Harry wandered through the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, dragging his trunk and Hedwig's cage along behind him. god. everyone was staring at him and there were hardly any cabins left. damn it. damn it. damn it. can't a 16-year-old have a cabin to himself for once!

Harry got to the last cabin and saw there was only one occupant. a man with long, white, spiky hair writing in a notebook in what looked like Japanese. Harry looked around on the spot and noticed there was nowhere else to go. he sighed, sliding the compartment door open and looking at the man.

the man looked up and harry blinked.

the man had one red line going down from each eye down to his chin. he looked a little old. around... 30s maybe? he seemed to give off the air of someone much older, but he looked hardly older than 35. the man was wearing a seemingly expensive suit which was around a size too big for him. harry guessed he was wearing that because he preferred loose clothing and suits made him feel uncomfortable. he had fingerless black leather gloves on each hand and weird, red, wooden asian sandals on his feet.

the man looked harry over once, then went back to writing in the notebook. Harry glanced down the corridor. Hermione and Ron won't be back for a while. they have to do their Prefect duties. and Ginny is trying to find Nevil... oh well. might as well find a seat.

"excuse me...?" Harry said slowly.

"yes...?" asked the man, not looking up from his notebook. Harry was surprised. the man was writing in japanese, but he could speak english without so much as an accent.

"can i sit here?" asked harry, pointing to the seat on the opposite side of the compartment to the man.

the man looked up from his notebook and nodded. Harry smiled and turned, struggling to drag his trunk into the compartment.

"here. let me." said the man, standing up.

Harry blinked and let go of his trunk. gaping as the man picked it up with one hand and stowing it on the rack above their heads with nothing as much as a grunt. even Hedwig seemed amazed.

Harry sat down on his seat and stared as the man sat back down on his seat casually, flipped his notebook closed and stowed it away in his pocket.

"how... how did you do that! the trunk weighed a ton!" gasped Harry.

the man chuckled and looked over at Harry. "lets just say, i'm used to it."

Harry sat there in that compartment to close to an hour, just watching the scenery outside flash past, occasionally looking at the man opposite him who was muttering in japanese, crossing out lines that were in a japanese book in front of him. from the picture on the cover and the big red "R" on it, Harry guessed it wasn't for children his age.

the compartment slid open and Harry looked up.

"Harry! there you are!" gasped a bushy haired girl by the name of Hermione. a red-headded freckled boy behind her by the name of Ron.

Harry smiled at his two friends and motioned for them to come inside. Hermione happily walked over and sat down next to the white-heaired man, but harry doubted that she knew he was there, and ron struggled to pick up his and Hermione's trunks and put them in the racks above their heads.

"let me do that." said the man, standing up. causing Hermione to squeak in surprise, proving Harry right.

Ron looked up at the man and gaped just like Harry did when the white-haired man picked up both trunks, Harry's owl's cage and Crookshanks' empty basket, with one hand all at the same time and stowing them in the rack, hardly even breaking a sweat of even groaning.

Hermione gaped. Ron gaped. Harry gaped even though he had seen it before. pig, Ron's owl shrieked loudly in surprise, and Crookshanks's eyes nearly popped out.

everyone stared at the white-haired man as he flopped back down onto his seat and started reading through his book again.

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry for an explanation. Harry just shrugged and sweatdropped.

Hermione took it upon herself to find out who this hulk of a man was... and she mean hulk. oh god, this man had nice muscles...

"excuse me?" she asked.

the man raised his head, looking at Hermione. Hermione took a shaky breath which caused her chest to stick out a little more than necessary, causing the man and Ron to look at her breasts.

Harry saw a small string of drool in the corner of the man's mouth and couldn't help think that the book he had been reading was the cause of it.

"sir, i was wondering who you were. are you the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" questioned Hermione, looking at the man.

the man blinked a few times, then he burst out laughing.

"oh, god, no!" he chuckled, wiping a few tears of laughter from his eyes with a leather-gloved hand.

"then who are you?" asked Harry, leaning forward on his chair.

"oh. i'm Jiraiya. Dumbledore has asked me to be present for a while. i'm not the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, though. but i know who it's going to be." smiled Jiraiya.

"oh? who? who?" asked Hermione, seeming rather excited.

"no one that you'd know." grinned Jiraiya, waving a dismissing hand.

all the way to Hogwarts, Hermione, Harry and Ron tried their best to get Jiraiya to tell them who would be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but he refused to tell. but they continued arguing with him until they got to Hogsmede station.

"see you kids at the feast!" Jiraiya called as they stepped onto the station. Jiraiya walking through the crowds, his white hair glimmering and almost glowing in the darkness.

"hmm... i wonder who really is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher..." mused Ron, pushing past a first-year.

((TBC))