Harry Potter : Bloodraven

The morning sunlight poured through Hogwarts' tall windows onto the old stone hallways, marking the dawn of a new day with its warm, golden light.

The castle was already buzzing with life as young witches and wizards made their way through the corridors, some walking leisurely, others hurrying along, their robes swishing behind them on their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Their chatter was cheerful and lively, much of it still revolving around the grand feast from the night before.

And at the same time, inside the Alchemy professor's office, Maverick was putting the finishing touches on the lesson plan for his first class for later today.

His schedule wasn't particularly busy. The Magical Science class for fifth years, held at ten o'clock in the morning, was only scheduled three times a week, while the Alchemy class for freshmen at two o'clock in the afternoon ran four days a week. Therefore compared to other professors, his teaching hours can be said to be quite flexible, as he never had to teach more than two classes a day—at least, not this year.

And true to his word, the Headmaster arranged for his classes to include all four houses together, unlike the normal practice of pairing two houses per class. Dumbledore had ensured that Maverick was assigned two spacious classrooms, each large enough to accommodate an entire grade, sparing him the hassle of constantly setting up and packing away materials for each subject.

He cast a quick glance at the digital-looking clock on the wall and saw that it was still breakfast time. Soon, the students would be heading to their first classes, and he still had two hours before his own began.

Leaning back, he settled more comfortably into his seat, his mind briefly recalling the events after the previous evening's ceremony. The banquet had gone much better than he expected, and he was pleased by the overwhelming enthusiasm that followed his little speech.

As soon as the ceremony ended, while the students were escorted to their common rooms and the teachers returned to their duties, he instead of staying at the school, used the Floo Network for a quick visit to his home.

This wasn't a special privilege solely for him, as he had now come to understand that every professor had their own private Floo point as well in their office. Yet another little detail that differed from the original story, as he couldn't recall J.K. Rowling ever mentioning this in her books. Or perhaps it had been mentioned, and he simply couldn't remember.

Back home in London, Maverick spent the rest of the evening with his parents and sister, catching up on things around the house. More importantly, he wanted to hear about little Sarah's first day at school. This was the main reason for his quick visit, as he didn't want her to think he had forgotten such an important day.

To add to the excitement, he gave his family a little show, sharing the atmosphere of Hogwarts during the opening ceremony. Needless to say, they were all impressed by the grandeur of it all.

Finally, when the time came to retire for the night, he sank into the comfort of his own bed to sleep, before returning to school after breakfast today morning.

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The castle was never dull, always alive with the hum of student activity throughout the day. One could always spot some roaming the corridors, bags swinging over shoulders, books clutched tightly, and conversations flowing about everything from Quidditch to the timetable.

Maverick arrived at his classroom ahead of everyone else. After making a small adjustment to the seating arrangement, he sat comfortably on the edge of his desk, one foot on the floor and the other gently swinging, waiting for the students to arrive.

His classroom was arranged a bit differently from the typical Hogwarts layout. The desks were neatly arranged in rows, each row slightly inclined starting from the second to provide a better view.

A large blackboard dominated the front wall, while the professor's desk featured a large globe of Earth, surrounded by simple scientific looking instruments like pendulums in various lengths, a few meticulously placed gears and levers, and a collection of metal rods, each marked with measurements.

The walls were adorned with enchanted charts featuring simple diagrams of elements that shifted and changed, alongside basic drawings illustrating fundamental concepts like motion, energy, and force. The room felt both modern and magical, a seamless blend of two worlds that perfectly suited the course to be taught there, where magic and science coexisted in harmony.

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The students soon began entering the classroom, each casting a curious glance at him as they noticed him leaning leisurely on the teacher's desk. He was dressed in a brown long-sleeve shirt, loosely tucked into black trousers, and greeted each student with a small nod and a friendly smile, projecting a confident yet inviting presence to make them feel more comfortable.

He soon began to notice that the number of students entering had surpassed the actual number who had chosen the course as an elective. Most of them were seniors, with a few he was sure were from the freshman batch sorted into houses the night before.

The stares directed at him only grew more frequent, and the witches, in particular, seemed to care little about hiding their curiosity. He could hear their whispers in hushed tones without even relying on his Magical-Sense as they found their seats. He didn't need to strain his ears to know what they were saying—it was mostly a mix of curiosity about the new professor, speculations about his background, and, of course, the inevitable discussions about his appearance.

