I do not own Harry Potter. This wonderful world belongs to J.K. Rowling with, of course, the notable exceptions of my original characters and the story.
Chapter 18: Start of Term
The last week before start of term flew by in a flurry of activity, as Texi made them show her every corner of the castle and even cajoled Tala into tearing herself away from the concordance she was working on using Potions tomes from the restricted section, once in a while.
One by one the rest of the professors filtered in, some looking tanned, most looking tired. Professor McGonagall seemed to have largely recovered, though she still occasionally leaned on her walking stick for support.
Texi was at first excited from the sight, thinking the witch was another of the rare staff mages, and was slightly disappointed when McGonagall disabused her of this notion. They hadn't met before, so Harry assumed that McGonagall had been elsewhere when Texi met with the others.
The professors didn't seem confused at her presence and Flitwick informed them, in his squeaky voice one morning when they were all breakfasting in the Great Hall, that on occasion they did have students come to research there from other schools, particularly if they were seeking Mastery status. However, he went on, the relations with the other schools had not been well enough for the past two decades and the practice had fallen into disuse.
Texi remained gracious and smiling with all of them, answering readily when they questioned her about her unique brand of Legillimency. The only one who did not question her at one point or another during the week, was the one who should have been the most interested. Harry did notice Snape peering at her closely once or twice when she was speaking to one of the professors near him. But he still didn't allow her anywhere near his mind, and if she wished to speak to him she had to resort to the use of her wand.
Texi expressed her frustration over his stubbornness once or twice to Harry and his friends, when they had retreated to the private chambers that Dumbledore had set aside for her and Sarven.
The two chambers were set into a large square tower near the library, so that she could have easy access to the information needed for her supposed research. They were large and airy, with a great stone hearth, earth colored carpets and a number of chairs and sofas scattered around. Two of the walls contained banks of windows while the third, the one that contained the door, was covered with a large tapestry depicting fanciful scenes of castles and battles involving unicorns and other fantastic beasts.
Through the doors on the fourth wall were two more doors leading to bedchambers and a spiral staircase leading up to Texi's chamber on the floor above. She told them that she was going to share the rooms with whoever needed to drop by from the Stepenwolv contingent.
She smiled mysteriously as she added that there may be three of them staying permanently. One was herself, another was Sarven, but she stayed stubbornly mum about the third one, no matter how much they pleaded and cajoled for the other's identity.
The day that the rest of the students were to arrive, Tala took their leave of them, embracing them all tearfully and telling them that they could contact her and her husband at any time. They hugged her in return before she walked out the doors, intending to make her way to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds before Apparating.
"She was missing Remus," Texi commented as she stood with them, her voice sounding a bit nervous. "Otherwise we would have had to pry her out of the library."
"What's the matter, Texi?" Ginny asked her as they made their way up the stairs to enjoy one last morning in her rooms. "You seem..."
"Nervous?" She laughed soundlessly. "Yes, a bit. This is the start of the hiding and sticking to the story, plus the others will be arriving soon. I'm afraid Sarven is going to sneak in. I'll be very impressed if he manages it." It sounded as though she were planning her own reward for him if he managed to impress her.
"Kumquat." Harry told the painting of the dancer that guarded her rooms, and she spun and bowed as the portal swung open.
They walked in, and it was a moment before they noticed someone standing in the shadows by the windows. He turned and smiled. Texi grinned and ran over to him. He caught her in his arms and they exchanged a long caress, which made Harry look away and Ron cough and blush nervously.
Sarven set her down, she looked a bit flushed as well, and gave a grin to the rest of them. "Hi, everyone." He said as the two of them walked over to the others. He reached out and ruffled Ginny's hair, smiling mischievously.
"Hey, stop that!" She protested, but she didn't look too put out. The two of them were genuinely fond of each other. Texi made a face and pulled him closer, and Harry found himself frowning. Sarven and Ginny noticed their faces and burst out laughing.
"No need to be jealous, darling." Sarven purred at Texi. She winked at him.
Ginny shook her head, but couldn't seem to find anything to say. She controlled her giggles with an effort, and Harry tried to stop his face from glowering, it was putting up quite a fight.
"How DID you get in, Sarven?" Hermione asked, "We were right in the Great Hall and we didn't see you."
Sarven gave her a sly smile, then laughed. "Not too much of a secret. I came in through the kitchens."
"You can get in through the kitchens?" Ginny exclaimed, delighted. She appeared to be mulling over the possibilities.
"Yes, but the House Elves won't let anyone in without express permission from Dumbledore himself." He glanced at her knowingly, "Or out."
She pouted ostentatiously.
Mitexi was nodding, "So he understood."
