Chapter Text
There was an unfamiliar face at the staff table. Well, there were two unfamiliar faces, technically, but Harry had already met Professor Lupin on the train, so really it was just the tall guy in the suit.
The man looked Asian, maybe, and had a serene sort of look to him. Like nothing could phase him. It was hard to pinpoint the man's age, though he didn't have any gray hair nor was he slouching. In fact, he was sitting with such impeccable posture that Harry's own back hurt a little just looking at the guy.
"Who d'you reckon that is?" Harry asked Ron as he slid into the seat next to his friend.
"Bloke next to Sprout? Dunno." Ron replied, "I would have said he's the new defense Professor if it wasn't for Lupin. He looks rather serious though."
"Maybe he's, like, a janitor or something? Does Hogwarts even have staff other than the teachers and Filch? I mean they must, right?" mused Harry.
"I have no clue mate. Nevermind that. What did McGonagall want? Did she say something about the things on the train?" Asked Ron, desperate for answers.
"Filch, Hagrid, and Madam Pomfrey are the only staff that don't teach anything, as far as I know." Hermione eyed the stranger thoughtfully, "Well, besides Professor Dumbledore himself. Oh! Maybe he teaches a new subject?"
"No yeah, sure, but seriously- McGonagall? What was that all about back there? You two missed the sorting, you know."
Harry sighed, embarrassed. McGonagall had pulled him away before the feast, along with Hermione, to check up on him. He was getting rather tired of this whole dementor business. So what, he fainted, but he's fine now. Besides, he couldn't have been the only one on the train to have a bad reaction to those things. Ginny had also been about to faint, from how pale she'd been.
Thankfully, he was saved from any more awkward explanations by Professor Dumbledore beginning his speech. The usually cheerful man seemed uncharacteristically serious, and Harry felt himself pale as Dumbledore explained that dementors were to be stationed around school grounds. Once again, Sirius Black was brought up and the Great Hall seemed to be buzzing with nervousness and a sort of juvenile excitement at the announcements. Two fourth-year girls sitting nearby, whom Harry did not know by name, were already exchanging whispered conspiracies about how Black could have escaped.
"Honestly..." grumbled Hermione, who was generally displeased at any theories that weren’t strictly based in facts.
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome three new Professors to our midst!" Dumbledore called brightly, sweeping his arm in a wide, welcoming gesture.
"Hold on, three? I only see two new people..." Harry heard Ron voice his thoughts.
The headmaster continued, "Firstly, Professor Lupin, who has agreed to take up the post of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Scattered applause rang along the hall. Those who had been in the same train carriage as Lupin clapped the loudest, though the rest of the student body seemed hesitant about Lupin's haggard appearance.
"Secondly we shall congratulate an already familiar face. As Professor Kettleburn has resigned, please welcome Professor Hagrid as the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor!"
At this, Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared a surprised glance, before splitting into wide grins and clapping wildly. Their friend had wanted to be the Care teacher for a while now.
"Of course it's Hagrid!" exclaimed Ron, "Who else would make us buy a book that bites you?"
"Can't believe he didn't tell us about this," Harry said excitedly.
Hagrid himself, looking quite emotional sitting at the staff table, sent a tearful smile in Harry's direction, which the boy returned with a friendly wave.
"And lastly," Dumbledore continued when the applause died down, "I regret to inform you all that during summer break Professor Binns had chosen to pass on. He has worked as the History of Magic Professor here at Hogwarts for an admirable one hundred and forty-seven years. May he rest in peace." At this, Dumbledore held a few seconds of silence, not realising that, for the student body, this was actually excellent news.
"Replacing Professor Binns to teach the History of Magic will be Professor Zhongli," Dumbledore said, inciting yet another round of applause.
The unfamiliar man, Professor Zhongli, rose from where he was seated and gave a quick bow to the hall. The students chatted excitedly, grateful to see two entire useless professors from last year replaced.
"Well, gotta say, despite the dementors and all, I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this year. I mean, it's physically impossible to be worse than Binns or Lockhart, so these guys are bound to be better!" Ron said, immediately to be chided by Hermione for disrespecting their professors, whether or not they still worked there.
"Oh come on, Hermione! Even you have to admit that History wasn't the most interesting subject. And we all know what a fraud Lockhart ended up being." Harry rolled his eyes, "Besides, with Hagrid teaching us, it's bound to be more interesting at least!"
