FYI: this chapter is broken up into different perspectives
Wednesday, September 1st - King's Cross Station
(Ginny)
You would think that after so many years of practice, the Weasley's would have the mornings of September 1st down to the tee. Yet somehow, the last first day of school for the last of the Weasleys was no better organized than the first of them. Nonetheless, they made it onto Platform 9 ¾ with approximately twenty minutes to spare (quite good for the family), with Ginny's trunk, parents, brothers, and Harry in tow.
"There you are!" Somehow, Hermione's nervous cry was heard above the noisy din of tearful goodbye's and warm hello's filling the platform. "Come on, we should be in the Prefect Compartment!" She grabbed onto Ginny's wrist, but the redhead quickly shook her off and rolled her eyes.
"Hello to you too, Hermione. And hold your hippogriffs, we have plenty of time." Ginny turned back to her parents while Hermione waited impatiently behind her, tapping her foot with her arms crossed.
"Oh, goodbye dear!" Her mum cried, a few tears already escaping her blue eyes. She pulled her only daughter into a warm, yet bone-crushing hug, and didn't seem to want to let go.
"Bye, Mum," Ginny whispered into her curly red hair. Her own eyes stung at the corners, but she bit back any tears. She was Head Girl and Quidditch Captain, she could not be seen crying before she even got to school. Get a grip! She thought to herself. It's not like you won't seem again. It's not like last time.
"Be good and make sure to write," Mrs. Weasley commanded sternly as she held Ginny at an arm's length.
"I will. Promise."
Mrs. Weasley nodded before pulling her into a second hug. "And I'm so, so proud of you, sweetheart. Of everything."
"Thanks, Mum," she whispered back and felt a warm glow erupt in her chest. She smiled at her mother, memorizing her face until Christmas, and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Bye, Dad," Ginny said to the next Weasley in line. She promised to write, to be good, to work hard, and hugged him tightly before moving down to George.
"See ya, sis," he said lightly.
"See ya, George." They both stared at each other, not really sure what to say. Suddenly, Ginny stepped close to him and hugged him. Her head rested against his chest and she felt his chin fall on the top of her head.
"Love you, Gin."
"Love you too, George." When she stepped back, she met his gaze and saw a lackluster smile that never met his eyes, and an empty look upon his face. "Hang in there. And I'll be back at Christmas." He nodded and took a shaky breath, refusing to take his eyes off of her.
"Stir up some trouble for us, yeah?"
"Naturally." He nodded again, this time with the shadow of a real smile, and Ginny moved on to Ron.
"Bye Ron!" Ginny called, slightly louder than the others to stir him out of a conversation that he was in the middle of with Harry.
"Oh, bye," he said, rather flatly.
"Wow. That was so heartfelt, thank you." She cocked an eyebrow at him with a smile. He shrugged and somewhat begrudgingly pulled her in for a hug.
"You know I'll see you in a few weeks, right?"
"Yeah, I know." Finally, she reached the end of the line. "See you on the train, right Professor Potter?" Harry's eyes snapped into focus.
"What? Oh, right, yeah." She furrowed her eyebrows at his lack of protest to what she called him, but decided not to push it. He'd tell her if he wanted to. Besides, another second longer and she was sure Hermione would implode. With immense satisfaction at finally being old enough to do magic, she pulled out her wand and levitated the trunk in front of her.
When she passed Hermione and Ron sharing a lingering goodbye hug, she whispered "hypocrite," but continued on her way onto the Hogwarts Express.
(Harry)
"There you are!" Somehow, Hermione's nervous cry was heard above the noisy din of tearful goodbye's and warm hello's. Harry instantly scanned the mix of students and parents eagerly, choosing to focus on the differences that he saw rather than the prominent similarities.
The sandy brown floors. The tan arches. The bright red train sitting in front of the platform. The throng of people. The forest green benches against the beige stone walls.
But, most importantly; the lack of sterile white.
The white that covered the whole station that was so bright it was blinding. And the whimpering. The whimpering from that deformed baby, hiding away, interrupting the silence and the peace. The actual peace and escape from pain that was war and-
"You okay, mate?" Ron nudged him in the shoulder and was watching him apprehensively.
"Yeah," he intoned blankly. He blinked away the image of a white and empty platform and instead saw tons of parents and children staring at him blatantly, whispering to each other excitedly behind their hands.
"Kind of makes you want the invisibility cloak, huh?" Ron eyed the nearest group of spectators, apparently debating on whether or not it was appropriate to approach and meet the famous teenager.
"I definitely should have brought it," he agreed, refusing to make eye contact with onlookers.
"Bye Ron!" Ginny called, slightly louder than the others to stir him out of his conversation.
