Professor Emmeris
The rest of the month passed without incident for Harry, who spent the last weeks of his true freedom training and writing up lesson plans, but mainly relaxing and enjoying the true peace at Potter's Cliff- he had never felt it anywhere else. All too soon, in Harry's opinion at least, it was August 31st and Harry Potter was walking up the Hogwarts drive to attend his first ever staff meeting. Harry smirked to himself. His old classmates would be entering 7th year- the last and most gruelling year Hogwarts offered, while he, Harry, got to enjoy all the benefits of being a Professor- private quarters, no house rivalry and no exams! He could put Malfoy in detention! Snape couldn't sabotage his potions grades, and the man wouldn't see him as the son of James Potter… Life was, for once- being good to one Harry James Potter. He focused on the pendant hanging around his neck and thought;
'Merlin! You're the best! Thanks so much for all the training, its greatly appreciated!'
'Touch the walls.'
'Why?'
'Just do it!' Harry softly and subtly brushed against the walls of the castle, and heard another, unknown voice in his head;
'Welcome, Professor, descendant of my creators. I am here to aid you, if only you would call for my assistance. I would give it willingly.'
'Um… thanks… Hogwarts'.
Soon, Harry had reached the staffroom. He quickly gathered his thought and emotions and hid them behind his (extremely impressive) Occlumency shields, and stepped inside.
"Ah, Harold, I was about to send someone to come and find you!" Harry shrugged.
"The Castle willingly gave it's assistance in the matter of…directions," said Harry nervously. Dumbledore stared at him, before allowing Harry to melt into the background of the room. Harry was remembering the only times he had ever come in here; 1st year he had managed to walk in on Snape dressing horrible wounds inflicted upon him by a three headed dog that Hagrid had christened Fluffy. The second and last time (as a student) was in Harry's second year when he, along with Ron had discovered that Ginny had been captured and taken into the Chamber of Secrets. He shuddered, but was quickly brought out of his musings by the commencement of the first staff meeting of the year.
The meeting went smoothly until the very end, when Dumbledore had announced Harrys' job.
"…Finally I would like to announce the newest addition to the staff, Professor Harold Emmeris!" Dumbledore had announced cheerfully. The people grouped in the small staff room began to mutter about his age and Masteries, with the majority of the staff eying him suspiciously, however Dumbledore was not finished.
"…and I want you all to wish him good luck in his new position." A few more suspicious mumbles were replaced by a chorus of good luck, although it did not sound very enthusiastic. Snape, on the other hand, was looking almost… excited. His motives were soon discovered.
"Emmeris? Emmeris? Did you by any chance get one of your Masteries in Potions?" It was quite clear Snape knew he did, but it was the best way for him to begin the conversation.
"I did, Professor. Why do you ask?"
"I am in need of some… assistance with my classes. None of the other Professors, however, have the sufficient qualifications to teach in my lab," he sneered the last part. "…the first years especially are so frightened by the…rumours… about me; they are incapable of producing even the simplest of potions."
"Fine, fine… I'll help you in your class if I can send any failing Gryffindors to you for a detention. I have heard stories about a pair of 7th years that are incapable of raising a basic shield charm…" Harry trailed off, noticing that most of the Professors brightened at the thought of Ron and Hermione in detention with Snape.
"Why are you asking that of me? Surely you are capable of conducting your own detentions…"
"Oh, I am. However I have also heard the stories about how well the three of you get on," said Harry brightly, and the Professors all but snickered at the angry looking Potions master. "…anyway, shall we meet later to discuss this properly?"
"After breakfast, the day we get our schedules." Harry nodded his agreement and the conversation was dropped for the time being.
"That concludes the staff meeting, Harold, stay as we need to discuss your quarters and classroom."
"Of course, Professor. Umm… Professor McGonagall, can I talk to you later, please?"
"After lunch, Harold," said Minerva curtly, before walking away.
"Thank you, Harold. Let us walk to your classroom to discuss this further." Harry smirked inwardly, thinking over and over again- My classroom! Soon, though, Harry had a thought. He trailed just behind Dumbledore, before focusing entirely on the older man and imitating his voice before projecting;
'I think I will give Harold an extra classroom, with the second one right next to it. Two classrooms… I have a strange feeling the man will need them both…' and then cut off the projection. Sure enough, no sooner than he had finished projecting Dumbledore the thought, the old man turned around and said;
"Harold, I have never done this before, however I have a strange feeling that you could make use of having 2 classrooms rather than the usual one." Harry smirked; still trailing just far enough behind the elder man hat he was unable to see his reaction.
"Thank you, Albus; I have a strange feeling that you are right."
Before long, the pair of them reached a classroom, and Dumbledore opened the door.
