Chapter Text
A/N: I actually started writing something different, but this kept bothering me, so I decided to go with it and see what happens. There will be the occasional mentions to my other fic “Aftershocks” but you don’t need to read it, it’s more of a passing mention than anything else. I hope you like it!
A New Beginning
Chapter One
She clutched at Sepulchria as the thestral shifted, changing altitude. Flying beside her, Philibert, let out a squawk and adjusted his flight to match with her and the thestral. She sent the phoenix an apologetic look, it was her fault for the sudden shift, but as she flew over the landscape again, she suddenly realised that she was right in time to catch the light glittering over the lake. It had been so long since she had been in this part of Scotland, she just had to see it again.
At the thought of how long it had been, she closed her eyes and sucked in the thick air and turned her head from side to side in an attempt to get her hair out of her face- not that it did much, if her hair was not in her face, then her flapping black robes were. Five years, it had been five years since she had graduated. Five years since shad had last been to Hogwarts. So much had happened since then, she had experienced so much, seen so many things that the wizarding world had to offer. She had had grown up. Aged. Aged far beyond her age of twenty three years- emotionally, not physically, she was not sure if she could handle having her age rapidly changed like Professor Hecat had.
Professor Hecat… she was the reason that she was heading back to Hogwarts. She was to be the new defense against the dark arts professor. Apparently, Hecat had decided to take a year’s leave, to decide whether she wanted to retire. Eleanor could understand the feeling, she herself, had recently had to take leave from her auror career. She scrunched her eyes closed as her chest ached and flashes of memories shot through her. As Sepulchria whined, she shook her head and tried her best to blink away her tears. She would not let the past ruin the present. She would not let it tarnish her reunion with Hogwarts.
Speaking of Hogwarts… she tilted her head to the side, to look past Sepulchria. Excitement pushed down her anxiety as she caught sight of Hogsmeade. She was close. As she passed over the town, she made a mental note to make time to come back for a drink at the Three Broomsticks. It had been a long time since she had seen Sirona, it would be nice to catch up, to see how they were doing. She felt her smile return to her.
“We’re nearly there, girl.” She petted the thestral’s neck.
Her stomach tightened and dropped all the same time. She was eager to start her year. A year away from being an Auror. A year to sort out her feelings. A year to decide if that was the life that she wanted to go back to. She let out a gasp as she caught sight of the light glittering on the water surrounding Hogwarts. Warmth washed over her, a feeling settled in her chest as she watched the sun creep over the castle.
Home.
It was like coming home.
The feeling in her chest moved to her stomach before bubbling and pushing out. It escaped through her mouth in the sound of laughter. Excitement burst through her like an explosion of fireworks. She released her mount- causing the thestral to let out a sound of shock- and threw her hands up. She let out a cry of pleasure. She felt free. For the first time in years, she felt truly free. She was excited. She felt free.
She was ready for the year!
X
She stopped at the doors leading into Hogwarts. After taking Sepulchria to the stables, she had taken the time to walk the grounds. To remember things that she hadn’t thought of in the longest time. Philibert had walked it with her. The large bird had plodded beside her, as though he too, wanted to take the time to be reunited with home- who know’s what he had gotten up to whenever she was away as she sincerely doubted that the Room of Requirement had been actually capable of containing him.
She reached for the gilded handles and willed herself to push the doors open. Why was she hesitating? Was she anxious? She had no answers for herself, but she did suspect that anxiety had a role to play in her hesitation. She had a reason to be anxious though, so many things had happened to her in this place- not as many as happened in her first year, but her remaining two were as adventurous as they could be. There was more to it though, she wasn’t sure that she was the same person that she had been when she had been there. Being an auror and seeing more of the wizarding world had changed her… she hoped that Hogwarts still accepted her, accepted her as she was now.
“You ready, Philibert?” she asked, looking down to her companion. When he ruffled his feathers and let out an agreeing squawk, she smiled and nodded. “Alright, here we go.”
As the doors opened, she was hit with the feeling of nostalgia. She had spent so many hours wandering the halls- especially in her first year when she had had to wander around finding pages for her field guide. Which, while it had given her an appreciation for her school, she was glad that she never had to do again. The doors closed behind her and the sounds of her and Philibert’s footsteps echoed through the hall as she pressed forwards.
“We need to find Professor Weasley.” She said, more to herself than Philibert.
