A/N: Here we go! Latest chapter. Let me know what you think guys!
Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter or Soul Eater
Hogwarts
It was finally done. After a couple of months of intense preparation, he was both physically and mentally ready to truly begin his mission. Stein had packed his bags, full of books and robes and other useful items. He had his new wand, which he stuffed in one of his lab coat's oversized pockets.
Earlier that month he had sent off the owl with a list of books he had recommended his future students to purchase. It was probably for the best that he did it quickly; before he tried to dissect that owl to figure out how it had such a good sense of direction.
A bag in each hand, Stein stood in front of the mirror in Justin's Death room, the young Death Scythe standing right beside him. Lord Death himself stood in the mirror with Spirit standing off to the side just barely visible in the mirror.
"You're right Stein." Death stated, "This is a worrying attitude that these people seem to have for the average human." Spirit nodded beside him. "Although, this is not enough evidence for me to make any sort of decision on what to do with them."
"I'm well aware of that sir," Stein responded stoically. "There seems to be a splitting in attitude between those who fear and detest 'muggles' and those who respect or at least tolerate them. This is just from preliminary observations. From what little I've been able to tell so far; it's mainly the pure-blood families that enforce these anti-muggle attitudes. The majority of wizards and witches are actually related to muggles in some way or another." Death seemed to consider this.
"Well that doesn't seem too bad. As long as it's not their whole society." He said in his usual childish tone.
"I do have another theory sir."
Death cocked his head to the side, "Oh?"
"According to what I read the splitting off of the wizards from the rest of humanity truly began roughly a thousand years ago. Circumstances only seemed to get worse from there on as things escalated." Stein regarded Death seriously. "I think you understand what I'm implying."
Death seemed suddenly sombre, "Yes I do Stein. It's entirely possible that Asura's madness may have had a hand in causing the wizards to separate themselves from the rest. It's always easy to persecute those who are different after all."
But then Death's joyful attitude returned, "But anyway, I should let you go and catch your train. Good luck Stein and be careful, magic is not a toy!"
"I can't perform magic sir," Stein reminded him, "but thanks anyway."
Spirit then spoke up, "Well I guess I'll be seeing you Stein," he said seriously. "It was nice seeing you again after so long." Stein raised an eyebrow. "I know, I can barely believe I said it either." Spirit grinned, "You'd better come visit again sometime!" He gave Stein a grin and a thumbs-up before the mirror turned dark.
Stein would never understand that man.
The scientist turned to Justin, "Thanks for letting me stay here for so long." He said politely. The boy smiled up at him,
"Oh it was no trouble. I learnt an awful lot from sparring with you." He extended his hand. Stein put down one of his bags and shook it firmly. "Good luck sir."
"Thanks. And remember to keep only one earphone in," Stein suddenly remembered. "I don't want to get a call from a frustrated Tezca about how you're not answering the front door again." Justin rubbed the back of his head nervously,
"I will. Tezca said he'd be introducing me to his meister in a couple of weeks. He's always talking about him, Enrique must be a great man."
Stein's lip twitched at that. It's a shame he'd be gone. He would have loved to see that meeting.
"See ya," Stein waved. Then picking up his other bag he walked through the mirror and into Kings Cross Station.
Stepping carefully over the sink this time, Stein stood in the middle of a very clean looking bathroom. Everything was shiny, the mirrors didn't have gunge around the edges and there was no strange liquid on the floor. It was utterly unlike any public toilets he'd ever been too.
'I guess they just have higher standards in Britain.' Stein thought to himself.
The door then opened letting in two chatting people. They saw Stein and both parties froze for a moment.
'Oh' Stein thought glumly. 'That explains it.' He casually waved to the two dumbstruck teenage girls,
"Hey."
At least they didn't call security on him; that would have been really annoying to deal with. But who knew ordinary humans had such good aim? Stein mused to himself rubbing his head.
Death either didn't have as great of control over the mirror teleportation thing as he claimed to have; or he didn't really understand the difference between men and women and why it mattered. Stein figured that was a conversation he really didn't want to have with his boss.
Stein walked through the station, looking closely at the number on his ticket.
9¾. So he would assume that that's somewhere between platforms nine and ten. Yes that seemed logical.
After asking a rather perplexed security guard, who kept asking about his screw, Stein learnt that platforms nine and ten were in a separate building. Hurrying onward he noticed then that the train would leave in roughly half an hour. He had been cutting it rather close.
Eventually Stein arrived at the two station. On one side of the brick wall the number nine was displayed proudly on a hanging sign. On the other side, the number ten was also displayed, as if it was mocking him.
It was never easy with these people was it? Clearly there was some sort of magical defence that stopped the 'muggles' from noticing another station. Similar to the one that protected the Leaky Cauldron.
Unfortunately, the label 'muggle' also included Stein, so he was going to have to improvise. Activating Soul Perception Stein was able to see through the magical protection somewhat.
He could sense hundreds of wizard and witch souls, but they were somehow in the brick wall right in front of him. It was like looking down a tunnel which you knew came out into a wide field; yet the wide field was invisible.
Stein scratched his head. This analogy wasn't working.
'Oh well. Time to go with instincts.'
Stein walked confidently forwards, right towards the brick wall. The feeling he was getting from the souls was getting stronger the close he went. Striding forward Stein walked on and on... and put his foot right through the brick wall. The next instant he was in another train station. There were hundreds of wizard and witch souls all around him. On a sign hanging proudly over his head was the number 9¾. Clearly the brick wall was some sort of disguised gateway into this hidden place.
There was only one platform and next to it stood a bright red and black steam train. The words; Hogwarts Express, clearly labelled on its front.