"This is your first, or ain classroom, and that door-" Dumbledore flicked his wand and a door appeared- "leads to your second classroom, which doesn't yet have external access, which is your task if you desire it. You may set them up however you wish, but the basic supplies are already in there. Up the top of those stairs is your office and living quarters are beyond that, behind the door. We'll go up and have a look now, shall we?" Harry nodded, and followed Dumbledore up the stairs, remembering all the times he had walked up the very same stairs as a student. They walked into the reasonably large office, and Harry was instantly reminded of Umbridge and her blood quill. Tonks, as the Defence professor after Umbridge, had not entirely gotten rid of the pink and it made the room even more recognisable as Umbridge's. It would need immediate redecoration. He clenched his fist and saw a faint outline of the words I must not tell lies, before pulling himself back to the present to listen to his speech.
"… most teachers do not have quarters directly off their office, but for some strange reason, Hogwarts sets it up this way for the Defence professors. Now, if you go through that door, you will find your quarters. You have a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living and dining rooms. The rooms are fairly basic, but I believe you have the skills to fix it up anyway you like, and most of the staff rarely use the kitchen and dining rooms, preferring to eat in the Great Hall with the rest of their colleagues. Well, I'll leave you to it! Lunch is in the Great Hall… I believe you arranged to speak with Minerva? I'll send someone up to show you the way then!"
"No need, Albus, It would be a bad look if the DADA Professor had to be shown around the castle all the time! If I get lost, the Castle will show me the way!" Dumbledore nodded and left, causing Harry to sigh in relief. Then, he pulled out his wand, ready to make the office his own.
"Goodbye, Umbridge!" He tapped the wand to the top of his trunk, enlarging it, before he pulled out all of the weaponry he had crafted- and hung all the pieces on the wall. He then warded them so only he could take them down. The walls were painted a bright, Gryffindor red. An oak dresser was conjured and placed in the back of the room before all his Dark Detectors were arranged neatly on it. Another flick of his wand, and there was a perch for Älfya- He had not seen Hedwig once he sent him away before he left. The chair was transfigured into something much more comfortable. The desk, he pulled out of his trunk, having carved it himself during his year-long stay in the forest at Merlin's Castle. Harry then stood back and admired the effect he had created. It was a bright room, but still sufficiently intimidating. It would be a nice, easy place to work in, but not a place that would encourage students to muck around in. He knew that being the same age as a 7th year, he would need to project a slightly intimidating aura to get the message across- he was not a student, and would be treated with the respect of a Professor. Harry smiled, then went downstairs to work on his classrooms. The first room was fine- a few reparos, and no one would have ever guessed that Tonks had been the previous Professor. The second classroom, however, needed work. He quickly sent all of the furniture to the sides of the room and sent a message to Hogwarts.
'Hogwarts, I need external access for this classroom. Can you please place the door right next to the door to my other classroom, but leave it unlabelled. I want it to be a surprise.'
'Okay, Professor!' Almost immediately, a door materialised, and Harry smiled, before magically enlarging the room. He was already getting quite proficient at setting up duelling rooms, but this one was going to be different. He transfigured a desk into a duelling platform, not unlike the one he had seen Lockhart use in his second year and placed it at the back of the classroom, before warding it so that no spells could go astray and hit a student whilst a duel was going on. He then transfigured all of the chairs into beanbags and grouped them around at the bottom of the duelling platform and vanished the rest of the furniture that had been in the room previously. Harry placed cushioning charms on the walls, door and floor so that spells could be practiced without too much injury to the student body. He painted the walls a cheery yellow-golden colour before unrolling some posters he had collected on his visits to Diagon Alley. There were posters of basic spells that the students would learn, and their effects. The expelliarmus poster displayed a person losing their wand, whilst the protego showed a shield. There were almost 50 spell posters on the walls. He also had posters of people in a duel and famous duellists. By then it was almost 1, so Harry made his way down to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Wonder who the new DADA Professor is," mused Ron.
"Whoever it is, forgot to assign a textbook… they probably won't be very good," said Hermione.
"Won't be very good? No reading! Of course he'll be good! If he picks on the Slytherins, he'll be the best Professor Hogwarts has…" said Ron dreamily.
"Or she," said Hermione snobbishly. "Whoever it is, they are very irresponsible! How is anyone supposed to do well if they don't read about it beforehand?"
"Perhaps the new professor expects their 7th year students to be able to take an active role in their own education and do their own private reading before term starts?" suggested Remus mildly.
"Yeah, Hermy, most normal people don't read before school starts! Even Potter didn't, and he was first in DADA." Hermione turned to Remus, ignoring Ron.
"Lupin, did you read about Harold Emmeris?"
"Yes, I did," said Remus, clearly wondering where the conversation was going.
"He's only 17, and he's already got his Masteries in so many subjects…"
"I read that, Hermione."
"Oh. Well, have you ever met him?"
"No."
"Oh… he's so handsome, though…" Just then, Kingsley walked in the door.
