Chapter Seven

Ever since Professor Snape's remark in the kitchen and Lupin's refusal to enlighten to Harry who the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was going to be, Harry didn't stop conjuring up ideas and images of new and exciting people who might fit both of the adult's remarks. In fact, he still hadn't stopped wondering who this new person was when he, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were racing through the barrier that separated the muggle platforms and the wizarding Platform 9 3/4.

No matter how many times Harry had seen that train, he still stopped and let his eyes wander over the engine's scarlet husk, jet black chimney and gold-rimmed wheels for a couple of minutes before suddenly snapping back to reality when he realised that the train was about to go. When they were all aboard, Ginny excused herself so that she could go and find her friends who were sitting in one of the many carriages that this train had to offer: leaving the trio to go in search of their own carriage to sit in. Harry let his mind wander as he helped his friends look for an empty carriage- the main topic that seemed to be consuming his mind was who the new teacher was going to be. The new and uplifting thought of "It's nice to be going back to Hogwarts again" was shattered when a cold, drawling and seemingly utterly bored voice penetrated his thoughts.

"Well well, look who were have here: Pottery, Weasel and the second half of beauty and the beast. I had hoped I wouldn't have the inconvenience of running into you so soon, but it seems that the fates are against me. Pity."

Harry turned to see the three people he despised the most standing right behind him. Draco Malfoy was leaning lazily against one of the compartment doors, while his two homosapian bodyguards Cabbe and Goyle stooped behind him- leering with an un-intelligent grin plastered over their thick set faces. Sensing both of his friends were having difficulty enough controlling their urge to wipe the smirks off all three of the Slytherins' faces, Harry himself addressed the ring-leader.

"Alright there Malfoy: how's your dad? Have you spoken to him recently- or would that be too difficult for you as you would have to talk through bars?" This evidently stunned the blonde before him as his jaw dropped, unable to speak. It only took him a matter of seconds though before the old Malfoy came back and, with a sniff, added haughtily.

"You want to be careful what you say Potter- I could have you reported for that. Bet you wouldn't like that would you- or that oaf of a half-breed that seems intent on smothering you as if he were your father and you were his son. I suppose you could have worse with Weasel's mother: but then I guess the werewolf would be a better option- seeing as Weasley's mother can barely support her own family and the wolf actually has money in his account!" A swish swiped past Harry's ear as Ron thrust his wand at Malfoy's face: which was now beginning to lose its smirk. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the wand shaking as Ron's anger was causing his whole body to tremble. A second, more authoritative swish backed up Ron's as Hermione raised her own wand so that it was level with Draco's eyes; Harry's wand on the other hand remained in his pocket. He was having difficulty trying to weigh up which insult he most despised: ever since his third year, Harry had always seen Lupin as a sort of father figure, even when Sirius was alive: but then again Mrs. Weasley had been a maternal icon for him ever since his first year at Hogwarts.

He didn't have long for his thoughts to be broken by a shaking voice: Ron's.

"You…. you take that back Malfoy!" He yelled, causing a couple of passing third years to squeal and run into the nearest compartment. Malfoy on the other hand was laughing.

"Or you'll what exactly Weasley! Poke me with that stick of yours? I bet that's the most you could do with that splinter of wood- let alone cast a spell!" He burst out laughing, only to fall silent again when a cold voice interrupted.

"He wont be the only one Malfoy- I'll hex you into oblivion if you say one more word about Mrs. Weasley or Professor Lupin. I meant it!" Two grey eyes looked Hermione up and down before Malfoy snorted and told the other two wizards to follow him. Harry, Ron and Hermione watched three backs start making their way back down the train, before turning their own to continue the way they had originally intended on going. A yell of "LOOK OUT!" made them whirl back round again as three identical hexes zoomed towards them; Harry was able to conjure up a defensive shield just in time, but Ron and Hermione fell back with a surprised yelp onto the train floor. In seconds a full on duel had commenced and six wands were whirling deftly and furiously as the owners cast individual and ever more complicated (and often dark from the Slytherins) at their opponents. They had been duelling for about a minute when something happened that neither Harry nor the other four wizards and singular witch had never seen or experienced before. A blinding, thin white light burst into life and spread out until it had spread from the floor to the ceiling in front of one of the compartment doors: it seemed to act as a reflective surface as all six hexes were forced back towards it's charmer. As though it were a reflection in a mirror, the three Gryffindors and Slytherins dived to the floor as the hexes zoomed by past them- all gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of them both by the surprise and the sudden impact with the floor. Then, as quickly as it appeared- the screen vanished: however, as it disappeared back into thin air, the door it had appeared before slid open and a snarling black dog leapt out from the compartment.

