Harry stood over his new desk. It was shiny and bright- much nicer
then the old desk he had at the Dursley's. He was almost afraid to touch
it.
"Shut up Potter," he told himself. "You're a teacher here now- you have to touch your desk!" But he couldn't do it. He tried to touch it, but an invisible force kept him from actually touching the shiny desk.
"What are you doing?" Hermione said laughingly as she peaked into Harry's classroom.
"Oh. Um, nothing," Harry stammered embarrassingly. He was secretly glad that she had come in to distract him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm headed to the staff room for the staff meeting. Aren't you going too?"
"Huh? Oh, I forgot." He quickly walked to Hermione, and they headed to the staff room together.
As they began to walk, Hermione laughed and said, "You know, if you want to be a teacher at Hogwarts-"
"I am a teacher at Hogwarts!" Harry said defensively.
"Well, if you want to do well at Hogwarts, you should probably stick to your schedule better. After all, this is our formal meeting to the rest of the staff. Everyone."
Harry's eyes grew wide "What? I didn't know that."
"You didn't? Did you read the parchment?"
"No."
Hermione shook her head. "Well, that explains it! You really should, Albus sends them out for a reason."
"Well, I just moved in, and- wait, 'Albus'? Did I just hear you call him 'Albus?'"
Hermione turned bright red. "Well, yes. He's a fellow coworker now, isn't he? I may as well practice calling him by his real name."
As Hermione droned on and on, Harry started to tune her out. It was partially due to the fact that he was still totally nervous about being a teacher. The day after he moved into Hogwarts, he had started getting second doubts. Now, four days later and two weeks before the school year started, he was really feeling it.
"Well, here it is," Hermione said happily. "Are you ready?"
"I guess." Harry said nervously.
"Oh Harry, don't tell me you're nervous? Compared to all the other things you've done, this should be nothing."
"Why shouldn't I be nervous?" He shot back.
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not nervous at all, I thought you'd feel the same."
"Yeah, well." Harry sighed. "Hermione, I don't want to mess anything up. I've already messed up so much-"
"Don't be silly," Hermione said. "You didn't mess anything up!"
"I failed Potions miserably and couldn't get into my dream job of a Auror, didn't make the Quidditch Team because of a stupid fifth-year ban that the manager still believed. You think I didn't ruin my life?"
"Perhaps it was meant to be that way," Hermione said with a shrug. "Perhaps you were meant to be a teacher, and nothing else. Who knows?" Then, with a slight tug on his shoulder, she said rather crossly, "Come on Harry, we don't want to be later for the first meeting!"
Harry, feeling as though he wanted to run more then anything else in the world, followed Hermione into the room and sat at his assigned chair. It was next to both Hermione and Hagrid.
" 'Ello 'Arry!" Hagrid said happily. "See yer got the job all right."
"Yeah, I did," Harry said absentmindedly.
"Yer firs' days 'ere been all righ'?" Hagrid said kindly. The nervousness on Harry's face was pretty obvious.
"Yeah, I guess. I dunno, Hermione's been better about it then me though."
Hagrid looked over to Hermione. "Well, she's been 'ere longer then yer, 'Arry. An' she was asked ter take the job after Professor Victa' left, ya know."
Harry looked up into the big face of Hagrid. "Really? That's news to me."
Hagrid shrugged. "Dun' take it personally, 'Arry, she was always good at that subject. Best in 'er class. One of the only students, sure, but best of them all."
Before Harry could respond to that new piece of information, a tap- tap-tap was heard at the head of the table. Professor Dumbledore had arrived.
"Shut up Potter," he told himself. "You're a teacher here now- you have to touch your desk!" But he couldn't do it. He tried to touch it, but an invisible force kept him from actually touching the shiny desk.
"What are you doing?" Hermione said laughingly as she peaked into Harry's classroom.
"Oh. Um, nothing," Harry stammered embarrassingly. He was secretly glad that she had come in to distract him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm headed to the staff room for the staff meeting. Aren't you going too?"
"Huh? Oh, I forgot." He quickly walked to Hermione, and they headed to the staff room together.
As they began to walk, Hermione laughed and said, "You know, if you want to be a teacher at Hogwarts-"
"I am a teacher at Hogwarts!" Harry said defensively.
"Well, if you want to do well at Hogwarts, you should probably stick to your schedule better. After all, this is our formal meeting to the rest of the staff. Everyone."
Harry's eyes grew wide "What? I didn't know that."
"You didn't? Did you read the parchment?"
"No."
Hermione shook her head. "Well, that explains it! You really should, Albus sends them out for a reason."
"Well, I just moved in, and- wait, 'Albus'? Did I just hear you call him 'Albus?'"
Hermione turned bright red. "Well, yes. He's a fellow coworker now, isn't he? I may as well practice calling him by his real name."
As Hermione droned on and on, Harry started to tune her out. It was partially due to the fact that he was still totally nervous about being a teacher. The day after he moved into Hogwarts, he had started getting second doubts. Now, four days later and two weeks before the school year started, he was really feeling it.
"Well, here it is," Hermione said happily. "Are you ready?"
"I guess." Harry said nervously.
"Oh Harry, don't tell me you're nervous? Compared to all the other things you've done, this should be nothing."
"Why shouldn't I be nervous?" He shot back.
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not nervous at all, I thought you'd feel the same."
"Yeah, well." Harry sighed. "Hermione, I don't want to mess anything up. I've already messed up so much-"
"Don't be silly," Hermione said. "You didn't mess anything up!"
"I failed Potions miserably and couldn't get into my dream job of a Auror, didn't make the Quidditch Team because of a stupid fifth-year ban that the manager still believed. You think I didn't ruin my life?"
"Perhaps it was meant to be that way," Hermione said with a shrug. "Perhaps you were meant to be a teacher, and nothing else. Who knows?" Then, with a slight tug on his shoulder, she said rather crossly, "Come on Harry, we don't want to be later for the first meeting!"
Harry, feeling as though he wanted to run more then anything else in the world, followed Hermione into the room and sat at his assigned chair. It was next to both Hermione and Hagrid.
" 'Ello 'Arry!" Hagrid said happily. "See yer got the job all right."
"Yeah, I did," Harry said absentmindedly.
"Yer firs' days 'ere been all righ'?" Hagrid said kindly. The nervousness on Harry's face was pretty obvious.
"Yeah, I guess. I dunno, Hermione's been better about it then me though."
Hagrid looked over to Hermione. "Well, she's been 'ere longer then yer, 'Arry. An' she was asked ter take the job after Professor Victa' left, ya know."
Harry looked up into the big face of Hagrid. "Really? That's news to me."
Hagrid shrugged. "Dun' take it personally, 'Arry, she was always good at that subject. Best in 'er class. One of the only students, sure, but best of them all."
Before Harry could respond to that new piece of information, a tap- tap-tap was heard at the head of the table. Professor Dumbledore had arrived.