"Just received a message from Albus… The new DADA professor has requested that all students from 3rd year and above should find themselves a book on proper duelling etiquette. Apparently, it doesn't matter which book, as long as it has the correct rules in it." Remus smirked… duelling etiquette… Ron and Hermione were in for one tough year in Defence. He wondered vaguely if he should warn the new professor, but then realised that Minerva had probably done that already… and Severus would as well. Then his thoughts drifted back to Harry. He had said he would reveal himself today, and so far he had nothing. It was already past 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and Kingsley, Tonks and Moody ad joined him at the Burrow… Minerva was busy at Hogwarts, but she was going to join them later in the afternoon if he still hadn't shown himself.
Back at Hogwarts, lunch was underway, and Harry had already listed the books he wanted. The first years had been asked to collect Quentin Tremble's book- it was his first year textbook and was very thorough on the background of the Dark Arts and an introduction to Defence. The only thing it was missing was the actual spells and curses- but Harry didn't need a textbook for that. He had then asked the 2nd years to get the same book, as they had not received it from Tonks. The 3rd through to 7th years were asked to get books on duelling etiquette. Third and fourth years were also asked to get Defending Yourself against Dark Forces- How to Make a Quick Escape. The 5th and 6th years were asked to get Defending Yourself Against Dark Forces- When The Odds Are Against You. It was the second edition to the book the 3rd and 4th years were asked to get, making it easier for the younger students to accidentally buy the textbook for their next years if they wanted to get ahead. The books themselves were good, in Harry's opinion- they were thorough in both the practical application of Defence and the theory and history behind it. Harry then asked the 7th years to get a copy of The Great Duels and The Spells They Used… he knew that some 7th years would be unable to understand it, so he made it optional. He then asked for the school to get copies of 101 shield spells and their counters and Defence for the Average Wizard for him to keep in the classroom.
When Snape had heard him ask for books on duelling etiquette, he had smirked, and said;
"I can help you with warding the classroom, if you like. I would offer to help you run the class, however I believe you will need a qualified healer stationed outside the classroom… you'll all be needing one in less than 10 minutes, especially in the class containing Weasley and Granger…"
"Thanks a lot, Severus, for your confidence in my abilities to run a successful duelling class. The warding is complete, by the way, and you can rest it for yourself if your doubt my strength… as for the healer part, I am a healer, just haven't gone for my qualifications yet. Same as my apparition licence. I really need to get that soon… Apparating illegally isn't a good idea for a… well… you get my point…"
"Ah… either Poppy or I can get you your healing qualifications. Normally, you would have to prove your skills to us, but I believe you have been trained well enough. Too many Masteries…"
"Thanks, Severus!"
"No problem. I'll get it to you tomorrow, before the students arrive. Also… I might be able to send an apparition licence to you without you having to do the exam… I have Slytherin contacts in high places…" Snape smirked at him.
"Cool, thanks! Hey, Minerva… can I speak to you in my office later? Or yours, if you prefer…"
"Of course, Harold, I have some things I must attend to, but I will be at your office about half an hour after lunch is finished."
"Thank you," said Harry, relieved. The rest of the meal passed smoothly, with Harry hearing Dumbledore muttering about how he hoped that Potter would return to school for his final year, and how it had been 'very, very irresponsible,' running away like that. Harry was instantly reminded of Fudge, and smirked.
Before long, the teachers were leaving the hall and Harry made his way up to his office thinking about all the things he had learnt. Who knew that Snape the Dungeon Bat had a sense of humour? It was almost incomprehensible. When Harry got to his office, Harry immediately took Snape's advice and used a mild sticking charm to attach his Certificates of Mastery and Teaching Certificate to the wall behind the desk and smirked. It was once again, both intimidating and helpful. It showed that he had the skills to help the students in any subject- as he knew it could be embarrassing to go to your subject teacher to ask for help. It also encouraged the students to approach him when they had a question- he was, after all, their age and the certificates showed that he also had the knowledge to answer their questions. Harry then set to work on his desk, emptying rolls of parchment into it, arranging ink and quills and laying out the lesson plans.
Then, there was a knock on the door. Harry knew it would seem arrogant to simply say 'Enter,' so he went to the door and opened it. Minerva walked in and looked around.
"Gryffindor colours," she said approvingly. "Make sure no one else can get to those weapons…"
"They can't," Harry cut in.
"You've got a Mastery in transfiguration?" she asked excitedly, before remembering that Harry wanted to talk to her.
"You wanted to talk to me?" she asked. Harry prepared himself.
"I did… I had promised to reveal myself to you today…" Harry trailed off, before dropping the Harold Emmeris disguise. There was a moment of silence, as Minerva quickly sat down, then-
"Harry?" Harry nodded.
Half an hour later, Harry was forced to administer a calming drought, as Minerva was quickly becoming hysterical. Once she was calm, Minerva stared at Harry as he took out the communication parchment to scribble a note to his other friends.
Mooney, Kingsley, Tonks and Moody-
I promised to reveal myself today, and so I will. Meet me outside the Hogsmeade branch of Scrivenshafts at 7pm tonight. I have sent a message to Minerva, as I believe she is busy at Hogwarts until the arranged time. Looking forward to finally seeing you all again!
