Chapter 1

Everything felt different this year for Harry Potter. It wasn't just that it was his fifth year at Hogwarts and that he would have to take his OWLs examinations at the end of this year which left a promise of stress and complicated homework. There was also the added stress of Voldemort's return and Cedric's death. A nightmare that still haunts him, They grew lesser when he was reunited with Sirius but it was short-lived with his trial and now return to Hogwarts. Though being with his friends did help and offer a much-needed distraction.

Then there was the prospect of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Every year so far he has had a new one. Some say the position was cursed and he was starting to believe it. For most that wouldn't be an issue but with the number of teachers that have tried to hurt him in some way has outweighed the good ones or one by the name Remus Lupin. He expected to see the new face and the introductory during the opening feast. However, he was confused like everyone else to see the empty chair

Dumbledore didn't ease the curiosity and the confusion. If anything he added to it. He first began by addressing the empty chair by illustrating that the Professor was unable to make it for the feast. That they were having an unusual arrangement this year since Hogwarts was going to be hosting a researcher from an alternate dimension. This alternate dimension researcher volunteered their services as their Professor for this year. That was all he said on the subject leaving everyone in hushed whispers. But someone did point out that Snape lacked his usual anger over his loss of position. Everyone knew he was after the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. Dumbledore never even specified a gender.

Walking into the classroom everyone was amused with chatter. Even Hermione who was usually quiet once she entered the classroom was indulging with Harry and Ron. They didn't have assigned seating unless a student was being rowdy and had to be moved around. So everyone just sat where they pleased. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at a table just off-center in the front row. Despite Harry's lack of interest in learning this year he still held this class of the utmost importance.

The seventh-year had just finished this class and didn't say anything when they walked out. All Fred and George said while passing them was that they were in for a treat.

So imagine everyone's surprise when the professor walked in. Noticeably she wore muggle clothes instead of the traditional robes that most of the professors wore. She wore high-waisted trousers and a dark blue blazer unbuttoned to reveal a green undershirt. Black heeled boots that matched her trousers and clicked on the floor as she walked. Her hair was tied back but still held their honey curls. It was undeniable that it was Hermione Granger who entered the room and sat on the edge of the desk. Which was impossible since she was sitting right next to Harry and when Harry turned to his right she was still right there beside him in her uniform. The class was open-mouthed and confused.

The Hermione look-alike at the front of the room was amused with a smirk on her face as she took in their antics. She just sat there quietly and didn't speak as whispers broke out. Harry took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. Putting them back on he didn't know if he should have been relieved or fearful that she was still sitting there. He couldn't tell if he was hallucinating or not.

"Granger, do you have an older sister?" A student said from the back.

"No," Hermione said from his right.

The Hermione look-alike smiled and said, "That's exactly what the Seventh year class had to say.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron asked and Harry couldn't help but agree with that statement.

"I was under the impression that Dumbledore made the announcement that an individual from an alternate dimension was doing research here in your world and volunteered to be your instructor for this school year." As though that statement wasn't vague at all and explained everything.

"He didn't mention that it was you," Ron said, speaking for the class as he gestured with a wave of his hand.

"And does that really concern you who is your instructor as long as you are well taught for your examinations?" Harry couldn't help but silently agree with that statement. "My name is Hermione Granger as I am sure you have already guessed. You can refer to me as Professor Granger, Professor G if you would prefer if it makes things easier for you to distinguish. Or you can simply call me Professor without my given name attached. I am not picky."

"So how exactly does this work. Since I feel like I am seeing double and it's kinda freaking me out," came Seamus' voice off from the side.

"One thing you need to note is that I am not her," Professor Granger said, gesturing to Hermione. "Nor is she a past version of myself. I assume that you are familiar with the concept of alternate dimensions. But if you require a refresher this is it. There are multiple dimensions across the universe. All of them are different with the same looking people. That is your alternate self. They have a different past, present, and future than yourself. Different factors and people shaped their lives in different ways. In some dimensions perhaps some of you are siblings while in others you are currently dead. As an example." Professor Granger said all of this while continuing to lean on her desk. From the way she spoke and stood it was clear that she was much more relaxed than her counterpart. And different from the professionality their other professors had.

