CHAPTER ONE
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Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Parker
Andy stepped out of the fireplace and brushed the soot from her pants.
"Welcome, Professor Parker!"
Andy looked up at the tall man with the long white hair and beard. He was wearing a purple cloak over pinstriped pants and a red jacket, and a pair of bright eyes twinkled behind the reading glasses.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, sir."
"I beg your forgiveness for this humble setting, but Flooing in to Hogwarts is not possible at the time being."
"That's all right sir," Andy said. The Hogsmeade train station was a lot grander than most Floo stations she had seen lately.
"Leave your luggage here and it will be brought to Hogwarts. I thought we might walk to the school, if you don't mind?"
"Of course not, sir."
The air was warm despite it being August, so Andy took off her long leather coat and put on her sunglasses instead. Dumbledore talked about the weather and the surroundings as they walked along the gravel road from the station to the school, but Andy only listened half-heartedly: she was preoccupied with thoughts. In a few days the school year of '96-'97 would begin with her as the new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor and she was nervous. Not only because of the fact that Hogwarts had had five different DADA teachers in as many years, but because it was Hogwarts, the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. She had a lot to live up to and wasn't sure that she was capable enough, having just finished her apprenticeship in DADA with no previous teaching experience, save for some co-teaching during training.
"Sir, if I may ask... Why did you hire me?"
Dumbledore hummed and looked out over the lake.
"You were the best candidate, Professor Parker."
"I find that hard to believe sir," Andy said and chuckled.
He stopped walking.
"Why is that?"
Andy stopped too and gave the headmaster a smile.
"Surely there must have been better applicants than me?"
"Actually there wasn't, Professor Parker." Dumbledore put his hand on Andy's back and they continued up the road to the gates.
"This is my first teaching position; I just got my degree – of course there must have been –"
"What I mean to say is that there were no other applicants, Professor Parker, but you should have a little more faith in yourself – may I call you Andrea?"
"Of course sir, but most people call me Andy."
"Andy it is then. So, what do you think?" Dumbledore threw out his arm towards the school and Andy looked up. Hogwarts. It was huge, but not menacing. The sun glittered in the many windows and the hills and mountains wrapped the whole scenery in a green blanket. It was beautiful.
Although there were no students in Hogwarts yet, the place was bustling with activity. Professors and house-elves were preparing for the new year, so Dumbledore whisked Andy upstairs to his office so they could talk without being disturbed. As they were having tea in front of the unlit fireplace, Dumbledore asked Andy if she had any questions, any at all. Andy took a sip of her tea and then said:
"Yes; Harry Potter. I suppose I will be teaching him too."
"Of course."
"What should I expect, sir?"
"How do you mean?"
"I heard about what happened at the Ministry this spring. It seems as if young Harry already is skilled enough in Defence."
Dumbledore sighed.
"In some ways, yes. In others, no. He is still a sixteen-year-old boy, no matter how well he did during the attack. Don't treat him any different from the others; he would not want it anyway."
"I will remember that, sir."
When they had finished the tea and the lovely lemon biscuits, Dumbledore took Andy to the DADA office, not far from the entrance to the headmaster's office.
"As you can see, it was emptied after our last teacher left and you are free to decorate it any way you feel appropriate. The DADA classroom is located one floor below – the staircase is behind that door, the current password to get inside from the classroom is Fudge Flies, the same as for the outer door – and your residence is up there." He pointed up the stairs. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, juts snap your fingers and a house-elf will appear."
The small but airy flat contained of a sitting room with plush furniture, a bedroom with a large four-poster bed, a private study with shelves reaching to the ceiling, and a bathroom featuring a huge marble tub. She had definitely lived in worse places during her three years of apprenticeship! Her large trunk was standing by the foot of the bed, but all her clothes and books were already unpacked. She supposed that it was the work of the house-elves. Her parents had never had house-elves, but her paternal grandmother had several to keep the large mansion where she lived. Andy had always felt uncomfortable around the creatures, but had to admit that they were handy.
Since there was nothing left for her to do Andy decided to take a walk around the school. She was still in her travelling clothes; red and black chequered pants and a dark green Holyhead Harpies t-shirt with the arms cut off, showing a tattoo of a Swedish Short-Snout wrapped around her left arm, lazily snoring away. Several rings were dangling from her right ear and she was wearing three different necklaces, whereof one was a leather choker. She also sported a stud in her nose and one in her tongue, and her red hair was spiky as usual.
The stairs had moved around since Andy last walked them, but she finally made it down to the Great Hall. She had heard of the enchanted ceiling and wanted to see it for herself, and she was not disappointed. It was showing a perfect sunset and Andy almost tripped over a chair when she tried to take it all in.
"Careful Miss or ye'll break a leg!"
Andy looked down from the ceiling, but didn't have to lower her head too much – the man standing in front of her was big as a giant. She immediately assumed it was Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper and professor in Care of Magical Creatures.
"Professor Hagrid?"
"Hagrid, jus' Hagrid! An' yeh are...?"
"Andy Parker, the new Defence professor. Pleased to meet you." She extended her hand and the half-giant shook it so vehemently that she almost lost balance.
"Welcome to Hogwarts! So, how yer finding ev'rything then?"
"Good, so far. Wait until I've had a few classes and the answer might be different, though," she said with a laugh.
"It won' be tha' bad, jus' as long as yeh remember never to turn yer back a' them," Hagrid said and winked, and Andy threw her head back in a boisterous laughter.
"Constant vigilance, eh?"
"You know Mad-Eye Moody!"
"Who," Andy asked.
"Ne'er mind."
"Is there anywhere I can get something to eat," Andy asked, "I haven't eaten since lunch."
"Try the kitchens; there's always a couple o' elves up an' about."
There were maybe twenty house-elves puttering around in the kitchen and they were more than happy to help Andy with something to eat. They put together a basket for her and she returned upstairs to her rooms, only getting lost once. She ate her meal on the floor by the fireplace together with a nice bottle of elderflower wine, followed by a long hot bath together with the rest of the wine. As she lay there surrounded by big pink bubbles she felt the last of her worries disappear. This year would be great, wouldn't it? Well, if not, she could always go back to Sweden and start working for her uncle. Or simply throw herself from the North Tower, which probably would be better than working for Uncle Loke.
