As thirty-one year old Holly Williams walked up the stone steps of the entrance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was almost as nervous as she had been when she had entered this school for the very first time. That day, she'd been eleven years old, and was still in awe of everything about this new world she'd discovered. The idea of being a witch was both exciting and a little scary then. Her seven years here had been some of the most wonderful in her life. She'd made friends here, and they had helped her through the tragic loss of her parents at age twelve. The staff had been very helpful to her then as well, taking care of everything necessary to see to it she was well cared for. She had been placed under the guardianship of her best friend's parents, and though she had certainly felt the loss of her family, she healed as well as possible and grew up to be a normal person, and a gifted witch.

After she'd finished school, she'd spent the better part of fourteen years as an Auror working for the Ministry of Magic. This was a job she'd enjoyed and found fulfilling until recently. Now, however, with the Minister in such denial over even the possibility that Voldemort could return, he was restricting what the Aurors were allowed to do, and this left her frustrated. She wanted to see dark wizards punished and society protected, but if she couldn't do that, then she felt she would be happier in another job. A few weeks ago, she had decided she'd had enough and was ready to move on, and she heard from a couple of reliable sources that Professor Dumbledore was looking for a new Muggle Studies teacher. She would have preferred to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that position was not available.

Today, though, she wasn't a short, bespectacled little girl with her red hair in a braid . . . she was tall and slender, her hair was long and loose, and she didn't wear glasses anymore. She was returning to the castle for the first time since she'd completed her education at age seventeen. Though she was nervous, it was because she wasn't sure if she was really qualified for the job. She had made above average grades in that subject as a student, and she had plenty of experience dealing with muggles; she was muggle born, and so was her friend whose parents she'd lived with. She felt she could do a good job with the class, but she wasn't sure if Dumbledore would agree. He'd always been kind to her while she was at school, but wasn't sure if he'd remember her now, and she knew she wouldn't want him to give her the job just as a favor. If she wasn't right for it, she wanted him to tell her.

She made her way through the castle to the Headmaster's office, and gave the gargoyle the password she'd been given in the letter she'd received from Dumbledore scheduling the interview. The gargoyle leapt aside, revealing its spiral staircase. She stepped on, and rode it up to the large door which opened into the office. She knocked, was told to enter, and opened the door. She did not immediately see Dumbledore, and looked around the office. It was as she remembered it; apparently he still had the same interest in unusual inventions that he'd had when she was here last.

After a moment, he came down the stairs, crossed the room to where she was, and shook her hand. He said "How have you been? It's been a long time since I saw you last."

"I'm fine. I've been working as an Auror since I graduated, and I loved it, until recently . . . " Her voice trailed off, she didn't want to criticize the Minister too much, yet she wanted Dumbledore to know she didn't like the way things were being handled these days.

"I think I know what you mean. Cornelius seems to have his head in the sand again. He just doesn't want to admit the truth that Voldemort is again at large and gaining power. I'm guessing he's been giving the Aurors a lot of trouble and restricting what you can do?"

"Yes sir. I don't want to go into great detail, because it angers me every time I think about it, but suffice it to say that he requires much more to suspect a person these days, and far more to arrest them than he has since I've been there. I feel I'm wasting my time . . . people that should be arrested are getting away because we can't prove what they're doing. So, I decided it was time to leave . . . I'd rather do something where I feel I'm accomplishing something than wait for someone to walk up to me and introduce themselves as a Death Eater to arrest them."

"So you'd like to apply for the job of Muggle Studies teacher here at Hogwarts? I wouldn't have guessed that subject would interest you."

"Well, sir, it does, particularly now that I'm older. As a student, it was not my favorite subject, I'll admit. But now, the idea of being able to help influence how young witches and wizards perceive muggles seems to be an interesting challenge. I think my experiences will give me some insights that even the books might not have."

Dumbledore thought for a minute, then said "You're right, it will give you some unique insights. I like your attitude, and I agree that educating our youth is of great importance. You've got the job. Not just because of your attitude, but because you are really qualified for it. You scored high enough on your OWLs and your NEWTs to become a teacher . . . you could have done it years ago."