More and more students trickled in, and to his surprise, the room quickly filled beyond his expectations. Some were familiar faces, like the two Slytherin witches he had met on the train and Roger Davies, who sat at the very back of the class. Two redheads who looked alike were also there.

The little miss know-it-all sat at the very front, as if she were one of the students who had actually taken the elective. Moreover, she didn't seem to remember seeing him on the train—or perhaps it was Tracy's mouthful, which had made her tear up on the spot, that caused her to not register everyone else who had sat in the cabin at the time.

The additional students sitting in the class didn't trouble him, though, in fact, he was pleased to see such interest. However, he didn't yet realize that most of the extras were witches, nor did he suspect that their main reason for attending wasn't to actually learn anything about science.

As the clock on the wall chimed the hour, the last few students hurried to their seats, and a hush fell over the room. He straightened his relaxed posture, pushing himself off the desk and walking to the front. The classroom was quiet now, filled with expectant faces.

"Well, good afternoon to you all," he said, keeping his voice confident yet inviting, a little something he picked up from the old goat leading the school. "Let's begin."

However, just then, the doors swung open once again, and in walked a few people Maverick wasn't expecting. Headmaster Dumbledore himself, along with his deputy, the Arithmancy professor, and Professor Flitwick. They all smiled at him in unison, the same expression as if they had practiced it before coming in.

"Please, don't mind us," Dumbledore said with that characteristic twinkle in his eye. "We're just a few curious souls who just so happen to have some free time... and you did say anyone interested in joining your class was most welcome yesterday."

Maverick arched an eyebrow, then shrugged and gave them an inviting nod, gesturing with his hand for them to take a seat as well.

"Please, it'll be my pleasure to have such distinguished 'students' attending my lesson..." He chuckled.

The rest of the students, however, now seemed a little stiffer, especially the extra attendees. Their previously easygoing expressions had changed, with some subtly tugging at each other's robes and exchanging glances, as if they were already regretting stepping into the classroom the moment the lineup of teachers appeared.

It was bit of a funny scene, but he quickly turned his focus back to the task at hand.

"Before we get started, let me introduce myself," he began, subtly amplifying his voice to ensure he had everyone's attention. "I'll keep it short, as I'm sure most of you have heard a thing or two about me by now."

A small smile played on his lips. "But for those of you who haven't, my name is Maverick Caesar. I was born here in Britain to two wonderful, amazing people with absolutely no magic in them... none that I know of in the family line, either."

"I have completed multiple levels of Muggle education, and completed my magical studies alongside it."

He paused briefly before continuing, "What many of you might not know is that... I actually homeschooled the entirety of OWLs and NEWTs curriculum..."

The students exchanged curious glances, and a some murmured under their breath. This was something very foreign to the British wizarding community where the idea of homeschooling wasn't really a thing.

He continued, pacing slowly from one side of the room to the other. "My magical mentors were Simon Walker, Sarah Walker, and Edward Garling... and finally, took my OWLs and NEWTs at Ilvermorny School of Magic in America..."

He paused, stopping at the center before turning to face the class, his eyes sweeping across the students. "Magic... it has fascinated me from the day I awakened it, just as I'm sure it has for all of you. Yet, even after discovering I was a wizard, the things I learned at Muggle schools, the curiosities I grew, the greatness of science... it never left my mind."

The students and teachers all saw Maverick's expression grow more passionate and thoughtful. "It was my curiosity for both that eventually brought me here, as a teacher at this wonderful school of magic." He cast a quick glance at the teachers seated at the back, his gaze pausing briefly on Dumbledore, before offering a small, appreciative nod.

The classroom had fallen silent, all giving their full attention to him. This was a little trick he had picked up from his own teachers, a small story before the lesson to capture the students' focus.

He allowed the moment of stillness to hang in the air for a short while, relaxing his expression as he slipped his hands into his trouser pockets.

"Science..." he began, pausing with a chuckle. "I'll try my best not to make this class dull... especially for those of you from Muggle backgrounds who already know a thing or two." He paused, glancing briefly at a few students, his eyes passing by little miss Gryffindor, whose eyes shone brighter in concentration than anyone else in the class.

"This will be a class of science and magic, and trust me, when they meet... that's when the real magic begins..." He gave a small wink to the whole class, just enough to spark their curiosity.

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Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 106 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic