A/N: thought I'd send this one out a little early

After Hogwarts

Chapter 3

Following a good sleep Harry was up and outside by 520am, the only others who showed up were Hermione, Neville, Susan, Luna, Ron, and the Greengrass girls. The group did their warm-ups then started their run, Harry had already laid out the course. At about 6am Dudley showed up and saw the group off in the distance on their run, it was too late to try and catch up so he elected to do a few calisthenics instead. Dudley was still exercising when the group arrived back at the front of the school and joined them in getting a shower and then for breakfast, except he had to eat with the new kids and his mom.

It was during breakfast that Lucy pulled Harry aside and told him that McGonagall was a little under the weather and had asked that Harry take the first Transfiguration class for her since he didn't have a Defense class until after lunch. Harry, Hermione, and Neville passed out the schedules for the returning students while Lucy handed out the incoming students' schedules. For the returning students the first classes were Charms, Herbology, and Transfiguration so Hermione and Neville would be tied up all morning, Defense was scheduled for after lunch each day.

Harry was waiting when the first Transfiguration class entered noisily, but they settled down quickly. "Good morning, Prof. McGonagall isn't feeling well today so you have me. I know many of you have some questions so in the interest of saving time I will give you a few answers before starting this class. Yes, I did defeat Voldemort; yes I have had a lot more training than is offered at Hogwarts, and yes I did attend a school other then Hogwarts. Now that should answer the most obvious questions so we can get started on today's lesson. You will notice that you are not grouped by year but into two sections, 1st through 3rd years and then 4th through 6th years. This grouping will hold true for all the classes this session. We will start out with a quick review of what you should know and then progress onward. Does anyone have questions about the class, no questions about myself are allowed?" Harry explained and there were no questions of note.

Hermione and Neville each gave basically the same speech to their classes to explain the way the classes would be setup and how the students would be grouped. Meanwhile, Lucy was meeting with the incoming students and the first order of business was to tell them that each of them would be receiving a complete magical physical during that first week. This would reduce the load on the school med-witch when the fall term started as a physical was now required of all first years. In her room McGonagall was enjoying another cup of tea, she hated misleading Harry but thought it best if he explained the setup since most of it was his and Hermione's idea. Besides, she deserved a break since her summer vacation wasn't happening.

At Hogwarts, Prof. Flitwick, as Deputy Headmaster, was watching over the ongoing renovations while at the same time learning to use the computers that had been installed. Flitwick wasn't sure he would ever remember those passwords, one for administration and his personal logon. Several of the teachers were having the same problem, except they didn't have to remember an administration password. Prof. Vector was busy getting his class computer setup to handle Arithmancy, and the new Ancient Runes teacher was busy carefully drawing out Runes to be "scanned" into the computer system. Madame Pomfrey was getting used to the computer in the hospital wing, she still wasn't sure why all the first years had to have a magical physical within the first few week of school.

Harry covered the first two Transfiguration classes and then it was time for lunch, thank goodness since Harry wasn't sure how McGonagall did it when she taught. At lunch the three "new" instructors compared notes, Neville had had it the easiest as he was unwilling to answer questions about Harry other than to say it was true Harry had defeated Voldemort. McGonagall came in and explained why she had Harry take the first two Transfiguration classes and said she hoped to sit in on one of the afternoon Defense classes, if Harry didn't mind.

After lunch Harry had his first Defense class, he started it mostly like he had started the Transfiguration classes, with a review of what they should know. "I guess that most of you are wondering why I took a Mastery in Defense. Well since I was small I have known that one day I would have to face off against Voldemort and I wanted all the advantages I could get. Now my personal thoughts about Defense are these, Charms, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration are the basis for defense, with Charms and Transfiguration being the most important. When you are involved in a fight or a duel you use Charms and Transfiguration more than anything else, so if you want to be able to defend yourself then you need to know both Charms and Transfiguration. Now in the battle at Hogwarts this past spring we did use a few potions to aid in confusing the Death Eaters, but the majority of the battle was spells. We are going to start out with a small test so I can get an idea of where you all stand in Defense. As I call your name come up to the front of the class and tell us all what year you are, then I want you to cast a Reducto at the target on the wall, after which I want you to tell me what your best spell is and demonstrate it for me", Harry explained.

Since there were only 10 students it didn't take long to finish the little test. "Now I would like to ask the Headmistress to come up and show us her Reducto on the target. Just so you know, you will each repeat this little test when school starts in September and again just before school lets out next June and your scores will be compared to see if you have made any progress" Harry continued. McGonagall came up and shot a Reducto at the target, the score was of course the highest so far. Then Harry did it, without his wand, and the target almost melted. There were many amazed people in the room, "Oh I forgot to reset the target to a higher level. But you get the idea, the more you practice the better you become. Also, a strong body makes for stronger magic and stronger magic makes for better defense."

McGonagall didn't stay for the whole class but she later told Harry she was impressed with his teaching and his interactions with the students. "You appear to be a natural when it comes to teaching and I hope you will continue in that field. It would be to the gain of your students if you did", McGonagall finished. While Harry taught his second Defense class, Hermione was doing the introduction to flying for the incoming students; and McGonagall was again watching the class to see how it went. The surprise was when one of the muggle-born students got her broom to jump into her hand on the first try, an even bigger surprise was that one of the students was a "pure-blood" and he had to try three times before the broom did as asked.

The talk at the returning student's table that night was about Harry and his score in Defense. The talk at the incoming table was about the student who had gotten her broom to respond so well. That night Harry and Hermione made sure they had a little time to themselves away from everyone else. They not only talked about how their first day as instructors had gone but about what they wanted for the future for themselves. Harry surprised Hermione when he gave her a nice diamond ring and asked if she would consider being his wife, Harry almost didn't survive the response but did enjoy the kisses and hugs. Now Hermione had a problem, how was she supposed to tell her parents since she was in time compression and they weren't.

Dudley was up and outside by 515am the next morning waiting for Harry and the gang. The big issue that morning was all the girls looking at Hermione's ring and all the guys complaining that now they would have to try and do as well when they decided to get married. Dudley joined the rest in the warm-ups and was told to not try and go as far or as long as the rest until he was used to the running.

McGonagall was doing her Transfiguration class so Harry could go do what he had planned to do yesterday, meet with the incoming students. After everyone was settled Lucy introduced Harry to the group. "Good morning, I was supposed to do this yesterday but something came up so here I am today. A few of you know me since I was the one who picked you up and brought you here or I was the one who made that first contact with you and your family. For those who are still asleep my name is Harry Potter and I will be your Defense instructor come September, I may also be teaching Charms and Transfiguration on occasion as I am qualified in all three subjects. What I wanted to do today was personally welcome you to the first ever summer session and to explain a little about those three subjects I teach. Charms is the backbone of most of the magic you will learn when regular school starts, in Charms your first year you will learn how to make things float in the air" and Harry made a few of the books float up. "Now that isn't as easy as it looks and I did that without my wand or saying the proper incantation, but you will be expected to do that same thing with a wand and the incantation Wingardium Leviosa once you get in class. Transfiguration is just that changing one thing into another, like a beetle into a button", which Harry demonstrated, "plus you'll learn to change other things. One of the hardest Transfiguration spells is the Animagus Transfiguration where you change yourself into an animal. Now I will show you what I mean but you have to understand that not everyone can accomplish this and that you don't have to be afraid of my animal form." Harry changed into his snake form, waited a few minutes while everyone came up to see him then changed back.

"The third course I wanted to explain is Defense, which is a combination of the first two subjects plus a few other 'tricks' and spells. Defense is also my strongest subject and my favorite. In Defense you learn how to recognize different dangerous creatures such as Werewolves and how to defend yourself, your family, and your friends. One of the first things you will learn is how to shield yourself from simple spells. I am going to ask Ms. West to throw a few simple spells at me and I will show you what I mean." Lucy cast a tickling hex at Harry who just shrugged it off, next she tried a jelly-legs and Harry's shield deflected it. "In Defense you will learn about what are called the unforgivable three which are spells that cause harm and are considered illegal or dark. But in reality there is no such thing as a dark spell, just an evil intent on the part of the caster. The first unforgivable is the Cruciatus which causes pain, but when first used it was a treatment for mental illness in a milder form. The next one is the Imperius which is used to control someone, but again it originally had a good use – to help control violent individuals and keep them from harming others. The third is the Killing Curse, this was originally used to euthanize someone who was incurable and in great pain – in other words to put them out of their misery whether it be a human or an animal." Harry continued.

