Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, he'd be paired with Luna. And I'd be rich enough to buy a small country. Which I'm not.
Floo travel must have formally been a torture technique. Or maybe it was just me.
But back to the beginning! The building I had been leaning on? It was the Leaky Cauldron. Go figure huh? I waited in a booth at the magic pub for approximately ten minutes before Minerva, as I had been asked to call her, escorted me to the fireplace. My guess was that she was warning Dumbledore. I couldn't blame her, after all, it's not every day a foreign muggle wanders up to a witch, asking for a job. I could have been just about anyone.
After stepping into a fire (which I firmly believed was going to burn me to a crisp! Seriously, how does Floo Travel even work?) and spinning around in what amounted to a tiny, annoying tube, I flew out of the fireplace and smacked into a chair. I cursed. What was with this place and its evil, inanimate objects? First the magic puddle, then the fireplace and chair double team to take me down. Honestly.
"Are you quite alright, my dear girl?" And then I nearly had a panic attack.
ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod (mental gasp) ohmygodOHMYFU-
I looked up to see Dumbledore in pink monkey patterned robes watching me worriedly over the top of his desk. I had been so busy cussing out the chair I hadn't noticed even noticed THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN WIZARDING BRITAIN sitting right in front of me. He office was as interesting as the series described it as: colorful, cluttered, and intriguing. A good chunk of those little gadgets looked steampunk with little gears and emitted puffs of smoke. Another chunk were sleek and metallic looking like they were pulled straight out of a scifi movie. The rest were... indescribably magical. The color scheme was dominated by rich jewel tones while tapestries and portraits hung around me, either sleeping or staring at me, scandalized by my choice words.
"Lemon drop?" I stared.
I took it, feeling a bit like Alice at the Mad Hatter's tea party.
"Miss Abdul, was it? Minerva has informed me of your, let's say, unique circumstances. Could you tell me what exactly qualifies you to teach Muggle Studies?"
I was still fiddling with the lemon drop he had given me. I remembered all the fanfictions where he put truth potions in them or tracking charms or even spiked them with LSD. It wasn't likely but I WAS a fan of Manipulative!Dumbledore. Half my mind was saying Say something, stupid. SAY ANYTHING! The other half was laughing hysterically. What I thought was my self preservation was howling at the rest of my mind, telling me that it wasn't too late to check into the funny farm.
Idly I wondered if I was hyperventilating.
"I'm a muggle." Wow, Embry, way to state the obvious. Like that's going to convince FREAKING DUMBLEDORE that you're qualified to teach a boatload of HIS students! Mentally, I smacked myself.
"I mean," I backtracked hoping I hadn't blown any chance I had already. "I'm familiar with the muggle world in a way that most of the purely wizard raised and even half bloods aren't. Even most muggleborns lose the firm, integration they once had with the world they were born into after they enter wizarding school."
Seeing as I now had Dumbledore's full attention or at least his curiosity, I gathered my courage and plowed ahead. "While I may be young, my age allows me to better connect to the students. I have also had experience in teaching make-up classes during the summer months for community service hours. Due to my lack of magical prowess and age, I'll be able to simulate what the true Muggle experience is. Additionally my foreign background allows me a more diverse and generalized criteria so I can identify what aspects of the course are Muggle oriented versus British oriented." The fuck am I saying? At least it sounds professional.
Throughout the conversation my eyes never met the wizened old man's, looking studiously at a crevice in his nose to avoid his Legilimency enforced gaze. Despite my caution, I still felt like he could read me like a book. It was like he could cut straight through every defense I could think to throw up. At that moment, he terrified me.
But I stood my ground. I needed this, dammit! A freaky old man was not going to scare me away.
We stared at each other until Dumbledore's beard twitched giving the impression that he was smiling. The severe lines around his eyes softened and a full blown grin transformed his face, making him look more like the eccentric grandfather that book!Harry became acquainted with than the previous ''Great And Powerful Wizard' thing he had going for him.
"That's certainly an interesting perspective, Miss Abdul." Holy Sh- The books said his eyes twinkled. They didn't say he had his eyeballs were made of freaking Christmas lights! That just wasn't natural. "I hope to see an improved turn out in Muggle Studies this year. I'll leave it to Minerva to give you the grand tour, hmm?"
Distracted as I was, it took me a moment to understand that Yes I got the job and No I wasn't going to be mind wiped and left in a ditch to be found by hobos.
"Cool." I grinned in relief. "So are we finalizing this now? Do I need a contract or something?"
Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling again. "Ah, how could I forget?"
He yanked open the desk drawer and stuck his arm halfway to his shoulder in then pulled out a stack of papers as thick as a pocket dictionary. As my smile froze and my eyes bulged in despair and alarm, he dropped them to the desk with an ominous fwump.
"Just read these over and fill out all the corresponding areas. I trust you can do that? Oh dear, you are looking rather pale, is something wrong?"
I continued to stare in horror at the pile of paperwork in front of me. Damn you, Headmaster Twinkle Toes.
Somewhere out there, I just knew some higher power was laughing at me.
AN::
Dear GOD! FINALLY! FINISHED! This chapter totally kicked my ass. BUT I DID IT! I FINISHED IT! VICTORY! *cough* Ahem... Please ignore the mental breakdown...
But seriously, this was meant to be up back in November but I couldn't figure out how to write this part. Really, I have no excuse. Next chapter should be out sooner. SHOULD.
Anyway, the review box is your friend so give me feedback and I will give you virtual cookies.
Until Next Time!