The bird responded to her regardless. With a ruffle of his feathers, he spread his wings and lifted off, flying around the room several times before stopping by the door to the far left. Eleanor watched his movements with rapt interest, and when he came to a halt, she adjusted her robes- making extra care to ensure that they were straightened and set right- then followed after the phoenix.
As she followed after Philibert, she found herself reminiscing on her time in Hogwarts. She thought of her friends, her adventures, and all of those little times, the little things that built up her every day. Such as the time when she had helped find hidden treasures within the castle. The time when Imelda had locked Ominis and Sebastian in a broom cupboard together. Helping Poppy look after animals. Peeves chasing her with flaming sticks. Her first kiss. Watching the Frog Choir… as she reminisced, she felt herself smiling a sad smile. It had been a different time. There were days when she wished that she could return to the innocence.
Philibert let out another squawk and she looked over to see a massive puddle flooding the hallway leading to the transfiguration classroom, Professor Weasley would most likely be there. All she had to do was to get rid of the water. Sighing and reaching for her wand, she silently questioned why no one else- why Moon- had not dealt with the water. With a wave of her wand, the water disappeared and she was able to proceed onwards.
As she reached the door, she heard an annoyed wail that caused her to chuckle. Calling out a ‘sorry’ to Peeves, she waved her wand again and the water reappeared. She grinned at Peeve’s cackle, and stepped towards the door to the transfiguration classroom. She hesitated for a moment as she reached the door. She was unsure as to why, however. She wondered if perhaps it was her anxiety playing with her again, telling her that she had no business being a professor. Even though it had been Professor Weasley who had reached out to her. Professor Weasley who had wanted her to take the position.
Shaking the anxiety away, she knocked on the door. As she waited she wondered if she looked like a fool, Professor Weasley was probably not here and was instead probably in the teacher’s lounge getting things ready for the year. She looked up at Philibert who had sat himself on the head of a suit of armour, who looked quite unimpressed with having a bird on his head- as unimpressed as a suit of armour could look. Philibert had never let her down before when she had been looking for someone. Which upon reflection, maybe she should have had him with her on her last auror mission… she shook her head, no, Philibert had no business with her on those sorts of missions… she had made the right choice, regardless of what had happened.
“Yes?” a voice called from the other side of the door.
Steading her breath that had suddenly hastened, she opened the door. “Good morning, Professor.” She said quietly as she passed the threshold into the room. The sense of nostalgia that she had had earlier came back in full force. She could easily remember sitting at her desk in this room, learning as much about transfiguration as she could.
“Oh! Oh, dear, you’re here!!” she looked over to Professor Weasley- no Matilda, she mentally reminded herself- who was pushing herself away from her desk and rushing over to her.
“Professor, I-” before she was able to say anything, she found herself pulled into a crushing hug. She stiffened.
“Oh, dear girl, it is good to see you!” she pulled back as Eleanor had relaxed and returned the embrace. Grasping her forearms, she looked her up and down. “You’ve grown so much! I know that we fire-called, but that is different, I could hardly get a look at you.” She beamed with pride. “I’m so glad that you’ve agreed to come back to Hogwarts!”
Eleanor smiled. She understood what Professor Weasley meant. There was something about meeting the person in the flesh that was special, rather than through letters or over fire-call. She felt a touch of her anxiety wash away as Professor Weasley began fussing about her, checking her height and asking her questions about her travels. It was nice.
“Oh, Eleanor,” Weasley stopped herself from gushing. “We can talk while we walk, I have to take you to the teacher’s lounge and, well, re-introduce you to the staff!” she was positively jumping with excitement.
“It will be nice to see them again, Profess- Matilda.” Eleanor smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m going to have to get used to it all.”
Professor Weasley chuckled and placed a hand on Eleanor’s back. Guiding her from the room, she continued. “You wouldn’t believe how many professors do the exact same thing!” she laughed. “It took Mirabel six weeks, and Aesop was stumbling over it for months-” she held her lips together with a chuckle, looked at Eleanor sheepishly and held a finger to her lips. Shhsing secretively, she added. “Don’t tell him that I said that!”
Somehow, she had no trouble at all picturing her old potions professor stumbling over honorifics. Even with his surely disposition, she could picture his dark eyes flashing as he stumbled over words. She just wished that she had been able to see it. It would have been something to behold. She allowed Professor Weasley to guide her from the room and down the halls. Behind them, Philibert followed behind them, before flying off on his own as they reached the great hall.
