Professor Crockford considered herself a bad teacher. In fact, she had been thinking for the past few weeks that it might not have been the wisest decision after all to accept her current position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, considering that she hated having to busy herself with tedious correction work and the education of bothersome little brats who were barely capable of holding their wands properly. But she needed the money. And she needed to do something. Life was dull in Crowhurst, East Sussex, the little settlement she had called 'home' for fourty-three tedious years now. She had never felt the desire of getting married and was therefore still living in her father's house at the edge of the village. After two years of house-cleaning and looking after the elderly man's needs she was now ready for a new challenge: a teaching position at Hogwarts. As a matter of fact, she had never wanted to become a teacher. Still, this was where her current path had led her, meaning that she would have to accept it, happily or not. And as if the situation was not bad enough already, Monday started off with three annoying hours of first-years. Ravenclaws at first, then Slytherins - and Hufflepuff second-years after the lunch break on top of everything.
Doris remembered talking to Albus Dumbledore, whom she admired to a blatantly unhealthy extend, about what she was supposed to do with students who just could not pronounce the incantation properly. What she was supposed to do with those who kept interrupting the lessons on purpose... and what she was to do if they seriously hurt themselves - or each other. The Headmaster's advice had been simple and intelligible: 'You will find out, Doris. Students are easier to handle than one might think.' End of conversation.
To speak quite frankly, Doris considered herself badly advised. And her feeling of uneasiness increased even further when her first lesson was heading towards its end and none of the foreseen problems had yet come to pass. The students had obediently copied all the lines she had dictated, had curiously listened to her explaining what basic wand movements they would be learning this year, and nobody had complained when her demonstration at the beginning of the lesson had not worked out quite as well as she would have wished. Perhaps this year was not going to be a disaster after all? Doris sank back in her chair when the day's first group of children left the Charms classroom, giving her a thirty minutes break before the next ninety minutes of terror.
But before these were coming to pass there was a polite knock on the door and, after a moment of silence, one of Doris's colleagues entered the Charms classroom, a pile of parchments in her hand, seemingly out of breath.
'Ah Doris! Glad tae catch ye here. Had a good start of term?'
'I had indeed,' she replied. 'Thank you, Minerva. You?'
'Lovely as ever,' replied the Deputy Headmistress, sounding completely earnest. 'Though I wish certain students would stop trying to have me on. When will they learn that I'm a wee bit too smart for them?' She gave a short and dry grin. Doris suppressed a laugh. She did not know what to make of her colleague's occasional wit. She pondered for a few seconds whether she liked it, came, however, to the conclusion that she did not. Professor McGonagall noticed and frowned.
'Anyway,' she said just a bit less pleasantly, 'I've come tae remind ye of today's staff meeting. We changed the time till after lunch because some of us will nae be able to make it back in time tonight.'
'Yes, I heard about that,' replied Doris, marvelling at the almost stubborn objectivity with which her colleague continued their conversation. 'I will be there.'
'Very well,' said Minerva McGonagall, still looking slightly affronted. 'That leaves only Emeric to be informed. Excuse me, Doris. I oughta go and see him immediately.'
'Yes, of course,' said Doris. 'I'll prepare my next lesson then.'
'Any trouble so far?' inquired the Deputy Headmistress curiously.
'None whatsoever,' replied Doris. 'I am proud to say that my first ever lesson has passed without major accidents. Just as I had hoped.'
'I forgot ye haenae bin teachin' before,' said McGonagall, her face lighting up as she did. 'An' everything went well? No problems with our new first-years?'
'They are an intriguing lot,' replied Doris, trying to hide her surprise at her colleague's sudden interest in her lessons. 'The Ravenclaws anyway. Will be teaching the Slytherins next. They are more difficult, I hear?'
'Rubbish!' said McGonagall sharply. 'All ye have tae do is make clear who is in charge. They might be a little needin' in terms of directions, but they are no more difficult tae handle than say... Mandy's Hufflepuffs.'
'Well, what about my Hufflepuffs?' said a voice from the door and Doris became aware of a weighty young witch with small hazel eyes, who seemed to have been standing in the doorway for quite a while now, listening to their conversation in a thoroughly unconcerned way. She had crossed her arms over her chest and was marching towards Minerva McGonagall with a broad grin on her face. 'Early staff-meeting, is it?' she said. 'I thought we were going to wait until after lunch.'
'That is exactly what I'm here for,' replied McGonagall coolly, 'as ye've undoubtedly heard.'
'I had the pleasure of overhearing quite a bit of your conversation,' nodded Professor Sprout. 'Though my original intention was to have a little chat with our newest member of staff.' She outstretched her hand towards Doris and produced another broad sile. 'I am Mandragora Sprout,' she said. 'Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the pre-term staff meeting this year, but you might have heard of me. I am Head of Hufflepuff.'
"I shall leave ye two then,' said Professor McGonagall in the same cool voice as before. 'Ye'll have a lot of information to convey to our new Charms teacher, I presume.'
'Oh, I rather hope she has got a lot to tell me,' replied Professor Sprout lightly, looking supremely unconcerned about her colleague's snide remakrs. 'Where did you say you have been working before coming to Hogwarts, Professor Crockford?'
McGonagall snorted and made to leave the room. When she reached the doorstep, however, she suddenly stumbled and Doris could see that the reason was a scrawny little first-year, who had almost knocked her over in an attept to enter the classroom at full speed. Professor McGonagall caught him on his collar before he hit the stone floor and he gasped.
'Easy, Mr. Snape. Where are ye going?'
The boy looked up, obviously surprised at being addressed by name. He recognized her, looked around wildly, and, suddenly relizing what had happened, shrunk back against the dark stone wall. 'I... uhm... where is the Charms classroom?'
'You are standing in it,' said Doris sharply. 'But Charms is not on for another twenty minutes.'
'It - it isn't?'
'Nay,' said Professor McGonagall clearly fighting an appreciative smile, 'There is a thirty minutes break after your first lesson. If ye'd care tae have a look at your timetable.'
'I - they told me I had it wrong,' said Snape unhappily, his black eyes darting from Professor McGonagall to Doris and back. 'I thought I was late.'
'Well, you aren't,' declared Doris just as sharply as before. 'Now leave until the bell tells you to come back.'
The boy obeyed at an instant. Professor McGonagall shut the door behind him and gave Doris a surprised look. She waited until she could be sure Snape was well out of earshot before speaking again.
'Why so dour towards a first-year, Doris?'
'He was getting on my nerves,' growled Doris. 'I can't stand thickness. And I can't stand if students aren't capable of reading their timetables. Don't you find it annoying?'
'I find it very annoying,' agreed Mandragora Sprout at an instant, 'but I rarely scold them for it. That's what children are like, I -'
'I'll be off then,' said Professor McGonagall, suddenly sounding a bit tired. 'See you two at lunch, I suppose.'
'Yes, I'll have to return to my greenhouses as well,' said her Hufflepuff colleague promptly. I can accompany you on the way downstairs. You seen Emeric lately? He looks a bit more tired than last term. You don't suppose he -'
But what exactly Professor Sprout thought was wrong with Emeric Flitwick Doris never found out.
'Luckily,' she thought, 'I do not seem to be interesting enough to be admitted into Mandy Sprout's inner circle of friendship. Indeed, I do not think I wish to.'
And she prepared her next lesson in a slightly better mood than before, thinking how very much she enjoyed the utter silence that filled the Charms classroom now.'