A/N: Hello all! This story has just been stewing in my mind for so long I can't even believe I'm finally writing it! I've just spent so long planning it out and constructing an outline, I'm so excited to finally get started!
This story will span books 5 through 7 following the relationship between my OC, Ceridwen Wynand and Severus Snape. Well I hope you enjoy my brain-baby, and please review and let me know your thoughts. (Rated M for violence and allusions to sex, but no graphic lemons!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing, excluding my original character. All the other magnificent characters belong to the phenomenal Jo Rowling.
In a small, cheerful cottage in Wales, a young woman, Ceridwen (or Carrie as she preferred to be called) sat on a slightly threadbare couch, sipping tea and reading a novel.
At 26 years old, she was just now getting used to the idea of living all alone. After graduating from Salem Witches Institute in America at the age of seventeen, she had opted into attending a muggle university; a decision she considered her best to date. As a young student at the Institute, Muggle Studies had always been her favorite subject and she relished the opportunity to study them so intimately.
Ever since she was eleven years old, Carrie's life had been a whirl-wind of socializing, study, and quidditch. Now, with all that behind her, she felt an unsettling stillness everywhere she went. And it was in silent moments like these, now that all of that was done, when Carrie wondered if her life had peaked.
She let her novel down, resting it on her knee, letting out a long sigh, pushing her mass of chaotic cocoa-colored curls from her face and taking a sip of tea from her chipped mug. The painful silence was broken by a sharp rapping at the door.
Putting her book aside, Carrie stood up from her comfortable position and made her way to the front door. The last person she would expect to see on the other side of her door was Albus Dumbledore, but there he was, in all of his fully bearded glory.
"Ceridwen! Lovely to see you," he said cheerfully, blue eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. Carrie returned the smile in earnest.
She had met Albus on one of her trips to the Ministry of Magic to renew her research permit. He had kindly offered to proofread her book: "Mingling with Muggles: The Everyday Lives of Muggles and What We Can Learn from Them", and the two had become very close during the process.
"Headmaster!" she greeted enthusiastically, inviting him into her home without hesitation, and offering him a cup of tea which he politely accepted.
"I hear your book has become quite the point of controversy," Dumbledore said conversationally, stirring some honey into his tea.
Carrie smiled a small, impish smile. Albus was as well informed as ever. Her little book had caused quite a stir amongst the pureblood-mania community. "Oh yes… my publisher is ecstatic. No such thing as bad publicity, after all," Albus just nodded jovially.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that your book has inspired my Muggle Studies teacher to do as you have done, and live amongst muggles, completely without magic for a year," Carrie's smile grew wider. "That's a lovely thing to hear, Albus," she agreed.
"Yes… But unfortunately, it leaves me quite without a Muggle Studies professor. I was hoping you would be interested in taking over for her in her absence," Carrie was shocked by the offer, to say the least. She was so young after all, with no teaching experience what-so-ever. "I'm flattered Albus… but I'm not sure if I'm qualified…"
"Nonsense," he insisted. "I've thought long and hard about this and I can't think of any one person more qualified than you are. You're incredibly intelligent, vastly knowledgeable in the subject, and your age, if anything, is quite an advantage to you. Students will be able to relate to your youthfulness and undoubtedly will adore you like all others who meet you,"
Carrie smiled softly and rolled her eyes. He was hyperbolizing of course, hoping to charm her into accepting his job offer. She was ashamed to admit that it was working.
"Well I suppose I have no choice but to accept. After all, it's all my fault that you are in this predicament to begin with," she said lightly, taking a sip from her mug.
"That it is! I'm so glad… Well then, you should arrive at Hogwarts two weeks prior to the start of term. That should be sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the school grounds and get yourself situated before classes start,"
It wasn't until after Albus had left that Carrie fully understood what she had just committed herself to. In a few short months she would need to compile a list of required reading materials, buy suitable teaching robes, organize lesson plans, outline a curriculum, write up tests, and collect teaching materials.
As she created this mental check-list in her mind, a huge grin stretched over Carrie's face. She had something to occupy her time again.
She wasted no time in completely throwing herself into the project, doing her research on the best teaching techniques, and compiling lesson plans and a curriculum. The following weeks were filled with all-nighters and many cups of coffee but Carrie hardly minded. Quite the contrary, this was the kind of thing she lived for.
All too soon, or so it seemed, August 18th had arrived. Carrie had packed up her textbooks, robes, wand, etc. and was waiting for Dumbledore to escort her onto school grounds.
She had recently discovered from one of the many books she had read in order to familiarize herself with Hogwarts, that no one (aside from Headmaster Dumbledore, apparently) could apparate onto and from school grounds. When Carrie had written to Dumbledore, expressing her concern for this minor setback, he had obligingly agreed to escort her via side-by-side apparition.
Albus would arrive any moment and Carrie was still fretting over her renegade ringlets; attempting to force a few strays into the ponytail she had attempted to construct five minutes ago.
Her appearance had by far been her number one concern since she had woken up this morning. Now, more than ever in her life, Carrie was painfully aware of how young she was. How could she expect her colleagues to take her seriously if she looked more like a student than a professor? In an attempt to look a bit more distinguished, she forced her girlish ringlets out of her face and wore her most professional looking, plum purple robes.
