One Day at a Time
The Professor, Gameskeeper and Keeper of the Keys
I was looking around at the 6th year Ravenclaws and Slytherins quietly sitting in front of me. I couldn't help but recognize and pause on several faces from my tutoring days; Draco Malfoy, for example, I had tutored for a couple of months while his normal prepatory tutor had been on sabbatical. "For next week I want you to write an essay on the different strategies of dueling: offensive, defensive, etc., and the advantages and disadvantages of each," I started. "I also want you to read pages 15 to 29 for the next class period. Class dismissed." I was rather happy to finally be able to assign reading, having skimmed the 6th year textbook last weekend.
That had been my last class of the day, and it was not yet evening. Now would be a good time to visit Professor Hagrid and inquire about the content of his course before dinner time. Upon my arrival at his hut, I knocked on the immense wooden door and heard a mild commotion behind the evidently thin walls—a barking dog, the scraping of a chair, and words spoken to the dog by a deep voice. Hagrid opened the door and I felt even smaller than I had in front of the immense wooden door—I knew that he was larger than average, having seen him in the Great Hall, but it had never struck me exactly how much larger than average. He seemed to be twice my height and multiple times my width. I had to crane my neck skyward just to look at his face and it made me feel like a young child attempting to look an adult in the eyes, a feeling which I did not appreciate; I hated being made to feel weak or small, even when that was not his intention. Hagrid, for his part, did not seem to sense this, and instead cheerfully greeted me. "So what brings you out here, Professor Colburn?"
"Oh, uh, actually I wanted to ask what you were teaching in your Care of Magical Creatures class, Professor Hagrid. I want to make sure I don't accidentally repeat anything that you've already covered, you see…" I trailed off.
"Sounds like a grand idea!" he heartily exclaimed. "Good to know that we have a Defense against the Dark Arts professor again who actually knows what they're doing. Come on in," he said, opening the door wider and beckoning me to a medium sized table with chairs around it in the center of the single room. His kitchen was immediately attached and the cupboards were obviously overflowing and disorganized—some held cups staked precariously upon other cups, others held flatware with food ingredients crammed into any available space, and yet others held just food, with bags of flour, sugar and tea leaves all stuffed into the same tiny corners. The kitchen counters themselves, though, were admirably clean, even if the wood was a bit thin and worse for the wear. "Would you like a cup of tea? I was just about to brew a pot" he cheerfully added once I had taken a seat at the table.
"Oh, um, sure," I replied, mildly surprised that a completely stranger was being so friendly towards me.
He also took a seat at the table and with his black eyes twinkling started describing the creatures he taught and brought in for his classes. Every once in a while his face would break out into a wide smile that split his bushy black beard in two and he would gesture excitedly with his humongous hands.
"So how're you liking Hogwarts so far?" Hagrid said as they reached the end of their conversation and he stood up to silence the whistling tea kettle.
"Oh, it's going pretty well, I'd say. Still gathering my bearings a bit," I said in what I hoped came off as a light-hearted tone
Hagrid let out a chuckle. "Considering it's only the second week, I'd say you well deserve to still be gatherin' your bearings. I remember when I first started teaching here" he said, shaking his head as if remembering something mildly unpleasant. "It's a bit overwhelming at first, but things slide into place finally. So how you're classes? Any students misbehavin' that I should give a talking to?" he smiled.
I felt myself smile in return. Hagrid was being so friendly and warm that I couldn't help but feel relaxed and at home. Snape arose as an immediate counterpoint in my mind; I had already seen him in the lounge multiple times but excepting the first time, he had not spoken to me again, not even in greeting. "No, the students are all being great so far. Now some of the professors on the other hand," I laughed, wondering how far I could carry this topic of conversation with Hagrid. He didn't seem like the type who would gossip what I said to him.
"Oh no, are some of them giving you a hard time because you're new?" Hagrid asked, genuine concern appearing on his face.
"Oh, no, not really," I said feeling myself retreating from the subject out of a fear of accidentally causing a ruckus. "Professor Snape is a bit condescending sometimes, but it's not that big of a deal."
