**Author's Note:
Quick disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, obviously, I do not own any sort of "Harry Potter"-related indicia or whatever it is, nor do I own any of these characters, except hopefully Xanthe as she's my invention. This is why it's fan fiction, people. Much of this particular story is based on a few RPG's I'm in, so I have to thank all my fellow members for the use of their characters. Also, please note that this has CHAPTERS, and you have to KEEP READING IT to understand why it's a different sort of love story. Thank you for your time, and I appreciate all the r/r's.**
The young woman, with her entourage of luggage, made her way skillfully through the many twists and turns of Hogwarts' halls, until she arrived at an unmarked door.
"Of course," she muttered to herself, "I don't know the password…"
But as she stood there, deciding what to do next, the door slid open to reveal a staircase whose stairs were moving upwards, much like a muggle escalator.
"Ah," the woman said sagely, and stepped onto the stairs, her cases behind her. At the top of the stairs was another door, which she opened without bothering to knock.
It was an unusual room she stepped into, spacious and round, the walls lined with portraits of men and women that were moving of their own accord. Most seemed to be asleep, some wearing nightcaps or curlers, and others were talking quietly to each other. In the center of the room was a humongous desk, behind which sat a rather elderly wizard, with long white hair and a long white beard, square glasses perched on the bridge of a slightly crooked nose, and intense, twinkling blue eyes.
He rose from his seat as the young lady entered and took her hands, embracing her warmly.
"Xanthe," he said, "wonderful to see you again."
"Not as wonderful as it is to see you, Professor Dumbledore," the woman named Xanthe replied. "I was afraid I'd be stuck sleeping in the Great Hall tonight, but I should have known you'd be watching to see when I got here."
"Indeed," Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Let me show you to your office so you can get settled in, eh?"
"Excellent," Xanthe said, indicating the cages behind her, "the beasts, unfortunately, are none too fond of traveling."
"We will waste no more time here, then," Professor Dumbledore said amiably, ushering her out.
They took the stairs down to the hall, then all the way across the castle to the foot of the North Tower.
"Your classroom, of course, is up there," Professor Dumbledore said, pointing to the spiral staircase that led to the Divination classroom, "but your office and quarters will be through here."
He gestured to the wall they were standing next to; there was a large tapestry depicting a unicorn hunt covering most of it.
The headmaster scratched the chin of the unicorn, which whinnied and stamped, then lifted a corner of the tapestry to reveal an ornately carved door.
He unlocked it with a key produced from somewhere in his robes, then led Xanthe into a snug, wood-paneled room.
"I trust this will be sufficient?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Oh, yes," Xanthe answered, smiling warmly. "It's perfect."
"Then," the headmaster said, "if you've no further questions I will leave you to unpack and, if you can, get some sleep. Are you very nervous about tomorrow?"
"No," Xanthe said confidently. "I have a feeling everything will go very smoothly."
Professor Dumbledore smiled knowingly.
"I am sure you're right, Professor Shannon," he replied.
Xanthe looked around the room, then back at Dumbledore.
"It's good to be back," she said.
Remus awoke to Sirius's suddenly huge face peering down at him. Yelping, he rolled over and sat up.
"What? What?" He cried sleepily.
Sirius had been tapping him on the face.
"Let's go," Sirius said impatiently. "We'll be late for breakfast. I am starving!"
"Figures," snorted James, who was standing with Peter by the door, fully dressed.
"All right, fine," Remus said, rubbing his eyes. "Just give me a minute, will you?"
"Hurry up!" Sirius yelled, throwing Remus's robes at him as he rushed to wash and dress.
Within five minutes the four friends were seated together at the Gryffindor table in the dining hall. They were comparatively early, so there weren't many students or teachers about yet.
"Still no Divination teacher, eh?" Sirius asked, glancing at the staff table.
"Maybe she's just not down yet," Peter replied. "Professor Dumbledore isn't even here yet."
"Meh," Sirius said, by way of dismissing the subject.
"Hey," a girl's voice called from the entrance to the hall, "I hope you saved us seats!"
It was Lily Evans who had spoken, a fellow fourth-year Gryffindor. She was walking towards them with her best friend, Arabella Figg.
