Part 1:

First Days at School

My name, is Harry Dresden, and I am a professional wizard. My apprentice, Molly Carpenter, isn't, but she tries.

And the White Council has loaned us out to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The school is run by a member of the White Council, but otherwise teaches and employs those who have little magical power and require the use of a focusing wand that has been built from items of power, trees specially grown for them, animal parts from magical creatures, and those wands grant these minor "wizards" more power than they would otherwise garner.

And then there's the issue that they're so tight nit with sticks up their asses that most seem to not even realize that the White Council even exists, even if many of their professors are members. Because of this they fail to see most of the supernatural world. Hell, about a decade or so ago they had an uprising by some black court vampires that threatened to wipe them out, but that's another story.

For now, they're being targeted by the Red Court in a war I may have started up when Biancha tried to turn my girlfriend, Susan Rodriguez. Since then I've been a forerunner in thwarting movements in and around Chicago and became Regional Commander of the Wardens.

Apparently I have been doing such a good job teaching and training Wardens to die that they thought I should teach a bunch of kids that have no idea what a simple pen is to survive in our world.

Molly is just coming along for the ride. Oh, and to do all the reading I should be doing to figure out how best to teach this lot and writing it down for me. She's better at that then I am. She even dyed her hair in four different colors just for the occasion.

Bob came along too, of course, and usually he's sitting at the bottom of my suitcase wrapped up in my old socks since he wouldn't shut up about wanting to see ghostly tits. As is he's going to be hard to handle with all the under-aged girls around here.

For now the three of us were in my little apartment in the castle, surrounded by books on various topics, scribbling notes on paper as needed.

"So, they're not as long lived as normal wizards?" Molly asked.

"Well of course not." Bob responded, spinning his skull so his orange eye lights faced her. "They're not full blown wizards. The ones that are so live longer than everyone else here, assuming they're not murdered."

She looked at him, shocked. "Murdered?"

"There is a very high amount of wizards here, as professors or headmasters, having been murdered during the last uprising of the Black Court within their little community." He clarified. "The last headmaster, some Galdalf-looking man named Dumbledor, was murdered in the astronomy tower. If that curse that was thrown at him didn't kill him, then the fall certainly did. Fool didn't even throw out a death curse. And don't even get me started on the slot Harry here is to fill this year. Oooooohhh boy talk about CURSED!"

Molly winced. "Cursed?"

I rolled my eyes but continued scanning over the pages listing the different defensive spells they used. Grasshopper got him talking, and if there's something Bob loved more than porn, it was hearing his own voice.

"Out of the past two decades the Defense Against the Dark Arts slot gets opened back up over and over, normally because the professor dies or otherwise ends up incapacitated. One guy even lost his mind and forgot who he was! Talk about the mind-scramblies."

I could feel Mollys' worried eyes on me. I didn't look up. "We're only here for this year to get a good basis down or until they find a new professor. Worst case we stay a little bit longer to train new professor in what they need to know to defend against the Red Court."

"So, since you're only here temporarily…?"

"I should be worry free from the curse." I looked at at her and smiled.

"Or you'll die horribly within the first month or two." Bob said in an oddly chipper voice, his eye lights swinging over to me.

"Don't make me shove you back in the suitcase." I had purposefully left the suitcase just for socks and shoved the whole thing in a drawer. Kept it a little extra quiet when he got excited.

The threat worked. Bob shut up and looked down. He grumbled something about there not even being any good porn books in the library.

"Grasshopper, what have you learned about the way their magic works compared to ours?"

Molly sat her book down and picked up a notebook. "They're actually quite similar, boss. Their wands are fairly complex and carry extra power on their own, because of this they can pull off spells at your level, or even high, without needing to use much force on their behalf. Only downside is that they have to use specific incantations, and two identical wands cannot be used against each other." She shrugged. "For most of them, take away their wands and they have no idea how to use magic."

I smiled. "Well done, padawan." I tapped my own notebook. "I'm going to have to teach them to use magic without the wand. Using the same incants will do the trick, but the biggest hurdle I'm going to have is waking them up to the world around them."

Molly looked like she didn't know rather to toss her head back and laugh or hide her face in frustration. "How could a whole community just live under a veil like this for so long that they don't even know what something like a rubber duck is?"

At that, I laughed. "I know, right." I wiggled my pen before my face. "Imagine what they'll think of just this."

That made her break down into her warm laughter. We sat there for a minute before the laughter subsided, looking at the books.

"Think you're ready for classes?"

"Nah, when am I ever ready?"

She shrugged again. "Well, it's not like you're teaching other Wardens, nor are you investigating anything. Just teaching a bunch of kids to keep themselves safe."

In a war that they didn't ask for, I added mentally. "True." I stood, stretching my tired limbs. "Well, it's late, and I don't think there's much else I can learn."

She stood as well, bending over the table to gather her books and put them back on a shelf. "I'll head to bed then."

I picked Bob up and put him on his shelf, surrounded by the candles provided to us and the books and magazines I brought just for him. I didn't tell him this, but in the suitcase I stuck under my bed I had more for him if he behaves.

Oddly, I was glad for this space. There was an enchantment over the entire castle that made it safe for spirits in the daytime. If I needed anything I could let Bob out in the day, and hope he didn't wander into the girls dorms on his searches.

