Chapter Text
You clutched your tattered leather suitcase at your side and grinned. You could hear things shuffling about under the well-worn material, your undetectable extension charm allowing you to fit almost everything from your modest house into the small bag. You were going to be there most of the year, and you honestly didn’t know what you were going to need. So, you brought it all.
It had been nearly nine years since you had left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a graduate at the top of your class. Your favorite subject had quickly led to your mundane career at the Ministry of Magic. You had plugged away at your desk, quickly earning yourself your own office in the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad section, using your spells and charms knowledge to help the world around you. Or, so you thought.
But, when that got boring, you flirted with the idea of teaching. The idea had always been in the back of your mind, but it remained just that, an idea. Working for the Ministry will give you the best options in life,your father always told you. But now, you we’re free to think as an adult, and free to follow the career you truly wanted.
And that’s how you ended up here, at the gates of one of the best schools of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Not only had you been accepted as a professor at the prestigious school, but you were going to be teaching your favorite subject, Charms. For the last few days, you had been pinching yourself as you packed your belongings and wrote what you hoped would pass for a curriculum. And in less than a week, you were going to find out if your hard work had paid off.
You smiled wider as the Headmaster of the school approached you, slowly making her way down the stone steps of the ancient building. She had been at the post since a year after you graduated, taking over for the former Headmaster who had fallen ill. She was a tall, thin woman with tight blonde curls that swirled down to her elbows. Her bright emerald eyes locked on you as she made her way towards you.
“Miss Y/L/N, welcome.” Her voice was a bit cold, but her smile seemed reasonably genuine. You smiled and nodded back, clutching your bag a little tighter. “I trust the castle doesn’t look much different since you were here last?”
You shook your head. “It looks exactly the same,” you responded a little quieter than you meant to. Something about this woman was intimidating, even though she appeared harmless. She must have been a brilliant witch to be appointed as Headmaster, especially since she appeared to be so young.
“Come this way, Miss Y/L/N. I’m glad you came a few days early,” she explained as she escorted you up the stairs and into the front of the castle. “We hope your quarters will be alright. I apologize for the state of the office. It hasn’t been used in a few years. Your living space will be attached to your office, located in the same corridor as the Ravenclaw common room. I believe you’re familiar with that part of the castle.”
You nodded again with a smile. “Yes, Headmaster. Very familiar. It will be nice to see that area of the castle again.”
The woman smiled and chuckled as you turned a corner. “Right at home!” she shouted as you followed her deeper into the maze of halls.
The woman, Shara Havendew, continued to mumble as she pointed out the miniscule changes that had happened since she had been running the place. You nodded every once in a while to make sure you seemed interested, but you were mostly focused on the glory of Hogwarts castle. Sure, you had spent seven years in the magnificent building. But, in the nine years that you had been gone, you had forgotten the shear brilliance of the place. The multitude of pictures that danced in their frames, cascading over the towering stone walls. The stairs swirled as they shifted, guiding the two of you to where you needed to go. It was nothing like the small town you had settled in just after landing your job at the Ministry. It was old and beautiful in the best of ways.
“Well, here you are Miss Y/L/N. Home sweet home! I hope this will do.” The Headmaster opened the door, exposing a small, circular shaped room. There was some dust on the small window sills on the far side of the room, and a small layer covering the dark hardwood floors. The desk in the center of the room was almost large enough to sleep on, a slightly lighter color than the floor. With a little bit of elbow grease, and a few repairing spells, the place would be good as new.
“It’s perfect,” you replied in a sense of awe. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’m really excited.” You sounded like a polite schoolgirl, but it was all true. This was a new chapter in your life that made you all giddy with excitement. Teaching the young minds of tomorrow was helping the world a lot more than your Ministry job ever had, and you didn’t care how cheesy that sounded.
“The room to the left leads to your living quarters, where you have a small kitchen, bedroom, and washroom. If you need anything, feel free to ask. You know where my office is.” She nodded awkwardly, then turned back towards the hall. “There will be dinner at seven in the Great Room tonight. All employees are welcome. It would be a good chance to meet your new colleagues. There are certainly a lot of new faces here.”
Your stomach rumbled at the thought of food. “That sounds great. Thank you again, Headmaster.” And, with that, Headmaster Havendew made her way down the hall and out of sight.
**
After a few hours of cleaning and snacking on the small amount of food you had packed in your travel bag, you finally got to unpacking your suitcase. You found a nice sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans that seemed appropriate for dinner. You didn’t want to look like a mess when you met your new co-workers. So, you laid out the light blue cardigan and your pants, before heading for the shower.
Once you were all cleaned up and dressed, you smiled over at your cat, who was resting comfortably on one of the freshly cleaned window sills. She stared up at the sky, the sunlight quickly dimming. Then, she rested her head on her paws. She was an older girl, the same pet you had since your sixth year at Hogwarts. But, she was healthy and pretty spry for her age, and she was the only friend you really had.
You nodded her way, then slipped on your shoes, before heading for the door.
