CHAPTER FOUR: The new professor.

"How was your first night?" Jenny asked Georgia the next morning at breakfast.

"Brilliant. We stayed up for hours in our room talking. I think I'm really going to enjoy being here." Georgia replied, sitting down next to us.

"Glad you're fine. I promised Father I'd keep an eye on you." Paul said overhearing as he walked past. "After all, as Father said, we can't really trust Greg to keep an eye on you can we now?"

Georgia raised an eyebrow but said nothing although as Paul sauntered off she poked her tongue out in his direction. "UGH! And to think we're related to that." She said.

"It could be worse. You could be related to THAT!" Martin said, as Alforth and his friends walked by.

I knew Alforth had heard because the back of his neck went red, but he didn't turn around.

"So," Jenny asked. "What classes have you got today?"

"Um..." She looked at her timetable. "We start with transfiguration, then we have potions. After lunch we've got History of Magic, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. That's the one with Snape isn't it? He looks horrid."

I glanced up to the teacher's table. Snape was talking to the new Charms teacher, Professor Mitchell who was looking strangely nervous and nodding repeatedly. I nudged Martin. "Look at Snape." I whispered to him.

He turned his head to look. "Yeah, I told you there was something funny going on there." He whispered back.

Jenny was looking at us with a slightly hurt expression on her face. I suppose she might have felt a little left out, but it really was no big deal!

*****

We had Charms first and as we filed into the classroom I was disappointed to see that we were with the Slytherins for this class. We all seated ourselves and we waited for the new professor to arrive. When he did arrive he was five minutes late, and out of breath.

"So sorry, got held up." He said plopping some books down onto his desk and surveying us all. For our parts we were equally curious, and were surveying him. With some dismay I noted that his robes were older robes, possibly even hand-me-downs, and even though he was young he looked tired. "Well, as you all now I am Professor Mitchell, your new Charms teacher. I've got a letter here from your previous teacher, Professor Horring, and I get the impression that it must be incomplete as there are a few charms you should have learnt last year not listed here."

Martin stuck up his hand, and the professor nodded in his direction. "Well to tell you the truth sir we basically learnt nothing- although we can tell you that Professor Horring's favorite color is purple, and his favorite animal is a dragon, and he takes his coffee with two sugars and milk, although if he had the choice he'd much rather drink whiskey and soda." Martin recited.

We all burst into laughter, even the Slytherins and Professor Mitchell looked taken aback for a moment before allowing himself a smile. "So you're telling me we've got a bit of catching up to do then?"

"That's one way to put it." Jenny said. "We only got up to chapter four in the textbook, and we should have finished the whole thing!"

"Well thanks for letting me know." The professor said. "In that case we'll have to really get cracking on things this year."

"Good on you." Martin whispered to Jenny, but she just shrugged at him.

After the class we were walking out near Alforth and his friends. Alforth was making fun of the new professor. "I mean honestly, look at his robes- they must be on about their third generation by now." He said and the Slytherins laughed.

"I hardly think being poor, or wearing hand me downs makes you any less of a wizard Alforth!" Jenny said with a frown.

Alforth looked at her for a moment, before his lip curled in distaste. "Well of course you're going to say that aren't you Weasley? Everyone knows the Weasleys have no money!"

Jenny's face turned beet red, but to her credit she merely held her head up high and walked off. Martin and I, and the rest of the Gryffindoors hurried after her.

"You know," Jenny said as we caught her. "The Malfoys may think having a tonne of money makes a wizard better, but everyone with half a brain knows that it's the type of wizard you are which counts. Dark wizards are bound to be found out eventually and thrown into Azkaban!"

"Hmmm, Jenny did you notice anything strange about Professor Mitchell?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't really want to waste my time discussing the Malfoys, and I was also curious as to whether Jenny had noticed the strange looks Snape had been giving the professor. However when she answered she shocked both Martin and I!

"You mean besides the fact that Mitchell is not his real name?" She asked us, a little smugly.

Martin and I both gaped at her, and she smiled. "Are you telling me neither of you two geniuses picked up on it?" She asked.

"Jenny," I managed. "Stop teasing. Of course his name's Mitchell- the headmistress introduced him that way, why would she lie?"

"I don't know why she'd lie." Jenny said thoughtfully. "I only know she is. Didn't you notice whenever people call him Mitchell he takes a moment to respond, as if he often forgets they're talking to him?"

I wracked my brains trying to remember. "But that could just be because he's slow, or he's shy..." I said, not really sure of a rational explanation.

But Jenny shook her head firmly. "No Sam, Mitchell is not his name. I wonder why he's here under a false name though. I wonder his real name. He couldn't be more than a few years younger than our parents though, maybe he was here when they were in their last years?"

"Have you ever seen your parents yearbooks?" I asked. I'd leafed through my parents on a few occasions, but I'd never really taken any notice of anyone else other than my parents and their friends. The Hogwarts yearbooks were given out to fifth, sixth and seventh year students, although they also featured the students from the lower classes.

"On a few occasions," Jenny replied as we walked into our History of Magic class. "But I don't recognise him. Maybe this afternoon we could go and have a look in the library at the old yearbooks there and see whether or not we could find him?"

Martin sighed. "The library again." He said with an exaggerated shrug as we took our seats.

"Well you don't HAVE to come." Jenny replied a little hurt. "I mean if you don't want to find out who Mitchell REALLY is and why he's here under a fake alias that's fine with me."

"It's just that we were going to practice for the Quidditch tryouts tomorrow. With Baston and Lyons gone we need a new keeper and a new seeker!" I explained.

"Yeah I heard there were tryouts tomorrow." Jenny replied with a strange look on her face. "Well if you'd rather practice I guess that's fine..."

Her tone told me it was anything but fine, and after all the trouble we'd been through last year and with her saving our lives I felt we owed her something. It made me smile slightly to remember my words about this time last year: I'd been determined to keep away from Jenny, and now she was practically one of my best friends. That is, after Martin. "I guess I'll come to the library." I said. "After all if I haven't practiced enough yet, if I haven't got enough talent to get into the team, I don't think another hour or so is going to change things."

Martin sighed also as the teacher, the ghost, Professor Binns floated into the room ready to begin what was sure to be another boring lecture. "Fine, count me in too." He said.