The Revolution of Light

By Richan

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does. What a lucky woman.

Warnings: Dark, strange and unexpected happenings with a little bit of light at the end, and my oddball sense of what passes for humor. ^^

Rating: PG-13, but G for the moment

Spoilers: All four books

AN: This takes place during Harry's 7th and last year at Hogwarts. Expect to see the ever original new DADA teacher, as well as a couple of others in the fight againt Vol - Sorry. You-Know-Who. ^^

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Chapter 1

Summer's End

******

"Professor Snape." Dumbledore's voice entered the dungeon before his body.

"I suppose you've come to tell me - yet again - that you have given the teaching position for Defense Against the Dark Arts to someone else," Snape uttered in a dark voice.

Dumbledore sat down and drew one hand through his beard before speaking. "Yes, I have. She...."

"She!" Snape stood up, his chair pushed back by the swift action.

"Yes. She is the best for the job this year."

"The year?" Snape was quiet. Never before had Dumbledore said anything like this in his yearly speech on why he didn't get the job he coveted. It was usually well into the school year that he found out the conditions for his newest rival's employment.

"Unfortunately yes. She would only say that she would teach this year."

Dumbledore turned the talk to more mundane matters before leaving the Potions Master deep in thought.

******

Harry stepped off the train and took a deep breath. The month respite he had spent at the house Remus had found for himself, Sirius and Harry had flown by so fast. Even through that, he hadn't been able to wait to get back to school. The first month of the summer had been spent with the Dursleys, who, even though they treated him terribly, were safer than staying with Ron and his family. Harry hadn't wanted to run the risk of the Weasleys getting hurt, and even though Ron had had some problems with it, the red head had realized that he was adamant about going back to his relatives, much as he disliked them.

"Harry!"

He looked up to find Hagrid waving at him amid the first years that swarmed around him. Harry waved back before turning to enter one of the carriages with Ron and Hermione.

"I wonder who the new teacher will be?" Hermione asked as the carriage slowly climbed towards Hogwarts. "I do hope he will be able to teach us useful things."

"Rather than last year?" Ron asked. "It was like Lockhart all over again."

Harry nodded, but didn't answer. He had asked Remus whom he thought had taken the position, but the older man hadn't given a straight answer. They would find out soon enough at the Sorting Ceremony. For once nothing had happened to the DADA teacher, since he had refused to fight for either side. Professor Apple had just been the wrong man for the job. He would have been better teaching Herbology like Professor Sprout. Or not even teaching at all. At least for their fifth year they'd had a somewhat competent teacher, before it was found that he was a spy for Voldemort. Harry shuddered even as the memory crossed his mind. He had come to know that his scar no longer afforded him protection against Voldemort, but his dreams had become better indications of when the enemy was on the move. Professor Crow had been too well versed in the Dark Arts, although none of them had known that first day of class.

The three entered the Great Hall, taking places at the long Gryffindor table. Each kept on looking at the head table to see the new teacher.

"Who do you think they got?" Dean Thomas asked.

Seamus Finnigan shrugged his shoulders. "Whoever he is has to be better than Professor Apple. That man couldn't find his way out of a bag, let alone an encounter with something dark."

Ron nodded. "I'm hoping so, too."

The Great Hall soon became filled with noise as they waited for the first years to come in. The new teacher had not arrived when they started to file in. Dumbledore nodded at McGonagall to start, seemingly ignoring the inquisitive looks the students were giving the head table.

The dusty, torn hat was silent for a moment before opening the slit near the brim and sang its song. Harry didn't really pay much attention to it as he watched the table in front for any sing of the new DADA teacher.

Professor McGonagall pulled out the scroll of names and called the first one off as soon as the Sorting Hat stopped singing.

"Adams, Mignon!"

McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on the blond girl that stepped forward.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry leaned over to Ron. "I wonder why he hasn't shown up yet?"

Ron shook his head, as much in the dark as Harry was.

"Barnes, Robert!

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The sorting finished with no sign of the DADA teacher. Dumbledore stood for his yearly welcome speech. "Students, teachers," he nodded at each group. "Welcome back to Hogwarts! As you know, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Please welcome Professor Steele."

