A/N: So I didn't really expect the insane reception this story has gotten and it completely blew me away. Thanks guys! Without further ado: enjoy!
And in case anyone was worried: No, I don't own Harry Potter.
The new students were led into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, where they were Sorted. Harry and his friends were all sent to Gryffindor, though Harry requested Gryffindor after seeing two of his friends get Sorted there. Dumbledore introduced the staff, naming Eamon Dáskalos as the new Professor of Care of Magical Creatures.
After the Feast, the new Gryffindors were given a tour of the castle, showing them where the classrooms, teacher's offices, the Library and the Gryffindor common room were located.
The students were shown to their dorms, and were sent to sleep.
Harry woke up early, excited for his first day of classes. He showered and got dressed, then left the common room to go eat breakfast. A few of the Professors were already awake, and having breakfast of their own, so Harry went up to introduce himself to Flitwick, Quirrel, Vector, Hagrid, and McGonagall, though she already knew him. He talked for a while, then excused himself when Hermione walked into the Great Hall.
Harry and Hermione chatted for a while, when Harry was startled by a hand gently clasping his shoulder. Hermione saw the owner of the hand first.
"Oh! Good morning, Professor Dáskalos!"
"Eamon!" Harry turned quickly, smiling at his mentor. "You didn't tell me you became a teacher!"
"'Became' a teacher? As if I haven't been teaching you for a couple years now already?" Eamon smirked. He winked at Hermione when she pouted in obvious jealousy. "And, if you'd like, you can bring along your new girlfriend when you meet me for our future lessons, which will be on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings."
He smiled when she covered her face in embarrassment, and smiled even wider when her muffled voice said, "Yes, please!" He walked away, chuckling gently.
Hermione smacked Harry's arm, but rather gently. "You let him think I was your girlfriend!" She whispered in a half joking affronted voice, smacking Harry again. Harry just laughed, which got him smacked, for real. The bruise she left behind, he healed with a quick "guérir," which Hermione made him teach her.
The two went back to chatting, and soon after, the other two members of their quartet came into the Great Hall, led by Percy. Percy walked immediately over to Harry and Hermione, and admonished them not to wander off today or tomorrow, as he was supposed to lead them to their classes.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I've already memorized the tour you gave us last night. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need you to show me the way again."
Hermione smacked Harry's arm again, lightly. "Sorry, Percy. We weren't trying to make trouble for you. But I also memorized that tour, so we're pretty good, I think."
Percy huffed. "Rules are rules, you two. I'm glad you memorized the tour, but please, follow instructions."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then nodded in response to Percy, who finally walked away. They rolled their eyes at Percy's over-the-top authoritative nature, as Ron sat down and gave a rather rude impression of his older brother.
During their breakfast, McGonagall walked down the table, handing out the schedules.
The schedule was written in the format of: Period One, Period Two, Lunch, Period Three, Period Four, Period Five, Dinner, Night Class
Monday: Transfiguration, Charms, Lunch, Free, Double Potions, Dinner, Free
Tuesday: Herbology, History, Lunch, Free, Double DADA, Dinner, Free
Wednesday: Double Transfiguration, Lunch, Potions, Free, Dinner, Astronomy
Thursday: Free, DADA, Lunch, Double Herbology, Broom Lessons, Dinner, Free
Friday: Double History, Lunch, Free, Double Charms, Dinner, Free
After breakfast, Percy led the first year Gryffindors to their first class, Transfiguration, taught by McGonagall.
McGonagall gave an overarching description of the field of Transfiguration, then she launched into an explanation of the fundamentals. Harry and Hermione had already learned this on their own, and they found their attention wondering, occasionally shooting glances at the other when they weren't looking.
When they were released from that class, Percy led them to Charms, where they repeated the same thing from before, and then they were led back to the Great Hall for lunch.
Ron piled his plate ridiculously high with food, and the other three served themselves more reasonable portions. Neville asked Harry and Hermione if they could help him understand the theory they'd been covering all morning, to which the pair immediately agreed, deciding they'd gather in the library after dinner. When Ron finally cleared his mouth, he fervently disagreed, and was told he didn't have to show up.
The group had a free period after lunch, so they went back to the common room. Harry and Hermione began working on their essays for their earlier classes, while Neville and Ron played chess. After that, Percy came back and escorted the kids to Potions.
Harry was excited to learn Potions, since it was a field that Eamon hadn't begun to teach him. He'd read his textbook, memorizing it as he usually did, since Eamon required Harry to memorize what he was being taught.