"There is one more course I want to touch on and that is Potions. Ms. West is what is known as a Potions Mistress, which means she has studied Potions so much she has been declared a master at it. Potions is a lot like cooking and girls are sometimes better at this skill than boys since they have been trained at home by their mothers. As an example at home when your mother wants to make a cake she knows that she needs some of this and some of that in certain amounts and that once mixed together it has to cook for a specific amount of time. It is the same with Potions, you have a recipe that tells you how much of this and how much of that and how long to cook it for it to turn out correctly. My first Potions instructor at Hogwarts had a speech he gave to first years in the first class and I want to repeat part of that speech. 'I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death'. Now some would say he was full of it, but I can honestly say he meant every word and was 99% correct. Everything he claimed he could do with the correct potion, can be done if you know what you are mixing and how to mix it." Harry finished up.

The look of wonder on the faces before him made Harry happy inside. Some of these kids would find, as he had, that magic was wonderful and fun. "Now there is one more thing that I need to speak on and that is wands. Over the next few weeks each of you will be asked to try and select your wand by seeing what wood and core components are best for you. Like Mr. Ollivander says 'The wand chooses the wizard' and there is always one person who needs something out of the ordinary. Mr. Ollivander is getting on in years and I hope one of you will show an interest and follow in his footsteps. His family has been crafting wands since 382 B.C. and he is the foremost wand craftsmen in Europe today, one of only four known throughout the world. Of the other three I have met one and he does his work only in America. In the future Hogwarts hopes to be able to offer the training needed to help someone become a fine wand craftsmen, as well as a maker of other magical aids. Now I have bored you long enough and I know that Ms. West needs to get on with your lessons, but I will take a few questions if you have any" Harry concluded.

There were a few questions but the one Dudley asked was the best as far a Harry was concerned since he had forgotten to include it in his talk. "Prof. Potter, is it true that a strong body makes for stronger magic and stronger magic makes for a better defense?" Dudley asked.

"Yes Mr. Dursley you are correct and I believe you heard that from me. The stronger the body the more magic you can develop and handle. One of the reasons I am able to handle so much magic is because I keep my body in shape and strong. This allows my magical core to handle a larger amount of magic, magic which I have access to when needed. That is why I offered to instruct any student in physical conditioning each morning at 530am. So far, besides a few of my friends, you are the only one to take me up on that offer." Harry replied.

The following morning there were several of the new boys out front at 530am, some were thin and some were heavy, but at least they showed up. Harry had them all go through the warm-up and then asked Dudley to lead them in some simple exercises, but offered to allow any that wanted to join in the 6 mile run with the more advanced group – there was only one taker and he only lasted 2 miles before falling out on the ground. Once he had finished his run Harry returned to the new group and told them that it took time to get to the same level as those who had been doing this for over a year, but not to give up hope and that when they went home to use a gym if they had access and do exercises that increased endurance. Now it was time for showers and breakfast.

The first week had ended and it was the first "day off" for all of the students, most were using the time to socialize with their classmates, but some of the "soon to be" 2nd years were talking to the newcomers. It was at this time that the staff got together to compare notes and make suggestions. Neville said that some of the newcomers had shown an interest in Herbology when he talked to them. Hermione mentioned that a few had shown interest in Charms but most appeared bored when she spoke to the class, Lucy tried to let her down easy but said that maybe that was because Hermione had been to formal. McGonagall said that since Harry had already spoken to the group he had really opened the door for her talk and she appreciated it. Now Lucy spoke up and said that she had found two newcomers who had blocks that needed to be removed, and they were in muggle-born students which she found unusual. It was agreed that Lucy should notify Poppy so that the blocks could be removed when the Fall term started. Harry mentioned that if they ever got any 7th years to attend they would need to change the way they held classes as they shouldn't need as much review and would be more focused on retaking NEWTs.

Rick had a suggestion and that was that a permanent set of chaperones should be found so they would know what to expect, and they needed to have had kids so they could relate better. Harry asked if the group thought it might be time to start testing for wand compatibility for the newcomers. Nobody could think of a reason not to start the testing so Harry said he would probably start that afternoon with Bonnie, and ask Sam to help out since the two were so close. That afternoon Harry approached Bonnie and Sam and asked if Bonnie was ready to see what type of wand she would need. Bonnie was excited but scared at the same time, until Sam said it was nothing to it - "You just wave a wand around and see which one works best". Harry explained that he didn't test that way and said for Sam to come along and she could watch and maybe retest herself.

