Harry Potter: Persona non Grata - Chapter 1
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Disclaimer: I do not own any franchises mentioned in this story. This is fan-based work of fiction.

Beta: Gerald_of_Revea
Summary: When someone says they have the dream of attending Hogwarts, it usually means as a student, not as the new DADA professor just after the return of Voldemort. At the very least, I can’t be any worse than Umbridge. Set in Order of the Phoenix (Light crossover with Persona and Fate)
-Albus Dumbledore, August 21st, 1995-
Students have come from all corners of the globe to attend Hogwarts. There is a reason why it is known as the best school for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Once, it was considered the safest school in the world. Though after recent events, it has lost that title, and he was entirely to blame.
Voldemort infiltrating the school, a basilisk roaming the corridors, dementors nearly killing his charges, and now? One of his students was dead.
The loss of Cedric Diggory is one that took a toll on him. He already had his reservations about the tournament, and he was just proven right about it in the worst way possible.
Now Lord Voldemort was back. Soon, there would be another war, or perhaps it was more correct to say one had already started from the shadows.
Cornelius Fudge is too scared to admit it. He has done nothing but smear Rosetta Potter’s name, adding that Cedric Diggory’s death was a tragic accident, not murder. And now, dementors attacked the girl as well.
Worryingly, the Girl-Who-Lived had enemies on both sides of the aisle. Which is why she needs to be prepared for what is to come.
This brought him to a problem he had been suffering with for the past 40 years: the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, or rather the lack of one.
Ever since Tom put a curse on the position, it has been a constant pain, year after year. Only one candidate applied for the position this year, but he had his sources in the Ministry. If a teacher is not found, they will forcibly appoint one. The leading candidate for that is one Dolores Umbridge.
Ms. Umbridge was a known variable. He did not like to think poorly of any of his students (seeing it as a partial failing on his part), but he recalled Umbridge being a particular struggle to deal with. That wasn’t to mention the tension it would cause while teaching Rosetta. It was now more than ever that Rosetta needed the best person to teach her.
Something he knew he would not get, but he had to choose the most qualified from those that applied. Which brought him to the second candidate.
A soft smile came onto his face as Mr. Narukami took another lemon drop, and he seemingly found a kindred spirit of the treat. It was curious; most of the time when he offered, they declined, even the children. Yu Narukami didn’t seem to have any reservations.
His resumé was plain. Neither the ink nor the paper was magical; it simply listed out his previous education, results, skills, and work placements. This was unlike his appearance.
Grey hair, grey eyes, that somehow looked natural on the young man. Tall, with hair swept neatly. He didn’t dress like a wizard either, opting for a high-collared jacket and tailored trousers.
He was not one of his own. Mr. Narukami has never been to Hogwarts. He claims he was taught in Mahoutokoro, Japan, and appears to have above-average grades. Probably the most striking thing about him was his age, only recently turning eighteen. 
“Why is it you want to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?”
“Money, stability, location,” he answered mutely, making him blink in surprise. “I am low on funds. This position provides food and board at no charge. And I like the scenery.”
…It was a more utilitarian answer than he expected, but nothing that struck him as particularly bad. That, and he could easily agree with him about the scenery.
“And you have worked as a tutor before?” he probed, making the boy nod.
“I have tutored ages ranging from eleven to seventeen. Usually in small groups, fewer than what each year of Hogwarts likely has.”
Teaching experience is a plus. Already, he had him as the better candidate over Ms. Umbridge. Now, it was just time to get a better understanding of the type of person he is.
“What do you think is the most important lesson that you’ll teach to the students?”
Yu blinked. “To run.”
He raised a bespectacled eyebrow, silently prompting Yu to continue.
“The best conflict is a conflict avoided. Students, especially the younger years, should avoid all battles. So they should run.”
“Wise,” he smiled. “However, the issue there would be for them to listen. I remember being eleven once. I was not a smart boy. Do you think they will listen?”
“No.” Yu immediately answered. “Not all of them. I can teach them what the best thing in a given situation, but not everyone will listen. Which is why the following lessons are just as important.”
Protecting the students is the most important part of being a teacher in any school. The fact that Mr. Narukami realized this without him asking made his next decision a lot easier to make.
