Author's Note: The first chapter of "Collapse" is very long. Please bear with me and read the story. This is all important to the plot, believe it or not. (I just rhymed!) Please just read it and don't skip ahead. Thank you!

Dark. That's all life has become, not knowing what is real, what isn't, what's just an illusion. How has this happened to me? I have made bad decisions, some fatal to others, but I have lived to this day. And for what? To play a part in a game I never intended to play? Two parts, to be exact. I am no Death Eater. Or am I?

I stand and leave my office. There is a professors' meeting the night before school starts. Great, just great. I get to have more children to keep up with-as if keeping Potter alive while playing my part for the Dark Lord convincingly isn't enough work already!

I am one of the last ones to enter the Great Hall. "Terribly sorry," I say, sitting in my place between Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick. Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts's Headmaster, looks at me with a barely comprehensible smile.

"That is fine, Severus," says Dumbledore. "We are still a professor or two short."

I nod and look up and down the table. We are sitting at the long table in front of the House tables, while the wizened Dumbledore stands at his podium. Minerva McGonagall is pacing the table in her cat form, silvery fur sleek and strong as usual, her head cocked with attentiveness. Rubeus Hagrid, in his massive form, is sitting not too far away from me, gnawing on the leg of some type of poultry, meat sliding into his tangled beard. Sybill Trelawney sits fretfully near the end of the table, and I wonder how on Earth she got here on time. The other professors sit like ghosts, watching the door for the others to arrive. One of them I know actually is a ghost. Cuthbert Binns is floating ominously above his chair. The only reason he doesn't give me chills is because I've been forced to see him for fifteen years. I look away and survey the room once more. Maroon, yellow, blue, black, green, silver. The perfect wizard sanctuary.

"Sorry! Dear, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

I turn to the large doors to see a woman rushing in. I can scarcely see her face, for my eyes run straight to her robes. There's so much pink there I think I might be sick. In fact, pink is the essence of her entire appearance. Wiry, straight brown hair curled just so at the ends, large baby-blue eyes with a hint of pinkishness in them. Upon closer inspection, I could see that her round face reminds me of that of a toad. In short, she was quite possibly the ugliest woman alive.

Is she seriously the one Dumbledore chose for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?

I look at Dumbledore, hoping that my incredulous disgust is apparent on my face. He looks from the woman to me and nods. This only furthers my suspicion that Hogwarts's headmaster is completely and utterly mad.

I stare at the woman as she sits, feeling as though I have seen her somewhere. She notices and gives me a sickeningly sweet and girly smile. Dumbledore straightens in front of his podium, and everyone turns to watch. Minerva flicks her fluffy tail and leaps into her seat, instantly becoming human again. Filch is the only one that pays no attention to Dumbledore, as he is staring at the womanly newcomer, his eyes bulging slightly. It takes all my self-control not to jinx him.

"As you can see," Dumbledore says, which snaps Filch to attention, "there is a newcomer in our presence." He nods to her, and that sickly sweet smile comes back again. Dumbledore looks at us again and says, "This is Dolores Umbridge, and she is here to replace last year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." I cringe, remembering Bartemius Crouch Jr., who had fooled most of us into believing that he was the Auror Mad-Eye Moody. He'd been spying for the Dark Lord-as if that post weren't already taken! The incidents of last year had been a huge wake-up call for me. I needed the Dark Lord to trust me. If he didn't trust me enough, then my plan would have failed, and I would most certainly be killed trying to protect Harry Potter. Lily's son. I would do anything for those eyes.

Umbridge's voice snaps me back to the present, though I would much rather be reminiscing about my days with Lily. Umbridge's voice is even worse than her smile. It squeaks like fingernails on a chalkboard but sounds sugarcoated, like someone layered their nails with honey before scratching at the slate.

"Hello, hello, hello!" She is now bubbling over with some sugary coating. "It is such an honor to be here with you, straight from the Ministry!" Now I know where I've seen her before; she must have been an important Ministry official.