Nothing had changed, she noticed as she stepped inside the great hall. Walking further into the room, Eleanor stopped at the edge of the Slytherin table. Her fingers running along the wood. In the next few days this room will be full of people. Full of children all eager to start their year of schooling. Full of first years ready to discover the wonders of Hogwarts. She remembered her first day, when she had arrived late with Fig. She frowned and wondered how Fig would react to her being a professor. Would he be proud? She had a feeling that he would be.
“How are you feeling, dear?” Professor Weasley asked, moving to step beside her.
Eleanor nodded. “Just thinking about Fig..” she sighed. “It would have been nice to see him on my first day back.
“I think that he would have been proud of you.” Professor Weasley replied, reaching up and touching her shoulder gently. When Eleanor flinched at the touch, she rubbed her thumb soothingly. “Are you sure that you’ll be alright this year?” she asked quietly, meaning behind her words.
Eleanor sighed and nodded. “I will be.” She turned to the professor beside her. “Sorry If I’m a bit flinchy, it’s hard-” she cut herself off and bit her lower lip.
“I understand.” Professor Weasley gave her one of her warm and motherly smiles. “If you need anything, anything, you let me know.”
Eleanor sucked in a shuddering breath and blinked back the tears that prickled behind her eyes. “Thank you, Profess- Matilda!” she groaned at her mistake, which caused Professor Weasley to laugh. Her laughter was contagious, and Eleanor found herself not only joining her, but feeling lighter than she had moments ago.
“Don’t worry, dear girl, everyone does it.”
X
Either Hogwarts had changed in the last five years, or there was more to the place than was on the surface. As when she had been hunting pages and moons, she thought that she had been in every room, but apparently that was not the case. She discovered this as she was ushered into a room that served as the ‘staff lounge’. Had the room always been there? Or had she just been lax in her exploration of the castle? Both were equally possible.
She felt a hand press against her back and guide her into the room. It was currently empty, so she was able to take in the sights. There were lots of books and other magical objects lining the walls and she could see a chalkboard pushed in the corner of the room. There were also several sofas positioned around a large tea table, each of the chairs was coloured after one of the four houses. It was no different to any of the other rooms within the castle, but it apparently served as the staff room. She walked to the chairs and ran her fingers along the fabric. The chairs looked old, but the fabric felt as good as new- they were probably charmed.
“Now what seems to be missing here…” she turned to see Professor Weasley holding her chin in thought. She suddenly clicked her fingers, realization flashing on her face. “I know!”
She reached for her wand and waved it at the chalk board. The words: Welcome Professor Williamson appeared written in colourful chalk cursive. She then pointed her wand at the tea table, with a swish an array of muffins, fruits, teapots and cups appeared on the table. She put her wand away and folded her arms over her chest. Pleased, she turned to Eleanor with a smile.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Eleanor felt her chest pulse. Touched. She was touched by the effort. It was truly wonderful. She smiled. “It’s wonderful, thank you.” She doubted that she would ever be able to express her gratitude.
As Professor Weasley opened her mouth to reply, she paused as the door opened. The pair turned and watched as Professors Garlick and Ronen walked into the room, engaged in their conversation. Eleanor took in the sight of the pair of them, they had barely changed a day! Professor Garlick was as beautiful as ever and the pastel pink dress she wore seemed to complement her beautifully. Professor Ronen looked as though he had not changed at all. Still in his wonderfully colourful robes and talking animatedly with his hands- it was almost as though she had not left.
“And that is why-” Professor Ronen stopped himself as he caught sight of Eleanor. “Why if it isn’t our old student!” he walked towards her with outstretched arms. “I was so pleased when I heard that you were going to be joining us!” he clasped her on the shoulder.
At seeing her face, Professor Weasley lifted her hand up. “Oh Abraham..” she started quietly, but stilled as Eleanor whispered, that it was alright. She lowered her hand and smiled as Professor Ronen continued sprouting and gushing his feelings over Eleanor joining the staff.
“It is good to see you again.” Professor Garlick walked over. Whilst she was demurer than Professor Ronen, the joy at seeing Eleanor was evident on her face. “The venomous tentacula will be most pleased to see you again. The one you reared from a sapling is still here- it’s positively thriving.”