They seated themselves near the boys.
"Have you seen the new Divination teacher yet?" Lily asked.
"Nope," Sirius answered, "but we were just talking about her."
By this time the hall had filled up, and finally Professor Dumbledore arrived to begin breakfast.
"Still not here," Remus said softly. "I wonder if we've got one at all?"
But a platter of bacon, fried eggs, and sausages was beckoning, and refused to be ignored. Despite the huge feast last night, they were all hungry again.
"It would be fabulous," Sirius said about halfway through the meal, his mouth full of waffle, "if the new Divination teacher wasn't at any of the meals because she's a ghost and can't eat."
"Nah," James said thoughtfully. "We've already got Professor Binns; he's a ghost, and he's no fun at all."
"I don't think she's a ghost," Arabella said slowly.
"Why?" Remus asked, and followed Arabella's eyes to the staff table.
The jaws of the four boys dropped open simultaneously.
Rushing to her place in the Divination teacher's seat was a young woman-barely older than the seventh years, it seemed-with long, softly curling golden hair, alabaster skin with gently flushed cheeks, ruby lips…
"Wow," James murmured.
"Oh, my," said Remus.
Peter had oatmeal trickling out of the corner of his mouth.
Sirius's eyes had nearly popped out of his head.
Lily snorted, and Arabella rolled her eyes.
At that moment, Professor Dumbledore stood up and raised his hands for silence.
"Forgive me for interrupting your breakfasts," he said, "but as I mentioned last night our new Divination teacher would be arriving late. Gladly, she is here at last, and so I now have the great pleasure of introducing to you Hogwarts alumna Xanthe Shannon, Professor of Divination."
There was a round of applause for the young lady, who blushed and smiled widely, and a series of hoots from some of the boys, Sirius included. Lily threw a crust of toast at him, but he ignored it and proceeded to wolf down the rest of his meal.
"Come on," he said, goading his friends on, "let's get going! I want to get out of here early."
"Why?" Peter asked.
"So he can be early for Divination, of course," Lily said wryly, adding, "Men."
Quick disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, obviously, I do not own any sort of "Harry Potter"-related indicia or whatever it is, nor do I own any of these characters, except hopefully Xanthe as she's my invention. This is why it's fan fiction, people. Much of this particular story is based on a few RPG's I'm in, so I have to thank all my fellow members for the use of their characters. Also, please note that this has CHAPTERS, and you have to KEEP READING IT to understand why it's a different sort of love story. Thank you for your time, and I appreciate all the r/r's.**
The young woman, with her entourage of luggage, made her way skillfully through the many twists and turns of Hogwarts' halls, until she arrived at an unmarked door.
"Of course," she muttered to herself, "I don't know the password…"
But as she stood there, deciding what to do next, the door slid open to reveal a staircase whose stairs were moving upwards, much like a muggle escalator.
"Ah," the woman said sagely, and stepped onto the stairs, her cases behind her. At the top of the stairs was another door, which she opened without bothering to knock.
It was an unusual room she stepped into, spacious and round, the walls lined with portraits of men and women that were moving of their own accord. Most seemed to be asleep, some wearing nightcaps or curlers, and others were talking quietly to each other. In the center of the room was a humongous desk, behind which sat a rather elderly wizard, with long white hair and a long white beard, square glasses perched on the bridge of a slightly crooked nose, and intense, twinkling blue eyes.
He rose from his seat as the young lady entered and took her hands, embracing her warmly.
"Xanthe," he said, "wonderful to see you again."
"Not as wonderful as it is to see you, Professor Dumbledore," the woman named Xanthe replied. "I was afraid I'd be stuck sleeping in the Great Hall tonight, but I should have known you'd be watching to see when I got here."
"Indeed," Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Let me show you to your office so you can get settled in, eh?"
"Excellent," Xanthe said, indicating the cages behind her, "the beasts, unfortunately, are none too fond of traveling."
"We will waste no more time here, then," Professor Dumbledore said amiably, ushering her out.
They took the stairs down to the hall, then all the way across the castle to the foot of the North Tower.
