The Professor to Top All Professors

"Professoring"

by V. C. (Velvet Curtain)

Words: approx. 4300

Microsoft Word Web Pages (Verdana, 12): 4

Rating: PG, but possibly PG-13 in later chapters.

Reasons: Serious romantic relationships, drama, tragedy, violence

Relationships: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, James/Lily

Summary: The Purity War is over. A long time ago, Minerva McGonagall (now Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) and Albus Dumbledore (deceased, former Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) agreed and arranged for Harry Potter (The-Boy-Who-Lived and The-Man-Who-Conquered) to take a break from the disaster that is their world. Together, they created a device that will send Harry back in time to not only educate and mentor his parents, but to discover things about the past and insure that the future remains in tact.

Disclaimer: If I owned this, I would not be writing this.

xoxoxoxo

Harry clutched the hilt of his sword as his feet finally hit solid ground, causing him to stumble back. He knew Ginny wouldn't be joining him for possibly a month in this time, so he just sighed and straightened himself up rather than looking for Ginny, as was his habit. His now-silver eyes wandered around a bit until they landed on his trunk, still getting used to not having glasses on his face and the fact that his black hair was now long and pulled back in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck, not unlike Bill's. Bill. Harry shook himself. It'd do him no good to think of the past … well, in this case, the future. He levitated his trunk to follow him and he sauntered away from the Shrieking Shack, where he had landed, through Hogsmeade (which sent a twang through his heart strings), and up to the Hogwarts castle, which looked quite imposing. He took a deep breath, straightened his robes, and casually let himself into the castle, hoping he would get to Dumbledore's office unnoticed. The teachers would be at the school, preparing for their classes, and he didn't fancy running into Flitwick or Sprout and having to explain himself.

Harry told the gargoyle the password that McGonagall had given him and hopped on board as the stairs moved upwards to the office. He leaned casually against the center of the spiraling staircase as it went up, still marveling at the simplicity of the charm that had been used upon it. He knocked twice on Dumbledore's door and entered when beckoned. It seemed even Dumbledore could be surprised.

"Good afternoon, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" he inquired suspiciously, merely raising an eyebrow at the young man who had only just turned eighteen.

"Yes, actually, I'd like to apply for the Defense position. I don't suppose it has already been filled?" questioned Harry casually, as he already knew the answer. Inside, however, his heart was pacing furiously. Dumbledore. Dumbledore was dead in his time. His mentor was no longer living; it would be a harsh reality when he went back to the future.

"No, it hasn't," conceded Dumbledore, eyeing the newcomer curiously. "What is your name, boy, and what recommendations do you have?"

"Well, I'm Harry Potter, but I have to go by Professor Patterson. I have your recommendation, as well as Minerva's. You see, Minerva sent me here from the future."

"Oh?"

Harry explained the entire story to Dumbledore, leaving out anything that might harm the future, as Minerva had warned him. By the end of it, Dumbledore was astounded, which was quite a feat.

"I see," he murmured thoughtfully, studying Harry carefully. "Tell me some more about your Defense skills."

"Well," Harry grinned, knowing that he would yet again surprise the old man. "I'm proficient in dueling, obviously, having dueled with Voldemort, yourself, and other powerful wizards; I can produce a corporeal patronus; I'm an animagus, form of a lion; I have also become quite skilled in boxing, dancing, swordplay, and a few other Muggle forms of self-defense and attack; I have experience with the Unforgivables, as you know, as well as a majority of curses that are unknown to many wizards. Obviously, I have experience."

"The job is yours," said Dumbledore calmly, though his eyes told a different story. "Do you need any assistance in finding your rooms?"

"No, thank you, I think I can manage," denied Harry with a smile, standing and levitating his trunk again. "I'll go unpack. I'll provide the text books for the students, since I came on such short notice. Oh, yeah, my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, will be arriving within the month, though I'm not exactly sure when, just to warn you beforehand."

