Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or any character from the Nasuverse. This is a work of fanfiction.

Prologue

A knock at the door, broke the silence of the small house that the man called home. It was actually a rather nice size house; however, it was quite small to the large man that called it home. That man is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is a giant of a man, standing almost eight feet tall and weighing roughly 30 stones, his black hair long and his beard tangled. He is a simple man who enjoys the simple pleasures of life, a stiff drink and a warm fire. However, today he is expecting a most important guest.

"Come in, Headmaster." Hagrid called out. "The door is open."

"Ah Rubeus, thank you for inviting me to tea." Replied the guest as he entered the cottage.

Hagrid's guest is an old wizened wizard by the name of Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School and Hagrid's employer of nearly fifty years. Many muggles, the non-magical folk, might imagine Albus Dumbledore as a bit of a hippie. He wears his long grey hair unbounded, with a beard that could be tucked into his belt. Currently the Headmaster was wearing a simple purple robe with a star pattern. To many witches and wizards, Albus Dumbledore portrayed a grandfatherly figure that watched as the next generation began to take the reigns of power. Today, however, he was here for tea and conversation.

"I just put the kettle on, so it should be a minute, would you care for a rock cake Headmaster?" Hagrid offered his guest as he took his seat at the table.

"Maybe with the tea old friend." Replied Dumbledore as he conjured a comfortable looking armchair for himself at the table.

"I am glad you invited me to tea Rubeus, it is rather quiet in the castle currently. In addition, I can escape the silence of my office." Dumbledore said as he gazed out upon the empty grounds of the castle. Even Minerva and Severus had returned to their homes, and without their constant bickering, Albus Dumbledore was rather lonely. Not that he would ever tell anyone.

"Yes the school does seem rather empty with students gone home for the summer." Hagrid spoke solemnly, "However some of the rest of the staff is still here. Sybill and Argus are still here."

"Yes, however, Sybill has confined herself to her tower so that she may view the next school year in her inner eye and Argus is busy cleaning the dungeons." Said Dumbledore. Many questioned Dumbledore at about the appointment of Sybill Trelawney as Professor of Divination; however, he knew that she was a true seer, no matter how many bottles of sherry she drank. Argus, on the other hand, was never very good company. The only reason Argus Filch was still at Hogwarts was because of Albus' predecessor, Headmaster Dippet. He had Argus sign a contract for hundred years or his death, whichever came first.

"I thought you would have been off as well Headmaster?" Questioned Hagrid

"Yes, I have vast quantities of business to attend to over the summer holidays, but, alas I still must take care of our yearly troubles." Sighed Dumblerdore. It truly was an annual problem sometimes bi-annual.

"What troubles headmaster?" Hagrid asked confusedly.

"We are once again in need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." Dumbledore responded remorsefully.

"What happened to Ambrose, Headmaster? He was so young." Hagrid questioned sadly.

"Mr. Rowlett heard the cry of an Augurey whilst viewing, what he believed to be, a grim. In all reality it was probably just a black dog. Unfortunately, Mr. Rowlett is of the opinion that he will perish if he continues with his position at Hogwarts. So he tendered is resignation forthwith. Tis' A shame, he was an excellent professor." Dumbledore spoke with regret. He had been hoping that Ambrose Rowlett would be the one to break the curse.

"Augurey's only predict the rain professor, everyone, knows that." Hagrid argued.

"Yes, but old superstitions are still firmly ingrained into everyone's minds. So Ambrose Rowlett believes he is safer away from Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many people still believed that Augurey's cries are a sign of death.

"I see." Hagrid replied dejectedly

"My trouble is only confounded by the fact that Harry Potter starts Hogwarts this year." Dumbledore sighed. He knew that the Dark Lord would make some attempt at returning whilst Harry was at Hogwarts. He just wished, he knew how the Dark Lord would make his attempt.

"Has it really been ten years?" Hagrid questioned rhetorically. "Wait, how does little Harry make things different?"

"In order to help him learn to properly defend himself, of course, I fear the Dark Lord will soon attempt to return. Young Harry must have a good foundation in Defense in order to help prepare him for the trouble that has yet to come." Said Dumbledore. He still had not figured out what the 'power he knows not' is in relation to the prophecy. Dumbledore was hoping that somehow Harry would be incredibly talented or show some form of special talent. An excellent professor would help young Harry tremendously.

"I am sure there are some good candidates on the list Headmaster." Hagrid said determinedly.

That was one thing Dumbledore knew was a fallacy. Most of the candidates had been on the list for over a decade. They had not been previously selected for good reason. "Rubeus, may I have you're your opinion on the Applicants. Maybe you will know something that I overlooked. In current years I have not had the opportunity to interact with the students has much as I would like to have interacted with them." Spoke Dumbledore. As much as he hated to admit, Albus Dumbledore was getting old.

"I don't know how much help I can be Headmaster, but I will try." Hagrid responded.

"That is all anyone can ask, Rubeus. The first applicant is Quirinus Quirrell." Said Dumbledore.

Hagrid thought a moment before responding, "I remember him when he was a Hufflepuff years ago. Before he taught Muggle Studies I heard he went to Romania to study the Mountain Trolls. Heard he was attempting to teach them to guard things. I heard he wasn't very successful."

