Meet the Muggle
“Professor, do you actually think I can do this?” you ask.
“I think you can do whatever you put your mind to, Professor Rosu,” Albus says, offering you a smile. You’ve come to his office often after moving into the school. While you question some of his methods, he has basically saved your life.
The students at Hogwarts will be arriving today. You weren’t one to be so nervous about something. You’d been a teacher for years, but this is different.
You ARE technically a muggle. You were a teacher to muggles. If anything this is teaching on steroids. You can’t teach any magic, it’s simply a history class outside of the magic world. Nothing you haven’t been teaching for years, but not all of these students will be okay with a teacher like you.
You’ve already been advised to expect backlash, but this probably is the safest place for you. If anyone were to find out about your powers, it’s better here than with other muggles.
Dumbledore found you after your accident and offered you a place at Hogwarts. You were scared, you had no place to go. Most people believe you’re dead.
He’s offered to help you master your powers in case you ever need them. But you don’t know how you got them. They just showed up whenever you were scared or upset, like most other wizards or witches in this world.
You know how to lift things with your mind, that much is simple enough. But lifting your arm while you’re scared and blasting a red ball of energy at someone, that’s something you can’t control. Or once when you told someone to leave you alone, and their eyes turned red and they walked away from you robotically.
You have no idea what you are. Sometimes you feel as if someone else is in your mind with you.
But Albus doesn’t seem to think you are dangerous even though you’re not sure of that yourself.
There didn’t seem to be any other choice, and no point in backing out now. You chose to do this, and what else could you possibly do? Hide in the streets with powers you don’t understand? No. Here you had a place over your head, a nice spot to sleep, and a job you’ve loved for years. Just in a different place.
How hard could this possibly be?
“Everything will be fine,” he says your name softly, and places a comforting hand on your shoulder.
You stare out the window in his office.
You can do this.
The first years have been sorted into their houses. You try to force your expression into one that seems unbothered, maybe even happy, though you can feel your heart pounding in your ears. You’re in between two other professors at the left side of the long table.
Whatever you do, you keep your hands in your lap. You can’t risk losing control because of your emotions. You try to focus on your breathing. In, out, in, out.
While you try to calm yourself, Dumbledore stands to speak to the students. You focus your attention on him rather than yourself.
“Welcome, welcome, to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin I’d like to announce a very important event at our school,” you suck in a deep breath. “Hogwarts is now host to our very first non magic professor.”
There are a few gasps around and the room burst out in low rumbles or students speaking. The fact he didn’t say muggle is not lost to you.
“I’d like you all to help me welcome Professor Rosu, who will be your non magic History professor!” he gestures his arm out to you and slowly you stand, keeping your hands locked in front of you.
A few students start to clap, you notice they’re from the gryffindor table. While most join in, you notice quite a few who don’t and simply glare at you. Quickly you sit down. Trying to keep a smile on your face.
You notice the teachers clap as well, Hagrid seems very enthusiastic. However right next to you, you notice a long dark haired man clapping not so enthusiastically. However he glances at you briefly before moving his eyes forward and lowering his hands.
You believe he’s professor snape, however you’ve never spoken to him before.
You bite the inside of your lip as the room falls silent and Dumbledore continues to speak.
“I expect each and everyone of you to make her feel welcome in our school. Remember there is always a place for everyone at Hogwarts,” he turns to you and winks. After giving him a curt nod and soft smile, you stare back at your hands.
He talks about a few more things, of which you don’t really pay attention to, then tells everyone to enjoy the feast. Food appears in front of you, as does your glass fill with water.
But you don’t move. You feel too stressed in the current moment to move your hands.
You fiddle with a ring on your left pointer finger, a simple black band you’ve had for years.
Minutes pass and others eat around you. Luckily you’re not hungry. But you’ve yet to find comfort around you to fully calm yourself. Perhaps with time.
More time passes where you simply stare at the doors at the end of the room.
“Are you not going to eat anything?” a voice hisses to the left of you.
Your head snaps in its direction. Your eyes met with dark black ones.
“Oh no, I’m alright.” you say. He hums in acknowledgement before he seems to decide something else holds his attention.
You don’t argue with that and simply go back to staring at the far wall.
Enough time passes and at eight o’clock the feast is over, everyone disperses to their dormitories. You’re just happy you didn’t make any mistakes.
You take your leave, not speaking to anyone as you make your way to your room. A few students linger about, but you walk past them. Arms at your sides while your hands are clenched into fists.
When you make it to your room, you make sure it’s firmly shut and locked as you lean against it, then you finally let out a deep breath.
You stay there for a moment, trying to calm your fiercely beating heart. A minute or so passes when you push off the door and move your hand to pull the pin that keeps your hair up.
It slowly falls around your face, and you move to take off your shoes.
8 might seem like an odd time to go to sleep, but you will most likely spend hours tossing and turning.
You hesitate a little, but you have to use your powers if you want to control them. You focus your mind and streaks of scarlet wrap around your hand. With a flick of your wrist you open your closet door and pull out something comfortable to sleep in.
It’s getting easier to do small tasks like this. You try to do multiple things at once. Think of things that need to be done.
Your hairbrush being pulled from a drawer, your night clothes being placed on your bed, a book being pulled from your shelves.
It’s easier than it used to be, now that you seem calm enough. If you weren’t so unsure about it, you’d say it makes things in your life easier. Maybe it’s a good thing, and not something to be feared.
Once you’ve tucked yourself into a bed with a book, you feel exhaustion take over. You only make it a few pages into your book before your eyes start to droop.
Maybe everything will be alright. Classes start tomorrow, but for now you simply rest. Might be best to just take things as they come.
How else would you survive?