Chapter IV: Far from Home

Before Harry could formulate a questions, however, there came a minor rumbling from the vicinty of the fireplace, and a voice that echoed through the kitchen "Incoming!"
Harry jumped back just in time to avoid getting bowled over as a figure tumbled, head first, into a somersault out of the fireplace. The stranger ended in a sitting position, legs splayed out in front of them. Not one inch of their face could be seen, covered by a dark green felt hat pulled low and a big brown woolen scarf pulled high. Shaking their head side to side to remove some of the ashes, the intruder lifted their eyes, only to find five wands trained directly at them. Only Dumbledore and McGonagall remained in their seats. Warily moving eyes around the half circle of fully-trained wizards now threatening to attack, the stranger pulled off the green cap and held out a hand, saying loudly, "For Hade's sake, Remus Lupin, give a lady a hand!"
Remus started at being addresses by name, look closer at the stranger and exclaimed, "Sofia!" He immediately extended a hand to her own and helped her to her feet. She smiled widely at him, and embraced him warmly in a hug which he heartily returned, before turning to Dumbledore, "Well, Albus, I trust my arrival was quick enough for you?"
She strode over to the Headmaster, whose eyes were twinkling brightly and gave him a quick embrace. "Minerva," she nodded at McGonagall. Her eyes looked over everyone else in the room, "Molly and Arthur Weasley, of course, oh..."she trailed off, her eyes resting on Tonks.
"Nymphadora Tonks," Tonks supplied, having decided that if both Lupin and Dumbledore accepted this newcomer as being safe, she might as well, too.
"Tonks? Andromeda's daughter? Indeed a pleasure to meet you." said the stranger, who had thus far only been identified as "Sofia" by Lupin. She nodded hellos around the rest of the room.
After a few minutes, things had settled down again, and Dumbledore turned to Harry and continued solemnly, "Before the interuption, I had told you, Harry, that you would be able to ask questions, in order to avoid a situation like the one a month ago."
Harry again felt the heat of anger rise in his chest and face when Dumbledore referred to the battle with Voldemort and losing Sirius. But he tried to quickly force it back down, knowing now was not the time to stage a shouting match at the old wizard. Thinking about Dumbledore's offer, Harry tried to think of a question, any question.
"Are there any other teachers besides McGonagall and Snape that are members of the Order?" he asked.
Dumbledore looked surprised at this question, but answered immediately, "Hagrid is an unofficial member, not being a fully trained wizard. Professors Flitwick and Sprout are very sympathetic to our cause, though I have asked them both to remain supporters, if not members. I feel the majority of the staff at Hogwarts would be willing to help, but I am loathe to ask them to join, as their participation could very well bring harm to their spouses and children."
"Their children?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Yes, Harry, a number of the professors at Hogwarts are married, and many of them have children, with families of their own. I do not wish to bring any further danger into their lives than what they experience teaching every day." This last comment was said with a small twinkle in his eyes.
Harry sat back for a moment, letting the idea of his professors having wives, husbands and children sink in. He decided it wasn't really that odd--before he'd come to Hogwarts, several of his teachers had had children in school. He'd just never thought of his professors in such a way, Professor Trelawney settling down to dinner with her husband, just as nutty and wearing bug-eyed glasses brought a snort to his lips, before a new thought horrified him,
"Is Professor Snape married?"
The Headmaster chuckled lightly, "No, Professor Snape's temper and preferred style of independence makes him a poor candidate for marriage, I'm afraid." At this comment, Sofia snorted softly, but made no comment.
Harry, feeling emboldened by receiving a partial answer to his last, rather forward, questions, "Why don't you allow Professor Flitwick or Professor Sprout join the order?"
Dumbledore smiled, "Because, Harry, Professor McGonagall is the Deputy Headmistress. Professor Snape is the substitute deputy headmaster. As has been the case in the previous few years, when I am unable to perform as Headmaster, Professor McGonagall takes over for me. Were something to happen to me, her, and Professor Snape, it would then be for Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout to take over at Hogwarts. While Voldemort is still in power, it is possible that all members of the Order could be in grave peril. I do not wish to leave the school without someone I trust to be in charge in such a situation."
"Oh," Harry replied. He decided to return to the issue of disbanding the DA.
"You said this year's professor would be better than Umbridge. How can you be sure they'll let us actually practice spells this year? He challenged.
Dumbledore swept his eyes over to the far corner where the stranger sat, back straight, hands clutched loosely in her lap. She seemed not to have been paying attention, but focused her eyes quickly on her future students.
"Harry, unlike certain members of the Ministry of Magic, I fully believe in training my students not only to recognize a situation where Dark Magic may be used against them, but also how to defend themselves in that situation. To this end, I am planning to re-start the dueling club, as well as offer private and group tutoring. I assure you, I have no intention of sitting back and watching Voldemort reek havoc and terror, especially on my students, and their families." she had delivered this speech looking directly in to Harry's eyes, not blinking.
Harry was shocked, this messy, loud, myserious stranger. This was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?
Dumbledore intervened. "I apologize, Harry, I realize you have not been properly introduced. This is Sofia Calabrone, an old friend, who has graciously agreed to return from her exile in the United States to teach at Hogwarts this year. I am asking for your agreement that you will work with, not against, her."
Harry looked her over and gave a small smile.
She immediately smiled back, and extended her hand. For the second time that night, Harry shook one of his professor's hands, a signal of some sort of unofficial agreement. Standing up, Hummell straightened her gray robes and looked around at them all. "I am glad that is settled. Now children, Headmaster, everyone, please forgive me if I beg off for the evening; I'm afraid the time difference between the States and here has taken its toll on me. Good night."