Hagrid's description matched his own quite well. Quirinus Quirrell was an average student, with a strange fascination with trolls. The rumors were that he was forced to flee Romania, because he angered the Vampire Tribes, Dumbledore was of the opinion that he pissed off the von Einzberns. On another note, he was not a very good Muggle Studies Professor, however, that was true for must applicants in that position.

"The second is Gilderoy Lockhart." Said Dumbledore.

"The cheating Ravenclaw" Responded Hagrid immediately. "Course there was never any proof; I heard he's a celebrity now. Says he's fought Yetis and Vampires. I don't believe a word of it. He was scared of the chickens in the field; don't see how he fought a yeti."

Gildorey had one thing going for him, he was handsome. He knew it and flaunted it. It just goes to show that a pretty face can open many doors.

"And the final candidate is Dolores Umbridge." Dumbledore said.

"She's a right character. She was a Slytherin a few years after I was expelled. She is a nasty piece work. She has a prejudice against anything that isn't strictly a witch or wizard." Hagrid spoke with disgust.

Even worse, in his opinion, she was one of Cornelius' lackeys. He spent most of his time at the ministry trying to fix the damage she caused. He remembered that she struggled through many of her classes, especially Defense.

"Now I think I see your problem, Headmaster. None of them are really the sharpest tools in the shed." Hagrid said jokingly.

"Yes that explains the problem quite well. I had been hoping that Alastor would retire this year so that he could teach for Harry's first year. Alas his final apprentice still needs him so he will trudge along." Dumbledore sighed. It really was a shame that Moody had yet to retire; he would be able to inspire the students to take Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously. Alastor would also be able to keep the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor to a minimum. Dumbledore had been preaching forgiveness to the school for many years, and despite his efforts the rivalry continued to flourish.

As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking the kettle screeched, signaling that the water was boiling. Hagrid quickly pulled out his royal blue dragonhide gloves from one of his many pockets so he could get the kettle.

"Hagrid those are quite impressive gloves, wherever did you get them?" inquired Dumbledore. Dragonhide was a material that could not be colored. That meant the hide must have come from a Swedish Short-Snout. Normally dragonhide gloves, in Great Britain, were a metallic color, from an Ukrainian Ironbelly. Any other color glove would have been rather expensive, especially in Hagrid's size.

"These are some of the pay I got from the trip I took a few years back." Answered Hagrid, as he poured the tea.

"Ahh, yes, the trip you went on that collected creatures and herbs for various establishments." Said Dumbledore as he sipped some tea. He did not realize that Hagrid's trip was so profitable. Gloves of that quality would cost around fifty galleons. That was about a quarter of Hagrid's yearly salary.

"I got to see 8 different species of dragons, it was truly wonderful. I also got to hear some outrageous stories." Hagrid spoke fondly. After a second his eyes lit up as if something he remembered was vastly important to the conversation.

"Headmaster, I might have an idea about a different Professor." Hagrid said excitedly.

"I fail to see how dragons would make a good Defense Professor, old friend." Dumbledore said amusingly. Trust Hagrid to think that dragons would make good professors.

"It's not the dragons Headmaster, but the man who organized the voyage. He goes on voyages to collect various materials and ingredients for various vendors all the time. He is very knowledgeable about creatures and plants." Hagrid said.

"Sounds like your kind of person Hagrid." Dumbledore responded. He still failed to see how this man would be a good defense professor, maybe a Herbology Professor or Care for Magical Creatures Instructor. He had been hoping to offer the position to Hagrid once Professor Kettleburn retired.

"Yes, he is my friend. However, he did some pretty amazing things on this trip. On the trip he slew three feral dragons, a right nasty bunch of dragons." Hagrid said with excitement.

"I personally saw him fend of a Manticore, a small Basilisk, and a Nundu of all things. He is not a man to be easily intimidated." Hagrid said

"Seems, he has the courage of a Gryffindor." Dumbledore said with some humor. A man with those types of talents would indeed be a good teacher. With his sense of adventure, maybe this man could spark Harry Potter's interest in Defense.

"What about his dueling skills?" Inquired Dumbledore. Creatures were only half the course; the other primary purpose of the Defense course is to teach the students how to defend themselves from other wizards.

"At one point on the trip, we were attacked by a force of poachers. The poachers consisted of five wizards and two trolls. I don't remember him casting any spells, but in only a few seconds, all of the poachers were stopped." Hagrid spoke with reverence.

"He sounds very talented and very brave if he hunts dragons. What is this students name surely I will remember him?" asked Dumbledore. He had been Headmaster for almost half a century, and a teacher for some time longer, and with all his positions he knew, at least in passing, most of Wizarding Britain. Which was quite a feat since the last count of the population was close to five hundred thousand.

"That's the thing headmaster he didn't go to Hogwarts. He is from overseas, Japan I think. I don't know too much about his education. Only what I saw of him." Said Hagrid. "I just think he would be a good man for the job."

"Very well, Rubeus, what is this mysterious mans name?" asked Dumbledore.

"Shirou Emiya"