Hi, peoples! Thanks for reading! Yes, I know that I am slacking on my other story, but I'll be getting back to that one shortly, so please don't hunt me down and proceed to murder me. Gracias.

Anyways, before I begin, I'd like to make sure that you know:

I'm going to try to keep this fic as canon as possible, but there will be some changes. (Mostly due to the addition of an OC)

The fic that you are currently reading is written from multiple points of views, so please be sure to check the POV before reading a new chapter.

Ok, now that I've gotten all that out, you'll never have to hear that much from me again.

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would not currently be lacking in a golden plunger.

Enjoy!

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
― Allen Saunders

August 1996

Albus

She was hard to find and even harder to talk to. She knew I was looking for her. And she stubbornly remained hidden, close yet far away, always one step ahead of me. I do not think that it was that she did not want to see me, to speak to me, but that it was because she was afraid of what I had to say. So the girl—no, woman, now, steadfastly avoided me, and I have to say that I very nearly gave up. But they don't call me the Greatest Wizard of the Age for nothing. And no one, not even Roth Wilder, can hide from me forever. Needless to say, I eventually found and cornered her.

Obviously, she wasn't happy.

"What do you want, Professor?" Roth sighed, shaking her head. Her body is positioned to go, to sprint away from the doors to the Aurors' Offices. "I need to get home. P—"

I put a hand on her shoulder stopping her for just a second, but a second was all I needed. "Just give me a moment, Roth. I promise I will explain."

"I don't want to know. You've been following me around for the whole summer—"

"I needed to speak with you. You haven't been answering my letters."

"Maybe it's a 'no'. I already have a job, Professor, I don't need a new one."

I raise an eyebrow at this. "You just quit," I comment dryly.

She blushes at this, the ghost of a sheepish smile brightening her face just a little. "And I'll go find another one!"

I know that she won't. If I let her go, she'll leave and never come back. I need her. The Order needs her. The whole Wizarding World needs her.

"Won't you at least consider teaching? Think of it as a favor for an old man."

Roth frowns. "No, really, I'm sorry, but I can't. Besides, I won't make a good teacher…"

I shake my head, putting on an encouraging smile. "Roth, you are the most qualified Potions teache—"

"Potions? I was under the impression that I'd be teaching Defense!"

"There's been a slight change, but you're equally as capable. I'm confident in your abilities."

She steps back, and I see panic and uncertainty clearly written in the depths of her azure eyes. But she's thinking hard, too.

"Come on, Roth. Hogwarts needs you." I lower my voice. "Especially now, you know. The students—who is going to protect them? Who is more qualified than you to teach them all they need to know?"

"Surely you can find some other witch or wizard…"

"No one can top your Potions Mastery and your experience as an Auror, you know that."

"No." She's angry now. "Why must you insist when the answer is so clear?"

"I'm not forcing you—"

"Sure." Roth rolls her eyes.

"—just hoping," I finish. "You, my dear, would be the best thing that has ever happened to our school."

"Professor Dumbledore, I believe that the best thing that has happened to Hogwarts would be you."

I smile, but am quiet.

"Besides, I don't have any teaching experience—none whatsoever. There must be better candidates than me. After all, the teaching post you are currently offering me is a job to die for."

"I am sure that there is someone out there who is willing to take this post, but I want you to do it. I don't doubt your abilities, Roth. This would be good for you." I pour everything I've got into these words, hoping, begging, that she'll at least pause and think about what I've said for a moment.

"Just consider it. Please." Her face is frustratingly blank, smooth from years of keeping secrets and telling lies.

"I already have—"

"No. Really think. You need a break."

"I—"

I continue to talk, raising my voice, drowning her out. People are starting to stare, but I pay them no attention. "No cooking, cleaning, doing—"

"YOU KNOW THAT I CAN'T!"

"—laundry," I finish lamely.

She glares at me, breathing hard. The poker face she had worn just a second ago has been discarded, tossed to the floor. Anger now replaces it, hot and red and painful.

I touch her shoulder. "I know that you can. I cannot just simply leave you to…" I stop, my voice fading out. I don't need to finish my sentence, we both know what I was about to say, and that's good enough. Roth drops her gaze to the floor.

"I want to."

"You shouldn't, and I can't very well let you do so in good conscience. Listen. You can do good."

"Can I?" Her words are hard, final. She does not expect an answer. She does not want one. Roth turns away and begins to stride towards the elevators. Her shoulders are tense, her fists clenched so tightly that all the blood has gone from them. She does not expect that I will follow her. She is wrong.

I chase after her, my arm gravitating towards her body. I shake my hand free from my sleeve, so that the shriveled black lump that used to be a functioning hand is in plain view. Then I bump it against her shoulder, hard enough to be mistaken for a punch. Roth turns around slowly, eyes narrowed. Her lips are bloody, no doubt a product of her anger. She opens her mouth, ready for yet another verbal battle. That's when she notices my charred fingertips, still frozen in midair. Her eyes widen.

"Professor…"

This is it. If my hand cannot convince her…nothing will.

"What happened? Did…did he do it to you?"

It's been a long time since Roth has stuttered. That's a good sign.

"No, an old man's folly, I'm afraid."

"How…?"

I cannot resist saying what pours out of my traitorous mouth next. "That's a secret, you know. Classified information. Only the most privileged Hogwarts staff members can be trusted with this information…"

She looks at me. To my amazement, she burst out laughing, a bright, beaming, bubbly sound that was unexpected but so, so delightful. She hesitates, though, before she cautiously speaks.

"I guess I'll just have to join the staff, then…"

I expect a smile, but her worried eyes just creep back to my hand again. I quickly hide it in my sleeve.

"Really?"

"Is that not what you wanted?"

"It was just so easy, at the end. Why?"

"Why not?"

I shake my head. Sometimes, there are no answers.

"Professor, sometimes I think that you are the one who needs a break." She glances pointedly at my limp hand. "Is Severus taking care of you?"

"Of course."

"Right, then…"

"So I'll see you on August twentieth, I hope?"

This time there is no pause before she parrots the words 'of course' back at me.

So, I hope you liked that…please let me know what you thought and leave a comment! Stay tuned for more!