Firepaw.
Harry smirked and sent the note, before turning into his snow leopard form and leaping up to sit on the desk. Once Minerva had gotten over the shock of seeing a snow leopard in Harry's office, he transformed back, and they spent a while discussing transfiguration and other matters like what had happened at Hogwarts over the last year.
After Minerva ha left his office, Harry opened the door to his living quarters and wrinkled his nose. They smelt musty, were almost completely pink, and a lot of the furniture had been knocked over. Harry quickly covered the place in freshening charms to get rid of the smell before going through each room separately.
Harry started with the bedroom, as it was the closest room to the door and he could do it in a heartbeat. Harry quickly cast all of his usual charms and the additional ones from Trixy to make it look like a forest. The only thing that was missing was the door to an ensuite, as that was not provided in the Hogwarts living quarters. He had even carved another bed in preparation for coming to live at Hogwarts.
The bathroom was next, and required very little work. A few reparos and a colour-changing charm were all required, but the room was already up to his standards in everything else. Apparently teachers were given similar luxuries to the prefects.
The kitchen, however, was atrocious.
"Trixy!" with a small pop, the head house elf was in the room.
"Trixy, this is going to be my new kitchen whilst I am staying at Hogwarts. I want you and the rest of the elves to stay and work at Potters Cliff unless I call you, but at the moment, this kitchen needs a lot of work. Can you please fix it up for me? Leave it the size it is, but all of the furniture and appliances need to be replaced. Get the best of everything, please. Thanks, Trixy!" With the house elf now taking care of the kitchen, Harry went to work on the next room in line.
The dining room was once again simple. A few reparos were necessary once again, as was the colour-changing charm that was needed in every room. He used slight, permanent transfigurations to improve the quality of the furniture and get rid of the nicks that Tonks had created in them before declaring the room satisfactory. He then headed back to the living room, and frowned.
The living room was also the 'entrance hall' of the living quarters. It was a large, round room with several doors on the walls for the rest of the rooms. It was also one of the worst rooms at the moment. Harry called for Dobby and asked his to duplicate all of the furniture in the Gryffindor common room, and bring back the new things. Whilst Dobby was busy getting the furniture, Harry got the room ready. He vanished all of the original furniture in the room. Harry then flicked his wand and the room was suddenly red and gold instead of pink. A scourgify and incendio got the fireplace up and running, and a few more charms had it connected to the Hogwarts and Potter's Cliff floo. The carpet was hit with another scourgify and colour changing charm.
While Harry was waiting for Dobby to return, he went to check on Trixy's work, and gasped. The room was now painted in forest greens and browns, and the benches had been carved from quality wood. The appliances were all top quality as he had requested, and all of the surfaces were gleaming. It was beautiful.
"Trixy- it's beautiful- thank you!" Harry marvelled at the elves work, before sending her to get copies of the portraits that were hanging at Potter's Cliff, and went back into the living room and forgot, for a second, that it was his.
Dobby had created an almost exact replica of the Gryffindor common room- apart from the missing portraits and the fact it was less than half the size- it was identical. Harry smiled. Minerva would like the room.
Harry then decided that he would ask Hogwarts for another room. He thought about a potions lab, but decided that he could always use Snape's. Harry finally decided on making a crafting room where he could continue his hobby.
'Hogwarts?'
"Yes, Professor?'
'Can you please add another room to my quarters? Keep it empty, though.'
'of course!' a door materialised between the bedroom and dining room doors.
'Thanks. And… Hogwarts?'
'Yes?'
'Why do you talk with me and not the other Professors?'
'I try to speak with all of the staff here- but you are the only one that holds the skills to hear me- thanks to your training, and the fact that you are a descendant.'
'Oh. Well… thanks for the room!' Harry cut the conversation before opening the door and setting to work. He quickly placed the enchantments he used in his bedrooms as he wanted to create the effect that he was back during his year 'on the run' at Merlins Castle. He quickly decided against conjuring anything, as he preferred to craft the items and conjured items were noticeably weaker. He carved a workbench from one of the tree trunks he had stored in his trunk . He placed a cauldron on top of a fire-resistant tree stump and a trunk full of ingredients under stasis in the corner of the room before he arranged his tools on the workbench and began to craft more weapons, as he couldn't have all of them in his office.
Harry was still crafting when Minerva came to pick him up, and only noticed her presence when she gasped. Cursing himself for not noticing she was there earlier- and for not placing detection wards on the quarters- Harry morphed into his Harold Emmeris disguise before giving her a tour of his quarters. Needless to say, she was thoroughly impressed.
At 5 to 7, Harry took Minerva's hand and used elvin teleportation to bypass the wards around the castle and they walked to Scrivenshafts to wait for the rest of the party. They didn't have to wait long. Almost as soon as they arrived, there was four pops and Kingsley, Tonks, Remus and Moody were surrounding them. Harry smirked. This was going to be fun.