Stein marvelled at the whole experience. The train was the most modern thing he'd seen these wizards use. How on earth they managed to hide this entire secret station in the middle of such a busy city was an utter mystery. Let alone how they managed to hide the track!
Quickly getting over his amazement Stein decided he should probably go and get himself a seat, before the train filled up with too many brats. There were five coaches, with the last one used for luggage. Stein decided to keep his bags with him. He didn't want to risk the chance of anyone snooping through his things.
The train's layout was smilar to that of traditional steam trains. Instead of the more modern seating arrangement, a number of compartments, each with their own sliding door ran the length of each carriage.
Selecting an empty one near the back of the train; Stein sat down and made himself comfortable. Hopefully he wouldn't have to share the compartment with any students. Although there didn't seem to be a teachers compartment. He idly wondered why. After a few minutes of waiting Stein took out a book and began to read about the interesting creatures that populated the Wizarding world.
Admittedly Stein knew a few of them existed already, such as Dragons and Manticores. He'd fought and killed both before.
But Hippogriffs, Thestrals and Basilisks? He hadn't even heard of them!
Stein had also been doing some research into the relationship between these wizards and the Witches he was used to fighting. He'd already figured that they were unlikely to call them Witches, since that's what female wizards were called.
The closest thing he'd found to a reference to them was that of the Druids: 'A powerful magical race that vanished some time ago. Occasional sightings have been reported although none have been truly confirmed.'
Stein sighed to himself. Yeah that sounded like the Witches he knew. Most of them were holed up in the home dimension they made for themselves. Although every now and then; a few would leave to wreak havoc on ordinary people. Those were the ones that Shibusen took care of.
A sudden jolt brought Stein back into the real world. The train was moving finally. They were on their way to Hogwarts. Looking out of the window he could see a large number of proud parents waving to their children as the train sped away. Soon they rounded a corner and the station was completely out of sight.
Stein put his book down and leant back into his seat; putting his arms behind his head. How long would it take to get to Hogwarts? They were in London and Hogwarts was in Scotland. Assuming this train travelled at the speed of a normal modern train (it was magical so who knew?), then he had hours to kill.
There was no-one in sight, Stein noticed. Surely it would be alright if he were to smoke in here?
Surreptitiously Stein reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette. He looked around. There was no-one in sight. He lit it with his soul wavelength, a small spark appearing from the tip of his finger. He inhaled, then exhaled, sinking into his seat. He might as well get comfortable. Suddenly, muffled voices from just outside the compartment grabbed his attention.
"-of course no-one wants to sit next to you Lee-" one voice said,
"-even though it is cool to look at-"
"-it's still a bloody tarantula."
The door slid open revealing three boys who paused upon seeing Stein. A dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks who was holding a yellow box in his arms as well as two identical twins with red-hair and freckles stared at Stein for a short moment.
Particularly at the large screw in his head.
Hoping to get them to go away, Stein gave them a lopsided look, raised his hand and gave his screw a couple of clockwise turns.
Clank, clank!
Silence.
Then, much to the scientist's irritance, the two twins shared identical grins before grabbing the other boy by the arms and happily sitting down opposite Stein. He looked at each of them in turn. The boy with dreadlocks seemed more curious rather than scared, whilst on either side of him, each twin sported identical mischievous grins as they looked towards Stein.
"Wicked!" They both exclaimed at the same time. Stein took a long drag on his cigarette, he felt like he'd need it. They didn't seem to mind.
"I'm Fred" one twin introduced,
"and I'm George."
"This is Lee." They both pointed to the boy in the middle who also grinned. Then Lee himself spoke,
"It's not often you see adults on the train. Who are you?"
"Professor Stein," Stein said briefly in his usual monotone. "I'm a new teacher this year."
Activating his soul perception he took a glance at the trio's souls. The twins had a slightly darker shade of blue than the one in the middle. All three were lovers of mischief and rebellion, that much was clear even without soul perception. Lee clearly admired the other two and his confidence in himself was impressive. The twins were interesting as well. No two souls were exactly identical and that went for these two as well.
The one who identified himself as Fred was the more outgoing one, the life of the party, the leader of the trio. He was also the more malicious and creative one, from what Stein could see. Funny how those two traits often went hand in hand.
The other twin, George, was less cruel and more self-critical than his brother. He seemed more focused, less off balance as well. Perhaps he slightly reigned-in his brother's maliciousness?
There was another soul. A much smaller one, hidden away in the box. Probably some sort of pet. The eponymous tarantula he assumed.
After his cursory examination, Stein took note of whose soul was whose in case he ever needed to tell them apart.
"You're a new teacher?" Lee asked excited, "What subject do you teach?"
"Are you the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher?" Fred asked excitedly, "It's been ages since we had a cool one!"
He was amused at their excitement. The more malicious side of him actually enjoyed wiping the smiles off their faces.
"No, I teach Muggle Studies." Stein answered. They actually deflated at that much to his amusement.
"You don't look like someone who teaches Muggle Studies." George said skeptically.
'More thoughtful as well.' Stein added to his mental list of the two's differences.
"You'd be surprised what you can get away with wearing in the muggle world." Stein commented cryptically. He eyed their very muggle clothes. Probably so they could get through King's Cross without incident.
"As for defence against the dark arts," Stein continued, "I heard that the previous muggle studies teacher was taking over that." All three of them groaned,
"Oh not Quirrel!" Lee complained, looking up at the ceiling in annoyance.
"He's an utter joke," Fred said,
"He couldn't fight off a Flobberworm!" George finished.
Stein raised an eyebrow. So Quirrel was regarded as a useless teacher then? But Defence Against the Dark Arts was an interesting class normally? What was a Flobberworm?
"Hey look on the bright side. We get a different Defence teacher every year." Lee stated, "they never last long. Quirrel will be gone by the end of the year."
