Disclaimer: The character all belong to JK Rowling except for Glory. I shamelessly stole her name from Joss Whedon's creation. He owns her name.
Myths of the Flood
Far from happy, Severus Snape stood with Albus Dumbledore and waited for the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Moments after it arrived students would begin to spill out, trembling first years, boisterous second and third year students, happy to no longer be the youngest in the school. The seventh year students were usually the worst, thinking that they were the rulers of the school and Snape hated that. Dumbledore was the ruler of the school and the students needed to be kept in their place, but whenever he brought it up the Headmaster only chuckled and shook his head. Snape would never understand teenagers.
Draco Malfoy was the first Slytherin student that Snape saw and he nodded slightly to the boy, knowing how lost the boy must have been feeling after the eventful summer that had just passed them by. Without any warning Voldemort had struck, killing half of his own followers including Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother. He had since gone into hiding, and his followers were now few and far between. Lucius Malfoy had sworn to get revenge on Voldemort for his wife's murder and most of the Death Eater had followed his lead.
Draco slipped past Snape and walked toward the carriages, his head down and his eyes on the ground. Snape had never known the boy to look so submissive, but then again he had never seen the boy after losing a member of his family. As he thought about what kind of treatment to give Draco during his last year, the rest of the students came pouring out onto the grounds. Most of the older students moved toward the carriages quickly, wanting to get out of the cool evening rain. The first years stood nervously, waiting to be told what to do.
"How long does it take one to get off a train?" Snape asked bitterly, wanting nothing more than to get into a carriage and dry his wet robes.
"Patience is a virtue, Severus," Dumbledore said, with the hint of a smile on his lips.
Snape sighed and crossed his arms under his robes, wishing he had taken the time to cast a spell to ward off the rain that was now dripping down the end of his nose. They were waiting for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor to step off the train with her guardian, someone to protect her when the almost inevitable attack from Voldemort came. Snape didn't know what it was, but apparently there was something inside her that Voldemort wanted to get his hands on. Dumbledore had hired her both to protect her and to give the students someone who had experience in the field. The woman, though apparently quite young, was a retired Auror.
Snape sunk deeper into his bad mood as he thought about the position she would be holding at Hogwarts. The position he'd been vying for, for years.
"There she is," Dumbledore murmured finally and Snape glanced up to watch the woman step off the train.
She had apparently had the time to cast a spell to protect herself from the cold rain because it slid off an invisible shield around her, keeping her perfectly dry and perfectly happy. She was statuesque, tall, thin and blonde. Snape could only see her profile but he could see the model perfect smile and the brilliant blue of her eyes that sparkled with happiness when she caught sight of Dumbledore. Snape hated her on sight, though he couldn't help but think that she was Lucius Malfoy's ideal woman.
"And there's Lucius," Dumbledore said a moment later and Snape blinked, wondering if he had spoken out loud. His black eyes were drawn back toward the train and he saw Lucius step down, following the blonde woman carrying what appeared to be her trunk.
"Glorificus," Dumbledore murmured, stepping forward to shake the hand of the woman. She turned toward them finally, showing Snape her entire face. He took a step back when he saw her, he was that startled by the deep scar that cut through her right eyebrow and continued down her right temple.
"You know better, Albus," she said, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Call me Glory."
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, my dear." He turned toward Snape. "Severus Snape, this is Glory Beckwith. She will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Severus," she said, shaking his hand.
Snape frowned. "We've met before?"
Glory smiled . . . beamed was probably a more appropriate word. "I didn't expect you to remember. You were concentrating very hard on abducting a teenage girl for Voldemort, I believe."
Snape blinked, completely startled with her knowledge of the attempted abduction. He had been sent out to kidnap a young, attractive girl, one who would fulfill the needs of any Death Eater who wanted to take advantage of her. He had found the model perfect young woman in The Three Broomsticks and had waited until she had left the building by herself, then followed her into the dark alley.
She had fought back valiantly, especially for a girl who was just graduating from Hogwarts. Although he hadn't been able to take her back with him, Snape remembered clubbing her with a broken bottle he had found in the alley. A broken bottle that had smashed and ripped open her face, spilling her blood onto his hands and robes.
"Merlin's Beard," he breathed, turning away from Glory.
Her hand caught his wrist. "It's okay, Severus. I understand."
"You couldn't possibly-"
"She does," Lucius interrupted him. "She understands better than we could ever possibly think."
Snape stared at him for a moment. "What are you doing here?"
Lucius grinned suddenly. "I'm her guardian. Why else would I be here?"
Dumbledore took Glory's elbow gently and began to lead her toward the carriages and Lucius followed a second later. Soon, only Snape was left standing in the rain, staring at the carriage they had disappeared into as rain dripped down his back. He shivered involuntarily, but whether it was from the rain of from Glory's sudden appearance he couldn't be sure.
