Hello my lovely readers. I know it has been a while since I have published anything but I have a good reason for it being so long. And since said reason is now sleeping through the night and isn't getting me up every two hours I am hoping to get back to work. Found is currently being re-worked and will be updated eventually. As always, I own nothing except Holly. xoxo -TGP
Albus Dumbledore could not be described easily. Some tried to use the word odd or brilliant or even just strange. His speeches left his audiences confused, enthralled or looking at their watch pieces to see how much time had passed since the last time they had checked.
Holly O'Brennen had discovered she was in the latter category, especially when it came to staff meetings in the middle of July when the weather was finally nice enough to go play fetch with the giant squid. She had discovered a few treats that would keep her from being snared and thrown into the deepest parts of the lake and said treat (today was cheese, a sharp cheddar) was fermenting in her bag as Dumbledore went on and on about time tables. The staff reconvened three times during the summer holiday: the day after the students left, in the middle of the holidays to update on possible staff changes and two weeks before the students returned when all members of staff returned or started another year. She noted with a small snort that several members of staff had obviously come from their attempted holiday, apparently trying to blend in with the muggles of their respective destinations. Trying being the key word.
Holly was about to jump out the fifth story window of the staff room when Dumbledore uttered a thank-Gods-this-meeting-is-concluding phrase of "and if you all will join me in welcoming our newest professors." The face at the end of Dumbledore's hand was a handsome one, beaming (could a persons smile get that wide without becoming painful?) dark curls falling almost artfully in place, framing sky blue eyes. "Professor Christopher Buttleberry will be taking our Defense classes as Professor Arborne will have to remain in St. Mungo's to recover from his injuries sustained during this past years final exams." Holly took him in slowly and felt a coldness wash over her; she remembered Buttleberry as he had been a cocky seventh year when she made her way through the doors of Hogwarts the first time. He had spent time with some other member of the Slug Club studying potions (which she heard was a lot more of 'studying' the effects of Firewhiskey on livers, particularly their own). He hadn't been friendly to his own house and less so to their rivals, even to members as little as she had been. A proud Gryffindor he may have been, but she was no tiny Slytherin any longer who didn't know how to do anything besides levitate a feather.
Besides, she thought with a pained smirk, he would only be there a year. No one had lasted longer than that in ages. Finally snapping into attention once again, Holly took in her surroundings. Flitwick was dozing in his chair in his tropical shirt and neon orange swimming costume, Poppy was chatting absently with Minerva in their respective robes and Hooch was passing a flask back and forth with herbology professor Agatha Merrytroot, both wearing similar quidditch team jerseys. She saw a shadow suddenly shift in her peripheral vision, making her head snap almost audibly, eyes widening slightly Holly cocked her head.
Dumbledore seemed to have seen her movement and cut Buttleberry off his obnoxiously long introduction, "oh yes! I couldn't forget our other new addition. Severus Snape of course graduated a few years ago as many of you perhaps remember."
If someone had walked into the room at that moment they would have thought it was a room of statues. Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing at the same exact moment, every eye was turned to the center of the room before glancing out of the side of their eyes at the newcomer.
Dumbledore coughed into his hand delicately before clapping his hands in front of him, "Horace has decided that last year would also be his last, instead to spend time to enjoy the finer things in life. Severus will be the Head of Slytherin and will be taking over all potions classes. His natural talent with the subject should make for some impressive potion score rankings."
Holly never took her eyes off of Severus as Albus concluded the meeting with some odd joke about a hippogriff, a lightbulb and a bottle of Dewshine brewed on a full moon. He had aged so much in such little time, a world of stress seemed to now push down on his shoulders and his hair was almost mangy. His dark eyes were downcast and Serverus almost seemed to be trying to turn into himself as if to make himself smaller and quite unsuccessfully unnoticed.
Poppy grabbed her elbow before she could cross over to him and ask him what the hell was going on, practically dragging her from the room.
"You mussent ask what he is doing here Holly- Don't even ask me young lass," Poppy said with a iron note in her voice. "I have every right to ask why the bloody hell he is here Poppy," said Holly in a angry whisper. "I thought he was off playing bloody-stupid-Death Arse with the rest of my house." Poppy patted her arm slowly, "Dumbledore has his reasons. I can't tell you without breaking my oath, but believe me when I say he wouldn't be here unless he had to be."
Defeat flowing through her veins, Holly sighed and looked around before catching the tail end of a black cloak sweeping down the passageway to the dungeons. Shaking out her dark ponytail and running a hand through her curls, Holly thought about what Poppy said before following the Healer down towards the main staircase. Severus being here could mean several things, most regarding things she wasn't particularly supposed to know about. She continued to ponder as she absently walked out the front doors of the castle, tossing a football sized block of cheese from hand to hand. And as she threw golf ball sized chunks into the arms of a extremely happy giant squid she felt the grass kiss the parts of her legs not covered by the cutoff shorts and the breeze whipped through her white linen blouse as the sun warmed her gently.
All seemed at peace, all seemed calm and all seemed quiet.
She knew it wouldn't last.