Authors Note: I am so sorry for the delay in uploads. School is kicking my ass hard this semester. I only put this up because all it needed was a bit of editing. If you are following my other story, The Last Time, don't expect an update until mid April. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope all of you that are following will stick with my stories despite the delay!
It was Hannah's first day teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ever since she attended the school when she was a child she had dreamed of working there as a teacher. The only downside was that teaching History of Magic was not her first choice. Her true passion was in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position but unfortunately some Ministry worker already took that spot. She gladly settled for the next open position.
She apparated in front of the main gates outside the grounds of the school and quickly made her way up the path that lead to the castle. Once she crossed the bridge and walked through the courtyard she entered through the main doors. Her breath caught as she took in the magnificent castle walls. This place had always amazed her when she was young and she was glad to see that it hadn't changed in all these years.
Hannah made her way to the first floor where the headmaster's office was. She said the password and walked up the spiral staircases that lead to his office. When she was finally there she knocked on the heavy wooden door. On the other side she heard the sweet voice of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts invite her in. She pushed open the door and smiled at the elderly man.
"Good afternoon Miss Nox, it is such a pleasure to see you again." Albus said as he rose from his chair behind his desk. "Come, sit."
Hastily, Hannah made her way to the desk and took a seat in front of it and greeted Albus with a firm handshake.
"How have you been?" He asked as he popped a lemon candy into his mouth.
"Very well Albus thank you. You have no idea how happy I am that I got this job." Hannah said smiling slightly.
"I know that you are the perfect candidate for it dear and I know you will thrive in the position. Is there any questions you have for me?" Albus asked.
"Nothing that hasn't already been answered in the pile of parchment you sent me." She said grinning at him.
"Very well then, I will have Minerva meet you outside my office and she will show you the way to your rooms which is where you will be staying while you are a professor here. Dinner, as you probably remember, starts at six this evening in the great hall." Albus told her as they both rose from their chairs.
"Thank you, and yes, how could I forget." Hannah said happily. She turned to walk out of his office when a dangerous thought struck her. Did he know?
"Professor," She began, "...about Tom?"
"Don't worry Hannah, he will not be able to hurt you here, you have my word." Albus said knowingly. Hannah gave Albus a small smile and they said their goodbyes before she descended down the spiraling staircase to meet Minerva McGonagall, who would take her to where she would be living for the next ten months.
The two of them walked to the fourth floor where her living quarters were located and she was given the password to open the portrait. When they arrived Minerva told Hannah it was nice seeing her again, and left her to unpack.
Hannah walked into the room and was blown away. It was much grander than she had ever expected. The main room was large, and was furnished with a beautiful leather couch and two chairs that surrounded a brick fireplace. There was a large window on one wall and under it sat a cherry wood desk. She walked through the main room and into one of the rooms that were on either side of the fireplace. This was her bedroom and it was almost as lovely as the one at Malfoy Manor, only smaller and less furnished. As she walked through the room she stopped at the three large windows that were on the opposite wall from the door. She looked out and saw the Black Lake stretched on for miles into the Scottish hills that surrounded Hogwarts. It was a breathtaking view and she smiled. Albus had remembered her love of water scenery. Hannah walked into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom as well as the main room. It had both a shower, and a large bathtub, which she was thankful for. She loved taking baths.
Hannah laid herself down on her new bed and thought about her first day of teaching. She was nervous, mainly because she did not adore the subject and knew that this was the class where many students decided to take their naps. She didn't want to be that boring teacher that no one liked so instead she thought about ways to make her class more interesting. She became tired with all the thinking and planning so she decided she would take a nap before dinner.
Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats at the Gryffindor table in the great hall. They were talking about their summers and how excited they were to be back at Hogwarts for their fifth year. Soon the students went quiet as the headmaster rose to give a speech.
"Welcome back everyone, I hope you all had a pleasant break and are ready to resume your education. We have a few changes in staff this year. First off, Professor Grubbly-Plank will be filling in the Care of Magical Creatures class while our gamekeeper Hagrid is away." Dumbledore sent a wave towards the new Professor he had referred to.
This announcement worried Harry and his friends.
"Where's Hagrid gone?" Ron whispered to them. Hermione shrugged in response and turned her attention back to Dumbledore.
"Second, we have a new History of Magic Professor. Miss Hannah Nox will be taking over Professor Binns' position." He said and Harry could sense a touch of excitement in his voice, yet he didn't quite know why. Dumbledore gestured towards the woman who had been sitting next to Professor Snape and she smiled towards the room. She wasn't like any teacher he had seen here before; she looked young.