"Ah, well, Snape is a bit cold to everybody. Don't take it personally. I mean, especially since the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is his dream job." Well that explains a lot, I thought to myself. Like why he seemed to hate me from the second I sat down on the very first day. "He's really not as bad as he seems, though. Even if he, well, seems to be," Hagrid further explained.
There was another knock at the door and the previously-silent dog that I had failed to notice sitting under the table started barking again. I couldn't help but notice that it had many large, sharp teeth, and I nervously drew my feet a bit further away. Quickly after the knock, Harry Potter, Hermione, and their friend Ron all strode in, to my surprise. I wondered if they all had Hagrid's course, and had questions for him, or whether they were friends with the Gameskeeper. I saw all three of their gazes land on me for a moment, and I stood up awkwardly. "Oh, I can leave," I sputtered out. "I didn't know you were going to be having guests over," I sheepishly added.
"Don't be silly," Hagrid replied while grabbing three more cups for tea. "Besides," he added pulling something out of his overcrowded cupboard. "I just found some biscuits I baked, you can't leave now."
"Oh, alright," I added, awkwardly sitting down again and feeling rather like a fifth wheel. Harry and his friends also seemed mildly unsure of what to do, but with that they decided to all sit down at the table.
"So I just asked Colburn how her classes were, now you have to tell me how yours were," the immense man directed his request towards the three teens while setting down the biscuits and the cups on the table.
"They've been going really well," Hermione cheerfully started.
"Except for the all the reading that McGonagall just assigned in addition to the humongous essay," Ron complained, resting his chin in his hand.
"And Snape's being unbearable, as usual," Harry chimed in with an annoyed tone. His eyes quickly flickered in my direction.
"You can say whatever you like, I'm certainly not going to tell anyone," I replied, opening my eyes wide in an innocent look while taking a sip of my tea. Ron and Harry visibly relaxed and I mentally added, besides, I'm all for hearing bad things about Snape. My conscience twinged a bit as I remembered that Snape had essentially inquired after Harry's health, but I ignored that. I hated feeling that people regarded me as inferior, and I often reacted rashly, so hearing both Hagrid and Harry made me feel that perhaps Snape did not regard me, specifically, as inferior, but was instead such an egoist he treated everybody that way. That soothed a part of me, but another part remained unconvinced. Stupid pure-blood git, I unwillingly thought. Always think they're better than us.
I distractedly reached for a biscuit and turned my attention back to the conversation. "So Fred and George say that business is really booming," Ron said, the topic of conversation having evidently changed.
"Oh, what do they do?" I asked in an attempt to be friendly. At that moment I bit into the solid rock. Or at least that's what it felt like. I doubtfully regarded the biscuit and silently wondered how long it had been in the cupboard.
Ron, who had opened his mouth to reply, had to stifle a laugh upon seeing my facial expression, before he could continue. "They have a store. They sell gag items, sort of like Zonko's in Hogsmeade. They're thinking of coming to Hogwarts to sell some of their stuff, soon. That is their target audience, after all."
I frowned slightly as I imagined myself chasing after hundreds of students freshly armed with disruptive toys. "So I take it I can expect my job to become a bit more interesting soon?"
"You could say that," Harry smiled behind his tea cup.
A bit later I cheerfully left the hut, leaving the three friends behind to finish their conversation with Hagrid. It occurred to me that in complete contrast to that conversation I was soon going to be sitting next to Snape at the dinner table, and that dampened my cheerfulness a bit. Well, I should try and be optimistic, I sighed. Hagrid said Snape isn't as bad as he seems…even if Snape is a jerk
…
Disclaimer: Why, yes, I do own Harry Potter! For 8 hours every night. In my dreams.
A/N: First of all, thank you very much, Age-of-Orton, for reviewing! Updates should be coming fairly regularly since I'm on summer break, right now. Secondly, as a general announcement to whoever might be reading this, I'm aware that Snape isn't a pure-blood, it's just that's what Liseli thinks he is. Thirdly, as always, reviews are much appreciated!