Walking into the Great Hall for the first time as a Sixth Year, Harry's eyes locked onto the staff table.
"Hey guys, have you noticed that Professor Gaunt is still the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?"
"Oh yeah, I wasn't expecting that," Dudley responded.
Harry's words spurred a discussion about their Defence Professor's continued employment, and the hall was filled with nothing but chatter until Professor McGonagall stepped in to announce the imminent arrival of the First Years. Harry never much cared for the Sorting Ritual and hadn't paid attention to it since the year Elias had been sorted and this year wouldn't be any different.
/_-_^_^_-/
"So many new faces, and a veritable sea of familiar faces returning for another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore announced after the Sorting. "Those that were with us last year will no doubt recognise the face of Professor Gaunt, who has remained as our Defence Professor for a second year, a very notable thing as it has not happened in decades and so we thank Professor Gaunt for agreeing to remain."
The Professor in question smiled and bowed his head slightly.
"We will now begin our welcoming feast." Professor Dumbledore snapped his fingers and the food arrived instantly on the tables, though the Headmaster didn't stay to eat. Harry watched him leaving, deciding he would talk to him before the day ended.
/_-^_^_-_/
"Harry my boy, what has brought you away from your friends and the allure of sleep?"
"You. You look different, I hope you'll forgive me for saying this, you look as if all your years have caught up to you. Have you been eating?" Harry demanded to know, earning a chuckle from the Headmaster.
"I believe it is my job to worry about the students, not your job to worry about the faculty."
"You're deflecting, Professor, please tell me what is happening."
"Sirius brought me a ring he had obtained from Borgin and Burkes, I suspect you remember the effect it had on the Muggle who tried to steal it. Your father is a lucky man, if he had chosen to wear the ring for an extended amount of time then he wouldn't have reached his wedding day."
"Why are you still wearing it? Take it off, Professor!"
"I can't, at first I didn't want to, but now I have no choice. It won't let go until I'm dead, I hope to have finished researching it before then."
"Are you saying it is stuck to your finger?"
"Yes, Harry, it is."
"Diffindo!" Harry sent the Cutting Charm at the Headmaster's hand, chopping off the finger and dropping the ring to the floor.
"Harry, you… you attacked me!" Albus was shocked, looking at the boy as if he would strike again.
"You wouldn't have agreed to cut off the finger otherwise. Fawkes, can you help us?"
The bird flew over to them at Harry's words, crying onto the stump of the finger, which began to leak a grey substance, the tears seemingly forcing it out of the wound.
"Accio finger," Harry called out before the grey ooze could enter the ring, or the finger itself, which was rotting away much like the Muggle man had. Almost the same second that the ooze had stopped leaking, Albus went very pale, swaying on the spot, before he fell to the floor. If it wasn't for the quick reaction of Harry, who had summoned the falling man over to him safely, the old man would have fallen right into the grey puddle and Harry didn't want to know what would have happened then.
With Fawkes on his shoulder, Harry levitated the unconscious Headmaster behind him, making his way down the spiral staircase and through the halls, hearing some people making comments about him attacking the Headmaster, with some thinking he had killed him. Harry paid them no attention, focusing on getting Dumbledore to the Hospital Wing and into the care of Madame Pomfrey.
After Madame Pomfrey nearly fainted in shock, Harry placed the Headmaster on the bed and left to fetch Professor Snape. Not wanting to deal with the questions from the general population of the school, Harry immediately went to bed after sending the Potions Professor to help the school matron.
He knew Dumbledore would have questions about why he acted so swiftly, he decided to pen a letter to the Headmaster, explaining that he didn't wish for the ring to drain him and bring yet another Voldemort into this world. He apologised for his haste in cutting off his finger, but followed up with what would have happened if the ring had been allowed to corrupt him further, including possession and then death.
When Harry sent the letter off it was with the knowledge that the old man might not forgive his actions, but at least he might understand.
/_-^_^_-/
Harry's first lesson of his sixth year was Defence Against the Dark Arts, in which Professor Gaunt explained that Fudge was very impressed with their turnaround after disregarding Umbridge's lesson plans and educational decrees, all of which had been overturned.
The first lesson was just spent talking about the summer and the future of their classes. Once everyone had left, Harry cast his usual privacy charms before he and his professor talked.
"How have you really managed to stay here? Fudge's blessing is one thing, but there is a curse on the position. How have you managed to circumvent it?"
"You forget, the curse was placed by Voldemort and was set to last until he became the Professor. As you know, I have more of his soul within me than he does and so when last year came around the curse was broken, I knew I was coming back when that Umbridge bitch showed up, her blatant disregard for the education of the future of our society made me realise how much I love teaching, more so than I expected at first."
"It's great to have a Professor who is competent returning for a second year, I honestly expected you to tell me that, because you are technically a different person, the curse wouldn't impact you, at least this year."
"I had considered that, it is unlikely however, as I felt the curse break last year."
"I should be getting to my next lesson. See you later, Professor."