That said, Harry left Dumbledore's office, leaving behind a very amused and bemused Professor.

xoxoxoxo

The day of the students' arrival dawned in a mist of fog and drizzling, which only made Harry pity the first years. His classroom was prepared for his first class, as were his lesson plans for the first semester. Having a lot of time on his hands since he had arrived had done him some good. He was much more rested now that he had escaped all of the hustle and bustle of his regular life. The Welcoming Feast approached quickly, and Harry was more than excited when the students arrived. Somehow though, he managed to sit still at the table among the other professors and retain a calm, cool exterior. However, something in his chest stirred when he saw what was undoubtedly the Marauders walk through the doors and take their seats at the Gryffindor table. Harry had to remind himself that Peter had not betrayed his parents yet; therefore he was still a good friend and should be treated as such.

Harry noticed that he was getting quite a few stares, particularly from the girls, and turned to speak to Professor Flitwick, who had spoken to him.

"You seem quite popular already, Harry," he commented in his squeaky little voice.

"Let's just hope that it stays that way," replied Harry with a smile, his hand caressing the hilt of the sword unconsciously. Flitwick laughed, but soon they were cut short by the arrival of the first years, all small and scared. Harry grinned, remembering his Sorting. He had been more nervous than heck! Especially when he and Ron thought they had to battle a troll….

McGonagall began the Sorting, and Harry subconsciously remembered all of the first years' names for class, though his mind was elsewhere. His eyes roamed the crowded Gryffindor table until they came to rest upon his mother, a few seats down from his father, chatting quietly with her friends and completely ignorant of the fact that James glanced her way after every other first year was Sorted. He chuckled at this, applauding for "Hickleby, William" who was Sorted to Hufflepuff. This would definitely be an interesting year.

After the Sorting, Dumbledore said the yearly announcements, including a serious warning of the rise of Voldemort, as well as the introduction of Harry, which was quite interesting, to say the least. Everyone had seemed interested in Harry, but a few of the girls looked quite smitten. He found it very hard to ignore the fact that they were, in fact, twenty years older than him, at least. That was rather disturbing.

xoxoxoxo

Harry's first class with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first years went very smoothly. They were all very intimidated by him at first, but they had warmed up after a while. Harry had decided that the first day or two would be a getting-to-know-each-other day in every class, even seventh and fifth years. The students needed to feel comfortable with him, and he felt that the only way for them to be comfortable was for them to ask all their questions the first day. However, it was not all that he anticipated. Seventh year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had been very interesting indeed.

"No matter how important your N.E.W.T.s are, I know that this year will be incredibly stressful, so I'm going to try to relieve some of that stress a little bit. You studious ones need not worry: I have the entire semester's lessons planned and organized, the proof that I have too much time on my hands, but today we won't be doing any work." The students cheered, but quickly quieted. Harry grinned. "Yeah, I know. Anyways, I think that in order for you to get the best education in this class, you have to be comfortable with me. Today, you can ask any questions you like about me, this class, or whatever you like. I'll decide what's okay or not. Simple, eh? If it gets out of hand, I'll assign homework, which you won't like, and class will be silent for the rest of the period. If it is only because of a few students," Harry tried not to look directly at the Marauders, "they will be punished separately and justly. Understand? Good. Now, questions! Yes, Miss…"

"Henderson," the Gryffindor blonde supplied hastily. Harry looked down at the roster and nodded when he saw the name "Henderson, Katherine" on the list.

"Yes, Miss Henderson?"

"Are you single, or dating, or married, or whatever?" she asked with a blush and a giggle. Harry chuckled as the class laughed as well, though a few of the other girls put their hands down.

"Right now I am very satisfied with my girlfriend. She's amazing. Er, Miss…."

"Parks," answered another girl, whom Harry found to go by the name of Edith. "What's she like? What's her name? How did you meet? Will you give us details?"

Harry flushed a bit, a little embarrassed, but decided that it would be unfair not to answer, so he did. "Her name is Ginny. She has six older brothers, which is really how I met her. She was my best friend's little sister to me for a long time. Their family was like my own, mostly because I didn't have a proper family of my own. In my sixth year I finally decided that I was madly in love with her and we've been on and off ever since. Ginny is probably the only person in the world who can put up with my moods and still stick around after that. She's been with me through … everything, practically. Gorgeous, too. Of course, if Ron ever heard me….Sorry. Next question, Mister…."

"Black." Harry nodded, not needing to look at the roster.

