A/N: Mmh, I honestly thought I already had this chapter submitted before Christmas, but somehow it didn't seem to have worked... However, here it is now... Oh, and thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the reviews… I hope you won’t kill me, because this chapter once again ends with a somewhat evil cliffhanger… At least I think that it’s at least a bit evil… Have fun!
Chapter 9: Friends and Colleagues
Harry Potter woke up to two well-known voices yelling at each other in the common room. Like he had done all the other times, whenever he had woken up to his friends fighting, he grabbed his wand to place a silencing charm on his room, so that he could go back to sleep undisturbed. This time, however, he thought better of it and placed it back on his nightstand, when he saw the sunlight shining through the curtains. Maybe he should get up after all, since it seemed that they would have a pretty busy day. Besides, Harry was kind of curious to find out, what had set them off this time.
Getting out of the bed and throwing his robe over his shoulders, he once again grabbed his wand (he never went anywhere without it anymore) and stepped through the door into the common room. There he saw them, with only a couple of feet between them, both faces flushed in a deep red colour and panting heavily, as if they had been fighting physically and not verbally, in the middle of the common room. Hermione was sill wearing the clothes from the previous day and her hair was tousled from sleeping on the couch, whereas Ron was already fully dressed. Over their shouting match, they did not even notice Harry entering the common room and the Boy Who Lived looked around the room and saw Draco, who was also already wearing his robes, standing in the doorframe to his room with an amused expression on his face. Harry caught his gaze and gave him a questioning look, but Draco only smirked knowingly and motioned with his head towards the couch.
Harry smiled in understanding, even though he was sure that he would be on the receiving end of Hermione’s tantrum as soon as she and Ron were done yelling at each other. But for now he was happy that Ron had Hermione’s undivided attention and would wait until one of them said something that would force him to make his presence known.
He and Draco watched them going at each other for another couple of minutes, both somewhat amused at their never ending quarrel, until Hermione got enough and demanded, “Ron, I want to know what happened last night! How did your fathers react?”
“I can’t tell you, Hermione. At least not yet. I want to wait until Harry is awake, because he’s also a part of this and I don’t want to tell you anything that Harry rather wants to tell you himself,” Ron said, slowly growing desperate.
Taking this as his cue to finally step in, Harry said, “I’m awake. And by the way, it was Draco’s idea to not wake you up and let you spend the night on the couch.”
Hermione and Ron jumped around and looked at him startled. The smirk on Draco’s face had suddenly disappeared, but instead of looking angry, Harry could almost swear that he was embarrassed, most likely at having been caught off guard like this. Hermione only shot Draco a quick glare, before turning her attention back to Harry, who had walked past them and sat down in one of the armchairs. She and Ron followed his example and Hermione looked at both of them expectantly, her expression alone telling them that she would not wait any longer.
“Come on, Ron, tell her what she wants to know,” Harry told his friend with a small smirk on his face.
Ron nodded numbly, still a bit surprised that Harry had obviously listened to their row for at least a couple of minutes before he had stepped in, and then started to tell Hermione his side of the story, until Harry joined the explanation. Hermione listened quietly, only giving Harry a concerned look, when Ron mentioned that James still did not believe them and was shocked to notice that Harry’s face remained emotionless the whole time. There was not even a flicker of emotion that might have betrayed what her best friend was feeling about this. She feared that Harry was on his best way to shut them, all of them, out, when he had just started to open up ever so slightly again shortly before this whole fiasco began.
After Ron had finished the tale with the information about breakfast and the staff meeting this morning, Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, before she made up her mind and her expression became a determined one. “Okay, what we have to do now is: Get ready and then hurry to get some breakfast before the staff meeting starts. I can’t believe we have slept for so long! It’s already nine o’clock!”
“I think you forgot one small fact, Granger. You and Weasley have spent a good deal of the time arguing about not waking you up last night,” Draco pointed out.
Hermione only glared again at him and said, “You and I, Malfoy, we’ll talk later.” She then turned to Ron and Harry, continuing to tell them about her plan. “We also need to make a good impression on the other teachers and then Harry needs to convince James of the truth, so that our secret will remain safe.”
They all agreed, nodding at the first three steps, but when Hermione had told Harry what he had to do, his expression hardened and he got up without saying a word. He was halfway to his room, when Hermione also jumped up, but Ron grabbed her arm. “Leave him, ‘Mione.”
“But… Harry!” she called after him.
Harry stopped in the doorframe and not turning around, he said, “Don’t worry, Hermione. I’m fine.”