Not even a day later, Mr. Narukami received his acceptance letter.
-A few days later-
“To our newcomers,” he called in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, “welcome! To our old hands — welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!” 
“Well said,” Professor Flitwick nodded, his eyes lighting up as he took in the plates of food on the table. “Oh my, you’ve outdone yourself this time, Albus!”
“You say that every year,” Professor McGonagall said exasperately.
“And every year I am satisfied!” Flitwick smiled warmly. “Come on, Minerva, don’t let the food get cold.” 
When all the students had finished eating, and the noise level in the hall was starting to creep upward again, he got to his feet once more, causing the talking to cease.
“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention. We have had four changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons. We are also delighted to introduce Professor Narukami, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Professor Garlick, who will be taking over from Professor Sprout, as both the Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House.”
The new professors gave polite waves as a round of applause erupted from the student tables.  It was a very warm welcome from all the students, particularly the upper years, some of whom were even bold enough to whistle. 
“Finally, We are delighted to welcome Ms. Umbridge, who will be working in Hogwarts as the Ministry liaison to Hogwarts.”
As the students gave another round of polite applause, he couldn’t help frowning slightly. Cornelius seemed very keen to have Umbridge join Hogwarts. When he found out that the DADA position had been filled, he was furious. However, instead of finding an excuse to have the new professor fired, he went out of his way to create a new role for her.
Nonetheless, he continued, “Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the —” 
He broke off, looking inquiringly at Ms. Umbridge, who broke the silence with a “Hem, Hem.”
Silently, the woman stood up, walking in front of the professors' tables in order to address the students directly.
“Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely to see all your bright, happy faces smiling up at me. I’m sure we’re all going to be very good friends.”
“The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school,” Umbridge nodded politely to him, making him do the same. “Progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be…prohibited.”
He closed his eyes…taking in a silent but deep breath.
This was going to be a long year.
-Rosetta Potter-
”Sounds like a right cunt, doesn’t she?” Ron said, making her almost choke on her drink, while Hermione started to gape.
“Ronald!” Hermione hissed. “Don’t use that type of language! It’s foul!”
“It’s better than what most of us are thinking,” he grumbled, looking over his timesheet. “Hermione, are you still taking Arithmancy?”
“Of course I am; it’s my favorite subject. Much better than something like Divination,” she countered with heat in her tone.
“Yeah, but Divination makes much more sense than Arithmancy,” he said, making Hermione give him a lidded stare.
“Look, I get that math matters. But then there’s something like 0 <= X <= -2. But 0 means nothing. And -2 means less than nothing. That makes no sense! I’m measuring the distance between jackshit and fuck all.”
“It makes much more sense than Divination,” she snapped. “Math has rules, math does not lie. Divination? It’s nothing but a load of rubbish and guesswork!”
“And I divinate that I’ll finish this leg of chicken today,” Ron said, grabbing the piece from a nearby plate. “Look at me! I’m a prophet! Just need the crown of thorns as well.”
“Umbridge was at my hearing,” she broke the argument before one could start again. “She wanted me expelled; she was the Undersecretary to Fudge.”
“So you don’t think it’s the new DADA professor that wants you dead then?” Ron asked, making Hermione scowl at him. “What? Quirrel, Gilderoy, Were-Lupin, and Barty. Pattern recognition and all that. It’s a nice change of pace that it’s not a DADA professor this time.”
“Unless it’s both of them this time,” she countered, making Ron pause for a moment.
“Yeah, it’s probably that,” he shrugged. “Hey Hermione, did the new guy write a book too? Why is he going grey when he doesn’t even look twenty?”
“Why don’t you ask them yourself?” she snapped. “Honestly, Ronald, there’s no reason to expect the worst from everyone you meet. He’s clearly Japanese; perhaps he went to school in Mahoutokoro,” she said, making Ron’s eyes light up.
“You think he’s good at Quidditch? Japan has a fantastic team. All their members go through brutal training over there.”
“I don’t think that Quidditch matters for teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts,” she said coolly.
“What about you, Rose?” Ron asked, making her turn to him. “You’ve been quiet about him. What do you think?”
