章節 151: 7
Chapter 7 - Pink
He really should have cared more about having both his parents in his classroom, but he didn't care, well not overly so. Harry was much more concerned with his slipping memories of Naomi and Teddy's remembrance of stories Harry had never told, of pictures he had never seen.
So it was with an air of relief for a much needed distraction that he welcomed in his first class of the year, the fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor DADA class.
This was going to be entertaining.
Teddy was spending the day with Hagrid, Harry had decided that for this particular class it would be better if he was out of harm's way. For the other classes, he had set up a warded kindergarten area behind his desk, complete with a shelf of picture books, a bin of Legos, drawing supplies, a low table, a plush rug, and miniature couch. And Dumbledore had assigned a house-elf to escort Teddy to and from the restroom safely when the need arose.
It wasn't perfect, and Harry regretted a bit that Teddy was now on the homeschool route, but it wasn't as if he was isolated in a quiet house. Although, a part of the warding he had installed dimmed sound so Teddy's day wouldn't be completely filled with bangs and explosions.
Currently, Harry was partially sitting/leaning on his desk as his students entertained.
He knew immediately upon seeing the Marauders faces that they meant trouble, well aside from Remus who wouldn't meet his gaze.
Lily sat in the front row, Severus sitting beside her. Harry had made sure that the tables were aligned to one side, four long tables that sat six with no gaps between. It essentially forced them all to sit together, unless the two houses wanted to break up top to bottom, which the scholars of the class would never agree to.
But split down the middle they tried, the central row claimed by the eight Gryffindors as no one wanted to sit with the Marauders.
James sat behind Lily, Sirius behind Snape. Harry internally sighed, he might have to do assigned seating.
"Welcome to your OWL Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Harry greeted as everyone settled in their seats. "I am Professor Peverell."
Sirius and James exchanged grins, Lily looked up at him the way Hermione looked at test outline, and Severus looked at him as if he was expecting to be disappointed.
"If you participate in class and individually do your homework there should be little reason you should not pass with an Exceeds Expectations. I stress the individually because I do not care how well worded or detailed your assignments you hand into me are, if you do not understand the content you will find it difficult to follow in class, and more difficult still to be adequately able to defend yourselves in a world of magic. If you need help, speak with me before or after class to arrange a meeting. Questions are not only encouraged but welcomed."
Here Harry paused to gauge the rooms attention, they seemed more curious about him as an person than the class material, but no one was falling asleep, so he would take it.
He flicked his wand at the board, the words 'What is magic?' writing themselves in a vastly more legible handwriting than his own.
James, Sirius, Peter, and a few others in the room sniggered. Severus gave Harry disgusted look as if he had just insulted his mother.
Lily and Remus stared at him interestedly, reserving judgement.
Taking in a deep breath, Harry began, "People assume magic is just words and wand movement. Most don't bother questioning it. It works so why bother? But why does it work? Some assume, as my late wife believed, that magic follows a logical sequence of events. Move wand, input words, and effect happens. However, most of the time logic just isn't applicable to even the most mundane magical effects. And when applied to the Higher magics, logic doesn't even enter into the equation."
The class had stilled now, some eyes were reexamining the blackboard.
"Ironically, the old muggle fairy tales and Disney movies had the right of it."
The muggleborns and half-bloods, including Severus, smiled a bit at that. The Purebloods, including James, looked as if such a notion was absurd, or maybe the confusion on their faces had more to do with the words 'Disney' or 'movie.'
"Faith, Imagination, and Will are what actually drives magic," and those three words wrote themselves on the board without Harry moving a muscle. "With emotions allowing the taping of yet stronger magicks. The power to literally reshape the world around you at will with a wave of the wand and a few words works because you believe it will work. Your imagination, your force of will, and your heart, those are elements that guide magic."
The class gaped at him as if they were trying to solve a math problem in their heads.
Lily looked at him as if he were the best thing on the planet.
A Slytherin in the back of the class raised her hand.
"Yes, Ms.-"
"Ms. Vanity, Emma Vanity. Sir, is that the reason why accidental magic happens? Not just because of emotions but because children don't understand, or don't impose, limits on what they think magic can do?"
"Twenty points to Slytherin, that is exactly right. Children have an easier time enacting magical feats when their emotions are high, that with a tailored spell, an adult might have trouble replicating the same results."
James looked distinctly put out by the Slytherins reward, leaning back in his seat. Harry was always amused by how children -or young adults, assumed the teacher couldn't see their expressions.
"Mr. Snape," Harry called, "Would you help me with a demonstration?"
Severus looked startled, and his shoulders hunched when the peanut gallery muttered something too low for Harry to catch.
Remus leaned away from his three friends when Harry cut them a glance, the Marauders mirth was instantly subdued.
They thought McGonagall could be scary, McGonagall hadn't been a child soldier.
Severus stood awkwardly in front of the room and Harry waved his wand and Teddy's table came to rest on its side so the legs faced Severus.
"I'm assuming you know a spell that could knock this table over?"
Severus attempted to glare at him, but he was too nervous to pull off his Potion Master counterpart look of embodied scorn.
