Surprises

Chapter 1- Surprises
Chapter Rating- FR7

Author’s Note- I wrote the first few chapters before I posted the prologue, so they’ll come out more quickly than later chapters will. Here’s Chapter One.



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The first day of school.

Some look forward to it all summer.

Some dread it with all their heart.

Harry Potter was definitely one of the former.

With the clearing of Sirius’ name, the wizarding world know longer calling him a lying little lunatic, and his lifetime ban from Quidditch revoked, Harry’s life was looking up. Add that to yet another miserable summer with the Dursleys, not able to even visit his friends, and school seemed like heaven.

He boarded the Hogwarts Express surrounded by his friends, and followed the chattering members of the DA to an empty compartment.

He had spent the summer coming to terms with Sirius’ death.

While he still felt responsible, there was nothing he could do now, so he would get on with his life. He had learned a very important lesson that would stay with him always.

Never let anyone know if you care for someone. Love could be used against you. It was a painful lesson, but he had learned it well.

“Harry? You okay?” Hermione Granger, best friend and liability asked him.

“Yeah, fine.”

The trip passed in relative peace, the only commotion being Ginny’s slipping of a few of the twin’s new products to Neville and Padma.

Harry got out and suppressed his disgust at the thestrals, but climbed into a carriage nonetheless, followed by Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. The core group, as it were.

“Hey Harry. You’ve been pretty quiet the whole trip. What’s up?” Ginny asked, concern filling her voice.

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

“Care to share?”

“Not really. Just glad to be back.”

“Sure. You decide you want to talk, you know where I’ll be.”

He smiled, and then suppressed it. They arrived at the castle. Four times he had seen this exact view, and still, it amazed him every time. He followed the other students into the building, and then took his seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

The head table was filled, the only chair missing being McGonagall’s.

The only new face was presumably the new DADA professor. He was an older gentleman, though not nearly as old as McGonagall or Dumbledore. He seemed familiar somehow, though Harry couldn’t place him.

Hermione leaned over “I heard that the new professor was a Ravenclaw when he went here.”

Ron groaned. “Oh great. Another year of taking notes, with no practical application”

Before anyone else could add their two cents in, the first years entered, and the Gryffs settled down to watch the show.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It figured that the first class he would ever teach would be his hardest.

The sixth year combined Gryffindors/Slytherins. He had known about half their parents, and was sure they had owled home the second Albus had announced his graduation year the night before.

He could tell who would be his prize students, it was half an hour before class was scheduled to begin, and a few students were already sitting at their desks attentively.

He recognized a Malfoy, a Zabini, a Davis, and a Nott sitting on the Slytherin side. On the Gryffindor side, there was a girl with bushy brown hair, sitting on the edge of her seat, as though eager for the class to begin. On one side of her was a Weasley, that was for sure. The other side held a familiar looking boy, with black hair, and glasses. In front of them was a Longbottom.

This was going to be an interesting year.

He finished tidying up his desk as the bell rang and the rest of the students filed in and took their seats.

He stood in front of his desk.

“Hello. I am Professor Giles. I will be your teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. I am going to take attendance, and then we will begin. He picked up the roll from his desk.

“Brown, Lavender?”

She raised her hand.

“Bullstrode, Millicent?”

She put her hand up. What was it with ugly Slytherin girls? Narcissa Black had been the first half-decent looking Slytherin girl in decades, and it seemed that she still held that title.

Granger, Hermione turned out to be the excited bushy haired girl.

He continued through the role.

Longbottom, Neville looked like he needed a little confidence. Of course, with his parents the way they were, that wasn’t surprising. The last time Giles had been seen in wizarding society was at the bedside of Frank and Alice, shortly after their attack. He had even held the baby Neville for Francine Longbottom, as she mourned over her insane son.

It was no surprise that Lucius had named his son Draco. Come on, unoriginal much? Oh dear lord, he was even beginning to think in California girl. Maybe he had come home too late.

Patil, Parvati was a bit of a surprise. He wondered if she knew that she was the first non-Ravenclaw Patil in generations. Probably. The Patils had a long history of making their disappointment clear to their offspring. Rupert had been friends with her father at school, Haden Patil being 3 years older than he. He wondered who the old flirt had married.

The next name stopped him in his tracks.