Eleanor felt a flash of excitement at that. She did not think that the plant would have lived all that long, what with the lifespan of plants. Before she could respond, more of the professors came ambling in. each of them gave her a similar greeting to Professor Garlick- with the exception of Professor Onai who pulled her into a hug and asked her how Natty, had been the last time she had seen her. Eleanor, who worked alongside Natty on a few cases, was able to say that she was doing well, but due to her current mission, was unable to give any more information. She wanted to, but she was no longer privy to the status of other aurors. She hoped to hear from Natty soon.
While she talked to the professors about her last few years and how Hogwarts had been, she noted that there were still two professors absent. Professors Black and Sharp. Black, she could deal without. She had lost most of her respect for him when he had not only not turned up to help defend the castle in her fifth year, and then he had had gone on to give the worst speech to honor Fig’s death. While he was technically her employer, it had been all Professor Weasley who had talked to her. Professor Weasley who had had dealt all of that. So, in her mind, it was Professor Weasley who was her employer, not Black.
The lack of Professor Sharp made more of an impact than Black’s ever could. She actually liked Professor Sharp. He had done a lot in supporting her in her first year. She had confided in him multiple times throughout the years, and he had gone out of his way to help her catch up. The other professors had as well, but Sharp had… it was different. He had told her that he had wanted her to succeed, and it had felt as though he had meant it. She could remember when she had been hit by the cruciatus curse and he had been there to help her get through it, he had shown his character to her that day and she would always respect him.
It would be nice to see him again.
“How long are you with us?” Professor Shah asked as she stepped to one of the yellow sofa’s. Taking a seat, she reached for a muffin.
Professor Shah’s actions prompted the other professors to take seats. Soon enough, all of them were sat at the table picking at the food available. Eleanor felt herself relaxing, it seemed that despite what had happened, she was still able to sit with others and enjoy conversation- it filled her with confidence, and her confidence in her ability to teach the students. She felt as though she had made the right decision in coming there. She could also be relaxing because she had the loveseat to herself.
“The year.” She replied to Shah’s question before reaching out to pick up a teacup. “I’m covering Professor Hecat’s sabbatical.” She leaned back into the soft sofa and sipped at her drink.
Professor Biggs, the professor who had taken over from Fig’s position in Magical Theory, munched on a cookie. “You were an Auror, right?” he questioned. “Why come teach here? Don’t misunderstand me, I’m sure you’ll be amazing, it’s just, don’t you guys usually work for more than two years?”
Eleanor blinked. She had known that that question would eventually come up, but she would have thought that she had longer than her literal first day before answering it. Years to training in how to hide thoughts and answer questions, and she found herself stumbling over herself. Flashes of memories. Painful ones banging in the back of her mind. She gripped her cup tightly, her eyes glazed as she tried to think of an answer. She heard someone clear their throat, probably Professor Weasley, and blinked.
“I erm..” she fingered the rim of her cup, her eyes not moving from the liquid inside. “I just finished a big case and, I wanted a holiday,” She waved her hand dismissively, trying to sound as casual as possible. “So, when this position came up, I took it.”
Despite her attempts at sounding casual, something in her voice must have said something. At least it seemed as though, from the way that Professor Onai hummed. “It will be good having you here.” she said. “Your experience will be useful in guiding the students in fighting the dark arts.”
Eleanor was saved from further conversation as the door opened, Professor Black walked in. She watched as he strolled in, without acknowledging the professors, and came to a halt at the blackboard. He read over the words and folded his arms over his chest. He let out a hum and stared at the black board for a few breaths. He turned to face the other professors, his eyes scanning them until they landed on her. His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed, he seemed as though he was trying to remember when he had seen her before.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, he would forget the person who had helped to protect Hogwarts all those years ago. He had not even turned up to help defend Hogwarts from the Goblins. Why would he consider her someone worth remembering? He had not even been a part of the hiring process- she would be surprised if he had even known that they were having a new professor this year. She certainly would not be surprised if that were, in fact, the case.
She smiled serenely- filled with quaint sass. “Good evening, Professor Black.” She pulled herself up from the chair and held out a hand. “It is good to see you again.” She felt a small flash of pride in herself, two months ago she would not have been able to hold her hand out for someone to shake. Much less be in a room filled with people.
His eyes flashed as he realised who she was. “You were the one who fought the goblins…” he said quietly.
When he did not accept the offered hand, she pulled her hand back and nodded. “That’s right, Sir, and now I’m here to teach defense.”