The door on the side of the room opened, revealing a young woman, who looked between twenty and thirty years of age. The robe she wore was embroidered with strange markings, and her long, golden blond hair almost reached the floor in a single braid. She was tall for a woman, standing as tall as Dumbledore and Snape, and extremely thin.

Harry pulled away from the sight to look at Snape's reaction. The Potions Master's face was very dark as the woman walked to the head table to take her seat next to him. He saw her nod at him before Snape turned away.

"A woman?" Ron breathed.

"What is wrong with a woman?" Hermione demanded to know.

Harry ignored them to take another look at the new teacher. This time he noticed she wore a strange headband around her forehead before it disappeared into her hair at the back of her head.

"Harry?"

Ron's question pulled him from his study. He turned to find several pair of Gryffindor eyes watching him.

"I just thought I've seen her before." Harry shrugged his shoulders and turned to the feast that sat before him.

******

The seventh year Gryffindors waited impatiently in the classroom for the DADA teacher. Seamus and Dean were trying to figure out what would come first in their lessons. Their discussion was cut off when the door closed with a snap.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," a husky, feminine voice stated. It was soft, yet they could hear each syllable. "I am Professor Ella Steele, and I am here to teach what you missed last year, and this year's subjects as well."

The students withheld a groan at this. Was this woman going to be as demanding as Snape?

"I will start by refreshing your memory," Professor Steele said.

Harry looked into her eyes as she said this and held his breath. The woman's eyes changed color as she looked at each of them.

"Miss Granger, since you seem so eager, please tell me what a grindylow is and how it can be stopped."

Hermione blushed and answered.

"Very good. Mr. Longbottom."

Every one was startled. Why go to Neville?

"What is a boggart?"

Harry let out the breath he was holding as Neville haltingly said the correct answer. The rest of the class continued in the same way. Professor Steele asked each person a different question, patiently waiting for the answer and giving slight praise after each correct answer. Finally, class was over. As they gathered their books, Professor Steele said, "Please read the first chapter of your book. We will discuss that next class."

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. She seemed pleased with their new teacher as Ron groaned at how much reading they were to do before tomorrow.

"It's only twenty pages, Ron," Hermione said glumly. "I've already read it twice, but I think I should read it again." She started up the stairs to the girls' dormitory and didn't see the disgusted look on his face.

"Showoff!"

Harry ignored him and put his books away before they left for lunch.

******

"Mr. Malfoy!"

Draco lifted his head.

"This is a classroom, not a bedroom. Kindly peel your face off the desk and pay attention."

He raised one blond eyebrow at this. "Oh?"

"Mr. Malfoy, answer this question. What is a dementor?"

"Potter's best friend," he laughed. The rest of the class broke out into laughter.

"Mr. Malfoy." This time there was steel in the Professor's voice. Draco snapped his mouth shut. "Ten points from Slytherin, and you will sit at your new desk."

His mouth fell open at this. "My father..."

"Is not your teacher, Mr. Malfoy. I am." Professor Steele gave him a sharp look and pointed to the desk that sat against the wall at the very front of the room. "I will tolerate none of this. This is not some stage for you to perform on."

Silence rested over the class until Draco took his new seat.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy. What is a dementor?"

******

Ron sauntered into the common room, a smug look on his face. Hermione raised an eyebrow at this before looking back at her book.

"Malfoy's already got detention this Friday," Ron stated in a too-casual voice.

Harry stared at him. "From who?"

"Professor Steele. I think I like her more already."

"And how did you find this out?" Hermione asked as she closed her book.

"I happened to overhear Filch grumbling about it. It seems as if he has to get some things ready for it."

"I'm not going to ask further," Hermione said as she shook her head.

Harry gave a small smile and went back to the book. His eyes didn't follow the lines, though. The new Professor was brave enough to risk the wrath of Lucius Malfoy, and he didn't envy her at all. He thought back to the color of Professor Steele's eyes when they had rested on him. Was it natural to have such gold eyes?

******

Snape was in a horrible mood that Friday when it came to Potions. The double class they shared with the Slytherins was strangely quiet. There was no taunting coming from a close-mouthed Draco and his friends; and the rest of his house wasn't up to providing the usual noise. The Professor tried to impale each of the Gryffindors with his eyes alone to make up for their chatter. The more they talked, the more resentful he became of the silence.

