Temporal Flux
Chapter Two: Teacher's Pet
Jared managed to get into the same carriage as the others. This time he was sitting right next to Ron. Jared smirked at himself because Hermione had almost sat next to him, but Ron stopped her. At the moment, Ron didn't like him too much, but not enough to make Hermione sit next to Jared. Feeling self-conscious, Jared had the sleeves of his robes over his hands. For the first time in his life, he was just as tall as Ron. It was mind bending. He was used to be looking up at him, not seeing eye to eye.
Jared was starting to wonder if anyone noticed any similarities between him and Ron other than the height and body structure. He pressed himself against the corner of the carriage was sitting in and slumped in his shoulders in an effort to make himself look smaller. His shoulders were broad like Ron's. Jared regretted getting into the same carriage as them. He should have picked another one.
"What's wrong?" asked Harry, observing Jared's odd body language. That was the last thing Jared needed: someone calling attention to him. Ron turned his head to face him. Their faces were a good distance apart from each other, but Jared was praying that Ron wouldn't notice anything. Like his mother's skin, Jared didn't have any freckles. It was part of his cousins' constant ribbing about him not really being a part of his father's family. It was just teasing, but still it was always enough for Jared's father to get angry at them.
Ron's blue eyes peered into Jared's face. Please don't let him notice my eyes. For Merlin's sake, let him not notice my eyes, thought Jared as he pressed himself even tighter against the corner of the carriage. "Ron, don't do that!" exclaimed Hermione. "You're scaring him for no reason. You'll be fine, Jared. Ron, stop that!"
Ron retorted, "I wasn't doing anything to him. I was just looking at him. He looks like he's sick or something. Not that I really care."
"Can you two not fight, please?" requested Harry. "I'm sorry I pointed it out. Just stop."
"Yes, Harry," answered Hermione.
"All right, mate," agreed Ron.
"We can feel the love in here, can't we?" muttered Jared, earning a glare from Ron. "I'm sorry. It's that impulse control thing again. I'm really sorry."
"No more. Just everyone be quiet until we get to the castle," muttered Hermione with a sigh. "Please just stop it."
The rest of the carriage ride was peaceful. Jared stared impassively at the castle, not very impressed by it at all as one would have expected. They all climbed out of the carriage and everyone made their way to the halls, except for Jared.
He had to go talk to Professor McGonagall first and present his letter as an exchange student to her. He had spent a good amount of time plotting his arrival, but he knew what he wasn't expected. The only hope he had of gaining access inside was to introduce himself first and then let them sort it out later. Hopefully, by the time anyone realized who he was, he would be long gone.
Jared knew exactly where to find her. Professor McGonagall would be welcoming the first years to the castle. That was her position before she became Headmistress back in his time and that's what his parents had told him. Jared waited until all the first years were leaving ahead of her before approaching her. "Hello?" he said.
Professor McGonagall gave him a look. "Do I know you, young man? I don't believe I've ever seen you before?" she asked. "Which house are you from?"
"Actually, I just arrived. I'm the American exchange student, Jared Blake. The papers were sent ahead of time. My transcripts should have arrived by now. Surely, you knew that I was coming."
She shook her head. "I don't believe the Headmaster has received any notice of your arrival, Mr. Blake. Which school did you come from?"
"The Los Angeles Institute of Magic and Technology," replied Jared. "It's a special school in California."
"Oh, it's the one that was just built. Lots of the students are Muggle born children who would like to learn a trade in the Muggle world because the wizarding population isn't as concentrated in the US as it is here in England. But, I'm sorry; I haven't received any notice of your arrival, Mr. Blake."
"That's a shame. I just came all the way here on the train for nothing then," said Jared.
"We'll go and talk to the Headmaster after the dinner. The first years need to be sorted, so you'll just have to take a seat with the other students until we figure out what happened," said Professor McGonagall in a hurried tone as she steered Jared towards the Great Hall.
Jared automatically went to the Gryffindor table out of sheer habit. He took his seat at the end, earning lots of questioning looks. He glanced around and realized what he had done. It seemed only natural for him to seat at his house's table. He choose to ignore the looks, and everyone soon forgot about him as the sorting began. It took a while to get the sorting done because of the usual cheering in between each announcement.