"He understands a lot," Sarven interrupted with a warning glance. "More than most of us can even know." She looked at him with a pensive expression that promised further conversation later when they were alone.
"What time do the other students arrive?" He changed the subject. They chatted for a while on that vein before a voice outside the portrait insinuated itself into their hearing.
"C'mon hon, I'm SUPPOSED to be here, really. Won't you let me in? Damnit! How do you work these things?" A disgruntled voice was commenting crossly. "Shall I tickle you into submission?" Harry could swear he heard the portrait giggle and shriek.
Hermione, a puzzled look on her face, got up and opened the portrait to reveal a feral looking young man with long black hair and distinctive tilted green eyes. He was approaching the painting threateningly, his fingers extended into tickling position.
"Tainn!" Hermione exclaimed.
"The one and only, my dear Meow." He commented gallantly, looking slightly disappointed that he hadn't gotten to tickle the picture of the pretty dancer.
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked as the young animagus vaulted lightly through the opening and stood up, peering around the room curiously.
"Well, my dear fellow," He said lazily as he walked lightly over and flung himself into a chair, making himself comfortable, "Tony and I came to an agreement that I should spend a year overseas studying the magical creatures. He also arranged it with the Professor that I should assist him. He's an old drinking buddy apparently." He smiled his dangerous looking grin. "So, dear boy, I shall be your Assistant Care of Magical Creatures Professor this year. You may call me Mister Tainn sir."
"Mister Tainn sir?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow.
"Well, not you, dear lady," He said with a sidelong glance, "You can call me dearest, or beloved, or love monkey if you wish."
Ginny burst out into laughter, pounding the arms of her chair in mirth. "Love...monkey...! Oh Merlin, it's going to be a heck of a year."
Hermione didn't look all that amused and said so, "I'll call you Professor Snowfoot."
"Alas, you break my heart, but that is one thing you may not call me." He sat up and looked at them all seriously, well, as serious as he could possibly look anyway. "To the best of the student's knowledge, my name is Jonas Tainn." He scowled, making him look positively deadly. "Much as I hate to hide my true identity, I will also have to do somewhat about my appearance. May as well do it now."
He sighed and unfurled himself from the chair, and as he did so, Harry noticed that he was still unshod. He stood and fumbled in his robes, finally producing his wand. He passed it over his eyes, murmuring, "Glamouri." As they watched, the color of his eyes changed slowly, filtering to blue, then brown, and finally settling on a golden hazel.
It wasn't too much of a change, but the family resemblance to his sister was not noticeable any longer without the brilliant green. However, his choice of colors did nothing to change his feral look, and he now resembled the wolf that was his other form more than ever.
He sighed and stuck his wand back in his pocket, slumping back into his chair. He closed his eyes briefly, then looked at Sarven. "I could..."
"No." Sarven told him firmly, "I will not let it force me to change who I am, no matter what."
Texi looked up at him, and Harry swore he could see tears of pride in her eyes. Tainn sighed and shrugged. "Anywho, just call me Tainn, or Mr. Tainn, since I'm not a real professor. Nobody will think it's my actual first name, as unusual as it is."
He yawned, and Harry noticed that he looked quite tired.
"How was your trip, brother?" Texi asked him.
He glanced at her, "Blasted long, and all I want to do now is curl up and take a nap." Tainn yawned again, "I'd maim for a cup of coffee."
A moment later the portrait swung open and a house elf, with huge green eyes and a nose resembling a cherry, appeared bearing a tray containing a carafe of fragrant coffee and a pot of tea.
"I am forever grateful, dear Tibby." Tainn said expansively. When the elf giggled Harry noticed that it was a female, and she seemed quite taken with the Assistant Professor.
"Anytime, Mr. Tainn, sir." She squeaked. "Just be calling for Tibby and she'll be coming, sir." She bowed away and vanished back out through the door.
"Darling creatures, they're very rare in the States." He commented after he took a few contented sips of his coffee.
Hermione leaned towards him, folding her arms across her chest, Ron groaned, knowing what was coming. "Don't you think it's wrong, enslaving them?"
"No, indeed, I think enslaving them was the way to go." He murmured.
Hermione looked as though she had just been struck. "So you admit it?"
He eyed her with some concern. "There's really no other way to say it," He told her bluntly, "They don't get paid, do they? BUT, have you ever seen an unhappy, freed, house elf?"
"Yes," She admitted grudgingly, "But Dobby is happy being free."
"I see." He set his coffee down on the arm of his chair, "Dobby is a rarity, then. I would like to meet him sometime, as I'm rather a rarity as well. But Hermione, before you go about freeing house elves, make sure they actually want it. Now, I do not see a problem with freeing them if they're unhappy with their lives, but the majority of them ARE happy. Don't take away their happiness, Meow."
