Harry, Amy, Susan, Hannah, and Heather all remained seated as Heather spoke in a crisp and clear voice.
"The most important thing I must tell you all right away, "said Heather firmly, "Is that you lot are going to be kept away from Dumbledore at all costs. Obviously, that means you will never return to Hogwarts whilst Dumbledore is still there. But we also must keep Dumbledore from finding you here. That's especially true for you, Harry. Along those lines, I am the Secret Keeper for Abbott Manor."
"What is a Secret Keeper?" Harry asked Heather.
"It's a very complex piece of magic and I will not be teaching you the details until you are older, " explained Heather, "But the long and the short of it is that a Secret Keeper is a protector of a person or building. If a person or building has a Secret Keeper, it is impossible for people to find that person or building except for those people to whom the Secret Keeper has divulged the location."
"So how many people currently know the location of Abbott Manor?" asked Harry.
"Eight, "answered Heather instantly, "The five of us that are here, plus Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout, and Amelia Bones. That's it and that's going to stay it."
"Does that mean we never leave this building?" asked Amy.
"In some cases, it may be necessary to do so, "replied Heather, "But in such cases I AND Amelia will escort you where we are going, especially if we suspect it's to a place Dumbledore might expect to run into Harry."
"That makes sense, "said Harry simply.
"Now, " said Heather, "Before we start on a lesson, do any of you have any questions for me?"
"I understand that low quality teachers, particularly Quirrell and Snape, was one of the reasons we were withdrawn from Hogwarts. But what is your honest opinion, if you have one, of the Hogwarts Heads of House?" inquired Harry.
"Flitwick and Sprout are just about perfect for the role, " responded Heather, "While bully Snape has no business being in such a role. McGonagall is trickier. While McGonagall is a superb Transfiguration teacher, I don't believe she should be a Head of House."
"We never interacted with her in our brief time at Hogwarts, " piped up Harry, "Why don't you think McGonagall should be a Head of House?"
"She's too stiff and stubborn, she won't listen to her students concerns when they voice them to her, she doesn't look after her students or intervene on their behalf when she shoud, and she also will play favorites at times if she happens to really like a particular student."
"Looking after the students in his or her house and listening to their concerns should be the number one priority for a Head of House. I, Amy, Susan, and Hannah know firsthand that Sprout does that and we are confident Flitwick would if needed, " said Harry matter of factly.
"Exactly, " said Heather, "McGonagall is also loyal to Dumbledore, which is another negative. Snape is far worse though. He was a Death Eater.'
"WHAT!" screamed Harry, "I, Amy, Susan, and Hannah never got to our first class with him, though we heard it through the grapevine that he is a bully, but, NO ONE WHO EVER WORKED FOR VOLDEMORT SHOULD EVER BE SUITED FOR A TEACHING POST! "
"Completely correct, " agreed Hannah at once, "Someone with Snape's past shouldn't be anywhere near children. And don't forget what I told you yesterday about once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater."
"In addition to Dumbledore, Snape is another big reason Amelia and I wanted our niece and daughter out of Hogwarts, " said Heather firmly.
"How did Harry and I fit in then?" asked Amy.
"Neither of you has a magical guardian, "explained Heather, "So your position in the magical world is somewhat loose. It was Amelia's and my decision to include you and Harry. Harry must be kept away from Dumbledore and this way the Yellow Quartet can stay together."
'I need to ask, " said Amy, "What are the house rules here?'
"I'm a pretty permissive guardian, " smiled Heather, "But I do have one very major no-no. Under NO circumstances are romance, sex, or sexuality to have ANY place in this house. if I should find in any of your rooms, posters, magazines, etc., that depict romance, sex, or sexuality or should I hear any of you talking about such disgusting things, you can expect VERY severe punishment. Romance, sex, and sexuality are the worst vices of humans and those horrible sins will NEVER be tolerated here. Other than that, no really major house rules."
"If I may ask?" interjected Susan, "What kind of teacher will you be? I know I've known you all my life, but not as a teacher. I know you said you believe in practical learning over book learning. But what about your teaching style?"
"I believe in mastering things, "answered Heather a nanosecond later, "I believe in doing things until you can do them completely right. Not just "getting the hang of it" but actually being able to completely do it.
"Even if we have to go through nine hundred octillion repetitions?" asked Susan.
"Absolutely, "said Heather fiercely, "If you need to do something, you'll need to know how to actually do it. Not just have a feel for it or understand how to do it, but be able to actually truly do it. We have plenty of time here to master what needs to be mastered. Practice makes perfect, so you will continue to practice important things regularly even after you master them."
"That makes sense, "said Hannah, "And by the way, before anyone asks, mom is NOT a yeller. So, you don't have to worry about that."
"Yelling is a terrible form of instruction, "said Heather briskly. "Because if you yell at people while you are trying to teach them, they will be paying attention to your yelling instead of what you are trying to teach them. That said, you should be aware that under my teaching style, you will receive more criticism than compliments. As we go along, I will focus on what you did wrong rather than what you did right until you've mastered the task completely."
"That makes sense because how will we learn otherwise?' piped up Harry.
"Exactly, Mr. Potter." beamed Heather, "So I thought we'd start our lesson with...….