A/N: Hello my friends! So sorry it has taken so long to get the second chapter out! That's what happens when you write the beginning of a story on a whim without any idea or thoughts of what might happen later on. Nevertheless enjoy and review please. I've developed a story and I'm ready to update again : )

Disclaimer: It definitely all belongs to the wise JK Rowling

Teacher's Pet

Chapter Two

First Class

The arrival of the intelligent and refreshingly young James Potter as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was a positive change for staff and students of Hogwarts.

James had previously attended Hogwarts and so he knew almost all the teachers fairly well. You could say he had gotten to know a lot of them through the numerous detentions he, Sirius, Remus and Peter had served during their time at the old school.

Of course there were those who secretly loved the spunk and energy that the Marauders had brought to the castle and so they were quite delighted to find James Potter as an addition to their team.

It was odd for them to think of him as one of their own peers but many welcomed him enthusiastically, including Albus Dumbledore. He so revealed this sentiment during an evening walk back from supper the night before classes commenced at the school.

"I trust that you are finding your new quarters acceptable?" Dumbledore inquired looking sideways at James through his half-moon glasses with a smile.

James smile broadened and he allowed a small nod. "Yes it is quite charming. Still I did feel a sense of nostalgia this evening when I did not join all the students as they returned to their common rooms. I miss Pad- I mean Sirius, Remus and Peter. It's even stranger that I won't be seeing their familiar faces here every morning to torment the teachers or peers. Now I'll be the one being tormented."

Dumbledore chuckled and inclined his head to one of the blushing ladies in a portrait waving to him.

"I very much doubt that James. I think all the students will take quite nicely to you."

Dumbledore seemed to think of what he just said and then he opened his mouth again. "Now James, I must make it very clear that you aren't to show any preference towards the Gryffindors or any animosity towards any other houses that you might have held…when you were a student here."

James smiled and kept his eyes void of any emotion that he was feeling. That would be the only difficult rule to follow while working at Hogwarts as a teacher. He wasn't allowed to have any favorites or as they call it, teacher's pets among his prized Gryffindors , nor was he allowed to bully the Slytherins. Oh the injustice of it all…

Students reveled at being taught by the infamous Marauder and so the vast student population was quite eager to experience their first class with Professor Potter. Course they weren't the only ones eager for classes to begin.

Teachers wanted to see how one of the famous marauders would fare in the place of a teacher teaching students and get his own taste at up and coming tricksters.

Yes, you could say all of Hogwarts would be watching and waiting impatiently for classes to begin on Monday.

C

The evening was waning on but the girls in the seventh year dormitory were all still awake and chatting. Alice was sitting on her bed with her pajamas and orange wool socks on (who she professed her grandmother had made them so it was her duty to wear them at least once a year), recounting her night out with Frank. A dreamy expression clouded her face as she chatted to an audience of Solah and another girl, Francesca Porter the last seventh year Gryffindor.

Lily was still unpacking her suitcase and her thoughts of course were on her first encounter with their new Professor.

The room had gone quiet and Lily looked up, breaking out of her reverie and found the three girls staring at her expectantly, waiting.

"Yeees?" Lily asked wondering what they were all staring at her for.

Solah sighed and nodded to the other girls. "Lost in her thoughts again. I asked you what you were planning on wearing tomorrow."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "I haven't really planned anything. Why, special bloke I should be aware of?"

Francesca laughed and Solah nodded mysteriously, her blue eyes darkening. "Oh yes, Lily dear. He goes by Professor Potter and we have him first thing after lunch tomorrow, and lucky for us our last period of the day. How does that sound for a special bloke?" And Solah broke out in a peal of laughter.

It was a bit ironic. The girls had never had a young male professor before who was so handsome. If they were honest with themselves, he was more attractive than their fellow seventh year boys and who could blame them to enjoy the bit of eye candy during their year of NEWTS? With all the combined stress of homework and tests during their final year?

They definitely deserved it.

"I see. Maybe I should put some extra effort eh? I was just planning on wearing this old ratty jumper." Lily said pulling out a rather appealing jumper, quite the contrary to what she'd said about it. Its dark grey hues melded together with her auburn hair and darkened her emerald eyes. It came a little above the knees and she would wear black tights with it.

Alice smiled and Francesca rolled her eyes. "How ratty indeed. You wouldn't happen to have any other drab clothing in there that you might be able to lend to a friend in need?"