Professor Albus Dumbledore stood up at the head of the head table ready to make his annual announcements. For Jared, it was like watching history come to life. He had had heard lots of things about Professor Dumbledore and read a great deal about him, too. And there he was in all of his glory with his long white beard and his blue eyes twinkling over his glasses. "Another year at Hogwarts has begun," he started.
"First off, I would like to welcome all of our first years. And I have just been informed that a student from the United States has joined us. I believe he's sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, Jared Blake."
Jared wondered if his ears were red because he could feel the heat rising out of them. He gave a short wave from where he was. Ron and Hermione were sitting closer to the front, and Hermione smiled at him. It was almost reassuring for Jared. "I do hope that he will find his experience here enlightening as well as challenging."
"As for another announcement, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor; please welcome Demetrius De Luca from Italy. He has graciously agreed to join us." The professor looked very young for his age. He had black curly hair and dark brown eyes. A lot of the girls were already swooning at the sight of him. Jared noticed one thing that would probably crush all of their hopes: De Luca was wearing a white collar. He was a priest.
"Would you like to share a few words?" asked Professor Dumbledore to De Luca. "Our last DADA professor got to make a speech, would you like to?"
"Not really. I just want to say that I look forward to seeing all of you," replied De Luca, saying the last part louder so that everyone could hear him. There was chattering from the girls about his Italian accent.
"On to other business, this year is going to be a hard one because of the recent revelations about Voldemort's return." There was a gasp from most of the people; only some of Slytherins looked a little smug. "The safety of the students here is tantamount to everything else. There will be restrictions this year that are beyond the control of this school. First of all, the weekends at Hogsmeade have been restricted to only half the normal outings." There was lots of groaning from most everyone. "Second, as with previous years, no one is allowed in the Forbidden Forest as forewarned by one of our teachers it is not the safest place for certain individuals. However, I do not want anyone to be afraid to learn. That is what you are here for, but I want all of you to be aware of the situation. Look to the Head boy, Head girl, and the prefects under them. Remember to also not use magic in the halls and if you want to see the list of objects banned from the school, please talk to Mr. Filch. Now, everyone tuck in!"
The food appeared on Jared's plate and he slowly started to eat. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. To his surprise, it was Neville. "Did you need something?" he asked.
"Harry said you should be sitting with us," answered Neville. "You will be joining Gryffindor, won't you?"
Jared blinked at the question. He hadn't really thought of that. He was a Gryffindor through and through, but he was starting to think that going to either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would have been a better idea. He thought about it again and nodded. He had to keep an eye on things in Gryffindor, and what better way than to be there in person?
"Then, come and sit with us," urged Neville.
Jared got to his feet and slowly walked over to where they were all seated. Ginny introduced him to other members of the house. Jared nodded and acknowledge each of them. This time he was sitting next to Harry. "Nervous?" asked Harry.
"Kind of," admitted Jared as he glanced at Hermione who was discussing something with Ron. They were discussing their prefect duties. Jared always thought that she was beautiful, having inherited her softer features. Jared turned his attention to Ron. It would take a bit longer for Ron to come into his own; he was a long way off from the man he was going to really be. Maybe the old adage was true; girls do mature faster than boys. At least that's what Jared thought. He noticed that Harry was following his gaze. "I'm just surprised," covered up Jared, "because I thought fighting was the only way they talked to each other." His voice was low enough not to be heard by either Ron or Hermione. Harry shook his head, but wore a knowing grin on his face.
The dinner drew to a close and Hermione announced, "First years, you'll be coming with us." Ron was on his feet Jared got to his feet and was about to go to with Harry until he remembered that he was supposed to meet with Professor Dumbledore first. Jared walked up to the head table as the rest of the Great Hall slowly emptied out. He didn't look back to see where everyone was going.
"Mr. Blake, there seems to be a problem with your transcripts arriving," Professor Dumbledore informed him. "Without any announcement of your arrival, we are trying to assess the situation quickly."
