The Half-Blood Princess

Student Teaching

One morning right after Dumbledore left, Umbridge stood up at breakfast and said she had an announcement. On any given day, from any other professor, that would have been met with rapt attention from every student, but since the Ministry had become so invasive, every single thing any school official said usually resulted in apathetic dislike and disinterest.

"One of the things we always want to do here at Hogwarts is make sure that our students are as knowledgeable in their classes as possible, and also ready to be authority figures out there in the real world. That being said, next week we will be doing a new, Ministry approved experiment with our first and seventh years.

"Each teacher is going to pick their best seventh year student to teach two classes: first year Gryffindors and Slytherins, and first year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. It will determine that those students are indeed prepared for graduation. On Friday, seventh years chosen will be receiving instructions from their professors about their classes.

"While this is another test, I also want to stress that it should be fun for everyone involved. Especially the seventh years chosen."

There was an excited murmur in the Great Hall, the most excited everyone had been since the year had begun. Harley had no reason to be excited: she was working her arse off to get an 'E' grade in Transfiguration, so she was certain McGonagall would never choose her in a million years. Snape would, of course, be picking someone from his own House for Potions. Besides, whatever Umbridge wanted, she was probably looking for either future Ministry drones or students to get into trouble during this 'exercise'.

That Friday, Harley received the first piece of mail she had ever gotten at Hogwarts save her parents' Christmas gifts and a gift of Gobstones and a rare Potions book she'd received in her fifth year from a still unknown sender. This was delivered not by an owl but a sleek black raven. Its envelope was equally black, edged in metallic green.

She was not even mad that people were staring: it was odd. She fed the raven some of her granola before opening her letter. On Professor Snape's distinctive black parchment was written:

"Miss Torrance, please report to my office at 6pm to discuss your teaching the first year Potions classes on Monday and Tuesday. Congratulations on being my top student for the fourth year in a row.

"Please do not disclose this information to anyone: we do not want the first years knowing who will be teaching them until the day dawns.

"From the desk of Professor S. Snape"

Harley grinned to herself as she slipped the note into the pocket of her robes and Fred nudged her in the side.

"Love, only you would get a black envelope and black parchment, delivered by a raven!" He grabbed her hand and gently indicated to the letter he had received: he was going to teach Charms! He mouthed, "Potions?"

She nodded, squeezing his hand. The feeling that Umbridge wanted them to make trouble for themselves intensified, but she couldn't deny she was a tiny bit excited.

That evening, Harley went into Professor Snape's office with a bit of a spring in her step. Sure she was nervous about teaching (she was terrible in front of people, even just eleven year old kids, though the DA had helped her confidence when it was still up and running), but she was so pleased at being chosen.

"Good evening, Harley," Snape said. "Please sit."

"Thank you for choosing me, sir," she said as she sat across from his desk.

"There was no choice: your scores are really quite stunning, even to me. And of course, I am also taking into account how well you were teaching in the DA meetings. Now...I tried finding out what potion someone unqualified could teach without these dunderheads causing a major accident, and was hard pressed. Finally, I decided on this one. Simple enough but not so much that you will be bored teaching it. ...And one that Umbridge cannot possibly find fault in."