“Right, Professor Weasley took care of that.” He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled, as though congratulating himself, for what she had no idea. “Well welcome to the staff, it will be good to have you here… I’m sure.”
His eyes slid away from her and to the table filled with food. He then scanned the other professors and the foods that they were nursing at the time. He frowned. “What is all of this for?” he gestured to the snacks. “Was there some special occasion that I’ve not been made privy to?”
Professor Weasley quirked her brow and gestured to the Eleanor. “We had a new member of staff, we thought it would be good to have some nice treats to welcome her for her first day.” she reached for a cupcake, and maintained eye contact with Professor Black as she took a bite. “Would you care for one?” she gestured her hand to the cupcakes. “These one’s are lemon flavoured.”
His face, very briefly, seemed torn between eating one of the treats or chastising Professor Weasley. “…Perhaps later, is everyone here? We need to go over the syllabus for the year.” He eventually said, his voice even.
“We’re still waiting on Aesop.” Professor Garlick chimed.
Professor Black let out a hum of annoyance. He crossed his arms over his chest at all but rolled his eyes. “Of course, he is.” He looked at the other Professors. “Does anyone know where he is?” When none of the other professors answered, he prompted again. “Come on, the sooner we find him, the sooner we can all get on to more important things.”
As if talking about him was a means of summoning, the door opened, and Professor Sharp walked in. The first thing that Eleanor noticed was that the man had barely changed a day. His face looked the same, and he still wore his dapper dark suits. She felt a sense of relief as she saw him- the same nostalgia took her, same as when she had first walked into the castle. She took her eyes away from him as Professor Black let out a sound of annoyance. She turned her head to see the man tapping his fingers against his arm.
What a pompous arse.
“Just what was so important that you felt the need to be late to our meeting?” he glared across the room at Professor Sharp. “We have much more pressing matters to attend to, rather than waiting for you to grace us with your presence.” He raised his brows and flicked his fingers at Professor Sharp. “Well, out with it, why were you late?”
Sharp blinked, his lips thinned, and his brow quirked. “I was adding the finishing touches on a potion-”
“Just what potion could possibly be so important that you are late to our meeting?” Professor Black interrupted. He gestured to Eleanor. “We are welcoming our newest professor, and you’re being unfathomably rude to them.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I shall apologise on your behalf, but you would do well to not be so rude next time.”
Sharp turned his gaze to Eleanor, who shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes looked to the side, then back at him. The look of discomfort that took her face that told him everything he needed to know about how she felt about the whole situation. She offered him a lopsided smile, which he returned, before turning his attention back to the headmaster. He pursed his lips, as though pondering on something. He remained that way for a few moments before his eyes narrowed and he came to his decision.
“I would have thought that you would be appreciative,” his voice was even, but his eyes glittered with amusement. “considering that the potion was for you.” He shrugged. “However, if this meeting is more important than your ailment, and your expectations, then I shall dispose of the potion and next time allow it to-”
“That’s enough Professor!” Professor Black snapped, his cheeks reddening. He waved a hand to the chairs. “Take a seat, and we’ll being the meeting. no more talk of potions.”
Eleanor bit the inside of her cheek as a memory flashed in her mind. The memory of when she had taken the ployjuice potion. When she had strolled around the castle as Professor Black. She could remember the conversation that she had had with Professor Sharp during that time. What he had said about Professor Black’s condition and the potion that he had to help him with it. Considering what Professor Sharp had just disclosed, it seemed to her that he was suffering from a similar complaint. She snorted.
“Can I sit here?” she jumped at the voice beside her and turned her head to see Sharp standing beside her, his brow raised and head tilted meaningfully.
She looked down at the spot beside her, then briefly at the other taken chairs. Scooting over she gestured in offering with her hands. “Of course, you may, Professor.”
“Aesop.” He replied instantly, at her sheepish expression, his shoulder’s slumped. “Thank you.” He offered her a small smile and took the offered chair. He let out a grunt of discomfort and shifted as he found a comfortable spot on the chair.
She moved more to the side to allow him the space he needed to adjust. He caught sight of her action and stilled. “You’re okay.” He whispered. “This chair is just bloody awful.”
She relaxed into the chair. It wasn’t that bad of a chair. She wanted to tell him so, but her eyes locked onto his leg. A chair that was alright for her was probably quite uncomfortable for him. She frowned and thought back to the floral chairs that he had had in his room- he had said that they were a gift as well as being comfortable. She wondered if he kept them more for the comfort rather than any real attachment to them?