"I am here to bring honor and happiness to all the happy little children come here to Hogwarts!" God, it'll take all night to get this sound out of my ears. "And what a pleasure it is to see you all here today!" She smiles again. Everyone looks like they want an Avada Kedavra to come through the window any minute now, besides Filch. He watches Umbridge admiringly, while Mrs. Norris curls jealously around his legs. Further down the long table, Sybill lets out a nervous little hiccup. Umbridge glares at her before she resumes her speech.

"That is all I have to say. Have a happy, joyous year!" Her pink heels squeak as she trots back to her seat. I notice just how circular her talk has been. She's said the same thing over and over again.

"Let us all show a warm welcome to our newest professor," says Dumbledore. Our applause is half-hearted. Who would want to welcome this revolting woman?

"There is one more announcement to make." We all look as Dumbledore. His eyes hold concern, and glint a bit when they pass over me. "As you all know, Voldemort is rising." Professors flinch at the mention of his name, and Sybill lets out a little shriek. I try to act terrified. My peers mustn't know that I am a spy. For whom, I know not. But I am a spy. That is all that I know.

"We are taking measures to keep Hogwarts safe," says Dumbledore, "and-"

"Hem, hem?"

I turn slowly to see the toadlike Umbridge smiling, but this time her smile is a little more spiteful behind that sweet. "If I must tell you so," she says even sweeter and girlier than before, "You-Know-Who has not even begun to rise. He is dead at the hands of little Harry Potter, and our world is safe." Another smile. "Potter lied to us saying that You-Know-Who had risen again. We cannot trust this little white lie that is meant to scare us."

"That's impossible!" screeches Minerva, standing quickly. "Potter would never lie to us! He is one of the most honorable students I have ever known!" Her eyes are burning with frightening power. "Why-why- would he want us to believe that You-Know-Who is back without reason? Of course he's not lying!"

"Settle down, Minerva." Dumbledore gives the upset woman a look. She growls deep in her throat and sits, grumbling things about how idiotic the Ministry is.

Dumbledore turns to look at Umbridge. "These are very severe indictments, Dolores." He looks up and down the table to see us all nodding slowly, Minerva's face an intense, irate red. Dumbledore looks again at Umbridge and says, "What is the proof behind your statement?"

"Well," says Umbridge, "has anyone actually seen You-Know-Who since his downfall?"

"Potter has!" hisses Minerva in her rage. Dumbledore gives her another stern look, and this time she sits down, eyes bright with anger.

"Actually, I find your opinion of value, Professor McGonagall." Umbridge's voice has gotten even squeakier if possible. "Potter was the only one there that night, besides the Diggory boy. The death of Cedric Diggory was an unfortunate and tragic accident. And who is the only one to say that it wasn't? Potter is." She lets out a shrieky noise that may have been a laugh. "We cannot confirm these outrageous suspicions from one person, can we? If Diggory were still alive, we may-"

"Hey!"

Hagrid has stood, the meat still caught in his beard. "Potter, he's bin real duhpressed since Cedric, y'know, since the unpleasantness, y'know, and if it weren't Yeh-Know-Who he wooda told us!" Hagrid's hands are clenched into such tight fists that I'm a little worried that he could cut off his circulation.

Umbridge's eyes turn stony cold, but her voice sweetens. "Potter is a child. He may not be as honest as you may want to think. Just think. He is our one source! We need more than one!" She narrows her eyes. "Does anyone agree?"

We all turn to see only Filch nodding vigorously, still spellbound by whatever astonishing beauty could lie behind all that ugliness. Umbridge looks at us all, and comes close to throwing her wand at us. Dumbledore stands again and looks at the distressed professors.

"That's enough," he says. "Sit down, please, Hagrid." The colossal man glares at Umbridge again and sits. Dumbledore nods and says, "This meeting has spun out of control and we will not continue on this subject, as it has been seen to cause significant debate." He sees some professors nodding. He looks directly at Umbridge and says, "We are going to have a great year, Voldemort or no Voldemort. Meeting adjourned."

I stand and watch the professors stand too, besides Binns. I consider approaching Dumbledore to speak about what a threat Umbridge could be to Harry's self-confidence, which could further impair his survival, but decide against it. I begin to leave, and from the corner of my eye see Minerva clutching her wand and glaring at Umbridge. I suppress a sigh. This is going to be a very long year.