Hello All! Sorry if there are too many typos in this. I wanted to get it out as soon as I could and I'm a bit tired from it all so please bear with me. It's also a bit choppier than usual at the end, but still the longest chapter so far! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Time was ticking down before the feast and still professors were missing from the staff table. Arthur couldn't be more irritated if France himself were here. Can't anyone actually show up on time?

Just as the nation of England was about throw his teacup in agitation, the doors to the Great Hall swung open with an ominous creak.

Four people stood in the entryway. The group of them rather dreary together. Arthur sniffed disdainfully before going back to sipping at his nearly gone tea. He was careful to examine them closely, no matter how mundane looking, though. Dumbledore had hired them for a reason after all.

In the forefront was a small woman with deathly pale skin (truthfully she looked sick) and mousy dark brown hair. Her eyes were a soft hazel and bored, as if she had somewhere better to be. Her posture was slumped and her robes were a faded mauve that only served to wash out her complexion even more. Arthur kept his eye on the mysterious wooden ring on her left pointer finger, however, as it was giving him a bad feeling.

The second was a slightly taller man with scarred olive skin and haughty look about him. There were bags under his soft blue eyes and they shifted wearily about the Great Hall. He had a mass of dark brown hair slicked back into a ponytail that ended with an explosion of curls. His posture was rigid and firm and his robes were black and just as rigid in their pristine appearance. Arthur took note of the man's uneasiness in the building.

Behind the first two stood another pale woman, this time with a noticeably large hooked nose and sharp gray eyes. Her limp blonde hair, almost white in color, hung down to her hips and had various bits of things in it. She stood with a lopsided ease in the place and though her eyes were piercing the rest of her seemed serene enough. Her robes were a pastel green to match. She was the tallest of the four.

The last was a burly ball of a man. He was of average height but his musculature was impressive. His eyes were as dark as his skin and his hair was a silver mess of a mane that ended around his ears. He had a patch over his left eye with a large angry scar running from the roots of his hair down to his chin through it. His face was set into a scowl but Arthur could spot the kind spark in his remaining eye. His robes were grey and rather simple and Arthur assumed it matched his personality. He would have to speak with this professor and see if he could win an ally out of him.

Arthur turned to look over at Albus who was smiling and waving the four up to the staff table. Arthur hid a scowl behind his teacup and schooled his features into a mask of polite interest as the teachers found their places among the staff.

The smallest woman gave them a nod but otherwise didn't acknowledge them as she sat next to Arthur. The nervous one gave a tight smile before stiffly sitting in his chair. The tallest gave a large smile and a calm wave of the hand before gracefully sliding into her seat. And lastly the kindly beast of a man gave an awkward wave before thumping himself into the chair at the end of the table.

Dumbledore stood when the last of his staff made it to the table, any and all whisperings ceased, suddenly and absolutely. It was eerie.

"A few words before the feast," Dumbledore started genially, "tuck in!"

Harry's outward appearance could be described as tense at best. He did not want to be here, not at all. Dumbledore was literally right there and he couldn't do anything to bring the man down from here, not yet at least. Because suddenly jumping from his seat and shooting spells, and probably obscenities too, at the wizarding world's "all-powerful yet grandfatherly" figure without any explanation was an all-around great idea.

But the only way to get anywhere near the man was to attend this school that used to be his home. A home that was taken from him by memories of death and disaster and even now betrayal. Hogwarts was just as scarred as he was now.

"Harry," Hermione whispered harshly in his ear, breaking him from his thoughts, "have you had a look at the head table yet?"

"Er," was all Harry managed to whisper back as he finally gave a glance to the rest of the teachers at the table, "yeah, of course… why?"

Hermione didn't even bother to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "There are barely any teachers up there, Harry."

With Hermione's scathing tone still stinging his ears, Harry took the time to actually look at the table. There were quite a few empty chairs.

"Well, yeah," Ron decided to chip in, "aren't they replacing a whole bunch of positions? Some of 'em might just be late."

Hermione scowled at said table. "Why would so many professors be late though…?"

