IMPERFECT FOR YOU ✸ P. Jackson

Two. ╱ Expect(o Patronum) Less

"i'd like you to meet—" headmaster dumbledore announced, standing for his usual speech, "where'd she go?"

minerva sighed, "that's what i was trying to tell you; professor vanderbelt has yet to arrive."

"oh," dumbledore sighed, sitting back down. whispers went around the hall, curious as to where their missing teacher was.

"sorry, sorry!" she ran in, looking very out of breath. their teacher was a blonde (bottle, since she had black roots) and very tall, slim and with a soft face. her eyes were a blue colour (fake, but they didn't need to know that) and she seemed exhausted. "percy had a slight tail mishap."

she walked to her spot at the main table, and as she did, whispers continued, curious; who was percy? a tail mishap?

once sat, dumbledore cleared his throat and went again, "i'd like you to meet your new defense against the dark arts teacher; professor vanderbelt. i expect you to treat her as you do us, no matter that she is only a couple months older than some of you, is that understood?"

some students nodded, some let out vocal agreements. some were confused, but didn't bother questioning dumbledore.

he beamed and went back to eating his pudding.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

moving in to hogwarts as a teacher should've been harder, but teaching students her age and older was normal, so slightly younger wasn't too difficult.

after dumbledore's army with fred and george, she really could handle anything.

she never expected her future father to be included in the list of things she needed to handle. james potter was a menace who was quite childish, but not in the means that would hurt others. quite unlike sirius black, her future godfather, who proved to be quite the problem. he was incredibly chaotic and quite full of himself.

emilia noticed a deep amount of prejudice sirius harboured towards the houses of hogwarts, thinking himself to be in the superior house. he shot down hufflepuffs numerous times, mocked ravenclaws and downright bullied slytherins.

she remembered him being similar when she was fifteen and first had met him, but she'd justified his actions by chalking it up to the effects of azkaban.

besides him, severus snape served to be quite the problem. rude, snobbish, and close-minded, severus clearly only had one friend; lily evans, who was at the end of her rope with him.

a lot of the future death eaters; bellatrix black, regulus black, peter pettigrew, barty crouch jr., and so on, seemed terrified of their own shadows most of the time, each of them hiding behind some kind of facade. emilia was determined to better their confidence and show them they didn't need some dark lord to have a place in society.

she decided to start with peter; right after her first lesson with her parents, that is. 

the classroom buzzed with anticipation as the students filed in, their robes swishing softly against the stone floor. the marauders, led by james potter, took their usual seats near the front. lily evans and her friends settled in nearby. on the opposite side of the room, severus and a group of slytherins sat, their expressions guarded.

the door creaked open, and the new defence against the dark arts professor strode in, her presence commanding immediate attention. she flicked her wand, and the room dimmed, a single spotlight illuminating the chalkboard at the front.

"today, we will be covering the patronus charm," the professor announced, her voice resonating through the room. "a powerful spell used to repel dementors and other dark creatures."

she glanced around the room, her eyes resting momentarily on each student. "this charm requires not only skill but also a deep connection to your happiest memories. it's a reflection of your inner strength."

james leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "i've read about it, professor. it's supposed to be really advanced magic."

"indeed, mr. potter," the professor replied with a nod. "but i believe you all have the potential to master it." she demonstrated the wand movement, her voice steady and clear. "expecto patronum!" a silvery pegasus erupted from the tip of her wand, galloping around the room before dissipating into thin air.

the students watched in awe, their faces a mix of determination and apprehension.

emilia turned to them, her expression encouraging. "now, i want each of you to give it a try. focus on your happiest memory, and let it fill you with warmth and light."

lily closed her eyes, her wand trembling slightly as she whispered the incantation. a faint shimmer appeared, flickering like a candle in the wind. beside her, snape's face was a mask of concentration, his wand emitting only a few sparks.

potter's attempt was more successful, a misty outline of a stag forming before it vanished. "not bad, potter," the professor remarked with a smile. "keep practicing."

the room filled with murmurs of "expecto patronum," each student striving to summon their patronus. the professor moved among them, offering guidance and encouragement, his eyes twinkling with pride.

as the lesson drew to a close, the professor addressed the class once more. "remember, the patronus charm is not just about the spell itself, but the strength within you. keep practising, and you'll find that strength."

the students filed out, their minds buzzing with the day's lesson. the professor watched them go, a sense of satisfaction settling over her. she knew that in each of them lay the potential to become great wizards and witches, capable of standing against the darkness.

"mr. pettigrew," she beckoned as he was just about to leave her classroom, the marauders all froze. "if you would stay behind, please?"

sirius got defensive immediately, "what could you possibly want from wormtail?"

"wormtail?" she raised a brow, "i do not remember asking for a wormtail. i asked to see mr. pettigrew, the rest of you are dismissed."

sirius looked as though he wanted to put up a fight, but remus lupin, a kid she quite liked and noticed he hadn't changed much (just slouched more), forced him out the door, pulling james along, while offering his new teacher a smile. she nodded thankfully.

"so peter," she said, "can i call you peter?"

he didn't offer a vocal reply, only nodding.

"i'm told that you excel in care of magical creatures," she started, standing, "if you'd follow me."

he fidgeted nervously as he followed her down the hall and out into the gardens, noticing some curious or condescending looks he received from other students. he was led to a tall man, jet black hair with a grey streak in them, and sea green eyes.

"peter, this is my boyfriend; percy jackson, percy, this is peter pettigrew, i told you about him. peter, percy is an expert on marine life, and i thought you'd like to learn some about muggle animals and other magical animals since you seem to enjoy your classes."

peter started to converse with percy rabidly, the both of them getting more excited and less nervous (peter). percy begun to tell him about his conversation with the giant squid, which confused peter, but he didn't bother questioning it.

emilia felt some pride begin to swell in her stomach. maybe she could make some changes.