"You seem really sad. Any specific reason that you can share with us? Such as, your past?"

The young Remus Lupin elbowed him in the ribs for his blatant question on what was obviously a touchy subject. Harry sighed and looked around the classroom, studying each person individually. There was no way they could handle all of what he'd been through. Even in their seventh year, they were far more innocent than he'd ever been.

"No, Mr. Black," he denied quietly, sadly. "My past is not a fitting subject for the classroom."

"Can't you tell us a little?" Sirius wheedled, ignoring the glare burning into the back of his head from James Potter and the sharp elbow in his ribs from Remus Lupin and the heavy foot on his own from Peter.

"Idiot, he doesn't want to tell us. Leave it alone," James hissed sharply in his friend's ear. Sirius just stared at Harry eagerly, obviously expecting an answer.

"A little?" Harry asked thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. "You want to know a little of what I've been through?"

Sirius nodded, not looking quite as confident as he had before, but the defiance was still present in his eyes.

"All right, then. I'll tell you a little about my life. I've been an orphan since I was one year old and grew up with relatives who hated me. I fought for my life for the first time in my first year, and I have fought for it many more times since then. I have seen many deaths, including that of my godfather and that of a friend and competitor. My best friend was killed last May, leaving my other best friend a pregnant widow. I have faced Voldemort and his followers numerous times. I didn't come here without scars. I'm an Auror; I graduated last June. I was practically ordered to take leave for this year to relax and recover, and my girlfriend will hopefully join me soon. Any questions?"

The room was silent, but a few raised tentative hands.

"Yes, Miss Parks?"

"How did you survive?"

Harry blinked at the blunt question.

"Um … luck, I guess."

"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, do you have patronus and anamagi forms?" Harry fixed Remus Lupin with a hard, calculating stare, seeing the questions beneath the werewolf's eyes.

"I never mind questions, Mr. Lupin," replied Harry with a chuckle, leaning casually against his desk and folding his arms. "My patronus form is a stag, and my animagi form is a lion." Harry grinned mischievously and easily slid into his animagi form. Where their professor had once stood was now a large, regal lion with a messy mane and sparkling green eyes, with light silver markings around his eyes. He jumped up onto his desk and, when he transformed again, he was sitting on the desk with his legs dangling casually over the edge, grinning at his shocked class. He chuckled again. "Any more questions? Mr. Patil?"

"Sir, how did you manage to get away with so much trouble, and why are you telling us? I mean, aren't teachers supposed to not get in trouble?"

"Ah, Mr. Patil, I am afraid you are incorrect," grinned Harry, his silver eyes twinkling. "Even professors get in trouble. We would never learn anything if we didn't get in trouble. And as for why I'm telling you, I feel that it is necessary for you to be able to trust me for you to know whatever you wish to know about me. I can't expect you to be honest with me if I am not honest with you, and vice versa. How I managed to get away with it … well, that was due mostly to the invisibility cloak that I inherited from my father, as well as a great deal of help from Fred and George and my other friends. Unfortunately though, I will have to punish you if I catch you breaking the rules, as is my duty as a professor. I am forced to be fair, no matter what. Ah, Mr. Potter?"

"Sir," began James hesitantly, looking up at Harry curiously. Harry's breath caught in his throat but he quickly recovered. It was so weird to have your own father look at you like that, especially when he's a year or so younger than you. Lily was watching this exchange carefully from her seat, eyeing James warily. "I just—" James was cut off by the ringing of the bell. The class looked on expectantly.

"You are dismissed," Harry declared to the students that were waiting. There was immediately a flurry of activity as they rushed off to their next classes, but James stayed in his seat.

"See you in Transfig, James," Sirius said, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder. Leaning down, he whispered in his ear, "I'll cover for you if you're late."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Black," Harry rebuked him quietly, knowing what his godfather was whispering in his father's ear. "I do not have another class today, so I will walk with Mr. Potter to his next class."

Sirius nodded, seemingly quite surprised that the professor had known what he had said when even Remus, who was right next to him, hadn't heard what he had whispered, whilst the professor was a good five feet away.

"Yes, sir, of course," he replied smoothly, heading out the door with Remus and Peter behind him as though he wasn't the least bit disturbed, though he did spare a second glance at Professor Patterson, who merely winked in reply. Shaking his head, Sirius left, leaving James alone with Professor Patterson.