As she tried her best to not stare at him, she found herself noticing how nice he smelled. Had he always smelled that nice? She tried not to think about it, and the more she tried, the more she thought about it. She fidgeted in her seat as she tried not to think about it- the last thing she needed was him thinking that she was a complete crazy, even if she was acting a little weird.
He adjusted himself in the chair, giving her more room and she sent him an apologetic glance. He must have been thinking that her fidgeting was about his closeness, and nothing about how nice he smelled.
She needed to stop thinking about it.
“Right, well, are we ready?” Professor Black’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He clasped his hands together. “We have much to discuss, and much to prepare for the coming year.”
“Here we go.” She heard Sharp sigh under his breath. Inclining her head, she saw him through the corner of her eyes. He caught her gaze, tilted his head, and rolled his eyes.
She would have taken his warning, had she not been so shocked at the childish action.
Upon deep reflection, she should have taken Sharp’s warning, however subtle it had been, for what it was. A warning. Apparently ‘prepare for the coming year’, to Professor Black meant that all the professors had to sit at their chairs silently and listen to him prattle on. It was almost like attending one of Professor Binns’ classes- in fact, she would actually prefer to be in History of Magic! It was so boring! She actually had no idea what he was talking about most of the time. It seemed that he was just spouting out nonsense!
From what she could tell, it was not just her either. The other professors appeared to be just as bored as she was. For their credit, Professors Garlick and Weasley seemed to be paying some attention. At least that was the impression that she was gathering from the way their heads would occasionally nod. The others, however, were so far away that she wondered if their minds had crossed to another plane of existence. Professor Onai may have actually been somewhere else, from the way her eyes were glazed!
Beside her, Sharp was taking notes. At least, that what it looked like he was. What he was actually doing was playing a game of noughts and crosses with her. When the meeting had first began she had been under the impression that he was jotting down whatever Professor Black had said that he thought was important, but then she had noticed that the book he was using was a charmed one. Charmed so that only certain people could see what the person was writing. She had seen, and used, them before in her career as an Auror. Sharp had been using it to draw sketches of the other professors, and objects within the room. He had drawn with an accuracy of someone who had had to draw the same thing more than once.
When he had noticed her watching him drawing, he had flipped the page, much to her chagrin. However, before she could ask him to continue with his drawings, he had drawn the lines for the game and had passed her his quill. In her defense, before she had accepted the quill, she had assessed the situation and how likely it was that she would be caught. From the way that Black seemed to be almost serenading himself, she came to the realization that being caught was unlikely. Then it had taken her about fifteen seconds of thought before she took the offered quill and had drawn a little ‘0’ in the top left corner of the grid.
She caught sight of his shoulder’s shaking as he breathed a chuckle. He then placed a little ‘X’ on the grid. As she spent what felt like an hour half listening to the headmaster while playing noughts and crosses, she had a brief moment of self-questioning. She was an Auror. She had been trained to maintain a certain standard of professionalism. She should have been giving the headmaster the attention and respect that he deserved. Then she remembered that the man she was playing a game with had also been an Auror, so she placed her ‘0’ and won that round.
As fun as playing noughts and crosses was, after a while there needed to be a change in games. Hoping that the wizarding world knew about the game ‘hanged man’, she drew the lines on the page. She then wrote; ‘Guess a letter’, on the page. She passed the book to him and looked back at Professor Black, who had moved on from the problems caused by Peeves, to the problems caused by the sixth year boys the previous year. At the feeling of weight in her lap, she looked down to see the book and well written ‘A’ written on the side of the page. She smiled and put the letter on one of the lines.
After what had felt like hours, Professor Black called for an end to their meeting- which was good, as moments before, she and Sharp had ended their games. She had won the last one. Professor Black paced, his hands twitching as he held them behind his back. He pursed his lips as if in thought, what he could be thinking about, she could only guess. As it turned out, she did not need to guess.
“I’ve also decided that this year we shall not be participating in the Triwizard tournament.” He held a hand up to silence Professors Howin and Kogawa who looked ready to leap from their chairs and strike him. “However, we shall still host a Yule Ball for the students.”
