Chapter 1

Windows To The Soul

Harry sighed as he sat in one of the many compartments on the Hogwarts Express. They were heading back to Hogwarts to start their 7th year.

Normally Harry would be ecstatic to go back to Hogwarts, he was excited, but he was disappointed to have to leave behind the laziness of summer. Harry had spent the entire summer with the Weasly's and he wasn't looking forward to getting back into the dull grind of things.

With Voldemort drastically weakened, Harry was feeling useless. He was lost and confused. He had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. All he had ever known in the wizarding world was surviving Voldemort, battling Voldemort, and defeating Voldemort. It was all Harry knew.

Many people had suggested that he become an Auror after his graduation from Hogwarts, but Harry wasn't sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life chasing evil and fighting dark wizards.

What he really wanted, or what he thought he wanted, was to marry his girlfriend of a year and hold a simple 9-5 job. He wanted life to be simple. He wanted the media to stop hounding him. He wanted to just be another face in the crowd.

Harry sighed again and shook his head slightly. 'Better make the best of it.' He thought as the Hogwarts Express pulled up to Hogsmeade station.

Ginny, Harry's girlfriend, took Harry's hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. Harry smiled and stood up, pulling her up with him as he did so.

**

An hour latter found them sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for the first years to be sorted and the feast to begin. As every year prior, Dumbledore rose to make his beginning-of-the-new-year speech which years two and up had all become accustomed to.

"Welcome students. Before we get to the Sorting Ceremony, I'd like to introduce to you our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Ms. Verene will you please stand up?"

Upon Dumbledore's request a beautiful, petite brunette stood up. She couldn't, Harry decided, have been a day over 18, if that.

"Ms. Verene has transferred from Salem Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she's going to finish her seventh year here with us at Hogwarts. Ms. Verene, if you would please, take a seat and we'll sort you."

Harry watched as the slightly timid brunette walked around from the head table and walked in front where she sat on the stool. Professor McGonagal placed the sorting hat on her head. The entirety of the Great Hall waited with baited breath to find out what house the new DADA teacher would be sorted into.

"GRIFFYNDOR!" The sorting hat finally declared. All of the Griffyndors shouted their approval and cheered as she calmly walked over to take her seat with the other seventh years.

"Now that that's settled we can continue with the rest of the ceremony. Professor McGonagal, if you would please."

**

Harry was far too enraptured with the brunette goddess sitting in front of him to pay attention to the rest of the ceremony, much less his own girlfriend, sitting right next to him, trying to start a conversation.

"Harry, are you even listening to me? Hello, earth to Harry. Git." She finally muttered and left him to it. Whatever it was. She sighed and began nibbling at her food.

**

Feeling a pair of eyes on her, she looked up and was startled to come face to face with a pair of strikingly green eyes.

"Hello." She said with a slight wave in the stranger's direction.

"H-h-hi." He stuttered.

"Moira Verene." She replied amicably, extending her hand as she did so.

"H-Harry Potter." He replied with a bit of a stutter, taking her hand in his and shaking it lightly.

"Ah so you're the infamous Harry Potter I've heard so much about."

"That would be me."

"So are you really the new DADA teacher?"

"Yes."

"Do we have DADA with Slytherin?"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning if I remember correctly."

Harry groaned and let his head fall down to hit the table rather harshly.

"I take it you aren't particularly fond of our Slytherin friends."

"Enemies is more like it." Harry muttered, head still lying on the table.

"If that truly is the case, I assure you by the end of the year it won't be."

"Not possible. Griffyndor and Slytherin have always been and always will be enemies."

"If you say so Mr. Potter."

"Harry. There's no reason to be so formal."

"I'm a professor."

"And a student, therefore outside of the classroom there isn't much sense in calling me by my last name, Harry is fine."

"Fine then, Harry it is, you can call me Moira."

"That's a beautiful name."

"Blah. I hate it."

"Why?"

"It wasn't given to me because my parents liked it or because they thought that it suited me. It was given to me because of my "destiny".

"Your destiny?"

"My full name is Moira Alma Verene, which means great soul protector in Celtic, Spanish and German."

"Great soul protector? You've lost me."

"Ask me about it later. I can't really tell you here. There are too many ears."

"We could leave now if you like."

"Are you sure she won't mind?" Moira asked, indicating Ginny.

"It'll be fine."

"Ok then." Harry told Ginny that he was going to show Moira to Griffyndor tower and then stood up and followed Moira out of the Great Hall.

Once they were walking through the corridors, some good distance from the Great Hall and all of the "ears", Harry reiterated his question.

"I'm not really at Hogwarts just to teach DADA. Its part of the reason, but it isn't the only reason. I'm a soul searcher. Dumbledore thought that it would be a good idea to have extra protection on campus to ensure the safety of the students. I can tell with one look at a person if they're good or evil. Staring longer gives me even more insight into their soul. Looking into their eyes, though, is the key. As much of a cliché as it is, the eyes really are the windows to the soul."

"So you're here for security purposes?"

"Pretty much. However, there is a very good reason that I'm the new DADA teacher. Dumbledore thought that it would be very beneficial to the students to have me as a teacher."

"Why is that?"

"Let's just say that I have quite a bit of experience with the Dark Arts."

Thank you to everyone who took the time to start reading my story. If you enjoyed chapter one and would like me to continue with the story then please leave a review. If I don't get at least 10 reviews then I won't put up the next chapter.

Love Peace and Wizard Feet

Manda