"Your classroom, of course, is up there," Professor Dumbledore said, pointing to the spiral staircase that led to the Divination classroom, "but your office and quarters will be through here."
He gestured to the wall they were standing next to; there was a large tapestry depicting a unicorn hunt covering most of it.
The headmaster scratched the chin of the unicorn, which whinnied and stamped, then lifted a corner of the tapestry to reveal an ornately carved door.
He unlocked it with a key produced from somewhere in his robes, then led Xanthe into a snug, wood-paneled room.
"I trust this will be sufficient?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Oh, yes," Xanthe answered, smiling warmly. "It's perfect."
"Then," the headmaster said, "if you've no further questions I will leave you to unpack and, if you can, get some sleep. Are you very nervous about tomorrow?"
"No," Xanthe said confidently. "I have a feeling everything will go very smoothly."
Professor Dumbledore smiled knowingly.
"I am sure you're right, Professor Shannon," he replied.
Xanthe looked around the room, then back at Dumbledore.
"It's good to be back," she said.
Remus awoke to Sirius's suddenly huge face peering down at him. Yelping, he rolled over and sat up.
"What? What?" He cried sleepily.
Sirius had been tapping him on the face.
"Let's go," Sirius said impatiently. "We'll be late for breakfast. I am starving!"
"Figures," snorted James, who was standing with Peter by the door, fully dressed.
"All right, fine," Remus said, rubbing his eyes. "Just give me a minute, will you?"
"Hurry up!" Sirius yelled, throwing Remus's robes at him as he rushed to wash and dress.
Within five minutes the four friends were seated together at the Gryffindor table in the dining hall. They were comparatively early, so there weren't many students or teachers about yet.
"Still no Divination teacher, eh?" Sirius asked, glancing at the staff table.
"Maybe she's just not down yet," Peter replied. "Professor Dumbledore isn't even here yet."
"Meh," Sirius said, by way of dismissing the subject.
"Hey," a girl's voice called from the entrance to the hall, "I hope you saved us seats!"
It was Lily Evans who had spoken, a fellow fourth-year Gryffindor. She was walking towards them with her best friend, Arabella Figg.
They seated themselves near the boys.
"Have you seen the new Divination teacher yet?" Lily asked.
"Nope," Sirius answered, "but we were just talking about her."
By this time the hall had filled up, and finally Professor Dumbledore arrived to begin breakfast.
"Still not here," Remus said softly. "I wonder if we've got one at all?"
But a platter of bacon, fried eggs, and sausages was beckoning, and refused to be ignored. Despite the huge feast last night, they were all hungry again.
"It would be fabulous," Sirius said about halfway through the meal, his mouth full of waffle, "if the new Divination teacher wasn't at any of the meals because she's a ghost and can't eat."
"Nah," James said thoughtfully. "We've already got Professor Binns; he's a ghost, and he's no fun at all."
"I don't think she's a ghost," Arabella said slowly.
"Why?" Remus asked, and followed Arabella's eyes to the staff table.
The jaws of the four boys dropped open simultaneously.
Rushing to her place in the Divination teacher's seat was a young woman-barely older than the seventh years, it seemed-with long, softly curling golden hair, alabaster skin with gently flushed cheeks, ruby lips…
"Wow," James murmured.
"Oh, my," said Remus.
Peter had oatmeal trickling out of the corner of his mouth.
Sirius's eyes had nearly popped out of his head.
Lily snorted, and Arabella rolled her eyes.
At that moment, Professor Dumbledore stood up and raised his hands for silence.
"Forgive me for interrupting your breakfasts," he said, "but as I mentioned last night our new Divination teacher would be arriving late. Gladly, she is here at last, and so I now have the great pleasure of introducing to you Hogwarts alumna Xanthe Shannon, Professor of Divination."
There was a round of applause for the young lady, who blushed and smiled widely, and a series of hoots from some of the boys, Sirius included. Lily threw a crust of toast at him, but he ignored it and proceeded to wolf down the rest of his meal.
"Come on," he said, goading his friends on, "let's get going! I want to get out of here early."
"Why?" Peter asked.
"So he can be early for Divination, of course," Lily said wryly, adding, "Men."