"Hi everyone!" he said cheerfully, before grinning and waving at them all. There was a pause. Then-
"Ennervate. Ennervate. Ennervate. Ennervate." Minerva and Harry smirked at each other. The four of them soon sat up and Harry pretended to sigh.
"Hi everyone! Let's try this again… My name is Harry Potter, and I am currently in disguise as the 17 year old Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Harold Emmeris."
"Harry!" cried Remus, whose eyes were suspiciously wet.
"I missed you guys!" By 8 o'clock, Harry decided that they had gotten over the shock of finding out Harry's disguise and smirked inwardly, wondering what their reaction to his next revelation would be.
"Oh- by the way, Remus, while I was away, I discovered a cure to lycanthropy!" he said cheerfully.
"Ennervate. Ennervate. Ennervate. Ennervate. Ennervate." Once they had sat up, Harry continued.
"C'mon, guys, you've got to stop fainting on me. Moody! How're you supposed to practice constant vigilance if you're unconscious on the ground?" They others snickered. Then Remus finally spoke.
"You- you- you- you WHAT?"
"Here," and Harry pulled a vial of the potion out of his belt. "One vial of this, and you never have to transform again! Although, for some reason, your animagus form will be a giant wolf. Still, it's better than going through the transformation, and you get to keep your mind fully if you do the animagus transformation. Actually, Salazar found the cure, but he could hardly claim it as his own so he gave it to me as a birthday present." It took a while for the shock to wear off that time.
The next day was September First, and Harry decided to spend the last student-free day in the potions lab, enjoying the peace it provided. Snape had quickly found him- apparently he had had the same idea. He soon asked what Harry was brewing as he didn't recognise it.
"Oh-this- well, I haven't named it yet, but it's a cure to lycanthropy!" said Harry cheerfully. Snape swayed alarmingly. One he recovered himself, Snape said;
"Here. I got your Healer qualifications and the certificate."
"YES! Thanks! Now I can't be dragged off to see Poppy every time I get injured or sick!" he said gleefully, and slipped the certificate into his potions belt. Snape saw it and quickly locked and bolted the door, threatening to keep Harry hostage until he promised to craft one similar for Snape. Harry agreed and continued to create a large stock of what he finally decided to call Wolfscure. Uncreative, but it got the message across. He knew he would need many large batches of the potion before he could present it to the public. The rest of the day was spent brewing and crafting a potions belt for Snape which was finished in record time- Harry gave it to the man at lunchtime.
On the Hogwarts express, many people were discussing what the new DADA professor would be like.
"… He'll be old and wrinkly and hate all the Slytherins in detention all the time," said Ron.
"or she," sniffed Hermione. "I think she will be like Tonks- not much theory or reading, just basic practical things that she demonstrates before getting the class to do it one by one, very boring and not much use."
"Why'd he ask for books on duelling etiquette then?" snapped Ron.
"No.. I think you're both wrong. I think he'll be young and fit and teach us with the same methods as Harry had with the DA. That was really good!" said Neville enthusiastically. "Gran had Madam Marchbanks 'round for tea last Saturday, and she knows him. She said he'll probably be the most interesting Professor we've had for DADA!"
"What did she say?" asked Hermione quickly.
"Just that he's young, and really knows his stuff… she said she's never seen anyone that can duel like his, as well."
"I don't care how much stuff he knows, as long as he gives Malfoy enough detentions," grumbled Ron.
"Ron! Don't say that!" gasped Susan.
"Who asked for your opinion?" sneered Ron. Neville and Susan gaped at him.
"C'mon, Susan, let's find another compartment."
"Ron! Now you've done it- we're ever going to get anywhere near his study notes when you treat his friend like that!" snapped Hermione frustratedly.
"But he was hanging around with Susan! We don't want her around!"
"Ron!" Hermione huffed.
"The DADA Professor had better not be another auror… they're all nutters," Ron grumbled, abandoning the previous argument. Hermione huffed again, and ignored him for the rest of the trip.
They got to Hogwarts without incident. As soon as Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table, Hermione scanned the table and gasped.
"What?" snapped Ron, still annoyed about his treatment on the Hogwarts Express.
"Harold Emmeris," she breathed.
"So?" Ron snapped.
"Ron, it's Harold Emmeris! He is our age! He shares the same birthday as Potter- he's the youngest person ever to obtain a Mastery in a subject! He was born after us! When Longbottom said the new Professor knew his stuff, I didn't expect him!" Some of the people around them heard, and soon a whisper of 'Harold Emmeris' swept through the hall.
Up at the staff table, Harry heard his fake name and groaned. Snape smirked.
"It's your own fault," the man pointed out, "You're the one that decided you needed to get twelve Masteries at once… when you were 17!"
"It wasn't supposed to go in the Prophet, though!"
"Did you expect anything else?"
"No, but…" The argument continued, with Minerva quickly joining Snape's side. When they finally fell silent, Dumbledore was already addressing the students.
"…staffing news, Professor Tonks, as you all know- resigned at the end of last year. I am delighted to announce, that the position will indeed be filled by none other, than Professor Harold Emmeris!" Harry grinned cheekily and waved at the student body. Snape elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.