"Oh, bye," he said, rather flatly.
While they shared their weak goodbyes, Harry let his mind wander again: back to that eerie form of a platform. To the 'train' that had carried him back to the forest where Voldemort was waiting for him.
"See you on the train, right Professor Potter?" Harry's eyes snapped into focus. Ron was making his way over to Hermione, with his arms already outstretched.
"What? Oh, right, yeah." With her eyebrows furrowed, she walked towards the train, levitating her trunk in front of her. Harry followed her path past Ron where he muttered "See you tonight" and continued onto the train, careful to keep his gaze down while he winded his way through the crowd. Finally away from prying eyes, he stood at the fork in the corridor, debating between finding a compartment alone or hiding out in the Prefects' Compartment. Suddenly, the decision was made easy when two students poked their head out of the nearest compartment door with just their eyes showing to stare at him plainly. He turned on the spot and headed towards the front of the train.
The Prefects' Compartment was much larger than the regular one. It created a neat square with enough room to seat thirty and there was a small table at the back near the windows, where Ginny was already sitting and reading the papers left for her.
"Hey, Harry," she greeted without looking up. She had an elbow propped up on the desk so that she could hold her chin in her hand and let her long hair fall in front of her arm.
"Hello." He walked across the compartment and slid into the seat at the very corner. He was very aware of his hands lying empty and he had to keep pushing away the feeling that he was forgetting his trunk or something else. He wasn't a student anymore.
"Thanks for helping out last week." She looked up at him and brushed her hair aside. "With the painting and picking out furniture and stuff for Grimmauld Place."
"Oh, sure! It was fun. Besides, you two were terrible at it." They fell quiet so that Ginny could read whatever she needed to.
After a few minutes, she set the paper down in front of her and leaned back into the cushions. "How much did you end up finishing?"
"We finished our two bedrooms, the kitchen, and part of the drawing room and entryway," he listed off. "But we're going to try and finish the rest during the weekends." She nodded slightly and before she could respond, Hermione pushed open the compartment door.
"Oh good, the lists are here!" Hermione exclaimed as a greeting and marched over to the other side of Ginny and immediately began reading over the latter's shoulder. They began to talk about what they were each going to cover in the meeting, and Harry was free to succumb to the dull ache in his chest. He shut his eyes and leaned his head against the cool glass of the window. The compartment slid away from his thoughts and he was back in the white King's Cross Station with Dumbledore.
He squeezed his lips together hard to stop any noise from escaping as he relived waking up in the forest for what felt like the millionth time. The damp leaves under his skin on the dirty floor and Narcissa's small hand feeling his chest for a heartbeat that drummed loudly against his chest. Then the curious sensation of technically being tortured, but feeling no pain. Yet the curse's light was blinding and the impact from falling to the ground felt as raw as it did months ago.
A faint voice filled his subconscious, breaking through the whispers of the surrounding Death Eaters. "This is Thomas Murphy, everyone. The Hufflepuff Head Boy," Luna announced as she flowed into the room, her typical radish earring dangling jauntily. Harry's eyes flitted open and he had to smile at the simple familiarity of them. "Thomas, you already know Ginny, but this is Hermione Granger, the other Head Girl of Gryffindor. And that is Harry Potter. Although I'm not sure what he's doing here." Her chin was cocked thoughtfully to the side. But she quickly shrugged off her confusion and slid into the seat beside him.
The newcomer had dark skin with curly chocolate-brown hair and matching eyes that widened slightly when he spoke. "Hello everyone. It's a real pleasure to meet you Hermione and… you as well… Potter." Harry grimaced slightly at the awkward greeting, but he quickly smothered his expression with as warm a smile as he could.
"Just call me Harry." He tentatively reached a hand to his chest to rub away the aching sensation and refused to meet Hermione's eyes. Hermione glanced at him quickly, but turned back towards the newcomer without addressing her worry.
"Right." He took a tentative step forward, his dark cheeks growing warm.
"Nice to meet you, Thomas. Here is a list of what we have to cover in the meeting, if you'd like to look over it," Hermione passed him a parchment and slid another one to Luna across the table. She anxiously watched them both read, studying their eyes to see the exact moment they stopped scanning the lines. The moment Murphy's eyes snapped off the page, Hermione clapped her hands and they returned to separating who would cover what information.
"Are you all right, Harry?" Luna whispered to him, drawing his attention away from the window.
"Yeah, I'm all right, Luna."
"Do you like to watch people too?" she asked, gazing past him and out the window.
"Erm… I suppose," he replied uncertainly.
