Ok. Here's you next chapter. I'm getting the vibe that you people don't really like my schedule. I don't blame you, really. Fast updating was thanks to SoullessGhosty who whipped me like I were a dog… not really but almost. Thank you for doing it.

Sooooo…. enjoy.

(I have a feeling that there's a lack of disclaimers here.

Discl: There are rich people and then there are us poor authors. Just where do you think I'm posting this?????)

New school year started like every other. With breakfast. Harry had checked the notice board and had failed to find a notice about the special course Dumbledore had told them. He decidedly told himself that he wasn't interested. He had enough to do with Quidditch already.

As McGonagall gave the timetables nobody bothered to stifle their groans. The twins didn't even bother to cover their glee at their predicament. The worst teachers all lined up for one day. It would be hell.

"So what's so bad about this day?" Harry jumped a little when the voice of one of the new transfers sounded near his ear. He came face to face with a well build teen with a black hair much like his own. He was smirking like a seasoned flirt.

"Ah… that's because the subjects…. suck. For this day, I mean. First we have history which just puts you to sleep. Then we have….." Harry explained him. The boy, apparently named Gary, according to the other transfers, listened intently. Gary then thanked him and went to sit down with his friends.

Harry though, couldn't shake the strange feeling he'd gotten from their eyes that seemed to see too much.

He sneaked looks at them so much that Hermione noticed and joined him. On the 7th time they noticed the transfers had stopped talking with each other and now had their eyes fixed to the door with suspicious faces. They too looked and saw the new professor walk in. He had a scarf on his head, which kinda reminded Harry of Quirrel. Luckily it wasn't a turban or he would've been plain freaked.

As they watched him, he walked by the Ravenclaw table. His steps were economical and controlled, almost soundless. To Harry, he was like a statue, to the exorcists he walked like a soldier. But it made sense too, he was probably a martial artists.

Suddenly one of the Ravenclaws stopped him and asked something they couldn't hear. The professor had leaned down closer to the student. Supposedly of the course he was supposed to teach. He answered the girl with a shrug and a smile and straightened. But instead of moving, he nailed the transfers with a strangely expecting look, daring them to do something.

The suddenly out the blue he was looking at him and Hermione too and it was like the air was sizzling. Then it was gone and Reklaw nodded to them and smiled. Then he was gone. They were left in silence and Hermione looked like she was thinking furiously.

XX

A favourite thing of Kal's was definitely scaring people. Making them suspicious. If one was to ask, he'd still answer that no, he's totally not bored.

Right.

XX

There were a few weeks of relative quiet. That was if you didn't count the detentions, Quidditch drama and general mayhem with the twins. The homework wasn't helping at all. Umbridge and Malfoy either.

The only highlight had been Sirius. Though the following High-Inquisitor incident was just plain weird and suspicious.

Harry had somewhere in his mind promised to keep track of the transfers but there was something strangely elusive about them. He knew they went to the same classes and slept in the same house but they remained slippery.

Then one morning when Harry checked the notice board, he found the announcement about the new course.

Announcement to all Muggle studies courses students!

The mandatory evening course consisting of culture and mannerisms studies

will begin this week on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in the Magical history classroom.

First lesson must be attended so that the participants can be listed, you cannot enter halfway the course. This also applies to other students who wish to take part of the course…

Harry read no more. The time was just perfect and he was waiting for the opportunity to do something he would be good at. Plus, he could now understand a little why Hermione had wanted to do Muggle studies. It could be quite interesting to do from the Wizard point of view. He stalked of to find his friends.

XX

The three strangers to the micro universe of Hogwarts looked at the above mentioned announcement. Carrie paced on her heels.

"Think we should go? Could be a good opportunity to scan Reklaw."

"Sounds good. Though the scanner might not give such good results. We might have to check it the old fashioned way." Nick scratched his jaw. "I've been working on it but all the magic that's nestling inside this place can't be good for the calibration…"

Gary grinned. "You're making it sound like bedroom talk." He said suggestively. They could swear those eyebrows were juggling.

"…"

Two pairs of eyes turned towards him looking slightly ill. He threw his hands up. "Just saying…"

The resulting sighs were identical. What was wrong with this guy?