"I definitely won't be dreading going to that class anymore." Fred Weasley whispered to Harry and Ron from across the table giving them a sly wink.
"And finally, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts position will be filled by Miss Delores Umbridge." Dumbledore said as he again gestured towards the staff table at the woman sitting at the end, dressed in all pink. Just as he was about to continue with his speech, she cleared her throat loud enough to draw everyone's attention. Slowly she stood and walked towards the headmaster's podium.
She gave a long drawling speech about her views on magic and the ministries view for future learning. This caused Hermione to shift nervously in her seat.
"What is it Hermione?" Harry asked.
"It means the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts." She whispered bluntly.
Harry turned back to the staff table and noticed the new Professor Nox's annoyed expression. He could tell that she clearly wasn't impressed with what Umbridge was saying either. She caught his gaze and turned to look at him, she sent him a light grin, which he returned then turned her attention to Professor Snape who began discussing something with her.
Hannah noticed herself being watched during that god-awful speech Delores was giving so she turned her attention to the Gryffindor table. She saw a young boy watching her with interest and so she smiled at him. He looked very familiar but couldn't place him. She turned her attention to Severus Snape who was sitting to the right of her. He had a sneer on his face while listening to that woman talk so Hannah lightly bumped her shoulder into his.
"What's wrong?" She asked grinning at him.
"I don't see why this disturbing woman is qualified to teach that position." Severus huffed angrily. Hannah laughed at the look on his face as he said these words, which lightened his mood slightly.
Once she was done her speech Delores sat back down and continued to smile that unpleasant smile at the room. Hannah and Severus continued to chat for a while longer until most of the students and teachers had left. It was getting late and Hannah knew she needed a good nights rest to be able to face her first day of teaching.
"It's getting late, and I'm quite nervous about my first day tomorrow so I think I should be well rested in order to tackle it." Hannah told Severus before taking one last drink out of her cup. She began to stand when Severus stood with her.
"Allow me to walk you back to your quarters Miss Nox." Severus said and he held his hand out for her to grab onto while getting up off her chair.
"That would be lovely." Hannah said to him kindly and let him lead her out of the staff entrance.
Hannah and Severus walked towards the grand staircases. It really was late and there were very few students occupying the halls and every one that was still around quickly removed themselves from their sight.
"I remember you." Severus said quietly as they waited for the flight of stairs to change. Hannah gave him an odd look so he decided to continue.
"You were Lily Evan's friend from Ravenclaw. You and Sirius Black were together?" He said, showing his discomfort when talking of Sirius.
"Yes, I was both. You were Lily's friend. I remember you too." Hannah said kindly. She remembered more than she had wanted. She thought back to there times at Hogwarts and knew that her boyfriend at the time, Sirius, picked on him quite a bit. Hannah and Lily were very close in their first four years of going to school together but then started losing touch. Lily also didn't like that Hannah began dating James Potter's best friend because she despised them.
Hannah smiled as she thought back to the memories she had with Lily. They were inseparable at a time and she truly regretted losing her.
"Miss Nox?" Severus' voice said removing her from her memories.
"Call me Hannah." She said and smiled at him. The two continued to talk about what they did after their years at Hogwarts and Hannah learned all about Severus' love of the Dark Arts, something they shared in common. When they reached the portrait that opened to her rooms Hannah thanked Severus for his company and wished him a good night.
"Don't stress about your first day, I'm sure you'll at least capture their attention better than Professor Binns ever did." Severus said with a pained smile on his face. He nodded at her and left towards his own living quarters.
Once inside, Hannah went to the bathroom and got ready for bed. She then dropped herself down on the couch in front of the fireplace and closed her eyes trying to relax.
Hannah was sitting under a large pine tree that stood near the Black Lakes shore. She had her back leaned against its large trunk and spread out around her was her potions notes and books. She had lots of homework that needed to be completed and instead of going the library she chose to complete it outside because that is where she felt the most relaxed.
"Hello Hannah!" She heard and looked up to see the face of her friend Lily Evan smiling down at her.
"Lily! I can't talk much, I have loads of homework I need to finish." She said sadly.
"Is it alright if I join you? I have a paper due in Charms and I've barely started." Lily said looking nervous.
"Of course." Said Hannah while making space for her friend to sit. The two girls worked on their homework for over an hour while occasionally conversing.
"Done!" Hannah exclaimed as she loudly shut her potions textbook. Lily looked over at her friend jealously; she had only half finished the essay that was due to be handed in the next day.
Hannah looked up and saw her boyfriend and his friend walking towards the two. She smiled, as they got closer and waved to the both of them.
