Once loved twice pained

Begin chapter one.

Audrey.

It was late afternoon, almost supper, when the letter came. Complete with horse drawn carriage and a messenger from the ministry. The moment I set it on the table to finish cleaning, it flew up and abruptly began saying "Urgent. Urgent. Urgent" I grabbed it and it stopped, just as fast as it had begun with a sigh. I open the seal and it began stating its message.

Dear ,

The ministry of magic and Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry has made note of you exceptional skills in flight and in air fighting, and humbly like to invite you to substitute in teaching flight at Hogwarts for the next year. The ministry's papers state your term as a perpetual emissary ended 1 year ago. On the next page will be a list or necessary and suggested items to bring with you. The ministry's papers also state you have a 5 year old daughter, and fortunately, the headmaster of Hogwarts, albus Dumbledore has agreed to let your daughter to stay with you. You will be provided a cottage, on school grounds, in the area surrounding the school. Please consider this offer as soon as possible, and if you do not arrive at Hogwarts in 10 days' time, this offer will expire.

The ministry of magic

Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.

The first page of the letter proceeded to crumble its self into a ball and catch fire, the ashes floating down into a head of black curly tangled hair, one that had just showed up. "Millie! When did you get here?" I asked, surprised. She shook her self off and looked up at me. "Mommy where are we going?" she asked. "Millie, dear, mommy was asked to be a teacher." Her eyes widened. "A teacher like to teach things? Like when you teach me magic every day?" "Yes dear. Mommy will teach at the school where mommy learned magic." Her eyes became downcast and she looked away. "No" she murmured. I went over and began to brush her hair out. "Why not?" I asked. "Cause if mommy has to leave you'll leave me with Aunty Sam, right?" her doey brown eyes began to fill with tears. "I don't want you to leave me mommy!" "Oh no!" I said. "You don't have to go to Aunty Sam's house! You can come with mommy and we will have our own little cottage and supper every night." She jumped up and ran around the room, her arms extended out like wings. "Our own supper! So Davey won't steal my potatoes at dinner ever again!" she was beaming. "Come now we have to go into diagonalley for supplies and to get a new broom." I said.

It was midday when we arrived at the school. The train ride was long, but the reward paid off greatly. We were greeted by headmaster Dumbledore. He remembered me and was happy to have Mildred (he seemed to like calling everybody by their full names) joining us, saying she could learn lots. We settled into our cottage with great relief. All of the teachers that wished for it had a suit in the school and a cottage on school grounds. They were fairly spaced, with at least one tree in between each. There was a bathroom, kitchen, living room, and 2 bedrooms. There was 2 days left for us to unpack and for me to read the notes the previous flying instructor left for me. We got to work, so we could finish unpacking before supper. Millie was ecstatic with her new bedroom. She took her time arranging her magic books on the shelve and her dolls on her bed. I put up her favorite curtains, the ones that opened and closed to wake her up and help her sleep. We then moved on to furnishing the living room. I pulled out my wand and got to work. Out of the backpack we brought, one of the ones that are bigger on the inside than the outside, we unearthed the sofa and loveseat. The small table and pushed and pulled until they were positioned just right, in front of the fire place. Millie got onto her stool and arranged pictures and candles on top of the mantle and around the room on a few lamp tables we had set up. By the time we got around to the kitchen it was dark. We had only an hour left before someone would deliver our dinner. It was only Right as we had the table and chairs pulled out (we had already done the icebox and oven) did Millie run to the door and pull a figure into the room. I didn't turn around. "I'll be right there. Dear please seat them in the living room" I said. I finished setting the table and called for them to come in. Millie came 'round the corner, a delicate and fair skinned hand in hers. She was talking about the spells I had recently taught her. "An' so now I can make things float in the air and move them around." "Very good!" a strangely familiar voice said. I cringed. "Winifred?" I asked. She came around the doorway and glomped me, a wicker basket in hand. Dinner. "You remember!" She squealed. "I would have sworn you had forgotten me!" "I would have sworn I had…" she pulled back and smiled. "I brought you dinner! Roast beef, potatoes, gravy, apple sauce and sugar cookies!" Millie perked up at the sound of "potatoes" and "cookies." Winry sighed. "You haven't changed" she said. "Still hot 'n cold. So spill! Have you kept in contact with him?" Immediately knew who she meant by "him." I began to unpack the food. "No. we ended it when I left. He said it wasn't worth keeping all this up" "then Millie isn't..." I turned. "I don't know. Something happened the night I left. I was drunk…I don't know" I plated up the food, spacing it for three people. We sat. Millie must have sensed the tense air, because she started asking questions to keep up the conversation. "Were you mommy's friend in school?" she asked. "Yes." "Did you guys have classes together?" For a moment, she short-ended question went on and on until I said "Millie, bedtime dear." "awww but mommy the conversation was just getting good!"

