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The years after the war had given Harry a chance to really figure out what he wanted out of life. After two years of work of the Ministry of Magic as an Auror. Him and Ron both enjoyed the work but lately it began to wear on Harry. They had gone after what was left of the death eaters and Lord Voldemort’s supporters. He wanted something new and less intense. Harry had fought all his life, and now that the wizarding world was quiet, for the most part, he wanted to let others lead the fight against the dark wizards to come. He began to miss Hogwarts as well because it was the only place he had ever felt at home.
Many wizards had worked hard in the past couple of years to help rebuild Hogwarts after the war and now McGonagall was Headmistress. He had been think for some time about leaving the ministry to become a professor at Hogwarts. He thought of how great it would be to teach the future generations to defend themselves. He told Ron and Hermione this during lunch at the Ministry one day. He expected some resistance, especially from Ron, but when it came time for the reaction, they were both supportive.
“I think that’s great mate,” Ron uttered without contemplation.
“Harry, that’s brilliant, those students could really use someone like you,” Hermione said, excitement causing her to belt out the word and added, “you should talk to McGonagall, they still have trouble finding a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”
“That’s a great idea Hermione,” Harry smiled, “I’ll send an owl to Headmistress McGonagall to see what she can tell me.”
Harry did exactly as he had later that day in his tiny apartment on the outskirts of London. His new owl Talon, a barn owl, was not quite as affectionate as Hedwig had been, but he did his job and enjoyed eating biscuits with Harry in the morning before work. He sent Talon to Hogwarts, not expecting a reply for a while, but when Talon returned, he had a reply attached. It read:
Mr. Potter,
It is great to hear from you and I want to thank you for your help with rebuilding Hogwarts on your time off. I am happy to hear you are still running around with Mr. Weasley and Miss Grainger. I was shocked and pleased to hear your inquiry about the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. As you know, it has always been hard to find a permanent teacher for the position because of its history. I know that is not something that would bother you, and I think that you would be a great fit. If you would like to come and explore a little before making your decision to accept the position, please let me know a time that will work with you this week.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Harry replied the next day and readied his bags to go back to the only place he had ever called home.
…
Harry wandered the halls of Hogwarts as memories flooded his brain. He knew there had been bad times here, but he couldn’t remember them as he watched the crowd of students in their school robes move through the corridors make it to their classes on time. He smiled at the noise of laughter and Harry slowly made his way to the headmistress’ office, every crack in the wall sparking another memory. Once he reached the phoenix at the opening of the staircase, he repeated the password that McGonagall had sent him earlier that week. As, he walked the stairs to the office he thought of all the time he had been there to see Dumbledore and he felt a slight ache in his heart. He missed his headmaster, his mentor. The ache eased as he saw the familiar look of concentration on Minerva McGonagall’s face, her eyebrows furrowed.
“Headmistress,” Harry said so she knew his presence.
“Oh,” McGonagall looked up to see Harry and gave him a small smile. “Hello, Mr. Potter, thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“If you give me one moment than I’ll show you around and we can talk.”
Harry waited as McGonagall finished with the task she was working on, ending it by sending an owl on what was no doubt school business. Harry thought that the role of headmistress suited her very well. After she sent the owl, Harry followed her down the now empty halls to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. When they walked in to the old classroom, Harry noticed it was significantly bare, probably due to the fact no one professor stayed in their long enough to give it any attention. Harry’s mind began wandering about how to make it suitable for his students and teaching.
“I’m glad you have decided to take the position Mr. Potter, truly, but can I ask why you’re done being an auror?” McGonagall’s question shook Harry out of his plans for the classroom.
“Well to be honest, McGonagall, I’m done fighting. I’ve done it so long, and now I just want to make sure we are still able to protect ourselves in the future. No one will do this job because they are too scare, but we need someone to do it. These and future students need to know how to protect the wizarding world and know what has happened in the past. The question is, why not me?”
McGonagall smiled, pride filling her eyes, “You may have been a pain as a student once and a while, but you have never disappointed me.”
“I can say the same to you,” Harry beamed in reply.
“Well how about you start class on Monday. That give you time to get settled and ready the classroom. Let me know what you might need as soon as you can, and I will see what we are able to provide for you.”
“Sounds brilliant.”
McGonagall left the keys to the classroom, the office, and Harry’s bedroom, and went back to her own office. Harry began cleaning up the room and making a list of what he may need. The books were outdated, he needed protective gear and mats for practice dueling, and typical classroom supplies. As he was writing his list, there was a knock on the door. Harry wasn’t sure who it could possibly be, but he said, “It’s open,” without bothering to look up from his list.
“Hello Harry,” a familiar sing-song voice said. He looked up and saw Luna Lovegood’s distinctive blue eyes and radish earrings. His heart warmed and flushed his cheeks. He had not seen her since the battle, and now that she was there, he realized how much he had missed her.
“Hi, Luna,” Harry replied, still stunned to see her.
“So it’s true, you’re coming to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor,”
“Yeah, I am. What do you mean ‘our’?”
“I’m the Care of Magical Creature professor, since Hagrid went back to being gamekeeper,” Luna explained.
“That’s fantastic! I didn’t know you taught here, but I’m sure your brilliant at it.” Harry beamed. He was excited at the thought of seeing her more. She had always seemed to understand him better than most.
“I think I’m alright at it,” she reddened slightly at the compliment, “I know you are going to do well here though.”
“I hope so.”
“You will be. I remember how great you were with Dumbledore’s Army. I learned so much from you. We all did. You were mean for this,” Luna stated with such confidence what that it washed over Harry as well.
“Thanks,” Harry smiled.
Luna walked over to him, and wrapped him in a firm hug. He hugged back, as he smelled the fresh dirt and sun on her, that must have come from working in the forest with the creatures and students. Harry like the smell, it was like spring, a hope for a new beginning
“Welcome home,” Luna spoke softly as she pulled away and walked out of the classroom. Harry smiled as he working on his classroom list again.