Eleanor frowned, while she was glad that the tournament was not happening this year and had not participated in the tournament when it had last happened. She understood and respected that the wizarding world at a large still enjoyed the challenges and that there were people whose dream it was to participate. Even if she felt that the practices were barbaric. She glanced at Sharp who was eyeing Professor Black with an almost approving frown. Did he not want the tournament to happen as well?
“This was not a decision that I made lightly.” Professor Black gestured with his hands for them to calm down. “However, after we had the boy, Ronald, no Royd, no…”
“Randolph.” Professor Weasley offered, her eyes flashing with sadness. “Randolph Wilkes.”
Eleanor felt her shoulder’s drop. She could remember Randolph. He had been a bright Griffindor boy. She had never really gotten to know him, but he had been popular, especially with the girls from pretty much all the houses. She could remember her shock when he had died. Even thought it had been explained to them before they put their names in the goblet that they could die, she had not actually thought that it was true. She had thought that perhaps they would be placed unconscious or something until it was over- for someone to actually die, within a school setting… it had unsettled her. She could still remember when he had died. The whole of the student body had been devastated. It had been a hard few weeks afterwards.
She pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned forward, leaning her forearms on her knees. As far as memories went, Randolph was not one that she thought of often, if at all, however, now that she thought about it, it was sad. She shook her head, it was strange for her to actually agree with Professor Black. She looked up at the other professors, then at him.
“Could we do something to honor him?” she suggested.
Professor Garlick nodded, eagerness flashing on her face. “Yes, I think the plants would like that- he was very good with them.”
Professor Black hummed, and cupped his chin. “Hmm, yes, yes we could do that.” He nodded, as if congratulated himself. “The Ball could be in his honor!” he nodded again. “Yes, well, we’ll address that closer to the event.” He started pacing towards the door. “Let’s close this for today, good luck to you all in preparing for the school term!” with a skip in his step, he left the room.
“Your idea is lovely,” Professor Weasley said, looking at her with a smile. “Go, take the afternoon for yourself, we’ll talk later.” Her eyes slid to Sharp. “How about you show our new professor to her room? You can continue your games, if you like.” Her voice left little room for argument. Same as her lips, which were held a tight smile. Her sharp eyes stared the two of them down.
Eleanor jumped. They had been caught? “Professor, I-” she jumped at hand touching her shoulder. She turned her head to see Sharp who had pulled himself from the sofa.
“Come on.” He inclined his head. The book tucked under his arm.
She turned back to Professor Weasley. “Thank you, Professor…” she bit back the guilt that she felt. “I, have a good afternoon.”
She nodded, her face softening. “You as well, dear, you as well.”
X
Due to his leg, Sharp walked at a slower pace than Eleanor. This did not bother her, however, as it offered her an opportunity to look at all of the portraits, statues and other oddities that Hogwarts had to offer. Each thing she saw brought back a myriad of memories. Sharp, for his part, did not seem to mind her pauses, and at time he seemed to enjoy them. On such example being when they had spent some ten minutes standing together and watching two suits of armor fight- she had laughed harder than she thought she could at that, apparently not much changed at all in Hogwarts.
“Do you normally do that?” she asked as they stepped out into the courtyard. When he inclined his head, she elaborated. “Draw or play games during meetings?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Only the ones with Black.”
Regardless of the guilt floating in the back of her mind, she found herself smiling. “I hope that Professor Weasl- Matilda! Isn’t too mad with me.” She smiled sheepishly.
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry, I’ll be the one in trouble.” He chuckled at the confusion on her face. “I’m corrupting the innocent new professor.” He rolled his eyes. “Considering the things you got up to when you were a student, I’d be more worried about you corrupting me.”
She sucked in a breath. Was he telling a joke? “Was that a joke, Sir?” she had a strange sense of deja’vu, as though she had said those words before.
“It does happen.” He replied. “Sometimes. When I’m not stopping dunderheads from blowing themselves up.”
She could agree with that. Even in her later years she had seen more than enough cauldrons blow up. “Hopefully I don’t have anything blow up in my class… although…” she frowned as she pictured first years doing stupid things with her wands, and older children hiding in undercrofts and setting fire to their eyebrows.
He gestured for her to follow him, and the pair continued their walk. “This job may be harder than being an auror- dangerous wizards is one thing, a room full of crazed teenagers is quite another.” He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. “Should you require any assistance, simply ask.”
She smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I hope that I am able to meet the expectations of a Hogwarts professor.”