And with that, the opening feast started and the new professors were temporarily forgotten in favor of delicious food. Harry felt content for maybe the first time since the summer. He was sure that this year, his time back at Hogwarts was going to be great.
___
The first day of classes back at Hogwarts had been abysmal.
To start with- Professor Trelawney had seen it fit to publicly prophesize his death as the dramatic opening of their very first Divination lesson. Because apparently, his tea leaves had lumped together in the vague shape of a dog, which obviously meant he was about to keep over and kick the bucket. Not that he had been especially excited to learn divination to begin with, but it still stung a little that his first new Professor of the year was already so unlikable.
Not that Harry would admit to anyone aloud, but he was secretly rather anxious about the whole thing. The giant black dog he'd seen after running away from the Dursleys stood at the forefront of his mind with a suffocating presence, despite Hermione's stubborn claims of it being a dumb coincidence.
Not to mention, those awful dementors surrounding the school in search of the escaped serial killer weren't doing anything to ease his nerves.
And if that hadn't been quite enough madness for one day, Hagrid's first lesson had somehow become an even bigger disaster. It was Malfoy's own fault for being clawed up, really, but of course, the insufferable Slytherin was milking the event for all he could, whining and clutching his bandaged arm every time someone was there to watch him.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all knew that Malfoy was exaggerating, but there really wasn't anything they could do about it now. Hagrid was in shambles, convinced he'd lose his new job any second now, and there was only so much the trio could do to comfort him.
Safe to say Harry was rather apprehensive about the new History of Magic teacher. He hoped at least that the man wouldn't be too strict, especially considering no one in the class besides Hermione really knew anything about history. Though to be fair to them, it was more or less impossible to actually learn anything from Binns' monotonous droning.
Harry entered the classroom and sat near the back of the class, next to Ron. The Gryffindor-Ravenclaw class murmured curiously among themselves before Professor Zhongli stood up to signal the beginning of the lesson. As the man turned, Harry noticed that his hair wasn't short as he'd originally thought, but instead gathered at the back in a thin, long ponytail. And his outfit was far more intricate, now that he was looking at it up close.
His long brown coat looked extremely formal and was adorned with a myriad of tiny details and patterns. Harry observed the singular earring dangling from the professor's ear. Odd, but it definitely wasn't the weirdest thing Harry had seen a wizard wear.
"Good morning, class." Professor Zhongli said evenly. His voice was smooth, but it had the barest hints of an accent Harry couldn't place, "Now, you would be the third-year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, correct? Let us start with a roll call then."
Unlike most, Zhongli didn't seem to react at all when he reached Harry's name on the list. A good sign, Harry mused.
"As I understand, your previous Professor was largely focused on teaching you about historical events in the Magical community. While that is undoubtedly important knowledge, I shall be taking… a slightly different approach," the man cast a sweeping gaze over the students, who were all listening intently.
"Anyone can memorize simple facts, and even those tend to lose credibility with time. What you should know, is how this world works." Zhongli's golden eyes were calculating as he gazed down at the students. “I want you to understand what exactly the magic you wield so casually is, and where it comes from."
Harry shared a look with Ron, intrigued.
"You should already know from magical theory, that magic is an energy that neither humans nor creatures can create, but have the ability to shape and use. But can anyone tell me where this energy comes from?" Professor Zhongli inquired.
Predictably, Hermione's hand shot up first. Besides her, two Ravenclaws, a boy and a girl hesitantly raised their own hands, but the rest of the class stayed still, likely unused to actually being asked questions during history class.
"Yes, miss-?"
"Hermione Granger, sir. Magic comes from the nature around us. That's why some spells are easier to do outside rather than indoors," the girl was quick to answer in a single breath.
"Indeed. However, the concept of 'nature' is rather vague, is it not? It would be more precise to say that magic comes from the elements around us. Perhaps some of you have noticed, that, as Miss Granger said, the difficulty of certain spells can change depending on the environment you cast them in. Spells such as ‘aguamenti’ are easier to perform if you are standing near a body of water. This is because magic based on a specific element will be enhanced by the presence of said element. In total, there are seven ancient elements from which almost all magic originates. Can anyone name them?"
"Like water, earth, fire, and air?" Lavender Brown asked.
"Hydro, Geo, Pyro, and Anemo respectively. Correct. Any ideas for the other three elements?"