Harry had only brought a small selection of materials, those considered most common, with him. "Now I assume that you two have shared Sam's wand at least once or twice. Don't be alarmed that is very common between friends and I don't have a problem with that unless you try something that gets you hurt or in trouble. Lets see what kind of wood reacts to Bonnie and then we'll see what type of core reacts to her", Harry explained. The wood turned out to be Hawthorne and when Bonnie went to try the core components she got a strong reaction from Unicorn hair. Next Harry examined Sam's wand and found it to be Maple with Unicorn hair, very close to what Bonnie would need. But when Sam tried the wood selection it wasn't Maple that reacted, it was Holly. The core was still Unicorn hair that reacted best. Harry said that he would trade out a Holly and Unicorn wand for Sam's Maple and Unicorn wand when school started and it would be an even trade as he made a note in the book of students to send to Ollivander. With Sam and Bonnie's help Harry went through almost all of the newcomer girls that afternoon, only one would require a specialty wand as none of the usual woods or cores reacted to her.

While Harry had been busy testing the girls for wand requirements, Hermione had been the center of attention of the boys as she "formed". It appeared that many of the boys had not seen a young woman in tights and leotards do Tai Chi before. Hermione was slightly embarrassed and so were the younger boys, but she offered to teach them what she knew if they were interested. "But boys don't do that" was heard from one of the boys and Hermione informed them all that it was Harry who had taught her how to "form" and that Neville joined in without any problem. Now Hermione had a few new students to teach and she did much better at teaching Tai Chi than at teaching Charms, less formal and informative. After an hour long lesson one of the 2nd years said he wished she taught Charms in the same manner it was much more interesting this way.

Over the next week Harry managed to test all of the newcomer boys for wands, most would take a "standard" wand and would not be a problem for Ollivander. But one boy seemed to not react to any type of wood or core combination, it was one of the students that Lucy had said would need his core unblocked. Unsure if Lucy had told the boy he had blocks on him, Harry decided not to say anything at that time. Harry also tested any student who showed difficulty with Charms, Defense, or Transfiguration to see if maybe the problem was the wrong wand, he found two who he thought would benefit from a different combination and told them to see him once the regular term started.

The summer session was half over when it was announced that there would be a precision flying exhibition on the next free day. Harry, Hermione, Daphne, and Tori would be doing the demonstrations and all students were encouraged to attend so they could see what was possible. The first demonstration was Harry and Hermione flying and passing a ball between themselves so well that most of the students couldn't tell who had the ball when. Next Hermione and Daphne did the same thing but it was easy to tell who had the ball. When Tori and Harry did a Seeker demonstration the crowd got to see a Potter Special as Harry changed directions completely and left Tori flying the wrong way and out of position. Not to be out done, Tori tried the same trick and wiped out – hard. After seeing she was okay Harry laughed at Tori and commented loudly that a person shouldn't try something they hadn't done before without a safety net of some sort.

It was the last day of the summer session and Rick said that he had a new assignment for Lucy if she was interested since the threat to Harry was finally over. When Lucy asked what the new assignment was Rick just pulled a small box from his pocket and said that the new assignment was to be Mrs. Richard Green, "Will you marry me Lucy?". Lucy's response was two words, "YES when?" Rick said he thought Christmas break would be good, they could make it a double wedding as Remus and Tonks were getting married then also. The mood was broken when Hermione said it would have to be a triple wedding as she and Harry had decided to wed during Christmas break also. Everyone looked at Neville and Susan and all Neville said was "next summer after school is out since Susan will have taken her NEWTs by then."

Sunday July 28th, actual time, was another busy day for Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Luna since all the students they had brought to school had to go home. The only thing that happened was that Luna received many thanks for her actions with the house fire that last time she was in the hamlet. Nobody but Sam and Bonnie's parents knew what had happened but they thanked Luna repeatedly. Now came what Harry had been dreading, telling everyone outside the school about his and Hermione's upcoming wedding. Boy was he surprised to find out that while he had been in time compression Sirius and Amelia had gotten married and they thought Amelia might be pregnant. Sirius' response was "Congratulations and it is about time". Hermione's parents were what Harry dreaded the most, Dan asked if his daughter was pregnant and got hit by his wife and Hermione, Harry just blushed real brightly. Emma's response was almost the same as Sirius' except she asked "When are you planning on doing the ceremony, and what type will it be magical or normal?" Hermione answered that one, "We have planned on having the wedding over Christmas break and if possible doing both magical and 'normal'. Now we just need to decide on who will be in the wedding party as Maid of Honor and Best-man."

A/N: So the first summer term is finished and a date has been set for Harry and Hermione's wedding, and Dan didn't try to kill Harry. The next chapter will finish out the summer and the start of Fall term. The offer for a complete book is still open and the choices are ODT, PDF, HTML, or EPUB. Just send an email with your address and your choice – EPUB will be one file while the other two will be an archive of the chapters for that book. All books aren't available in HTML, just the first three.

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