“Potter, Harry” The familiar looking dark haired boy raised his hand. Giles held back his surprised intake of breath. The boy looked resigned to a surprised reaction from the new teacher. Giles felt his whole world crumble. The boy had to be Lily’s. After all, James had been an only child. Then there had been the name. Rupert had specifically not searched out the baby’s name that night. Good thing, too. It might have changed his mind. He wondered if James had known that Harry was Rupert’s middle name.

He shook his head, resolving to find Albus after class and continued with the role, finishing with Zabini, Blaise.

“Now I know you have had rather rotten luck with DADA teachers in the past. You have a lot to make up for. This class will not be easy. For those of you who think that just because I’m a Ravenclaw this class will be all bookwork, think again. I will be teaching with a very hands-on approach. You know what is going on right now in the world. It is my job to teach you to protect yourselves from it. Our first subject of study will be your basic defense spells.

"Mr. Malfoy, will you please come to the front of the room and take your wand out?"

The blonde haired boy sauntered up the aisle, looking far too much like Spike for his own good.

"Please cast a spe-"

Before Rupert could finish, the boy had waved his wand and shouted "Furnunculus!"

Without so much as a change in expression at the boy's choice in spell, Giles lazily waved his arm and replied "Protego"

Draco looked profoundly disappointed at failing to embarrass Giles in front of the entire class.

"Please take your seat Mr. Malfoy."

Giles lined up the class, being careful to place each student with a member of his or her own house. He set them to casting harmless spells and blocking them.

He snuck a look over at Harry, who was clearly proficient in this particular spell.

He really needed to talk to Albus.

The bell rang signaling the end of class, and the students gathered their things, and filed out.

His next class was easy; first year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. He gave them your standard Dark Arts are dangerous and bad lecture, and set them to reading their assigned book, Defense Against the Dark Arts 101.

When the bell rang, he was as relieved as the students, who had worked harder on their first two classes than ever before. He strode to Dumbledore’s office; intent on making sure Albus realized that he was very put out.

Albus, as usual, seemed to know he was coming, and the gargoyle jumped out of the way before Rupert could try to guess the password.

“Ah Rupert. You have been teaching for less than 3 hours. What grievance could you possibly have already?”

“You didn’t tell me Lily’s son was a student here.”

Albus smiled, not his usual mix of cheer and knowing, but a combination of regret and bitterness. “I forget that you have had no contact with the world for the past 16 years. Everyone knows of the boy and his story. You may want to read the Daily Prophet archives for the past 5 years.”

Rupert scoffed. “That rag? Like it would have any ounce of truth.”

“Oh, there is truth. It is just hidden rather cleverly. Now, why are you so shaken over the fact that you have Lily’s boy in class?”

Rupert was starting to get really pissed off. Albus must be playing him. There was no way he couldn’t know.

“Why would I be shocked? Why wouldn’t I be?” He was starting to get hysterical.

“Rupert, I know you and Lily were close, but discovering your best friend has a child should not bring you this much pain. You knew of James and Lily’s marriage. She told me she had owled you about it, when we talked the day before we put them under the Fidelius.”

Rupert suddenly understood. “She never told you?” he whispered.

“Never told me what? Why do I sense that there is something I am missing here?”

“Albus. How well do you know Harry Potter?”

“Quite well. He is a little angry at me right now, for not letting him in on a few secrets I held.”

“He is a curious boy, then?”

“He is.”

“I assume he plays Quidditch?”

“Of course. Just like his father.”

Rupert smiled patronizingly. “And what position does he play?”

“Seeker.”

“Just like his father.” Rupert pronounced.

Albus shook his head, confused. “No, James was a chaser. One of the best we’ve ever had, in fact.”

“You are correct. James was a chaser. Harry’s father, on the other hand, was a seeker, just like the boy is now.”

Rupert Giles joined the ranks of the very few privileged enough to ever see Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore truly surprised.

“Lily…and someone else?”

He still hadn’t figured it out. It was embarrassing, but Rupert was actually pleased that he knew something that Dumbledore didn’t.

“The night of the Auror graduation ball, Lily and her best friend were dressing, when they experienced a… Clothes Fluke. They resolved to never speak of it, ever, to anyone, and her best friend went off, and she married her long time boyfriend, James Potter. Nine months later she had a little boy, and she quickly performed a permanent charm to make the boy’s hair black instead of brown, like it was when he was born. You know how good she was at charms.”

“But Lily’s best friend… That was…”

“Me.”

“You are Harry Potter’s father?”

“I am.”