𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖗𝖎𝖒 [h. potter]

II

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II: THE NEW DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS TEACHER

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By the time the carriage arrived at the large stone steps of the castle, Harry Potter was long gone from Pippa's mind.

"Who do you reckon the new DADA professor will be?" Terry asked, pulling open the carriage's curtain and climbing out before he stopped, offering his hand to Pippa.

"I dunno." Pippa shrugged in response as she clambered out of the carriage, holding Terry's outstretched hand to steady herself and clutching Fitz's cage. "At least it can't be worse than last year. I still can't believe that we were taught by a bloody Death Eater."

The pair slipped into the crowd approaching the heavy oak doors at the entrance of the castle, following them towards the Great Hall. While Pippa nearly vanished into the sea of students, all clad in black robes accented with their house colors, Terry stuck out like a bit of a sore thumb. He had always been quite tall, and lanky, evidenced by his head bobbing quite a few inches above everyone else. The only boy in their year that seemed to rival Terry's height was none other than Ron Weasley, who Pippa could spot next to his younger sister making his way through the crowd, undoubtedly trailed by Harry Potter.

Pippa shook her head slightly, shaking the thought of Harry Potter out of her mind, and looked up at Terry, who had been rambling on about Dumbledore's questionable choice of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.

"— and don't even get me started on Quirrell. He literally had You-Know-Who plastered on the back of his head. How could Dumbledore not have known?"

Pippa giggled at Terry's incredulous tone, as if he had expected Dumbledore to know everything. That seemed to be the general consensus amongst most of Pippa's classmates: that Dumbledore just knew everything. Pippa was a bit more skeptical. He was only a man, after all. A very wise man, but a man nonetheless.

"What ever happened to that guy anyways?"

"Potter disintegrated him." Pippa's smile was replaced with a look of shock as her eyes bulged at Terry's rather nonchalant response.

"He did what?"

"You didn't know that?"

"No! And besides, we were like eleven. I could barely cast Lumos when I was eleven and Potter's over there disintegrating You-Know-Who?" Pippa said. "That's absurd."

"Never a dull moment when you go to school with Harry Potter." Terry chuckled.

"Don't remind me." Pippa shuddered slightly, thinking of her experiences during her schooling. Her being one of the unlucky Muggleborns who was petrified during the last months of second year due to the Chamber of Secrets Attacks; the constant patrolling of soul-sucking dementors and a crazed murder — who was still on the large, by the way — during third year; a tournament that led to the death of a student and the rise of one of the most powerful dark wizards ever during fourth year. Merlin, going to Hogwarts with Harry Potter was just peachy, wasn't it. Pippa thought sarcastically.