"Yeah but this year's still gonna suck." Fred said.
"You get a different defence teacher every year?" Stein questioned in disbelief, "Why?" They looked at him oddly,
"Haven't you heard? They say the position's jinxed. No-one's ever lasted more than a year for decades!" Fred explained incredulously.
"I'm from America. I've never been to Hogwarts before." And just like that, their interest in him was back again.
"You're from America?!" George asked.
"You've never been to Hogwarts?!" Fred repeated stunned. "Everyone's been to Hogwarts! Even the teachers are former students!"
That was an interesting little tidbit of information. So Hogwarts truly was the only magical school in Great Britain then? Stein breathed out some smoke in the form of a skull, eyeing the three boys with interest.
"What's Hogwarts like then?" He asked, fishing for information.
The twins spoke first, "It's brilliant!"
"Everything you've heard is true. It's the most secure and magical place in Britain!" Lee boasted with obvious pride.
"Then I'll be looking forward to teaching then" Stein said happily. "By the way, are any of you three taking muggle studies?" He asked searchingly. Lee shook his head, but the twins nodded.
"Dad made us take it-" Fred started,
"-says it's good for a career in the Ministry." George finished, both with identical expressions of annoyance on their faces.
It took some guts to tell a teacher straight up that you disliked their subject, Stein could respect that somewhat.
"But I take it you don't want a career in the ministry?" He inferred.
"No way. We'd rather have a job that makes better use of our... unique talents, so to speak." Fred explained with a grin. Both Lee and George nodded, agreeing with him.
"Ah." Stein realised, "So your talents lie in mischief-making." His cigarette finished, Stein incinerated the remains with his soul menace. The look of shock on their faces was worth it. With his other hand, he turned his screw another couple of times.
"I should give you an early warning then." Clank! Clank! He gave them a cold stare, his yellow eyes seeming to pierce their very souls. "Mess around in my class and I'll dissect you both."
The two of them froze for a moment as they processed his statement. Before they grinned again, seeming to take his statement as a challenge.
"Oh don't worry sir-" Fred said,
"-you have nothing to fear from us." George agreed with mock humility.
Stein wasn't fooled for a second. They didn't take his threat seriously. What normal kid would?
Stein just chuckled, at least class wouldn't be boring. Hmm, seeing if these two could get the better of him. It would be an interesting experiment. He had to supress a mad grin.
"Hey sir," Lee asked, surprisingly politely. "What's with the screw?" Stein looked at him, calming himself.
"What screw?" He asked with confusion in his tone. Taken aback, Lee responded,
"The-the one in your head?"
"There's a screw in my head?" Stein asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow whilst turning the screw in his head.
Crank! Crank!
"Yes, you're turning it right now!" Lee seemed annoyed for some reason.
"Oh, that screw."
"Yes. How did you forget? And why do you keep turning it so much?"
Stein gave a shrug and a slight smirk, "I guess you could say I just have a screw loose."
Both Fred and George laughed, getting the joke. Lee decided to give up. He wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the man.
"You seem a little more..." Lee struggled for the word, "...relaxed then some of the other professors."
"He's just new," Fred said wisely "he hasn't yet lost his spirit, his passion for the job yet."
"We'll see if we can't fix that for you sir." George said with a faux politeness. Stein sighed. These two eccentrics were beginning to remind him of Spirit.
"Trust me, no Professor's been the same after a lesson with us," Fred assured him with pride.
"I'm shaking" Stein said dryly. "Anyway, term hasn't started yet, so I have no reason to be strict right now." He leant back into his seat putting his hands behind his head.
"I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we get there."
He closed his eyes. Instantly their soul wavelength's changed somewhat; they became full of humour and mischief.
"Oh and put that tarantula on me or in my bags while I'm sleeping and I'll throw it, and the three of you, off of the train," He warned. "And I won't be waiting for it to stop either."
He almost chuckled at the sheer shock he could sense in their souls. He couldn't blame them, being able to read their souls like that gave him an incredibly unfair advantage. It wasn't like mind-reading, but with a little estimation it could be just as good.
He could feel their wand's wavelengths as they took them out of their pockets. Perhaps they'd use some jinx to change his appearance or something? Stein decided to let them know who they were dealing with.
He tapped his foot on the floor, sending his soul wavelength through the ground and into the boys. It was harmless. Nothing worse than a static shock. They jumped in shock and there was a clatter. At least one of them had dropped their wand.
Stein smirked, eyes still closed, "Don't even try it" he warned good-naturedly.
Their wavelengths settled down as they most likely decided to bide their time for now.
The three of them began chatting amongst themselves quietly. Mostly complaining about how they had to get the only compartment with a teacher in it. Stein resisted the urge to dissect them. But then an excited fervour seemed to sweep through the boys.
"Oh yeah! Lee you won't believe who we met on the train earlier!" Fred's voice whispered,
"Who?" Lee asked eagerly, picking up on the twin's enthusiasm.
"None other than Harry freakin' Potter!" George declared proudly.
"No way! You're joking!"
"No it's true. He's an ickle firstie! Just like Ron!"
"Did you see it? His scar?"
"Yeah!" Fred answered, "It looks just like they say. A lightning bolt across his forehead!"
"Wicked! Reckon he'll be in Gryffindor?"
"No doubt," George answered, "it's the best house after all. It would be criminal for him not to be in it." The rest of their conversation went ignored, as Stein focused on something else.
Harry Potter? That name was rather familiar. Casting his mind back, Stein was sure he'd read about the boy in one of his books. The kid was responsible for somehow destroying the most powerful dark wizard to have ever lived; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
The book didn't mention any details, only praising the boy and describing him as one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived. Stein was doubtful of the credibility of such an outlandish claim. It was highly likely that the Dark Lord, as he called himself, did something else to destroy himself rather than be beaten by a two year-old.