"I once saw a very strange family with four identical sons walking through a park, although I doubt that's what you were looking for." Harry smiled, reveling in Luna's odd yet familiar personality that didn't seem to have suffered too drastic a change through the war. "Were you looking for Death Eaters like at your birthday party?"
Startled, Harry looked at Hermione, who provided no help other than watching him carefully. Murphy squirmed awkwardly in his seat.
"No, I wasn't."
"Oh. I don't blame you if you were. I reckon there are still quite a few who aren't too fond of you." She continued to gaze at Harry, clearly enraptured and unaware of the discomfort filling the compartment.
"You're probably right about that, Luna." She patted his arm consolingly. Within a few moments, prefects from all of the houses filed into the compartment and filled the cushions lining the outside, pushing out any remnants of the awkward conversation. A series of emotions flicked across each ones face as they entered.
First: confusion as to why there were so many Head Girls this year.
Second: deep respect for Hermione, who sat directly in the middle, since they had all read about in the papers and probably knew from the year before.
Third: joy at seeing Ginny and Luna, leaders of the DA among the assembled group.
Fourth: awe when they finally spotted Harry Potter unsuccessfully attempting to blend in with the corner.
The majority of the Prefects began to talk amongst themselves as the train gathered speed on its way out of the station, while a few sat silently, content at stealing glances towards Harry.
"Why did I stop bringing my invisibility cloak everywhere?" Harry asked under his breath towards Ginny and Hermione. They both stood from their seats with a smile and Ginny clapped his shoulder in a cheerful manner that was supposedly meant to be sympathetic.
"All right, you lot! Quiet down!" Ginny said loudly over the chatter. Immediately, they all became silent and turned towards them expectantly.
"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione said graciously. "So first, a few introductions are in order and then if each of you could say your name and year, that would be great."
(Hermione)
"That went well!" Hermione said cheerfully as the last Prefect filed out of the compartment and the door slid shut. Ginny slumped back into the cushions while Luna continued to play idly with the ends of her hair.
"Yeah," Murphy agreed, still standing. "Is there anything else we have to do?" He glanced at one of the lists on the table.
"No, I don't think so. We just have to meet with McGonagall this weekend and then we have another Prefects' Meeting on Monday," Hermione responded confidently while collecting the pieces of parchment and organizing them into a neat stack.
"All right. Well, I'm going to go find my friends if you don't mind. I'll see you all later." He waved slightly and walked out of the compartment leisurely, careful to close the door gently so that it didn't slam shut.
"He seems nice," Hermione commented politely.
"I suppose," Ginny said somewhat grumpily to which Hermione looked at her pointedly. "What? It's just that we don't really need him."
"Yes we do," Luna piped in, fingering her hair still. "We need a Head Boy and it should probably be from Hufflepuff so that there is someone from at least three of the Houses. He's the only one that would work, too."
"What do you mean?" Harry prompted with interest as Luna abruptly stopped talking.
"Well, he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts last May, his Dad is a muggle so he's definitely not prejudiced, and he doesn't get awestruck by Harry Potter. Or Hermione Granger or Ginny Weasley, for that matter. That way, he's comfortable enough to share his opinions on things rather than blindly going along with whatever we say." Silence greeted the end of Luna's surprisingly in depth analysis of Professor McGonagall's choice for Head Boy.
"Oh," Ginny responded blankly, her expression unreadable. But it was true, Hermione thought. He was probably the only one that didn't sneak glances at Harry every minute and he had even corrected her when she misspoke at the meeting. "Can we just stay in this compartment? I don't want to have to find another one." Ginny asked.
"Sounds good to me," Harry replied thankfully, clearly desperate to not walk through the train corridors.
"Well now that we have a teacher's permission." Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry grinned sheepishly at her.
"You know, you're going to have to get used to being famous at some point, Harry." Hermione looked at him with her eyebrows raised.
"I guess it's better than everyone thinking I'm a nutter or something," he shrugged.
"Way to look on the bright side. Come on, let's play Exploding Snap," Ginny stood without waiting for an answer and dug through her trunk. Within a few hours, the Head Girls had changed into their school robes and Harry pulled on a neat midnight blue robe over his dark jeans and stood in the corridor as the girls did their job and helped the new students find their way on the platform.
"All right, that's everyone," Hermione said as she approached him waiting at the train door. "Ginny and Luna are already on the platform getting the first years to Hagrid." Harry nodded and followed her to the steps leading off the engine, but she stopped so abruptly that he ran into her back.
"Oh, sorry," she flustered while turning to face him. "I just wanted to say that you look very professor-like. You're going to be great, Harry." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek with a shy smile.
