A week later found Belinda, now known as Professor Golden, in her office learning a basic potion from Snape. As neither of them were terribly social they had agreed to have dinner there delivered by a houself. As she chatted quietly with him and sliced her ingredients they both suddenly froze at the sound of a small click coming from the formerly locked door. The door slowly swung inwards and a bit of bushy brown revealed their intruder to be Professor Hermione Weasley. With a sly grin, Belinda let go of the knife eliciting a shriek from Hermione as it sank into the wall scant inches from her nose. Belinda chuckled.
"Where I come from Hermione it is very bad form to open locked doors and invite yourself in, it's usually taken as a threat."
"I see," she squeaked. "But you didn't come to dinner and I thought perhaps…"
"That Severus had murdered me? Well, since he is clearly of better breeding than you he would know quite well that murdering one's host is considered even worse bad form than inviting oneself in. I suggest you write him a letter of apology. I of course will pardon you this time since you have committed the lesser error towards myself but next time I would be warier if I were you, I have excellent aim. Good evening." Belinda returned to her work in a gesture of cold dismissal. Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times and then retreated. With a flick of her wand the door was again locked.
"What on earth were you doing attacking her like that?" demanded Snape.
"Relax if I had wanted to hit her I would have, it's just an intimidation technique. How am I supposed to keep my privacy if everyone thinks they can barge in, and through locked doors at that?" Snape began to laugh softly.
"And where did you learn to do that?"
"Dad. After Mom passed he decided that he wasn't going to get a son so he started treating me like one. It was great, He happened to like knife throwing so I was taught it too. We used to wrestle when we fought, great practice for life later. As a kid I never won of course but I learned about a thousand ways to get out of someone's grip. The best part was I didn't get strapped into corsets like Mom had wanted. We were convinced that's what made her weak enough to die of a cough…Dad's too old for that now, only when he's being stubborn about his health do we fight now. He's going to be furious when he finds out what I've done. He wanted me to marry into some other rich family so I could keep up the mansion. I can do that with magic of course but he won't see that. Course it does help that all the boys in the families we know are terrified of me." She grinned at him. "Knowing how to defend yourself scares them the poor things."
"I can imagine; Muggles are cowards after all." She nodded with a barely concealed grin of amusement.
"Naturally, we don't generally have the power behind a wand with us. That gives you confidence."
"Does it?" He asked pointedly as sat down to sip a cup of tea daintily.
"Sometimes, if I was with Muggles yes, but then, I haven't been frightened of strange Muggles in ages. Wizards and witches are different. I'll never know as much as them, I started too late…"
"You'll just have to learn quickly." Belinda glared at him.
"Learning is something too important to be rushed." Snape's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Good words of wisdom. I'm glad you appreciate what we're doing for you."
"I do, but I wonder why you're bothering to. It would have been easier to leave me a Muggle and let me continue, I would never have known any better, mind over matter has always worked before, and I'd just think I was a strong minded person."
"And I'm sure you are but that wouldn't have been safe. The Ministry would have wanted to study you as an anomaly if nothing else. And governments cannot be trusted to manage human lives."
"Can they manage non human lives?" Belinda chuckled quietly.
"Of course not, governments are usually useless, especially to the individual."
"And then they think they are the most important thing in the world."
"Don't you think you are?"
"Of course not…I know I am." She turned up her nose for a second before breaking out into all out laughter.
"Why are you so disrespectful to Minerva?" asked Snape though he already knew the answer.
"She's weak, and I can feel it and see it, and she lets me get away with it." She shrugged.
"I'll bet I can beat you at your wrestling game Miss Golden. It can't be that difficult to hold down a tiny little slip of girl like yourself." Belinda smiled playfully and hopefully.
"The deadliest of poisons come in the smallest packages. Let me get into something I can move in."
"Of course, as will I, I'll be back in ten to take you to a room that would work for this, fewer obstacles,"
Within minutes Belinda was in loose flannel pants and a t-shirt and sneakers ready to play, and glowing with excitement. When Snape knocked she burst out of the door beaming. After hiking up several flights of stairs they walked into a room covered in a sponge substance everywhere. No one could be hurt by hitting their head on the wall or anything in here. Belinda was amazed.
"They have a room for wrestling?"
"No this is the Room of requirement I asked for one."
"Amazing,"
And then they fought, though Snape was bigger and heavier, and possibly even stronger, Belinda managed to escape from every hold he had by going limp, seemingly random wriggling, and twisting. Finally she pinned him down, in an awkward position he couldn't figure out how to get out of though it too all her strength to hold him there.
"All right, you win."
"Knew I could beat you," she grinned letting him up amiably.
"Want to learn something else?"
"What?" she asked curiously.
"Care to try your hand at fencing?"
"You mean that thing with the swords? Of course I always wanted to know how to use one, could you teach me? Please?"
"Of course, we have to step out for a bit first and let the room change." Excitedly, Belinda waited out side the door with Snape. Wriggling impatiently, she caused Snape to smirk in amusement. "Now we know why you're a student, so childish."
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry up before I burst from all the pent up excitement." He pushed open the door revealing white walls and a pair of thin blades lying peacefully on the floor.
"Let's see what you know already, if you have any natural instincts for it now. Take a blade and defend yourself." Belinda reached down ad plucked up a blade, it was light in her hand and watched Snape curiously and he took the other one. Without warning he struck for her face she leapt aside and brought up her own to defend herself just in time to avoid his. His blade changed direction and swung at her legs. She leapt back again and aimed for his shoulder, with a flick of his blade, hers nearly soared out of her hand, instead her firm grip caused it to jerk her arm away from her body leaving her unprotected and before she could recover her position, a lock of deep brown hair fell to the floor. Alarm filled her eyes as she thought of what might have happened had it truly connected with her. Snape saw and shook his head.
"The blades are charmed, they can only go through the top layer of skin, shouldn't even draw blood most of the time." She smiled relieved and dodged a blow to her stomach.
After a few moments Belinda found herself backed into a corner. Startled she found her blade flying across the room away from her and sat down against the wall raising her hands in defeat.
Abruptly the door opened and Professor Lupin walked in, he glanced at the two of them, Snape's blade still pointed towards Belinda in a threatening manner and horrified, began to yell at Snape.
"Get away from her with that, Snape, we all know you don't like Muggleborns but you'll still be fired if you kill her! Have you lost your mind!?" Snape opened his mouth in surprise to defend himself but Belinda beat him to it.
"He's not trying to hurt me, we were just playing, relax, besides the blade can't cause serious injuries, watch. Severus, slit my throat." She ordered calmly tilting her head back to allow him easier access to her throat and confidently meeting his eyes. He shrugged at Lupin and complied, bringing the blade across her throat. It stung her and she blinked back a wince as a single drop of blood welled up and dripped onto her shirt. She wiped away the wound and smiled. "See, no harm done." Lupin stood there stunned for a moment looking between them before backing out of the room and closing the door.
Belinda smirked up at Snape playfully.
"Did you see the look on his face? That was great!"
"Yes, yes it was."