But still, first year. That meant the boy was a year older than Maka, his...God-daughter. It still felt weird even thinking that. What could have possibly caused Spirit to have chosen him?
Idly, Stein wondered which of the hundreds of souls he could sense in the train was Potter's. None of them seemed especially powerful. Dumbledore's soul still retained the title of most powerful wizard soul Stein had sensed yet; and by a fair margin at that. Stein sighed and settled back into his seat some more, trying very hard to resist the urge to dissect the three loud boys sitting in front of him. It would be a long journey.
When Stein awoke he stretched idly before opening his eyes. The three boys were still chatting to one another, but at a much more subdued pace now. They must have just arrived. The boys were, instead of wearing muggle clothes, now dressed in black robes with a red and gold tinge.
Outside the window the light had faded completely and the night had made it's arrival clear with the fading of a deep purple sky. The moon's leering face seemed to look down on Stein, taunting him. He adjusted his glasses. It was probably a good thing ordinary people couldn't see the moon's true face. Boy would they freak. He examined it closely. No blood leaking out of it anywhere, meaning no-one nearby had suffered a gruesome death.
"We're here Professor," Lee said looking down on him.
Stein stood up for the first time in front of the three teenagers. He towered over them, much to their surprise. It was difficult to gauge someone's height when they were sitting down. Stein twisted his head a couple of times, giving off a sickening crack as he did so. The boys actually flinched in disgust and surprise. He grinned at them, it was so fun messing with them.
"Let's go then."
He towered over the other students as well. As he disembarked and stepped onto the station he glanced around, looking for some indication of where to go. The body of students seemed to know where they were going, they all moved towards the right in a sea of black cloaks.
"Firs'-years! Firs' years over here!" A loud gruff voice reverberated throughout the whole station.
A huge man stood like a mountain amongst the much smaller students. Stein walked towards him, hoping to get some directions. "Firs'-years! Firs'-year-" he bumped into Stein, "Yeh'rr not a firs'-year, who 're you?"
The very large man was even taller than Death, standing at about twice Stein's full height at least. He had great big arms like tree-trunks and a massive black beard that went down his chest. Despite his intimidating appearance his face was full of laugh wrinkles and he had a rather friendly air about him.
"I'm a new teacher; Professor Stein." He intoduced himself politely. The man's face lit up,
"Ah, I was told about yer." He said happily, "There's some coaches over there." He raised an arm, causing some of the students to move out of the way. "Yer can take one o' them straight ter Hogwarts." Stein thanked the man then followed his directions round the back of the station.
A number of black carriages tied to strange horse-like creatures awaited him. Many of the carriages had already set off; a line of them extended over the hill towards the nearby castle. As soon as Stein got near the horse-things they turned to look straight at him. They had skeletal faces with great leathery bat-like wings lying flat on their back.
'These must be thestrals' Stein noted remembering their description from his book. 'I wonder how many people here can see them?'
A thestral nudged his hand, gaining his attention. Then, to Stein's utter astonishment, it bowed to him.
Ignoring the urge to try and rip it apart, he instead gently petted it's neck. It seemed to enjoy that. Before the temptation could become too overwhelming Stein pulled himself away and hopped into the carriage. Fortunately he was alone this time as the thestrals, who took one last longing look at him, then surged forward-pulling the carriage towards the castle.
The thestrals are generally associated with death. Only people who had seen and understood the idea of death could see them.
'But why did it bow to me? Could it somehow tell I was an agent of Death?' If so he'd have to be careful. Who knows what sort of unnecessary trouble that could bring?
The carriage soon trotted onward over the hill; allowing Stein to get his first glimpse of Hogwarts.
It was certainly impressive.
A huge castle stood on a cliff by a lake, with a dark forest off to the west. It was a classic castle, like those hear of in fairytales. Large turrets extending into the darkened abyss that was the night sky, small turrets placed oddly around the castle, lights in huge windows sparkling like stars, impossible dimensions that could only be held together by powerful magic and... was that a Viaduct?!
It was truly an incredible sight to behold.
'No wonder they're so proud of it' Stein thought to himself, 'who wouldn't be?'
The carriage seemed to somehow know he wasn't a student. Instead of taking him to where all the other students were being dropped off, it took him to an unseen side entrance. He hopped out of the carriage, ignoring the bowing thestrals -he hoped that wasn't going to become a thing- and opened the door.
Standing there expectantly with his arms crossed was another Professor. He had shoulder-length greasy black hair, a hooked nose and dark penetrating eyes similar to looking into a tunnel. The man eyed Stein's stitched lab coat with a cold calculating gaze.
"You must be the new Muggle Studies teacher," he spoke in a deep authoritative tone with a barest hint of disdain. Stein eyed him back equally coldly,
"How did you guess?" He asked in his usual dead monotone. The man's lip curled, possibly into a smirk.
"My name is Severus. Severus Snape, head of Slytherin house. If you'd follow me," he gestured, "I'll escort you to the others. Leave your bags here, they'll be taken to your room." Stein put his bags down.
"Thank you. I'm Franken Stein." Stein introduced, "But then you probably know that don't you."
Snape didn't answer, but the smugness he could sense in the man's soul was answer enough.
Hmm, weird. He couldn't get a good reading on the man as easily as he could the other wizards. The man was a very skilled wizard though, that much was clear. His soul was over three times the average size and only a few shades lighter than Dumbledore's.
Snape's black robes flowed out behind him dramatically as he escorted Stein wordlessly through the corridors. The man practically radiated authority, his students must be well-behaved.
