章 1: Chapter 1 - His return to Hogwarts
First week of January 1994, feast to welcome back the students who returned from their christmas break.
A young man in regular school robes looked around for a place to sit and found an open spot at his table, the Hufflepuff table, for himself.
"Hey, mind if I sit here?" he asked with a charming smile.
"No, no, come sit with us. Have we met? You feel familiar but I can't place you. I'm Susan, Susan Bones," the young girl said while inviting him to sit.
"Thank you! Hmm, well met Susan. We met a few times in the hallways and common room. Maybe we never introduced ourselves, I guess. I'm Sol, a senior."
Susan blushed a little seeing Sol's blinding smile. It felt more and more familiar as he sat down, but she couldn't place it.
"So Susan, did you enjoy the break? Any cool gifts from your aunt or friends?" "Yes!! I had so much fun! Auntie Amelia was super busy as always, you know, especially now, but I got to spend some quality time with her. And my friend Hannah here got me a super cute Bloatwing Fairy Leaf magical plant as a present. It makes such cute sounds when you tickle the fairy flower, I'm already in love with it!"
Sol, Susan, and the neighboring Hufflepuffs began jovially exchanging stories about their presents and their family reunions until Susan could no longer hold herself back and asked, "Say Sol, are you really a senior here? Don't get me wrong, you look and sound very familiar, but I don't think I-"
Susan was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore who was hitting his goblet to get the hall's attention. Sol leaned in for a whisper and finished it with a conspitorial wink, "Sorry Susan, guess that's my queue. Talk to you later."
"May I have your attention before we start our lovely feast to welcome the new year. This school year, as you may know has had its ups and downs, for some more than for others," he started the speech as he looked around the hall briefly stopping to look at Harry at the Gryffindor table.
"However, it is with great pleasure that I have some most welcome news to share. Some of you may have read that these are dark days, but what else but a little sunshine and kindness and love can bring light into the dark."
Some of the older students were quick on the uptake and figured out what the headmaster was hinting at with his speech, hoping fervently that they were correct.
"Yes, yes, I can see that some of you look to have the correct idea already. After graduation, he spent some months in Magical Japan, Magical Italy, and maybe more. He became a registered Animagus with a, dare I say it, most beautiful and unique transformation and published yet another book that I am sure will enlighten the masses on the wonders of potions. Two of his books are already part of the curriculum for the younger years, and this new book might become the third. You can already find it in the library in any case, thanks to his generous donation."
By now, all those who guessed who Dumbledore was talking about before were more sure than ever of their guess, and those that could not guess what was going on finally got an idea what or rather who the professor was talking about.
"During the break, this young man came to us with a proposition the board and I could hardly refuse despite having no apparent vacancy in our current staff. His drive to better his peers and enlighten all of us in the wonders of magic are already legendary after all. To offset this conundrum, however, certain measures will be taken. Measures that will affect quite a few of you."
At this, Severus Snape's scowl deepened while he sat at the staff table, his frown growing ever tighter with every word. His colleagues, however, had bright smiles, especially Professor Sprout and Babbling, while even the usually stern Professor McGonagall sported an uncharacteristic, pleased grin.
"Starting this week dear first, second, third and fourth year students, you will have your potions classes no longer in the dungeons but on the second floor. As is tradition with the young man in question, you will be led to your new classroom with a Patronus in the form of a crow from this hall before the lesson starts."
The students, especially the younger years, could barely contain their smiles anymore. At some tables excited, whispers slowly started to sound out louder and louder.
"Furthermore, we will once again hold the rather infamous Exchange Hall. Once again, on Sundays starting next week and led by your very own Vial of Sunshine! As he is no longer a student, prefect, or Head Boy, he has asked for a few liberties he was not granted before, which I grant now. Together with Professors Flitwick and Snape, dueling will once again be offered as an activity under strict supervision during one exchange every month."
Cheers rang in the hall. Except for most first years who have yet to meet him and a few students who were not on good terms with the promised returner, everybody had by now figured out and was elated at the prospect of having him once again be part of the school.
"As part-time Professor of Potions, apprentice healer in learning under Madam Pomfrey and supervisor of the Exchange Hall, I am proud to announce the return of our very own PROFESSOR Ashbert Solaris Starkey!" Professor Dumbledore was all smiles as he clapped and stepped back from the lecturn and sat back at his spot at the staff table.
From in between the floating candles up above the tables, some students suddenly spotted a shadow flickering between the never-melting light sources. A few moments later, a crow landed on the lecturn at the front, though the bird didn't quite stick the landing and almost fell off of it.
The crow, however, wasn't just any random crow you might find cawing at you in the garden, the students immediately noticed. No, it was a magnificent black crow with dark golden eyes. Some feathers on its chest were golden too, just like the tips of the otherwise black wings and tail feathers.
Before long, the bird hopped off the lecturn, and mid-fall changed back into a young wizard no older than 20. Instead of the classic wizard robes, he wore a fashionable mustard colored coat that ended a little below his knees with dark gray, slowly ever-changing stitchings of flowers and stars.
One could make out a patch of the Hufflepuff badger on the left breast of the coat he wore over a form fitting dark gray dress pants-vest combo with golden buttons and belt buckle, a plain white dress shirt with no tie and matte black dress shoes that matched his belt. A very handsome young man indeed.
He lifted his hands to check if his short ponytail of light brown hair was still presentable and swept a few loose strands away from his amber colored eyes with specks of gold back behind his ears. Then he patted down his coat and turned to Dumbledore with a short bow. "Thank you, headmaster, for the lovely introduction."
Dumbledore responded with a kind smile and nod, and the young man turned back to the students with a blinding smile that in part earned him his nickname 'Vial of Sunshine'.