"You had a question, Mr. Potter?" he asked of his father gently, sitting down beside him in the seat that Sirius had recently vacated quite casually.

"I'm not quite sure how to phrase it, sir," he sighed puzzledly, running a hand through his jet-black, messy hair frustratedly.

"Then don't," replied Professor Patterson, earning a shocked stare from James. He chuckled. "There's no reason for you to need to know how to phrase something, Mr. Potter. You just say the first thing you think of, and hope that they don't get offended. In some situations, it isn't so, but in an informal situation such as this, it is not necessary to know what you're going to say next."

James stared at him for a second, a small grin slowly forming on his face. "Thanks, Professor," he sighed, leaning forward in his chair to talk to him. Harry imitated these actions, so that their faces were only inches apart. James continued to speak, letting the words flow from his lips in a way he had done few times before. "Sir, I've grown up with a wonderful family. I've always been an only child, so I've been kind of spoiled, and both of my parents were only children as well. I have no relations other than my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and etcetera. I- Well, I guess I've always known I've been really lucky to have such great parents and all, what with Sirius's family—er, did you know about his family?"

"I know a little," replied Harry with a wan smile. "And I do know that he is now living with you, correct?"

"Yes, sir," answered James with a relieved sigh. "Anyways, his family is the only family I've ever really known to be mean, and I thought that was just a … well, you know, that it wasn't very common. But now, I keep hearing things, like your family, and Lily's family, and Peter's family, and …. Well, are bad families really that … common? I mean, are there really that many people out there that have been raised badly, or dislike their family or whatever?"

James was frowning at Professor Patterson, who also frowned and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He couldn't believe he was talking to his own father this way!

"Mr. Potter," he began slowly, "not all families are bad, but not all families are good either. It's rather like the wizarding world, with the dark versus the light, and everyone is at odds. There are good wizards, there are bad wizards, there are wizards that are neither, indifferent, you could say. There are many different wizards out there, and there are as many light wizards as there are dark and vice versa. The same is with families. There are some that are incredibly dark, such as Mr. Black's, and then there are those that are just a bit off in some places, like Miss Evans's. I do not know Mr. Pettigrew's situation, however his family probably has a category entirely their own. Bad families are not common, but they are not uncommon either. Do you see what I'm trying to say?"

"I think so," said James, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. After a minute of silence, James's eyebrows relaxed and he turned his gaze upon his professor, who was waiting patiently for him to sort out his thoughts. James grinned at the man, who was only a year older than him, and was returned the favor.

"Come on then," Harry finally said, standing up and waiting for James to do the same. "McGonagall will have my hide on a silver platter if you miss her famous N.E.W.T. preparation speech."

James laughed and stood, following his professor out the door and studying him carefully. They walked in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom in companionable silence for a while before James finally broke the spell.

"Professor, I don't believe there is anyone that I admire as much as you," he admitted quietly, looking a little bashful. Harry looked at him curiously.

"And why do you say that, Mr. Potter?" he questioned curiously, eyeing the Head Boy with wonder. His father admired him?

"There's something about you, Professor, that just … I don't know, it demands respect and trust. You're the kind of guy, if you don't mind me saying so, that can survive anything, do anything, or be anything if he sets his mind to it. You're much wiser than you should be for being only a year than me, no offense, Professor," he added hurriedly, running his hand through his hair again.

"None taken, Mr. Potter," replied Harry quietly, smiling gently. "Wisdom comes with age, and I suppose you could say that I've aged a bit faster than anybody else. Though, I can tell you now that I'm not the greatest wizard you'll ever meet. Thank you for the thoughts, though. You don't now how much it means to me to hear you say that, and I assure you, Mr. Potter, that you seem like that kind of guy to me as well. You are an extraordinary wizard. I know that you have the same determination I have, if not more, and I'm not sure if you quite know yet how much your peers and professors respect you."