XX

When Thursday came it was almost a relief. There were some of the students were clearly expecting the course but some were expecting the rarely seen professor Reklaw. There was clearly some hearts in the eyes of the girls. Harry was glad, since it made the attention to move from him to someone else for a change.

At 6 pm a group of students found themselves in the history classroom, the largest classroom that was in regular use. Some of the students had already spotted Harry and were whispering with each other. Harry was feeling sick again. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. He was making twitches towards the door when Hermione twisted an arm around his and the door opened. In stepped pure Brown.

Of course Harry realized it was not very nice to call someone that but the brownness of the scene made his twitches real and he wasn't the only one.

The professor was clearly amused at the display. Then he raised his right hand and traced something to the air. The chairs and tables piled themselves cleanly to the side.

'Not so brown after all, he had white gloves.' The thought was shared by pretty much everyone.

There was a moment of silence then suddenly Reklaw started talking in a voice that really didn't look like it fit to his looks. Harry was reminded of Umbridge and he rubbed his hand in remembrance.

"It looks like we have a nice group of people here gathered. I will later put a list on the door where all Muggle studies students can confirm their presence and our voluntary ones can sign their name up. As the notice boards stated, I can't take any students in the middle since this will be a bit of an intensive course. A small test will be kept in the end, nothing major, just to check how the information has sunk in to your head." He kept a small break and looked at them.

"All those who have no interest in this course can leave now, there's in no reason for me to teach people who are not here for the right reasons." His suddenly blank look seemed to stray towards the few girls who kept making dreamy eyes at him. He waited and after a while, the girls left. He nodded to them politely and waited for the door to close. Then he clapped his hands together (how they made such noise with gloves on was a mystery) and rubbed them together. The transfers were now getting flashbacks.

Reklaw snapped his fingers and from the pile of chairs flew one chair to everyone in a nice U-shape. He gestured them to it down. They did. He walked in to the middle.

"We are going to get started with manners. They don't differ much from Wizard manners in the sense of purpose but are, of course, performed differently. And since we are in the history classroom, we are going to start with exactly that. History." There were a few groans that made his smile almost evil. He raised a finger.

"That's not very fair towards Binns, you know? But worry not; I know his lessons can be slightly… tiring. But just between you and me, I might be able to make it more interesting than him. Maybe it's a… " his smile crooked a little "ghost thing." The smile was gone like never there.

"If you have any questions, just raise your hand. But back to manners, first up is handshake. Did you know that originally it was done in order to check for weapons in the dominant hand…."

The students found themselves listening avidly as Reklaw's voice carried them back to the middle ages. It was probably the most interesting history lesson ever.

XX

Umbridge was feeling quite giddy. She would be inspecting Reklaw's class in a few hours and would get back at him for some of the humiliation he'd put her through.

"Professor Reklaw!" Umbridge called in the middle of the hallway. Some of the students glanced around for the man but scurried away when they saw Umbridge looking even more childish than usual. It was a bad sign when she called someone looking like that.

The man was now walking towards her. The nicknamed Mr. Brown was smiling slightly when he stopped and nodded to her slowly.

"Yes, Dolores? Was there anything you'd like know?" Dolores narrowed her gaze.

"In fact there is. I've heard some rumours about your course. They say that some spells that belong to the DADA class have been used there. I'd like you to explain."

"Ah of course. Would you rather like that we would talk in a more private setting? We wouldn't want to give the children any ideas, now would we?" Somehow she felt like he was mocking her, big time. Always polite nearly to a fault, like he was laughing at her behind that face of his. It was infuriating.

"Sure," she said,"how about my office, now? I believe you don't have any classes now."

He chuckled amicably. "Indeed I don't. Shall we?" She nodded and they were on their way to her office and home ground. On the way they passed Severus who watched them like a hawk looks at rotten meat. Bad but might still be eatable. It gave her the creeps when she wasn't exactly sure what he was watching at. Maybe he didn't like Reklaw either or there was something between them. She didn't know but hopefully would find out at some point. Severus would be a good one to have on her side. Man was a natural traitor, after all.

At her office she carefully observed his reaction to her preferred form of decorating. There was nothing in his face. She sat down and motioned him to do the same. He refused tea. Dolores decided to get into business. She wasn't very keen on spending time alone with this man. He was unnerving.

"So, are the rumours true? I might not see you as a very qualified teacher if you demonstrate something as dangerous as those spells are to young and impressionable children. I hope you know that this is a school, a safe place for the children to learn and grow."

