A/N: Welcome once again! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Um...I think that's it. Sorry nothing really happens in this chapter, it's more informative than anything else. Oh yeah, I don't think J.K. mentioned Flitwick's first name anywhere, so I made it up. Julius Flitwick. Has a nice ring to it. :C) Well, as always, read, enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!!! And to all Snape Lovers, sorry I made him so mean! Love, Dragonessa Smith
"Welcome to another glorious year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore said. "Now, for the sorting!"
Charlie was sitting at the head table, in-between Prof. McGonagall's seat and Prof. Flitwick, nervously glancing around. In all his life, he had never felt more out of place than he did right now, not even when he was at the pet show in his first year.
Charlie had to grin a little at the memory. Everyone else brought in nifflers or owls or normal pets, and he had caused a panic when he showed up with a baby Australian Scorch-back dragon on a string, which he had found and hatched, with the help of numerous books from the library.
He felt a surge of guilt and anger as he remembered all the Howlers he and his family had received as a result of the pet show. The things those people wrote about him! And he was only eleven years old at the time! The remarks were still fresh in his mind: Idiot boy, menace to society, a danger to anyone who crosses him, stupid little dunderhead...
"Wasn't even that big, it could only snort sparks, didn't even have any proper teeth..." He grumbled under his breath.
He looked longingly at the Gryffindor table as the Sorting Hat sang it's song. He scanned the rows of people at the tables. He caught Lavender's eye for a few seconds; then she became increasingly obsessed with what her empty plate looked like. He saw lots of Ron and Harry's friends, including Neville, Dean, Seamus, Colin, and Dennis, to name a few.
"Isn't that right Charlie?" A voice in his ear made him jump.
"What, um, sorry Professor Flitwick, what did you say?" He stammered.
Professor Flitwick laughed and shook his head. "Still not paying attention, are you Charlie? Heaven knows you weren't paying attention that day you summoned my desk."
Charlie laughed nervously too. "Broke right in half when it crashed into me." He paused nervously. "So, um, Professor Flitwick, should I still call you Professor Flitwick, or would you prefer something else?"
"You can call me or any of the other staff members by our first or last names now, Charlie. You're a teacher too." He smiled encouragingly.
"It's just that there are so many of the same teachers I used to have."
"Yes, it can be a bit intimidating at first." Professor Flitwick said. "But you'll get used to it in time, Charlie."
"Ok...Julius." He said tentatively.
"You never were very patient, were you Charlie?"
He turned around. Snape was standing behind his chair, grinning evilly down at him.
"Hello Severus." Charlie grinned back at him.
Snape scowled down at him suddenly. "You were always a cheeky fellow, weren't you?"
"Severus!" Professor Flitwick scolded. "Charlie is a teacher here now too. I must ask that you treat him with the kind of respect you show to the other teachers."
"So none then?" Charlie muttered, staring back down at his plate.
Severus placed his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I will show him the respect I show you when he stops acting like the insolent little brat he is."
Charlie didn't move, but his face burned dark red.
"You may think you're a big shot now," Snape hissed in his ear. "But I swear, Weasly, one screw up, one spot of trouble, and I go straight to Dumbledore. Then you're back to, what is it? Sleeping in shabby tents all over the place? And then you'll have to leave home and go back to work."
Charlie was shaking with rage as Snape walked away. Flitwick patted him reassuringly on the back.
"Don't worry about Snape, Charlie. He's still in a bad mood because Dumbledore passed him up for the Defense Against The Dark Arts position again."
"You'd think that by now, he'd get over whatever he's got against my family." Charlie spat bitterly.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore said, drowning out Professor Flitwick's answer. "Now, before the feast begins, I have a few short announcements to make. The Forbidden Forest is, of course, still forbidden, even to former students, except those who are now teachers."
Charlie felt, rather than saw, everyone in the room turn to look at him.
Poor Charlie, Hermione thought. How embarrassing.
Dumbledore continued. "Speaking of former students turned teachers, we have a new addition to our staff."
"When do we not?" Malfoy called out.
"Hagrid has delightfully taken on the job of Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore continued, his eyes flashing at Malfoy. "And one of our former students has accepted his old job. Please give a warm welcome to Charlie Weasly, our new Care of Magical Creatures professor."
The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers. So did the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. The Slytherins, of course, clapped very little. Indeed, Malfoy looked like he was going to be sick.
Well, that's another plus, Hermione thought.
"Now for the feast!" Dumbledore announced. "Eat well, for if there is nothing in your heads, there should at least be something in your stomachs."
~!*!~
September 11, 2006
"Okay, everyone. We'll be taking observations on the giant squid today." Charlie was finally getting the hang of teaching. "Before we head down to the lake, I'll be passing back your Merpeople tests."
He started down the rows of desks. It was the first year Care of Magical Creatures was being held, in the most part, in a traditional classroom.
"Ron, good job, but you misspelled the Merpeople's colony name. It's Maraqua, not Maracwa. Harry, great, full marks. Hermione, excellent, you even got the extra credit."
"Gee, I wonder why his brother's friends got full marks on their homework?" Draco wondered in a loud whisper. The Slytherin's laughed uproariously at this. Hermione looked up at Charlie, and he winked at her.
Turning to Malfoy, he announced loudly "You got full marks too, Draco."
The Gryffindors laughed even louder at this. Draco shrunk down in his seat, his usually pale face tinged pink.
That'll teach you to make fun of Hermione, Malfoy, Charlie thought. No! Don't think about it! I'm warning you, you'll just end up getting hurt when you see her start to date someone else.
He continued passing out the papers. When he finished, he walked back to the front of the room.