True to his word, Albus arrived at noon precisely. He did not bother knocking this time, but let himself in. "Ready to go Ceridwen?" he asked cheerfully, levitating a few of her trunks out onto her front lawn.
"As I'll ever be," she breathed out anxiously, turning to face her new boss. He smiled at her kindly and rested a soft hand on her shoulder. "No need to be anxious yet. There will only be four of us on school grounds for another week or so,"
"I know," she muttered, ringing her hands restlessly. Dumbledore just continued to smile reassuringly, leading her out into her front lawn and taking her hand before apparating to Hogwarts.
After the all too familiar feeling of her body being forced through a small rubber tube, she felt her feet land firmly on the ground once more. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She had heard from Dumbledore that Hogwarts' grounds were breath-taking but had never really considered that he wasn't exaggerating.
The vast stretches of grassy fields, brilliant blue lake and a perimeter of dark, old looking forest were enough to already make her happy that she had accepted the job offer. She could have been content to just stand there all day and take in her new, beautiful surroundings if Dumbledore had not begun to lead her towards the castle.
They entered the entrance hall and were greeted by the two other professors Dumbledore had mentioned before they had left Wales. One was a stern looking, older woman who was appraising her behind a pair of spectacles very similar to Dumbledore's. The other was a man was not quite as old as the woman or Dumbledore, but was certainly older than Carrie. He looked rather put out that he was there in the first place, glancing at her with measured dislike.
"Ceridwen, I would like to introduce you to Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, our Transfiguration Professor. And this is Severus Snape, our brilliant potions master. Severus, Minerva, this is Ceridwen Wynand; she will be taking over Muggle Studies while Charity is preoccupied with her field study."
"Carrie," she corrected instinctively, smiling enthusiastically at her new colleagues. "It's nice to meet you,"
Professor McGonagall returned the smile generously, returning the sentiment. Not very surprisingly however, Sour Grape Snape did not.
"Severus, would you be kind enough to show Ceridwen to her rooms?" Dumbledore asked. "Minerva and I have other tasks to attend to,"
Severus gave a stiff nod, glancing at Carrie expectantly. "This way," he said tersely, turning sharply and leading her down a corridor.
Unable to take the uncomfortable silence, Carrie attempted to strike up conversation."So Severus," She began animatedly. Unfortunately Snape did not allow her to continue.
"I'd prefer it if you referred to me as Professor Snape" he corrected coldly, still not looking back toward her as he walked briskly down the winding corridors.
"Well that seems quite unnecessary," she commented, refusing to be deterred. "It's not like I'm a student…"
"No, but it appears that you are young enough to be," he replied bitingly. This hurt Carrie maybe more than Snape had intended (or maybe not). It had been her number one fear that she would not be taken seriously because of her age.
"I assure you, Severus, I'm more than qualified," she assured him, in a cheerful voice, making sure that it did not betray an inkling of her distress. "In fact I'm more than looking forward to begin teaching. I've always loved children and…"
"I assure you, Professor Wynand, that your naiveté will be short lived. The sooner you realize that our students are, more often than not, dim-witted brats, the better off you'll be," Carrie was beginning to become quite frustrated with her unfriendly colleague. The constant interrupting and references to her age were wearing away at her patience.
"Well you're just a ball of sunshine, aren't you?" she retorted as he stopped in front of a relatively large oak door.
"This is your class room. The door in the back to the left is your office and the door behind that will lead you to your bedroom. The house elves will have already brought up your things" he said quickly, with a small glare her direction as he turned to walk off.
He skulked down the corridors angrily, unbelievably frustrated by the little chit Dumbledore had thought it wise to add to the staff. He stopped only once he had arrived at the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Licorice Whip" he said waiting for the staircase to reveal itself and proceeding to walk up.
"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore said serenely, glancing at him from behind his desk as Snape entered his office. "I expected I would be getting a visit from you,"
"What in Merlin's name possessed you to hire that insufferable girl?" Severus spat angrily.
"If you're referring to Ceridwen, I assure you she is more than qualified for her new position," Dumbledore assured him, though seemingly unsurprised that Severus had such an objection to the newest addition to the staff.
"How, in any way, could that silly little girl be considered qualified?" Snape asked, completely exasperated with the Headmaster. Wondering, maybe, if Dumbledore's old mind had finally gone the way of senility.
"Well for one thing, she is an expert on the muggle lifestyle with invaluable personal experience. Also, in the time that I've known her, she has proved herself to be quite brilliant. And surely her students will have no trouble connecting with such an engaging young woman," A mischievous twinkle returned to Dumbledore's eye. "She's quite pretty, isn't she Severus?"
"That is completely irrelevant," Snape hissed.
"Well, regardless of your personal feelings towards Professor Wynand," Dumbledore began, recovering his full authoritative stature behind his desk. "I can assure you that she will be the least of our problems this year,"
A/N: Ugh, I always hate writing the first chapter; it just never comes out very well. This is ok but I promise things will get better in chapters to come. So please review: What do you think of Ceridwen (you don't know her very well yet, but you will)? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me hear them! Thank you for reading and I'll update very soon!