A/N: Here's a chapter of rarity, for the only time we get the kids' POV.
Chapter 3:
Harry Potter was glad to be back. He was glad to be with his friends and to be away from the Dursleys. He felt that any encounter he had to face with Voldemort this year, would leave him better off than another wrestling match with the oversized Dudley. He watched the last first year (Cumbers, Chaise) be sorted into Hufflepuff. His attention shifted to the high table. All the familiar faces were up there, but one chair sat obviously unoccupied.
"Uh, oh," breathed Ron, next to Harry, "where's the new Dark Arts teacher?"
Ron's inquiry was cut short by Dumbledore motioning for silence. "Greetings everyone! I'm so happy to see all of our returning students and am excited to get to know our first years. And as always, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Well," he sighed, "I was planning on introducing your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but it seems she's gone AWOL."
On Ron's other side, Hermione gasped, "She!? Did you here that, boys? Our Dark Arts teacher is a woman!"
Harry smiled at Hermione. She was always saying that if they'd only hire a female Defense professor, she would last for more than one year. Well if she doesn't show up soon, we may not have one at all. Looking back up at the table, he saw Snape explaining something to the still standing Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded, "Ah, I see." He turned back to the students. "It seems her nerves have gotten the best of her and she's resting. But she will be fine for tomorrow's classes."
"If anybody looks he needs to take a nap," muttered Ron, "its Snape." Harry looked up at his vitriolic Potions teacher and had to agree. Snape was looking greasier than ever and dark circles encompassed his eyes. Harry couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. Harry figured that his livid demeanor could be attributed to Voldemort's return. He had no doubt that Snape was already under some sort of assignment working against the Dark Lord. He was by far Harry's least favorite teacher, and the feelings were mutual, but Harry also understood the great risk involved in any workings against He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named. Harry almost respected him for it, almost.
A loud obscene whistle from Fred and George Weasly interrupted his musings. It seemed the whole table looked at them then followed their gaze to the figure making her way towards the High Table. For a second, Harry wondered if she was a ghost, but no, just close to it.
Dumbledore stood at her approach and unnecessarily motioned for silence, for half the room already did so at the woman's entrance. "Everyone, this is Professor O'Kenly. I am certain she will make your Dark Arts class enjoyable and educational." The usual polite applause rippled through the Hall. Quickly, Professor O'Kenly ducked behind the Headmaster and seated herself between Snape and Sprout.
"That's our Defense professor?" Asked Ron, disbelievingly. "She doesn't look like she's able to defend herself against anything!" Hermione glared at him . "I mean, look at her! I'd be afraid to touch her, she might break!"
"Looks can be deceiving, Ronald," Hermione spat angrily, "Heaven knows I thought you were a decent bloke when I first saw you." Fuming, she glared at her food and stabbed it with a fork. She was probably imagining the pork having Ron's face.
Harry shook his head. This is going to be one interesting year.
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The next day, Hermione was practically skipping on her way to the DADA room. "Ooh, I can't wait," she gushed, "this is going to be so exciting!"
Behind her, the two boys were less enthusiastic. "Why are we getting there so early?" Yawned Ron.
"Because I wanted to meet her and get to know her a bit before class starts," She answered.
"Oh, I see, you wanted to get a head start on your ass-kissing this year."
Hermione spun around and gave Ron a hard punch in the arm. "Hey, that hurt!"
"That's the point, idiot."
Harry stepped between the two of them. "Guys, guys, do you really want to start the year out this way? Hermione, you want to make a good first impression on this new teacher right? I don't think brawling in the hallway is going to achieve that. And, Ron," he turned to face the red-haired boy, "I know you don't want to be the first person to get points deducted from Gryffendor if you're caught battling it out." He faced the both of them, "Are we okay?" They nodded and mumbled an apology to eachother. "Good. Now, the classroom is just down the hall, let's see if we can make it there in one piece!"
They managed to do so.
Before entering, Hermione stopped to straighten her robes. Ron rolled his eyes. Harry fixed him a warning glare. Satisfied with her appearance, Hermione strode into the room and came up to the teacher's desk. The professor started at her approach. "Hello, I am Hermione Granger," Hermione said beaming and extending a friendly hand. Professor O'Kenly made no motion to take it. Hermione's smile flickered for a moment, but regained her composure as she lowered her hand. "I can not tell you how happy I am that you are here. I mean, we never had a woman Dark Arts teacher since we've been here."
"Is that so?" Said O'Kenly, gazing past Hermione's shoulders to take in the two boys.
Hermione followed her stare and jumped. She had forgotten they were behind her. "Oh, these are my friends: Ronald Weasly and Harry Potter."
O'Kenly remained silent again and looked as if all she wanted was for that girl to go away. Obviously, Hermione was oblivious to her expressions. "So," she continued, "what is our first lesson about?"
"I'm sure you will find out once the class begins," The professor's voice was caustically sarcastic and her eyes shot blue venom, "and I don't think that will happen until I am no longer pestered and can finish organizing my lesson plans."
