use time turner to go back to 7:45.

8:00-8:45 – Teach DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 1

9:00-9:45 – Teach DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 1

10:00-11:30 – Teach Double DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 2

1:00-1:45 – History of Magic

2:00-3:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff/Slytherin 6

3:45-4:30 – Teach DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 2

10:30-12:00 – Astronomy

Friday:

8:00-9:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 3

10:00-10:45 – Teach DADA: Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff 5

11:00-12:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 4

2:00-2:45 – Transfiguration

Use time turner to go back to 10:45.

11:00-11:45 – Care of Magical Creatures

2:00-3:30 – Teach Double DADA: Gryffindor/Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff/Slytherin 7

3:45-4:30 – Teach DADA: Gryffindor/Slytherin 3

After all classes ended at 4:30, Harry planned on taking a shower and a two hour nap in his dorm before going back those two hours and working on homework before eating dinner. He would also ask Dobby for snacks during any breaks whenever he felt hungry. He would make sure that he would never cross paths with himself and went so far as to ask Hermione to map his way around the castle.

On Monday morning, Harry felt as ready as he'd ever be, and went to breakfast with his friends.

When the whole hall was filled with students, Professor Dumbledore stood up at the head table and rapped his glass for silence.

"I'm sorry to interrupt everyone's breakfast, but I have a few important announcements to make concerning Defense Against the Dark Arts. First, for any who are concerned, Professor Umbridge is settling in nicely in a large tank in the Hospital Wing where she is being cared for by Madame Pomfrey. I am glad to announce that defense classes will resume today under your new instructor. Please welcome to the teaching staff at Hogwarts, Professor Harry Potter!"

There was silence for a beat before the Weasley twins stood up and roared their approval. Soon all of Gryffindor house was congratulating Harry. Many at Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were also applauding, the loudest being those among the DA.

Harry felt heat flooding his cheeks as he looked nervously at everyone. He caught sight of Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table and was delighted to see he looked like he'd just gotten knocked around the head by a troll.

Dumbledore held up his hands to signal for silence and waited until the noise died down. "Some of you might be skeptical of Professor Potter's ability to teach this class, but I have no doubt he will prove you wrong. To save him from your questions, I would like to say that Harry Potter will be using a time turner to make it to all of his classes as well as teach. While he is a student, that is to say, in lessons with other professors and in the Gryffindor Common room, he will have no special privileges. However, when he is teaching and in the halls between classes, he will have the same authority as a professor. If anyone is misbehaving he will be allowed to assign detentions as well as add or deduct house points. He also has an office in which you can come to him and ask questions, but I will leave it up to him to say when he will be available. Thank you, and good luck Professor."

Dumbledore ended his speech and everyone around Harry again started congratulating him and asking questions.

"No!" Harry said for the fifth time. "I am not going to tell you what I'll be teaching! You'll just have to wait until class." Dean and Seamus went back to their meals looking disappointed.

After breakfast, Harry went with the other Gryffindors to the History of Magic classroom. Instead of falling asleep like usual, Harry was too busy worrying about the class he would be teaching soon. Actually, he'd be teaching it right now. It was weird to think that at that moment, Harry was teaching a class in another part of the castle.

Soon enough, the class ended. Hermione and Ron reassured him and wished him luck before leaving for the dungeons, and Harry made his way towards his office. There, he pulled out the time turner and turned it twice, going back two hours. As he still hadn't replaced his broken watch from the second task last year, he cast a Tempus charm and saw the time was now 7:42 AM.

Harry left his office and went to the still empty Defense classroom and put his bag on his desk at the front of the class. He wiped his sweaty palms on his robe and again thanked whoever made the class schedules that the first class was with first year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

"Okay, this is fine," Harry muttered to himself. "This is just like any DA meeting. Besides, they're first years!" Harry reminded himself, nodding a bit. "It's not like they're gonna bite your head off. Better them than Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

Harry felt a bit more relaxed after his pep talk and unclasped his robe so that he was just in his shirt and trousers. A prickling on the back of his neck made him look up and over to the back of the classroom. There was nothing there except a couple of extra chairs against the wall, but Harry couldn't help but feel like there was someone there watching him. Harry narrowed his eyes at the spot. He cautiously took out his wand and started to move slowly towards the chairs. He was halfway there before a knock on the door pulled his attention away.