She was quite sure that normal humans didn't have smiles like that.

"But surely you understand my intention. I was demonstrating the children what a wizard would do in certain situations. The purpose of the course is to teach them think a little more like a Muggle, not in order to make them one but to make the understand why Muggles behave in situations as they do. To lessen the conflicts between our worlds, you see."

"Do you think you can do my work better than me, mister Reklaw? Those are dangerous spells that most of them shouldn't yet be worrying about. Those spells are supposed to be taught in a better supervised situation."

"Do you believe that I can't keep control in a classroom? Besides, these kids are here to learn, not to overthrow teachers. I hardly think that showing them a few spells that most of them already know about, causes any trauma."

"I don't want these children to harm themselves. All offensive spells should be confined to the DADA class." A raised eyebrow was her answer. She didn't really know what to make of it.

"Excellent that you reminded me. Since this is such a great opportunity to ask… Just what is it that you actually do during those lessons of yours. I've heard that it is pure theory but surely that must be a myth."

Dolores bristled.

"I didn't know that you're an education expert. Are you trying to tell me what to do in my classes?" She stood up and tried to look intimidating. It was not easy with her frame.

He raised his hands a little, palms up. "No need to be so angry about it. I was merely asking. But I'm curious, since they practice spell in transfiguration and charms, why shouldn't they practice in DADA?"

"It is because those are potentially dangerous spells. If the children study theory carefully, they should be perfectly capable of performing the required spells in a supervised exam situation."

"How about real life, then?" He asked silently. "They practice for an exam and when they arrive, later in life, into a situation where a spell must be used they find themselves frozen because the surroundings aren't a supervised exam situation. And don't try to say that life after school isn't dangerous." His smile was showing teeth. "You'd be surprised how the most inconspicuous things can be surprisingly…deadly."

"Are you threatening me? This won't go unnoti-"She was interrupted by a knock on the door. The man across the table looked challengingly at her. She directed her attention to the door. "Yes?"

It opened to reveal Filch who had a student in his grasp.

"Ma'am? I found some lawbreakers and saw fit to ask for your opinion. They were carrying dangerous items in the hallway…"

Dolores had intended to tell Filch that she would take care of it after the meeting but when her eyes swiped to the chair, she realized there was no one there. She'd heard about these disappearing tricks only as rumours around the school, it was the first time she witnessed one herself. In her opinion, it just proved that there was something wrong with him. She was suddenly feeling like punishing students and was intending to when all her dried plants fell down and all her kitty plates all crumbled from her wall.

She just knew it was all Reklaw's fault.

XXX

The memory gave her power as she marched towards. The parchment in her hands was wrinkled from her tight grip. She wanted that eerie man out of this school, along with creatures like that half-giant and clearly incompetent teachers like the divination teacher. To be honest, all overly old plotting people could go as well, in the same batch.

Before the term had even started, she'd already received most of the staff's background info. All the little secrets that the staff sported were in her files along with the suspicions of even worse ones. But it didn't really matter. All unfit ones would be removed.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the door in front of her. Thank god no students were out of their common rooms at times like this. I they'd seen her all out of touch from reality… what a respect killer in class.

She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

She saw all the participants organized into a ring with their chairs and tables. Their teacher was situated in the middle, walking around and gesturing with the ever gloved hands. He was saying something about subways. She wasn't entirely sure what it entailed.

"If the need to travel in a subway arises…. Ah excellent, Dolores, you're here. I was wondering when you'd come." That creepy smile was there again. And how she hated the way he said her name. Like his tongue was coated in sugar.

Of course she wasn't aware that it was a perfect imitation of the way she talked when dealing with certain people, namely all of them.

She twisted her face into a smile. "Do continue with the teaching. I'll just observe and will later ask some questions from you and the students…"

"Of course. Now as I was saying…." He continued.

As the lesson progressed, Dolores found herself actually listening what he was saying, as opposed to the observation. She cleared her head and turned her attention to the students. It seemed that all the problem children were there and then some. Even the three transfers were there, which she found odd. But she'd also found it odd that they were in the school, as she was quite sure that the school they claimed to be from didn't exist. Up to this point she had ignored them. Their turn would come soon enough. But eventually she would have to take it up with Dumbledore and eventually with the aurors. You never knew these days.

