*Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Riley Brannigan and the plot!*
*~* A/N: Ack, sorry that this took so long to update. I haven't been in the mood lately, but now I am! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you are my muses! You make it all happen! Thanks sooo much! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's extra long! Please review! *~*
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Riley's breath caught in her throat, "How did you know my name?" she mumbled, a gasping breath escaping her lips. Harry tensed up and quickly changed the subject, shooting Ron a knowing glance,
"James was my dad."
He told her. Riley's eyes brimmed with faint tears of pain,
"So you must be Harry Potter." She whispered, "God, you look so much like your father….." Harry's expression softened and he relaxed. As single tear trailed down her cheek, she reached out and clasped his left shoulder with her hand. "Your father was a good man, Harry." Harry smiled genuinely,
"Thank you." He said, placing his hand on top of her's on his shoulder. "How did you know him?" Harry asked, faking a curious expression, inside he cringed, he hated lying to this woman who he felt he already knew. Riley smiled, recalling past memories,
"He was a great friend of mine, a fellow Quidditch player on the Gryffindor house team, and in my same year." She shook her head, grinning, "We caused so much trouble, the four of us." Voices echoed from the hall and startled Riley, dropping her hand, wiping the lone tear away. "Why don't you take the desk up front?" Riley suggested to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, turning to her desk with a brief smile. Harry smiled at Ron who smiled back causing Hermione's brow to rise in curiosity. They took the desk up front as the rest of the class filed in slowly. Riley slid on to the top of her desk and sat cross-legged, peering down at a single piece of paper. Harry turned in his seat to look at the newcomers.
"Is that our teacher?" One male Gryffindor said, his jaw cascading to the floor.
Draco Malfoy followed with his usual bunch of fellow Slytherin laughing up a storm. Draco stopped in his tracks, eyeing Riley,
"Are you our professor?" He asked with a sly grin, taking a seat towards the front.
"Yeah." She answered, her brow quirked, and rolled her eyes, "No, I'm the Queen of England." she shot out, sarcastically.
"I think I'm going to like this class….." he stated loudly, eyes wide and motioning towards their new professor.
"Mr. Malfoy, I presume." She said, hopping down from her desk with a bored tone, as he puffed out his chest. "Too much like your father." She said aloud to herself, grimacing.
Draco smirked and spotted Harry glaring at him, "Something wrong with you, Potter?"
"Shut up, Mr. Malfoy." Riley demanded with no hesitation, wearing a glare. Draco smirked once again, before sliding back down into his seat. Riley straightened herself out with a smile as she stood nobly before her new class, "Good morning, I'm your new Muggle Studies professor. My name is Professor Brannigan and yes, I am American." She watched as the young faces studied her,
"Where in America?" Lavender Brown asked, three rows down with a curious expression,
"The East Coast." She said with a glitter in her eyes. She picked up a piece of paper on her desk and peered at the class, her eyes lingered on Harry for a second and then swept her eyes away, "Ronald Weasley?" she murmured gazing at the redhead intently, she fingered her class list, "You look very familiar." She muttered, rubbing her temple in confusion. Ron immediately grew red to the roots of his complementing hair. Harry's eyes grew and Ron darted his eyes other at Harry with fear etched on to his features.
"You said she wouldn't remember." Ron whispered quietly to Harry through the side of his mouth. Riley turned back away from her class towards her desk to collect her thoughts with an enigmatic expression. Harry leaned over to Ron,
"I don't think she exactly remembers. She remembers seeing your face, but she can't place it." He whispered softly to Ron. Riley turned back to the class, confusion still in her eyes, but wiped from her face,
"Anyway…..." she smiled, lifting her features. "Today, we'll touch on my favorite Muggle subject, music." Her eyes glittered again. Riley walked over to a shelf and picked up a black old-fashioned record player, "Can anyone tell me what this is?" she asked, walking back to her desk and placing it down. She watched as all but two of her students gazed at her with puzzled looks. Harry and Hermione held their hands high, waiting patiently. Riley picked up her roll sheet and glanced back up, "Hermione?" Hermione smiled and lowered her hand,
"It's a record player, probably from the 1940's." Riley grinned and pointed to Hermione,
"Exactly!" The class still looked confused, Riley sighed, "Come on, guys…...it plays music, Muggle music." She picked up an old record cover, and bent the sides, letting the record slide into her other hand. "One of my personal favorites." She said with a sly grin, setting the record in and placing the needle on the black piece of plastic. The machine hummed to life, rotating beneath the needle, around in the small box. The students watched puzzled, how could a box play music without magic? A familiar voice crooned in Harry's ear. "Elvis Presley." Riley stated, as the man's voice sang out, 'Jailhouse Rock'. Harry smiled and his eyes went wide when Riley motioned with her hands to stand up to her class. Slowly, the chairs scraped back, a few following with an echo as students stood with raised eyebrows. "Go ahead," Riley cried, "Dance!" A few looked at her like she was crazy, but as she cranked up the volume knob on the box, some of the Gryffindor girls started moving around.
