Chapter Two

"Harry! Harry Potter!" yelled Katie Bell from behind Harry in the corridor on the way to the Grand Hall for breakfast.

"Yeah!" Harry called back, stopping in the middle of the hall, letting her catch up.

"Where's your first class?' She asked as if she was in a hurry, walking along, quickly.

"Um…Defense Against the Dark Arts, why?" responded Harry who was semi-jogging, trying to keep up with her long, quick strides.

"Great! Professor Binns's isn't so far from there. Meet me outside your class afterwards, I have to talk to you about Quidditch" She said still walking in a hurry.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Harry said and Katie sped off into the hall joining her circle of friends.

Once Harry was in the hall, he sat next to Ron, who was pigging out on eggs and sausage, across from Hermione, who was impatiently nibbling on toast, waiting for the morning post.

"I've never seen you so anxious for your Daily Prophet, Hermione." Harry said, helping himself to orange juice.

"I'm not waiting for that." She snapped back and right when she did, the owls began fluttering in. A barn owl dropped the Daily Prophet onto Hermione's plate, but she ignored it, still searching for something in the mass of owls above.

Finally, one of the last few owls dropped a letter onto Hermione's lap. She ripped it open like a Christmas present, and skimmed the piece of parchment. And with that, she jogged out of the hall, reading it more thoroughly

Ron didn't even seem to notice this.

"Ron?' Harry asked sitting looking at the entrance where Hermione had left. Ron kept stuffing his face and didn't seem to listen to Harry, mind, watching Hermione. 'Umm… Ronald Weasley? RON!"

"WHAT?" Ron yelled madly, spraying bits of bacon onto Harry. Harry, wiping chunks of bacon and spit off his glasses with his robes walked away muttering, "Typical Ron."

Harry was the first to enter Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was surprised that their new Professor was not there, but this didn't surprise him completely, because he didn't remember seeing him at the front table at the feast the night before. He got a seat in the middle of the room and soon after, fellow Gryffindors and Slytherins began to file in the classroom. When everyone had arrived, they waited silently. Then the silence turned into whispers, which turned into note passing, which turned into sitting in groups. After twenty minutes had passed, Hermione rushed in, looking anxious, but then relieved when she saw that the teacher had not arrived yet.

"Where were you?" Harry asked once she sat down next to him and Ron.

"Oh, I had to prepare for a test." She said taking out her supplies for class.

"Wait, it's the first day of classes… We don't have any tests, Hermione." Ron said feeling left out of something.

Hermione was going to answer when the door swung open and Professor McGonagall walked in with long strides.

"Alright, class. Your new Professor will be here in a moment.' She said pulling out a long list from her cloak. ' Until then, I shall read her rules off. Now settle down and go back to your seats."

There were a few moans from the Slytherins, but everyone returned to their seats. Harry was very jittery while waiting for the new Professor. He looked up at Professor McGonagall and slowly, her hair fell out of her tight bun and began to suck back into her head. It was rapidly changing shades and it finally stopped at bubble gum pink. Her wrinkles faded and her nose shrunk. Her lips turned redder and her eyes changed shape and color. Everyone was in awe. Even Harry, Ron and Hermione!

Nimphadora Tonks was their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor! She smiled to herself, which turned into giggling, which turned into laughing and finally she was rolling on the floor holding onto her sides. The class looked at each other, and when she finally finished her fit, she stood back up. "You guys are way too gullable."

She stared at the class and then looked at what she was wearing. Tonks muttered a charm and the long robe was gone, replaced with blue trainers, faded blue jeans, and a green t-shirt with a british band Harry recognized as The Clash.

"The Clash?' Malfoy said from the rear of the room surrounded by his group of loyal Slytherins. 'Is it what your wearing, or you in general?"

"It's a band. I really do love Muggle music. And I wouldn't act like I were 'King of Hogwarts' if I were you, when everyone knows your dad is with Voldemort, Malfoy" She said casually picking stray pieces of lint off her shirt. The class was shocked she would announce that being apart of the Hogwarts staff, and she said His name.

"Wait, how do you know who I am?" He asked.

"Well, I know your father very well, and I can guarantee I can sort his family out of a large crowd seeing as how he's such a sleeze."

Malfoy was very taken aback.

"Heh, well…Who would die their hair pink then cut it like a man?" Malfoy said hesitantly.

"Hm…Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.' She said and the bell rang.

Out in the hall, Harry waited for Katie Bell to meet him. After a few minutes standing on tiptoe searching for her, she was seen pushing her way through the crowds of students.

"Get in.' She said pushing him into a room nearby where he was waiting. ' As you know, Oliver is long gone, Alicia and Anglina finished their 7th year last year, and I am the oldest on the team now."

"Yeah, so you would be captain." He said starting to think this meeting was pointless.

"Look,' She sighed sitting down in one of the stray desks. ' I'm not a leader. I am better at receiving directions then ordering them. And you such a better flyer than I…and McGonagall said its okay if…"

She didn't finish feeling Harry had gotten the point.

"You want me to be captain?" He asked feeling honored, yet a little unsure.

"Only if you want to…I mean…"

"Alright." He said interrupting her.

"Your sure?" She asked standing back up.

"Positive."

"Thank you, Harry! I'll make it up to you I swear! We'll win the cup this year!" She said hugging him.

"Well, I'd better go." Harry said making his way to the door.

"Yes!" She said smiling, obviously getting a heavy load off her back and onto Harry's.

When Harry got into the common room, Ron informed him that chaser and beater tryouts were going to be the next week because two of the Chasers had finished Hogwarts, Ginny, taking one of their places and with the Weasley twins gone, there were no Beaters.

"Who thought that up?" Harry asked. He should be making all the tryout schedules seeing as he is captain of the team.

"Well, the captain." He replied.

"I am the captain!" Harry said and told Ron about his meeting with Katie Bell.

"Anyways, where's Hermione?" Harry asked as she was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, she came up here and started reading something when she remembered something and left." Ron said thinking nothing of it.

After dinner that night, Harry sat in front of Sirius's mirror for a very long time out in the Owlry so no one could find him with Hedwig on his shoulder.

"Sirius Black." Nothing. Like it had been all night.