Don't own…can only dream…
Thought in italics
Parseltongue is underline
With a pop Harry arrived at the gates. He stopped and looked up at his first and only true home; he began walking the path that knew so well. As Harry neared the castle, he spotted Professor McGonagall waiting for him on the front steps.
"Professor McGonagall" Harry said, nodding his head to his former Professor and Head of House
"Potter, follow me" she said as she turned and walked into the castle.
The trip to the Headmaster's office was silent; Professor McGonagall spoke the password, than stepped aside,
"In with you Potter and Congratulations, it is certainly going to be an interesting year. '' she said before turning and walking down the hallway.
As Harry stepped onto the staircase, it started moving him up towards his future. When he reached the top, the door was already open,
"Ah, Come in coma in, Harry, welcome back to Hogwarts, please take a seat," the Headmaster said as he stood up from his desk to great his newest professor.
Seeing two chairs facing the Headmaster's desk, Harry sat in the one farthest from the door, the one he normally sat in while he was in school.
"I thought," Harry started to say as the door slams open
"Alright Albus, where is the fool who you got to teach the dunderheads." Severus Snape yelled as he stormed into the office, slamming the door behind him.
"I'm right here Professor," Harry said in a small voice
Snape spun around and looked at Harry, before looking back at the Headmaster.
"Potter! What in the nine levels of hell are you doing here? Get out, the Headmaster and I have a meeting" Snape hissed at the boy.
Snape gestured for Harry to stand, than held open the door and gestured for him to leave.
"Severus sit down now." Albus said a stern voice, "this meeting involves both of you, and Harry is our new DADA professor. Now I said SIT!" Albus said in his most fearful voice, letting some of his magic out.
Shock showed on the Slytherin's face before it was replaced with anger,
"No Albus, No I will not mentor, let alone work with the spoiled brat of Gryffindor," Snape spun on his heals and walked towards the door, he was almost out when Albus said his name,
"Severus" Albus said again as the door to the office slammed shut almost hitting the professor,
"Sit down and listen young man" Albus said as he settled back down at his desk and conjured a tea set and some goodies.
Snape turned to his mentor and glared as he moved the chair as far away from Harry that he could get before sitting down.
That glare would killed the Dark Lord,
Harry thought, as he watched Snape sit down and cross his arms over his chest.
"Very well now that we are all settled;" with a pointed look at Snape, "Harry welcome to Hogwarts Staff, since you do not have any training for the position other than your Hogwarts education, for the next month you will go through intense training classes with a different professor each week. You will be working on different objectives that will help with your teaching. If by the end of the month, the staff doesn't feel that you are ready to take over, than every one of your lessons will be observed by another member of the staff until they believe that you are ready. Your mentor will oversee all of the work that you will be doing."
The Headmaster paused, making sure that both men in front of him were following what he was saying. He took a lemon drop and threw it into his mouth,
"Lemon drop," he asked,
Both men turned him down,
"Well, than back to your rooming situation, both of your rooms will also share a common room. I believe the castle has already made the changes. Now both of you will meet there daily to talk about the day, classes or what ever else you choose. I expect these meetings to begin tonight." Albus said with a look directed at the potions master. Than he turned back to Harry,
"Professor McGonagall is expecting you in her classroom after lunch to begin your training. She will inform you on what you are working on. Are there any questions?" Albus looked across the desk, Severus was still glaring at him and Harry looked very confused. When neither man said anything, the Headmaster continued,
"Well if there are none, Severus you may go back to what you were doing and Harry I shall show you to your rooms."
Snape stood up and stormed out of the office, "This is not over Albus" he mumbled as the stairs moved him away from the office.
Albus than turned back to Harry,
"I apologies Harry, Severus is a difficult man, but an honorable and good man, you to are more alike than you think."
I doubt that Headmaster, I'm not a snake, and we are going to kill each other, Harry thought
"Now one more thing I need to tell you before I show you to your rooms. Although you are an adult in our world, many around you will have trouble accepting that you are an adult,"
"What are you trying to say Headmaster?" Harry asked with a knowing look.
"I can't ask you to do anymore for the Order right now other than the research and training that you have been doing." The Headmaster told him with frown.
"Very well sir, I understand why not, but I do not agree if you will please show me to my rooms, I would like to get settled in before lunch.'' Harry said standing up.
"Very well, just so you know all meals are at the normal times, although they will be served in the staff room and the only meal that you are required to attend is dinner. I shall show you the staff room on the way to yours." The Headmaster said getting up from the desk and headed towards the door with Harry following slowly behind him.
The duo stopped in front of a door halfway along the ground floor,
"This is the entrance to the staff room, there is no password. This is where meals will be served for the remainder of the summer. We also will hold our staff meeting here, in less you are told otherwise. The room is always open to any professor of the school." Albus told him, as he opened to the door to give Harry a look inside the empty room.
Albus than lead him down the first flight of stairs into the Dungeons, the pair walked a few meters down the hallway before Albus stopped in front of a portrait of a boy on a swing, with a snake going up the pole of the swing set.