Hermione flummoxed. Ron grabbed her wrist. "Come on Herm, let's sit down." The trio made their way to the back of the room and took their seats there. Hermione shot daggers at the colorless woman.
"What is her problem?" She hissed.
Ron responded, "I don't know. Maybe it's some annoying student who tried to sound important because she is friends with Harry Potter!"
Hermione's lips puckered in anger. Harry figured that she was going to punch him again, but this time squarely in the jaw. Instead, she picked up her books and moved to a desk far way from Ron. Harry sighed.
After five minutes of uneasy quiet, it was finally broken by the rest of the Gryffendor Fifith years filing in. Professor O'Kenly bit her lower lip nervously. Just before class started, Harry watched her open a desk drawer, remove a glass bottle, and take a swig of its contents. Taking a deep breath, she stood and addressed her students.
"Good Morning," her voice was a lot kinder than it had been when she talked to Hermione, "I'm Professor O'Kenly and this year in Dark Arts I will be teaching you primarily about the Undead. Creatures that are categorized among the undead are Zombies, Vampires, Mummies, and Banshees."
Seamus Finnigan raised his hand, "What about ghosts?"
She shook her head, "No, the Undead involves the physical form."
"But aren't Banshees spirits?"
She shook her head again, "Not necessarily. Banshees are capable of taking corporeal form. Now, we're going to start the semester with the strange and dangerous magic known as Necromancy. Anyone already know what Necromancy is?"
Harry reflexively looked at Hermione to raise her hand, but she remained sitting stone still, glaring at the front.
O'Kenly cocked an eyebrow, "No one? Very well, Necromancy is the magick of raising the dead."
"Professor?"
"Yes, miss…." she checked her class list, "Brown?"
"I thought it was impossible to bring people back to life. Even through magic."
"Ah," she said, raising a finger. She settled herself on her desktop. She relaxed the more she talked. "There is an acute difference between raising the dead and Bring them back to life. To say 'to bring back to life' is the desire to resurrect, as it were, completely the exact same person of memories and soul. That my dears is impossible. Necromancy is the ability of reanimating a corpse. It has no emotions, no free will or thought, and doesn't posse a soul. They are merely puppets of the Necromancer who raised them." She clapped her hands together, "Well, it seems the lot of you have some reading to do on Necromancers and their dark art."
"Question, Professor."
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"Was You-Know-Who a Necromancer?"
"I can not tell you," she said with a sigh. "Now, you have the rest of the class time to start reading the first two chapters of Sometimes They Bring Them Back which I expect you to be ready to be quizzed on for tomorrow. Miss Granger, see me after class."
For the rest of the period the students read are talked quietly (which O'Kenly didn't seem to mind). Finally, class was dismissed and Ron and Harry waited for Hermione outside the door.
Hermione approached the desk, "Yes, Professor?"
Without even looking at her O'Kenly said flatly. "I want to apologize for my earlier beahviour . You may go now."
As Hermione met up with Harry and Ron in the hallway, she muttered under her breath, "Bitch."
Snape slumped in his desk chair. Exhausted, he folded his arms on his desk and rested his forehead on them, and closed his eyes. It was only the first day of classas and already Neville Longbottom had been able to melt a cauldron and a Second year managed to spill her potion and burn a hole in the dungeon floor. Why does he have to put up with this little piece of hell? Because you deserve it.
"How does things, Severus?" Snape's moment of self-loathing was interrupted by Dunbledore's cheerful entrance.
Snape kept his head down, "I've been better."
"You've been worse."
Snape sat up, "that's true." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What is it you want, Albus?"
Dumbledore had seated himself across from Snape. He folded his hands on the desktop as he said, "You know, I have always valued your opinion Severus." Snape gave a start and gave a haughty laugh. "No. I might not always agree with it, but I value it nonetheless."
"Pray tell, what need you for it now?"
"Since you are one of the few that hadn't known her as a student, I wanted to know what your impression of Mallory is."
He raised an eyebrow, "You really want my honest opinion?" Dumbledore nodded, "Okay, well, I think she's highly emotionally and mentally unstable, overly sensitive, but an expert in potions which grants her some merit."
"Mentally unstable?"
"Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she's not all together there emotionally. She is the shyest most quiet girl one minute and the next you fear for your life, then the next moment she seems to want to crawl under a desk and weep."
Dumbledore nodded at the observation. "Do you like her?" He asked.
Snape shrugged. "As a person she's….tolerable, but I fear what her instability may lead to."
Dumbledore nodded again and rose. "Thank you for yor input, Severus."
Snape watched him leave. Did I forget to mention that I think she is the most fascinating and beautiful person I met? That only knowing her for two days she is capable of muddling my mind with such thoughts?
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Thanks to all you lovelies who have reviewed my story so far: aeiou, Hippy Gypsy, Rosmerta, Rushumble, Sphinx, Marvin, Thumper (Sorry, it'll be a little while longer till get to know what is exactly up with Mallory), Melissa Ivory, Thea, And, Ginny Potter.
An extra special thanx to Iphigenia: My ever loyal henchwoman and for being there even through those "tense" times. ;-)