Hermione stared at him, her mouth working, then she leaned back in her chair, the set of her jaw stubbornly unyielding. Harry sighed, he had hoped this year would be the death of S.P.E.W.
They spent a while in quiet conversation before Harry glanced at his watch. He caught Ron's glance and nodded. "It's almost time," He told the rest of them. And they all stood, with the exception of Sarven, who slumped further into his chair and glared darkly out the window.
"Aren't you coming, Sarv?" Tainn asked him. Sarven directed him such a murderous stare that Tainn took a few steps backwards, clutching his heart.
"If ever a look could kill, to misquote an over-used saying." He said lightly, gingerly moving forward and patting the other young man on the shoulder before skipping back. "I'll have Tibby bring you something up." He ignored Hermione's look.
Texi paused for a moment of silent conversation before kissing the black haired young man on the top of his head and following them out the portrait hole. Tainn gave the painting a smile and wink before they made a turn down the stairs and she disappeared out of sight.
Harry and Ron led the way down through the twisting hallways, they having a bit more experience at navigating them than the others. Tainn seemed to like to amuse himself with holding brief conversations with the portraits on their way down. Finally they reached the Great Hall and directed Texi and Tainn to the other door that led the way to the Head Table.
"Ready, everyone?" Hermione asked them in her prefect's voice as they moved off.
"Yeah Hermione." Ron said, rolling his eyes, not noticing that Hermione was looking at Harry. He nodded, steeling himself to seeing all his fellow students once again. He didn't know how much they knew about the events the year before, but he was well aware that most of them read the Daily Prophet and probably suspected something to do with him. He felt himself tense until he felt a hand clasp his own. He looked down to see Ginny giving him a fortifying look. She squeezed his hand once before letting go and he immediately felt better.
He was still the last one to enter, lagging behind the others reluctantly, and so he was the only one to see another person darting past, their dark traveling robes floating behind them as they moved down the hall towards the Professor's entrance. He sighed praying that Remus was right about the new DADA professor, because he thought that whoever it was had just arrived.
"Harry, hey Harry!" Colin Creevy was standing and waving at him. As he walked over he saw the rest of the DA members waving at him, smiling.
"Hi Colin." He said as he passed, moving to where Ron was saving him a seat. He took his place and looked around, on his other side was Neville, who smiled at Harry.
"I got a new wand," He whispered, "Gran didn't even yell as much as I would have thought."
Harry had to fight to smile and nod in return, remembering the circumstances under which Neville's wand had been broken in the first place. He looked away and found himself locating all the other members. When he saw Cho he couldn't even bring himself to feel regret over their failed romance of the year before. Too many things seemed so unimportant now.
He occupied his mind with planning the first DA meeting of the year, even though he wasn't even sure if it would be allowed to continue. He decided that he would regret its loss if Dumbledore told him that he could no longer teach his fellow students how to defend themselves. He would try though, because it gave him a sense of purpose without a sense of impending doom.
He sighed, causing concerned looks from those around him. Harry avoided their glances though, looking instead up at the Head Table, where he located Texi, sitting near Madame Hooch, and Tainn, next to the empty seat that would soon be filled to overflowing with Hagrid. There was also one completely unfamiliar face, and Harry realized that this was the person who had dashed past him in the hall.
She was a fairly young woman with a pale oval face and, as far as Harry could see, eyes the color of port wine. She had a page-boy cap on her head and Harry assumed her hair was either very short or tucked up under it, for all he could see was a few straggling reddish-brown curls. Her robes and cap were simple in design but vibrant in color, a deep, dark purple. She was sitting next to Snape and from the look of the uncertain smile on her face, she wasn't sure what to think of him.
He caught the eyes of his friends and jerked his head towards the new witch, they nodded soberly in return. Just then, before they could start a proper speculative conversation about her, Hagrid slipped into his seat with a clap on the shoulder for Tainn, who grinned wildly, Flitwick was placing the stool and sorting hat at the accustomed place, and McGonagall was ushering in the new batch of frightened first years.
Everyone in the hall fell silent as the rip in the brim opened and the hat began to sing.
In a hundred, and a hundred years,
And a hundred more than that,
There has been a thing which does exist,
Tis me, the sorting hat.
I've looked into a thousand minds,
And a thousand more besides
To listen, seek, and to find
In which house they should reside
In Gryffindor, this much is true
Bravery sees them through
In Ravenclaw, I've come to know
The mind is where it shows.
In Hufflepuff we all can see
The steadfast come to be
And Slytherin, that clever crew
May be the one for you
But still we should be of one heart
This is the place to start
And stand together through it all
Let nothing come to part
For without our strength we fall.