"Forgive an ignorant foreigner for his questions," Stein said, breaking the silence. "but could you explain what Slytherin house is?" Snape eyes him with an unreadable expression for a brief moment before answering,
"There are four houses which students are sorted into. Slytherin is mine. We tend to prefer those who use their smarts in an acute sense, rather than merely scoring high on meaningless tests." He said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"And the other houses?" Stein pressed,
"They're nothing important," he said dismissively.
They came up to a large door with two gruesome-looking statues standing on either side.
'Gargoyles?' Stein wondered. They took one look at Snape and seemed to stand up a little straighter. As they brushed past Stein thought he heard one mutter, "Oh great, another freak" before the door slammed shut.
This must be the staffroom. It was a very official looking place, with desks and mountains of paper piled everywhere. There was also to the side, a lounge-like area with several sofa's and a roaring fireplace. Quite a few people were standing around there with cups of tea and coffee, the teacher's lifeblood, in their hands.
As he approached with Severus some of the other teachers looked over at them, many staring unabashedly at Stein's screw and stitches -something Stein noticed Snape hadn't done- like he was an animal in the zoo.
"Where's Minerva?" Severus asked, instantly drawing the attention to himself.
"She just left to grab the first years." A very small man answered. He was barely up to Stein's knees in height, but the scientist knew better than to trust in appearances. All the teachers in here had deep blue souls of varying levels of strength. It spoke volumes that this diminutive little man's was one of the strongest.
"You must be the new Muggle Studies Professor," the little man greeted cheerfully holding out a tiny hand. "I'm Professor Filius Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw house." Stein shook his hand, ignoring how his much larger one utterly smothered the professor's.
"Professor Franken Stein," he stated. The little man beamed at him.
"Interesting name you have there, Mary Shelley?"
Pleasantly surprised Stein actually smiled, "Yes. My parents were fans." He ignored the confusion coming off of a few of the other teachers. So he was powerful and intelligent? Stein had a feeling he'd get on well with Filius.
"Good to hear, good to hear. Anyway, we'd best all get going. Don't want to be late for the feast!" Flitwick said, raising his voice so the others would hear. He seemed to be in charge now that the deputy-head wasn't here.
There was chattering amongst the staff as they all began to move towards the door. Stein stayed with Snape and a particularly nervous-looking man with a turban as they all moved through the corridors and into a wide open hallway. Opening a small door they all emerged into a huge hall.
Four massive tables, laden with golden plates and goblets, took up most of the hall. Thousands of candles floated high up in the air illuminating the whole hall in a warm homely glow. Above even that, instead of a ceiling, was the sky. Or as Stein knew, having read Hogwarts: A History, the ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky. Right now it showed the night sky, alight with the light of thousands of stars.
The teachers made their way to another much smaller elevated table at the front of the hall. In the very middle stood a large golden chair and sitting there in the chair was the headmaster himself. He stood up to greet them,
"Ah, good to see you all again," Dumbledore said joyfully as the teachers all began to sit down. "Ah Professor Stein," he greeted warmly. "I'm glad to see that you made it. Please tell me what you think of the castle. It's so very rare to get an outsider's opinion."
"It's very impressive. One of the most interesting places I've ever been" Stein admitted honestly.
The whole castle was just teeming with magic, he could sense it in the air it was so strong. The architecture was as amazing as it was bizarre. Only Shibusen itself could compete and most of that was underground!
"That's gratifying for an old man to hear." Dumbledore said kindly. "Now, very soon the students will come filing in, then Minerva will bring the first years and the sorting will begin. Please do take a seat. There is no real seating arrangement, although tradition does dictate that the deputy-head sits next to me."
Stein nodded and thanked the man before looking for an empty seat. While the two had been talking most of the seats had been taken. Stein was left with a seat next to the one on the end with a strict-looking witch sitting next to him.
He felt like he stood out a bit. Most of the teachers wore black robes of some description. Dumbledore being the exception with his rather flamboyant ones. While Stein was still in his stitched up lab-coat and normal get-up.
No-one had said anything so perhaps he'd get to wear his normal clothes instead of the robes he bought. The thought made Stein happy; the robes were annoyingly restricting.
The door to the side opened and the large man from earlier squeezed himself through it. With a grunt he sat down on the chair at the end right next to Stein. Looking ahead Stein could see that students were entering the hall in large numbers. Students of varying ages were all moving towards certain tables like they were in a play, each knowing their table and place.
The colour of their ties seemed to determine as to which table they migrated too. Green tie's would go to the table furthest from Stein whilst the red ones would sit on the table almost directly in front of him. There was a table for yellow ties and one for blues ones as well.
'Those must be the four houses,' Stein realised. Hogwarts: A History had mentioned them but he couldn't remember the details amongst the large number of books he'd read over the past couple of months. Activating his soul perception Stein observed the souls of everyone in the hall.
As he'd expected, a number of different shades of blue across the entire hall. Although very few were larger average and barely any were interesting at all. The teachers were mainly larger than the students, except for one miserable-looking man whose soul was normal in every conceivable way.
Stein inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. If their souls were too interesting he might have been tempted to dissect them. Well more than he already was anyway.
The door behind opened, revealing the presence of a familiar man.
"Good to see yer" the giant sat down beside him and kindly clasping him firmly on the back. "err, Professor Stein wasn'-it?"
"Yes. I never caught your name however," he pointed out, looking up at the large man.
"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts" he responded happily, "But jus' call me Hagrid. Everyone does." Stein nodded before turning his screw a couple of times to get a good look at Hagrid's soul. The man only seemed slightly put-off by this.
Now this man's soul was very interesting. It was much larger than most wizards' right off the bat. Instead of a shade of blue, it was instead a sort of light brown colour, almost matching Hagrid's coat in fact. A fact that had Stein's mind spinning with what it could possibly mean.