~*~
When Harry had closed the door behind him, he absent-mindedly rubbed his scar. It did not hurt, but Harry knew that it would only be a matter of time until it would hurt again. For once it seemed that as if he was getting a natural headache that was not caused by his connection to Voldemort, but instead caused by the pressure once again put upon him. If he were really like his father, as everyone always said, Harry knew he would have a hard time convincing him of the truth. Simple words just would not be enough to fulfill that task.
Shaking his head, he opened his drawer and took out some clean clothes, before he disappeared in the bathroom. There he took off his shirt, splashed some cold water into his face and looked into the mirror. The reflection greeting him was not one of a twenty-one years old. He thought that he looked even older as his father, but it might just be him. The two scars on his face looked somewhat dangerous and the other thin white lines on his torso only added to that look. He could barely remember when he had gotten those scars, at least one or two during his adventures in the first six years at Hogwarts and the others he had gotten during the Battle of Hogwarts and his Auror training. Not even Madame Pomfrey or other skilled medi-witches and wizards were able to heal all wounds without leaving scars.
But what always scared him the most, when he was looking into a mirror, were his eyes. Those eyes had seen things that no one his age should have seen. Death, destruction, only to name some of them. He guessed that it were his eyes, that were making him look older than he really was. Emerald eyes, hardened with each emotional blow he had to suffer, with each other person, be it friend or stranger, that he had to watch die. Everyone always said that he had his mother’s eyes “ that was not true, not anymore. Her eyes were soft, his were not.
Harry ran a hand through his long unruly hair and smiled grimly. He hoped he would not scare any first or second years away with his looks, but when he thought about it, they had not been scared by Mad-Eye Moody, or rather Barty Crouch pretending to be Mad-Eye Moody, and he was looking much worse than Harry did. Well, if Harry kept on like this, maybe he would be able to give Alastor a run for his money “ someday.
Sighing, Harry turned his gaze away from the mirror and stripped off his boxers. Maybe a hot shower would help to improve his mood and if not, he would just have to act the part.
~*~
When Harry stepped again into the common room twenty minutes later, the others were already waiting for him. He flashed Hermione a reassuring smile, as she glanced at him guiltily and lightened the mood by saying, “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Let’s see if the house-elves in this time are as good as the ones in our time.” He grinned at Hermione’s frown and walked towards the entrance of their chambers. Before he pulled the portrait aside, he turned to his friends. “Come on.”
They easily found their way from their chambers to the Great Hall “ it was as if they had never left Hogwarts. The four of them stopped in front of the large wooden doors, shortly glancing at each other, before Ron motioned for Harry to open them. Inside of the Great Hall was instead of the four housetables a large round table in the middle, at which already a couple of teachers were sitting. Harry noted that some of them were familiar, though younger, and other unfamiliar. Dumbledore was sitting at the head, if there even was something like a head at a round table, so that he was facing the entrance and nodded at the four newcomers to come over.
Hermione felt tears in her eyes, when they rested on the person sitting next to the Headmaster. It was a younger looking and very much alive Minerva McGonagall. She blinked them away and smiled lightly, happy that she was able to see the one person she had once considered somewhat of a mentor, again.
The other teachers turned in their seats, when the doors opened and the four young people had stepped in and the doors then once again shut behind them. Dumbledore got up, when they had approached the table and smiled kindly. “Welcome, I hope you have slept well?” At their nods, he continued. “Very well, why won’t you join us?” With a quick wave of his wand, four more plates, goblets and cutlery appeared on the suddenly enlarged table, as well as four more chairs. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco sat down under the wary glances of the other teachers and then Dumbledore proceeded to finally introduce them. He started with the four of them, telling the other teachers their names and what subjects they would teach, also explaining Ron’s and Harry’s relations to Arthur and James and then continued the other way around, by naming the other teachers and their subjects. The only other new teacher at the table was Sybill Trelawney, who was going to teach Divination, and she cried out, when Harry was introduced, immediately predicting his soon and unavoidable death. Harry only rolled his eyes at her and continued to fill scrambled eggs on his plate, much to the amusement or surprise of the other teachers.
Next to the teachers the four friends already knew (Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout), were a couple that they did not know yet. Professor Elizabeth Thatcher, a thin witch in her late thirties with straight black hair and blue eyes, taught Arithmancy. An older wizard with brown, but slowly greying hair, was Professor Kief Futhark and he taught Ancient Runes. Hermione was sitting next to a young wizard “ only about four to five years older than them - and he was introduced as the teacher for Muggle Studies. His name was Christophe Hayden and he had a lean but muscular body, shorter blond hair and brown eyes.
