Chapter 1
Teachers' Trouble
The Hogwarts' Castle, usually filled with millions of witches and wizards from all over the country was currently completely deserted, except for four people. The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter (Order of Merlin first class, winner of award for the best wizard of the century, defeated the Dark Lord in a duel at Hogwarts' Castle.), the deputy head, Tom Riddle, the school caretaker Dudley Dursley and the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts, Porch. Hogwarts' teachers usually stayed at school during holidays because the summer holidays were the best time to manage the school affairs. Some who wanted to take holidays did.
Harry woke up on a fine day. It was the first week of July. It was going to be a busy day today for him and Tom. They had to find teachers for various posts. All the old ones were retiring. For one Estella couldn't take two classes forever so, they needed someone to teach Runes as she was rather good at Transfiguration. Then, Madam Hooch had decided to retire. Professor Trelawney wanted to retire too and Harry couldn't blame her. She could hardly look into her own plate to be looking into the orb. Firenze wanted to go back to his herd as well. And Ginny had to leave too. They had decided she would stay at home so she could keep looking out for them all. That left them to find teachers for Ancient Runes, Flying lessons and a Quidditch coach, Divination, Astronomy and Charms.
"Enter."
"Good Morning, Harry." Tom entered in his usual white shirt and blue jeans. As he entered he smiled slightly and sat down beside Harry without meeting his eyes.
"Good Morning, have a seat." Harry conjured up a seat beside his own. As Tom sat down beside him he realized he wasn't smiling very brightly.
"You, alright?" Harry asked.
"Yeah." Tom replied almost as if he was prepared for Harry's question.
It was 7 in the morning and applicants were to arrive from today. Harry had decided to involve Tom in the selection of teachers. The two of them would be able to judge better. Today they would be taking applicants for Ancient Runes and Charms. All the applicants were to wait in the Great Hall and then Dudley would escort them to Harry's office turn by turn. To make things easy they had decided to take Ancient Runes applicants in the first half of the day and Charms applicants in the other half.
Teachers applying for Ancient Runes weren't really trouble. They were mostly aged people, who had run out of their lifetime of savings and decided to earn back a bit of it by going back to their jobs. After interviewing two dozen applicants they finally found their man. Professor Noah Raphsody, 62, a man of principles, a bit strict, but a kind hearted person overall who wanted to spend his last days peacefully. He was a talented man and Harry found him perfect for the job.
When they were done with the applicants of Ancient Runes it was still 20 minutes to afternoon and they thought it wouldn't hurt to take one more applicant before they took the lunch break. So, they called in a Charms applicant and realized how wrong they were.
"Enter."
A tall, thin, black haired boy entered. Harry offered him a seat and he sat down.
"Hullo, I am Aftro Orlin." said the applicant. He had a squeaky little voice.
"Hullo." said Harry.
"Hi." said Tom.
"So, Aftro, from where did you graduate and when?" asked Harry.
"I graduated fix yearf back from Durmftrang. And then I decided to gain fome handf on experience and went around the world. And it'f Aftro not Aftro."
"Sorry, I don't think I seem to understand you." Harry replied taken aback.
"My name, it'f not Aftro, it'f Aftro."
"Then what is it, Mr. Orlin."
"There'f a little problem with my fpeech when it comef to faying f, look I'll write down my name fo you can underftand me." He took a parchment and a quill out of his small bag while Harry and Tom stared at him. Tom who hadn't said anything until now didn't trust himself to speak as he was on the verge of laughing out.
He wrote down his name on the parchment and shoved it in front of Harry and Tom and then they saw what the problem was. His name was Astro not Aftro and he had a speech problem not a fpeech problem. Harry gulped down because if he hadn't he would have laughed out himself.
"So, Astro, I have a few tasks for you." Harry knew Astro was not the guy for the job but rejecting him without a valid reason would be unkind. He decided to give him a chance to realize he couldn't possibly be hired for this job. "I would like you to perform these so we can know of your expertise." said Harry. "We would like you to begin with level one." Harry conjured up a feather out of thin air and told Astro to make it fly.
"Wingardium Leviofa!"
The feather instead of flying flipped over and turned to ash in front of their very eyes. Harry knew his job was done.