The rest of the class, gaining some confidence began to guess, "Uhh, maybe like plants?"
"I think metal was considered an element.”
"Does ice count?"
Zhongli stopped the chatter with a single raised hand, "One at a time now, please. I did hear some correct answers. Ice, or Cryo is one of the elements. And I believe someone said plants, which would correspond with Dendro. The last element is Electro, lightning."
As he listed the elements, the Professor took some chalk and drew some symbols on the chalkboard - a little stylized flame for Pyro, a sort of square-ish spiral for Geo, and so on. Harry tried to draw the symbols in his notes, though admittedly his ‘Anemo’ looked pretty wonky.
"Most spells are created from one or two of these elements. For example, defensive spells and shields are usually cast using Geo-energy, and most healing spells come from Hydro or Dendro. Now, when a spell is created using two elements, an elemental reaction can occur and shape the spell. Such magic is generally more dangerous than that made from a single element."
As Zhongli spoke, Harry found himself paying attention. The man's voice was much easier to focus on than Binns', and the way he spoke about the elements left Harry taking diligent history notes for the first time in three years.
He supposed that, despite such a rocky start, this year at Hogwarts might just be a decent one.
___
"Ya'know, I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but I think history is becoming one of my favorite classes," announced Ron while they headed to lunch. Harry found himself agreeing to the notion.
"Well, we haven't had Lupin yet. He seemed pretty cool too, on the train," said Harry.
"Well, I definitely enjoyed Professor Zhongli's class! It's so interesting, actually- the elemental base in spell-making rituals that he talked about- I never even thought to look from that perspective!" Hermione, ever the studious one exclaimed, "I'll have to reread "The Theory Ancient of Elemental Compatibility" by Penelope Plumage again, I remember she had a really great chapter on natural spells..."
"Uhh, right, that. I just liked that he wasn't as boring as Binns. And he's actually not as strict as he looked at first. I mean, did you see his eyes? They're yellow. Or more… golden, actually. Is that like, common for wizards?" Asked Harry.
Well-" Ron started as he sat down at the Gryffindor table, "-it's not exactly common, but one of my dad's cousins has bright pink eyes. So, I guess yellow isn't that weird. Maybe it's more common in other countries?"
"Maybe. I think he's Asian or something? Don't wanna assume from where though," Harry said.
"Zhongli could be a Chinese name, but we can't really know without asking. I mean, maybe he just wears contacts or something? I think he was wearing eyeliner too," Hermione chimed in.
"Wha' ar' con'acts'?" Asked Ron, already chewing on a piece of sausage.
"Don't talk with your mouth full! Honestly..." chided Hermione.
___
There were rumors about the new Professors. Because of course there were, the Hogwarts rumor mill was in perpetual motion, after all.
Professor Lupin, for example, was theorized to be a wanted criminal who had bribed and or threatened Dumbledore for refuge at Hogwarts. That's why he always looked tired, he was waiting to be arrested at any moment.
Harry thought it was rather rude to come up with all of that just because the Professor's clothes were a bit tattered and patched. Most students at the school had no idea how lucky they were, with their clean, new button-up shirts and designer shoes. Most of Harry's wardrobe was Dudley's old rags.
He also did not appreciate how quiet Ron got any time there was talk of Lupin's clothing. The way he tried to subtly place a hand over the patch in his own cloak, or hide how his trousers, passed down from Charlie and Bill and Percy, were faded and barely reached his ankles. These people had no right to gossip about Lupin so, and Harry stewed in righteous anger every time the topic came up.
There were even more rumors surrounding Professor Zhongli. The boldest students claimed that he wasn't even human. The rumors started because of his yellow eyes and escalated greatly when someone mentioned they'd seen sharp fangs in his mouth during breakfast. Thus, half of the students diligently watched Zhongli eat at every mealtime, and the other half thought it was weird that someone had been staring at his mouth in the first place.
Whether the fang thing was true or not, Zhongli was now believed to be a vampire or a werewolf or possibly some obscure creature from Scottish mythology that Harry couldn't recall the name of.
Having been the victim of Hogwarts rumors himself, Harry was extremely hesitant to believe any of it. Though secretly he did have to admit, Professor Zhongli's golden stare did unnerve him a little.