Lily laughed and waved her hand to her wide suitcase. "Full of lovely muggle clothing which I erm… bought with most of my pay check this summer. Sure, go ahead."

Solah bounced off Alice's bed and twirled around the room until she finally fell back onto her bed.

"I so missed chats like these! Ah I can't wait for our first class with Professor Potter. Too bad for you Alice, you're only allowed to look." Solah said wickedly and Lily laughed at Solah's implication.

"Like we would ever get a piece of him. He's our teacher! Maybe if we got him drunk but can you imagine how awkward it would be in the morning? Best shag I've had in a long time. See you in class! during which my head would be pounding with a dreadful headache and at break I'd be dashing out to relieve my stomach of its contents." Lily said laughing at the irony of it all and the ridiculousness that they were speaking of.

All the girls joined in the laughter and Alice pretended to pout. "I'm completely satisfied with Frank. He is so lovely…"

Lily giggled. "There she goes, getting ooey gooey on us."

Solah threw a pillow at Lily and Francesca emerged from Lily's suitcase with a pair of brown slacks and a top.

"Come now, beauty sleep is what we need. We want James Potter to be begging us for our answers tomorrow in class." Francesca said dryly.

Lily snorted. "That would be rather interesting. Hmm. Goodnight girls."

C

"Wakey wakey!" Lily said evilly as she flicked her wand at the long curtains that concealed the morning light.

Alice was already up and Francesca was brushing her blonde hair. Solah grumbled and pulled her pillow over her head, trying to block out the light and the noise.

Lily pulled out her wand and thought for a moment and then nodded her head with a wicked grin.

She flicked it lightly and the blankets flew off Solah as she rose in the air above her bed. Lily laughed and Francesca joined her as they watched Solah flail in the air momentarily, cursing loudly at Lily.

Lily dropped the spell and Solah fell to her bed with a bounce.

"Liiiiiiiiiiily! I was having a rather spectacular dream."

"Did it include Professor Potter?" Francesca asked her lips twitching.

Solah shrugged her shoulders mysteriously. Lily put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"You HAVE to tell us now Solah! How dare you not give us the dirty details." Lily said.

Solah just shook her dark head and headed to the bathroom with a saunter. "We should show Darren around, you know seeing as he is new."

With that the bathroom door closed and Lily laughed understandingly. Darren hm? That's probably who Solah had been dreaming about. Lily felt light-hearted because this was a good sign, that her friend was interested in Darren and hadn't mentioned Jeremy. It was time she found someone good enough for her.

Lily wriggled into her grey jumper and pulled on the silky tights. She poked the silver hoops through her ears and then slid into her black shoes.

"Ohh la la, I see our little Lily already wanting to please the Professor. Not for bonus points hm?" Solah said with a wink to the other girls.

Francesca snorted. "Like she'd need them."

Alice laughed and patted Lily on the shoulder consolingly. "You look nice Lily. That's what they're really trying to say."

Lily shook her fist at the other two girls. As they walked down to breakfast she wondered curiously if what Solah had said was true. Was she really trying to attract their handsome professor's attention? Nah, it couldn't be. It was all just a good bit of fun.

C

The girls entered the Great Hall later during that day for lunch. They were halfway through their first day of their final and seventh year at Hogwarts and they'd already sensed that it wasn't going to be an easy year by any means.

"Oh. My. Gosh. It's not even the end of the first day and I want to drop out." Solah said melodramatically as she drank down a glass of cold water at the lunch table.

Lily nodded sympathetically. Seventh year was not going to be a picnic. If she had thought sixth year or her OWL year had been difficult and trying, then she was in for a surprise this year. She felt like she had forgotten everything she'd learnt over the past summer. She wasn't able to practice because unlike all the others her birthday was after seventh year started. Her birthday was on the 27th of September.

She was somewhere near the top in most of her classes but still she could foresee the inevitable late nights of homework and projects, caffeine acting in as her only companion during those late nights.

Alice smiled. "Well look at the bright side, we have Professor Potter this afternoon. Life can't be that bad!"

Francesca pulled her dirty blonde locks into a ponytail and nodded. "Yes and we'll all discover with great disappointment that Professor Potter is secretly gay. Of course he'll load on tons of homework causing us to schedule private extra help lessons with him but won't get any satisfaction out of them because we'll only be able to look."