Harry looked back at the chairs but couldn't see or hear anyone, so decided to simply wait and see what happened. He turned his attention back to the door and flicked his wand to open it.

Gradually, students started filling in. Some looked wary and sat at the back of the class while others had beaming smiles on their faces and filled in the first few rows. Harry leaned on the front of his desk and waited until eight o'clock. Then he flicked his wand again and shut the door.

Harry cleared his throat and forced a smile. "Right," he said. "Well. Let me start by saying that this situation is much more awkward for me then it is for you."

A few in the front rows giggled.

Harry felt a bit braver. "I never thought I'd be a professor, much less one at fifteen, but let me make it clear that I am here to teach you, so even though I'd prefer not to be called 'Professor Potter', that is what you need to call me. I will not favor any student or house, nor will I put up with any bullying – in or outside of class – for any reason, be it House, family, magical ability, or wealth. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor Potter," the whole class intoned. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, first things first: there will be none of this 'Yes, Professor Potter', 'No, Professor Potter,' or 'Good Morning, Professor Potter' like there was with Umbridge," said Harry firmly. "She seemed to think you all were brainless five-year-olds. I however, know that you are quite capable and intelligent first years."

Harry could see that his words of flattery were easing some of the tension with the students who sat at the back of the class.

"If I ask a general question like that to the whole class, feel free to say yes or no or shake your heads, but I will not demand an answer. I will safely assume that you are all capable of understanding the English language."

Again, some students giggled.

Harry picked up the roll of parchment he had set out earlier on his desk.

"Now, I don't know all of your names, so bear with me. When I call your name, please raise your hand so I know who you are."

Harry quickly went through the roll and checked off all the names, taking a moment each time to memorize the name with the face.

"Alright," said Harry as he put down the parchment. "Now, you are all first years and I'm going to take a wild guess and say that none of you really know anything about defense."

Most students shook their head no, but one Ravenclaw raised his hand. Harry mentally ran through the list of names he'd just read.

"Yes, Mr. Dyer?"

"That interview you gave, is it really true?" the brown-haired boy asked.

Harry looked him in the eyes and then skimmed the faces of the other students. "Yes," said Harry quietly. "It's true. I know," he said in a louder voice, "that you've all been told I am an insane, attention-seeking liar, but I'm not. I don't want Voldemort back," Harry ignored the flinches, gasps, and shrieks at the name, "but he is. The Ministry is denying it because they are so afraid of what his return means for the Wizarding World."

"But," said a Hufflepuff named Rose Zeller, "if he's back, then they're just making everyone more vulnerable by not doing anything."

"Yes, and unfortunately, that's going to come back and bite them, which is why it is so important for you all to learn to defend yourselves."

Another hand rose in the air and Harry nodded his head at the Hufflepuff boy. "But we're just kids!" he said in distress. "What can we do against You-Know-Who and his followers?"

Harry sighed. "Alright. New rule: while you are in this class, you are not allowed to call him 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. Anyone who does will lose their house five points. I am serious about this. His name is Voldemort." Another round of flinches and yelps. "It is a name. Only a name and a made-up one at that. There is nothing to fear by saying it. You are only giving him more power. If you cannot bring yourself to say Voldemort," Harry was happy to note there was less of a reaction this time, "then call him Tom because that is his real name. Tom Riddle, who, ironically enough, is a half-blood."

"Wait," said a Ravenclaw girl. "You mean You-I mean, V-Vol…Tom, isn't even a pure-blood?"

"Yep," said Harry happily. "He's tried to keep it a secret, but it'll come out eventually. Can you imagine how his Death Eaters, made up of pure-blood bigots, will react when they learn they've been kissing the hems of a half-blood whose father was a muggle?"

Harry paused to let this sink in. "This should prove to anyone that blood purity does not matter. There have been strong and weak muggleborns and there have been strong and weak purebloods, and everything in between. Now," said Harry as he felt they were getting off track, "to answer your original question: You don't think you can fight against a dark wizard?"

Everyone thought the answer was an obvious no.

"Well," said Harry smiling. "Neither do they, and that is your advantage. You can catch them by surprise, and you don't have to know complicated spells to defeat them either. Everyone please take out your books."