"All you'll need is a piece of parchment and a quill. We'll come back before the end of the period, so you can leave your bags."
He turned and started to pick up his lesson plans for the day.
He turned around again, and was face to face with Hermione.
"Welcome to another glorious year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore said. "Now, for the sorting!"
Charlie was sitting at the head table, in-between Prof. McGonagall's seat and Prof. Flitwick, nervously glancing around. In all his life, he had never felt more out of place than he did right now, not even when he was at the pet show in his first year.
Charlie had to grin a little at the memory. Everyone else brought in nifflers or owls or normal pets, and he had caused a panic when he showed up with a baby Australian Scorch-back dragon on a string, which he had found and hatched, with the help of numerous books from the library.
He felt a surge of guilt and anger as he remembered all the Howlers he and his family had received as a result of the pet show. The things those people wrote about him! And he was only eleven years old at the time! The remarks were still fresh in his mind: Idiot boy, menace to society, a danger to anyone who crosses him, stupid little dunderhead...
"Wasn't even that big, it could only snort sparks, didn't even have any proper teeth..." He grumbled under his breath.
He looked longingly at the Gryffindor table as the Sorting Hat sang it's song. He scanned the rows of people at the tables. He caught Lavender's eye for a few seconds; then she became increasingly obsessed with what her empty plate looked like. He saw lots of Ron and Harry's friends, including Neville, Dean, Seamus, Colin, and Dennis, to name a few.
"Isn't that right Charlie?" A voice in his ear made him jump.
"What, um, sorry Professor Flitwick, what did you say?" He stammered.
Professor Flitwick laughed and shook his head. "Still not paying attention, are you Charlie? Heaven knows you weren't paying attention that day you summoned my desk."
Charlie laughed nervously too. "Broke right in half when it crashed into me." He paused nervously. "So, um, Professor Flitwick, should I still call you Professor Flitwick, or would you prefer something else?"
"You can call me or any of the other staff members by our first or last names now, Charlie. You're a teacher too." He smiled encouragingly.
"It's just that there are so many of the same teachers I used to have."
"Yes, it can be a bit intimidating at first." Professor Flitwick said. "But you'll get used to it in time, Charlie."
"Ok...Julius." He said tentatively.
"You never were very patient, were you Charlie?"
He turned around. Snape was standing behind his chair, grinning evilly down at him.
"Hello Severus." Charlie grinned back at him.
Snape scowled down at him suddenly. "You were always a cheeky fellow, weren't you?"
"Severus!" Professor Flitwick scolded. "Charlie is a teacher here now too. I must ask that you treat him with the kind of respect you show to the other teachers."
"So none then?" Charlie muttered, staring back down at his plate.
Severus placed his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I will show him the respect I show you when he stops acting like the insolent little brat he is."
Charlie didn't move, but his face burned dark red.
"You may think you're a big shot now," Snape hissed in his ear. "But I swear, Weasly, one screw up, one spot of trouble, and I go straight to Dumbledore. Then you're back to, what is it? Sleeping in shabby tents all over the place? And then you'll have to leave home and go back to work."
Charlie was shaking with rage as Snape walked away. Flitwick patted him reassuringly on the back.
"Don't worry about Snape, Charlie. He's still in a bad mood because Dumbledore passed him up for the Defense Against The Dark Arts position again."
"You'd think that by now, he'd get over whatever he's got against my family." Charlie spat bitterly.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore said, drowning out Professor Flitwick's answer. "Now, before the feast begins, I have a few short announcements to make. The Forbidden Forest is, of course, still forbidden, even to former students, except those who are now teachers."
Charlie felt, rather than saw, everyone in the room turn to look at him.
Poor Charlie, Hermione thought. How embarrassing.
Dumbledore continued. "Speaking of former students turned teachers, we have a new addition to our staff."
"When do we not?" Malfoy called out.
"Hagrid has delightfully taken on the job of Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore continued, his eyes flashing at Malfoy. "And one of our former students has accepted his old job. Please give a warm welcome to Charlie Weasly, our new Care of Magical Creatures professor."
The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers. So did the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. The Slytherins, of course, clapped very little. Indeed, Malfoy looked like he was going to be sick.
Well, that's another plus, Hermione thought.
"Now for the feast!" Dumbledore announced. "Eat well, for if there is nothing in your heads, there should at least be something in your stomachs."
~!*!~
September 11, 2006
"Okay, everyone. We'll be taking observations on the giant squid today." Charlie was finally getting the hang of teaching. "Before we head down to the lake, I'll be passing back your Merpeople tests."
He started down the rows of desks. It was the first year Care of Magical Creatures was being held, in the most part, in a traditional classroom.
"Ron, good job, but you misspelled the Merpeople's colony name. It's Maraqua, not Maracwa. Harry, great, full marks. Hermione, excellent, you even got the extra credit."
"Gee, I wonder why his brother's friends got full marks on their homework?" Draco wondered in a loud whisper. The Slytherin's laughed uproariously at this. Hermione looked up at Charlie, and he winked at her.
Turning to Malfoy, he announced loudly "You got full marks too, Draco."
The Gryffindors laughed even louder at this. Draco shrunk down in his seat, his usually pale face tinged pink.
That'll teach you to make fun of Hermione, Malfoy, Charlie thought. No! Don't think about it! I'm warning you, you'll just end up getting hurt when you see her start to date someone else.
He continued passing out the papers. When he finished, he walked back to the front of the room.
"All you'll need is a piece of parchment and a quill. We'll come back before the end of the period, so you can leave your bags."
He turned and started to pick up his lesson plans for the day.
He turned around again, and was face to face with Hermione.