Dumbledore turned his gaze back to Harry, raising his eyebrows, Harry knew he was asking if he, Harry, had any further question. Harry couldn't think of any more just now, so he gave a slight shrug.
"Well, if that is all you have for me at this time, I shall take my leave. I expect you all to continue helping Molly around the house, as well as getting ready for the upcoming school year. Your O.W.L. results should be arriving soon. Good night, children." Dumbledore rose, his robes moving softly beside him as he made for the door.
Now, only the Weasleys, Tonks, and Remus were left with the four of them. Remus gave Harry a funny little smile, which Harry tried to return.

"Now, who wants some more hot cocoa?" Mrs. Weasley bustled around the kitchen. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all shifted their seats at the table so they were evenly spread out. Harry could tell from the looks on Ron's and Hermione's faces that there would be much discussion of what they had found out about their professors when they were alone.
After another quarter of an hour chatting with Remus and Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, Harry left himself stifle his third yawn. Looking around, he saw Ron doing the same. Hermione looked too lost of thought to be tired; even Remus's eyelids were drooping, and Tonks was resting her head against her hands. Noticing this, Mrs. Weasley shooed them all off to bed for the evening, but not before making them all promise to be up bright and early the next morning for chores.
All five of them, Remus included, mumbled their agreement and made their way upstairs to their bedrooms, saying goodnight as they reached the doors. Harry and Ron fumbled their way into bed, neither of them taking the time to change into their nightshirts, before tumbling into a deep sleep, not broken until next morning.
The next morning, as Ron and Harry were making their way downstairs to breakfast, they heard voices coming from the first floor study. Walking up to the door, they paused, hearing Remus conversing with Professor Calabrone.
"Sofia, I have been more than patient. Why are you here?"
First came muffled laughter, then the response, "All right, Remus, I concede your point. There are three reasons, two of which I am authorized to divulge."
"And those would be?" Remus pressed.
"Dumbledore asked me to join the Order."
"Obviously."
"No, Remus, I couldn't very well be in the Order and live in the States." Calabrone said.
"You haven't set foot in England in eighteen years. Why would you suddenly have a change of heart?"
"Ah. That involves the second reason."
"Which would be?" Remus asked, sounding mildly irritated. Ron grinned at Harry on their side of the door.
"Remus, I am not intending to vex you, it has simply been so long since I had such a captive audience," she laughed, "I came back to England because Albus asked me to teach at Hogwarts. I owe Albus a rather large favor, and we decided this may very well repay that debt."
Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged, neither of them knowing what she could be referring to.
Remus continued on, "All right, last question, why did you ask the Headmaster if you had arrived fast enough? What reason of hurry was there?"
There was a pause, and Harry thought he could guess the answer before he heard it.
"That, my friend, is the third reason-the one I am currently unable to reveal."
Harry turned to Ron. Ron looked at him quizzically, then jerked his head towards the stairs. Following his lead, Harry walked down to the kitchen in silence. The kitchen was, for once, empty, Mrs. Weasley having made an early morning trip to market.
Ron grabbed two mugs of coffee from the pot warming on the stove, as well as two muffins from the sideboard, bringing them over to Harry, already seated at the table.
"Ok," began Harry, with the efficient and businesslike air that was more normally associated to Hermione when trying to think things out logically, "she said she had three reasons. Two of those she explained. The third she said she couldn't, but it was the most urgent."
At this point, Harry realized he had nothing more to say. He was stumped. "What do you think?" he asked Ron.
"Dunno, mate." Ron said around a bite of muffin, "Let's see, maybe Dumbledore needed her for a secret mission."
"Yeah," said Harry, quickly warming to the idea, "but what sort of secret mission? What would she be able to do that someone already in the Order couldn't?"
This left them both stumped. Getting nowhere, the decided it would be a good idea to get started on their chores before Mrs. Weasley came back from shopping.
As they approached the study doors this time, they could see they were flung wide, revealing Remus and Calabrone covered in dust, both sitting on piles of books. Remus had a book open on his knee, skimming the page. Calabrone had three in her hand, and, upon looking more closely, another one being held firmly at bay under her heel. The book was squirming against the hold. Harry was reminded of his Monster Book of Monsters that Hagrid had assigned their third year for Care of Magical Creatures class.
Thick clouds of dust were rising in the air, permeating the slivers of sunlight filtering in from the windows. Harry and Ron stood transfixed as they watched Professor Calabrone wipe clear another shelf of books, unceremoniously adding them the growing pile of books at her feet.
Harrys attention was broken by a slight "eep!" that came from over his right shoulder. He turned his head and saw Hermione, eyes wide, looking at the scene before her. No doubt almost in tears at the treatment of the book, Harry thought, smiling.
The two adults turned towards the door. Remus grinned, looking almost guiltily at the look on Hermione's face. He started to get up, dusting his robes off as best he could. Calabrone, on the other hand, had a huge smile on her face.
She exclaimed immediately, "Good of you lot to join us--rather interesting collection of books, is it not? We've taken it upon ourselves to organize, categorize, alphabetize, and sanitize the entire collection." Interpreting the horrified expression on Hermione's face correctly, she continued, "No worries, Miss Granger, we're not planning on throwing much out, we just feel that books ought to be organized in some fashion, so that the unsuspecting reader doesn't receive a, uh, surprise." she finished, looking down at the book underneath her foot, which seemed to have finally given in, and was now lying limply underneath her heel.