Harry produced a strip of soft fabric, "Think you can do it blindfolded?"
Sniggers.
Severus ripped the cloth from Harry's hand, and without looking at Lily, he tied it around his own face and pulled his wand on the table.
"Now, I need you to believe you can knock over this table. I need you to know it in your bones that when you cast your spell, that table is going to crash to the ground. That there will be no possible way that this mundane table will be standing when you take off your blindfold. Do you understand the instructions?"
Severus gritted his teeth, "Yes, sir."
"Alright then, whenever your ready, Mr. Snape," and as Harry said it, he transfigured the table into a stone wall a meter and a half thick.
The class laughed, Lily made a protesting sound, but Snape yelled, "Repello!" before she could warn him of the ruse.
The wall came crashing down and Harry flicked his fingers to shield the students from the rubble and the dust.
Severus ripped off his blindfold and gaped at the destruction he had caused by knocking over the 'little table.'
The rest of the class gaped with him.
"Now, we can't be sure if Mr. Snape's most excellent executed repelling charm, another twenty points to Slytherin, was due to his belief he could knock over the object he directed his spell at, or his emotional defiance to those disbelievers in the crowd. But hopefully, this demonstration will help you believe in the magic you were all born with."
The class blinked at him as if he were some strange creature newly discovered.
"Now, could the rest of the class please stand and find a place in the room to practice shielding charms. You should already know how to cast them, but I would like you to imagine you are shielding yourselves and your friends from giant physical boulders, and that if your shields should fail, you will be crushed to death."
The class stood, and Lily skipped to Severus's side with nothing but praise and talk of theory on her lips, much to Severus's awe, and James's eternal distaste.
Harry waved his hand at the rubble and stone, and the table righted itself to its original state and found its way back to its original spot.
Only one Gryffindor girl with dark hair caught the act of wandless magic, and she looked a bit fearful turning to her friend who was failing to produce a solidified shield charm.
Just like all those years ago, that surely wasn't as long ago as it felt, in his DA Club, Harry began to walk around the room giving suggestions and encouragement were needed. And just like then, he found he enjoyed it more than he expected he would, granted he was decidedly better and more confident in his own knowledge and abilities now.
"Professor Peverell?" Ms. Vanity began, and Harry knew the moment he turned to face her completely, the moment he turned his back on the Marauders and a certain Slytherin, it was a mistake.
He spun back around as he heard the spells snarled under breaths, three hexes from James, Sirius, and Peter, and something else from Severus. Harry's shield charms sprang around both halves the room.
Lily was spitting mad and Remus shrunk away from his friends, before anyone in the room could speak, Harry said coldly, "Twenty points from Slytherin, sixty from Gryffindor. Mr. Snape and Mr. Black, detention next Wednesday, Mr. Pettigrew detention Thursday, and Mr. Potter detention Friday night."
Snape glared at the Marauders and James protested, "But professor he-"
"Save it," Harry interrupted, "Don't take me for a fool, Mr. Potter."
"Professor," James went on imploringly, "I have quidditch tryouts on Friday."
"I'm sure if you a good enough flyer they will save you a spot or they can rearrange your tryouts, if however, my detention prevents you from making the team-" Harry's lips curled a bit at James's obvious arrogance that he thought could bend any situation to his favour. "Then perhaps hexing fellow students in the presence of your new DADA professor on the first day of class was a poorly contrived plan."
Sirius bit his lip, seeming to want to laugh at his professor's dry tone warring against his need to support James in all things.
"And Mr. Snape, when three hexes are headed your way, a shield charm would have served better than an offensive spell that could have only hit one opponent." He raised his voice to the rest of the class, "A part of Defense, not just against the Dark Arts, but all dangers, is common sense."
The bell rang and Severus Snape was the first out the door.
As the first week of classes could have gone, this certainly hadn't been one of the worst. In fact, Harry rather enjoyed his classes, and upon his request, the first years from all four houses were put together.
They were adorable, and Teddy watched them all from behind Harry's desk as if he were watching a movie, which was -at least in Harry's mind, equally adorable.
Harry taught them all how to cast Patronuses, corporeal Patronuses. None of their spells could have fended off a dementor, but Harry taught them how to pass messages through them. To Harry's great delight, this meant at dinner that Friday night, the four houses were passing messages to each other, even Slytherin to Gryffindor.
Filius was staring at the silver animals in wonder as they flitted and danced around the Great Hall.
"And here I thought my animagus form was a show stopper," Minerva said a little wistfully.
The ghosts seemed a little affronted as well to not be as spooky to this crop of first years.
"I'm hoping it will motivate the rest of them," Harry said, placing more vegetables onto Teddy's plate. "I doubt the second years will be able to make a Patronus in one class period, or the seventh years for that matter. As they say, we are own worst enemies."
Dumbledore eye twinkled at him, "I am very pleased, Professor Rell, that you decided to join our staff."
Pomona stared at the giggling and smiling first years at every table, and she said softly, "I think Hogwarts needed you."
Teddy took this opportunity to show that he was always listening to the adults around him, "Hmm-hm."