___
The following day the talk of the school was Lupin and his rather unconventional boggart lesson. Harry was glad of it, because one, Defence Against the Dark Arts was shaping up to be absolutely awesome this year and two, he'd much rather overhear whispers of how absurd Snape looked in Neville's grandmother's robes instead of whispers about him fainting in front of the dementors or of how poor Malfoy was still walking around in a cast.
However, there was still one thing that Harry couldn't help but be caught up on. Why had Professor Lupin not let him face the boggart? Did he believe Harry couldn't handle it? Was it because of what happened on the train?
Harry felt himself flush with annoyance and embarrassment just thinking about it.
Professor Lupin was the coolest Professor Harry had ever had but did even he think that the boy was some sort of poor, incompetent orphan? He'd killed the Basilisk last year, for Merlin's sake!
At least none of his classmates had noticed the interaction, each being more concerned about their own boggarts. Harry didn't think he'd be able to handle the embarrassment of once again being the talk of the class if they had.
The teen strolled through the cool corridors of Hogwarts alone. There were a few hours left until curfew, and Harry had managed to shake off his friends under the pretense of checking in on Hedwig, his owl. Really, he just wanted to be alone for a while and clear his head.
He didn't know why he'd gotten so upset at the boggart thing. The lesson was great, really, and he'd genuinely enjoyed it in full, and he wasn't even the only one who didn't get a chance to fight the boggart! Hermione hadn't seen her's, either. He hadn't even been that mad about after the class itself, it was later, when he'd been in his bed and alone with his thoughts that the bitterness came.
Perhaps all the stress of the previous few days had been catching up to him. All those death predictions, the dementors, even Malfoy's smugly obscure comments about Sirius Black, like the annoying blond knew something Harry did not.
Harry was so busy pondering all the unfortunate events of the past week that he almost walked face-first into Professor Zhongli. He tripped over his own feet to stop himself and rammed his teacher in the side with his elbow instead. Zhongli didn't even budge. The man was like a rock.
"Good evening, Mr. Potter. Whatever brings you to this part of the castle all by yourself?"
"Ah- sorry Professor, I didn't see you- I-" Harry flushed, "-sorry. Yeah. Sir."
"It is quite alright, no harm done," Zhongli said amicably, "Though I must say, you look rather troubled. Are you perhaps feeling ill?"
Harry, still caught off guard, managed to voice his denial as he stumbled over his words.
"Well if there is anything that troubles you, you are welcome to join me for a cup of tea. I always find that it is easier to face a difficult dilemma if one only knows to look for advice. I would not be opposed to pleasant company in the late hour."
"Well- um... alright then," muttered Harry as he followed the man. He'd been about to refuse, but his curiosity over the eccentric teacher won out.
Professor Zhongli's office was not what Harry had expected, but it very much fit the Professor. The golden light of dusk streamed in from a large window and coated the room in a serene glow. There were the typical things one could find in an office - a couple of bookshelves, a large desk in the corner, with organized stacks of paper and scrolls of spare parchment.
The rest of the room seemed more personalized. The table was very low, almost to the floor, and instead of chairs, it was surrounded by red patterned cushions. The center of the table sported a steaming porcelain teapot and a plain-looking cup. In the corner, a stick of incense was slowly burning away.
For a short but terrifying moment, Harry thought that he might be expected to know how to participate in some sort of ancient magical tea ritual.
While Harry had been taking in the office, Zhongli had produced another teacup and started to pour each of them a serving before sitting on one of the cushions with his legs crossed and back perfectly straight. Harry awkwardly tried to replicate the position and was immediately uncomfortable.
"Here. This is a blend of pomegranate and lemongrass. Not the most luxurious tea, however, I do find it quite enjoyable." Zhongli placed a cup of steaming pink tea in front of him, "And here is some honey if you'd rather have something sweet."
Harry cupped the drink, feeling slightly awkward still. He was sort of regretting following the Professor to his office, and his problems suddenly seemed really stupid and childish.
"So tell me, Mr. Potter, is there anything that worries you?" The Professor asked, calm as ever.
"No sir," Harry lied. He looked down at his teacup, "Yes. Well- it's really nothing important. Stupid really."
"It can't be that stupid if it bothers you so."
"Ah well- um. Y'know Professor Lupin?" Harry started weakly and immediately felt the need to facepalm. Of course, Professor Zhongli would know his own colleague. "Well, we had our first class with him yesterday and he was showing us boggarts, well, how to deal with them anyways. There was one in the teacher's lounge, you might have heard about it?"