She said "Thank you sir. So, what do I need to do next?"

He told her that unless she wanted to change the textbook, they could use the one that was already in use, and explained that he'd like her to send him a rough outline of what she intended to present in the course, along with a sample lesson plan. They still had most of the summer left, as it was only late June, so she didn't have to rush, but he did want to have it by mid August, so he'd have time to look at it. He also told her to be at the castle on August thirtieth, so she'd have a couple of days to settle into her quarters and get her classroom set up like she wanted. Since he had a meeting to attend shortly, he said he'd show her the living quarters when she came back in August. She thanked him for his time, and he shook her hand again, then she left.

Holly smiled and let out a small sigh of relief. If he had not hired her, she would have needed to look elsewhere for a job, and she couldn't really think of anything else she wanted to do.

As she rode in the carriage back to Hogsmeade, Holly thought about how thrilled she was over getting the job; this was something she could do that would be interesting for both her and her students if she planned it right. She was glad to have almost two months to prepare the information Dumbledore had requested. Since she had already resigned her position at the Ministry, she would have nothing else to take her away from her planning. Dumbledore had given her a copy of the textbook the previous teacher had been using, and she'd thumbed through it in his office before agreeing to use it for her class. It was the same book she'd read as a student there, but it had been updated over the years. However, she knew she would need to read it completely to be able to make lesson plans from it.

Thankfully, she knew she would not have to worry about money during this time either, as she had put aside a fair amount of savings over the years. Her parents had left her a comfortable inheritance as well, and she had been very careful with how she had spent it. About ten years ago, she had used some to buy her home outside of Godric's Hollow, but that had been the last time she'd used any money from that fund. She was very careful with it because it provided her with security for times like this.

Around this time, her carriage rolled to a stop, shaking her from her thoughts and back to the present. The carriage had stopped just outside the gates of the school, and she decided that since she had gotten the job, a bit of shopping to celebrate would be fun. So, she went first into Scrivenshaft's quill and stationery shop, and picked up some new quills, ink, and a planner book. Then, she walked down the street to Gladrags and chose a new winter cloak, some gloves and a new hat. Finally, she stopped at Honeydukes for a treat before she apparated back home for the evening.

When she arrived at home, she went inside and put the packages down, unloaded the bags and then decided to go for a stroll in her small garden. Her house was of a modest size, large enough to be comfortable, but not so big as to feel intimidating. It sat on about an acre of land, and she had turned a patch of it into a garden of flowers and vegetables. The area was a mostly rural one, on the edge of town, and that was one of the reasons she liked it.

As she walked through the garden, she plucked a few flowers to set on her table, and gathered a few vegetables that were ripe for her dinner. Being back at the castle today had left her feeling nostalgic. She had really loved that place, and knew her life had changed in many ways because of it. Hogwarts were where she had met Alyssa, her best friend, and the girl who had become her unofficial sister. Her family had taken Holly in when her parents home had burned, and they had raised her as if she were there own flesh and blood. She could not complain about any aspect of her life with them when she was a teenager . . . but since she had come of age was another story. She and Alyssa had enjoyed the arrangement and remained close to this day. They didn't see each other as often as they'd like because their lives were quite different.

Alyssa had become a Healer after graduation, and had soon fallen in love with a young man with whom she worked. The couple had married about two years later, and now had a son who was about six years old. Holly had stayed at their parents' home a few more years while she established herself in her career, but once she was twenty-one, she felt it was time to be more independent. She had dated a couple of guys seriously, but none seriously enough to marry; too many of them seemed to guess that she might have money and were more interested in her bank account than her, which always ended the relationship. She wanted a man to love her for herself, not what she had. So, lately, she had been content to be single and just enjoy her friendships. She felt love would come when it was time . . . whenever that may be.

Just then, a bird screeched rather loudly overhead, and she looked up, realizing it was nearly dark she needed to get inside and get her dinner started .

