Part 2.
A/N: Jaina Said (Say-eed) has no affiliation with StarWars. I just liked the name. Oh yeah, and would people please review, even if they just tell me this is crap, I'd still like to know.
"Harry, you're here, excellent. How was the trip from London?" Dumbledore asked jovially.
"Fine professor." He replied.
"So the train was uneventful?" Dumbledore's voice became more serious.
"Yes sir." Harry answered, wondering exactly where this conversation was going.
"Good then. Harry, I asked you here because I wanted to introduce Jaina Said to you. She will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as well as our new Mythology teacher."
"It's nice to meet you Professor Said." Harry said politely to the woman, almost entranced by her long dark hair and her skin, which was the color of milky coffee.
"Thank you Harry. I hope you had a nice holiday." She said gently, almost as if she knew about Sirius's death.
"Excuse me professors," Professor McGonagall's voice broke the silence. Harry hadn't even realized that she was in the room. "I should take Professor Said down to the Great Hall."
"Certainly Minerva." Dumbledore agreed, "Harry and I will be along in a moment."
"We'll wait for you in the entrance room then, Professor." McGonagall said, her eyebrows raised.
Once the two women had left the room it was silent until Dumbledore spoke again. "I think you will get along well with Professor Said, Harry. She was your mother's best friend when they were at Hogwarts, much like Sirius and your father. I'm sure if you asked her she could tell you lots about them."
"Her accent," Harry began. "It's smoother and sort of softer than ours."
"Professor Said is from Egypt Harry. She came to Hogwarts on an exchange program. Her family is very old, and very powerful, they never supported Voldemort though." He said quickly, seeing the look on Harry's face. "No, the Said's and the Al-Simmas were always openly very opposed to him. Even at the height of his power he feared them, because passed down in the Professor's family are two weapons, very powerful ones that can only be used by the descendants of the warlock who made them. Professor Said is now their guardian."
"Is she part of the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore answered, before changing the subject, "Are you feeling or sleeping better?" He asked kindly, referring to both Sirius's death, and the new nightmares that had plagued Harry since his godfather had been killed.
"I don't know." Harry replied. "I'm practicing Occlumency every day, and every night before I go to sleep. It's not as bad as it was in the beginning."
"Good. Come now." Dumbledore got to his feet, his fluidity surprising for a man of his age. "Everyone will be waiting for us."
Silently Harry stood and followed Dumbledore out of the office. Professor McGonagall and Professor Said who had been waiting for them in the small room just outside of the office, fell into step with Harry and Dumbledore.
He remained silent as they walked downstairs towards the Great Hall. Finally he blurted out. "Were you waiting so that I would have bodyguards to take me downstairs?"
Professor Said smiled. "Professor McGonagall and I thought we should we wait and go downstairs together. While we waited she was telling me about the defense class you started last year. How did that come about?"
"Well...er... I know that you didn't answer my question then, but we were all pretty mad about not having practical classes in DADA, and one of my friends Hermione Granger, came up with the idea of having the practical classes on our own, with me running the meetings." Harry told her.
"Good choice." She said approvingly. "What sorts of things did you teach?"
"Impediment Jinx, Stunning Spells, all kinds of things." He answered, becoming enthusiastic.
"It sounds like you should keep that going this year." Professor Said smiled again.
Harry stopped walking and stared at her. "I thought you might try and stop us."
"Stop you? Stop students who want to learn so badly that they're willing to break all sorts of rules to do so?" She asked him. "Not on your life, which I'm told his constantly under threat as it is."
In spite of himself, Harry chuckled.
"It's nice to see that you can still laugh." Professor Said told him.
As she spoke Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall paused, speaking a few words before Professor McGonagall left to attend to the First Years.
"The others have come up now." Dumbledore told Harry. "Go in and take your seat. Professor Said and I will be in shortly."
Harry nodded and opened the door, slipping quietly inside.
A/N: Jaina Said (Say-eed) has no affiliation with StarWars. I just liked the name. Oh yeah, and would people please review, even if they just tell me this is crap, I'd still like to know.
"Harry, you're here, excellent. How was the trip from London?" Dumbledore asked jovially.
"Fine professor." He replied.
"So the train was uneventful?" Dumbledore's voice became more serious.
"Yes sir." Harry answered, wondering exactly where this conversation was going.
"Good then. Harry, I asked you here because I wanted to introduce Jaina Said to you. She will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as well as our new Mythology teacher."
"It's nice to meet you Professor Said." Harry said politely to the woman, almost entranced by her long dark hair and her skin, which was the color of milky coffee.
"Thank you Harry. I hope you had a nice holiday." She said gently, almost as if she knew about Sirius's death.
"Excuse me professors," Professor McGonagall's voice broke the silence. Harry hadn't even realized that she was in the room. "I should take Professor Said down to the Great Hall."
"Certainly Minerva." Dumbledore agreed, "Harry and I will be along in a moment."
"We'll wait for you in the entrance room then, Professor." McGonagall said, her eyebrows raised.
Once the two women had left the room it was silent until Dumbledore spoke again. "I think you will get along well with Professor Said, Harry. She was your mother's best friend when they were at Hogwarts, much like Sirius and your father. I'm sure if you asked her she could tell you lots about them."
"Her accent," Harry began. "It's smoother and sort of softer than ours."
"Professor Said is from Egypt Harry. She came to Hogwarts on an exchange program. Her family is very old, and very powerful, they never supported Voldemort though." He said quickly, seeing the look on Harry's face. "No, the Said's and the Al-Simmas were always openly very opposed to him. Even at the height of his power he feared them, because passed down in the Professor's family are two weapons, very powerful ones that can only be used by the descendants of the warlock who made them. Professor Said is now their guardian."
"Is she part of the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore answered, before changing the subject, "Are you feeling or sleeping better?" He asked kindly, referring to both Sirius's death, and the new nightmares that had plagued Harry since his godfather had been killed.
"I don't know." Harry replied. "I'm practicing Occlumency every day, and every night before I go to sleep. It's not as bad as it was in the beginning."
"Good. Come now." Dumbledore got to his feet, his fluidity surprising for a man of his age. "Everyone will be waiting for us."
Silently Harry stood and followed Dumbledore out of the office. Professor McGonagall and Professor Said who had been waiting for them in the small room just outside of the office, fell into step with Harry and Dumbledore.
He remained silent as they walked downstairs towards the Great Hall. Finally he blurted out. "Were you waiting so that I would have bodyguards to take me downstairs?"
Professor Said smiled. "Professor McGonagall and I thought we should we wait and go downstairs together. While we waited she was telling me about the defense class you started last year. How did that come about?"
"Well...er... I know that you didn't answer my question then, but we were all pretty mad about not having practical classes in DADA, and one of my friends Hermione Granger, came up with the idea of having the practical classes on our own, with me running the meetings." Harry told her.
"Good choice." She said approvingly. "What sorts of things did you teach?"
"Impediment Jinx, Stunning Spells, all kinds of things." He answered, becoming enthusiastic.
"It sounds like you should keep that going this year." Professor Said smiled again.
Harry stopped walking and stared at her. "I thought you might try and stop us."
"Stop you? Stop students who want to learn so badly that they're willing to break all sorts of rules to do so?" She asked him. "Not on your life, which I'm told his constantly under threat as it is."
In spite of himself, Harry chuckled.
"It's nice to see that you can still laugh." Professor Said told him.
As she spoke Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall paused, speaking a few words before Professor McGonagall left to attend to the First Years.
"The others have come up now." Dumbledore told Harry. "Go in and take your seat. Professor Said and I will be in shortly."
Harry nodded and opened the door, slipping quietly inside.