Everyone applauded as the hat made its bow, and the sorting began. He noticed the new professor watching in fascination and decided she must not have been schooled at Hogwarts, for after five years of watching the sorting he had grown used to it, though he still applauded when they gained a new Gryffindor, ignoring when those who had grown up in the wizarding world recognized him and stared. Finally the sorting was over, and they had twelve new Gryffindors to bring into the fold.
The mild chatter that had broken out died away when Professor Dumbledore stood with a smile, his arms thrown out widely in welcome.
"Many new faces, many not-so-new, welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, before you all faint from hunger, let the feast begin." He sat down as the tables groaned with the sudden weight of food, and they all set to, knowing they would have to wait until the feast ended before finding out new information.
Harry kept his face down to his plate to avoid looking at anyone, but that did not prevent anyone who wanted to talk to him from approaching. The first was Katie Bell, who was the new Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Angelina and Alicia had both graduated. She informed him that his quidditch ban had been lifted and that he was expected on the pitch at 8 o'clock on Friday for tryouts to fill in the openings on the team. She smiled uncertainly at Ginny, whom Harry would be replacing, and Ginny smiled back, unperturbed.
"I rather think I'll try out for Chaser." She commented. Katie nodded, relieved, before she returned to her seat. After that, conversation quietly turned to DA and Harry had to tell the members that came up to him that he wasn't sure if it would continue and certainly he would ask. They also had to explain why they weren't on the Hogwarts Express, though they didn't tell the whole circumstances.
He was starting his dessert when conversation turned to the new faces at the Head Table. It was Parvati, sitting a few seats down, who first mentioned them.
"He's so handsome." She sighed.
Hermione shot her a suspicious glance, and Lavender, who was sitting next to her, caught it. "The man next to Hagrid," She explained. "Tall, dark, and handsome." She giggled.
Hermione lifted an eyebrow and Harry looked at Tainn closely. He supposed the young man was good looking, he hadn't given a thought to that. Ginny giggled. "He's a character." She said profoundly.
Lavender gave her a supercilious look. "And I suppose you know him so well?"
"As a matter of fact..." Ginny started to say, but Harry saw Hermione give her a hard nudge and from the way she yelped, Ron had stepped on her foot underneath the table. "We've met," She finished with a grim look for her brother and her friend.
Parvati looked doubtful, but again turned her attention to watching the feral looking young man, who was having an animated conversation with the gamekeeper.
Texi was speaking with Madame Pince, probably about a certain book she needed. "Do you know who that is?" Neville asked quietly, his eyes on the pretty girl with the light brown hair and hart-shaped face.
"That's Mitexi Snowfoot." Harry provided. "She's here to do research for her Potions Mastery."
Neville nodded, his eyes glued to her, blushing slightly.
Ron leaned over and whispered to Harry, "Do you think we should tell him about her boyfriend?"
Harry shook his head, " I don't think he wants anyone to know he's here." He whispered back. Ron nodded thoughtfully. Harry thought about Sarven as well. He was a puzzling fellow, not the least of which for his uncanny resemblance to Snape, who was sparing Harry a brief glare before going back to ignoring the attempts at conversation the witch next to him was making.
Soon enough everyone had finished eating, and the plates cleared. Silence slowly permeated the room as Dumbledore stood again to make his usual start of term speech.
"Now that your stomachs are full, and your minds are empty, it is time to begin filling them again. Mr. Filch would like me to once again remind you that there is no magic allowed in the halls between classes, and that the list of forbidden objects is now occupying its own set of filing cabinets in his office if any of you would wish to refresh your memories as to its contents." He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "And it is my great pleasure to announce the presence of a research student this year, a graduate of the Sundonoma Sorcery Academy in the United States, one Miss Mitexi Snowfoot." Texi stood up and waved briefly to mild applause before sitting back down.
"We also have two new additions to the staff. Also from the United States, taking a year to improve his knowledge of the Magical Creatures native to England, Professor Tainn, who will be assisting Professor Hagrid this year." Tainn stood up and gave them all a sweeping bow, grinning widely to show his deep dimples. There was a great deal of applause for him, mostly coming from the female members of the student body. Harry heard a few giggles as well as he sat back down.
"And finally, to take the place of our...erm...former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," There were scattered boos from the audience, and Professor Dumbledore tried to look quelling but couldn't quite hide his agreement, "We will be welcoming Professor Lanya from Hungary, who graciously agreed to take over the post this year." There was applause, but many people looked uncertain, a sentiment that Harry could understand completely.
"And now, as a well rested mind is a mind ready to be stuffed with knowledge, I declare the feast ended. Prefects, please escort your house members to your common rooms."
It was only later, when Harry was in his comfortable and familiar bed, that he realized Professor Dumbledore had said nothing about the war, or what had happened at the end of the last year. He would have thought on it longer, but his body betrayed him by drifting off to sleep.