"Thanks, Hermione," he said modestly. She smiled, grabbed him by the arm, and led the way onto the platform. Hagrid was at the far end of the platform with a group of huddled first years and his loud voice was directing them into the boats. Ginny and Luna were waiting for them a little ways up the path, standing near a carriage with their wand tips lit.
"Woah," Hermione exclaimed softly. Harry followed her eyes to see that she was staring at the dark thestral standing patiently in front of the carriage. "That's… they're…"
"Yeah, I know," Ginny filled in darkly. "I just noticed them too."
"They're quite nice, actually," Luna contributed before climbing into the carriage and allowing the rest to follow through the open door. Hermione had to disagree, though. Their leathery skin and protruding bones did not make for a pleasant sight. Let alone, the constant reminder of why she, along with so many others, could see them now.
(Harry)
Hogwarts castle loomed into view through the tall trees, as magnificent a sight as ever. Although the nostalgic feeling of returning home didn't seem to reach him as it usually did. It used to feel impenetrable and safe: a haven away from the harsh realities of his life. Now, it just seemed like a castle and a school. A castle that was destroyed months ago. A castle where Harry should have died countless times. A castle that was just made out of stone that could easily be broken.
Nonetheless, he still had to admit that it was beautiful. He joined the crowd of students climbing the front steps into the Entrance Hall and slowly spilling into the Great Hall. The same long House tables lined the walls and the same hundreds of candles floated above them as if nothing had changed. But really, everything had changed.
He followed Ginny up the Gryffindor table and stopped beside her when she swung a leg around the bench. When Harry made to follow, she shoved him harshly in the arm and sniggered loudly.
"Don't be thick, Professor," she said, clearly amused. Hermione looked at him, an uncontrollable smile tugging at her lips, and raised an eyebrow. He sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"Fine, Miss Weasley," he groaned and slumped up the rest of the hall towards the Staff Table, leaving the two obnnoxiously grinning girls behind him. He stumbled onto the raised platform where the rest of the Professors sat and couldn't help but feel like he didn't quite fit in. Everyone else was much older and looked much more professional and dignified. He looked like a scrawny teen that forgot to comb his hair this morning. Still, he slid into the empty seat between Bill and Flitwick that was clearly left for him.
"Did you forget that you're not a student?" Bill asked conspiratorially while leaning towards him.
"At least I'm wearing dress robes this time," Harry replied, completely unabashed. Although it was weird to be up there. He could see every table, every student, and every ghost without even turning his head.
"True. Although, Professor Flitwick definitely topped you there," Bill said loudly, leaning forward to engage the Charms Professor in the conversation. The small figure was wearing black muggle slacks and a bowtie along with shiny black robes, covered in tiny silver stars. He chuckled appreciatively and tipped his head in gratitude. Turning away from the witch on his other side, he whispered at them both just as McGonagall was quieting the room.
"Care to participate in a tradition of ours? Bathsheda Babbling and I did it every year and I need someone new since she retired."
"What is it?" Bill asked with an excited grin.
"Guessing the House of the first year before the Sorting Hat does. Whoever gets the most right wins five galleons from the other two."
"I'm in," Bill and Harry said simultaneously.
"Excellent," Flitwick replied with a mischievous grin that he usually only gets when the Weasley twins pulled off an impressive prank. "We both guessed your House correctly, Harry. Knew you'd be a Gryffindor just like your parents. Destined for great things, indeed." He chuckled just as McGonagall called up the first student.
It was a young boy with bright blond hair and a pale face filled with fear.
"Slytherin," Harry announced quietly.
"Hufflepuff," Flitwick and Bill decided unquestionably. They waited in tense anticipation for the Sorting Hat to make its decision…
"HUFFLEPUFF!" it shouted at the applauding crowd.
"Damn," Harry swore under his breath. He proceeded to get the next three students wrong until a thin girl with dark brown waves approached the stool and Harry was sure that she was a ravenclaw.
"RAVENCLAW!" came the hat's decision.
"And he's on the leaderboard," Bill chuckled. By the end of the Sorting Ceremony, Flitwick had won by far, getting about three quarters correct compared to Bill's third and Harry's quarter. Regretfully, they both passed over five galleons to a victorious Flitwick.
"Sorry, boys. You do get quite good at it after a few years." He took the coins humbly and slid it into his pocket before turning his undivided attention to McGonagall who stood behind the golden podium where she addressed the students.
"Welcome everyone!" she began, her voice crisp and clear, spreading across the crowd. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Headmistress of the school. Before we dive into the changes for the year, I would like to introduce quite a few new staff members." At this, Harry turned a premature bright red, which Bill did not fail to notice. Harry sought out the eyes of Ginny and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and they were both clapping politely as Professor Albright was introduced; but, both were grinning at Harry expectantly.