"Just place your palm onto the portrait and the castle will recognize that these are your rooms. You can also set up a password at that time, or just put you hand onto the portrait to open your door." With that last instruction the Headmaster turned and walked back down the corridor, leaving Harry staring at a portrait.
"Well, might as well get it over with," Harry said to himself as he placed his palm onto the portrait.
"Welcome, Professor, My name is Gregory; I am the guardian of your chamber. Would you like to set up a password?" Gregory asked as he stopped his swing, and looked at Harry.
"Hello, my name is Harry, and I have a password, but I'm not sure you will understand it," Harry said as he looked at the boy, than moved his eyes and looked at the snake that was enjoying the sun while curled up on the swing set.
"Do you understand me," Harry asked looking at the snake
"yesssssssssss, I can, sssshallll I be your guardian?" the snake responded as he lifted up his head.
"yes, my password shall be death," Harry said
"It has been a long time since anyone has spoken to my snake, you shall be an interesting addition to the room, Professor." The Gregory said as he started swing again.
"Please, call me Harry," he said as the door opened and he got his first look at his new rooms.
Harry looked around his room once he heard the door shut. First he walked into a small sitting room with a fire place and a couch in front. Book shelves lined two of the walls; in front of the wall was a desk, with fresh quills, ink, and parchment on top.
Off of the sitting room was a small kitchen with a sink and cabinets. Opening the cabinets, he found that one had a cooling charm on it,
"Wizards version a fridge I see," Harry said laughing to himself.
In the final cabinet he found a small supply of food, but all the others he checked were empty.
"Going to have to go shopping I think," Harry said out loud as he looked at the minimal food that he did have.
Harry also found another door in the kitchen, but ignored it for the time being.
Walking back into the sitting room Harry looked more closely at the three different doors in the sitting room.
Harry opened the first door to find a modest bathroom with a full bath, there was a laundry basket in one corner and fresh towels on the hooks. Walking back out, Harry tried the next door.
The next door opened up to a gym. There was a running track and weights. There was also a dueling platform. Along one wall were all different types of swords and weapons. Harry walked half way around the track before coming to another door; the door was locked when Harry tried to open it. Not finding anything else, he turned around and head back towards his door.
Coming back into the room, Harry opened the final door on the wall to find his bedroom. His mouth fell open at the sight; in the center of his room was a queen size four poster bed with a black down comforter on top and green bed hangs tied back. Across from the bed was a smaller fire place with a love seat in front of it. On the far wall there was an armoire, Harry took his trunk out of his pocket and enlarged it placing it at the foot of his bed.
First he took out the quilt from Mrs. Weasley and placing it on his bed. Next he took out the journals and books, going out into the sitting room, he placing both onto the bookshelves behind his desk. Next Harry looked at the photos that his friends gave him.
First he took out the one of the Gryffindor Quidditch team with the quidditch cup they won in his seventh year, next came the one of him with Ron and Hermione at their graduation, he took those two and placed them aside as he moved onto the next picture.
Finally Harry had three groups of pictures, one for his sitting room, one for his bedroom, and then one for his desk in his office. That pile only had two pictures in it, the one of him and his parent that Hagraid gave him after his first year, and one of him with his DA. This way he will always remember why he was teaching and what he was fighting for.
Going back into his sitting room, Harry placed the pictures onto the mantel; he also put the golden snitch from his first catch up there as well.
He moved to the bookshelves and put all the books that Hermione gave him from the Black Library onto the shelves, along with his own school books. Saving some of the more valuable and the ones he would need for his office.
Going back into this bedroom, Harry began unpacking the little clothing that he did have,
"I'm going to have in list Hermione's help in getting some new cloths, can't be looking like the students that I am going to have to teach." Harry mumbled to himself as he hung up one of his hoodies.
Just as he was finishing a bell went off in his chambers, "what the hell," Harry said as he looked down at his watch.
"Guess that is just a little reminder that it almost lunch time," Harry said as he walked out of his chambers and back up to the staff room.
Harry got to the staff room door, just as the Headmaster was arriving from the other directions.
"How are you finding your rooms," Albus asked as the two walked into the room.
"Fine, Sir, thank you." Harry said as he took one of the empty seats.
"Harry please, call me Albus," the Headmaster said as he helped himself to some of the butterbeer on the table, and passing one to Harry.
"I will try Sir." Harry said as the door to the staff room opened again.
"Ah good afternoon, Minerva, Filius," the Headmaster greeted the two as they took seats at the table was well.
"Good afternoon, Harry, can you pass me a butterbeer please," Filius asked
"Here you are Professor Flitwick," Harry said as he handed the small man the bottle
"Harry, please call me Filius, you are a professor here now as well," the little man said laughing
Harry gave him a shy smile before returning his attention back to his own lunch. The other occupants in the room talked and laughed through out the meal, Harry just eat his own lunch and observed those who he was now suppose to work with. Feeling a little out of place, Harry only answered questions when they were directed specifically at him, and even then it was one or two word answers. Finally the meal was coming to a close, and Minerva stood up,
"Harry if you please follow me, we will began our lesson." She said as she walked out of the room, expecting Harry to follow her.