Molly went over to the bedroom and gave Mouse a scratch behind his ears as he slept on the bed. Mouse was a large Tibeten Temple Foo Dog and could probably be riden like a small pony. Mister, my cat the size of a medium dog, was somewhere else in these rooms, hiding. I was glad I didn't have to leave them behind. I picked up my own books and stashed them randomly on the shelves next to my small collection of comic books and other items I didn't want to leave in my apartment.

Including two swords. Or rather, Swords. They sat in a display case, which I promptly put wards all over.

Molly gave me a quick hug before bouncing off to her own rooms across the hall. We were put up with the rest of the professors. Each of our little apartments had a bedroom, restroom which I am not calling anything else, and a living area with a large, stone fireplace between the living area and bedroom. The floor were wooden, covered in plush rugs of intricate designs. There were a few tapestries on the walls. The rooms were lit with so many candles I thought the place would catch fire, and the large fireplace.

There were plenty of shelves to store items, and a couple large trunks. I put potion materials in the trunks, books and anything either breakable or flashy went on the shelves.

The bed was a large canopy bed with thick sheets. One thing I learned about castles is they get cold and drafty, and this one was no exception.

I blew out the candles with a quick "Ventos Servitas" and retired to my bed next to Mouse who somehow took up half the bed. Mister quickly joined me and we slept in an awkward pile through the night.

I was enjoying my breakfast at the High Table of the Great Hall, savoring the warm potion that is known as coffee. Besides me the.. uuhhh.. "Muggle Studies", yes, that's what they call it, professor was jabbering away. Molly had been smart enough to grab some food and retire back to her rooms.

"So," Professor Nitwit… I mean Neyvit, was asking another question, "you practice magic OPENLY, in front of muggles, like all the time?"

"Yea," I said through a full mouth. "I mean, those that don't want t believe, don't. It's surprising how thick people can be."

She shook her head in amazement. "And the Ministry doesn't intervene?"

"They're," I rolled my fork in the air trying to think of how to be polite, "kind of a subsidiary of the White Council. It's hard to explain exactly how they all fit together. But, since I'm a member of the White Council, and a Warden Commander therein, they don't really care about what I do as long as I'm not breaking any of their rules." I shuddered slightly remembering my time under the Doom of Damocles and Morgans watchful eye.

She put her elbow on the table and leaned her head against a palm. "You need to tell me EVERYTHING."

"Why don't you just go look yourself?" I stuffed some sausage in my mouth. Whoever the cooks were, this food was delicious.

Neyvit sat back, at first looking startled then inquisitive. "Maybe I should."

I winked at her. "It'll be fun."

She stood up. "For the sake of studies, I think I shall! Enjoy the day, classes begin tomorrow." And she bounced off towards a side door us teachers were supposed to use. I had to admit that she was cute, but every single time she saw me or Molly it was nonstop questions about the silliest of topics. We've only been here a couple of weeks and already the constant interrogation attempts were getting annoying.

Quickly I finished my food and rose, leaving out the side door that Professor Neyvit left through.

I swung by my little apartment first, picking Mouse up and tossing Bob in a satchel, the strap resting over my shoulder. Over that I threw on my enchanted leather duster, though I felt like I wouldn't really need the enchantments here. Better safe than sorry.

Molly came out and joined me as well, dressed up in the robes that were typical attire here, both her wands on custom holsters on her hips and a grin on her mouth. Somehow the robes she wore made her hair look brighter and her chest larger. The straps to the pack she wore only helped that effect. She looked me up and down and laughed.

"You're going to stand out there, boss."

I looked down at the Spiderman logo peering through under the duster and shrugged. "Oh well, they need to learn anyway!"

She giggled again, a charming sound. I heard Bob mutter something but shook the sack to shut him up.

"Come now, Padawan, let us aquatint ourselves with this here castle." I said, puffing up for dramatic effect.

"I think that a fine idea, sir." She said, equally dramatic.

Together we strutted off to get our bearings of the castle in preparation for the coming months.

We stopped outside a room, glancing at the map.

"This looks to be it." Molly stated.

"Yup." I stuffed the map in the satchel with Bob and opened the heavy door. The room inside had lines of desks, enough room down the right to walk down. Chalkboards were against one wall, and a desk was front and center. In the back a set of stairs led to another door, my office. Overhead the skeleton of a small wyvern was hanging dramatically opposite a chandelier with well used candles. Tall windows lined the left side of the room, casting warm sunbeams against the cold floor.

"Better than a convention room." I noted, enjoying that I wasn't going to be cramped in like normal with the Wardens.

Molly hopped up and sat on the desk. "All real wood furniture too, classy."

"I know." I shrugged out of the duster and deposited the sack on the desk with a resounding thump.

"Watch it!" Bob said from within. "I'm in here you know!"

"Yea Bob, I know." I dug inside, dropping my notebooks on the desk and pulling his skull out. "What do you think?"

His eyelights darted across the room, taking in everything. "Looks like normal enchantments on the walls, the skeleton up there is legit, nothing extraordinary to note here."

"Good." I started shifting chalkboards around. "Molls, take Bob and everything save the notebooks to the office, please."

"On it." She hopped to her feet and swept Bob up in one arm, though I wasn't sure if she intentionally stuck him under her breast or not. In either case, Bobs' eyelights were shimmering as they looked up at her.

I smiled and continued to re-arrange the classroom to fit my needs.