Otherwise the man had a very courageous and loyal soul; he would never betray a close friend without good reason. Rather forgetful and kind-hearted, utterly belying his rather intimidating stature. Nothing else particularly interesting.
Stein looked back at Hagrid, deactivating his soul perception. The man was eyeing him oddly. Maybe even in this strange place, a screw in the head and stitches across the face were unusual characteristics?
"Is there something wrong?" Stein asked. Hagrid looked a little embarrassed to be caught staring.
"Yer don' mind me asking summat?" Stein shook his head, "Err, what are 'ose...things in your face?" Since he didn't ask about the giant screw nailed through his skull, Stein assumed he was talking about his stiches.
"Those are stitches Hagrid." The giant man took in a deep breath like he'd just made a sudden connection.
"Oh, I've 'erd of them. Muggle things ain't it?"
Ok so these people didn't use stitches then, Stein privately surmised.
Maybe they were somewhat behind in terms of technology or had alternative magical means to treating wounds. Then something happened that caught Stein's attention. Through the door came a large number of glistening white beings.
'What are those?' Stein thought excited, staring at each of them with interest. They looked like normal humans except they were somewhat translucent and shone with an intense silver glow. 'Are those ghosts?!' Stein thought, trying to curb his eagerness.
Could they be dissected? He'd have to find out! Imagine what he'd find!
Activating soul perception heralded some more interesting facts. They didn't have souls! Amazing! How did they function?
They had something similar to a soul, some sort of magical core that emitted a rather localised wavelength. It would have no effect on anyone or anything unless they walked through the ghost!
Stein had to supress a mad giggle. The excitement was just too much! All the things he could learn, he could find out if he dissected them! How much did the Wizards know about souls anyway?
Sadly before Stein could find out more, the large door at the end of the hall opened. Like the quiet before a storm, all the chatter ceased immediately as an old witch led a number of children through the hall.
She brought out an old stool and set it on the raised podium just in front of the staff table. Sitting on the stool was a very old and dirty ragged hat. All eyes stared at the hat expectantly causing Stein to do so as well.
What took him rather by surprise was when a tear in the hat opened up and it began to sing in a deep melodic tone:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty-" it began blaring it's song out to the top of it's magical lungs.
Stein stared at it in bewilderment throughout the whole song, wondering how it worked.
A quick soul perception showed that it had no soul whatsoever yet it was clearly alive! The song continued on unabated, talking about the four houses and what qualities each house looks for in their students. From what Stein gathered, Gryffindor took the brave and daring. Ravenclaw took the witty and clever ones. Slytherin took the cunning and ambitious ones. While Hufflepuff took the loyal and hardworking ones.
Each house had their merits it seemed. Although Snape earlier seemed to indicate there were some rivalries. All in all, nothing to worry about.
Soon the song was over and the whole hall clapped and cheered as the hat bowed to each table in turn. The witch from before stepped forward, a large piece of parchment in her hands.
"When I call your name you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She declared loud enough for the whole room to hear. "Abbott, Hannah!"
Hagrid leaned down to Stein, "Now this migh' be a bit confusin' at th' moment since yer foreign an' all. But a' Hogwarts we sort in'na four houses." He explained rather slowly.
"Why?" Stein questioned quietly as another child was sent off towards a cheering table. Interesting, the hat seemed to be able to read their characteristics somehow.
'I wonder if that's some form of soul perception?'
"Well it's tradition ain't it?" Hagrid replied quickly. "Yer see, back then the four founders disputed a bit over which student's ter teach. Salazar Slytherin wanted ter teach pure-bloods, whereas the other three wanted to accept all wizards and witches. There was a falling out as yer can imagine."
Stein nodded, he could understand tradition. He was about to ask Hagrid something else when the man suddenly hushed him,
"Potter, Harry!"
Suddenly all forms of chatter ceased as everyone craned forward to get a better look. Even many of the teachers were sitting up straighter in their seats! Was this Potter kid really that big of a deal?
A small nervous looking boy, with unkempt black hair and glasses walked up to the stool. The witch, who Stein realised must be Minerva, put the hat on him. There was silence as excited whisperings broke out amongst the students in the hall.
Stein observed the Potter boy. This was the wizard spoken of in a couple of his books as one of the greatest wizards of the age? His soul nor his magical ability were particularly outstanding. This was hardly surprising considering the boy was just barely eleven. He was gripping the stool so tightly his hands were white. The kid was terrified!
Stein sighed, looking into the kid's soul. It really just deepened the mystery as to how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was truly defeated.
Wait.
What was that?
Stein looked closer, fine-tuning his soul perception. Instead of just the normal dark-blue soul there was something else as well.
It...looked like some sort of tumour. A pale green tumour with small tendrils, resembling frayed fabric, wrapping around the child's soul. For the first time since he arrived here, Stein found himself at a loss. He had no clue what thing was. He'd never seen of or heard of anything like it before. It looked like it'd been torn away from something and had latched onto the kids soul, perhaps in an attempt to replace what was lost?
Souls could come in odd shapes and colours but this was unprecedented! The closest thing he could recall to seeing something like it was when a Witch used magic to influence normal humans. Their magic could form a sort of shape around the soul, trapping it. But this was too different, even to that.
"GRYFFINDOR!" There was cheering as the hat was plucked off of the boy's head. He quickly rushed away towards the table closest to Stein, the one with the red ties. Immediately they began cheering loudly and many of them even stood up in happiness.
Stein quickly recognised the twins he met on the train. Both of whom were chanting and making downright nuisances of themselves. Potter was looking around, beaming in relief. Stein saw Hagrid give the boy a good thumbs-up which the boy nodded happily at. The two must know each other.
Soon the house calmed down and the rest of the sorting could proceed without notable incident.