"With you being here, affect me in some way?" Hermione asked. Which did raise a few questions on top of the others Harry already had/

"Technically if I left the portal, the bridge between our two worlds intact then yes there would be consequences for not only you and I but for other people as well. But since I closed it on arrival and will only briefly open it again upon my return it will have no real effects. And I am the only person with the key to travelling between the dimensions. The worst in this situation is that you would get a headache and a nosebleed from this. And even then It is rare."

"How old are you? You are what two years older than us?" Parkinson said. Harry could hear the condescendingness in her voice.

"I'm 24, so about 8 years older than her. But thank you for the compliment. If it helps, think about us as if we were twin sisters separated at birth and grew up in two different countries. We look the same and our personalities may be the same but our life experiences are different.

"What are your qualifications for teaching us?" Malfoy called out. Professor Granger did not comment on the interruptions or how no one raised their hands. Other professors would say that they were being disrespectful.

"Well after I graduated Hogwarts top of my class and as Head Girl, I worked the last several years as a Forensic Archeologist. I study, locate and then examine artifacts that are believed to have been lost to magical history. Many of which possess extraordinary and dangerous dark magic. However, not all of the artifacts I research, are found in a hidden cave somewhere in the desert. Some of them I have to extract from dangerous men and women who would like to hurt a lot of people. For example, I located Excalibur in my dimension. It's currently sitting behind impenetrable glass in a museum. Something I am extremely proud of. Let's see I also fought off six men in a duel before I turned 17. I have almost been killed at least 12 times in the last five years. And yet I am standing here with only a handful of scars. Those are my qualifications and what exactly were Quirrell's and Lockharts?" Harry could hear some snickers after that comment and he could just imagine the smirk wiped off Malfoy's face. "But if you are concerned about me marking my alternate self's work then I can assure you that Professor Snape will be specifically marking her work to ensure an unbiased opinion." No one could argue with that. Harry himself was quite impressed with her qualifications. He normally wouldn't doubt Hermione's knowledge but this Professor Granger being an alternate version of his best friend left everything up in the air.

"So now that an introductory is out of the way let's begin with the syllabus for this year. I am going to forgo the OWL speech that you no doubt have heard from every single one of your Professors. We shall just head straight into the course material." Professor Granger stood upright and began to softly move throughout the classroom. She walked with an elegance and grace that came with not only maturity but age. It was a good look on her. It added a confidence to her that suited her well.

"We will of course be revising throughout the lessons for your examinations. I will also give you a study handout for you to complete over the Christmas break. However, I will be teaching you new spells that are both defensive and offensive. I will also be teaching you lessons that will effectively teach you how to win a fight. These lessons will not necessarily involve wand work but rather teach you how to think in a life or death situation and how to survive." She had everyone's attention now. "You will be given two, possibly three demonstrations throughout this year. These will be a bit of a treat for your year and above. Rest assured you will be having assignments to complete on these demonstrations."

"Firstly, you will watch a duel." Everyone seemed excited by the prospect. "Not like the one with Lockhart in your second year. But a real duel with the exchange of spells. It will be realistic and will simulate a real-life duel. I warn you that this will not be pretty. We will both be injured in this fight in order to fully demonstrate the seriousness and how grave a battle is. And I'm not just talking about wounded pride. There will be blood spilt and broken bones. The aim of this duel is not to simply disarm or to knock the opponent unconscious. Nor are we trying to kill the other. We will be duelling for the intent to harm the other." This left an ominous feel around the room but it was hidden by everyone's excitement. Harry couldn't help but be impressed. It wasn't until he fought Voldemort that he learned how hard and cruel a duel could really be. He used to only associate it with schoolish rivalry, a mistake he quickly learned from.

"Who will you be duelling?" Lavender asked.

"I will be duelling Professor Snape." Harry raised his eyes at this and he could hear a quill drop in the silence. "Like I said we will be trying to injure each other for demonstrative purposes. It's nothing personal. And though the fight will look intense and look like we are trying to kill each other, we are not. Madam Pomphrey will be monitoring the duel to ensure no serious damage is done. As well as to answer some questions about the aftereffects of a duel such as injuries and psychological effects. But rest assured even if we do seriously injure one another you will still have to hand in all of your assignments for both mine and his class." A few people chuckled at this while others groaned.

"The second demonstration is going to be a fear landscape."

"We saw our bogarts in our third year." A Hufflepuff; Harry didn't know the name of, said.

