A Defining Speech

In the end, Harry just doesn't have it in him to be some sort of hardliner. He wasn't going to act like Severus Snape (sans the greasy hair) or the sickeningly sweet Umbridge. At the same time, a speech of some sort was necessary… so, friendly it was.

"Uh, hey everyone. You all know me, of course. So I'll be as straight with you as possible."

He's half-expecting hecklers, especially from the Slytherin Table. But not even Draco Malfoy has something to say at the moment. In fact, the boy is sitting there in his seat, his back ramrod straight, and his eyes wide with shock. The platinum-blond wizard has always been a bit pale, but it almost looks like the color has drained from his face upon finding out the authority Harry will have over him this year.

Does he think Harry would seek revenge for years upon years of bullying and schoolyard brawls? Well, when Harry put it that way… but no, in the end, Draco and his mother had picked the right side, even if his father had not. Lucius Malfoy was finally locked away in Azkaban Prison where he belonged, while Draco would be the Head of House Malfoy when he came of age. Until then, his mother was in charge.

Regardless, in spite of anticipating hecklers, Harry finds himself with a Great Hall full of wizards and witches who are staring at him raptly, giving him their full attention. Apparently, saving the Wizarding World gave him SOME credit, it would seem. Smiling weakly, Harry brings his hands together in front of him.

"I'll just give it to you all straight, because maybe if the faculty during my time at Hogwarts had been a little straighter, things wouldn't have been quite so crazy. It's been discovered that the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts Position was more than likely placed there by Voldemort himself."

There's a wince that travels across the Great Hall as Harry says the Dark Lord's name, but now that he's gathering steam, Harry doesn't hesitate for more than a second before continuing on.

"Apparently, back when he was still Tom Riddle, he applied to the DADA Position, many moons ago. Headmaster Dumbledore rejected him at the time, and in retaliation, Tom cursed the position. Well, as you all know, no one has managed to maintain their seat as DADA Professor for more than a single year since. Whether it's scandal or death, each and every one has had to move on."

Glancing to his left and right, Harry tries to gauge the reactions of the other staff at the head table, to see how they're reacting to him just… spilling the beans. He had, after all, started out by insulting the previous faculty. But the key word there is 'previous'. The vast majority of the positions at Hogwarts, at least the ones with the power to make decisions, have been vacated by their previous holders and replaced with new blood.

Some of the old guard are still around, like Professors Septima Vector and Aurora Sinistra. But they never had much authority anyways, and if they're insulted by his words, they don't show it. Maybe most importantly of all, Andromeda seems perfectly fine with Harry's decision to explain things outright, a smile on her lips as she nods encouragingly at him to continue.

"The hope in having me take up the position is simple. Because of my destiny, it is suspected that I am uniquely suited for disabling or defeating any magic cast by Voldemort, even back when he was still Tom Riddle. Basically, I'm here to break the curse. As far as my qualifications go… well, hopefully those of you who were in the DA under me in Fifth Year remember some productive lessons. For all the rest, I simply ask that you give me a chance to prove myself."

Smiling as broadly as he can, Harry nods his head to the Great Hall, and then sits back down in his chair. In response, Headmistress Tonks stands back up.

"Thank you, Professor Potter. Perhaps a bit too humble, but nevertheless a good introduction. As the Professor said, it is hoped that he will be able to finally break the curse on the DADA position. Of course, his own education will NOT be set to the wayside. As such, I have offered Harry James Potter an apprenticeship under me. He has been gracious enough to accept."

THAT gets quite the reaction from the students at the tables in the Great Hall, and Harry leans back a bit, somewhat surprised as they all begin muttering and whispering to each other. Was the apprenticeship really that big of a deal? Given the way Hermione's death glare had abruptly turned from accusatory to jealous, Harry imagined it just might be.

"I believe that's all for this year's Opening Announcements! You may all return to your meals. Dig in and enjoy!"

As Harry begins to do just that, piling up food on his plate and not just so he could continue ignoring the stares of those seated at the tables down below, it becomes harder and harder to ignore the stares of those around him. Harry is pretty sure that the Hogwarts Staff Table has never been more female-dominated in all honesty.

But one of those staring him down isn't actually a witch at all. It's the Hogwarts Caretaker, Argus Filch, and Harry can practically feel the slimy squib's glare from where he's sat. But… he doesn't have to take that from the man, does he? He's a Professor now! Fuck Filch!

Looking up from his plate, Harry makes eye contact with the glaring Hogwarts Caretaker and stares him down, not hesitating to do so. However, out of all the possible reactions from Filch that he's expecting, what he gets… is most certainly not it. For a long moment, the squib continues to mad dog him… and then, against all odds, his face twists into a completely out of character smile, and a feminine voice emits from his lips.

"Wotcher, Harry."

Harry very nearly jumps out of his seat at that, as Nymphadora Tonks, mother to his godson and fully-trained Auror, lets out a boisterous laugh while still wearing Filch's face. Thankfully, a moment later, she transforms back into herself, albeit still alternating between snickering and giggling at his expense. The others at the Staff Table all look amused but unsurprised, and Harry feels the back of his ears begin heating up when Tonks points at him and gives him a wink.