"Indeed I have. Remus asked us not to remove it. I believe that he used it for a practical lesson in your class then?"
"Yeah, he like- he let each of us face the boggart and try out the counterspell," explained Harry.
"I see. Did your boggart perhaps take the form of something upsetting? It is nothing to be ashamed of, seeing one can be a traumatic experience for those who have faced a lot of horrors in their life."
Harry flushed, "No that's not- the thing is, I never got to see what my boggart turns into. Professor Lupin stopped it before it could get to me. I thought maybe - I don't know. I just don't understand why I was the only one he didn't want to face the thing."
Zhongli hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose Remus must have had his reasons for that. Perhaps he was afraid of what your boggart might be. I'm sure you're aware of what, or rather who the obvious option is," he said.
"Lord Voldemort?" asked Harry, before he could stop himself. He felt a flicker of relief and curiosity when Zhongli didn't flinch. Besides Harry himself, the only person who didn't react negatively to the name had been Dumbledore, up until now.
"Yes. I imagine Remus would be cautious of the implications of that. Though, perhaps you had something else in mind?"
"Well, Voldemort was my first thought," said Harry, "But then I thought of those dementors."
Zhongli t'sked, an annoyed scowl graced his face. Well, 'scowl' might be exaggerating, it was more of a furrowed brow and a slightly downturned mouth, but even still it was the most expressive face that Harry had seen his teacher make.
"Truly horrible creatures, those. I do not often say this, for even the most dangerous animals are often simply acting upon their instinct. A dementor, however, is a being created by human malice, it's purpose is solely to bring misfortune and fear. Such things should never have been allowed near people, much less children."
Professor Zhongli calmed down quickly after his slight outburst, his face losing tension when he glanced back at Harry, "In any case, that is not an unreasonable form for a boggart to assume. Though a boggart wouldn't have exactly the same effect as a dementor. Shapeshifters most often take on weaker forms of those they mimic."
"Sir, do you know," Harry began cautiously, 'Is there a spell that can get rid of a dementor? Or scare it off, I guess?"
"There is, in fact. The Patronus charm. Though it is a rather difficult spell, it can have many uses beyond fending off dementors. Perhaps you should ask Remus to teach it to you if you wish to learn it," suggested Zhongli, "I'm sure he'd be agreeable to it."
Harry hummed. "Sir? What does a boggart look like for you?" Harry asked, and then, immediately regretting the question, he backtracked, "Not that you have to answer! Sorry, sir, I shouldn't have asked."
Zhongli just chuckled, teeth flashing briefly. Harry felt a shiver run down his back, and couldn't immediately place why.
"Well, to be truthful I wouldn't know. I've never faced one. They don't seem to attack me," he replied. And just then did Harry realise that the Professor's teeth truly were sharper than normal.
"But enough about me, Harry, if there is anything else you feel is troubling you, please do not hesitate to come to me. If nothing else, I do enjoy having someone to share a cup of tea with," said Zhongli, "I do believe your curfew is starting soon. Not that I mean to kick you out, but I imagine you would rather not have a Professor walk you back."
Harry, sensing the dismissal, thanked Zhongli for the tea and left the office. Fifteen minutes to curfew. It was almost astonishing how quickly time had gone by while he was talking to Zhongli. Harry made his way back to the Gryffindor common room quietly contemplating the conversation.
___
During their next History class, Zhongli spoke of how visions and elemental powers had evolved into modern magic. His claims that even muggle-born students still must have some magical ancestry, if one only looked far back enough, was immediately disliked by some of the more conservative pureblood kids.
Over the next couple of days, the Professor's status seemed to shift from 'generally liked by everyone' to something more akin to Professor Lupin's reputation - adored by pretty much anyone who wasn't a bigot.
"It's completely ludicrous! Comparing some filthy muggle-raised nobodies to the high society of good, pure families! I say Dumbledore has lost his mind hiring these sorts," an upper-year Slytherin was heard complaining in the hallway.
Harry didn't know whether the idea was fact or speculation but decided to believe it fully after seeing how red in the face Malfoy got whenever the subject was brought up.
It also might have had something to do with the fact that Hermione seemed to light up at the thought, and had already written home to ask for a copy of her family tree for her to research in depth.
Harry decided that Professor Zhongli was an alright bloke, despite his far too formal robes and the fact that he may or may not be human.