The faces on some of the students fell at that.

When everyone had their books on the table, Harry picked up one belonging to a student in the front row. "This," he announced to the class. "This book is amazing, absolutely astounding, unbelievable," he paused, "rubbish!"

The students' faces lit up.

"I wish to destroy every one of these useless books, but when Umbridge comes back, she'll want you to use them. Still, while I am teaching, I will not force you to suffer through a paragraph of this nonsense. Everyone please just throw your book, that's right throw them, on the floor." The students all gleefully followed this command, and Harry waved his wand and muttered a spell that made them all fly over to pile up in a corner of the room.

"Now, today I am going to teach you a few handy little jinxes. The first is called the Finger-Twitch Jinx. As you can guess, it causes the fingers and even the whole hand if it's strong enough, to twitch. Can anyone tell me why this spell can be useful in a duel?"

A few hands rose and Harry called on the first one he saw. "Mr. Abney?"

"If their fingers are twitching, it'll be harder for them to hold their wand," said the Hufflepuff.

"Very good," said Harry, "Five points to Hufflepuff. Yes, it is hard to hold your wand when your hand is twitching out of control, which will at the very least make it harder for them to cast a spell at you, and that's if they don't drop their wand. Now the spell for this is Vellicotus. Make sure you put emphasis on 'vel'. Vel-lee-co-tus. Everyone say it now without wands."

"Vellicotus!" rang throughout the room.

"Very good," said Harry. "Now, I'd like you all to stand up and partner with the person sitting next to you. We won't be doing any dueling today, but I want you to practice the jinx for a few minutes. Stand only a few feet apart from each other. I don't want you to miss. We'll be working on aim a little later. Take turns. I'll be walking around to help anyone who needs it."

Harry spent the next half hour also going over the Jelly-legs Jinx and the Leg-Locker Curse in this manner.

Five minutes before class ended, Harry had everyone return to their seats to assign homework.

"Great class everyone. You did really well," Harry said happily. "For homework, I'd like eight inches on the advantages of not only these spells, but five other simple jinxes or hexes you can find. Please include the spell name, the incantation, and the proper pronunciation and wand movement. If you need any help, you can come to my office, 3H, just down the corridor. I've decided my office hours will be from 4:30 to 6 on weekdays and 2 to 5 on the weekends. Please," said Harry, "try to keep to eight inches on the homework. I'll accept up to ten, but anymore and I will take points off," he warned. "Class dismissed."

The students filed out of the room talking happily about the lesson, and Harry sat at his desk and called Dobby.

"Yes, Mister Harry Potter, sir?" asked Dobby cheerfully.

"Dobby, do you think you could bring me an apple and some water?" Harry asked. He was starting to get hungry.

"Of course Mister Harry Potter, sir! Yous need anything and yous just ask Dobby!"

Dobby left and returned a moment later with Harry's snack. Harry thanked him and Dobby left again.

Harry wished he could go to his office, but the next class would start in a few minutes. He had originally wanted to finish his morning classes before using the time turner to go back and teach defense, but decided that he should use the time turner only when necessary, and he really only needed to go back after History of Magic today.

Soon, a knock on the door alerted him that it was time for the next class to begin.

It was the second year class of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and it went similarly to the first year class. Harry was less nervous, and he took role before laying the same ground rules and punishments as he did with the first years. They didn't have the same conversation about Voldemort and the interview, and instead went straight to the lesson. Harry knew that last year's defense teacher, while a Death Eater in disguise, did teach the students well. Harry quickly went over several jinxes and hexes and had the students practice them at a farther distance than the first years. He assigned them to look up ten more offensive spells capable of a second year and then dismissed them.

Harry then gathered his things, locked the door to the defense classroom and left to head down to the dungeons. He caught up with Ron and Hermione just down the hall from the Potions classroom.

"Hey," he said to them, grinning.

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "How did it go?"

"Great," said Harry. "I mean, it was only two classes and they were first and second years and I didn't have to deal with the intense house rivalry, but it went really well." Harry couldn't stop smiling. This was the happiest he'd been in a long time.

Ron and Hermione exchanged smug expressions.

"Told you you'd be great," said Ron.