I smiled. She pronounced conversation as con-ber-sashion. It was one of few words she couldn't pronounce. After Millie was settled, I saw win off. "It was nice seeing you," she said. "Yes. Will I see you at the teacher's ball?" I asked, curious. "Yes! I am a substitute like you are so I will be joining." She looked bright. Happy. "I'll see you tomorrow, win." "Bye!" she said. I closed the door. The teachers ball, huh? I wonder if he will be there… no. I won't be coddled by such thoughts. I went to bed reluctantly.

Severus.

I cannot say I was indisposed at the thought of seeing her. I wasn't all too pleased, either. The dining hall was filled with students dressed in a variety of suits and dresses. The only people un-masked included myself, headmaster Dumbledore, headmistress McGonagall, and a small child running through the crowd. She looked no older than seven years, a frilled pale brownish-red dress and a red gothic miniature top hat perched atop her waist length wavy black hair. Her expression was mostly melancholic, or a smile not wholehearted. She seemed to wander, running at some times or loitering at others. She was well acquainted with Dumbledore. Rather than socializing, getting to know students I would never look at twice, I slipped away, escaped out the double doors leading into the main hallway that ran throughout half of the school. There wasn't much to do at this time of night. As much as some may think, I'd rather be reading by a fire than catching students in supply closets kissing. I rounded a corner, closing in into an opened door leading to the housing that most other professor's, including myself, resided during the school year. I could smell the distinct smell of newton's mixed cigarettes, a brand only sold in diagonally. I knew this of course, because I used to smoke this myself some time ago. As I neared the door i heard the light pitter-patter of small footsteps. A bushy head of black hair bumped into the back of my legs. The child from the party. "I am sorry." She said, barely bothering to glance up at me. I've seen that before… where? The girl walked up to the door, reached around it and pulled out a wand. "Mildred! What do you think you're doing with my wand, hmm?" a quizzical voice asked. I kept walking. I didn't need to be a part of this. "Maybe I could learn a spell to help me find daddy. I was going to ask the people at the party!" the girl said. "That's nice dear." I was less than a foot away when the unseen woman bent down, picking up the child. I stopped dead in my tracks. The woman, tall with a fair complexion and perfect posture was familiar. All too familiar. Her hair, white with black stripes pulled into a tight bun, letting loose only her side swept bangs and two strands of hair on either side of her head that were purposely loosened. She wore a pinstripe vest over a pale green floor length dress. Quite Victorian. There was only one woman who I've ever known who dresses like that on their free time. Before she looked up I spun on my heel and floored it as naturally as possible. The teachers were right. There was an assassin teaching broom flight this year. Not to mention my first, and last (as of today) love. Audrey Sanct. My ex-student. And she has a child.

Fuck.

Audrey

"Darling, who…who was that man just now?" I asked. "A professor" she answered, almost monotone. "You didn't…happen to catch his name did you?" "Nope I did not talk to him." "Well, did you have fun at the party? Did you meet new people?" I asked, so she wouldn't dwell on my curiosity connected to the strange man. She began to rattle off about the few people took her seriously and how prof. McGonagall was the only one who really listened to her. I occasionally nodded and said "yeah" so she would keep going but my mind was somewhere else completely. I can believe he's still a teacher here. How does he feel about me coming back? And…Millie…?