Harry and Hermione took a seat next to each other, with Ron and Neville in the seats behind them, and the four chatted amicably until Snape stalked into the room.
The Professor slammed the door, beginning a bone chilling speech about the powers and difficulties of potion making, which only made Harry more excited. Then, as the Professor called roll, he practically snarled Harry's name.
After calling roll, he snapped, "Potter! What do you get if you add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry thought about it for a moment. He didn't know exactly, but both ingredients were used in sleep tonics, so he guessed, "A powerful sleeping potion."
"What is a bezoar and where can I find it?" Snape shifted gears. Thankfully, Harry knew this one, and answered the question. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
Harry paused. He didn't actually remember reading about either of those in his textbook, but Hermione stuck her hand up in the air. Since he'd been asked directly, however, he replied, "Sorry, Professor, but I don't know that one."
Snape glared. "Didn't bother to read your book, then, did you?" He snarled.
Harry arched an eyebrow. "I did, sir."
"One point from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter!" Snape growled, then twirled around. He waved his wand, and directions appeared on the chalkboard for a headache tonic.
Harry and Hermione had no difficulty following the instructions to brew perfect potions, but Ron or Neville managed to melt the bottom of their cauldron, causing a bit of a panic in that section of the classroom. Harry pulled his feet out of the way and continued brewing, with Hermione following suit moments later.
When Harry and Hermione turned in their potion samples, after Harry took a couple doses for his own use to treat his mage sight headaches, Snape accused the pair of cheating, then demanded they leave his classroom immediately. The two decided to go down to the Great Hall for dinner, since they had only gained a few minutes of free time from being dismissed.
Halfway through dinner, Ron and Neville got to the Great Hall, finally released from their short Medical Wing stay after their Potions mishap. Since it had been Ron who managed to melt his cauldron, he resignedly agreed to join their study group after dinner. The four agreed that they'd meet up on Mondays and Thursdays after dinner, since it was less a mutual study group and more Harry and Hermione tutoring the other two.
Immediately after dinner, they all went to the Library. Harry and Hermione chose a table towards the back of the Library, with a good view of the entire area, dubbing it "their table." They then went to work, trying to help their two friends understand the magical theory taught today and where they'd gone wrong in Potions. Harry told the others that it appeared Snape hated him, but he didn't know why.
Their second day went much like the first, with Percy escorting them to and from every class. History of Magic, on the other hand, was miserable. The teacher was so boring even Harry and Hermione could barely keep awake, and they enjoyed studying history. They were excited to meet Eamon after dinner, however. The pair walked to Eamon's offices, located in the castle, near the main entrance. The door was open, so they went inside, where Eamon was talking to a pair of older boys.
"No, Alex, thestrals are not actually dangerous. They're just as dangerous as any other winged horse. The only reason why people are spooked by them is because they can only be seen by someone has seen death. They don't foretell death, they just exist." Eamon said, with a sigh. "Considering the lack of danger, fifth years are more than capable of learning how to keep them alive."
The blond boy replied, "But -"
"But nothing, Alex. I'll see you in our next class, or you'll have detention."
Alex grumbled and walked out, and Eamon switched his attention to the other boy, a short kid with acne and dark hair, and said, "How can I help you?"
The boy said, "I'm in your seventh year class, Jonathan Weaver. I saw in the NEWT preparation book for Care that we'd have to know how to take care of dragons. How are we going to cover them?"
Eamon chuckled. "Dragons are way too dangerous for me to bring into a school, so that class will have to be abstract. Let's hope you never need to use what you learn, right?"
"So how would I become a dragon handler without any in class experience then?"
Eamon smiled. "If you have an Outstanding NEWT, and pass another test all about dragons, given to you by the reserve, they'll take you on as a trainee. They don't require previous hands on experience. Still, make sure you wear a lot of fire proofed clothes."
Jonathan laughed, bid Eamon farewell, and left, giving the pair of young kids a curious glance. Eamon waved his hand, and the door closed. Without preamble, he said, "So, young Hermione, what experience do you have with mundane science? To attain true mastery of magic, you really need to understand both magical and mundane theory."
Hermione opened her mouth to answer, then paused. She asked, "Wait, how did you know my name? I haven't told you yet."