The tall, unwashed teacher strode towards Harry with an ominous look on his face.

"Uh oh," Ron muttered under his breath.

"Potter!"

"Professor Snape." The entire class turned at the sound of Professor Steele's voice. "Professor Dumbledore would like to speak to you."

"I am in the middle of a class. I will speak to him when it's over."

Harry looked at the DADA teacher and found her eyes were black when they rested on Snape. "Very well. I will let him know what you said."

Steele's tone revealed nothing. The words were spoken as if she were reading a textbook, giving Snape nothing to go on. For the first time in seven years, both Gryffindor and Slytherin were treated to the sight of Snape speechless. His mouth flapped a couple of times as Steele turned in the doorway and left the line of sight. The rest of the class time was spent in complete silence, as Snape finally turned with dark intentions at the first sound uttered.

"That was strange," Ron said as they made their way to lunch.

Harry nodded. "Snape's never been that quiet, and Neville was having problems with his potion."

"Hermione took care of that, didn't you?" Ron asked.

She shook her head. "It wasn't just me. Seamus and Dean helped."

"I don't think that Snape would have done anything good to Neville if he had noticed, though," Ron continued. He turned to walk backwards in front of Harry and Hermione. "So what do you think is up?"

Harry shook his head in a confused way. "It's too early to tell."

"We could look into this toni.... Oomph!" Ron fell over backwards, landing in an awkward pile with four legs waving about. Harry looked again and saw that a pair of them was much shorter than his tall friend's. A plaintive wail erupted from the squirming mass on the floor. Everybody in the hall looked and Harry felt a small, hot flush creep over his face before they all looked away.

Ron scrambled to get off the floor quickly as the person started wiggling underneath him even more. He turned to see who it was and his eyes widened. Harry looked down as well and found... a kid? Taking another look he saw that he couldn't be more than three.

"Ow! That hurt!" A childish voice echoed in the thinning hall, inviting a couple more stares. This time they lingered when they caught sight of the child.

"Babysitting, Potter?"

Harry cringed when he heard Malfoy's voice ring down the corridor. He turned and saw the smirk on the blond boy's face as he walked towards them, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

The blond smirked at the child. "It looks as if one of the house elves escaped again."

Hermione turned red and opened her mouth.

"Ah, Marty." Dumbledore's voice interrupted the conversation. "Here you are." He gave a kindly smile to the child, who grabbed a hold of the man's hand. Harry gave a quick look to Malfoy and found his mouth in a tight line, unable to do anything about the situation now that Dumbledore was there. Dumbledore gave a small nod to each of them before turning to walk in the direction he had come from. By the time he had disappeared, Malfoy and his two goons had as well.

"That was certainly different," Hermione said in a hushed voice.

Ron nodded. Harry gave them each a look before they set off to the Gryffindor common room.

Later that night, Harry lay in his bed, looking up at the draperies. Something was bothering him, but he wasn't sure what it exactly was. Why had Dumbledore been looking after that kid in the first place and why was he here at Hogwarts? His green eyes clouded in confusion before they cleared at a thought as it crossed his mind. He should get out the Invisibility cloak his father had left him.

'Maybe in a minute,' he thought as he lay under the warm covers. 'I'll just get up in a few minutes.'

Bright light hit his eyes as Ron pulled back the curtains around his bed. "Get tired from last night?" he asked as he finished pulling the fabric away.

Harry sat upright. He had meant to go exploring, but he hadn't moved before sleep had overtaken him. Maybe tonight he would be able to do some searching. Now wasn't the time to think about it when he had to get to class. He shook his head. "I didn't get out," he said as he scrambled out of bed.

"What?" Ron's face wore an incredulous look on it, the freckles standing out even among his tan from the summer. "I thought you were going to go looking," he said in a quiet voice.

He shook his head. "It was like some part of me didn't even want to get out of bed."

Ron's face drooped. "Will you go looking tonight?"

Harry thought about it for a moment. Every time he thought about moving last night, some other idea had crossed his mind until he had simply forgotten about exploring. Nodding, he and Ron left the dorm for the Great Hall and breakfast. It was pointless to think about it for the time being.

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