home (reader at hogwarts)

twenty six

the transfiguration classroom is as neat as you expected it.

desks all perfectly aligned, chairs tucked under and every book on the bookshelf even the ones hidden amongst the more visible ones, clean, dust free and ready for use in the new academic year.

a large blackboard stands behind a grander desk with a chair of gold detail and emerald velvet cushioning- both of which you assumed to be the teachers or- minerva's.

"this is so cool." you breath, looking around at everything. "i'll be learning here so soon."

"from tomorrow to be precise, dear." minerva nods her head and walks in to the middle of the room. "ah, this room has much significance to me too. much more than i care to admit."

you look to minerva and judge by her softened expression and gleeful look in her eyes that it can't hurt to pry.

"minnie?"

she looks at you and smiles, warmly. "yes, y/n?"

"is this the same classroom that you've taught in since you got your job here?" you ask.

she nods. "it's been 25 years and still i miss being away during summer."

"then you must have taught harry's parents here?" you watch the shift in minerva's face, her lips quivering for a second before she lifts them into a reminiscent smile.

"yes, of course." she says quietly. "lily, james and all of their friends too."

"do you remember them all very well? i know quite a bit about them already but i'd like to hear more-" you say.

minerva lights up. "well, there was remus lupin, a lovely boy- very clever. and then there was, little peter- by merlin, did he struggle without lily's help."

she points at a chair in the far back corner of the room.

"that's where remus would sit, just next to si-"

she stops and you know exactly why. you frown.

"go on, minnie."

her face hardens and she looks at you and shakes her head. "you know what he did. those books mentioned it, i'm sure?"

you bite your lip. "y- yes. they did. but, if you could-"

"no." minerva insists. "please, don't make me."

you clamp your mouth shut, to prevent yourself from pleading with her any further.

you had pushed her enough already, now it was time to move on.

"okay, okay- i'm sorry, minnie." you apologise. "you don't need to say anything about sirius."

she takes a deep breath and looks away from the chair at the back, lowering her gaze down to her trembling hands.

quickly, too quickly, minerva composes herself turning to you with a small smile.

"y/n, you should go and talk to the other teachers, i have just a few more things to prepare for before i welcome the first years this evening."

a part of you wanted to stay. but you knew minerva wouldn't want that. she wasn't the type of woman who wanted to be doted over when she felt vulnerable.

you nod, backing out of the room and closing the door behind you- guilt sinking in your stomach for the way you made her feel.

but you're proud of how strong she is. you're proud she's the woman you can look up to.

you know she'll be fine and you promise yourself to apologise again later.

that was enough meddling for today.

you were excited to be in the world. to meet these people, learn more about them and become part of their lives but you had to remember that you couldnt go around chasing answers when a lot of the questions you wanted to ask were sensitive topics for a lot of people. for people with history, people like minnie.

you walk through the corridors, leaving the thoughts of minerva behind when you hear a light airy singing voice.

it sounded like it was coming from the astronomy tower.

"professor?" you call out, looking up the windy stair case.

a dark face pops into view and pearly white teeth shine as she peers down at you. "have i lured someone, in?"

you grin up at her. "yes, you have."

"well come forth, sailor. there's much to see up here." professor sinastra's face dissapeared round the banister and your eyebrows crease as you walk up the stairs to find her.

"this is so high up." you say once you reach the top, gazing out the window at the tremendous view of the black lake. "you can see everything from here."

"not when your head is turned that way." she says, walking towards you and putting two fingers under your chin.

she applies the gentlest amount of force to your chin with just her finger tips, and you gasp audibly as your eyes land on the ceiling of the astronomy tower.

the ceiling is cone shaped, like the rest of the towers at hogwarts, but flatter with large panels. within each panel seemed to be an infinite sea of black sky, adorned with galaxies that shifted as the stars and moons within themp orbited. blue, pink, purple and silver star dust seemed to glow as it roamed between panels, intercrossing where each one was separated with wooden beams. gold lettering floated atop the images, labeling each galaxy and the constellations within them.

"it's incredible." you whisper, your eyes lingering on the andromeda galaxy.

"it is." she agrees, smiling up at it. you wonder how many times she must have seen this sky before.

"professor, did you make this yourself?" you ask, looking back down to meet her eyes.

she blushes under her white starry makeup and shakes her head. "oh no, i couldn't possibly manage something like this. this was the work of the astronomy teacher before me, i'm sure."

"you don't know?" you probe.

"nope. headmaster dumbledore wouldn't tell me who made it." she looks up at the ceiling again and opens her eyes wide. "oh, i promised to help flitwick set up his lesson for tomorrow. do you want to come with me, maybe?"

"i'll walk with you, professor. it's not like i have much else to do." you laugh, lightly.

she frowns at you. "and what of your father, severus snape? where is he as of yet?"

"busy." you tell her. "i told him i'd have a look around the castle before the first years arrive in-"

you look up at the ceiling and your eyes flicker at the different corners of the ceiling- trying to decipher how on earth professor sinastra managed to tell the time on it.

"soon." you finish, giving up. profesor sinastra simply smiles at you and she grabbes a shawl nearby and slips it onto her shoulders, pulling her braids out and on top of the fabric.

"lets go, then." she says, starting down the stairs.

you glance back at the ceiling? this time your eyes landing on a smaller constellation, one you'd only find if you were looking for it.

orion.

there he was.

sirus.