'show off," Snape growled.
"What? I want to be approachable!" and then in an undertone, he added; "Then scare them shitless when they are in detention with me. There's a reason I have weapons in my office… and the fact they will all be getting a demonstration on how well I wield them… probably won't work as well as potions ingredients, but it'll have to do…" Snape smirked. Minerva, who hadn't heard the last part, said;
"That's a good idea, Harold! Students are usually too afraid to approach their subject teacher, worried that it will be brought up in class, no doubt. You remind me of when Harry Potter ran an illegal Defence class here. The students all went to him when they had a problem," said Minerva, winking at him.
"Potter ran a Defence class? Was he any good?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded innocently curious.
"Much as I loathe to admit it, Potter was a good teacher… the Slytherins never reported favouritism, either," grumbled Snape. Harry grinned, and Minerva stared, gobsmacked. Apparently Dumbledore had heard the exchange as he was looking at Snape proudly.
The next day was Sunday, and nothing particularly interesting happened except for the arrival of the teacher's schedules. Harry's was packed.
Teacher: Professor Harold James Emmeris
Subject: Defence Against the Dark Arts
Main Classroom: Gryff. Tower, room 12G.78
Extra classrooms: Gryff. Tower, room 12G.79
Day: Monday
Classes:
9.00 7th year DADA
10.00 7th year DADA
12.00 6th year DADA
3.00 3rd year DADA Huff/Raven
4.00 4th year DADA Huff/Raven
Day: Tuesday
Classes:
9.00 5th year DADA Huff/Raven
10.00 3rd year DADA Gryff/Slyth
12.00 2nd year DADA Huff/Raven
2.00 3rd year DADA Huff/Raven
4.00 2nd year DADA Gryff/Slyth
Day: Wednesday
Classes:
9.00 5th year DADA Gryff/Slyth
10.00 5th year DADA Huff/Raven
12.00 7th year DADA
2.00 1st year DADA Gryff/Slyth
4.00 4th year DADA Gryff/Slyth
Day: Thursday
Classes:
10.00 5th year DADA Gryff/Slyth
12.00 1st year POTIONS Huff/Raven
2.00 1st year POTIONS Gryff/Raven
Day: Friday
Classes:
9.00 6th DADA
10.00 6th DADA
12.00 4th DADA Gryff/Slyth
3.00 4th DADA Huff/Raven
"Hey, Severus? Looks like Dumbledore has fixed the problem of me helping you for us."
"Really? When?"
"Periods 3 and 5 on Thursdays. They're both 1st year classes."
"Oh, good. First years are going to like this."
On Monday, classes began; and Harry's first class was a double period with the 7th years. Harry groaned when he saw it. He was sure it was first on purpose- it was the final test of his skills.
At 9 o'clock, he let the class in, noticing as he did so that Ron and Hermione were not there. He groaned. This was quite obviously going to be difficult.
"Hi everyone! I'm Professor Emmeris. First thing I want you all to realise is that you're all adults, so I'm going to treat you like one until you give me a reason to treat you like a child. Yes, I'm the same age as you all- actually, I think I may be the youngest in the room at the moment! But I do know what I am talking about, and that doesn't just go for DADA, so if you're having problems in any subject, feel free to come and talk to me! Now, I want to get to know you all, so I think I'll start with the register." Harry wandlessly summoned the register, looking as casual as he could to prove that he did 'know his stuff,' as he had heard being thrown around in the corridors. Harry quickly reached the names he had been dreading.
"Granger, Hermione," as he already knew, she was not in the room.
"Hermione? Ms. Granger? Does anyone know where Hermione is?"
"I heard her saying that she was going to 'test you,'" said Neville nervously. Harry sighed. Hermione had really gone downhill after his disappearance.
"Thanks, Neville." The same thing happened when he got to Ron's name. Once he was done, he said;
"Now I want to start a conversation- I want to know everything that you've been taught in DADA. Professor Dumbledore gave me a basic list, but he won't know anything and I want to hear it from you. Also, if anyone was in a group called 'Dumbledore's Army,' feel free to add anything you learnt there to the list."
Half an hour later, there was a reasonably sized list on the (wandlessly) conjured chalkboard. The class then spent the rest of the lesson copying down the lesson plan for the remainder of the year. When the bell rang, the class walked excitedly to the door of the duelling classroom and filed in, before sitting down in the beanbags and looking around appreciatively.
"Alright! This is the duelling classroom, which we will be in once a week for practical lessons. The duelling platform is heavily warded, but if anyone mucks around with it or anywhere else in this room, they will be up on the platform facing me." Harry let his aura flare to show his power. The class shivered involuntarily ad he let it die down before continuing.
"If facing me does not stop you from mucking around, you will be suspended from practical lessons, and you will spend them copying The Ultimate Book on Duelling Rules and Etiquette- which is the largest book I own." The class shivered again. They had seen some thick books in his classroom.