Lily burst into loud laughter at this and the other girls joined her. She clutched her sides from laughing and then turned to the other girls, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"Can you imagine? That would be a world catastrophe. Seriously! I mean I've been looking forward to this since Solah told me that the old grump had left."

"Well I don't know if I'd go that far but it definitely would be a disappointment." Francesca said with a hint of a grin.

The girls sat back in their chairs feeling slightly less stressed and in better spirits as they ate their lunch. Lily was munching on her chicken sandwich when Solah poked her.

"Look, there he is! Daaaaarren!" Solah yelled out across the Great Hall to the boy who had been chatting with Professor Flitwick.

Lily watched with interest as Professor Potter, who had been talking to Professor McGonagall turn towards the commotion and Lily looked away before he could see that she had been staring at him.

"I'm a pro." Solah said with a grin, her blue eyes sparkling

Francesca snorted and Alice laughed lightly, all of them watching as Darren headed towards their table with a grin on his face.

"Comment savez?" Solah asked with a flirtatious grin.

Darren just smiled and said, "I'm Irish, not French Solah. Mais je suis bien."

Lily had begun laughing when Solah had spoken French and finally calmed down enough to look over at Solah.

The girl was looking starry and proclaimed dramatically, "I think I'm in love!"

"Why because you made a fool out of yourself and he didn't say you were stupid?" Francesca asked bluntly and Solah just shook her head, probably selectively deciding not to hear what her 'friend' said.

"He can speak French! That's so sexy. The language of love." Solah said now staring over to where Darren had sat with a few of the other seventh year boys.

"I'm going to go sit with Frank. See you guys in class." Alice said smiling mischievously as she got up.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Francesca called to their shy friend and Lily snorted with laughter.

"What wouldn't you do?" Solah asked with a roll of her eyes then held up her hands in defense when Francesca quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You know Lily was dying to ask that question too!"

Lily laughed as she looked up to the head table. Professor Potter was no longer in sight. "Looks like our teacher has gone to his class in advance to prepare for us. Shall we go now?"

Francesca shook her blonde head. "Nah. I think we should arrive in last. He might notice us all better that way."

Solah turned to their friend and nodded approvingly. "Wicked plan. I hope Darren saves me a seat by him."

Lily continued to finish her sandwich musing about what the afternoon held for them. She waved to Frank and Alice as they left the Great Hall to get to the class.

The students in the Great Hall were clearing out save for a group seated at Slytherin's table and the girls. Lily glanced down at her schedule to see who they would be required to share their delectable Professor with. Ravenclaw's, not bad.

"Alright, I think it is time." Francesca said as the girls gathered up their books and headed towards the familiar classroom.

Lily turned around when they'd gotten to the door and said with a grin, "Here we are."

The three of them walked into the classroom and were shocked to find that the class nearly filled and the lesson already begun.

"Good of you to join us ladies. Take a seat in the remaining spots please." Their Professor said politely and Lily looked around the room for the available seats.

Solah had already claimed the seat next to Darren, and Francesca with the spot next to Alice and Frank. Lily looked around and found that the only seat left was right in front of the Professor's desk, which obviously was never a popular option.

"Great." She mumbled as she walked to the front and placed her bags on the desk.

"Anything wrong Ms. Evans?" He asked, his eyes watching her carefully and Lily noticed he was still as formal as ever.

"No, I was just surprised to find the class had already started seeing as we still have a few minutes until midday break is done." Lily said, locking her eyes with him and not wavering under his hazel stare. Something stirred in her stomach and she swallowed slowly.

A few of the kids tittered in the background spiking Lily's confidence as she sat down. "Yes well it appeared to me that everyone was here. Do try to come to class earlier next time and not last minute."

Lily smiled and gritted her teeth to prevent her from saying anything else as she turned around to lock eyes with Solah and Francesca. They were currently trying to hide their laughs and so she whirled around. Traitors. It was rather unfair of him to pick on her.

"Well, now that everyone is here, I guess I will recommence. My name is James Potter and as most of you already know I also went to this school. I just graduated a few years ago. I am still studying to become an Auror and have come here to teach at Hogwarts for part of my training. I will try my best to teach you how to defend yourself against the dark arts and will try my best to stick to the Ministry's guidelines. But if we get off topic, I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem." He said this all with a dignified manner and Lily felt like rolling her eyes.

"Now, we'll go through the list of names and then I'll give you a brief outline of what we will be doing in this course." He said finally smiling and Lily saw a glimpse of a young man who was just trying to be a teacher.