"Huh, I was so nervous I almost didn't stick the landing there and made a fool of myself on the first day. In my defense, I achieved the Animagus transformation only 3 weeks ago in Japan," he concluded with a chuckle that prompted a few jeers, especially from the Gryffindor table.
"Ah, most of you guys know I wasn't much of a flier even in my 2 short years as keeper for the Hufflepuff quidditch team. It should be excused..." the young wizard muttered, a little embarrased. "Most of you should know, since I never made it a secret, that teaching was one of my biggest passions even as a student here. I only graduated less than half a year ago, but I already missed these halls."
"And they missed you!"
The young man turned towards the Gryffindor table and spoke with a serious face void of his typical smile. "Fred Weasley, you can not imagine how glad I am that you are not a fourth year or younger. Though I could probably claim that managing to teach even you would have been a glowing achievement upon my young career."
"Yeah! My less handsome brother is such a trouble-maker, isn't he Ash," yelled the other twin.
"Thank you, George, that brings me to my next point. Though most of you know me from my student years as just Ash, please address me as Professor Ash from this point forth. I have to keep up appearances, you see. That is true for every student present except for 4 of you." Suddenly, Ash lost his smile again, looked towards the Slytherin table, and said, "The first two are Mister Flint, who I gratefully will not have to teach and Mister Malfoy. Address me as Professor Starkey or not at all."
The mood in the hall turned a little akward at the sudden seriousness. Draco Malfoy and Marcus Flint tried to play it off with a scoff, but they still paled when reminded of the consequences of last year's events.
Ash regained his smile and turned to the other side of the hall. "Fred, George, you two will refer to me as 'Most Venerable Professor Starkey' from this moment forth at all times. Failing to do so will result in one afternoon of detention in my office."
""You got it, Ash!"" Both twins immediately earned themselves detention with bright smiles and shook hands on it.
Ash looked back towards the hall and slowly regained his smile in full. "With that out of the way. Like I mentioned previously, sharing my knowledge, igniting in others the will to learn, to better themselves, and teaching my favorite hobby, turned calling, turned job has always been my biggest aspiration, so I am glad to have been given this chance to be here immediately in my first year out of school. I will give it my very best to teach, so I hope you will give it your best to learn," Ash turned back a little to gauge the reaction of his now colleagues and took in all the encouraging smiles and nods, of course ignoring Snape's indifferent sneer.
"As I understand, you are all rather hungry despite the distraction of my re-introduction. The headmaster has granted me the supreme honor of announcing this: Let the feast begin!" Finished with his speech, the tables filled with food, and Ash turned to the table of the professors to find his spot.
He sat between Bathsheba Babbling, the young professor for ancient runes, and like him, an alumni for house Hufflepuff, and their head of house Pomona Sprout to the left of their headmaster.
Sprout immediately greeted Ash with glowing eyes, "Ash, my boy, grandiose little speech. Look at how happy they all look now that you are back!"
"They? Pomona, you look much more elated than they do that our vial of sunshine is back," Bathsheba added from the side.
"Hmph, who wouldn't be? What a dreary school year it has been thus far with all that dementor nonsense we had to deal with. A little sunshine will do all of us some good," Pomona quipped back with a big smile.
"Professor Sprout, please, any more, and it will go to my head," Ash replied with a wry smile.
"Call me Pomona already, Ash. We're colleagues now, no more excuses!"
"Yes, finally, I can make you call me Betty instead of Professor Babbling. No more excuses, young Ash!"
Ash started looking from one woman to the other and finally settled on Profe- on Betty. He lifted one eyebrow. "'Young Ash', isn't that a little demeaning Betty? You're what, 2 maybe 3 years older than me?" Both women immediately gained even brighter smiles.
"Hmph, flattery will get you nowhere, young man. I taught you ever since your 3rd school year. You should know that can't be true. Now tell us, what kind of beautiful bird did you turn into?"
Ash leaned back in the chair while savoring some of his drink.
"Ah, that was part of the reason I went to Japan. During the process to become an animagus you get more and more in tune with your inner animal so I looked up information on the beautiful golden accented crow I envisioned myself becoming and found they are native to Japan. And though they are considered non-magical, they are almost extinct even there, so the Japanese ninjutsu users started breeding them as special messenger birds in their noble clans."
"So instead of owls? Are these crows intelligent enough for that?" asked Pomona from the side.
"Intelligent enough? Oh, you have no idea, Pomona," answered Ash with a faraway smile.
"Rumor has it these gold-hearted hunting crows are distant relatives to the legendary three-legged golden sun crow. You know, those immortal birds that are as legendary as phoenixes? Fascinating birds. I managed to gain a sun crow's tail feather, freely given, from one of the clan heads I visited this time as thanks for saving their head elder. Truly the most beautiful feather you could imagine. I'll show you some other time. It will probably be displayed in the most prominent spot of my office."
Others might have perceived this as a boast, but Pomona Sprout knew this little story for what it was. A warm-hearted story from one of the kindest souls she knew and Pomona could not be more proud.
Betty, however, gained a smirk and tried to tease Ash, "Just a feather? Did our little Ash also gain someone's heart while saving a dear family member? I hear gaining a hand in marriage as a reward in those clans comes quite easy."
Ash blushed hard and started to focus on his meal instead of the conversation. "No way, really, Ash? When's the wedding?" Betty chirped in a high pitch voice ready for gossip, still taken back that she apparently hit the nail on the head.
"Well, clan head Kageyoshi-sama really tried err... giving away his granddaughter, but I politely declined and came to Britain the next morning," Ash barely mumbled loud enough for his two immediate table neighbors to hear.
And so the feast continued with Pomona doing everything to make Ash feel as welcome as possible and Bathsheba endlessly teasing the young man.
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