Trouble in The Staff Room
Chapter Seven: The New Term Starts
Harry Potter walked onto platform nine and three
quarters looking grown up, for he was very grown up in deed. He
was now well over 5ft 10 and still growing. He was also seventeen
years old, which meant that this year was his very last year at
Hogwarts. He shifted his jacket so that it hid his "Head
Boy's" badge from view, he was certain that he would be
prime candidate for Draco Malfoy's torment this year with
that badge.
He had tried numerous times over the last two years to try and
stay with the Weaselys or at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Ally.
However each time the minister of magic or Mr Weasely had said
no. Why Harry still didn't know, but for some reason he knew
that he was safe with the Dursleys.
Over the holidays he had been back in contact with Sirius.
Professor Lupin was coming back to the school this year, for
Harry's final year and he couldn't wait to see how
Snape accepted him.
"Yo! Harry!" he heard the shouts of one of his most
best friends. Ronald Weasely was now well over 6ft, his red hair
had been left to grow long and was now shoulder length. His voice
had deepened as well, and he looked very much his age.
"Wow, Ron you've grown!" Harry answered
"So have you." Ron grinned cheekily.
"Not as much as you! Seen Herm?"
"No, I bet she'll be about somewhere though."
"Yea." Harry answered. "Pity there isn't a
library on the station." Ron looked at him dumbstruck.
"Herm's motto When in doubt go to the
library'."
"Ooh right, yea!" the two friends laughed.
"There you are!" They spun round and saw Hermione
Granger, standing behind them. She hadn't grown much, she
was probably just over 5ft 3, but she had grown bonnier.
"Herm!" they both cried, flinging their arms round her
neck.
"Steady on!" she said as they nearly knocked her over
backwards. "I missed you guys too, but not this much! Let go
you're making people stare." The let go feeling rather
red faced.
"Sorry Herm." They muttered.
"Looking forward to school?" she asked them.
"Yea, can't wait to see what Snape says about Lupin
being back!" Harry said, absent mindfully forgetting that
neither of his friends knew about Lupin's re-appointment.
"Lupin's back?" Ron asked
"Yea."
"COOL!" Ron and Hermione shouted.
* * *
Remus Lupin put down his case in his old office,
nothing much ever changed at Hogwarts, he reminded himself.
Nothing much in fact ever did.
"Come in.," he said, as there was a knock on his office
door. Severus Snape entered. "Hello." Lupin said curtly
to him.
"Hello," Snape replied but in less colder tones and
more scared.
"Sev, what's up?" Lupin said immediately spinning
round to face him.
"That wolfs instinct really will get the better of you one
of these days."
"Spit it out Sev."
"Last term I told the staff something about myself, that I
think you, well have a right to know about."
"And that would be?"
"I'mgay." Lupin shrugged his
shoulders.
"Doesn't affect me Sev. So what if you're gay? Why
should I complain?" Snape stared dumbstruck for a moment,
and then he did something that he would later laugh about. He
flung his arms rounds Lupin's neck. "Wow, there! Come
on Sev, I like you as a friend, but this"
"I'm sorry, I have a hard time over it andI
didn'twell that is"
"Hey, it's okay." Lupin laughed. "Really Sev
it is, but I like women, thanks anyway."
"I wasn't going to"
"I know, I'm joking." Lupin patted Snape's
shoulder. "Any problems and you want to talk, come to me
ok?"
"Ok, welcome back."
"Thank you. Let's hope we can defeat him for good this
time eh? Don't you go taking too many personal risks
now."
"I won't. Bye."
"Bye bye." Snape left Lupin's office, his heart leapt
for joy, he had found someone who had no objection (save Hagrid
and the others) about his sexuality.
* * *
Professor Dumbledore looked at the three staff
members; each of them had expressed their wishes to leave the
school.
"Well then." He said. "It saddens me to have three
of my loyal staff standing here wishing to leave because they do
not accept someone who is different."
"Oh now, for it was forsaken in the orb that one who does
not go for the normal pleasures of the flesh shall forsake us
all!" Sybil Trelawny began in her far away mystic voice.
"Come off it Sybil!" Minerva McGonagall said.
"It is true! I saw it."
"How would you know what the pleasures of the
flesh' were anyway?"
"Sybil, Minerva, that is enough!" Dumbledore had heard
enough arguing for one morning. "Frederick, Sybil, Argus
under the circumstances I cannot an will not allow you to leave
the school. As you know Voldemort is on the up and I don't
want to you out there, it is our job to protect and teach the
students here."
"But why won't you let us leave?!" Flitwick burst
out.
"Fred." Dumbledore began. "You are an Irishman are
you not? Say we singled you out and made you feel lonely and
receive hate mail for being an Irishman, and then people on the
staff started to leave, because of what you could not control.
Would that be classed as fair'?" there was
silence. "WELL?" Dumbledore shouted this out; it was as
though he was addressing a pupil who had been brought to his
office on some charge.
"No." Flitwick replied.
"And do you think it is right to have Severus Snape singled
out like this?"
"Headmaster, because of moral and religious beliefs I object
most strongly to working with him! You must think of the
students."
"Severus Snape," Dumbledore peered over his spectacles
at the three staff members. "Will not do anything un-lawful
with any of the students in this school, he had given his
word."
"An' you believe that?" Filch said
"If you mean by his word, yes of course I believe in his
word! Now you all have work to attend to, please go and attend to
it."
Dumbledore watched asked the three student-like teachers stalked
out of his office. He put his head in his hands.
"Albus, I cannae think of a thing to do." McGonagall
began.
"I know, Minerva. This situation is beginning to get out of
hand." Dumbledore took of his glasses. "I have to
restrict what Severus can and can't do this year as
well."
"Albus!" Minerva said shocked. "Today is the
beginning of a new term, and you haven't sorted this all
ready?"
"Minerva please don't nag."
"I'm sorry."
"It's perfectly all right."
"The train has arrived." She said changing the subject.
"Is the hall ready for the start of term?"
"Aye."
"Then, we shall start the year."