Blaise Zabini was the last child to be sorted. He must be Faye's son, Stein realised. He was even wearing those custom-made robes she bought. Stein had a horrible feeling he might be meeting that woman again at some point.
"Sorry 'bout that." Hagrid apologised sincerely, "Jus' wanted ter know where the lad was going."
"It's alright." Stein said in order to put the man at ease, "I would've done the same."
The headmaster then stood up, "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat down and the whole hall erupted into applause. Stein felt like he'd missed a big joke.
"What was that about?" Stein asked Hagrid, who was clapping his huge hands together in applause.
"Dumbledore's a great an' powerful wizard" Hagrid explained wisely. "Some thing's we jus' ain' meant ter know. Oh, could yer pass the 'tatoes please?"
Stein turned back to the table. The moment he'd turned away a huge amount of food had just appeared out of nowhere. Not just on the teacher's table, all four of the houses each had numerous and various amounts of food suddenly heaped upon them.
Stein was barely able to keep his expression neutral. He robotically passed the roast potatoes to Hagrid, who quickly piled twelve onto his plate. The witch net to him asked for the beef. He gave it to her without a word.
Looking all along the hall, people were eating and drinking without abandon. Stein gave his screw a couple of cranks before deciding to tuck in. His mission was to blend in. Refusing to eat magical food that just appeared may be pretty stupid, but if everyone else was doing it...
He decided to strike a conversation up with the witch on his left,
"So, what subject do you teach?" He asked casually, giving her a side look.
"I teach Arithmancy." She spoke warmly turning to look at him.
"What does that involve?" Stein questioned politely. At her look he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. A habit he'd picked up from Spirit, "You see I never really studied it at school."
She didn't seem particularly offended, "It's alright. Not many people do. It's one of the least popular classes, almost as unpopular as Muggle Studies."
Ok so maybe she was a little more annoyed than she seemed. "Almost all of my students tend to be Ravenclaws, which is a pity. Very few wizards and witches these days seem interested in the properties of numbers."
Stein's eyes lit up with interest. He had earned the title doctor legitimately, Lord Death had payed for his tuition. It was one of the reasons he was considered a genius. In that he was able to make two Death Scythes as well as earn a legitimate doctors degree at a credible university. It also meant he could be called in as an emergency doctor if something happened at Shibusen.
A large part of becoming a doctor had been a study of mathematics, an area Stein had excelled in.
"Properties of numbers?" He asked interested. She seemed to pale at the unnatural way the light reflected off of Stein's glasses as he look at her.
"Y-yes. Using mathematical tools such as basic trigonometry and the natural magical properties of numbers, it's possible to create interesting spells suited for a wide range of purposes."
"What about using Calculus? Integration? What uses do they serve?"
And so Stein spent the next half an hour chatting with the Arithmancy teacher, whose name he quickly learned was Septima Vector, about the wide arrays and uses of numbers and how they were related to magic.
Stein learnt a large amount of interesting information. The scientist within him cheered as the knowledge of what numbers are related to which magical properties and why certain amounts are used in certain potions for the greatest effect. Whilst on the other side, Septima learnt more about pure mathematics.
It was clear to Stein that the Muggle world was rather farther ahead in mathematical terms than that of the Wizarding world. There was no such thing as engineering for instance. Which probably explained why their technology was so far behind that of the muggles.
They used a repurposed muggle steam train powered by magic to transport the students! Imagine how fast they'd get to Hogwarts if they'd stolen a bullet train!
Hagrid seemed rather put-out by the turn the conversation had taken. He looked utterly lost as the two discussed formulas and methods of rationale that made his head ache just to hear let alone comprehend. He continued to eat in silence with no-one to talk too.
"Hey Hagrid?" Stein suddenly asked looking at the man. Septima was conversing with the other staff member seated next to her. "What exactly is it that you do?"
"Well, I look after ter school grounds. Which means dealin' with ter Forbidden Forest critters."
"Forbidden Forest?" Stein questioned, suddenly interested. "What sort of creatures?"
"Oh, well plenty." Hagrid answered, "Forbidden Forest has all sorts of nasty critters. Werewolves, blood-sucking bugbears. Student's ain' allowed in there at all."
"Interesting..." Stein said to himself. Maybe he'd just found a place to vent if the desire to dissect got a bit too much for him.
"But there's plenty o' other critters out there that a' mighty friendly." Hagrid declared with pride, he then seemed to think for a moment. "Well some o' them," he summarised. "Best no' risk it."
"So what kinds of creatures do you look after?" Stein inquired politely, trying to hide his incredible interest.
"Well," here Hagrid puffed out his mighty chest in pride, causing the whole table to move forward a little. "Professor Kettleburn says I got talent, I do. Dumbledore's even thinkin' of offerin' me the job when ol' Silvanus retires."
For another half-hour the two discussed the creatures that inhabited the Wizarding world. All sorts of interesting facts about the most dangerous of beasts. Stein learnt even more than he had from the books. Hagrid, for all his simplicity, really seemed to know what he was doing when it came to dangerous animals.
Eventually the remaining food in front of them vanished and Dumbledore stood up to give his final words. There was nothing of particular interest said until,
"...the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Stein raised an eyebrow. What was that about? The sudden solemnity was rather off-putting. What exactly was in the third-floor corridor?
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
'...what?' Stein thought utterly stunned.
Even Hagrid's smile seemed a little strained at the mention of the school song.
The students all bellowed out the words dictated by Dumbledore's wand, all in different tunes creating a horrendous mess of noise that filled the Great Hall. Stein actually chuckled. This was the sort of thing Lord Death might decide to do on a whim.
Only the twins were left, slowly finishing their funeral-march version of the song while Dumbledore happily conducted with his wand.