After dinner that night, Holly curled up on the sofa with the textbook for her class. She spent most of the next five weeks reading and making notes from the book. She found that this made it easier to prepare the syllabus and lesson plans that Dumbledore had requested. As she worked on this, she discovered it was easier to prepare a week's worth of plans at a time. At this point, she sent her work to Dumbledore. She worked for several more days, preparing about a month's worth of plans, but there she decided to stop. She didn't want to get too far ahead and end up having to redo a bunch of paperwork.

Aside from preparing for school, summer break was mostly uneventful. She did visit her adoptive parents, Jane and David to let them know she had gotten a new job and where they could reach her. Since they had raised two witches, they understood owl post and had an owl that the girls had bought for them a few years ago. Holly also visited Alyssa, her husband Steven, and their son, Mark, to share her good news with them.

On August thirtieth, Holly got the trunk she had packed, locked up her house, and apparated to Hogsmeade. Once there, she took a carriage to the castle, and was met in the entryway by Professor Dumbledore. He greeted her, shook her hand, and led her to her quarters. The rooms she had been assigned were on the sixth floor of Gryffindor tower. As they walked, they chatted, and he made sure she knew where everything was, and reminded her of the rules. He told her that her trunk would be brought up shortly, then invited her to join the rest of the staff for tea. As he left, he told her "Today and tomorrow are yours to do with as you wish, but make sure that your classroom is ready for classes on September first."

Although the next couple of days were busy, she didn't have as much to do as some of the staff did. Her classroom was not in great need of attention, except for putting a few of her own touches on it. So she was able to spend a bit more time getting her quarters set up. It was easy to tell this particular set of rooms had not been used in a while. The house elves had kept them clean, but they still had an unused feel to them. She had not brought along much in the way of personal effects. Some of her favorite books and pictures were the only things she'd packed apart from her clothes and teaching supplies. But, even those few things made the place feel a bit more like home.

The sorting ceremony was fun to watch as an adult. She remembered her own sorting as if it were yesterday. She had been so nervous she couldn't even describe it. However, it was made easier by the fact that she had met Alyssa that day.

After the ceremony, there were the usual announcements and feast, which of course was quite delicious. Once the students were led out, the teachers were dismissed as well, and she went upstairs to bed.

The first day was, as she'd expected, exciting. That day she had two groups each of third and fourth years, for a total of four ninety minute classes. The third year classes were back to back, then she had a break, then the two classes of fourth years in a row. She was amused at some of the things the third years thought about muggles, particularly about the way they lived. Some of them had heard a little about electricity, but didn't understand what it really was. They were puzzled by things like telephones, radios, cars, and just about any appliance or electronic device.

Sadly, even in the youngest group, she encountered a few students that had already been taught to dislike muggles. They didn't say this, but she could tell how they felt by what they did say.

Her fourth years had a better grasp of some of the basic concepts of muggle daily life, but there was still a decent amount to cover. There was a lot more to the subject of Muggle Studies than might at first be obvious. Luckily, her predecessor had been a good teacher, so the older students had a good foundation of knowledge upon which she could build.

That night, after dinner, she spent some time looking over what she'd planned for Thursday, when she'd have these same groups again. She made a few corrections to adjust for each group's individual needs. Once she finished, she went to bed.

The next day she had an equally busy schedule; two classes of fifth years, a break, then two groups of sixth and seventh years combined. The higher level classes were smaller, since they were made up of students wishing to pursue certain careers that required more knowledge of muggles. The small class size allowed her to spend one on one time with the students as needed, which she felt would benefit the students. As with the previous day, all her classes were ninety minutes long. These older groups had a better knowledge of the basic concepts of muggle life, and were learning about aspects of their lives outside the home. They dealt somewhat with muggle psychology just to give a basic understanding of muggle behavior, muggle culture, and how to interact with muggles and still stay within wizard laws regarding secrecy.

Wednesday, she had a break from classes, which allowed her to get her papers graded and review her lesson plans. It also afforded her a break so that she could relax from her busy week.

By the end of the week, she was tired, but really feeling good about her job. She'd be the first to admit it would be a lot of work, and each of her classes would present its own unique challenges, but she felt that she could handle whatever might come up. She was enjoying herself, though, and felt her students were as well.