House: Ravenclaw
Category: Drabble
Prompt: First day of work
Word count: 391

Home at Last

Harry looked up at the place he had called his home for seven years. He hadn't been back since the castle had been finished being rebuilt, and just looking at the place reminded him of the battle, and the lives that had been lost. He needed to move on, so when McGonagall offered him a job as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Harry knew it was just what he needed.

Now, looking up at the castle, Harry was unsure as to whether or not he had made the right decision.

The painful memories being almost too much to bear, he had a few moments of indecision, moments in which he wondered whether he should return to his job as an Auror – a job he hated, but one that he was almost expected to do.

But perhaps Hogwarts was where he was meant to be. After all these years, the school still felt like home to Harry. Although it had been painful to see Hogwarts so different from its old glory at first, Harry couldn't help but realize he'd missed it in the time he had been away.

.

"To conclude my start of year speech, it's time to introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Potter," Harry stood up nervously, and at once, the previously silent room was filled with gasps of recognition, and loud, excited chatter.

Harry sat down quickly, his face growing red, and McGonagall clapped her hands twice, causing the hall to fall silent.

"Some of the older students may remember Professor Potter from back when he attended Hogwarts," the Headmistress said, and a murmur of confirmation passed around the hall.

"The rest of you will have heard of him no doubt," McGonagall continued. "However, Potter is not here to be gawked at, or questioned like a celebrity, he is here as a professor to teach you, and should be treated with respect." She fixed the crowd of students with a steely glare. "You would all do well to remember this."

Harry grinned down at the students as they shifted guiltily under the Headmistress' glare.

He felt, in a way, excited to start teaching. In a rush, all of the apprehensiveness he had been feeling had vanished.

Maybe he would like it here after all.

The End.