Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 259: The First Class
"Mmm… I don't like this," James grumbled as he walked across the third floor of the castle. "Double class with Gryffindor and Slytherin to start the Monday morning… great."
On top of that, this was with the fifth years, who were his former classmates.
'Was this the right decision?' James wondered.
He had been missing teaching since he started this new life.
And giving Bella those few classes in Potions had only served to remind him of his past life.
So when Dumbledore offered him a position as Defense Professor, he decided to take it after a short time of consideration.
James stopped for a moment in front of the classroom door and adjusted his robes. 'Oh well… too late now.'
He opened the door and walked inside.
"Mmm?" James was a bit surprised to find Professor McGonagall sitting next to the desk, which made him wonder if he had walked into the wrong classroom.
"Professor Potter… you are barely in time," McGonagall pointed out.
'Oh, I see…' That look of disapproval in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.
'She must be here to check on my ability to teach.' James was well aware of the kind of personality Minerva McGonagall had, so it would actually have been strange if she had immediately approved of having someone so young as a new professor.
"But I am still in time," James responded to her. "By the way… to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence, Professor?"
McGonagall furrowed her brows. "I am merely here to make sure the class goes smoothly. Do ignore my presence, as I will not take any part in the class. I am just an observer."
"Very well." James was planning on ignoring her anyway. So he walked to his desk and rested his bag on it before addressing the class.
The expressions among the students were very varied; they went from surprise and amusement to outright hostility.
That one was mostly from the few remaining Slytherin students.
James took note that Bella was sitting in the back corner of the room with no one around her.
'It appears that the other Slytherin students are avoiding her,' he concluded.
By this point, they all knew she was his fiancée. What James didn't know was how much these students knew about what had happened with the Dark Lord.
'The fact that they are still attending Hogwarts tells me that their families could not have been strongly involved in the war.' The families who were the closest to Voldemort had already left the country, fearing facing the same fate as the Malfoys or the Rosiers.
Many old wizard families had gone extinct this time, while many others had left British territory.
"Okay, let's get started then," said James in a casual tone. "Last year, I was sitting there with the rest of you, so you know who I am and I know who all of you are… so there's no need for introductions."
"E-excuse me…" One of the girls on the Slytherin side raised her hand hesitantly.
"Yes?" James pointed at her but didn't recognize the girl.
"Ehm… are you, like… really qualified to teach us?" she asked with some hesitation.
"If I wasn't, do you think I would have been hired?" James asked.
The girl now looked a bit embarrassed. "N-no… I don't."
"Good. If anyone has a question that is non-stupid, I can answer them now," James suggested.
"Mister Potter…" McGonagall threw him a harsh glare.
"Fine… I'll also answer the stupid ones." Even though James relented, no one else seemed to have more questions for him.
He did note that Sirius and Peter looked very amused, while Remus was not too pleased.
"Then we can get the class started." James snapped his fingers, and a piece of chalk flew to the board, writing something on it.
"Last year, you all learned about the Silencing Charm and how effective it was in a real battle… why is that?"
"Because you can't use spells without pronouncing the chant," the same girl as before responded.
"Maybe you can't. I just used a chantless spell on that piece of chalk, didn't I?" James pointed at the words written on the board: Voice and Wand.
"If you lose one of those and are completely unable to cast any magic, then you are useless in a fight. Even if you have learned a thousand different combat spells, it won't matter when you can no longer use them."
"Mister Potter…" McGonagall spoke. "Chantless magic belongs to Sixth Year. It is considered to be on N.E.W.T level. As for wandless magic… that's not even covered in the school curriculum."
"I thought you were going to remain as a silent observer," James pointed out.
"I never said silent," the other professor said.
James ignored the comment and continued his explanation. "I'll be honest. I don't expect even half of you to learn what I will teach you over the next three years. But those who do… will gain a foundation that very few individuals have. And you will feel proud to do so."
The students didn't seem too convinced by his words. After all, what he was proposing for them to learn was something too advanced.
"Now shush, and just listen." James sat down at his desk and began his lesson properly.
The expressions on the students gradually changed...the more they listened to James, the more inspired and confident they became.
The next hour flew by, and even Professor McGonagall had become so entranced by James's words that she didn't notice how much time had passed.
By the end of the lesson, many of the students no longer felt like it was an impossible task and thought that perhaps they could master something that very few had been able to do.
"What the…" McGonagall stared at James with shock. She could never have imagined that a new professor, on their first day on the job, would be able to teach in such a clear and efficient manner.
"Okay, we have less than an hour left," said James. "We'll move to some practice now."