"Next, is our unique scenario for the Defense Against the Dark Arts appointment. We will be splitting the grades between two professors. Years 1, 2, 6, and 7 will be taught by Professor Bill Weasley." Bill stood beside Harry and waved at the students. Ginny could be heard wolf whistling at him while Hermione clapped loudly and laughed at the younger girl who was now screeching "That's my brother!" extremely loudly. Bill shook his head at her laughing and sat back down, still smiling to himself.
"Grades 3, 4, and 5 will be taught by Professor Harry Potter," she continued. The moment his name was said, the Hall erupted. Harry stood to raucous applause and the students quickly rose to their feet just to get a better look at him, even though he had been a student with the majority of them for years before. He grinned awkwardly at the overly-enthusiastic response and looked at Hermione who was laughing at Harry's embarrassment and Ginny who stood on the bench to continue wolf whistling over the crowd. As quickly as he could do so politely, Harry sank back into his seat, but McGonagall let the clapping go on for another two minutes before beginning to quiet the crowd.
"I'm trying not to take the students' favoritism personally," Bill said in mock offense. Harry turned slightly and scratched his head, mainly to cover his scar that he was sure the students were all looking for.
"Thank you for helping me welcome our newest staff members," McGonagall said as the students quieted, her voice wrought with humor. "Speaking of our youngest addition," (she wisely chose not to say his name again) "it seems futile not to mention what happened in this very hall just mere months ago. Voldemort was able to rise to power because he cast discord among the magical community. To prevent anything like him from gaining traction again, unity is essential. Hogwarts will have a zero tolerance policy towards prejudice of any kind and will have new programs that support our muggle-born students. We will also be promoting inter-House unity extensively through new programs beginning next week. To help us implement these ideas, we have four excellent Head Students this year that are fully capable to help with your every need; Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Thomas Murphy, and Ginny Weasley. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask any Head Student, Prefect, or staff member. With that, please enjoy the feast that our house elves have kindly prepared for us, and I look forward to a great year at Hogwarts."
The last straggling students filed out of the Great Hall, leaving the Professors behind to chat amongst themselves scattered about the raised platform.
"All right everyone," McGonagall called briskly to the group and the witches and wizards assembled themselves in a rough circle. "Just a few quick announcements tonight. Mostly about our new policy placing a large emphasis on inter-house unity. This will begin in the classroom, so I insist that you each try to incorporate group projects or activities where students must work together across Houses. Of course, how you do this is entirely up to you. Also, beginning next week, students will not have to sit at their House table during breakfasts and lunches, only at dinner. There will also be voluntary muggle-born support groups led by our Head Students every other week, which they will be planning. The last thing I must mention is that I expect you all to be very strict against any prejudices that you see, specifically against muggle-born students. If a student acts prejudicially, report them immediately to me as well as deducting substantial points and at least three detentions. If this happens frequently with a particular student, I will take further action. Any questions?"
She looked carefully around the circle, waiting for someone to speak up, and when no one did, she nodded tersely. "Excellent. Good night everyone, and please speak up if there is anything you need." The professors slowly dispersed out of the Hall, and Harry found himself in step with Bill as they walked towards their offices.
"Good luck tomorrow," Bill said before opening his office door.
"Thanks." Harry grinned. "And try not to take the favoritism too personally." With that, he flooed back to Grimmauld Place where he and Ron had moved in a few days prior, much to Mrs. Weasley's displeasure. Although, she did take it much better when they promised they would still come for dinner every Sunday.
Thursday, September 2nd
The clock on the classroom wall was slowly ticking down the seconds until the first class of the day. Harry sat on top of the desk at the front of the classroom staring at the open door with his legs swinging slightly over the floor. His heartbeat seemed to pound loudly along with the clock's quiet ticking, and his stomach stirred uncomfortably like it usually did before a Quidditch game. Using his Quidditch strategy, he focused on his breathing and after a few purposeful rises and falls of his chest, his heart rate seemed to slow and a sense of calm dripped through him.
With exactly eight minutes until the first bell of the year rang throughout the castle, three students filed in through the open doorway. Their eyes widened when they realized that they would be the first students to enter, but seeing as Harry had already seen them, they cautiously slid into three seats in the middle of the class.
"Good morning," Harry said warmly to diffuse the nervous tension. They muttered a greeting of sorts and shifted in their seats uncomfortably, their cheeks growing red. "What are your names?" He asked while reaching behind him to pull out his attendance sheet that McGonagall had given them at the beginning of August along with their schedules.