"Hello beautiful." Sirius said as he sat down next to Hannah and wrapped both his arms around her delicate frame.
"And hello to you gorgeous." James said to Lily, taking a set between her and Sirius. Lily just simply rolled her eyes and tried to focus back on her essay.
"What are you two up to?" Hannah asked while struggling to get out of Sirius' grip. He let go of her and placed one arm around her shoulders that he knew she much rather preferred.
"Sitting with the two most lovely girls at Hogwarts of course." James said then winked at Lily. Instead of finding it amusing, Lily scoffed and shook her head.
Hannah knew James had a thing for her friend and laughed at all his petty attempts to woo her. Lily would never go for him, at least not while his head was swollen to it's current size. Lily liked modest guys, and James was the complete opposite of that although it seemed he was slowly getting through to her.
"What're you working on Evans?" James asked her while eyeing her essay. They began discussing her topic and James gave her a few ideas that she could use in order to finish it. He even managed to make her smile slightly.
Hannah sighed and leaned back into Sirius. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her gently. That was something she loved about him most, instead of talking all the time he enjoyed sitting in silence with her. Hannah was never a big fan of mushy relationships, and before she had found Sirius all the other ones she was in ended because the boys thought she wasn't affectionate enough. Sirius was the same as her, he did not like discussing his feelings or showing his love towards a girl through speech. Instead he appreciated just being around the person he liked. This is why, Hannah believed, they were so compatible.
She was so relaxed just sitting there, breathing in the fresh air and leaning back against the strong chest of Sirius. This was the happiest Hannah had been in a long time, but then something caught her eye.
His blonde hair shone in the sun as he turned and smirked arrogantly at her. Hannah tensed and felt her breathing stop. Sirius looked down at her and noticed her looking at something. He followed her gaze and realized what it was that caught her eye. Malfoy had always given her a hard time, especially because she was his girlfriend but he didn't know close to the extent of it.
Sirius tilted her chin up so her face was towards him. He looked into her eyes and saw a glint of fear before they changed to give off the loving gaze she always had when looking at him. He kissed her gently and smiled at her as they pulled away.
For a moment, Hannah was completely at ease. When he kissed her all the pain and fear her life held seemed to melt away and was replaced with nothing but happiness. She had never felt like this before. She knew she was deeply in love with Sirius Black.
After breakfast Hannah immediately made her way to her classroom on the Fifth Floor. She wanted to get there and prepare before any of her students were to arrive. She sat at her desk that was positioned at the front of the room and preceded to write down her lesson plan for the next week.
She was startled when a knock sounded on the closed door. She went to open it and found a cluster of five or so boys waiting for her to open the door.
'That's strange...' she thought to herself. 'They were fifteen minutes early.'
She greeted them at the door and let them into the class. She was teaching the fifth year Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's this block, which she was thankful for. She didn't want to deal with the bad attitudes of the Slytherin students this early in the morning. Hannah sat back in her desk and waited for the remaining students to arrive.
"Miss, what are we learning today?" a Ravenclaw boy said with a blush on his cheeks.
She smiled at him and said simply, "just a bit of history."
It was about five to, and all the desks in the classroom were filled. She let the students chat quietly amongst themselves until the class was scheduled to start, then stood from her desk and walked towards the students. Almost instantly the room went silent which made Hannah smile.
"Hello class, I'm Professor Nox and this is History of Magic," she said kindly.
"I know that most of you are only here because this class is required of all you Hogwarts students, it's definitely not one of the most interesting classes but all you have to do is make it through the remainder of the year and you're free." Hannah said and this caused most of the class to smile at the thought.
"Despite it not being a 'fun' class, it still teaches very useful information. This year you are to write your OWL's so if you really want to continue the subject you're going to need to pay close attention in class, show up regularly, and put some effort in."
"We have a lot to cover this year, and instead of staring off by throwing a bunch of information at you on your first day I've decided that instead, we will learn the history of each other. You will get to know me, and I'll get to know you, which will hopefully create a more comfortable environment. So Miss...?" Hannah began, signaling to a Gryffindor girl sitting near the front of the class.
"Hermione Granger." The girl said.
"Miss Granger, you can close your notebook." She said and laughed gently.
"I'll start." Hannah said and sat on the edge of her desk. "My name is Hannah Nox. I was born and raised in England but moved to Scotland a few years ago with my cat. I attended Hogwarts an unimportant amount of years ago and during that time I knew that I wanted to become a teacher here. When I was finished school, I travelled to Egypt and continued my studies there. I am probably more qualified in the Defense Against the Dark Arts subject, but as you know, you have a... pleasant woman filling that class. This is my first teaching job and I took it because I have always been fascinated by events in the Wizarding world's history even though when I was your age I only enjoyed coming to this class because it provided me with a nice hour long nap." Hannah finished as a couple students laughed.
