Author: AngeloftheDesert
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, then Bill would have won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile (growls Sexy Weasley). I probably took some influences from Ah! My Goddess (since I've been watching the OAV's nonstop since I got them three days ago), and I don't known that Anime/manga either.
Rating: PG-13 to R
Pairing: SS/OC - main, secondary pairings will come as my muse kicks me.
Summary: It's the sixth year at Hogwarts and a new Potion's apprentice is brought to the school. Is there more between this new student and Professor Snape than meets the eye? (Sorry all slash fans, this is a het story...and the first one I've done now that you mention it)
Chapter Two
The sixth year Gryffindors didn't have Defence Against the Dark Arts until three days after the start of the term...the class shared with the Slytherins. Of course, most of the Gryffindors had heard rumors about Professor Bronte's relationship to the Malfoy's, and immediately expected her to favor the Slytherin population of the class. As they filed into the classroom the morning of their first DADA class, they were whispering anxiously to one another, wondering what this new teacher was going to be like.
Harry sat down with Ron and Hermione, taking their seats at the back of the class. Harry could hear the whispers of his classmates, and cast an anxious look at Ron. With him being Draco Malfoy's arch-rival, anybody who was related to Draco would surely look to make Harry's life a living hell. Harry fully expected this new teacher to be no better than Snape.
"Okay, class get to your seats," came a voice from the front of the room. Harry looked and felt his mouth drop, his eyes widening behind his glasses, barely picking up the gasps from the other students as they looked at their teacher.
Professor Bronte had surely made an entrance...by floating through the chalkboard! And as she made her way around her desk, the students in the front notice that their new teacher's feet were a few inches off the floor. The only other professor who floated like that was Professor Binns, but that was because he was a ghost! Seeing the astonished looks on the students faces, Professor Bronte chuckled softly.
"Well, now that I have your attention, let's lay down a few ground rules," she smiled, clapping her hands together, "First off, there will be no hexing in this classroom unless we happen to be covering that hex in the lesson. If I see you hexing someone, you will be dismissed from this class and you can learn defence the hard way. Secondly, I'm not a big supporter of this silly House rivalry that seems to be going on between Slytherin and Gryffindor, so expect me to partner you with someone from the other House." At this, the entire class groaned, protesting, "It isn't going to be so bad. When I went to school here, I was in Slytherin, and some of my best friends were Gryffindors.
"Finally, don't call me 'Professor Bronte', makes me feel old, and if I ever hear of anybody calling me 'Malfoy', I will personally hex your tongue out of your mouth, got it?" the class nodded, "Just 'Claudia' will do. Draco, do you have a problem?" It was then that Harry noticed Draco whispering to Crabbe, obviously talking about the new teacher.
"Why would I have a problem...Claudia?" Draco asked, almost smirking at the woman. Claudia arched an eyebrow at him before leaning against her desk, looking down at her nails with an uninterested look on her face.
"Oh, I don't know, could be my imagination," Claudia shrugged before she lifted her head an smirked at Draco, "But it looked like to me you had a problem listening to me. Could be due to the over-whelming amout of cotton in your ears."
Draco suddenly jerked slightly, his eyes screwing shut. He raised a hand and rubbed his ear, scratching at it with a finger, before he finally pulled a piece of cotton out of his ear. Draco's mouth dropped as he looked at it, then fit Claudia with a deadly glare. The rest of the students stared at Draco before their eyes shifted to Claudia, then back to Draco. They were speechless. Somehow, Claudia had managed to transfer cotton directly into Draco's ears without so much as a wave of a wand or an incantation.
"I will not stand to be insulted and humiliated by a half-breed!" Draco cried, standing up so quickly that his chair fell backwards, landing with a loud smack! on the stone floor, "When I tell my father about this-!" Draco almost fell back as Claudia seemed to appear in front of him, floating a few feet off the floor, her body bent at the waist so she could look Draco in the eye.
"You tell your daddy," Claudia growled, pale eyes narrowed on Draco's face, "That I, for one, am not going to take your smart mouth. Also, if he feels inclined to complain about the way I teach my class, then tell him to go ahead. I guarantee that you are not going to get me sacked like you and that digusting worm Professor Snape did Professor Lupin. Also, while you're telling daddy all this, you can also include that you have detention...a week's worth..." Claudia then smirked, "Which will definately cut into your Quidditch practice, won't it?" Draco paled, and opened his mouth to say something, but one threatening look from Claudia and it snapped shut again. "Now...sit down before I throw you out." Draco slowly sunk down into his seat.
"Now, to begin the school year, we will have several tests," at this announcement, the class groaned, "Oh, pipe down. I'm testing you to see how much you know. I know your past few teachers have been...less than competent...in teaching defense, so, this week I'll give you a written exam, and next week will be the practical exam. I'll be testing your knowledge of various curses, as well as the theory of defense. First off," she smiled in Harry's direction, "Mr. Potter, will you come here please?" Harry blinked slightly and nodded, standing and walking to the front of the classroom.
"Now, Mr. Potter, could you please show the class how to do a corporeal Patronus?" Claudia asked, smiling down at Harry, "We're gonna be covering them this year, and I want to show the class how they're done." Harry nodded with a grin as Claudia stepped back, sitting on the edge of her desk.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry called, summoning the silver stag from the tip of his wand. He smiled at the applause from Claudia, and the exclaimations of surprise from those who had yet to see his Patronus. He allowed the silver stag to make a lazy circle around the room before it dissolved. Claudia smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Now that's how you do a Patronus," Claudia grinned, then looked around at the other members of the class, "I know some of you learned Patronus' last year through your club-" Harry blinked, how did she know about D.A.?-"and I hope you'll help the other students learn how to do them, as well. Once we get them down, I'll get a boggart to act as a dementor so you can learn how to concentrate and repel them, got it?" The class nodded, "Okay...well...we don't have enough time to take the exam, so how about we try again next class? Be prepared for the exam, it'll cover everything you're supposed to have learned by now. You're dismissed. Draco, stay behind to know where you're going to be serving detention."
There was a great scrape of chairs as the class rose, all excitedly talking about both the upcoming exam and Claudia's attitude towards Draco. Apparently, their suspicions about Claudia being partial to Slytherins was wrong. Harry couldn't help but laugh as he remembered Draco pulling a wad of cotton from his ear, along with the way Claudia had handled his mouth. This was going to be a good year.
To Be Continued.
Author's Note: giggles I had the best time doing this chapter! I love Claudia's character!