Hogwarts Outsider

Miss Gemma cleared her throat, then pointed from right to left.

“The one on the far-right is Professor Silvanus Kettleburn; he teaches about the Care of Magical Creatures. You will not learn about this subject till you are third-year. There are rumors that he wants to retire early to care for the creatures in the forest. A shame the Principal hasn’t found anyone to replace him yet.” Miss Gemma explains.

“He also had some bad habit of removing his prosthetic limbs in public…” She added.

……

“The one next to him is Professor Pomona Sprout.” Miss Gemma continued.

Matthew looked at the short witch with long messy gray hair that her pointy hat couldn’t cover; her hat was as dirty as how she looked… one can only wonder what kind of work this witch does to have dirt covering her from head to toe.

“Professor Sprout is a herbologist and the head of the Hufflepuff house. She is a talented witch that teaches everything you need to know about the magical herbs; she is quite laid back. The Herbology class is one of the easiest classes.” Miss Gemma explained to Matthew.

…..

“Professor Slughorn is next to her; He is the Potion Master. Like Professor Kettleburn, he also wants to retire, but the Principal also refused his offer.” Miss Gemma said while pointing at the Professor.

Matthew could see an enormously fat, bald old man. He was short with an immense belly, so large that the buttons on his waistcoat usually threatened to burst off. Matthew imagined his round stomach preceded him when he entered any room.

“Professor Slughorn is well known for his connection in the wizarding world because many of his students end up making some names in the wizarding world. Regarding whether they are good or bad names… the first is names like Barnabas Couffe, Editor in Chief of Daily Prophet. The latter would be Lily Evans, the famous Black Witch wanted by the Ministry of Magic.” Miss Gemma explains with a weird expression.

“He is also the head of the Slytherin house!”

“Professor Slughorn treats all students equally, but he prefers students with prominent family backgrounds who he thinks have an outstanding talent since birth.” Miss Gemma continued with her light tone and smile.

……

“Next to him is Professor Aurora Sinistra.” Miss Gemma pointed.

Matthew saw a dark-skinned witch lowering her head while talking to Professor Slughorn.

“She is the head of Gryffindor house. Professor Sinistra is knowledgeable about Astronomy and Prophecy. Even the Principal always goes to her Astronomy Tower when she wants to consult about the future.” Miss Gemma explained, “Professor Sinistra is really strict with her homework.” She added.

……

“Next to her is Professor Virgil Travers.” Miss Gemma continued.

Matthew saw a middle-aged wizard with a big beard; he had a hideous expression on his face. Matthew feels threatened just by looking at him.

“Professor Travers is in charge of the Muggle studies class. Honestly, his views are a bit biased… of course, you won’t be learning anything from him until you are in your third-year studies.” She explained with a frown on her face.

……

She points to the next Professor.

“Professor Filius Flitwick. He is the teacher of Charms and the head of the house of Ravenclaw. He is half-Fairy that’s why he is relatively short. Never underestimate him, though! He is the master of Charms, second to the Principal.” Miss Gemma explained while Matthew tried to look over and found a man sitting on the table.

“His class is quite relaxed, unlike some professors….” Miss Gemma continued.

……

Miss Gemma continued introducing the other professors to Matthew one by one, explaining their classes and what they are like while they are teaching. Matthew listens attentively to her while nodding from time to time.

“What about the Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration classes?” Matthew can’t help but ask because after all the introduction, he can see there are two seats empty, and the two classes he just mentioned haven’t been mentioned by Miss Gemma at all when she introduced the professors.

“Principal Rosier is in charge of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class; she has a deep understanding of this topic compared to anyone else. She is also, of course, very strict in her class… I suggest you never annoy her, Mr. Wickfield… or the consequences would be disastrous.” Miss Gemma explained with a grim tone.

“Then which one is the Transfiguration teacher?” Matthew asked once again.

“We don’t know yet… the previous Professor got fired before the end of the last semester. There is no teacher substitute teacher yet to replace the position.” Miss Gemma said her expression changed when she saw Professor Rosier enter the auditorium with a thin man behind her.

“That must be him!” Miss Gemma exclaimed.

The man looked pale, his eyes were bloodshot red, and he looked very ill. Matthew frowned slightly upon looking at him, “This man is not a human…” Matthew thought to himself.

“Does the Professor responsible for the Transfiguration class often change?” Matthew asked.

“Yes, it changed three times over the past ten years. The Principal has high requirements for this subject; often, he is dissatisfied with the Professor teaching it and replaces them quickly.” Gemma explained.

“So… where is the headmaster?” He asked while looking at the empty seat in the middle.

“Professor Grindelwald is very busy. A Grand Sorcerer decorated with the Order of Merlin, First Class; also Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.” Miss Gemma explained enthusiastically.

“Worry not! No matter how busy he is, he will attend the Welcoming Feast!” Miss Gemma said.

Like responding to her words, a light blue smoke suddenly appears at the center of the table where teachers are sitting. The auditorium suddenly went silent; no noise could be heard. Everyone’s attention was focused on the smoke.

The smoke slowly disappears, revealing a figure.