“I think you will.” He replied. He looked up at the sky. “You bring utter chaos with you, but you use the chaos surrounding you to help people.” He chuckled. “One can only imagine what you’ll do with a class full of chaos.”
She tilted her head as she absorbed the compliment. It sounded like a jab, but there was a tone to it. A tone similar to the one that he had taken with her when she had started at Hogwarts. She had appreciated his honesty and the encouragement he had given her when she had started. He was doing something similar, even if it did sound a little sarcastic. She appreciated the gesture.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Aesop.”
“Sorry, Sir!”
“Aesop.”
She groaned, and wondered how long it would take her to stop doing that.
When they arrived at a large portrait of a troll, her opinion of Hogwarts and its ability to change came crashing back as she realised that the layout and the location of rooms, and portraits, seemed different since the last time that she was there. As Sharp stepped beside the portrait and tilted his head meaningfully to her, she eyed the portrait. It seemed unassuming, but that was never the case in Hogwarts.
She turned to Sharp. “Does this lead to my room?”
He nodded and shifted his weight to his ‘good’ leg. “That’s what I’ve been told,” he shrugged. “If you don’t like it, don’t complain to me,” he waved a hand in the direction of the portrait. “your things should be there- Black did have the elves collect your things, didn’t he?” he pursed his lips as he mentioned Professor Black.
She nodded. “They came a few nights ago.”
He nodded, relief washing over his features. “It was probably Matilda, but at least it was done.” He shook his head. “Your password is ‘Mitten’s’. We moved to portraits a few years ago, we wouldn’t want one of the students rummaging in your things.” He explained as he caught the confusion on her face.
There was a jab in his tone. It suggested that he knew about her exploring almost all the rooms in the castle when she was younger- as well as a few of the professor’s rooms. She did not take the bait though, and instead chose not to acknowledge his jab. “Thank you.” She said instead.
She looked up at the troll’s face. His green features twisted as he glared down at her. His arms folded over his chest and rested on his large stomach. He sniffed and turned his head away from her. She pursed her lips and opened her mouth to speak the password. At the sound of a squawk, she snapped her head to the side where she saw Philibert flying down the hallway. He landed on the floor beside her and looked up at her.
“This is our room, Philibert.” Her head snapped to Sharp as he snorted. “What?”
“You named your phoenix, Philibert?” he raised a brow. The expression on his face told her everything that she needed to know about how stupid he thought the name to be.
She rolled her eyes. It was not the first time that someone had commented on his name. She was used to this by now. “It’s a fine name, for a fine phoenix.” She grinned down at Philibert who seemed to be beaming at the kind words. She quirked a brow at Sharp. “Don’t you like his name?”
Beside her, Philibert bristled and let out a sound of warning. Sharp raised a defensive hand. “My apologies, my fine feathered friend. It’s a fine name.” He turned his attention back to Eleanor. “I shall take my leave now, do take time to rest- we’ll get none soon enough.” He inclined his head and moved to leave. “It is nice to have you back, Miss. Williamson.”
“Eleanor.”
He chuckled as he left. Eleanor watched his retreating back until he was gone. She then turned her attention to the portrait, the troll was still glaring down at her. “Mitten’s.” she said simply.
The troll let out a complaining groan, but the portrait swung open none the less. Stepping into the room, the portrait swung closed behind her. She took in the sight of the room. Her bags and other items had been placed in the corner of the room, waiting for her to decorate- that could wait, it had been a long day and she was tired. Her eyes landed on the bed made with green satin sheets. She was tired. A nap was in order.
Philibert must have felt similar to her, as the bird put himself at the end of the bed and curled in a way that was similar to a cat. She smiled at him and went about pulling off her robes. Once she was in her night gown, she sat on the edge of the bed. She grasped the purple fabric of her gown and lifted it until her thighs could be seen. She sucked in a shuddering breath as she took in the sight of the ugly jagged scars littering her thighs and the lines shooting upwards, going up towards the rest of her body.
“Make it stop.” She hissed under her breath, dropping the fabric and covering the scarred skin. As she slid into the bed, Philibert moved up to lie beside her. He snuggled into her chest and she clutched him to her. Tears prickled at her eyes and she closed them as she willed them away. She would not think about it. She would not think about it. She focused on the upcoming school year and the excitement she felt about teaching.
She would not let dark memories ruin the year.
A/N: That’s it guys, let me know what you think!