But enough about them. She manoeuvred herself inside the circle of tables and cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Would you have time for my questions now?" She inquired. By all means it was something she could've done after the lesson, without the attention from the students but she had done a public interrogation with every staff member and he would be included. She readied her parchment.

"So, Reklaw, isn't it?" As if she didn't know. "None of the documents I have actually have you first name on them, could you tell me what it is?"

He seemed slightly surprised. She noted that even the students seemed slightly interested. "There isn't? Must have slipped Albus' mind then. It's Kal. My first name is Kal. Written with a K."

"You've taught here this year only?" He answered with a nod and she made another mark on her parchment.

"Do you have intentions to continue teaching this… subject in here at Hogwarts?" Now there was a definite rise on one of his eyebrows. The he nailed her with an amused grin.

"I don't know. At the moment it seems to be under your control whether I do or don't. Though it's been fun so far. The people are nice." There was something nostalgic in his expression.

This wasn't going the way she'd intended it to. But she still had something. In the files she'd requested from the Ministry had all staff members listed. Reklaw's nomination had come after that and she'd asked for information as soon as possible. The answer had been short and sweet: there simply wasn't any info. Which told a lot, if you thought about it.

She decided to change subject.

"Does this course entail anything practical?" Her pen was poised above the parchment. "I believe we've already talked about this." She added pleasantly.

"Indeed we did. Yes, to your question, we do have practicals here, clothes and other stuff like that."

She completely missed the looks exchanged by the students. Well, she hadn't defined the word practical anyway. She asked a few questions more and moved for the kill.

"So, Kal," she emphasised his name, "I've been looking through records and asking people but no one seems to know where you're from. There are no records of you attending any magical schools or institutions. I would like to know where you were taught."

XX

All three exorcists were listening to the poorly disguised interrogation very carefully. The information was proving to be extremely interesting. They'd known already that she was tenacious in her inquiry but this was taking the cake so far.

The scanning, completed via a laser when Nick had finally made it work, had yielded no results. At least they were reasonably sure he wasn't an akuma. But all other options were still open. It seemed that the old witch had the same problem. It was, frankly, damn hilarious to watch.

XX

'They don't know who he is?' Harry thought with slight horror. Images of Voldemort's servants flew through his mind. Was Reklaw a Deatheater. Had Dumbledore finally snapped after everything and allowed the enemy to go lurking inside the school? Ron and Hermione were looking a bit terrified and were making darting glances around the room. Then Hermione nudged Harry (well, nudged was a little mild description since, elbow in the side hurt especially made by Hermione when she was so high strung) and pointed at the transfers. Harry's suspicions, calmed by the long period of inactivity, jumped up around ten notches again when he saw the trio watching the teacher showdown with strange smirks that didn't really add up to the situation. He wanted to see more but then prof. Reklaw (and what kind of first name was Kal anyway) was speaking again.

"I'm sure we can discuss more about this later. But may I do my job now? It is, I believe, the reason why I was hired." Umbridge smirked in the way that usually threw Harry's alarm bells haywire. But it seemed that she would be happy for the time being.

"Of course."

Like the other lessons she stayed until the end and questioned some students about the work they were doing in there. She must have been disappointed with the answers as her frown deepened. It was truly a shame; Harry reflected maliciously, that there were no Slytherins in this course.

When the class ended, Umbridge was the first one out of the door, followed by the rest of the class. That didn't count, of course, The Golden Trio.

"Professor Reklaw?" Hermione started. Reklaw's eyebrow shot up. "I wish to warn you about Umbridge. She can-"

He raised a hand to silence her. His smile was sweet.

"Remember Miss Granger. Battles and wars are two different things. She can have this victory. Sometimes bidding one's time is smarter." He raised his voice a little." And I do hope that Misters Potter and Weasley also note this. For future use. Now off you go."

The door closed. Then Ron blinked.

"What did he mean by that?"

Ooooh. For some reason I have a craving for Kal/Severus. That's material for some other twisted side story.

Now I'm sure you've noticed how the first chapter is a little weird when I compare it to the rest of the story. At some point I'll be rewriting it a little, making changes to the information shared. It makes sense right? 'cause Dumbledore should be tormented with insecurity.

No Snape in this one. Sad.

Do leave me some feedback on your way out. See ya.