"Knew I could getcha, because I saw you weren't paying attention during my introduction! Very rude of you, Mr. Potter~"

The teasing metamorphmagus has the right of it. He'd been so distracted that he'd completely zoned out and not even noticed her presence at the table before now. That was on him, but he was still undeniably curious as to why she was here.

"Sorry Tonks, I guess I got lost in my own head. What uh… what ARE you doing here, though?"

Smirking easily, Tonks leans back in her chair.

"Well, Filch retired, of course. He was pretty damn brave during the Battle of Hogwarts. Earned himself an Order of Merlin, Second Class, for helping evacuate the students while all that fighting was going on. In the aftermath, he used the gold from that to go ahead and skedaddle, not that anyone would blame him."

Harry nods along at that. It makes sense. For all that Filch was a menace, the man wasn't truly evil. He was just… bitter and a fair bit spiteful. But that didn't mean he was a Death Eater or anything like that. Now that he thought about it, Harry believed he remembered hearing about Filch's Order of Merlin award. There was just so much else going on for Harry personally that it was hard to focus.

"… Right… and how does that translate to you being here?"

Here, Tonks winces a little.

"It was decided… mostly by my mother and Director Bones, that I would do better recovering here at Hogwarts then at a desk in the Auror Department. Plus, given all the shenanigans that you and yours got up to these past seven years, it was also decided that having a fully-trained Auror in the position of Hogwarts Caretaker might help keep things a bit quieter. Hopefully."

That… made a lot of sense. Honestly, Tonks was lucky she'd even survived, and in as good of shape as she did. Remus hadn't, but Harry wasn't about to bring up the werewolf's death. His father's best friend, Nymphadora's husband, and the father of Harry's godson. They were all one in the same, and no matter how you cut it, he was gone and not coming back.

All they could really do was hope to move on and find happiness with those that remained. It sounded like Andromeda may have used her new position as Headmistress to get Tonks here… but also, it was likely that the Director of the DMLE, Amelia Bones, had seen fit to put Tonks in a safer position as well, a place where she would have her family with her. Harry was glad that Madam Bones had survived the war. She was a strict but fair woman by all counts.

"And Teddy?"

Tonks smiles fondly at the mention of her son, Harry's godson.

"He's with his grandfather at the moment. He'll probably be around Hogwarts fairly often though, visiting either me or mother, or perhaps even you if you have the time for it."

"Always!"

Harry tries not to sound too affronted, but judging by Tonks' laugh, he fails. She giggles at him, her eyes dancing merrily, and then she glances out at the Great Hall and then back in his direction.

"I wouldn't be so sure… I count several young women who seem singularly invested in your new position, Professor Potter~"

Harry blushes at that, glancing out as well. Hermione is no longer death-glaring at him thankfully, seeming to have recognized by now that he was pointedly avoiding making eye contact with her. But she's still glancing over in his direction constantly, barely contributing to some great debate that Ron and Ginny seem to be having over something.

But she's not the only one, Harry now notices once Tonks has pointed it out. There are multiple witches at practically every table who are sneaking glances his way. Harry can't help but… well, he can't help but let his mind wander back to what he and Andy had done back at the manor just a few weeks before. He had no idea what direction his and Andromeda's relationship would progress, but he couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't the only one he should be looking out for this year.

Realizing that he's let the silence drag a little, Harry coughs into his fist and looks over at Tonks, who is grinning knowingly at him.

"That would be… inappropriate, right? The power dynamic…"

Tonks scoffs at that, and Harry, not for the first time, wishes she would keep it down.

"You of all people shouldn't bother worrying about the power dynamic, Harry. You're the Savior of the Wizarding World. You're the biggest celebrity of our age. And you're hot, young, and incredibly single. Any relationship you have is going to be skewed in your favor, so I say just enjoy whatever comes your way. So long as you don't lead anyone on, there shouldn't be a problem."

Was it really that simple? The way Tonks was speaking… could Harry really just 'enjoy whatever came his way'. She was right, in a way. The power dynamic WOULD be skewed in his favor. Except with Andy. As the Headmistress of Hogwarts, she was pretty high up there. And yet… and yet, even with her, didn't he have too much leverage for their relationship to be equitable? He would never use it, but she was relying on him far too much for her to be in control.

They talk about other things after that, him and Tonks. The two have a good conversation for the rest of the Welcoming Feast, and then at the end of it, Harry retreats to his new quarters, more than a little drained by the day's festivities. He was finally here, it seemed. Back at Hogwarts for what should have been his Seventh Year of Education but was instead his First Year of Educating.

To say that Harry really wasn't sure how things would go, was the understatement of the century. But… at the end of the day, all he could do was put his best foot forward and see where the road took him, right?

With that in mind, Harry proceeds to get ready for bed, intending to turn in nice and early and get a good night's sleep before his classes in the morning. Tomorrow was the real start of his Professorship after all, and he wanted to make a good first impression in the classroom.

However, before he can fully climb into bed, there's a knock at his door, to his surprise. He doesn't really know who it could be, he's not sure who would even know where his quarters are by this point? Andromeda, perhaps?

Shrugging, Harry wanders over and unlocks and opens the door to see who's waiting on the other side.