Minerva, Filius, and Dumbledore laughed.
Harry spent most of his weekend outside by the lake, it was warm enough that Teddy had his feet in the water as he collected rocks and tried to find small fish to exclaim about in great detail to his father.
Harry was more than alright with letting his thoughts amble as he soaked in the sun and watched his son enjoy the last whispers of summer. He read and revised his class plans at night when Teddy clocked out.
"McGonagall told me I would find you here."
Harry looked up from where he sat beneath a tree, she stole his breath. In the afternoon sun, her hair looked like spun golden light. Her fair skin glowed, her curved lips were inviting, and her eyes… today they were as blue as the sky above them.
"Hello, Rell," she said.
"Hi Cissa!" Teddy called from the lake, before being distracted by a darting minnow he splashed after.
This gave Harry enough time to gather his bearings, "Hello Ms. Black, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Curse it, am I flirting again?
"I am Madam Pomfrey's new apprentice," she said, which explained the plain greyish robe with the white apron. She looked pointedly to the spot beside him, "May I sit."
"Of course," he said, feeling his heart pick up the pace as she sat beside him, not quite touching, but close. Oh, so close.
Is she here because of me? Am I that arrogant? Do I want her to be here because of me?
Ron would be so disgusted with him, Hermione wouldn't be too pleased with this family either- but still…
"How did your first week of classes go?" she asked.
"Quite well," he said, "I enjoy teaching magic, I like the students, but let's see what happens when I begin to grade papers."
"I heard you gave my cousin detention."
Harry raised a brow, "This surprises you?"
She laughed, and his heart skipped. "No," she said, laughter still riding her words, "No, it doesn't surprise me that Siri received detention. However, professors at Hogwarts are known for their favouritism."
"If I have favourites," he began honestly, "I would likely be harder on them, not more lenient."
"Perhaps I should pass that message along."
"I wouldn't bother, if all the 'Marauders' needed were some benevolent advice, they wouldn't have become what they have."
"True enough. How is Teddy adjusting?" she asked, looking at the boy trying to lift a stone bigger than his small fingers could hold out of the water.
Well, he's having foreign memories rewriting his memories, but other than that- "He's been good. Fantastic, really. It isn't every child you can bring to work with you. But as long as I am around he has been content to do his own thing. He and Hagrid have gotten on like white on rice. And his new kitten Regina has made our apartment quite homey."
"That's wonderful to hear. When my sister first brought you dinner you seemed a little- frazzled."
He winced, "I was a bit out of sorts. But what about you? Are you planning to become a healer, transfer to St. Mungo's?"
"No, I would rather- well, I want to be a healer, but I have no desire to work in a hospital."
"Understandable," he said, as he watched one of her curls that had fallen from her braid float on the breeze. "Nurses are always in high demand, in the muggle world that is, or first responders, or -well, the muggle world has a whole host of opportunities for medically educated individuals outside of hospitals."
"Is it terrible of me to say that I would rather have a family than a career?" she asked abruptly.
He gave in to his impulse to tuck that bit of loose curl behind her ear. "No," he said voice dipping. Her hair was unimaginably soft, he noted as he reluctantly pulled his hand back. "Nothing at all."
Hell, it was how he felt. He liked teaching, but he liked being a father more. It was something his friends had never truly understand stood, not even the parents that cared for him, like Molly Weasley, truly understood why he would give up everything he had and everything he was for his son.
"You are the strangest wizard I have ever met," she said, her gaze searching his.
Pushing back up his gold framed glasses, he answered with a small smirk, "You are not the first to say that."
Narcissa smiled, "That, I don't doubt." She pulled a book out from a pocket -it must have been a pocket like Hermione's purse because it was a rather large tome, and settled in to read at his side.
They didn't speak for the rest of the afternoon, but her presence-
He liked her. Merlin help him, but Narcissa Black was too beautiful, too -too her, to not try to get to know her better. Harry didn't know all her motives for being at Hogwarts, for sitting beside him now. He didn't even know if she was involved with Lucius Malfoy.
But he knew one thing, he had spent his entire life surviving, just making it through, and he wanted to do more, he wanted to live; to try.
So he would try his luck, and the university be damned.
"Daddy! I'm leaving!" Teddy decided after pushing his pile of rocks back into the water. He picked up his shoes and sprinted back toward the castle.
Harry sighed, "That's my cue." She stood with him.
"A pity," Narcissa said, "You will miss the sunset."
He didn't glance behind him at the light glimmering off the water. Before he could lose his nerve, he bent to kiss her cheek, and spoke against her ear, "I am glad to see you again, Ms. Black."
With more confidence than he felt, he stepped away from her with a smirk and followed his son up to the castle. Teddy was ahead of him but Teddy rarely ran far from Harry's sight line.
He couldn't say he knew Narcissa that well, but he was almost certain that her lack of a witty comment or cold dismissal was a good sign.
At dinner that night, she sat on the other side of Poppy, too far away to start easily start a conversation with. But he could have sworn when their gazes met, her cheeks tinged pink.
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