Albus Dumbledore was confused. A circumstance which, on its own, already gave cause to worry.

Or so Minerva McGonagal thought as she divided her attention between the headmaster and the man they were interviewing. Anakin Skywalker, his rather empty resume read. A man neither of them had ever heard about.

Giving her old friend a moment to gather his thoughts, the deputy headmistress asked for confirmation about what they just heard: "You say that you want to take a teaching position because you felt like it?" She could not entirely keep the displeasure out of her tone, one which would have sent many others into hurried apologies and make many more sit straight.

Few wizards or witches still alive had gone through Hogwarts before she took up the position as professor for Transfiguration; to her, three generations were now current and former students.

For the first time in a long while, someone younger than herself did not shrink under her disapproval. Skywalker instead shook his head gently, the short pause he left giving her enough time to note his already white hair again. At barely fifty, decades younger than herself, while Minerva's hair still held a dark, vibrant brown colour.

"Yes and no, ma'am. I have a good sense for the threads of fate and decided to follow them. They led me here." She did not believe him and her narrowed eyes said so.

This was when Albus raised his hand slightly, making her stop with the inquiry she had been thinking of. He took a long look at the man in front of them while folding his hands once more. The very picture of a sage, his beard neatly trimmed and magenta robes wrapped around his person. "Truth be told, Mr. Skywalker, I have a hard time believing in such. As far as I know, you did not exist until a few years ago."

That was news to Minerva; she had thought Skywalker to be from the US with how he spoke, but if Albus' sources could not pin him, there might be more to it.

Surprisingly, the accusation did not lead to tension, but rather a tired smile. The younger man sighed deeply while covering his face. "You are as well-informed as I feared. I hoped I wouldn't have to reveal more about myself considering my... 'competition', but that was a fool's hope."

Minerva could not help but scowl, though this time not due to the man in front of them. It was quite true that neither she nor Albus thought much of Gilderoy Lockhart despite his impressive resume. His holier than thou type of behaviour grated on Minerva's nerves, to name only one of the many reasons she thought she would welcome any other applicant with open arms. Then Anakin Skywalker happened.

Albus, however, chuckled and offered another lemon drop, which was accepted once more. "Ah, yes, I can see what you mean. Mr Lockhart is certainly impressive, but... pardon?" He beheld the younger man, who had snorted so snidely that Minerva could feel his displeasure.

"I can assure you that this man is in no way what his books make him out to be. Looking at him, I see little more than a weak-willed fop who lives on his fame, not a seasoned and clever warrior."

The headmaster's silence spoke more than any agreement ever would, seeing how he was usually a man who defended others' qualities. Minerva's eyes narrowed as she reevaluated the man in front of her; he had an eye for detail, though she could not figure out how he came to the same conclusion she had without having taught Lockhart for five years. Not that either her or Albus had proof. "And what brings you to that understanding?"

Another snort and Skywalker made a dismissive motion. "No scars, no hard lines, all handsome. Politicians look like that, not those who go into battle. As for his will..." he suddenly began to grin. "How about you call him in and I demonstrate?"

Minerva cast a glance at Albus, likely just as intrigued as he was. A minute nod was given and she rose to step to the door. Opening it, she nodded at the immaculately dressed man waiting outside. "Mr. Lockhart, if you would enter."

The fop snapped his golden pocketwatch shut and smiled a pearly smile that only made Minerva wish for the gargoyle guarding the entrance to fall back over. "Naturally, it was about time!" And so he entered, giving the same smile to his fellow applicant and the headmaster. "It was quite obvious you would choose myself over an unknown such as-" "-you do not wish to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Minerva saw it, saw the older man's hand move in a soft gesture, felt a weak sting against her mind, and felt it slide off like a gentle flow of water going over her head. She saw Gilderoy Lockhart's eyes gloss over for a moment; the blond blinked a few times and looked around, then he chuckled gently. "Although, now that I consider the matter again, perhaps I was a little overeager, applying at such a prestigious school. I would like to withdraw my application, Professor Dumbledore."

