Crap, he accidentally traveled forward in time almost a hundred years.
"Well, that is just great. Last time I mess with the settings of the Room. Just gonna ask Deek next time." He said the last bit to himself before he heard two familiar voices.
"Young Drake/ the Ingrate?!" Headmistress Fitzgerald and Headmaster Black voiced simultaneously.
"Niamh, you know this young man?" The old man asked the former while ignoring the latter for the moment.
"Yes, Albus this is the one I have told you about! The student who defeated Ranrok and protected the school! I haven't heard from him since one night in his seventh year, almost a hundred years ago.. My goodness, you have not aged a day. How is that even possible?" She explained before asking Kevin to explain what had happened.
"I was learning from Deek on how to perform some of his magic in the Room of Requirement. After I got the hang of what he had shown me, I channeled some more magic to see what could happen. That was about five minutes ago." The prodigy told one of his former mentors.
"Are you saying that you were able to travel forward in time?" The woman in green asked, a Scottish accent apparent in her voice.
"As far as I know, yes." He had decided not to mention his use of ancient magic around these new people.
The old man, Albus, looked at the young man with sorrow-filled eyes. He had put away his wand after Kevin told his story and the others in the room soon followed his lead.
"I am sorry that you have to go through this. Experimenting with magic is always dangerous but at least you still live."
"I know. Unfortunately, I don't know if I would be able to use the same process to go back. I may just end up going further forward. Besides, I don't think I have the patience or wisdom of a 200 year old yet." The last remark got a few small chuckles from the others in the room.
Albus' eyes then lit up. Turning towards his former headmaster, "Phineas, you called Young Mr. Drake 'the Ingrate.' What did he do to deserve a name like that?"
"He broke into my office, spread vicious lies about me, was late to his own sorting, and started an illegal Quidditch tournament in his second year!" The pureblood said with crazed eyes.
"One, I did not break in, I walked in. Two, you have no proof who put up those posters. Three, wasn't my fault, I was attacked by a dragon and a goblin warlord. And finally, you yourself signed the form allowing Quidditch to start up again. Not my fault you didn't read the fine print." The prodigy spoke, arms crossed while he argued for his innocence.
When it looked like Phineas was about to say something, Kevin quickly silenced the portrait. The others in the room looked at him in various degrees of shock, especially after the dragon bit.
Albus quickly regained his composure, a smile spreading on his face. He took his seat and gestured for the rest to take a seat. Just as he was reaching for his wand to create a chair for Kevin, the prodigy had already conjured a very comfy yellow and black armchair.
The frizzy-haired woman was the first to speak. "Hufflepuff then?"
"Yep, though I have been in every other house's common room. Hufflepuff is the most comfy and relaxing, Slytherin has the most interesting entrance, Ravenclaw the best personal library, and Gryffindor has the best view."
"How were you able to get into the other common rooms? Especially Slytherin?" The small goblin-like man asked.
This made Kevin smile. "I had a lot of friends in every house but two of my best were in Slytherin. There was a little falling out between the two of them in fifth year but I was able to get them to patch things up. They would help me explore the school and practice my magic. All of my friends in every house helped with the latter because I didn't start Hogwarts until I was a fifth year."
"A fifth year? How is that possible?" The woman in green questioned.
"I didn't get my magic until I was fifteen. Didn't even know about it either, but then I got a letter saying that I was invited to attend Hogwarts. Once there, I started to learn as much about the wizarding world as possible. By the spring of that year, I had caught up to my classmates and by winter of my sixth year I was ahead of everyone. I was working towards getting my official mastery in Magical Theory so that I could try and apply for a position here."
Albus seemed to notice Kevin's wording and spoke up on it, "Official? Does that mean that you consider yourself an unofficial master at Magical Theory?"
"Not just me, I talked to some of my teachers and Ministry workers. They all said that they had never known someone who knew as much as I did on the subject, not even Professor Fig. He was the teacher when I arrived as well as being a mentor to me. When he died at the end of my first year, I decided that I would dedicate myself to learning everything I could about magic and applying for the open position. I was actually supposed to take my NEWTs after my time in the Room of Requirement when I accidentally time traveled."
"You have mentioned this room before but I have never heard of it. And I have been at Hogwarts for a number of years." The woman in green asked, a confused expression on her face.
"It is a room that can be anything someone needs as long as they walk past it three times while thinking about what they need. I was shown it by Professor Weasely to help me catch up to everyone. Eventually, the Room became a place I was constantly in. I was the only student who knew the entrance because I never showed it to anyone. And I don't plan to." He added the last bit when he saw them about to ask.
There were a few moments of silence before Albus spoke up once more. "Well, you seem to be a very intelligent young man. Niamh has been apparently telling me stories of your exploits for years and they are all quite something." He leaned forward, arms on the desk with his fingers intertwined. "I would like to offer you a choice. We have just finished the current school year, so it will be a few months before classes start once again. When they do start, I would like to offer you a place here. Either as a student finishing your seventh year or, if your claims are true, as the professor of Magical Theory. There has not been a proper teacher for years, so the position is still open. If you would prefer the latter, I can have some people from the Board and Ministry oversee some tests that will count for your NEWTs and the interview."
Kevin was shocked, he did not think that he would be offered the chance to teach after he had made his mistake. That being said, there was no way he was saying no to the one job he has ever wanted. "I would like to show you that my claims are true and take that position."
Albus smiled and the twinkle in his eyes returned. He would need to ask how he did that later. "Wonderful, I will send some owls out to the appropriate people. Everything should be taken care of next week. Until your testing, however let me show you what may become your quarters. And allow me to introduce you to who may be your coworkers." He then raised his arm and gestured to the woman in green. "This is Minerva McGonagall, my deputy headmistress, head of Gryffindor, and professor of Transfiguration." Next, he moved his arm so that it was directing his attention to the woman in yellow. "Pomona Sprout, head of Hufflepuff and professor of Herbology." Then, he introduced the smallest one in the room. "Filius Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw and professor of Charms." Finally, he introduced the human oil slick. "Severus Snape, head of Slytherin and professor of Potions. You will meet the other professors another day, near the beginning of the school year. Minerva, would you please show Mr. Drake to the empty teacher quarters that he may use?"
"Certainly Albus." She rose from her seat and gestured for Kevin to follow her. After bidding his farewells, he followed the professor to what he recognized as Professor Hecat's room. One day in his first year, he explored the entire school and found out where all the professor's quarters were. The reason? He was bored and feeling snoopy. When they reached the room, Minerva said that if he needed help getting acclimated, everyone but Severus would be willing to help him. Apparently the man disliked everyone which brought up the question of how he was made head of Slytherin? Kevin had more and more questions every second he was in this new time. Hopefully, he can get them answered before he has to teach.