Jared realized that the staff probably thought he was a security risk. Someone had to vouch for him in order to stay. He squared his shoulders as he saw the eyes of the professors on him. The only two people who weren't giving him of suspicion were Dumbledore and De Luca. The latter was giving him an almost impassive look. De Luca stood up and walked up to Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear. Jared held his breath and waited.
"Our DADA professor does not deem you as a danger," concluded Dumbledore. "You are free to stay in Hogwarts. I don't think the Sorting Hat is necessary. You already know which house you belong to, I take it?"
"Gryffindor," answered Jared with some relief. "Thank you very much." He nodded at De Luca who barely acknowledged him. He turned a little and then realized that he was supposed to not know where he was going, "Um…where do I go now?"
"Professor McGonagall is the head of your house. I'm sure she would be more than happy to show to Gryffindor Tower," answered Professor Dumbledore. "Good night, Jared."
"Good night, Professor. Good night all of you," said Jared as Professor McGonagall swept down to him and he followed her. Jared didn't see the professors separate for the evening.
Dumbledore gestured for Severus Snape and Demetrius De Luca to follow him. "What did you say to him?" demanded Professor Snape, facing De Luca.
"The sneakoscope that I carry in my pocket vibrated, but I don't sense any evil from the boy," answered De Luca. "I don't think he's here to harm anyone."
"Headmaster, how can you allow him to stay here, if his intentions are false?" asked Professor Snape.
Dumbledore smiled a little. "I believe that boy has a purpose for being here and we cannot simply turn him away based on so little evidence. We will have to wait and see what happens with him."
"We will keep ourselves aware of the situation," agreed De Luca. Snape didn't seem all that convinced of the situation, but he gave a stiff nod of agreement. There was something strangely familiar about Jared Blake, yet no one could really place him.
Jared hurried along to walk side by side with Professor McGonagall. He had nothing, but respect for the woman and she had the ability to scare the dickens out of him. They walked along for a moment without saying a word. Professor McGonagall said, "Your things have been placed into the sixth year boy's dormitory. The security at Gryffindor Tower is one of the tightest around Hogwarts."
"Because of Harry Potter," surmised Jared without looking at her. "I know about what happened last year. The news does travel to the US."
"Of course," agreed Professor McGonagall. "I am reluctant to have you in my house as well as in this school, especially without any transcripts. Hogwarts does have a certain level of excellence to maintain, Mr. Blake."
Jared was tempted to tell her that he was the top of his class and considered one of the smartest wizards of his age. He gave a tight nod instead. "Thank you for your vote of confidence, Professor McGonagall," he said politely. There was no reason for him to be rude. His mother always told him that he should only be rude when he had something good to gain from it, not just to simply get his way. His voice held a touch of sarcasm, but then again he had his father in him, too.
Jared knew where he had to be when they stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, "Password?" she asked.
"Pixie dust," replied Professor McGonagall. The Fat Lady swung open and they stepped through the portal. Almost everyone was in the common room, talking and playing games. They all looked with interest at Jared, some of the girls were whispering to each other. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to silence the chatter and whispering, "As you all know, this is Jared Blake from the Los Angeles Institute of Magic and Technology. He will be joining us for this academic year and has chosen Gryffindor as his house. Please make an effort to welcome him. Good night. And remember to get some rest, classes are starting tomorrow." With that, Professor McGonagall departed for the evening.
"Hello, everyone," said Jared, feeling his face getting red with shy embarrassment and waved weakly. He kind of gave a weak laugh and took down his hand, wondering if he looked as stupid as he felt at the moment.
"Welcome to Gryffindor," greeted Hermione. "It's great that you're here."
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil came over to introduce themselves. They were giggling at Jared, making him extremely uncomfortable. Like his father, he was a late bloomer where girls were concerned. Furthermore, these girls were actually older than him by a couple of years. Jared maintained a polite veneer through the whole thing as other students introduced themselves and asked him questions about Los Angeles. Hermione was the only one who was really interested in what kind of studies he had experienced aboard. Jared assured her that it was like Hogwarts.