The dumbfounded man nodded and Lockhart beamed his annoying solar flare. "Fantastic. I will take my leave then!" And off he was, shutting the door behind himself.

Minerva stared at Anakin Skywalker, who had just cast an Imperius Curse wandlessly. Her own wand was out in an instant, but then it left her fingers and floated over to the younger man's hand. He only had a single finger extended. "Now, we do not need to escalate this. If you'll allow me to explain?"

She did not really have a choice without her wand; Minerva only carried spares when she went out on business or knew battle was imminent. A mistake she would correct posthaste. Albus, despite still holding his wand, nodded. A moment later, her own floated back toward Minerva and was received cautiously.

"As I was meaning to say, this little trick only works on the weak-willed, and only conveys nudges. It is good for getting out of a difficult position, but little more. To demonstrate." Skywalker took a few steps back until they could both see him properly and repeated this soft wave of his hand. "Gilderoy Lockhart is the man you want for the position."

Again Minerva felt something wash over her mind, and again it slid off like water. She did not feel any different, unaffected. She definitely did not believe that Lockhart was particularly useful, so she took this as proof. "Very well, Mr. Skywalker. Your talent for wandless magic is quite astounding."

She motioned for the abandoned chairs and all of them returned to their seats. Fawkes, the headmaster's phoenix, trilled a song that made their remaining applicant grimace. "A bit of honesty then: no wandless magic, no magic at all, at least not in your definition. I draw upon the Force."

"The Force, Mr. Skywalker?" Albus leaned forward with open curiousity, a glint reflected off his glasses. "I have to admit I never heard of a power by that name. Would you care to elaborate?"

Anakin leaned back in his chair a little as he thought, although Minerva felt that she saw a hint of a grin creep onto his expression when he finally spoke: "The Force is any and all, it surrounds us and suffuses us. The Force is life and death, beginning and end, journey and goal. From the Force your magic draws in creative ways, and from the Force I draw powers far different. All are one in the Force, and the Force is all of us."

He left it at that; once it became clear he would not speak further of the matter, Minerva could not stop herself from twitching, a cheshire grin barely suppressed. Albus had an admirable pokerface, but he, too, did not miss the irony of being the victim of a wise man's philosophical non-answer.

As if to add insult to injury, Skywalker then offered a friendly smile and folded his hands in his lap. "And as I said in the beginning, the Force is what led me here to play my role."

She could not help but ask: "What kind of role would that be?" Unfortunately, his response was a shrug.

"I don't know what awaits at the end of my path, I merely know that it leads here, now. The Force works in mysterious ways."

"Hm." Albus leaned back as well and Minerva knew that he was convinced to give this man a chance. "This is certainly-" But then he broke off, eyes widening; Minerva became alert and divided her attention between the two, finding Anakin displaying wariness for the first time. He did not break the headmaster's gaze.

"You should not have done that," he told the older man gently. "My mind is not a place you wish to be. I know full well what I am, that I fell to darkness like few others have and ever will. But I was given a second chance to the light; who better to teach how to defend against the darkness than a master of it? Who better to teach them to fight monsters than such a monster?"

Albus blinked and fell back into his chair while Minerva took in what just happened. The headmaster had used his legilimency to look into Anakin Skywalker's mind, finding something that shocked him to the core, if Albus' shaking hands were any indication. The man before them called himself a monster, one who wished to take a second chance he was given in some way.

Minerva had lived much of recent history and she knew Albus. This man would receive the position, though under observation from at least one of them. Misconduct would be punished.

In the second she needed to reach that conclusion, her old friend caught himself and put on a somewhat shaky smile. "That was indeed more than I expected. Rest assured that your secret is safe with me, Mr. Skywalker. Or Anakin, if I may?" A nod was given and Albus clapped his hands. "Marvelous. To the students though, you will be Professor Skywalker."

Hands were shaken, and that was that. Minerva knew that preparations had to be made. It was but a month until the new term would begin.