"Now that's done! Although this is probably one of the most dangerous classes you will take at Hogwarts, it is also supposed to be fun! I also believe that it would be beneficial for you all to watch a proper duel. So, I will have a discussion with Albus- you didn't just hear me call him that-" The class chuckled, and Harry continued- "and see what I can do. Now. I have placed cushioning charm over the walls and floor so that any flying as a result of a collision with a spell won't hurt as much. There isn't enough time left today to learn anything new and I have heard rumours about certain 7th years shield charms- although I believe neither of those people are in the room- I want you all to pair up. You will take turns. One person will cast a stunner, and the other will have to raise a shield charm in time. Don't give them a warning before you cast the charm, I want them to shield one they see the spell heading towards them. Stunners and shields only! GO!"
Harry spent the rest of the lesson working on pronunciation and wand movements. The general performance was already excellent, but there was still little improvements to be made. When the bell rang, Harry kept Neville back.
"Hi, Neville! You do an excellent shield charm, one of the best in the class."
"Thanks!" said Neville happily.
"would I be right in assuming that you sometimes spend time around Ron and Hermione?"
"Yes…"
"Could you please tell them to be at Professor Snape's potions lab at 7pm tomorrow?"
"Okay…"
"Thanks! That's all I had to say."
"Okay, sir, bye!" said Neville, who promptly sprinted out the door. Hmmm… guess I scared him a little. Then he smirked. Snape was going to murder him! First class and he already had his most hated students in detention with him!
Severus-
I'm sending a lovely pair of 7th year Gryffindors to your lab, 7pm tomorrow. The pair of them had decided that DADA wasn't worth their time and had planned on 'testing me.' I believe a large stack of cauldrons went all summer without being cleaned? (Actually, there's a pile that went a few years in the storage cupboard on the shelf above the Half Blood Prince's textbook. They were the ones that I failed to clean for my Master, and any magic that hits them will make them even worse, if you want to use them!) If you can't deal with them, I have heard rumours about how well they get on with Filch, who is extremely cheerful at the moment. I believe a certain poltergeist found it amusing to wreak his office.
Thanks,
Harold.
P.S. I believe they need to be 'blamed' for a prank by their fellow classmates. They are far too arrogant.
Harry found it extremely amusing when Hogwarts told him that Snape had a childish temper tantrum after a golden phoenix delivered a note to him.
The rest of the week went smoothly for Harry. His exercise regime brought a lot of spectators, particularly the older female students. The students had also begun to see him as a friend as well as their teacher and were beginning to open up to him. Ron and Hermione were apparently furious at the detention he had given them, but they had turned up for the DADA class later in the week and not tried anything.
Finally, it was Sunday, the day he had been waiting for. Dumbledore had agreed to assist him with a duelling performance in front of the entire school so that they would benefit from watching it. Apparently someone had started a betting pool and no one thought he would be able to beat Dumbledore. Harry smirked when he heard that. This was going to be fun.
"Rules?"
"No Dark curses."
"Agreed."
"Ready, Dumbledore? Emmeris?"
"Ready."
"Ready!"
"3. 2. 1. Begin."
Harry quickly sent a huge gust of wind at Dumbledore who was blown back a few feet before he managed to jump out of the way of the wind and send back a retaliatory jet of water. Harry quickly copied, and huge amounts of water crashed in mid-air, making the platform saturated. Harry quickly sent a drying spell at his end of the platform before beginning to shoot curses at the older man.
"Langlock!" cried Harry but Dumbledore raised his shield in time.
"Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus! Conjunctivus! Diffindo! Wingardium Leviosa! Trinus Super! Silere Omnino!" Harry stayed on the offensive, but Dumbledore's shield stayed strong for longer than he expected, and only had to dodge the last silencing spell. Harry quickly decided that he wanted to cast stronger spells, so he summoned his staff. Dumbledore's eyes widened, and he dropped his shield. It would be useless against a staff. only the strongest people could even craft one, and Dumbledore himself was not among those people. Harry remained on the offensive, shooting volleys of jinxes and curses at Dumbledore, watching him dodge with a huge grin on his face. He had been right when he assumed he would enjoy this duel. After a while, Harry could see that Dumbledore was prepared to lose in order to keep his dignity, as he was tiring quickly. Harry then had an idea. He shot the brightest patronus he could at the man and whilst he was blinded, Harry disillusioned himself and crept around behind the man. Harry then sent a wordless stunner at the man, and watched him fall before turning visible again, and turned to the students who were gaping at him.
"That was just a fun duel to show you what it looks like. In a real duel, I wouldn't have taken as many risks. Many of the moves I made were beyond stupid and could have very easily gotten me killed in a real duel. That said, everyone in 4th year and above, I want 2 rolls of parchment on duelling etiquette for your next practical class, ad younger students you can do that for extra credit if you like. Chocolate frog to the best essay in each class. Thanks!" said Harry cheerfully. The staff members gaped at him. Harry waited for all the students to leave the hall before he walked over to Dumbledore.