When ten o' clock rolled around, Jared was happy that it was time for bed and practically ran up the boys' staircase to the sixth year dorm. He noticed that his trunk was positioned in front of a bed, but not the same bed he was used to. In fact, Ron had that position instead. Jared changed quickly and trooped over to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He was meticulous about flossing and making sure his teeth were clean. Soon, he was in bed with the curtains drawn, snuggled under warm blankets. It felt like being home.
The first day of school was an eventful one and that was an understatement. By the end of the day, Hermione detested Jared, while Ron took a liking to him. It begun very innoxiously in the first class they had together. Apparently, Jared's transcripts had arrived. There was a trick to them. They were real transcripts, but the name of the school was switched. It was clear that Jared was a brilliant student.
The first class that Jared had with his fellow Gryffindors was Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall asked a question. Jared's hand flew up just as quickly as Hermione's. That was the first time anyone had ever seen that. Professor McGonagall was a little stunned herself and called on Jared. He answered promptly and correctly. The following question was answered by Hermione. It went back and forth like that. The next question was the same, and the one after that, and the one after that. Neville was sitting next to Jared and had to shift over several times to avoid Jared's hand, while Harry spent the entire time dodging Hermione's. By the end of class, everyone was relieved and a bit frightened at the same.
The same pattern showed up in the next class, which was Potions. The class was much more empty than last year because of the O.W.L. results. Harry and Ron scored high enough to place in the class, which exceed the expectations of the Potions Master. He decided to double check the scores personally when he saw the two come in, and Ron confirmed his scores on the O.W.L.s. Harry didn't bother to say anything.
Professor Snape found some amusement by constantly calling on Jared just to frustrate Hermione. It was becoming a disturbing game of who could rack up the most points for Gryffindor. Draco along with his associates were having a good laugh at Hermione's expense. No one was that impressed that Jared could answer things correctly; they were more impressed with the fact that he was beating Hermione.
The next class was a little more in favor of Hermione: Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor De Luca greeted all of them with a warm smile. He wore his collar like he had done the night before and had a rosary clipped to his side on a sash. "Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. My name is Demetrius De Luca. I come from Rome, Italy. I look forward to learning each and every one of your names."
"I have seen the report left behind by your former instructor," he said, noting how last years students gave looks of distaste and hate at the mention of the awful toad, Umbridge. Jared looked around and shrugged. "It seems that last year there was a lack of practice, except for those of you were members of the student club, Dumbledore's Army. I want to talk to the students who ran it last year and discuss making it an official student organization. No worries, I have received permission from the Headmaster who has deemed the class more than necessary. Anyone who wishes to join should be allowed admittance. First off, let me see just how much work we need to do. I have a pop quiz for you."
"What?" exclaimed Ron. "Can he do that?" He hissed to Harry who shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, I can," said Professor De Luca as he started to pass out the quiz. "No more talking when you get it. And do not start until I can say you can." He finished passing it out and said, "All right. Everyone begin. You have ten minutes."
In less than five minutes, Jared put down his quill. Hermione saw that he was finished and wrote even faster. She finished two minutes after him. Professor De Luca glanced at the clock in the back of the room. In three minutes time, he announced, "Times up, quills down. Please passed them up. Harry, please stop writing." He smiled at Harry who reluctantly put down his quill. It turned out his answers were longer than either Jared or Hermione.
Professor De Luca looked at the quizzes and nodded. "All right, let's see go over the answers to this quiz." Those were the magic words because Hermione's and Jared's hands shot up into the air. Professor De Luca laughed and looked around them, not at them, "Now, now. No should be shy. Anyone? I guess I'll have to start calling random people, then Harry please answer the first question." Reluctantly Hermione and Jared put their arms down.
There was a sigh of relief as Harry gave an answer to the first question. "Very good, Harry. Ten points to Gryffindor. All right, who wants to answer question number two? Because if no one volunteers, I'll be asking one of the two people who will probably have their hands raised…now." Hermione and Jared flung their arms into the air again, but this time everyone else raised their hands. "Thank you very much, Ron. Do you know the answer to the second question?"