"Emily Harper," the first girl said. Harry scanned the list and checked off her name under the Slytherin column.
"Hello, Miss Harper," he said while looking up, ready for the next name. She grinned and nudged her friend in the arm. "And you are?"
"Lucas Wagner." Harry bent down and found his name when the next few students made their way into the class.
"Harry!" One of them called excitedly. "Oh, Professor Potter! Hey!" Harry looked up abruptly to see a blond fifth year approaching the front of the room.
"Hey, Dennis!" Harry checked off the Gyrffindor's name before looking back up to find himself looking right in his blue eyes as he had taken the middle seat of the front row. Suddenly, he felt something lodge in his throat when he saw those blue eyes that so perfectly matched his brother's, Colin, who had died fighting in the battle, even though he was underage. "Good to see you, again," Harry managed and the rest of the assembled kids looked at Dennis in awe at being on a first-name basis with their new celebrity professor.
The last students trickled into the back of the room just before the loud bell and Harry managed to check off each student of the class, already forgetting which name went to which face. He hopped off the desk and dropped the parchment mindlessly behind him.
"All right," he began over the silent class. "Welcome to your Defense Against the Dark Arts class everyone. I'm Professor Potter," (that still sounded so wrong to him) "and I will try to learn all of your names at some point, so apologies in advance for being terrible with names." The class shared a nervous chuckle. "I know that there have been extremely irregular teachers in this post for years now, so for today, I just want to see where you all are. Erm… yeah. So, take out your wands please and move all of your things to the sides of the room." It felt strange to be giving orders to such a large group of kids (there were about thirty total) and even stranger to have them immediately followed without question.
Harry took out his own wand and waved the desks and chairs into stacks at the back of the room. He strode, feigning confidence, into the center of the now empty classroom and spoke loudly for the entire class to hear.
"Everyone, please find a partner from the opposite House and then we will get started." The fifth years shared worried glances at being asked to voluntarily talk with those from their traditionally conflicting House, and they all seemed to be waiting for someone else to ask them rather than asking others themselves. Harry rolled his eyes, but also couldn't blame them considering he would probably do the same thing himself. "Am I in the wrong class? I specifically asked not to teach first years?" he said jokingly. The students lost a fraction of their apprehensive expressions and instead smiled easily before walking up to someone that they happened to make eye contact with of the opposite House.
"Brilliant. Okay. So, who can tell me the incantation to block a spell?" He pointed at a Slytherin boy who had tentatively raised his hand.
"Protego?"
"Good, Mr…."
"Bush, sir."
"Mr. Bush. Five points for Slytherin. Now, have you all learned how to cast the protego spell?" They nodded with varying degrees of confidence. "Excellent. So, I want you and your partner to practice blocking each other's spells. I don't care what spell you use on the other, so long as it's not harmful at all and can be easily fixed in case the protego charm should fail. Now that I am convinced you are indeed fifth years since you succeeded in picking your own partners, I presume you can tell what spells are acceptable. If you're unsure if you should use it or not, just don't. Any questions?" He spun in a slow circle and saw no raised hands. "All right, then go ahead." Any lasting nerves seeped out of him as the students began to do as instructed and he realized that it really was just like teaching the DA just a few years ago.
He walked around the classroom, correcting students here and there, or applauding those who cast it well. Eventually, he reached Dennis who was partnered with Bush (Harry had no idea what his first name was) and had cast such a strong protego that Bush's spell rebounded and just missed him.
"Wow, nice one Creevey!" the Slytherin said after ducking out of the spell's path.
"Thanks! Harry already taught me how to do it back in my second year," he said proudly, while simultaneously trying to feign humility. Harry rolled his eyes and carefully pointed his wand at Dennis so that a blast of air hit him in the shoulder and he stumbled forward slightly.
"Don't get cocky, Creevey," Harry said with a smile. Dennis grinned back lightheartedly. "But, that was a very good shield charm," he admitted and his grin instantly grew into a broad smile. Other partners were having more difficulty being civil and Harry had to stop at least three verbal fights before it turned to anything physical. Since it was a double period, the students went through countless spells and hexes of all levels of difficulty up to fourth year and Harry quickly gleaned an understanding of where they were behind.
A few minutes before the bell rang, Harry shouted over the students, "OKAY, STOP!" Spells stopped firing and the students all turned to look at him. "Great job today everyone. No homework this time, except practice any spells you had trouble with, and I will see you next class." He smiled to himself as the students left the classroom, and he silently congratulated himself on his first successful class. He bounded up the steps two at a time to his office and hastily opened a drawer.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he muttered to the blank parchment and watched the ink spill across it into the map of Hogwarts. He flipped instantly to the Great Hall and his chest filled with delight when he saw two dots making their way towards the Gryffindor table. He cleared the map and hid it away again before pulling out his invisibility cloak and exiting the classroom, slipping between clumps of students into the Great Hall.