The beast was huge: its imposing thick leather collar was covered with silver studs- giving the animal an increased look of strength; long, glossy, heavy fur covered the animal's body as if it were a large travelling cloak; the animal's eyes glinted dangerously as the light reflected in the slanted red-streaked orange eyes: it's teeth were pure white, at least four inches long. Hermione gasped as it began to slink towards them, it's belly dragging across the floor, paws making a scratching sound, as it's long black claws caught on the carpet. It came to a stop inches from where the three Gryffindors stood transfixed: Harry placed himself before the other two and took out his wand again; he looked the dog straight in the eyes and threatened.

"Come one step closer and you'll be hexed into oblivion!" Suddenly, as if the dog had been slapped, it stopped snarling and at once it's once fierce looking features softened. Ears, which had once lain flat across its skull, now pricked forward and as it had done before, it started to crawl across the ground towards Harry. Harry's grip on his wand tightened, and he steeled himself for the worst: but what happened next shocked him to the core of his being. The dog looked up at Harry and licked his left hand, whimpering all the while as if apologising for its earlier behaviour, before sitting back on it's haunches, panting like a normal dog would around a friend. None of the three young teens spoke: their sprits in tatters after being in a duel which involved them slamming themselves to the floor to avoid their own curses being reflected off a wall of light, they were then rudely introduced to a dog whose behaviour suggested that it had just leapt out of the pits of Hell before watching the steely behaviour melt away as if it were snow on a summers day.

A vice like grip constricted around Harry's upper arm: Ron was breathing heavily and whimpered,

"Harry, look towards the door. Mate, it's her!" Harry twisted his arm out of the lock and looked towards the door himself, wanting to know who this "her" was. His heart thudded once in his chest before stopping completely for a second. Standing in the doorway of the compartment where the dog had appeared from, was someone Harry recognised instantly thanks to Ron showing him pictures of her: leaning on the door frame was none other than the Auror Lucia Nirethyls. She was a fairly tall and slim, her black and navy blue robes fell around her like exquisite drapery and her long golden-brown hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Harry's eyes glued themselves to her waist and hip area: a thick, black leather belt sheathed an elegant short sword, a long curved dagger, her wand and- strangely, a gun with two pouches of what Harry presumed were bullets. His eyes flicked back up to her face where he saw a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth: her grey-blue eyes alive with a lifetime of emotions, more prominently laughter at this moment. At last she spoke, her eyes flicking between the three teenagers and the dog.

"Oblivion, heel." She snapped her fingers and gestured to her side: the dog obeyed. Scratching the head lovingly, Nirethyls now locked eyes with Harry. "So, unless my eyes are deceiving me, you must be Harry," her eyes roamed over to Hermione, "and you are miss Granger? Hmm, I thought you were: you've got quite a reputation young lady: brightest witch still in school. So that must mean that you," Ron gulped as her grey eyes met with his brown, "are Mr. Weasley. I don't even need to ask if that's your name: you're the spitting image of your father- you're nose is slightly longer than his though." She paused, evidently lost in thought: a small, pathetic whimper sounded from the doorway. Nirethyls turned round and, looking down at the floor level, said.

"Kaiser, come here."

Another dog, thought Harry, what's this one going to be like! What appeared from the doorway though made Harry laugh out loud. A small, black and tan long-haired Dachshund puppy padded round the doorframe and bounded (much as a puppy can bound) towards his mistress: yapping all the way. Ron's mouth was hanging open, almost in an identical way to Harry's: Hermione on the other hand managed to coo.

"Oh, he's adorable! How old is he?" Having swept the now wriggling, wagging puppy into her arms, Nirethyls answered her question without even looking up.

"Just over five weeks." With a last loving scratch behind the ears, she placed the puppy back on the floor, which promptly went up to Oblivion and started to chew his ear. Harry blinked, his mind was reeling: this was the woman who once was friends with his mother- described by Remus Lupin as the second of the "Un-identical Twins", and yet she seemed nothing like the bouncy, cheerful Lucia Nirethyls that he had imagined.