Please, please, please review!
Chapter 18: Start of Term
The last week before start of term flew by in a flurry of activity, as Texi made them show her every corner of the castle and even cajoled Tala into tearing herself away from the concordance she was working on using Potions tomes from the restricted section, once in a while.
One by one the rest of the professors filtered in, some looking tanned, most looking tired. Professor McGonagall seemed to have largely recovered, though she still occasionally leaned on her walking stick for support.
Texi was at first excited from the sight, thinking the witch was another of the rare staff mages, and was slightly disappointed when McGonagall disabused her of this notion. They hadn't met before, so Harry assumed that McGonagall had been elsewhere when Texi met with the others.
The professors didn't seem confused at her presence and Flitwick informed them, in his squeaky voice one morning when they were all breakfasting in the Great Hall, that on occasion they did have students come to research there from other schools, particularly if they were seeking Mastery status. However, he went on, the relations with the other schools had not been well enough for the past two decades and the practice had fallen into disuse.
Texi remained gracious and smiling with all of them, answering readily when they questioned her about her unique brand of Legillimency. The only one who did not question her at one point or another during the week, was the one who should have been the most interested. Harry did notice Snape peering at her closely once or twice when she was speaking to one of the professors near him. But he still didn't allow her anywhere near his mind, and if she wished to speak to him she had to resort to the use of her wand.
Texi expressed her frustration over his stubbornness once or twice to Harry and his friends, when they had retreated to the private chambers that Dumbledore had set aside for her and Sarven.
The two chambers were set into a large square tower near the library, so that she could have easy access to the information needed for her supposed research. They were large and airy, with a great stone hearth, earth colored carpets and a number of chairs and sofas scattered around. Two of the walls contained banks of windows while the third, the one that contained the door, was covered with a large tapestry depicting fanciful scenes of castles and battles involving unicorns and other fantastic beasts.
Through the doors on the fourth wall were two more doors leading to bedchambers and a spiral staircase leading up to Texi's chamber on the floor above. She told them that she was going to share the rooms with whoever needed to drop by from the Stepenwolv contingent.
She smiled mysteriously as she added that there may be three of them staying permanently. One was herself, another was Sarven, but she stayed stubbornly mum about the third one, no matter how much they pleaded and cajoled for the other's identity.
The day that the rest of the students were to arrive, Tala took their leave of them, embracing them all tearfully and telling them that they could contact her and her husband at any time. They hugged her in return before she walked out the doors, intending to make her way to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds before Apparating.
"She was missing Remus," Texi commented as she stood with them, her voice sounding a bit nervous. "Otherwise we would have had to pry her out of the library."
"What's the matter, Texi?" Ginny asked her as they made their way up the stairs to enjoy one last morning in her rooms. "You seem..."
"Nervous?" She laughed soundlessly. "Yes, a bit. This is the start of the hiding and sticking to the story, plus the others will be arriving soon. I'm afraid Sarven is going to sneak in. I'll be very impressed if he manages it." It sounded as though she were planning her own reward for him if he managed to impress her.
"Kumquat." Harry told the painting of the dancer that guarded her rooms, and she spun and bowed as the portal swung open.
They walked in, and it was a moment before they noticed someone standing in the shadows by the windows. He turned and smiled. Texi grinned and ran over to him. He caught her in his arms and they exchanged a long caress, which made Harry look away and Ron cough and blush nervously.
Sarven set her down, she looked a bit flushed as well, and gave a grin to the rest of them. "Hi, everyone." He said as the two of them walked over to the others. He reached out and ruffled Ginny's hair, smiling mischievously.
"Hey, stop that!" She protested, but she didn't look too put out. The two of them were genuinely fond of each other. Texi made a face and pulled him closer, and Harry found himself frowning. Sarven and Ginny noticed their faces and burst out laughing.
"No need to be jealous, darling." Sarven purred at Texi. She winked at him.
Ginny shook her head, but couldn't seem to find anything to say. She controlled her giggles with an effort, and Harry tried to stop his face from glowering, it was putting up quite a fight.
"How DID you get in, Sarven?" Hermione asked, "We were right in the Great Hall and we didn't see you."
Sarven gave her a sly smile, then laughed. "Not too much of a secret. I came in through the kitchens."
"You can get in through the kitchens?" Ginny exclaimed, delighted. She appeared to be mulling over the possibilities.
"Yes, but the House Elves won't let anyone in without express permission from Dumbledore himself." He glanced at her knowingly, "Or out."
She pouted ostentatiously.
Mitexi was nodding, "So he understood."
"He understands a lot," Sarven interrupted with a warning glance. "More than most of us can even know." She looked at him with a pensive expression that promised further conversation later when they were alone.