“Not present today”, said Dumbledore, “are Professor Binn’s, who, thanks to his status as ghost, does not need to eat, Professor Sherrine Artemis, who teaches Astronomy, our Care for Magical Creatures teacher Professor Kettleburn, Hogwart’s caretaker Argus Filch, the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid (Harry’s, Hermione’s and Ron’s faces lit up by this name), the librarian Irma Pince and our school nurse, Poppy Pomfrey, but I think that you will meet them soon.”
When the introductions were done, the four time travellers were surprised at how warmly they were welcomed at Hogwarts, especially in this situation, but it seemed as if, even in this time, Dumbledore was fully respected and trusted by his colleagues. Hermione was immediately engaged in a deep conversation with Christophe Hayden, since it appeared that they were both muggleborn and Ron was talking to Elizabeth Thatcher about Quidditch tactics. Only Draco and Harry were currently not talking to anyone, but listening to the conversations at the table and eating.
It was only a couple of minutes later, when the doors opened again and two more persons stepped into the Great Hall. Again several heads turned around, including Harry’s and his whole body tensed up and his eyes widened. James and Lily Potter were approaching the table, but while seeing his father had somehow become something he had gotten used to over the course of
the last day, seeing his mother was something completely different. He only knew her from pictures and from his few memories of his parents, but seeing her alive and in person was rendering him speechless. She was even more beautiful than on the pictures, all traces of having given birth just one day ago were gone. The sunrays coming from the enchanted ceiling let her hair glow in many different shades of red and he was sure that he would never forget the soft smile on her face. He swallowed hard, as they got closer and tried to regain his composure. It would not be good if someone caught him staring at a married woman.
Dumbledore greeted the newcomers and with a wave of his wand the table was set for two more people between Professor Flitwick and Professor Trelawney. Lily smiled at them and Harry noticed, how she squeezed James’ hand, when they sat down. After having filled their plates, Professor Flitwick inquired about Lily’s and little Harry’s well-being. He also asked, if they had named their son after James’ cousin.
James threw an uneasy look at Harry, but Lily saved him. “To be honest, it was my idea to name him Harry. At that time I did not even know that James does have a cousin called Harry until I told him how I wanted to call our son.” She smiled at Harry how only a mother could smile at her child and Harry’s heart missed a bit.
Could she know?
He glanced at Dumbledore, who only nodded once, even though he also looked a bit surprised. He apparently had talked to James about playing along, even though he did not believe their story, but did not know that James had talked about this to his wife, who, it seemed, believed them.
The rest of the breakfast passed quickly and rather uneventful. Some of the teachers asked, how they had come to teaching at Hogwarts and what they had done before. Harry told them the cover story, only to have everything confirmed by James, even the things that he had made up even now, for example their previous education. He had told them that he and his friends had visited a wizarding school in a small town they had grown up in. Harry had heard of those schools before and thought that this would be the perfect alibi.
When Dumbledore clapped into his hands and the table was cleared, James and Lily got up again. They bade them a good day and while they were leaving, James walked directly past Harry, who suddenly felt a piece of paper in his hand. He quickly looked around, but no one had noticed anything. Hermione was still talking to the other young teacher, while Draco had joined Ron in the conversation with the Arithmancy professor. The other teachers also did not pay him any attention, so he quickly unfolded the note. It read, ‘Meet me at the Quidditch pitch after the staff meeting. J.P.’
Slowly, one after another the rest of the teachers filed in and when everyone was seated, Dumbledore repeated the introductions with the new teachers and then proceeded to topics concerning the coming school year and what the situation with Voldemort meant to this. But Harry was not able to concentrate enough to listen. His mind was still on the note he had received from James. Besides, he was sure that Hermione, who was diligently making notes, would tell him everything later.
It seemed to Harry as if the meeting would not end, when Dumbledore suddenly announced that the staff meeting was over. Harry, having waited for this the whole time, curtly excused himself and left the Great Hall, ignoring the confused looks on his friends’ faces.
~*~
When also the other teachers rose from the table, Hermione turned to Christophe Hayden. “Excuse me, please, but I need to go to the library. I wanted to start on the lesson plan for the coming term.”
He smiled at her. “May I accompany you? I also need to add some finishing touches to mine and besides, this castle is enormous and it would be bad, if a professor got lost on her first day.”
Hermione chuckled. Of course, he could not know that she knew most of the corridors by heart. “You may.”
Continuing to talk about Hogwarts, they left the Great Hall. None of them noticed the one person looking after them with an unreadable expression on his face.
~*~
Harry slowed his steps, when he neared the Quidditch pit, not wanting to appear out of breath. He walked around the stands and saw James sitting on the bench for the reserve players. His father was already expecting him.