"Very well, Mr. Orlin. We've seen your expertise. You'll be informed of our decision. Thank you very much."
"You mean I've to go?"
"Er, of course. you'll be informed of our decision."
"But if you felect fomeone you let them know then and there."
"Well, in that case, Mr. Orlin, you haven't been selected."
"Haven't been felected? But you haven't feen what I can do. I am very good at Charmf."
"Mr. Orlin, this really is not the field for you." said Harry trying to be as polite as he could.
"Yeah," added Tom. "saying the magic words properly is very important. Never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f" and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest. Only in your case it's the other way around."
"You don't underftand, I can do a lot of thingf, look." And he took out his wand and started trying spells on everything he could find within his reach turning it into literal disaster.
He tried to tap dance Harry's tea cup which rose in the air and fell shattering into many small pieces. He conjured water from his wand and tried to keep it hovering in the air without its container and Harry's office was dripping wet including Fawkes, himself, Tom and Astro. He tried to levitate the nearby cupboard and set it on fire. That was it for Harry. He took out his own wand,
"Explliarmus!" Astro's wand flew out of his hand before he could blink. "That's it Mr.Orlin! Tom, escort Mr.Orlin to the grounds."
Tom stepped forwards, "Mr.Orlin---_"
"No, no, I won't leave, I deferve__--"
"Silencio! Levicorpus!"
Before he could say anything else Tom silenced him then with him hovering over his head picked up his wand, left Harry's office and threw Mr.Orlin out of Hogwarts' gates. When he came back he was in tears because he was laughing quite hard. When he walked back into Harry's office he saw Harry drying himself with the tip of his wand.
"Shut up, that's not a laughing matter." said Harry when he saw him. His head was aching at the thought of how many more people would they be dealing with like this.
"Of courfe, that'f not a laughing matter at all." said Tom and Harry laughed out too. It was after all, amusing to see people like that.
Tom sat down in a nearby chair himself and dried himself up.
"Let's get down to Porch's hut and get some lunch." said Tom after bringing Harry's office back to its normal state.
"Yeah, let's crack into some food before they crack our heads." said Harry, thinking of the applicants awaiting their turn in the Great Hall.
Harry hadn't been wrong about these applicants. They did wreck his head. And they couldn't find anybody for charms either. Harry and Tom took interviews for another week and they still didn't have a charms teacher, finally, Harry decided Ginny could come back to teach charms and this time it would be official. Ginny was actually very good at it. And Bill and Fluer will be able to take care of their business outside school. Earlier, Harry's own motives had been involved in keeping Ginny away from Hogwarts. Harry had seen Ginny inches away from Greyback's claws, and he had no intentions of letting anything like that happen again. But perhaps, Ginny was right, Harry couldn't be selfish forever.
In the second week of July they called up applicants for Divination and Astronomy. Another week gone and they found their teachers. For Astronomy they hired a grumpy little witch, Astria O'Donnald. She was a nice lady but extremely good at her work. She could read the movements of the planets very well and the effects of their movements thereafter. She had a unique precision about her. As for Divination it was a big surprise for all that she had applied for the job, Giniva McGonagall. The moment Harry met her he saw her for what she was. She was as brilliant as her mother Minerva McGonagall. What Harry was surprised at was the fact that Professor McGonagall always thought that Divination was the most imprecise branch of magic and yet she had let her daughter pursue it. She was a complete imprint of her mother except that she was younger than her, around Ginny's age.
The third week of July was reserved for the applicants of Quidditch Coach which turned out to be disaster. Not one of the applicants could hang on to their brooms properly. And some didn't even know the rules of the game. Harry and Tom had a hard time with them. If one wouldn't fall off the broom then topple over something on the way. If one would grab the Quaffle they would fall off the broom. If one was following the snitch they wouldn't mind ducking when the bludgers attacked them. Harry strongly wished Wood had been here. But he was playing for England and anyways Harry didn't know if he would like to work at Hogwarts if Tom was around after what had happened at the mountains. Above all the work regarding Hogwarts Harry had to figure out a way of getting back the Resurrection Stone from Riddle. But right now they had to work for Hogwarts. After all so many things were left to do. After all the teachers would be selected, the Board of Directors of Hogwarts would come to 'determine whether all teachers are fit for the job or not' as stated in the letter Harry had received from the Board. Moreover, they had to select Prefects, Head Boy and Girl, and the Quidditch Captain before they left. And not only that, after Kingsley, the new Minister of Magic was to be chosen and worst of all for Harry was the fact that Draco was the most favoured person for the job which meant, that the Ministry was out of their hands if Malfoy got into power. It would be Riddle's reign all over. Harry had been offered the post at first but he had refused. Leaving Hogwarts wasn't exactly a good idea. He was the best protection Hogwarts had.