"Who wants to go next?" She asked excitedly and when no one rose there hand her face dropped. "I'll go to the list then." She picked up the list on her desk with all the students names and read the name on the bottom.
"Ronald Weasley."
Ron looked up and swallowed hard.
"Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you are taking this class."
"Hi I'm Ron, I'm the sixth oldest in my family. I have a pet owl and I don't like spiders. I'm taking this class because it's a required class for all Hogwarts students." Ron said with a red face.
Hannah laughed at his response,
"I like your honestly. Next we have... Potter. Harry Potter?" She asked looking up from the list. The boy that was watching her in the great hall last night looked at her.
"That's me." He said.
Hannah smiled, that's where she recognized him from, and he looked exactly like his father with the eyes of his mother.
Hannah continued to go around the class until each student had spoken. She found that basically all, other than a select few, were only there because they had to be which disappointed her a bit. It also challenged her to keep their attention and perhaps more would find her ways of teaching more interesting and continue their education in the area.
Once everyone was done speaking there was only ten minutes left in the class so she allowed them to be let out early.
"So what do you think of her?" Ron asked his two friends Harry and Hermione.
"I think she's nice." Hermione said. "Maybe this year I won't be the only one awake, did you see how everyone paid attention to her when she was talking?"
"Yeah I noticed. She just seems familiar, like maybe I've seen her before but I can't figure out where." Harry said as they walked towards their next class.
"I agree, there's something about her." Hermione said suspiciously.
At dinner that evening, Harry and his friends ate and complained about the amount of homework they received on their first day of classes.
"I know it is a ridiculous amount! The only class we don't have homework is in History of Magic. Thank Merlin." Ron said through a stuffed mouth.
"I really like Miss Nox. She's very original." Fred said as he looked over at her sitting at the staff table talking with Professor McGonagall and laughing about something.
"Freddy's got a little crush." His brother George said while shoving him with his shoulder.
"Do not. She is hot though." He said and everyone laughed.
Hannah was enjoying her second dinner at Hogwarts and this time sat between Minerva and Severus. During dinner, her and Minerva reminisce of the time when Hannah was her student and how bad she was at Transfiguration.
"You know, I studied for three days straight in order to do well on that examination." Hannah said laughing. "And then you gave me a troll because I couldn't get the hair off my snuffbox."
Minerva laughed and shook her head. "You were one of my more... difficult students Hannah, but I did admire your dedication."
Severus turned up the corner of his mouth at hearing this. He remembered Hannah being one of the worst Transfiguration students he'd ever seen and when he was paired with her for a potions lab he was worried she would jeopardize them receiving a good mark but soon found out she was excellent in the subject.
Once Hannah was finished dinner she decided to turn in early and work on more lesson plans. She said goodbye to both Minerva and Severus and began making her way back to her rooms when she heard her name being called.
"Miss Nox!" The voice shouted in a singsong tone.
Hannah turned around to see who it was and saw Delores Umbridge walking towards her with a sickening grin on her face.
"Ah Hannah dear I'm so glad I caught you." She said as she reached her. "I was wondering if I may talk to you for a moment." Hannah simply stared at her without response. She did not want to talk to this woman, not after hearing all her ridiculous babble about the Ministry becoming involved with the learning at the school.
"I do hope that you are keeping things appropriate in your class." She said with a fake politeness that made Hannah want to gag.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"I know about you Miss Nox, and I am particularly surprised you got this job. I personally don't think you are fit to teach a bunch of students who are very easily influenced."
"I don't know what you are talking about Delores." Hannah said sternly.
"I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on you." She said coldly before returning a smile to her face. "Have a pleasant evening." She said and waved goodbye.
Hannah continued on her way to her room while thinking about what Delores said.
'She knew about me? What does that mean?' She asked herself as she reached the entrance to her room. She said the password and the portrait swung aside allowing her through. When she walked into her bedroom she noticed an envelope lying on her bed. Hannah sat down on her bed and picked up the note. It had no name on the front or any sort of indication showing what it was. Curiously she opened it and pulled out the piece of parchment that was inside.
Hannah,
I would like you to accompany me in Hogsmeade this coming weekend. Meet me in the Three Broomsticks at one.
L.M.
Hannah smiled to herself and hugged the letter against her chest. She was excited to see him again, and had a plan that involved fire whiskey and a comfortable patch of grass.
