Chapter 2
Eventually Harry got up and put on his robes. He made his way down into the empty common room and then passed through the portrait hole. "Morning Mr. Potter" the Painting of the Fat Lady called out as he made his way down the corridor. Harry whistled to himself as he made his way down to the staff room. He was enjoying the fact that he was able to spend some time at the school before the students returned from their holidays. Harry would of course, like the other teachers, have his own office & room; however he had convinced McGonagall to allow him to sleep in his old dormitory once more before it got taken by a new 1st year.
"Ahh there you are Harry, come, sit down! Long time no see!" Professor Flitwick, Harry's old charms teacher rushed over to shake his hand before he had even stepped inside the room.
"Yes it's been ages!" Harry replied, but before Flitwick could start to rave on about this or that, the door was opened once more. In glided Severus Snape, the person Harry disliked the most at Hogwarts.
Harry had spent the previous year keeping as far away from Snape as possibly while still trying to get him fired, and he had good reason. Snape had been the person who killed Dumbledore. Well, Harry was still convinced so anyway. Most of the Wizarding World (informed largely by the Daily Profit) believed that Snape had either been put under the imperius curse & used to kill the headmaster, or else was soundly sleeping in his bed, while an impersonator using the polyjuice potion attended to the murder of the only Wizard Voldemort had ever feared.
"Mr. Potter, what brings you back? And unusually, or not, into a place students are not permitted?" Snape sneered.
Harry glared into his white hollow face, covered slightly by a strangle of long, thick, greasy black hair.
"Why Severus! Surely you know by now, Harry is one of our new teachers!" An excited Flitwick gushed out.
"We have stooped so low as to offer high positions in this school to teenagers?" Snape hissed as he began to advance on Flitwick
"Severus! Do not dare to speak of your colleges in that matter!" A flustered Flitwick replied.
"Don't worry Severus, I guarantee I'll keep out of your way" Harry snarled and started towards the other teachers who had seemingly missed the hostility that had occurred between Harry and Snape.
"My dear Harry Potter! What a pleasure it is to see you back!" An enormously fat, balding man by the name of Horace Slughorn greeted Harry with a warm smile & handshake. Harry had mixed feeling about the stumpy looking man with a walrus like moustache standing in front of him. The reason being that Professor Slughorn had a very bad case of favouritism, which, although caused a lot of jealousy on Ron's behalf 2 years earlier (Ron didn't exactly have any reason to be favoured), had helped Harry uncover one of the most important pieces of information he had. It was thanks to Slughorn's desire to have Harry Potter, the 'Boy Who Lived' as one of his many human trophies, which had helped Harry to reveal one of Slughorn's memories, which showed the professor telling a young Voldemort about Horcruxes
"Professor Slughorn! How have you been?" Harry asked politely, while watching a lurking Snape in the corner of his eye.
"Oh my dear boy! Name is Horace to you! What I pleasure it is to see such a great student back at the school once more! You wouldn't happen to have brought that smart Granger girl with you?" Slughorn replied with a glint in his eye
"What…uh… you mean Hermione?"
"Why yes! It would be a pleasure to have her join me on the Board for the Representation of Students Exceeding above Academic Expectations!" Slughorn said in delight
"The board for the representation of….? Oh no Hermione isn't here Professor, she has got a job as Minister for Muggle Relations & Affairs, and she's a muggle-born you know? It suits her really well." Harry explained. It was true; Hermione suited her new job excellently, as she was smart, and knowledgeable in Muggle Affairs, which made sense, as she was a muggle-born herself. Plus it was helpful to have a brainy person like Hermione in the Ministry after Dumbledore wasn't around to watch the goings on inside.
"Oh such a shame! That girl was such a naturally smart little cookie! You wouldn't be interested in joining then would you m'dear boy?"
Harry hesitated, but before he had to answer, the door was opened once more and McGonagall strode in.
"Harry! There you are! I need to see you in my office now please; we have a few matters to go through." The elderly woman explained. Harry looked into the face of Minerva McGonagall and realised how much she had aged in the past year or so. The stress of running Hogwarts had really got to her.
A/N: Please give review, next chapter will then be up quicker. Thanks!