At least they had one hope up to save the Ministry and that was Hermione. When Harry had refused for the job he had nominated Hermione's name and nobody could deny Hermione's achievements. She had fought and retained the rights of House elves, had been one of the best aurors and the youngest head of the Law Enforcement Department at the Ministry. So, the decision was to be taken after a vote, a vote of the members of the Wizengamot, and the famous names of the century. For that a meeting was arranged at the Ministry in August and Harry had his hopes up that Hermione would take the job.
As for now their worries over Quidditch weren't over yet.
"Why don't you take flying lessons yourself?" Tom asked him on the first day of the last week, when until then they hadn't been able to find anyone.
"I don't have the time, Tom. Quidditch takes a lot out of you and you know we have got loads on ourselves than Quidditch."
"Look, you don't have to do it all through the year. If we can't find anyone now doesn't mean we won't be able to afterwards. We'll have Christmas holidays and Easter Holidays as well, until then I think you'll be able to take care of it and by what I've heard you're a damn good flier."
"Yeah you've got a point." said Harry but he still felt a bit down at the thought of so many things coming up and perhaps Tom saw it.
"Cheer up, you've got your birthday coming."
At that Harry finally smiled, "So, have you." It had been rather nice to find out that Harry's and Tom's birthday was on the same day except that Tom was a lot younger than Harry.
Tom's smile faded at Harry's words. Harry understood. "Don't you try to ditch the party Ginny's working so hard to arrange for us."
Tom turned away from him not wanting to meet his eyes. "I don't mean to..." He replied but he was actually dreading it. Another full moon was approaching and the wound in his chest had begun to ache again. He knew was this meant... He was feeling edgy and angry again. Going to Harry's place seemed like the worst idea like this.
"Then?" Harry asked walking out from behind his desk to look into his eyes.
Tom plucked up the courage to explain. "I don't think I should be at your place, Harry... Not when the full moon's shining out in the sky..."
Harry understood. He grabbed him by the shoulders. "You won't be alone, Tom. Nothing will happen to you or anyone else... you have to trust that...you have to trust me..."
Tom looked into his eyes and saw the confidence in him that he had himself lost. He nodded but he couldn't imagine the consequences if they lost control of him.
In the last few days of July they called up all the selected teachers along with Ginny. The Board took their test saw their expertise, felt satisfied with their performance and approved them. Then, the day before Harry's and Tom's birthday Ginny left for home. Harry, Tom and Dudley would go after closing Hogwarts completely. Porch was the only one who had decided to stay to take care of the Castle and its grounds. And anyways if he would accompany them to stay he would have to sleep out in the yard and that would be rather uncomfortable. So, he had decided to stay at Hogwarts but promised to come at Harry's and Tom's birthday. Harry and Tom finished their last minute tasks of selecting Prefects, Head Boy and Girl and Quidditch Captain, and left their letters in the Owlery.
Before leaving Harry went to his office and took Fawkes with him. Fawkes flew off to Godrics Hollow himself. Harry and Tom left the Castle with Dudley after shutting off each and every door and window of the Castle. Before doing so, they blocked chimneys everywhere in and out of the Castle. Cast spells to block Portkeys in and out of the Castle. And when they finally walked out of the Double Doors of the Castle, they sealed it with protective spells. They covered the whole Castle with protective Charms so nobody could fly in to the Castle even. Only the gates to the grounds were left open. Harry, Tom and Dudley reached the apparition spot near Hogshead and with Dudley grabbing Harry's arm tightly, disapparated.
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