"There will be no foolish wand----" Snape drawled on in the depths of his dark classroom located in the cold, dreary dungeons in the lower levels of Hogwarts castle. His new first years appeared terrified beneath his deadly glares. But suddenly, in the middle of his annual intimidating speech reserved for the new first years, a blaring noise echoed from down the hall. Snape muttered a foul statement under his breath, then turned to his class, "Open your books and read the first chapter. If I hear one syllable spoken, detention and house points will be taken away." Snape turned towards his door with the whoosh of his black billowing robes and stormed down the hallway to deal with the imbecilic student that was surely causing that commotion. Severus' eyes were wide with shock and horror as he stepped in the doorway he felt his plans of punishment slip from his mind. The Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years were gallivanting around, dancing and chatting loudly, providing a passer-by with the impression that they were having fun. Snape fumed, not on his class time.
"Where is your professor?" he growled at the nearest student who turned to peer at him in an array of horror. The girl pointed to Harry, Hermione, and Ron's desk, nervously scooting away after. Snape set his gaze dead on and marched forward, his ropes billowing behind him in an intimating manner, straight through the classroom and boisterous cries from the music. Snape stopped right at the edge of their desk and saw the back of the woman, who most likely, even though she manifested a younger appearance, was the professor. He stared for a moment at her beauty, but gathered his thoughts, crossing his arms together and clearing his velvety throat. "Ahem!" Harry was the first to turn around and sight Snape, Harry's eyes went wide as the woman turned around to face her fellow staff member. Snape's eyes grew and he teetered on his heels, grasping the unfortunate Hermione's shoulder to blindly balance himself. Hermione jumped at the grasp of the man's hand and wiped her face of its recent expression at the sight of his. "Riley!" Snape gasped, completely taken back by shock. Riley stared at him back and a grin slowly slid upon her face,
"Severus!" she cried with merriment mingled in her voice. She walked forward and put her slender arms around him in a hug, Snape, forgetting where he was, hugged her back, still in a shock-like state. Riley pulled back with the grin still imprinted on her lips and held him gently by his elbows to look him over, "Still in black? And you look like you need to eat….." she told him in a teasing tone.
"You're back!" he murmured in disbelief, affectionately gazing at her. A dim smile crossed Snape's lips and Harry looked at Snape with an amazed expression glittering on his face, Riley seemed to have that effect on people.
"Yep, and here to stay." She told him with a soft tender smile gracing her features. Riley pulled him towards her once more, whispering in his ear, "I'm here to be your confidante and friend once again." He gently drew himself back with a happy gleam in his dark eyes and recalled his past days with the queen of mischief. Harry eyed the two and broke the sudden silence,
"So you two knew each other?" he asked, startling Snape, whose face withdrew its smile with the sound of Harry's voice. Riley nodded, peering at Snape, whose sudden change in expression jogged her curiosity. "At Hogwarts?" Harry quizzed, seeing Ron's same glitter in his eyes. Snape turned to glare at Harry,
"It's none of your business, Potter." Riley quirked her left brow in a curiously humorous indication and smiled,
"Come on, Severus, Harry's just curious." Snape sneered and silkily drew his voice,
"That's what gets him into so much trouble." Riley grinned impishly and folded her arms, leaning against the desk,
"If you remember correctly, Severus, I wasn't exactly the perfect angel either." Snape's eyes held laughter and a humored aspect claimed his face,
"That I do remember, oh so very well." Suddenly, the humor drew from his features and he glared at the surrounding students, "I must get back to my class, " he began in a hushed drawled out voice, "Come to my chambers later after class." He told her with a departing soft-featured face. She nodded and he turned, shooting various glares to the staring students.
"Well, that was fun." Riley said to Harry, Hermione, and Ron with a grin settled upon her lips.