Confessions of an Ex-Death-Eater

Wednesday 31st October 2007

'Once more, congratulations, Harry!' Professor Harley Wainstone smiled. 'You deserve it, you've worked hard to gain your new title. You've more than proven yourself over the past few years and your lecture was fascinating. Very worthy. I'm glad Facilities didn't hang around with this,' she tapped on the new shiny silver nameplate on the outside of Harry's office door which read 'Witan-Professor Harry J. Potter, Head of the Department of Defence Studies'. Smiling as if she were exceptionally pleased with herself, Harley turned on her heel and marched of down the corridor towards her own office, humming quietly.

Harry pushed open his door, stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind him. He leant against it, letting out a large sigh of relief. It didn't help that his inauguration had happened today of all days, the date still played on his mind despite it being some twenty-six years since his parents had died. He let the tension fall away, at least it was over now. He could simply collect Teddy, go home, and relax.

He whipped off the ridiculous floppy hat he'd had to wear all day and sent it like a Frisbee across the room. He may or may not have aided it with wordless, wandless magic so that it landed neatly on the cream porcelain Phrenology Head that was sitting on his bookshelf.

'Thank you so much, Witan-Professor,' the head said snarkily.

'Don't you start, Anthony!' Harry replied good humouredly as he racked his fingers through his hair, leaving it in its familiar messy state. 'I think it rather suits you.'

He shrugged off his formal academic robes and hung them on the back of his door (thank Merlin he only needed to wear them on official university days).

Anthony harrumphed and muttered, 'your propensity for wit is severely lacking, your mental faculties must be tired after your inauguration and the lecture. Or is it the date, you always become morose on the 31st, understandably, of course.'

'I don't need your analysis tonight, Anthony,' Harry answered. Then he grumbled, 'Godric only knows why Ron thought I needed talking Phrenology Head for my office.'

'And so you say every day.' The head muttered softly. 'You love me really, and the largeness of your Faculty of Philoprogenitiveness reveals you would miss me terribly were I to be absent from your life.'

'You mean your ego would be rather bruised if I were to get rid of you.'

'Don't you dare throw Freudian theories at me, Professor,' Anthony harrumphed again. 'He's severely discredited these days.'

'What? And Phrenology isn't a pseudoscience?'

'Hmph!'

Harry turned away from the head, smirking to himself, and rubbed his hands softly over the soft material of his suit, he didn't think he'd ever get used to formal wear. He loosened his tie, slipped it over his head, and lobbed it into the top drawer of his desk. He was happier in his normal wear of jeans, t-shirt, and an understated, slightly saggy, blue jacket: a 'European suit', one of his students called it. He was nonplussed by the name; it was comfortable and practical and he didn't stand out when he walked across campus to the Apparation point which was hidden at the back of the large Sports Hall behind Disillusionment Charms and Muggle Repelling Wards. Today, he felt like a spectacle, all dressed up to the nines.

He wrapped a multi-coloured Weasley-knit scarf snuggly around his neck and pulled on a black beanie hat.

'Goodnight, Anthony,' said Harry as he reached for the door handle and did a last-minute survey of his office. The stack of paperwork could definitely wait until tomorrow.

'Til morning, Professor,' the head replied.

Harry smiled as the door clicked to behind him and automatically locked. He looked up at the large glass ceiling that cast its light down through the four storeys of the central atrium of the building. It was currently dark outside and the night sky created a black canvas against which the building's lights were mirrored back into the open community area below. He loved working here at the university and, in particular, in this building. It was far away from Hogwarts in feel: all modern and glass, designed exactingly to suit the purposes of the students and so that it didn't stand out to the muggle students on campus.