"Excellent so you are already aware of what those are. Now can anyone tell me what the difference between a fear landscape and a boggart is?" Nobody raised their hand to answer, not even Hermione. Harry himself never even heard of such a thing and from looking around the lost looks on everyone's faces no one else knew either. But it seemed as though Professor Granger expected that.

"No. Okay a boggart shows you one of the things you fear and represents that fear as a single person or image. However, it isn't always accurate. The reason is that everyone in the world has more than one fear. Most people have 5-15 fears. A fear landscape is more realistic because it shows all of your fears in the subsequent order of your least to worst fear. It doesn't only show images or people but also scenarios. It would be slightly traumatizing and personal for all of your classmates to go through all of your landscapes. So we will be going through mine. To you it would be like watching memories in a pensieve, you won't be able to interact while I on the other hand can. The purpose of this is so that you can not only see how I and other people react to fear but also how someone can overcome it despite being faced with it." This perked Harry's ears up, he remembered Remus telling him that what he feared was fear itself. He sometimes thought about it, the dementors and how they affected him. Especially since his encounter this summer. He didn't enjoy experiencing that type of fear nor did he ever wish to experience it ever again. He couldn't wait to learn how to fight fear.

"I am also considering having another demonstration, that is if I am able to get Professor Snape to agree, and the Headmaster and the ministry," she drowned off. It was clear she was tired by the semantics.

"Why so much trouble?" Dean asked.

"Technically speaking what I want to show you is not exactly legal. But if not we will have a substitute demonstration that will be equally life alternating." This sent a chill down Harry and clearly Ron's spine, by the way, he shivered. The term illegal is not something they were unfamiliar with but it was surprising hearing Hermione saying it so casually. Though she was sometimes the one to convince him and Ron to go against the rules it usually only happened in life and death situations not for simply learning purposes. Though he knew he was going to have to get used to the fact that his best friend Hermione, was not Professor Granger. As she already mentioned. Even though they shared the same face it was clear in this first lesson that there were some discrepancies in their behaviour.

"Then your final last assignment is going to be a group effort. Later this year I will be assigning everyone into pairs. Each pair will have to work, rely upon and strategize together in order to pass an obstacle course. I will be creating each pair based on your skill level and other factors. I will give you a heads up in advance so you can practice working together. But the course and obstacle will be a co complete surprise. But as heads up you will not be paired with someone from your own house. So, I suggest you get used to the idea now." Harry tried to resist the urge to groan in grief, though his classmates didn't share the same sentiment. He could only hope that in the alternate dimension the professor came from they were still friends and she would have mercy on him and not pair him with someone like Malfoy.

"Also as a treat for after your examinations, we might start on some nonverbal and other more fun and challenging spells to unwind from the stress." The professor clapped her hand at this. He noticed she stopped walking throughout the classroom and stood directly in front of the chalkboard and held her wand in her hands. "Now for specific spells. What would you like to learn?"

"You are asking us what we want to learn," Dean said, confirming her statement. This was practically unheard of. A teacher asking what the students wanted to learn. If she wasn't careful she would be on her way to becoming the best teacher the students ever had.

"You are being overwhelmed with quite a lot of material this year. It will be easier for you to remember and be able to apply the lessons I teach you if you have an actual interest in what I am teaching you." Harry couldn't help but agree with her. "So what spells would you like to learn?" No one seemed to react to her question.

She seemed to be dejected by the lack of response. So she prompted them, "Just shout out suggestions."

Harry honestly couldn't think about anything. But his classmates didn't seem to have any problem once they were given a moment to think about it. One at a time they began to shout a spell or curse or jinx that they wanted to learn. Despite the answers, the Professor continued to encourage responses from his classmates.

"Reductor Curse."

"Good"

"The Gouging Spell?"

"What about the Patronus?" Hermione asked.

Professor Granger hesitated at this but she didn't say no. "That is a very advanced spell. But we can definitely go over the theory and start practicing." She wrote down a list of spells adding to the ones we already suggested and also added some of the ones we would be revising as well. They were written in two columns.

Spells

Patronous

Smokescreen Spell

Deprimo

Reductor Curse

Gouging Spell

Revision

Hex-deflection spells

Counter courses

Everte Statum

Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus)

Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus)

Magical creatures; werewolves, boggarts, kapps's

"This is going to be a rough year. But I promise you that it will be rewarding, as long as you work hard. These lessons will not only save your life outside of these walls. But they just might save another's." Professor Granger had a gleam in her eyes as she said this. "Ready to begin?"