Ron nodded and gave a shaky, unsure answer, but was relieved when Professor De Luca said he was correct. Jared was mildly surprised because he always that Ron was so unconfident. Professor De Luca went down the list and didn't call on either Hermione or Jared at all for the quiz questions.
"I am a firm believer in practicing against the Dark Arts, but I also believe in knowing our adversaries. Therefore, today's lesson will not be found in the book for this class," said Professor De Luca. Hermione reluctantly closed her book, while Jared stared at him impassively. "Today's lesson is a history lesson, and unlike any history lesson you've ever had in this school. For the next fortnight, I will be covering the history of the Dark Arts along with theories as to what motives such crimes. It is not enough that you know how to do the spells, but you must understand what you are up against. Now everyone books closed, parchments out, and quills ready."
Everyone did as he asked and the rest of the lesson went without incident. However, Jared was asking excellent questions, earning praise from the professor. Hermione snapped her quill at least once and by the end of class was extremely irritated at Jared. She would have left immediately, but had to stay behind with Harry and Ron to talk to the professor about DA. Jared gave them a glance back as he walked of with Neville to the common room.
Professor De Luca closed the door behind them. "I've been asked by Professor Dumbledore to be the faculty advisor for Dumbledore's Army, seeing that I'm the DADA professor. I've heard from other students what you three have been doing, and I must say I find it very impressive. Now, Harry, I will be supervising."
"Yes, Professor De Luca," said Harry.
"Do not worry, Harry. I don't have any intention of actually instructing the club other than watching your progress. What happens in DA is still up to you, if you'd like I can look over what you're planning on doing or help you come up with more things. Other than I, I'm afraid that I will not be around as often to be really a true supervisor," explained Professor De Luca.
Ron cleared his throat and asked, "You're a priest, aren't you? A Catholic priest?"
"That I am," answered the professor with a nod. "I was trained by a special order of the Jesuits, so you will find my approach to teaching a bit strict. I also have meetings to attend to in the Ministry of Magic on behalf of my order as well as for the Headmaster."
There was a lingering something in the air that told the three students that Professor De Luca was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix. "You are free to go. Oh, and Hermione, don't let yourself get carried away."
As soon as the trio were outside, Harry and Ron looked like they were waiting for Hermione to blow up. "Are you all right, Hermione?" asked Ron nervously. "I mean it's been quite a day for you."
"Hermione, say something," urged Harry.
"I've never seen anyone do that to you, Hermione. I mean you're taking it very well considering. I mean Jared's like a male version of you. I never thought I'd see anyone like that," added Ron. Both Harry and Ron stood on either side of Hermione.
"I hate him!" declared Hermione. "I'll beat him if it's the last thing I do! Who does he think he is?! Acting like he didn't know anything! I HATE HIM!" She stalked off ahead of them.
"I'm glad she's not taking it badly, Harry," whispered Ron with a grin on his face as Harry started to double over with laughter. Jared had succeeded in two things: getting Ron to like him and giving Harry something to laugh about. Of course, he also incurred the wrath of Hermione in the process, and that was something he had never done his entire life.
AN: When I write a story, sometimes I don't know what to name a character and inspiration comes. De Luca is one of the few original characters along with Jared who will be developed. One has to wonder how he got hired, if Fudge is still picking out who the DADA professor should be. And it also kooks like Jared's got a bit of a dark side when it comes to schooling. Hermione has lost it, but her drive for perfection and fear of failure (as noted in J.K Rowling's site) are partly what make her an excellent student. Now, let's see if Jared survives.
Someone mentioned putting in a Sorting Hat song, which I didn't do. There are things that I can't do and one of them is song composition or even poetry. I'm strictly a prose kind of girl. Also, I like Hagrid, but I can't do his speech pattern very well. In fact, I can't vary my speech patterns very well.
By the way, the search for the beta reader continues. I'm also late in getting back to people because I had schoolwork to do. Anyway, I must also confess that I'm a few chapters ahead. If I had a beta reader, they would go up faster.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.