"What time do the other students arrive?" He changed the subject. They chatted for a while on that vein before a voice outside the portrait insinuated itself into their hearing.
"C'mon hon, I'm SUPPOSED to be here, really. Won't you let me in? Damnit! How do you work these things?" A disgruntled voice was commenting crossly. "Shall I tickle you into submission?" Harry could swear he heard the portrait giggle and shriek.
Hermione, a puzzled look on her face, got up and opened the portrait to reveal a feral looking young man with long black hair and distinctive tilted green eyes. He was approaching the painting threateningly, his fingers extended into tickling position.
"Tainn!" Hermione exclaimed.
"The one and only, my dear Meow." He commented gallantly, looking slightly disappointed that he hadn't gotten to tickle the picture of the pretty dancer.
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked as the young animagus vaulted lightly through the opening and stood up, peering around the room curiously.
"Well, my dear fellow," He said lazily as he walked lightly over and flung himself into a chair, making himself comfortable, "Tony and I came to an agreement that I should spend a year overseas studying the magical creatures. He also arranged it with the Professor that I should assist him. He's an old drinking buddy apparently." He smiled his dangerous looking grin. "So, dear boy, I shall be your Assistant Care of Magical Creatures Professor this year. You may call me Mister Tainn sir."
"Mister Tainn sir?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow.
"Well, not you, dear lady," He said with a sidelong glance, "You can call me dearest, or beloved, or love monkey if you wish."
Ginny burst out into laughter, pounding the arms of her chair in mirth. "Love...monkey...! Oh Merlin, it's going to be a heck of a year."
Hermione didn't look all that amused and said so, "I'll call you Professor Snowfoot."
"Alas, you break my heart, but that is one thing you may not call me." He sat up and looked at them all seriously, well, as serious as he could possibly look anyway. "To the best of the student's knowledge, my name is Jonas Tainn." He scowled, making him look positively deadly. "Much as I hate to hide my true identity, I will also have to do somewhat about my appearance. May as well do it now."
He sighed and unfurled himself from the chair, and as he did so, Harry noticed that he was still unshod. He stood and fumbled in his robes, finally producing his wand. He passed it over his eyes, murmuring, "Glamouri." As they watched, the color of his eyes changed slowly, filtering to blue, then brown, and finally settling on a golden hazel.
It wasn't too much of a change, but the family resemblance to his sister was not noticeable any longer without the brilliant green. However, his choice of colors did nothing to change his feral look, and he now resembled the wolf that was his other form more than ever.
He sighed and stuck his wand back in his pocket, slumping back into his chair. He closed his eyes briefly, then looked at Sarven. "I could..."
"No." Sarven told him firmly, "I will not let it force me to change who I am, no matter what."
Texi looked up at him, and Harry swore he could see tears of pride in her eyes. Tainn sighed and shrugged. "Anywho, just call me Tainn, or Mr. Tainn, since I'm not a real professor. Nobody will think it's my actual first name, as unusual as it is."
He yawned, and Harry noticed that he looked quite tired.
"How was your trip, brother?" Texi asked him.
He glanced at her, "Blasted long, and all I want to do now is curl up and take a nap." Tainn yawned again, "I'd maim for a cup of coffee."
A moment later the portrait swung open and a house elf, with huge green eyes and a nose resembling a cherry, appeared bearing a tray containing a carafe of fragrant coffee and a pot of tea.
"I am forever grateful, dear Tibby." Tainn said expansively. When the elf giggled Harry noticed that it was a female, and she seemed quite taken with the Assistant Professor.
"Anytime, Mr. Tainn, sir." She squeaked. "Just be calling for Tibby and she'll be coming, sir." She bowed away and vanished back out through the door.
"Darling creatures, they're very rare in the States." He commented after he took a few contented sips of his coffee.
Hermione leaned towards him, folding her arms across her chest, Ron groaned, knowing what was coming. "Don't you think it's wrong, enslaving them?"
"No, indeed, I think enslaving them was the way to go." He murmured.
Hermione looked as though she had just been struck. "So you admit it?"
He eyed her with some concern. "There's really no other way to say it," He told her bluntly, "They don't get paid, do they? BUT, have you ever seen an unhappy, freed, house elf?"
"Yes," She admitted grudgingly, "But Dobby is happy being free."
"I see." He set his coffee down on the arm of his chair, "Dobby is a rarity, then. I would like to meet him sometime, as I'm rather a rarity as well. But Hermione, before you go about freeing house elves, make sure they actually want it. Now, I do not see a problem with freeing them if they're unhappy with their lives, but the majority of them ARE happy. Don't take away their happiness, Meow."