She remained silent for a moment, carefully judging the new blank-faced professor.
“I guess we’ll find out how good he is after the first lesson.”
-Yu Narukami-
As the first years silently entered my classroom, with more than a few missing, I couldn’t help but think how unprepared I was.
I shouldn’t be here. Not at all. But when I arrived here, I didn’t come with money, just magic. And I didn’t want to add robbery to my criminal record any time soon.
The students were well-behaved. Much more so than the second and third years I taught previously. Most were still feeling a certain ‘wow’ factor from being able to use magic, and that was for the best.
After I was finished with roll call, I grabbed a piece of chalk and started to write on the board.
Magic wasn’t instinctual to me yet. If something could be done through normal means, I tended to use it. That, and I didn’t know the spell yet to have magic do everything for me.
“Welcome, everyone,” I nodded. “My name is Professor Narukami. You can call me ‘Mister' or 'Professor’, whichever you prefer.” I eyed the students. “Do you know why you are here today?”
My question was met with silence, which I expected. Kids tended to be shy, especially during early lessons.
“Magic is a wondrous thing. With it, you can teleport, fly, and even bring life into everyday objects. It’s a great thing.” I paused for effect. “But not everything about Magic is good.”
“The Dark Arts isn’t one thing; it’s made up of a group of things, such as spells, curses, charms, or potions. The primary object of Dark Arts is to harm, control, and kill other living beings. What distinguishes a Dark Art from an everyday charm is that they are malicious, corrupting, and most are illegal. That brings us to me.”
“It’s my job to teach how to defend against this stuff. Not only that, but how to defend yourself against magical creatures as well.”
“Magical creatures? One of the students asked. “Like goblins?”
“Animals. Non-sentient creatures. The ones that would that wouldn’t know the difference between right and wrong and rely on instinct. Like Dragons. Does anyone know why no one is allowed into the Forbidden Forest?”
“Because it’s dangerous?” one of them hedged a bet, and I gave a considering look.
“True, but do you know why it’s dangerous?”
“...Because the Headmaster told us it is?”
“That’s…not entirely wrong. But I want you to understand why no one is allowed to go in there, I said, flipping to the other side of the chalkboard, showing my illustrations. “First of all, if you get lost, you will have a tough time trying to find your way back to the castle. But the same could be said about every forest. What makes it dangerous is the creatures inside,” I said, pointing to the illustrations.
On the board were drawings of Spiders, Blast-End Skrets, and Trolls. It was amateur work, but it got the message across clearly enough.
“Does anyone have a fear of spiders?” I asked, one of the girls hesitantly raising a hand. “Is it arachnophobia or you just don’t like them?”
“...I’m terrified of them, sir,” the girl shifted uncomfortably, making a few of the boys snicker.
“Five points to Hufflepuff,” I said, the laughter disappearing abruptly. “It takes a lot to admit to your fears. Thank you for sharing. But it’s all the more reason to avoid the forest.”
“Deep within the forest are creatures most you haven’t seen or knew existed. Thanks to magic, what you most know as normal creatures mutated, becoming bigger, smarter, and worse, more deadly. Such as the forest’s Acromantula colony.”
“Acromantulas are giant flesh-eating spiders. Unlike normal spiders, these guys can grow to the size of elephants. They hunt in packs. They will view you as food. If one of you wanders in there, you aren’t likely to come back,” I whispered, and I saw a few of them start to pale.
“Luckily, inside Hogwarts, you are safe.” I nodded. “Hogwarts will protect you from the creatures of the night. However, if you ever do encounter one, what do you think I’d recommend you do?”
“Scream and shout?”
“Scream, shout, run or hide.” I corrected. “Avoid the first two if it hasn’t noticed you yet. Do not try to fight it if you can. At the moment, you aren’t prepared to. Now I won’t be teaching you any spells today,” I ignored the groans from the students. “What I will be focusing on is the dangers. Which brings us to Potions.”
I grinned minutely.
“And why, unless you know what it is, you should never accept one when offered.”

-Line Break-
The morning passed more quickly than I expected it would. Outside of some of the louder students, the day was going well.