Eamon looked puzzled for a moment, and pulled his watch out of his pocket. He checked the time, and clarity returned to his face. As he slipped his watch back into his pocket, he replied, "Yes, of course. My apologies. So, introductions! This is Harry, my apprentice of the last few years. I am Eamon Dáskalos, archmage. That is not my true name, but it is good enough for this purpose. So, tell me about yourself."
Hermione smiled. "I'm Hermione Granger, muggleborn. Excited to learn whatever secrets you're teaching Harry!"
Eamon smiled back. "Fantastic!" He returned to lecturing mode. "So, how good is your mundane scientific theory? Both of you."
"I memorized the book you told me to read," Harry supplied.
"I was ahead of my class in science!" Hermione grinned.
Eamon nodded. "How good is your memory, Hermione? I will expect you to be able to memorize most everything I tell you with near perfect recall."
She faltered, then nodded. "I should be able to do that, sir."
Eamon smiled. "No need for 'sirs' here, Hermione. And I'm sure Harry can help you with your memory if you have trouble. He's gotten quite proficient at memorization over the last year or so." Harry smiled at that praise, and Eamon continued. "Harry! I asked you to come up with a theory of how the light charm works. Please, share!"
Harry nodded slowly, screwing up his nose in concentration. "So, mundane science demands that energy must be conserved. Via an application of will, mana stored in a mage's magical core can be released and converted into pure light energy. The amount of mana released per unit of time determines the brightness of the light, and the mage's will determines the light's wavelength, and as such, its color. The actual process of conversion is beyond me right now, I'm sorry."
Eamon smiled. "It's alright, the process of converting magical energy to other forms of energy will require thorough grounding in mundane theory, which I don't expect either of you two to have for a good few years now. Your explanation is good enough for our purposes right now. So, do either of you have any questions for me before we begin?"
Harry nodded, thinking of that odd couple from the other day. "The other day, when I was using my mage sight - don't worry, Hermione, I'll show you how to do it - I saw a couple waving goodbye to their child. The mana of the two parents sort of circled through each other, before joining the ambient mana in the world. Do you know why?"
Eamon hummed. "Without seeing them myself, I can only guess. They were either casting a spell together, or more likely, they were magically bonded. An old European tradition had mages bond their magic together at marriage, which allows either to draw off the magical core of the other in an emergency. It's a rather intense form of bond, which I don't recommend choosing to get without knowing all of the consequences."
Harry nodded, but secretly, he liked the idea of loving someone so much that they'd bind their magic together irrevocably. Hermione asked, "You said you were an archmage. What's that?"
Eamon laughed. "Most generally, an archmage is a powerful mage who has mastered multiple branches of magic. There are a few other requirements, that don't really merit our time right now. Ask me again another time, alright?"
"Why's an archmage teaching Harry, and now me, I guess?"
Eamon got serious, and leaned forward. "Because, Harry has potential to be an archmage himself one day. As for you, I don't know if you'll ever have the raw power necessary for that classification, but I can tell you have the drive to master magic. If you don't become an archmage, you would be the next best thing. I don't have much longer on this world, and I would like to pass my knowledge along before I go, or as much of it as I can."
Harry gasped. "You're dying?! You don't look that old!"
Eamon nodded with a frown. "Yes and no, and... yes and no. I'm not physically dying, but I have a separate issue that will eventually take over my life. And, magic preserves mages. The more powerful the mage, the slower they age. The more the mage ages, the smaller their core becomes, which causes them to age faster. I'm a few centuries old now, and I haven't aged past forty. If it wasn't for my... issue, I'd probably have another century, two if I was lucky." He forced a grin. "Let's get past this sad stuff, right? Any other questions?"
Harry frowned. "Why are you teaching Care of Magical Creatures? I would have expected you to teach something else, like Transfiguration or Charms."
Eamon laughed. "There are some things we can't change, Harry. Every other spot was taken."
"That makes sense," Harry responded, then he looked at Hermione. "You got any questions?"
When Hermione shook her head, Eamon launched into a lecture about how to cast without wands, and how to use mage sight. He said he needed to catch her up to Harry's level.
A/N: How many of you guys expected Eamon to teach DADA? Like he said, there are some things that we can't change. Don't worry, I will break off of canon compliance soon, but not completely till ol Voldy comes back. I'll be blurring over most of the canon stuff and focusing on the new stuff, like this chapter did. Also that schedule looks painful. Double History on a Friday morning? Even an insomniac would be sleeping through that class. And don't worry. Eamon's issue will be explained. Eventually.