"Ennervate." Dumbledore sat up.
"Have you ever met Voldemort?" was the first thing Dumbledore said.
"If you are hinting about the prophecy, yes, it means me. Next question!"
"How do you-"
"Know? I know lots of things. Anyway, thanks for the duel, it was fun!" said Harry cheerfully.
"Fun? You steamrollered me, and now you stand there like it was a walk in the park!"
"Yeah, well my tutor was a lot stronger than you and he made me duel him with a blindfold on, so…"
"Have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"
"Who hasn't?"
"Have you ever thought about joining it?"
"Well… sometimes…"
"Next meeting's at 7pm tomorrow night, my office."
"Um… thanks!"
Dumbledore walked away, thinking about that conversation with Harold Emmeris. It was scary. How did he know of the prophecy? Only he, Snape and Voldemort knew it, and he had not told him. But who had? Snape? He didn't think so. But that only left Voldemort, and he was not likely to tell anyone outside of his inner circle if he told anyone at all. But Snape knew the entire inner circle, and Harold Emmeris was not one of them. Did he have his own spy? That was not likely either. So how… Dumbledore shook his head. Inducing him into the Order was a good idea. Moody was always the first to know if someone was trustworthy or not, and Fawkes always checked them before they were allowed to be at the meeting. Phoenixes were known for being Light and could tell whether a person was light or dark as well. He knew that Harold had a phoenix, but he also knew that there were several Dark rituals that could force the phoenix to do his will. And that boy had defeated him in a duel as easily as if he himself had been an annoying fly bussing around his ear. How? He knew he didn't want to face him in a real duel, as the boy had quite obviously toyed with him for a long time and taken really obvious risks. Dumbledore shivered. The boy definitely had the power to defeat the Dark Lord. Voldemort would mark him as his equal- once he heard about the duel he would be terrified of Harold. But what was the power he knows not? His staff? Not likely, he had just revealed it to the whole school. So what was it! Dumbledore frowned. He didn't like not being able to solve a problem, but he knew he would have to keep a closer eye on Harold Emmeris. He was glad some of the students had agreed to spy on him, but now he would need a staff member as well. Who? Severus would not do it, he knew. Minerva? That might work. He could express his wishes, hinting to her that he thought the boy was Dark. The two of them didn't know each other all that well. They made small talk at meals, but he didn't think it went beyond that- so it would be easy to spin a few lies about him…
Dumbledore decided that he would need to warn the Order members that Harold Emmeris would be joining their ranks… but he wouldn't say anything about him. Snape would be first to know…
Later that night, Harry was brewing in his crafting room when Snape came in and looked around appreciatively.
"Who did this? It's incredible!"
"What, the enchantments? I did. When I was an apprentice, I had to spend a year living rough, on the run from my Masters. I enjoyed crafting and brewing in the forest so much that I create a rom like this wherever I live now."
"It's amazing. On the run from your Masters? No, I don't think I want to know. Would you do something similar for my classroom? It might help the students relax a little and that would improve the quality of brewing."
"Sure! Just mention that I did it!" said Harry cheekily.
"The real reason I came up here is… well I heard that you're being accepted into the Order."
"Yep."
"Well, just so you know, I'm…"
"A spy? I know." Snape shifted awkwardly.
"How do you… never mind. Also, there are some in the Order that don't trust the new members. Moody-"
"Hey, I've already met Mad-Eye, we're cool! That man has a sense of humour." Snape gaped.
"Oh. Well in that case…"
"Let's go down to your classroom and see what I can do. You know, if you just dropped your 'I'm a scary Death Eater' act, I wouldn't have to do this…"
Half an hour later, the Potions Lab was unrecognisable. The walls, floor and ceiling were reflecting a small clearing in a forest- Harry's speciality. The desks had become tree stumps (fire resistant everywhere except for the tops) placed at random intervals around the room with cauldrons perched on them. The teacher's desk was replaced with an actual small but thick tree with a space carved out of it for Snape to work on. The teacher's chair was also carved out of a tree stump. Harry was just adding the finishing touches when Dumbledore walked in.
"Severus, I… Harold?"
"Yes, Albus?"
"Does Severus know what you're doing?" Harry smirked.
"Yes, he saw my crafting room earlier. He liked it so much that he asked me to do 'something similar' to his classroom to help the students relax."
"Oh. So you put them in a forest… wait- your crafting room?" Harry ignored Dumbledore's question.
"Severus is in his office if you need him, as I didn't want him to witness the transformation. Well, I'd better go now; you can show it to him…"
The next morning, all the staff could talk about was how Harold had 'fixed' Snape's classroom.
"How did you do it? The rest of the staff have been trying for years, but no one has managed it yet!" whispered Minerva. Harry just smirked.
Somehow, the information had leaked to the students and Harry was badgered by students all wanting to know what he had done to the classroom. He just told them to wait and see.
Harry very quickly became the student's favourite professor.