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."