Hindsight is Twenty Twenty, Chapter 13

"Albus Dumbledore!" Scotland suddenly called out, catching the old man with blindingly colorful robe's attention, "Why is no one aware of the arrangements we've made?"

Minty with her owlishly large eyes cranked her head around to stare at the Headmaster. For some odd reason, he was just looking out across the table as if he was watching a highly amusing game of ping pong.

The old man suddenly hummed, "It must have slipped my mind."

Scotland let out a heavy sigh and glared. "I cannot believe that this is happening," he muttered darkly before he loudly said, "How can you not have informed everyone of the staff change. We gave you a three week notice!"

"Albus!" Minerva Mcgonagall said, sounding almost scandalized, "How could you not tell me about this happening? I have Arthur Kirkland listed as the main History teacher on all of my papers and all of the schedules that we've created for the students! I'm going to have to go through everything and change them!"

Dumbledore only smiled with that suspiciously bright twinkle in his eye before he pushed his chair out, stood up, and walked over to the podium where he was to give his beginning-of-the-year speech. Scotland was left sputtering like a mad man before he pulled his head down and glared angrily at the table.

"Crazy old man," the Nation growled low enough for only Minty to hear, "Ooooh we are not done with this discussion. We are far from done."

Minty patted Scotland's head in sympathy.

"I don't understand," Remus said as he subtly leaned over, "Why didn't Dumbledore tell any one that Minty was coming as the Professor of History of Magic instead of Arthur?"

Neither the Flying Mint Bunny or the Nation were able to say anything in response before Dumbledore bellowed his greeting to the wide audience of adolescent children.

"Welcome everyone to another year here at Hogwarts!" He stared, and the Great Hall instantly quieted. Each person listening intently to the esteemed Headmaster.

And with those first opening phrases, Dumbledore launched into his long winded explanation for the highly concentrated presence of Dementors on School grounds. An answer, that neither Scotland nor Minty liked. And the Flying Mint Bunny clearly made her opinion clear on the matter with that I-just-ate-a-lemon-that-I-mistook-for-an-apple-somehow look on her face.

When Dumbledore specified that the Dementors were guarding all of the exits and entrances of Hogwarts on orders of the Ministry of Magic, Scotland couldn't help but snort at the stupidity of such a decision.

Magical Britain's government has really been going down hill since the last time he had visited.

"Now we are having some big changes to the staff this year." Dumbledore announced, moving away from the topic of Dementors. "I am pleased to announce that we are adding four new teachers to our ranks this year."

The old man paused as a polite round of applauses rang around the room.

"First off, I would like to welcome Professor Lupin who will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor."

The Shabbily dressed man stood up and waved to the crowd. Only a handful of people bothered to clap for the new DADA Professor. According to Hogwarts Lore there was a curse placed on the position sometime during the last century in which no one is able to hold the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for more than a year.

Scotland had a hard time believing that.

If there was an actual curse on the position then surely someone would have talked to a curse-breaker by now. There were many cases such as these in the early 18th century when spiteful former employees would curse their old positions on the Hogwarts staff so that no one but they would be able to hold them without serious injury befalling them.

The Hogwarts administration at the time decided to erect special wards to detect such foul play after they had gone through seventeen charms professor and five different transfiguration professors.

So either there is no curse on the position, and Hogwarts was just really bad a hireing Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in recent years, or there is a curse and the caster was somehow able to bypass the wards. Or the wards were somehow disabled all together, which was something Scotland really didn't want to think about.

"Onto our second appointment," Dumbledore continued, "As many of you know, Professor Kettleburn has retired in order to enjoy his time with his remaining limbs at the end of last year. But I am delighted to announce that our very own Rubeus Hagrid will be taking up that position in addition to his duties as the groundskeeper."

A louder wave of applause swept across the room. Most of which was concentrated around the Gryffindor table while only a sparse few Slytherins clapped for the new addition.

The giant of a man at the receiving end of all those applause stared down at his giant calloused hands with an equally giant smile on his face.

"Last but not least, it appears that Professor Binns has finally embarked on his next great adventure, leaving Hogwarts without a History of Magic Professor for the first time in quite a while."

A chorus of curious and intrigued whispers erupted, and Dumbledore waited patiently until they quieted down.

"I would like to give a warm welcome to Professor Minty as the new History of Magic teacher, and her assistant, Professor Kirkland!"

As soon as those words of introduction had left Dumbledore's mouth Minty stretched her wings and shot into the air.

She hovered a few meters over Scotland's head and she grinned, and waved both of her paws furiously in the air.

For a moment it was as if you could hear the slight buzzing of an obnoxious fly from the other side of the Great Hall.

And then, it was as if the world exploded in loud befuddled chatter and yelps of shock.

Author's Note:

And thus ends the Feast Arch. Why did I end it like this? Because there is literally nothing interesting that happens next. The food appears, they eat, and go to bed. The First Class arch is going to start off with breakfast the next day, but who knows when I'll finish, and post that.

This is going to be the last update for a while. I can't type anything due to my finger still being broken and because by the time it heals school would have already started and that's a whole 'nother set of crazy right there.

Thank you to all who reviewed. I may not have responded to any of them this time around, but I still love seeing them!

Until we meet again, my dear readers.

Snowy-Maplette