Surprisingly, no one had dismissed my teachings because of my age. It probably helped that I wasn’t using the textbooks either.
‘I’m really not used to speaking this long,’ I mused, filling my jug with water. And the next class is probably going to be the most headache-inducing.
A few moments later, the first of the fifth-year students started to arrive, quickly taking a seat at whichever table they liked best.
Each year was split into two classes. For Defense Against the Dark Arts, I teach two houses at a time. It’s always either Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff or Gryffindor and Slytherin. Today it was the latter.
I did my best to hide any reaction as some of the more prominent members of the series arrived, particularly Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.
Or rather, Diana Malfoy and Rosetta Potter.
As soon as I started to do a little bit of light reading and found out the Boy-Who-Lived was the Girl-Who-Survived, I wanted to bash my head against the nearest wall. The series is called ‘Harry Potter,’ not ‘Rosetta Potter,’ and I refused to call it anything other than that in my head.
And of course, because Harry is genderbent, Draco must be as well. Otherwise, that rivalry that persisted throughout the series would just be sexual tension.
And her name! It isn’t even something related to the stars. Just Diana.
Everything about it annoyed me, but not to the point where I was going to make a big deal out of it.
“Alright, class!” I said, knocking on my table in front of me. “The name’s Kami. Naru-kami.”
I saw a few of the students hide their laughter; it pained me to see the confused look on Rosetta’s face, but I ignored it for now.
“I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for this year. Now, you hear this every year, but this year is the most important year of your schooling. You will be taking your OWLs this year, or Ordinary Witching Levels if you prefer. I won’t be grading your final papers; the Wizarding Examinations Authority will be instead. So it’s not up to me if you get a good grade; it’s up to yourself. Any Questions?”
Hermione shot her hand up, and I gave her a nod to go ahead.
“I’ve got a query about your course aims,” she said, and I allowed her to continue. “There’s nothing written in here about using defensive spells.”
“That’s right,” I nodded, watching the class freeze in place. “Here’s a little fun fact for you all: I didn’t get to choose which textbook you should use for the curriculum. Defensive Magical Theory was the book chosen by the Ministry for all students. That’s years one through seven. If any of you have complaints about it, please let Ms. Umbridge know. As the new correspondent to the Ministry, I don’t doubt she will happily listen to all complaints. I’m curious, Ms. Granger, what did you think of the book?”
‘Defensive Magical Theory’, the book was written by Wilbert Slinkhard, a staunch pacifist. I agreed with some of the points he made, that danger is best avoided, and that through negotiation, some battles can be won.
However, as a textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts, it was rubbish. Worse than rubbish. It teaches theory and theory only. Wilbert claims that using any type of defensive magic is dangerous and unjustified. Nothing about dangerous creatures or potions; it was a book on his philosophy packaged as a textbook.
Hermione cleared her throat, her voice tight but determined. “I believe this book is terrible for the O.W.L. curriculum, Professor. How can we learn anything if we don’t practice? It expects us to be able to pass the practical exams using theory alone!”
“You got farther into the book than I did,” I nodded, Ron snorting in laughter. “I agree with you on all accounts. Five points to Gryffindor. Actually, take another five for having to suffer through it.”
“I understand you had teachers in the past who focused on theory only, such as Professor Quirrell,” I said, making Rosetta tense. “However, I believe both are just as important. You need to know when to run, when to fight, and when to hide. Not only do you need to be quick on your feet. Rely on your instincts. So I’m going to give you all your first test of the year,” I said with a grin, holding my arms out.
“I want you to hit me.”
-Rosetta Potter-
The words caused an uncomfortable silence, her classmates looking back and forth between each other as they took in the new teacher's words.
Silently, he stood in front of the class, the glass windows behind him illuminating his figure. Her first instinct was to throw a spell. She nearly did as soon as he said the words, but she couldn’t help but think the worst.
‘Is this a trap?’ she wondered, carefully lowering her wand. She was already on thin ice. If this was an excuse to try to get her expelled, it was a smart one, especially now that more than half the school wanted her gone in the first place.
Unfortunately, Ron wasn’t as hesitant as she was. “Stupefy!”
