Disclaimer: Harry Potter's universe belongs to JK Rowling, I'm just playing around with the characters for free.

Author note: Thanks everyone for the reviews!

Chapter six: unexpected

Inside, most of the teachers were already seated. Albus had told Harry that Snape tended to arrive last and leave first, and he didn't intend to change the man's habits. Only three seats remained: Albus and the new DADA teacher had still to arrive.

Harry nodded briefly in greetings and sat down in the middle seat of the three, knowing that Snape was usually placed between Dumbledore and the DADA teacher. As soon as he was seated, though, a voice from behind him said:

"I'm sorry, Severus, but you'll have to sit elsewhere this year. This is the Potion's Professor seat."

Harry turned around, and saw Albus standing in the doorway, a woman at his side. He raised an eyebrow, as he knew Snape would, and waited for the Headmaster to explain, which he did quickly.

"Professors, I'd like to introduce our new Potions Professor, Miss Smooth. Perhaps some of you remembers her as a student. She graduated fourteen years ago from the Ravenclaw House. Since then, she's been busy trying to find a cure for lycanthropy in France, and raising her daughter, Lucie, who is about to begin her first year here at Hogwarts."

"Excuse me, Albus, but does this mean I'm fired?" asked Harry, standing.

The Headmaster laughed, his eyes twinkling madly. "Of course not, Severus! In fact, you just got promoted to the DADA teacher position. I trust it suits you?"

Harry was torn between relief and anger. He wouldn't have to teach potions! On the other hand, Albus could have told him before he spent all this time studying the subject! Eventually anger won out. All these hours of studying the hated subject, for nothing?

"You know it does, he replied hotly. Though I would have appreciated to be warned in advance. I spent a lot of time preparing for next year's class! And I don't have that much time left to prepare the lessons for September!"

"Easy, my boy. I couldn't really tell you before, as I wasn't sure Miss Smooth would agree to take the job. And I assure you the time you spent on your preparations isn't going to be lost. I fully expect you to help Miss Smooth with her program."

"It would be my pleasure", answered Harry with more than a little sarcasm. Fortunately neither Albus nor the new teacher seemed to notice.

"Lunch it is, then!" exclaimed the Headmaster happily, pulling back a chair for Miss Smooth, who thanked with a smile.

Harry moved to the DADA teacher seat, which was between the potion's professor's and Minerva's. From the corner of his eyes, he studied the new teacher. Her hair was shoulder length, straight and golden-red. Some locks fell over her brown eyes and she put them back with her pale and long fingers. He absent-mindedly noticed she didn't have a ring, nor did she seemed to wear any other jewels.

He wondered what this one was hiding. So far all the new teachers at Hogwarts (apart from Hagrid, but he wasn't new to the castle) had tried to harm him (in Remus' case, unwillingly). Well, not this year. This time he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived, but a teacher, and if someone wanted to harm Harry Potter, it was Snape who would have to deal with it!

He wondered what his hated professor was doing with his body at the moment.

Severus was holding a letter in his hands, but he wasn't reading it. He already had, three times. Not that it had been that interesting, but after all what could you expect from one of these Weasleys? All dunderheads, even the adults.

There was one line, though, that faced him with a dilemma:

"We finally managed to convince Dumbledore to let you come in Grimmauld Place! Hermione said I'd better ask though. You do want to come, right?"

Did he? It was horrible in here, with the muggles making him work, and the starving, and the occasional beating, and the emotional impact… But at least here he was safe. Those muggles wouldn't even notice if he was the Dark Lord himself in disguise, they paid so little attention to their nephew…

But if he went to Grimmauld Place, he would have to act all the time, because unlike the Dursleys, the Weasley family really knew and cared about Harry. Plus, they were used to all kind of weird things happening to their friends, so they wouldn't just assume he had changed a lot over the summer. They would be suspicious, and look for clues of something wrong.

On the other hand, if he refused to go there, wouldn't the Weasleys find it highly suspicious? Ron's letter seemed to assume he'd love to come, and given the way the Dursleys treated him, he would have guessed the same. But did the Weasleys know how Harry Potter was treated at home? Severus doubted Harry would have told his friends about the beating part, but given the amount of food he had received for his birthday he guessed they were aware he didn't get enough to eat, at least.

Well, the best way to know if Harry would have wanted to go to Grimmauld Place was to let him answer, wasn't it? Or rather, let the potion answer. Severus closed his eyes, and imagined being back at Grimmauld Place. The dirty walls, the screaming portrait, Kreattur…

Suddenly he felt a blinding rage, a thirst for murder, a need to strangle the beast with his bare hands, and a second later it was gone, and Severus was left panting on the floor. But it wasn't the end, and Harry's body still had something to say in the matter. An incredibly strong feeling of loss, anguish, and pure pain overwhelmed him and he began to cry as he hadn't in years. Then came the guilt, the despair, each new feeling so strong he couldn't breathe. He had to fight it, or he felt like he would die…

In a second of lucidity, he occluded his mind. He had his answer. Harry Potter wouldn't want to go back to Grimmauld Place, even if it was the last safe place on earth. Even if it meant another two weeks at the Dursleys'.

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