Harry didn't have much time to try to work out this problem as the train had started to slow down already, announcing the soon arrival of the Hogwarts Platform. Bidding the children a brief goodbye, Nirethyls summoned her briefcase, a tiny leash ("For the puppy no doubt", thought Harry) and clicking her fingers, she walked off: her two dogs in-tow behind her. The teenagers were left standing where they had been when they had first faced Oblivion: Hermione was still dewy eyed over the puppy that could still be seen scuffling along at ankle level at the far end of the carriage; Ron and Harry were both dazed by the sudden, somewhat un-linkable events they had just witnessed. The train steamed to a halt, sending a slight judder down the many interlinked carriages that it towed. Harry, Ron and Hermione alighted from the train and set off in search of a carriage to take them up to the castle; Ron was very useful in this exercise, as he was able to look over the many heads of the teaming mass of children that were all trudging through the main gates. After a good five or so minutes of searching, Ron pushed through the crowd and jumped into a carriage, indicating that the others should follow his lead. The carriages quickly filled up, and within another five minutes, they were off: pulled all the way up to the castle by two reptilian horses, the Thestrals.

Before long, Harry and his friends sat down at the now familiar Gryffindor Table in the Great Hall, and were soon chatting to their fellow housemates and friends. Ron couldn't stop talking about his encounter with their new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.

"And then, she looked at me and said "So that must mean that you are Mr. Weasley. I don't even need to ask if that's your name"- she knows my name! Lucia Nirethyls knows my name! I can't believe it- she must know dad, otherwise how else would she have known me? She knows about me…" A dreamy, awe filled smile spread across his freckled features. Harry, Hermione and Ginny shared a knowing smile and promptly burst out laughing. Hushes swept round the Hall as the Sorting Hat and Professor McGonagall moved to the centre of the raised platform leading to the Staff Table. Professor McGonagall surveyed the Hall for a few seconds before addressing the assembled numbers in front of her. In a few moments, you will be sorted into your houses, but please wait a few further moment so…" she didn't manage to finish what she was going to say, as a large seam at the front of the hat burst open and began to sing.

"Over a thousand years have past,

Since the spell for my creation was cast.

Four wizards and witches strong, wise, cunning and true,

Started this school for children like you.

They were a powerful lot: they knew their stuff,

Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff.

They wanted to create a place where talents could grow,

"We'll put everything into you that we know".

Ravenclaw wanted those who were clever and wise,

Slytherin those who'd do anything to get the prize.

Hufflepuff those who weren't afraid of work and toil,

While Gryffindor sought the brave and loyal.

So try me on, put me to the test,

I'll put you where you'll do best.

Gryffindor, Ravenclaw,

Slytherin or Hufflepuff,

Put me on now: you've heard enough."

A stunned silence passed over the Hall before a wave of thundering applause erupted from the four tables. Ron, amidst the clapping and whooping yelled.

"Brilliant, Bloody Brilliant!"

The Sorting itself only took a couple of minutes, and soon a polite silence settled over the Hall as Headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore stood up at his podium to speak.

"Good evening. To our newest arrivals, welcome to Hogwarts, and to our older students, welcome back: you've all been missed dearly."

A ripple of laughter came from the tables, and a ripple of grimaces and cold looks were sent in the direction of the Dumbledore's back from the staff. Allowing a few seconds for the odd giggle to die down, he spoke again.

"I will only say a few words before we become happily bloated and sleepy when the food arrives, but first I must ask you to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Lucia Nirethyls." A murmur of excitement and the odd gasp swept through the Hall as the student realised who their new teacher was going to be this year. Again, pausing for a few seconds, Dumbledore continued.

"Yes, I can say on behalf of all of the staff here that we were all exceptionally honoured when she kindly accepted to fill the post for this year, and I might ask you all to join me when I say good luck to you, Professor Nirethyls." He swept his hand across to where a very proud looking woman was sitting: briefly she rose and made a short bow before sitting back down again. Harry was amused to notice that she not only looked better than most of the teachers in her fine robe: but also two outlines could be made out at her feet under the table, telling everyone who looked that she was well guarded by her two canine escorts.

Thanks You's:

JEDIKNIGHT32: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoy the story so far and I hope this will satisfy you. Also, I would have read your fanfictions as soon as you notified me, but (and this is a hand on heart moment) every time I try to access your profile and fic's: my computer freezes- I'm sure they are brilliant, and I'll keep trying to read them, so please don't give up on me!

Wi11ow: thanks for your review too! It was much appreciated as they all are. Keep reading!