“Ron!” she panicked, but by the time he called the attack, she was too late.
The spell connected, Professor Narukami being thrown back by the force of the spell; however, the attack itself wasn’t what frightened her in that moment.
She felt her heart drop as the professor smashed into the glass behind him, shattering on impact.
There were gasps. Screams, as the students started to look at Ron in horror, her friend looking like a deer caught in headlights while she herself scrambled to the window. 
“I didn’t mean to!” Ron panicked, but his panicked shouts were quickly interrupted by a loud clap.
People turned, and as quickly as it appeared, the tension in the room dissipated, with no one happier to see the professor than Ron.
Especially when the man he just thought he killed looked perfectly fine, with not even a scratch on his face.
It was only then that she noticed something was wrong. Not that the professor survived (everyone was surprised by that), but the broken window.
All the individual pieces of glass were floating in the air, having not fallen victim to gravity.
“Bravo! Bravo!” Professor Narukami cheered, clapping Ron on the back. “That’s the fastest time today, only four seconds. Two points to Gryffindor. Oh, and thank you for worrying about my safety, Ms. Potter, but I assure you, I’m just fine.”
“How did you do that?” she asked, mouth slightly agape, making him chuckle softly.
“Just a neat trick. You will learn how to do something like that in time, as you all will.”
Slowly, the glass started to return to the window. Each and every individual shard returned to its position, and the window slowly started to repair itself, until the window looked as if it was never broken in the first place.
“I am your teacher. Hopefully, in the time I am here, I will teach you all you need to know about how to protect yourself from all manner of beasts, no matter what form they take,” he said, smiling at her.
“For now, what I want to teach you all comes down to instinct. Mr. Weasley’s attack was too slow. When it comes to such orders, I need everyone here to listen. You have instincts; when it comes to this subject, you need to follow them. If I hear that any of you die before you reach twenty years of age, then I’ve failed as a teacher,” he said, the whole class becoming silent.
For her, the comment made her wilt, memories of the graveyard coming to the forefront of her mind. Cedric didn’t deserve to die; it was her fault. If she had just taken the cup on her own, Cedric would still be alive.
However, it also brought a small sense of comfort. The new professor was brazen. Sirius would probably get along with him. He was at least somewhat competent at the job, but she was more surprised by anything to actually find herself believing his words.
‘Perhaps we actually have a good professor this year,’ she thought while taking her seat beside Ron again.
A moment later, Professor Narukami nodded, taking a seat in his lounge chair.
“Now, what do you all think a Dark Art is?”
-Yu Narukami-
Overall, my first day on the job went well.
None of the students died. Better yet, none of them were hurt either. Sure, I may have terrified a few of them, but it’s better for them to be terrified than dead.
I looked outside, seeing the beautiful Scottish scenery, a serene mile coming onto my face, only to frown a moment later. I looked down at my hand, the red symbol immediately filling me with a sense of discomfort.
The sight of them made me more worried than I would like to admit. It wasn’t part of the deal. I wasn’t a person all that knowledgeable in Fate. I know they disappear after issuing three commands, but that wasn’t what worried me.
It was the idea that there could be other masters out there.
Worse, I didn’t have anything like a noble phantasm, nor did I know how to create a summoning circle. I was stuck with the invitation without knowing where the door was.
It was part of the reason why I came to Hogwarts in the first place. Hogwarts is a school, but it was also the place I could find certain artefacts. Some of which are lost to time.
There were more dangers at Hogwarts than I let on. But what I did know wouldn’t hurt them. None of the students are going to be wandering into the Chamber of Secrets, especially when it means going to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom.
But the Chamber of Secrets didn’t interest me at the moment; I was more interested in a curse, or perhaps more accurately, a jinx.
A professor hasn’t stayed longer than a year in the position. The only known way to break it is by killing Voldemort once and for all, which meant destroying all its horcruxes.
The keyword there is ‘known.’
The curse made me curious. How do you bind a curse to something incorporeal? A conceptual position, such as a teacher? Could it be circumvented somehow? Where is the curse’s anchor?
Idly, I spun a familiar blue tarot card in my hand, smirking once I saw the card glowing a dark blue.
‘Guess I better find out.’