"Professor," James chortled, looking quite amused. "You must be more naïve than I thought. No offense, sir, but I can't possibly measure up to your amount of determination, and my peers and professors certainly don't respect me. Not the way they respect you," he said a little wistfully, running his hand through his hair yet again. "Sir, people around here know me as a prankster, a Marauder, a mischief-maker. No one but Sirius, Remus, and Peter really trust me anymore. Not in the way I'd like them to. That's why I've got to be better this year. I have to be the best Head Boy Hogwarts has ever seen. I don't want to be remembered as only the star Chaser on the Gryffindor team, team captain, ringleader of the Marauders, brilliant student, second only to Sirius in the ranking of the most detentions in all of Hogwarts. I—sir, I want people to remember me for being me. Not that I'm not all of those things, but that's not all of who I am, Professor, and it seems like nobody believes me. I hate that everything I say is a joke to everyone. No one thinks I can be a fair Head Boy—heck, even Sirius laughed when I told him that I'd made Head Boy! Everyone thinks that Professor Dumbledore's insane for choosing me, and I want to prove them wrong! I want to show them that I can be more than a big joke all the time! Especially Lily! She's never been able to see me as anything more than a prankster and an okay kind of guy. She told me so. She said I'd never grow up, that I'd never be anything more than a prankster and a show-off. No one thinks I can do this – not even Sirius anymore, which hurts more than I can tell you. He's my brother, and he doesn't even believe that I can show people who I really am and make them forget who they've always seen me as. Professor, if I don't do this, no one will ever trust me. Sirius will laugh and rub it in my face that he was right all along, and Lily would be disgusted. That's the last thing I want. You've got to understand, Professor! I just know that I'm in love with her, but she'll have nothing to do with me, and it's driving me insane!"

"James," said Harry calmly, putting his hands on his shoulders in a firm, comforting grip after he had finished ranting. James's face was pink, his hair messier than before from excessive running of the hands, and his breathing was hard. "James, listen to me. You have it in you. I can see it as clearly as I can see that wall behind you. But James, not everyone can because there are things in the way, like the way those portraits block the wall almost entirely from view. It's there, but there are things covering it up. I'm not saying that pranks aren't good things, James. They make us laugh at the time when we need laughter the most. But there are appropriate times for pranks as well as inappropriate. As Head Boy it is your responsibility to take care of the students, and Professor Dumbledore entrusted you with this position because he knows as well as I do that you can do it, and do it well. Never give up on anything, and don't let your friends or even Lily pressure you into being something that you're not. If you just be yourself and take care of your responsibilities, people will soon see the real side of you, and they'll like it. Everything falls into place when you're completely honest. If your friends or Lily can't accept you as who you truly are with all the baggage, then they aren't true friends. I really don't think you're going to have a problem, James. You and Sirius seem quite close- more like brothers- and I have no doubt that he is a true friend. Your other friends are wonderful as well, but I can't read them as well. Lily is a sensible girl, I can see that. Besides, women never like lies. It'll take a while to gain their trust, but you can do it, James. Don't doubt yourself."

Harry stopped talking when he felt like James had gotten the message and led him toward the classroom. He gently rapped his knuckles on the wall of the threshold, calling McGonagall's attention to them.

"I'm sorry he's late, Minerva," he apologized smoothly as James walked past him into the classroom, where Sirius had saved him a seat, giving Harry a grateful but thoughtful grin. "I needed to speak with him about a few things. I'll try not to keep your students too often."

"Yes, thank you, Harry," she replied, a sympathetic gleam in her eyes. "It's quite all right. Now, to begin where I left off…."

Harry grinned as he walked away from McGonagall's classroom. This was a lot easier than he thought it would be.

xoxoxoxo

A/N: Surprise! I will update Meant to Live, promise! Hopefully soon. I've been sick for over a month now, and the doc is going to get me a catscan, whatever that is. I guess it's pretty serious or something, but I'm really, really behind on school work. I might end up failing Biology and end up taking it over again next year at the rate this is going, Geometry too. I don't know if I could handle that, so I'm doing my best. A few prayers would be appreciated. It's hard to do schoolwork when it feels like you have a constant brain freeze. You know, like when you drink too much of your milkshake too fast and your head hurts really bad? Like that. Yeah. Is that a good enough excuse? I'm not sure how good this chappie is, since I can't concentrate for my life, but hopefully it's acceptable. Forgive me?

V.C.