Hermione stared at him, her mouth working, then she leaned back in her chair, the set of her jaw stubbornly unyielding. Harry sighed, he had hoped this year would be the death of S.P.E.W.
They spent a while in quiet conversation before Harry glanced at his watch. He caught Ron's glance and nodded. "It's almost time," He told the rest of them. And they all stood, with the exception of Sarven, who slumped further into his chair and glared darkly out the window.
"Aren't you coming, Sarv?" Tainn asked him. Sarven directed him such a murderous stare that Tainn took a few steps backwards, clutching his heart.
"If ever a look could kill, to misquote an over-used saying." He said lightly, gingerly moving forward and patting the other young man on the shoulder before skipping back. "I'll have Tibby bring you something up." He ignored Hermione's look.
Texi paused for a moment of silent conversation before kissing the black haired young man on the top of his head and following them out the portrait hole. Tainn gave the painting a smile and wink before they made a turn down the stairs and she disappeared out of sight.
Harry and Ron led the way down through the twisting hallways, they having a bit more experience at navigating them than the others. Tainn seemed to like to amuse himself with holding brief conversations with the portraits on their way down. Finally they reached the Great Hall and directed Texi and Tainn to the other door that led the way to the Head Table.
"Ready, everyone?" Hermione asked them in her prefect's voice as they moved off.
"Yeah Hermione." Ron said, rolling his eyes, not noticing that Hermione was looking at Harry. He nodded, steeling himself to seeing all his fellow students once again. He didn't know how much they knew about the events the year before, but he was well aware that most of them read the Daily Prophet and probably suspected something to do with him. He felt himself tense until he felt a hand clasp his own. He looked down to see Ginny giving him a fortifying look. She squeezed his hand once before letting go and he immediately felt better.
He was still the last one to enter, lagging behind the others reluctantly, and so he was the only one to see another person darting past, their dark traveling robes floating behind them as they moved down the hall towards the Professor's entrance. He sighed praying that Remus was right about the new DADA professor, because he thought that whoever it was had just arrived.
"Harry, hey Harry!" Colin Creevy was standing and waving at him. As he walked over he saw the rest of the DA members waving at him, smiling.
"Hi Colin." He said as he passed, moving to where Ron was saving him a seat. He took his place and looked around, on his other side was Neville, who smiled at Harry.
"I got a new wand," He whispered, "Gran didn't even yell as much as I would have thought."
Harry had to fight to smile and nod in return, remembering the circumstances under which Neville's wand had been broken in the first place. He looked away and found himself locating all the other members. When he saw Cho he couldn't even bring himself to feel regret over their failed romance of the year before. Too many things seemed so unimportant now.
He occupied his mind with planning the first DA meeting of the year, even though he wasn't even sure if it would be allowed to continue. He decided that he would regret its loss if Dumbledore told him that he could no longer teach his fellow students how to defend themselves. He would try though, because it gave him a sense of purpose without a sense of impending doom.
He sighed, causing concerned looks from those around him. Harry avoided their glances though, looking instead up at the Head Table, where he located Texi, sitting near Madame Hooch, and Tainn, next to the empty seat that would soon be filled to overflowing with Hagrid. There was also one completely unfamiliar face, and Harry realized that this was the person who had dashed past him in the hall.
She was a fairly young woman with a pale oval face and, as far as Harry could see, eyes the color of port wine. She had a page-boy cap on her head and Harry assumed her hair was either very short or tucked up under it, for all he could see was a few straggling reddish-brown curls. Her robes and cap were simple in design but vibrant in color, a deep, dark purple. She was sitting next to Snape and from the look of the uncertain smile on her face, she wasn't sure what to think of him.
He caught the eyes of his friends and jerked his head towards the new witch, they nodded soberly in return. Just then, before they could start a proper speculative conversation about her, Hagrid slipped into his seat with a clap on the shoulder for Tainn, who grinned wildly, Flitwick was placing the stool and sorting hat at the accustomed place, and McGonagall was ushering in the new batch of frightened first years.
Everyone in the hall fell silent as the rip in the brim opened and the hat began to sing.
In a hundred, and a hundred years,
And a hundred more than that,
There has been a thing which does exist,
Tis me, the sorting hat.
I've looked into a thousand minds,
And a thousand more besides
To listen, seek, and to find
In which house they should reside
In Gryffindor, this much is true
Bravery sees them through
In Ravenclaw, I've come to know
The mind is where it shows.
In Hufflepuff we all can see
The steadfast come to be
And Slytherin, that clever crew
May be the one for you
But still we should be of one heart
This is the place to start
And stand together through it all
Let nothing come to part
For without our strength we fall.