She sighed in relief as she dug in her bag for parchment and a quill so she could copy some notes. He began to pass out some pamphlets and when he came to her desk their eyes met briefly for an instance. Lily noticed how vibrant his hazel eyes really were.

"Thank you, Professor." She said smiling and he merely nodded as he turned away from her to face the rest of the class.

For the next forty five minutes he talked of his past experiences with the Dark Arts, and his own courses at Hogwarts in DADA.

Lily found herself listening with great interest of his experience with training as an Auror. She hadn't ever really thought about what she was wanted to do with her life after Hogwarts. She knew she obviously wasn't going to be a doctor, one of her dream occupations as a child before finding out she was a witch.

Now it seemed this question loomed even closer seeing as she was in her final year. Maybe she'd do some research later on the occupation of an Auror.

"Professor?" Solah called out from where she was seated with Darren, a wicked smile on her face.

"Yes, Ms. Smith?"

Lily turned around grinning, wondering what her mischievous best friend was about to ask their professor.

"You're only a few years older than us right? What's it like teaching us?" Solah asked sweetly and Lily couldn't keep the wide smile off her face at Solah's bravery or brazenness.

Lily kept her face down for a few moments trying to get control of her facial expression as James himself laughed.

"Yes, I am only a few years older. I feel I should be sitting down with you, not being the one teaching you all and talking up here about things that make me want to fall asleep. Don't worry, in the next few weeks classes should start to get more interesting." The class broke out into appreciative laughter as he grinned roguishly.

After the laughter had died down and he had gone back to teaching Lily could have sworn she heard Francesca whisper as an afterthought, "Yeah especially in our tutoring sessions."

She let out a loud laugh without thinking and their Professor turned towards her. "Is there something funny that you'd like to share with us Ms. Evans?"

So he liked to put people on the spot. She could handle that. "Oh no, Professor. It's hardly anything appropriate to share in class." Lily said, her emerald eyes locked onto his.

He quirked an eyebrow at her inquiringly but she just shrugged her shoulders lightly before returning to her notes, a small smile playing at her lips.

Ten minutes later after copying down some new defense spell definitions that they should know for next week Professor Potter vanquished the notes on the board.

"Class dismissed! I expect you all to have picked one of these spells and be able to perform it in your next class."

Lily looked at the intricate list and then looked back up at him to see if he was serious. Apparently so. He had the shadow of an arrogant smile playing at his lips.

"Sure thing Professor Potter." Lily said in a sarcastic tone and she gathered up her books to leave the room.

When she found her friends outside the classroom they were chattering eagerly about the class. "How about it? I should have just flat out asked him how old he was, shouldn't I have Lily? You two definitely have chemistry. Don't you think Francesca?"

"I certainly think so. I found myself quite entertained."

"Yeah and I heard your comment about the tutoring lessons. That's why I laughed out loud." Lily said to them, her eyes shifting past her in a paranoid manner to see if the Professor was nearby.

"It was pretty funny wasn't it? That joke worked to your slight disadvantage seeing as you were nice and close to him. But I'm sure from now on you'll be able to use it to your advantage." Francesca said grinning.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, I just hope he chills out a bit. He seems relaxed one minute but then gets all serious on us the next minute."

Alice had rejoined them and said fairly, "Well he is a few years older than us. He needs to demonstrate that just because the age difference isn't that significant he still is our teacher and we have to respect him."

"That's exactly it. Alice right?" A deep masculine voice said behind the girls and Lily turned around her eyes wide.

There he was, leaning against the door with his cloak off, a smirk gracing his face. Lily immediately checked out what he was wearing. A dark blue cashmere sweater and a pair of fitted grey slacks. Without the cloak he looked to be about their age and available.

Before she knew she was doing she reached out a hand to feel quality of the material of his sweater. His expression changed and his head jerked down to look at her small hand on his hard chest, Lily noticed. She felt Solah giggle next to her.

"That's a really nice sweater."

Their professor let out a gruff laugh at this. "Thanks Ms. Evans. Glad to know I'm dressing appropriately."

Solah jumped in. "Oh yes, Professor. Very well."

"Well I'll be off. Have a good rest of your afternoon ladies." He said inclining his head towards them.

Lily shook her head in disbelief at her brazenness and turned to see Francesca smiling.

"What?"

"This year is going to be very interesting. I can see it already."

A/N: Hi :) Edited: May 3rd, 2012

Review please!