You waved your wand, locking your door, then slowly moseyed down the massive hall. All of the pictures and paintings on the walls were the same, the people in them chattering amongst each other as you studied the familiar scene. Your heart fluttered with nostalgia when you passed the Ravenclaw common room. That had been your home for most of your adolescence, and a part of you wondered if it was still the same inside. You knew that as a teacher you could check it out yourself. But, you’d rather save that kind of excitement for later.
As you approached the Great Hall, you could hear the buzz of the other professors chatting as they enjoyed their meals. You couldn’t help but smile as you thought about how many meals you ate in that room, surrounded by friends. Unfortunately, you hadn’t talked with them since shortly after graduation. You blamed it on having different paths in life. But, when you thought about it, it still made you wonder what really happened.
You pushed your memories aside as you turned the corner and slowly entered the Great Room. There were at least two dozen staff members, some seated in their designated spots along the staff dining table, while others stood and chatted. There were name cards in front of each seat. Your eyes scanned the table in search of yours. Halfway down the right side of the long, wooden table, you found your name with the word Charms written in small writing beneath it. You never thought you would see your name on that table, not even in your wildest dreams. But, there it was. You smiled, making your way towards your seat.
You slowed down as you spotted the man in the seat beside yours. He was turned sideways in his chair as he chatted with the professor beside him. There was something familiar about him. That disheveled hair and the untucked shirt. He was a student when you were, in the same year as you. You squinted at his name on the card. Professor Misha Collins – Potions. You remembered that name. He was in a few of your classes.
He turned your direction, glancing at something to your right, then turned back to the person in front of him. Oh yes, you remembered him. He was a Hufflepuff that almost ended up in Slytherin. It was the first and only time you heard the Sorting Hat ever have to choose between those two houses. From what you remembered, he certainly had a rebellious streak. But, he was very loyal to his friends, kind to everyone around him, and very smart.
His blue eyes flicked your direction again as you approached. He looked exactly the same. He was tall, but didn’t tower over everyone, and the same five-o-clock shadow you noticed during your sixth year was still just peeking through. You smiled to yourself at the thought of someone you knew being there. It was reassuring to see a familiar face in an otherwise daunting situation, no matter how little you actually knew him.
You rounded the table and headed to your seat. You were four seats in, several seats over from the Headmaster. You tip-toed over to the seat and sat down, smiling as your empty plate quickly filled with a variety of warm food. You glanced over to see Misha facing away from you, still chatting with the much older professor on the other side of him. You shrugged. Of course, you wanted to say hi, but you didn’t want to interrupt. Plus, you had all year to say hello. After all, you were going to be sitting beside the man for meals. You were bound to gain his attention at some point.
So, you picked up your fork and dug into the amazing meal in front of you. Every few moments, your eyes glanced over at Misha’s back, but he remained facing away from you.
Once you were almost finished with your meal, Headmaster Havendew made her way over to you, standing awkwardly on the other side of the table. You peered up and smiled.
“Good evening, Headmaster,” you greeted her. She beamed, studying you as you gently placed your fork on your plate.
“I hope your quarters weren’t too much of a mess.” She scrunched her nose a bit before continuing. “I should have sent someone to sort it out before you got here.”
“It wasn’t bad at all,” you answered sweetly. “Cleaned up very nicely.” You offered an overly sweet smile, a part of you hoping that she would just walk away. You were definitely more of an observer, and you were enjoying listening to the chit-chat around you. But, you needed to be polite to your boss, no matter odd and uncomfortable she made you feel.
“Well, I’m glad that everything worked out for you, Miss Y/L/N. Let me know if you need anything.” You nodded as she turned away. “Oh!” she shouted, turning back towards you. “You will have access to your classroom tomorrow, to get it ready for when the students get here. After breakfast tomorrow, I will show you the way. The Charms classroom is not in the same spot as the last time you were here.” She smiled, the abruptly walked away.
You smiled and chuckled to yourself. “Thank you, Headmaster.”
“Y/L/N?” you heard a low voice ask from beside you. You shifted your gaze towards the voice, finding Misha shifted in his seat, staring straight at you. His piercing blue eyes were wide as he studied you. “Y/N Y/L/N?” he asked.
“That’s me,” you answered in a bubbly voice.
Misha tilted his head, scanning you over and smiling. “Merlin’s beard, I remember you. You were in some of my classes while I was still at school here.” He smiled, extending his hand. “I’m—”
“Misha. I remember you too. I was going to say hi, but I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.” You shook his hand and smiled. “It was actually really nice to see a familiar face amongst all the new ones. I can’t believe they cleared out most of the professors in nine years.”
“Professor Bhenni is still teaching Divination, but other than that, they are mostly new. You’ll get acquainted soon. Almost everyone is easy to talk to,” Misha grinned, leaning against the table as he quickly glanced over at Headmaster Havendew. His tie was askew, and his professor’s cloak was hanging loosely off one shoulder.
“I’m glad.” You smiled up at your peer. It was great knowing someone there, but it felt even better getting to know someone all over again. Honestly, it was almost like you were bringing back a bit of your past. It felt like this year was going to be even better than you had hoped.