Everyone applauded as the hat made its bow, and the sorting began. He noticed the new professor watching in fascination and decided she must not have been schooled at Hogwarts, for after five years of watching the sorting he had grown used to it, though he still applauded when they gained a new Gryffindor, ignoring when those who had grown up in the wizarding world recognized him and stared. Finally the sorting was over, and they had twelve new Gryffindors to bring into the fold.
The mild chatter that had broken out died away when Professor Dumbledore stood with a smile, his arms thrown out widely in welcome.
"Many new faces, many not-so-new, welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, before you all faint from hunger, let the feast begin." He sat down as the tables groaned with the sudden weight of food, and they all set to, knowing they would have to wait until the feast ended before finding out new information.
Harry kept his face down to his plate to avoid looking at anyone, but that did not prevent anyone who wanted to talk to him from approaching. The first was Katie Bell, who was the new Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Angelina and Alicia had both graduated. She informed him that his quidditch ban had been lifted and that he was expected on the pitch at 8 o'clock on Friday for tryouts to fill in the openings on the team. She smiled uncertainly at Ginny, whom Harry would be replacing, and Ginny smiled back, unperturbed.
"I rather think I'll try out for Chaser." She commented. Katie nodded, relieved, before she returned to her seat. After that, conversation quietly turned to DA and Harry had to tell the members that came up to him that he wasn't sure if it would continue and certainly he would ask. They also had to explain why they weren't on the Hogwarts Express, though they didn't tell the whole circumstances.
He was starting his dessert when conversation turned to the new faces at the Head Table. It was Parvati, sitting a few seats down, who first mentioned them.
"He's so handsome." She sighed.
Hermione shot her a suspicious glance, and Lavender, who was sitting next to her, caught it. "The man next to Hagrid," She explained. "Tall, dark, and handsome." She giggled.
Hermione lifted an eyebrow and Harry looked at Tainn closely. He supposed the young man was good looking, he hadn't given a thought to that. Ginny giggled. "He's a character." She said profoundly.
Lavender gave her a supercilious look. "And I suppose you know him so well?"
"As a matter of fact..." Ginny started to say, but Harry saw Hermione give her a hard nudge and from the way she yelped, Ron had stepped on her foot underneath the table. "We've met," She finished with a grim look for her brother and her friend.
Parvati looked doubtful, but again turned her attention to watching the feral looking young man, who was having an animated conversation with the gamekeeper.
Texi was speaking with Madame Pince, probably about a certain book she needed. "Do you know who that is?" Neville asked quietly, his eyes on the pretty girl with the light brown hair and hart-shaped face.
"That's Mitexi Snowfoot." Harry provided. "She's here to do research for her Potions Mastery."
Neville nodded, his eyes glued to her, blushing slightly.
Ron leaned over and whispered to Harry, "Do you think we should tell him about her boyfriend?"
Harry shook his head, " I don't think he wants anyone to know he's here." He whispered back. Ron nodded thoughtfully. Harry thought about Sarven as well. He was a puzzling fellow, not the least of which for his uncanny resemblance to Snape, who was sparing Harry a brief glare before going back to ignoring the attempts at conversation the witch next to him was making.
Soon enough everyone had finished eating, and the plates cleared. Silence slowly permeated the room as Dumbledore stood again to make his usual start of term speech.
"Now that your stomachs are full, and your minds are empty, it is time to begin filling them again. Mr. Filch would like me to once again remind you that there is no magic allowed in the halls between classes, and that the list of forbidden objects is now occupying its own set of filing cabinets in his office if any of you would wish to refresh your memories as to its contents." He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "And it is my great pleasure to announce the presence of a research student this year, a graduate of the Sundonoma Sorcery Academy in the United States, one Miss Mitexi Snowfoot." Texi stood up and waved briefly to mild applause before sitting back down.
"We also have two new additions to the staff. Also from the United States, taking a year to improve his knowledge of the Magical Creatures native to England, Professor Tainn, who will be assisting Professor Hagrid this year." Tainn stood up and gave them all a sweeping bow, grinning widely to show his deep dimples. There was a great deal of applause for him, mostly coming from the female members of the student body. Harry heard a few giggles as well as he sat back down.
"And finally, to take the place of our...erm...former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," There were scattered boos from the audience, and Professor Dumbledore tried to look quelling but couldn't quite hide his agreement, "We will be welcoming Professor Lanya from Hungary, who graciously agreed to take over the post this year." There was applause, but many people looked uncertain, a sentiment that Harry could understand completely.
"And now, as a well rested mind is a mind ready to be stuffed with knowledge, I declare the feast ended. Prefects, please escort your house members to your common rooms."
It was only later, when Harry was in his comfortable and familiar bed, that he realized Professor Dumbledore had said nothing about the war, or what had happened at the end of the last year. He would have thought on it longer, but his body betrayed him by drifting off to sleep.
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