* * * *
Notes: The title comes from a Mythology book that I own. It will come into play eventually.
Myths of the Flood
Far from happy, Severus Snape stood with Albus Dumbledore and waited for the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Moments after it arrived students would begin to spill out, trembling first years, boisterous second and third year students, happy to no longer be the youngest in the school. The seventh year students were usually the worst, thinking that they were the rulers of the school and Snape hated that. Dumbledore was the ruler of the school and the students needed to be kept in their place, but whenever he brought it up the Headmaster only chuckled and shook his head. Snape would never understand teenagers.
Draco Malfoy was the first Slytherin student that Snape saw and he nodded slightly to the boy, knowing how lost the boy must have been feeling after the eventful summer that had just passed them by. Without any warning Voldemort had struck, killing half of his own followers including Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother. He had since gone into hiding, and his followers were now few and far between. Lucius Malfoy had sworn to get revenge on Voldemort for his wife's murder and most of the Death Eater had followed his lead.
Draco slipped past Snape and walked toward the carriages, his head down and his eyes on the ground. Snape had never known the boy to look so submissive, but then again he had never seen the boy after losing a member of his family. As he thought about what kind of treatment to give Draco during his last year, the rest of the students came pouring out onto the grounds. Most of the older students moved toward the carriages quickly, wanting to get out of the cool evening rain. The first years stood nervously, waiting to be told what to do.
"How long does it take one to get off a train?" Snape asked bitterly, wanting nothing more than to get into a carriage and dry his wet robes.
"Patience is a virtue, Severus," Dumbledore said, with the hint of a smile on his lips.
Snape sighed and crossed his arms under his robes, wishing he had taken the time to cast a spell to ward off the rain that was now dripping down the end of his nose. They were waiting for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor to step off the train with her guardian, someone to protect her when the almost inevitable attack from Voldemort came. Snape didn't know what it was, but apparently there was something inside her that Voldemort wanted to get his hands on. Dumbledore had hired her both to protect her and to give the students someone who had experience in the field. The woman, though apparently quite young, was a retired Auror.
Snape sunk deeper into his bad mood as he thought about the position she would be holding at Hogwarts. The position he'd been vying for, for years.
"There she is," Dumbledore murmured finally and Snape glanced up to watch the woman step off the train.
She had apparently had the time to cast a spell to protect herself from the cold rain because it slid off an invisible shield around her, keeping her perfectly dry and perfectly happy. She was statuesque, tall, thin and blonde. Snape could only see her profile but he could see the model perfect smile and the brilliant blue of her eyes that sparkled with happiness when she caught sight of Dumbledore. Snape hated her on sight, though he couldn't help but think that she was Lucius Malfoy's ideal woman.
"And there's Lucius," Dumbledore said a moment later and Snape blinked, wondering if he had spoken out loud. His black eyes were drawn back toward the train and he saw Lucius step down, following the blonde woman carrying what appeared to be her trunk.
"Glorificus," Dumbledore murmured, stepping forward to shake the hand of the woman. She turned toward them finally, showing Snape her entire face. He took a step back when he saw her, he was that startled by the deep scar that cut through her right eyebrow and continued down her right temple.
"You know better, Albus," she said, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Call me Glory."
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, my dear." He turned toward Snape. "Severus Snape, this is Glory Beckwith. She will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Severus," she said, shaking his hand.
Snape frowned. "We've met before?"
Glory smiled . . . beamed was probably a more appropriate word. "I didn't expect you to remember. You were concentrating very hard on abducting a teenage girl for Voldemort, I believe."
Snape blinked, completely startled with her knowledge of the attempted abduction. He had been sent out to kidnap a young, attractive girl, one who would fulfill the needs of any Death Eater who wanted to take advantage of her. He had found the model perfect young woman in The Three Broomsticks and had waited until she had left the building by herself, then followed her into the dark alley.
She had fought back valiantly, especially for a girl who was just graduating from Hogwarts. Although he hadn't been able to take her back with him, Snape remembered clubbing her with a broken bottle he had found in the alley. A broken bottle that had smashed and ripped open her face, spilling her blood onto his hands and robes.
"Merlin's Beard," he breathed, turning away from Glory.
Her hand caught his wrist. "It's okay, Severus. I understand."
"You couldn't possibly-"
"She does," Lucius interrupted him. "She understands better than we could ever possibly think."
Snape stared at him for a moment. "What are you doing here?"
Lucius grinned suddenly. "I'm her guardian. Why else would I be here?"
Dumbledore took Glory's elbow gently and began to lead her toward the carriages and Lucius followed a second later. Soon, only Snape was left standing in the rain, staring at the carriage they had disappeared into as rain dripped down his back. He shivered involuntarily, but whether it was from the rain of from Glory's sudden appearance he couldn't be sure.
* * * *
Notes: The title comes from a Mythology book that I own. It will come into play eventually.