He walked quietly along the wall behind Gryffindor table until he saw Ginny and Hermione sitting next to each other, across from two other girls that he assumed were Ginny's friends. Leaving the cloak on, he slid into the open seat next to Ginny before pulling it off. The other two seventh years looked up, startled by his arrival, but Ginny didn't even turn her head.
"Hey Harry," she said nonchalantly while lifting up her fork. He grinned despite himself at her and Hermione's lack of response.
"Hey. Can you pass the pumpkin juice?"
Hermione slid the nearest pitcher along. "How was your first class?"
"Good! Really good, actually."
"Who do you have next?"
"Hufflepuff and Slytherin third years, then Ravenclaw and Gryffindor third years." Hermione nodded and began talking about how much she adored her previous Arithmancy class and suddenly, the scene felt very familiar. Thankfully, no one mentioned that he was technically a Professor sitting at the students' tables, but when he accidentally caught McGonagall's eye and she did nothing except smile and give a slight nod, he assumed it didn't matter much.
The next two classes went about the same as the first. Harry asked them to partner with the opposite House and set them to do different spells that they should be able to do by third year, according to McGonagall's lists. The only hiccup in the first day of classes came in the last ten minutes of the last class. The students had finished practicing the last of the spells and they stood in a general semicircle around him as he gave the final instructions.
"Good job today, everyone. Third year Defense Against the Dark Arts typically focuses on dark creatures, so we will be focusing on that more in the future. But, we'll be practicing some of these spells and a few others as well just to get you all caught up. No homework tonight, except to practice any spell you weren't too comfortable with, and… I think that's it. Any questions?" Harry expected the students to stand silently like the previous two classes did when he asked, all eager to leave the classroom those few minutes early, but instead a ravenclaw's hand shot into the air as soon as the words fell from his mouth.
"Yes?" Harry prompted, only remembering that his name started with an 'M.'
"I read that Daily Prophet article and was wondering how you knew the last horucks was at Gringotts." Harry stared at the student and blinked repeatedly to get over the shock of his bluntness.
"Well, it's actually called a horcrux-"
"Oh!" another ravenclaw jumped in. "And how did you know that man who told you that he gave away the locket?"
"And when you went to Godric's Hollow, how did that old lady become a snake?" added a Gryffindor.
"-at Malfoy Manor-"
"-where the diadem was-"
"-at the cave with Dumledore -"
"-graveyard during the Tournament-"
All of their curious interruptions blurred together and swirled around in his memory, dragging the unpleasant memories with them until he couldn't' take the incessant questions anymore.
"QUIET!" he shouted, suddenly exhausted. "I meant… any questions about the class." He kneaded his forehead with one hand and saw one tentative Gryffindor raise her hand.
"Yes?" he asked, probably too briskly than would be considered polite.
"What was the homework, again?"
"Practice any spells from today to get more comfortable. You're all dismissed." The chattering class marched out happily without any backward glances and Harry pointed his wand to shut the door behind the last of them. He sank to the floor and leaned against the dark wood of his desk, his eyes squeezed shut. The faded footsteps echoing on the castle floors combined with the rough footsteps and mixed screams of triumph and terror of the battle last May. The scar on his chest burned and his breathing grew ragged. The destroyed castle floated in front of him, bodies littering the ground next to rubble. Bodies of students and the Order that Harry had gone to school with or seen at meetings. Bodies of students with siblings still at school or students that Harry had been in classes with. The dark images flooded his senses and the outside world all but disappeared.
(Ginny)
With a single look at Hermione, Ginny sprinted into the empty classroom towards Harry seated on the floor in front of his desk. The door closed shut and Hermione followed a step behind and she dropped her bookbag unceremoniously on the floor halfway across the room. His back was leaned against the desk, his knees were squeezed close to his chest, and his head hung limply forward.
"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively. Ginny skipped all gentle pretenses and grabbed him by the arm and shook him roughly. His eyes immediately snapped open, full of cold determination and fear. Ginny saw whatever images were plaguing him slip as he regained some sense of awareness.
"What happened?" Ginny asked immediately, still crouching awkwardly. To save her sore knees from giving out, she ungracefully switched to a seated position which Hermione mimicked. They both stared at him anxiously as he ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. His knees relaxed slightly and he wrapped his arms around them while shifting uncomfortably on the stone floor.
"Some third years kept asking questions," he replied shortly.
Hermione cocked her head to the side slightly. "Questions about class or the war?"
