Chapter 2 - New Home

Athena and Remus finally made it to the castle. "It's even prettier when you're closer!" she gasped.

Remus nodded as they entered. "I'll take you to Dumbledore's office."

Athena followed Remus throughout the school, trying to remember certain passageways and hallways, but with the changing staircases and the moving portraits she highly doubted it she would ever remember.

A large gargoyle stood in front of them, Remus then said, "Dumbledore's office is through this passageway. All you have to do is step in and say the password."

"What's the password?"

"Peppermint Twists," he responded with a grin.

Athena chuckled and then said the password. She then arrived at the Professor's office. She stood in front of the door and fixed her outfit and stood up straight and tall, and knocked on the door.

"You may enter Ms. Smithton!" said a voice from inside.

She opened the door and saw an old man sitting at a desk. He wore half moon spectacles that didn't cover his twinkling blue eyes. His white hair looked as if it was snow.

"Hello Sir," she replied, "How did you know it was me?"

"Intuition."

"Oh!"

"Please, please sit down," he said. Athena sat in a chair across from him. "It's a pleasure to meet you Athena, first just let me say that my colleagues and I are delighted to have you on our faculty. Your knowledge in Defense Against the Dark Arts will be greatly needed, due to the fact that Dark Magic is present in today's world."

"It will be a pleasure to teach here," Athena lied.

Dumbledore sadly smiled. "Athena don't lie. I know your not very happy about teaching, you want to be an Auror. You want adventure, you want danger, and you want to be a hero. I know Hogwarts may not offer what you want, but if you do well here I'll gladly recommend you to the Ministry for a job as an Auror. If you still feel like you don't belong here."

"Sir I'm sorry, but you are right. I wasn't to pleased that this was my last choice for a job. Being an American wizard it's extremely hard to find good work in this part of the world. Wizards here have such biased views against Americans wizards. However I am grateful that you did give me a chance, and I promise you I will work hard. I was taught to be a hard-worker and I won't fail you or the school."

Dumbledore smiled again, but this time he was smiling with pride. "Now have you been able to make up lesson plans yet?"

"No Sir," she responded, "I need to know your requirements." He handed her a long piece of parchment.

"You need to pick out the books that the students will need. I need that list by the 16th of this month, so we are able to owl the lists to the students."

"I'll have them to you in the morning," she replied, "I'll probably be working on it tonight anyways." Dumbledore nodded. She suddenly remembered the letter she received when she left this morning. She pulled it out of her pocket and fumbled it in her fingers. "Sir I received a letter this morning with a threat on it. There was no name on it and no distinguishable handwriting, it seemed as if it was typed by a computer or something."

"A what?"

"Never mind, but here." She handed the letter to Dumbledore who looked over it.

"It seems as if we have a threat against the school. But we don't give in to people who threaten us. Much like your country, Athena, we don't give into terrorists!" stated Dumbledore. "I'll inform the other professors and the ministry about this. We'll figure out who sent it and if it is a "concerned" parent worried that their child won't get a decent education because you're an American. When yet that parent is yet again following a view that isn't true." Athena nodded in agreement. "Now I except you'll be wanting some rest. I'll show you to your quarters."

Athena followed Dumbledore to her quarters, yet again trying to remember the way, and yet again she didn't. "This will be your quarters, behind this painting here of our four houses; Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Just tell them your password to enter your quarters, your password could be anything! I'll leave you to yourself now."

She watched the old man walk away. She thought he was quite nice and in a way intimidating. How did he know that she wanted to be an Auror and not a professor? Could he read minds? She shook her head and vanished the thought.

"Well," she said to herself out loud, "what do I want my password to be?"

"Well," answered, Rowena Ravenclaw, "you could use your spouse's name!"

"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not married."

"Oh," sighed Rowena, "I was hoping you are. Helga and I love to hear romance stories!" Godric and Salazar rolled their eyes.

"Oh yes!" sighed Helga, "I haven't seen my husband in centuries and it reminds me of me and my husband."

"Must you bring up your husband ever day!" stated Salazar Slytherin.

"At least I had someone who loved me!" exclaimed Helga, "You never even courted a girl! God help her if you tried!"

"Excuse me!" stated Salazar, "But I did in fact have a wife and four sons! I miss them just as much as you miss your husband but I don't go around everyday and talk about them!"

"Uh pardon me," interrupted Athena, "I would hate to break up your argument but I have figured out what my password. I would like it to be Tulips. Since they are my favorite flower and all!"

"Tulips it is then," replied Godric. They portrait swung open and she entered. The quarters were quite lovely. She had a large fireplace with a mahogany mantle, a large bookcase that she could put all her books, a desk with a view of the lake, and a small old comfy-looking sofa. There was then two doors that led into other rooms. She opened the first door which was the bathroom. She was elaborately decorated, with a marble sink and an old fashioned marble tub, the floor was white tile, and a beautiful mahogany vanity with a stool with a flowery fabric covering the seat.

The room next to it was her bedroom. The room was quite large, a large king-sized, four poster bed was tidily made up for her. Along with another large fireplace, a chest of drawers, a nightstand with candles on it, and an old looking chair by the fireplace. All her belongs were placed in the room, along with Apollo, her owl, which was perched on the old chair.

"Apollo!" she squealed, "I was wondering when you would get here!" The owl hooted softly as she brushed his feathers.

She then decided to her to work on her lesson plans. She headed out of her bedroom and into the den area. She sat down at the desk where there was parchment, quills, ink, a lesson plan book, and drawers filled with other such things. She picked up a quill and dipped it into the ink well and wrote her name on the paper. "Hmmm," she sighed, "Did the wizarding world not yet discover pens and pencils?" She picked up her one bag and pulled out a pen and then looked over her requirements.

For the next several hours she worked on her lessons plans and such. When a knock came from outside, she got up and stretched. When she opened the door, Sirius stood there with a smug grin on his face.

"Hello again," he said.

"Hello Sirius," she replied, "What do you need?"

"Dumbledore thought I should show you down to the Great Hall for dinner. He says you been up here working all morning and afternoon."

"Now that you mention it, I am quite hungry," she stated.

Sirius smiled and said, "Let's go!" She followed him down to the Great Hall. "So Dumbledore tells me you're quite good in Defense Against the Dark Arts and all. Severus is probably green with jealously!"

"Why would he?" she questioned.

"Cause from what I'm told he has been after that job for years!"

"Well why didn't Dumbledore give him the job?"

"Cause Dumbledore wants him as the Potions Master, says he's to good at Potions and would be hard to find a replacement for him. I don't know why Dumbledore even wants the slime ball here! The greasy git needs to leave this place and hopefully never come back!"

"That isn't something nice to say about someone!" stated Athena, "I think that was quite impolite and rude!"

"You really haven't met the man have you?" laughed Sirius.

"I intend to meet him and the rest of the staff, whether you have an opinion about them or not!" She was getting quite angry with Sirius. She didn't like him at all.

"Sorry," he said, "It's just that Snape and I aren't that good of friends. In fact were enemies, have been since our schooldays!"

"Well I think you both should put your differences behind each other, get on with our lives and grow-up!"