The two walked up a flight of stairs and down the first floor corridor. Stopping outside the door, Minerva turned to Harry,
"Well open up the door, the first time you open up the door to your own classroom, you will remember for a lifetime." She said as Harry opened the door to his classroom.
The two walked into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and right up front,
"Have a seat Harry," Minerva said as she sat in one of the student's desk, Harry sat next to her.
"Just a month ago, you sat in this room as a student, and in your time here, we have only had one decent teacher for this class. I hope that you will change that. Now I know what you did in your little DA group, I also know that you achieved a record high on your NEWTS in the subject. When Albus first told us that you would be teaching, we were concerned that some other the older students would not respect you as their teacher, but after learning about how you ran your DA group, I learned that most of the school already looks up to you as their leader and teacher." Minerva took a breath and looked at Harry. Who was nodding along with everything that she said,
"When I first started DA in fifth year, I had no idea what I was doing, but than with help from Hermione and Ron, we got the group off the ground and turned it into what it was at the end of last year, a large group of students learning how to defend themselves with curse, blocks and charms, from all years, all levels, and all houses." Harry said after thinking for a moment.
"That is exactly what you will be doing as a teacher, only it will be every student you will be working with, not just ones who choose to join you. During the next week what we are going to do is talk about what happens in a classroom. With you being right out of school, it shouldn't be too hard to remember, who your favorite professors, and least favorite professors were. What I normally ask the new teachers to do it think about those two people and write down what happened in both classroom, what the professors did that was good, what they did that was bad. Now let's go through this room, I have no idea what the past professors have done to this place. Every new professor finds things left by the previous professors."
The two spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the classroom. They got ride of things that Harry did not want, or need any more. Behind one of the cabinets, they found a doily left from Umbridge. Harry burned that on the spot. The a bell ring a few hours later,
"Time for dinner Potter," Minerva said as she did a freshening charm on herself.
Harry copied her movements than asked, "Is that what that bell mean, it's time for a meal?"
"That bell will only sound in a professor's chamber or office, its Albus' way to remind us to stop working and go and eat. There is also another one that will sound around midnight, only in the offices so the any professor who is still in there working are reminded of what time it. The bells do come in handy once the school year gets started and all the paper work starts." She said as the pair walked back towards the staff room for dinner.
Opening the door, Harry first saw that there were a lot more people than at lunch. Every person who was residing within the castle was present. After greetings were exchanged, Harry took the same seat from lunch, and turned his attention to his meal; just as he did at lunch, Harry only answered questions directed at him, and was quite most of the meal.
After Harry finished eating he quietly excused himself and made his way back to his room. Harry sat down at the desk in his sitting room and started writing the essay Professor McGonagall asked him to do.
"The teacher that I hated the most," Harry read aloud, "Well that's easy, Snape, well Binns was the most boring, but,"
Harry turned to the parchment and began writing.
Its too quite in here, Harry thought as he placed his quill down. He went over to the wireless that was on one of his shelves and turned it on.
"There that's better, guess I have to get used to the quite now."
"Talking to yourself Potter, don't they say that's the first sign of madness." Snape said standing in the doorway of Harry's kitchen.
"How you get in here Snape?" Harry said angrily.
"The Headmaster did say that we were sharing a common room, did he not, now get in here so that we can get this over with." Severus said as he turned on his heals and walked back into the kitchen and out the other door that was there.
Harry stood up and followed the man out of the room. The door in the kitchen lead to another common room with two desk, a couch and two chairs, as well as, fireplace. Harry sat down in the empty chair next to Snape,
"Now we will only do this until I find away out of this with Albus, every day at 7pm you will come into this room. You will respect me and address me as such, either Professor Snape, or Sir. I do not see you as my colleague or peer unlike other members of this staff. You will do what ever work you have to do, and only talk to me when I speak to you first, or if dispirit need arises. You will work in here until your work for the day is done. After that you will do anything that I request of you." Severus turned from Harry and walked over to the other desk and began writing.
Harry looked at the other man, standing up; he walked over to the other desk to get a fresh start on the essay McGonagall had assigned him.
The professor I disliked the most was Professor Snape….
After about two hours of sitting and writing, Harry finished his essay for tomorrow, looking up Harry saw that Snape was still writing away,
"Good night Professor," Harry said as he walked out the door into his room. He closed and locked the door behind him,
I do not want him coming into my room without telling me; don't want that happening again,
Harry thought as he headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Harry climbed into his bed later that night, and looked back on his day.
"It wasn't so bad," Harry said aloud as he cast a silencing spell around the room, than snuggled down under the covers, curling the quilt from Mrs. Weasley tight in his hands before falling into a nightmare filled sleep.