Harry didn't have to answer, because Ginny stared at her, an eyebrow raised, and said "Really?"
"Just wanted to clarify," Hermione said awkwardly with a shrug. Ginny shook her head lightly before turning back to Harry.
"What did they ask?"
"One kid asked about horcruxes, and then a bunch just started yelling out their own questions."
"Who was the first kid?" Ginny asked harshly. Harry looked away from the ceiling to give her a cautiously inquisitive look.
"Why do you want to know?" Hermione questioned, clearly with the same concerns as Harry.
"'Cause the brat clearly needs to learn some tact."
"And you'd be the one to teach him?" Hermione scoffed.
"One way or another," Ginny replied enigmatically.
"Don't go fighting a third-year on my defense," Harry butted in. "I think I can handle a bunch of thirteen-year-olds."
"Apparently not. They beat you with a few carefully chosen questions." She retorted automatically. Hermione had a sharp intake of breath, but Harry just chuckled lightly and let his legs slide against the floor until they were straight.
"Touché, Miss Weasley." Ginny grinned and somewhat definitely decided to stop pressing for names. "What are you two doing here anyways?"
"We came to see how your first day of classes went," Hermione replied truthfully, getting to her feet to grab her bag again.
"Well, before the last ten minutes, they were great." Harry pushed himself to his feet and pulled out his wand to let the desks fly back to their proper spots.
"No more nosy third-years tomorrow though, right?" Ginny asked without looking. Instead, she made her way purposefully towards the desk at the corner of the room.
"Nope, just fourth and fifth years. What are you doing?" Ginny was standing on top of the desk, her hands on her hips, looking around the room.
"I've always wanted to do this," she said nonchalantly looking around the room. Harry and Hermione shared an equally confused look.
"Er… do what, exactly? Stand on a desk?" Harry asked, his brows furrowed.
"I've stood on a desk before, Professor Potter. But, come here and I'll show you what I mean." With another confused glance, Harry and Hermione climbed up onto the desk beside Ginny, and instead of anything spectacular happening, the three stood on a desk in the empty classroom with Ginny providing no clearer directions.
"Er… Ginny?" Harry said, nervously noticing the excited gleam behind her eyes.
"Race you around the classroom!" she screeched suddenly and bounded over to the next desk of the front row. Laughing, Harry immediately followed, ignoring Hermione's worried calls behind him and raced her from desk to desk.
"You're just mad that you're so behind!" Ginny shouted from the other end of the room. Hermione rolled her eyes, but jumped lightly to the next desk to catch up to them. Harry and Ginny, both incredibly competitive, were busy trying to push each other off of a desk, both laughing idiotically. Harry's stomach heaved with laughter, but he could no longer feel his chest aching. They made it around to the back of the classroom and had just rounded the corner so that they were facing the front of the class again when the door squeaked open.
All three of them froze and simultaneously turned with guilt-ridden expressions to see McGonagall looking up at the three of them.
"What, in Merlin's name, are you doing!?" she slammed the door shut behind her and adjusted her spectacles angrily.
"Er… racing?" Ginny answered hopefully.
"Racing," she repeated sternly. "Unbelievable. You are all figures of authority now, and you're messing around on the first day of class?" Hermione had the decency to look ashamed and climbed to the floor, but Ginny just grinned.
"I'm not sure why you're so surprised, Professor," she said, still on top of her desk.
"No, she's right," Harry admitted, surprising everyone in the room. But, his mouth crept into a sly smile as he clarified himself. "You're supposed to be responsible now, Miss Weasley. I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a detention and write home to your mother about this."
Ginny snorted and cried "You GIT!" through laughs. Hermione forced herself to keep her expression of utmost embarrassment even if a giggle was trying to escape, unsure if she was still getting reprimanded or not. McGonagall however, let her stern lips slide into a smile. She sighed heavily and shook her head while approaching the desk that Harry still stood on.
"And here I was hoping for a somewhat peaceful year."
Harry jumped off the desk just as she reached him.
"Oh please, Professor. You'd be bored out of your mind without us Weasleys to keep you on your toes," Ginny grinned as she sat on the edge of her own desk.
"I suppose there's some truth to that. Here, Potter. It's what we will cover at the Staff Meeting on Monday which you won't be here for." She passed him a folded piece of parchment. "With that, I'll leave you to ruin your classroom in peace."
"Thanks, Professor." She pursed her lips in a semblance of a half-smile and left the room, only letting out a chuckle once the door was safely closed behind her. They're still kids. The war didn't completely break them, she thought to herself with relief.
Another chapter completed! Let me know what you think, I always love any reviews or suggestions.