Ron and Harry exchanged looks before both giving the girl a shrug. The feast hadn't even startet yet, after all.

"Useless…" Hermione muttered in reply.

"Oi," Ron said, scandalized, "I am useful and you know it. You're only sour because you don't have an answer yourself."

Hermione's eyes narrowed and that was the only incentive Harry needed to duck out of this argument. Hermione and Ron may have officially become a couple but that definitely didn't stop their fighting. To be honest it probably only made it worse.

With both of his friends out of commission Harry turned to actually study the head table this time. Yes, there were empty seats. Four at the moment. It still stung to think about why.

Although really, Hagrid's empty position was actually the consequence of something good. Hagrid, after the war, had finally bucked up the courage to ask Madame Maxime to marry him. The newlyweds were now enjoying their honeymoon in France.

Harry paused as he noticed that not all of the teachers were familiar. There was one that was new and what in the hell were those things on his face.

It took Harry a good full minute to realize no, those were not caterpillars, but in fact eyebrows.

Suddenly the eyes hidden under those monstrosities locked with Harry's. There was something unfathomable about them, they were old and tired and it was almost terrifying to be held in their gaze.

The new professor studied him for a moment before nodding his head slightly and turning away.

"Hmm," Harry murmured as he shifted back towards his friends.

"Harry?" Hermione was the first to question.

"The newest professor has really big eyebrows," he replied matter-of-factly.

Ron whirled about and proceeded to goggle, while Hermione opened her mouth to reprimand him.

"Ha-"

"Bloody hell, they're enormous!"

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all again to another year at Hogwarts. Now, with the damages still being repaired throughout the school, I caution you all to be careful and look out for one another," the Headmaster paused to look meaningfully out at the crowd.

"For all of you who may not have known, we are welcoming back previous seventh year students to fill in the gaps of their sadly neglected education." Albus turned to the new professors sitting at the table.

"Now, we have a great many new teachers this year and I hope you all will do your best to make them feel welcome. We have Mister Arthur Kirkland teaching a History of Magic and is to be the new head of house for Slytherin." Arthur stood and took a bow, smiling sardonically at the students giving him a polite clap.

"A bloody Slytherin can you believe that?" Ron whispered none too quietly.

"That doesn't mean anything, Ronald, and you know it. He could be a great professor," Hermione protested.

"We'll see about that," Ron scoffed.

"Beside him is the lovely Miss Tilly Garnier, who will be teaching Muggle Studies." Said Miss Garnier stood slowly and with that perpetual look of boredom. The students had barely stopped clapping before she sat back down.

"She looks sick," Hermione said concernedly.

"Probably looks that way all the time," Ron shot back.

Harry shrugged. "Not like we'll be taking Muggle Studies anyway."

"Next we have a Mister Nicodemo Wexler who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The man stood nodded and sat back down in short succession.

"I wonder if the curse is still in that position," Hermione mused.

"Dunno," Harry said, "looks like he could take whatever's thrown at him, though."

Ron snorted. "Not with you around mate."

"The ever lovely Miss Cornelia Ivett will be our newest Potions Mistress."

The tall blonde gave a soft chuckle and waved at the students before slinking back down into her chair.

"Ugh," Hermione pulled a face.

"What?" Ron asked.

"She looks like another Trelawney," Hermione said in disgust.

Harry and Ron snickered at her distress.

"And last but not least we have Mister Kauan Azevedo who will be our new Game Keeper and Professor of Care of Magical Creatures." The large man didn't even bother getting up from his chair but gave a friendly nod at the smattering of applause.

"That bloke is huge," Ron muttered.

"Bigger than Professor Kirkland's eyebrows?" Harry shot back.

Ron sniggered, "Well, maybe not that big."

"Boys," Hermione tittered, she couldn't hide her own smile though.

"Now without further nonsense and ado! Eat up!" The headmaster waved his hands and dinner was served. He sat back down with a smile upon his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. They would all be under his control soon. He would rule the magic world without mercy.

All in the name of the greater good of course.