"Ah, music; a magic beyond all we do here!" Dumbledore declared, looking rather tired all of a sudden. "And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
With that the students began to get up and leave the great hall. The teachers all stood up to leave as well; each with varying levels of exasperation on their faces.
They left the hall by the backdoor through which they entered and made their way back to the staffroom. Once inside, a number of them crashed down onto the comfortable soft chairs or sofa, others conjuring cups of tea or coffee into their hands.
Stein stood there as Dumbledore cleared his throat to address the faculty. Instantly everyone was looking towards the esteemed wizard their conversations forgotten,
"Well I thought that was a wonderful start to the term." He began, "The food was exquisite, as always. Now you may have noticed a new face amongst us this year, as well as the return of an old one."
He held out an arm to the man wearing a turban. "Professor Quirinus Quirrel, our former muggle studies teacher, has returned and claimed the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts." There was a muted applause as the man seemed to tremble just from all the attention focused on him.
Dumbledore then continued, "And our new Professor of Muggle Studies; Professor Franken Stein." Stein lifted an arm in greeting as all eyes turned to him, there was a much more polite applause.
"Now that introductions are out of the way. I feel a need to perhaps explain a few things. This year Hogwarts is playing host to a very important object that is hidden somewhere on the grounds. Due to security reasons I can neither tell you what or where this object is. All I ask is that you continue to do your duties as normal. I hope this isn't an inconvenience for anyone."
No-one spoke up, so Stein figured it wasn't an inconvenience for anyone. They all trusted the wizard.
"Wonderful. Now I'm going off to bed. I am old and it's a busy day tomorrow" he chuckled. "Good night." Dumbledore left the room, whilst a few teachers exchanged a few covert glances with one another.
Clearly something odd was going on. Hopefully it didn't involve his mission so he wouldn't have to investigate.
"Professor Stein?" Minerva came up to him and offered a hand which he shook firmly. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor house. I apologise for the vague instructions that were sent to you. It's easy to forget you're not native to these isles."
Stein smiled kindly at her, quickly taking note of her powerful soul. "It's alright, I did get here without too much trouble. So where exactly do I sleep then?"
"Each teacher who isn't a head of house get's their own private quarters behind their office and classroom. I'll show you where yours is located now if you wish."
"That would be wonderful." Stein agreed as Minerva led him out of the staffroom and down some stairs.
"It's good that we finally managed to get a foreign teacher," Minerva spoke kindly as they came out into a huge open ended room. Staircases went up and down, occasionally shifting to different floors and rooms. Stein stared.
"I don't think Hogwarts had had a teacher that wasn't educated here for a good hundred years at least." She spoke, either oblivious to his amazement or choosing to ignore it.
"Your classroom and office is on the first floor. Which makes your classroom one of the closest to the Great Hall. Details of lessons will be on your desk in the office."
She led him down a set of stairs and down a few corridors right into a solid wooden door. Opening it led into a typical classroom with a desk, board and chairs.
"You can decorate the classroom however you wish; although be sure to keep it appropriate. Through that door is a private office and your personal chambers. Breakfast starts at 7:30am in the morning. I'm sure you'll figure out the rest."
"Thanks very much," Stein said gratefully walking into the rather bare room.
Minerva gave him a warm smile, "And don't worry, a week or so and you'll know this place like the back of your hand. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." With that Minerva shut the door, leaving Stein alone in the room. On the desk were a stack of papers detailing timetables and exam dates and such. His bags had been brought here as well by someone earlier as they sat at the entrance to his office and personal quarters.
Stein picked up the bags and made his way into the room. It was rather modest, with what looked like a bathroom, bedroom and an office to relax or work in. Reaching into one of his bags, Stein took out a large mirror that could only barely fit in there.
He hung it on a nearby wall without too much difficulty.
42-42-564
Ping!
The mirror glowed for a moment before the familiar visage of Death appeared.
"Hello, hello Stein! What's up?! How's it going?" He asked bouncing around in excitement.
"I've made it into the castle and I'm setting up for teaching right now. No-one seems suspicious of me being anything but a foreign wizard."
"Fantastic Stein! I knew you were the right man for the job! Anything interesting to report?"
"Yes actually, a number of things." Stein told death about the ghosts and the strange soul that the Potter kid possessed.
Death seemed to consider this, "The ghosts are nothing more than echoes. People who were too afraid to pass on and bound themselves to this planet using magic. Provided they don't want to pass on there's nothing you should do yet. Don't try and send them onward."
"No worries about that."
"What you said about that boy's soul is indeed worrying. Where there any others like that?"
"I didn't examine everyone there, but from what I can remember he was utterly unique in that regard."
"Ignore it for now," Death ordered. "If it doesn't seem to be harming the boy then it may even be benevolent. I've heard of a thing like this before but I'll have Sid do some research into it regardless.
"Very well sir. Anything else?"
"Nope! Just don't forget to give monthly reports and everything will be ship-shape!"
"Very well then. Thank you sir."
"Good luck Stein, we're all behind you!" With that the Grim Reaper vanished and the mirror became a mirror once more.
Stein sunk into the rather comfortable chair at his desk and lit a cigarette with his wavelength. There was so much here to learn! So much to explore. So many creatures to dissect!
He would have to go to the forest at some point and find a few creatures to rip apart.
Stein giggled, that would be sooo fun! He also doubted people would get as mad if he ripped apart a few animals rather than humans.
That night Stein laid in his bed, thinking quietly to himself.
'This might be a very interesting year!'
A mad grin settled on his face, he couldn't wait!
A/N: Well what do you think? Was everyone in character? I was worried about how I portrayed Fred and George. Exactly how many students does Hogwarts have? I keep hearing different numbers from 300 to 1000.
Please leave your thoughts, ideas and questions in the reviews! I love to read them and will answer any queries you may have.
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