Chapter Two: The Enchantress

This takes place at the start of term feast in Harry's fifth year. Big time gap.

The summer had gone unusually slow, and nothing majorly exciting happened. Harry went to live with the Weasly's, but that was about it. He soon found his spot at the gryffindor table and looked up to see the teacher's table.

Like usual there was a seat missing up their for the new DADA teacher. It was perfectly normal.

But, up at the teachers table he didn't notice that something was abnormal. Snape was sitting close to Dumbledore in a deep worried conversation. Snape stood up suddenly half way through Dumblerore's words, and he left the great hall without a word to anyone.

He brushed passed students as he walked towards the stairs to the dungeons and disappeared. He couldn't sit up there and be patient. His patients were thinner than normal. Every movement in his body showed this.

[In the Great Hall]

Dumbledore stood as always before in the Great Hall to give his start of term notices. The school watched on as the first years were sorted. Everything seemed to be a hushed tenseness in the air. No one was sure if it was because of what happened last year or if it was because of something new, but no one new who soon there question of this would be answered. It was going to be answered soon.

The first sign was a giant griffin vulture flew through one of the windows in the Great Hall. It was very unexpected and many of the students screamed in horror at the sight of the monstrous bird, but Dumbledore was pleased and he smiled respectfully at it. The bird dropped to the ground and stood up. It had a clumsy movement about it now that it was on the ground, but then to everyone's surprise and horror even all the teacher, except for Dumbledore, it bowed and then spoke.

"Hello, my name is Valdis. I bring no harm. I was told by my Mistress to give a professor Severus Snape a message. Where may I find him?" His speech was eloquent. He knew exactly what he said. He was not to be reckoned with.

"Valdis, It is so nice to see you again. You will find him in the dungeons. I think he will be glad to see you too." the vulture turned to leave, but Dumbledore spoke again," When will your mistress be here?"

"Soon." was all he spoke and he took flight again and headed for the dungeons.

The Great hall was filled with a murmur when the vulture left. Dumbledore waited patiently for the noise to die away. His seemed very pleased, and then he stood and spoke to the Hall.

"I wish to make another announcement; I did not want to make it until I knew for sure she was coming. Your new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher will be Professor Felice Prewitt. She is an enchantress of the highest order. She has powers that the minister of magic could only wish, and powers I will never have. Some have you may have read her name in "Hogwarts a History" she is one of the many enchanters who has enchanted this school. Her masterpiece. Is this ceiling that she perfected that many other could not, many years ago. She has been un located for about 15 years. Professor Snape was kindly enough to find her for us. Seeing as they are friends"

At this every face that was excited turned glum and scared. A friend of Snape's did not sound good to them. Dumbledore sat back down and began to talk to McGonagall.

A few minutes later the large bird emerged with Snape. Snape walked immediately to Dumbledore and began to speak away from the rest of the teachers.

"It is not polite to whisper, especially when their are other people around." said a voice in the middle of the Great Hall. Everyone jumped at this new figure that had just appeared before them. She was dressed in a blood red cloak of velvet. The hood of the cloak covered her face. Dumbledore smiled at the hooded figure fondly.

"Professor Prewitt, I am so glad your finally here please come. Take off your hood" Dumbledore said amicably. Two tiny hands came out of the depths of folds and reached and pulled the hood away from her face.

She was beautiful. She had the darkness shade of brown possible without calling it black. The red cloaks color played across her glistening dark brown eyes, giving them a faint tin of red to them, making her seem even more magical. She had a classic look about her face, her features melted gently into each other. There was not a sharp edge to be found. She looked like nothing a friend Professor Snape would have. All the students' jaws dropped even the girls. They had never seen or had such a beautiful teacher as the one that stood before them at this moment.

She walked to the teachers' table seeming almost to float across. She first came to Hagrid and he took the cloak off with his large hands as gently as he could. He embraced her in a gentle hug and he bent down to allow her to place a kiss on his cheek. The dress she wore under the cloak was even more amazing. It was a red dressed covered in black lace, and around her bare neck she wore a circular piece of Venetian glass on a delicate gold chain.

She greeted each teacher in almost the same way as Hagrid. Staying longer with others. Most of the teachers seemed entranced by her also. Dumbledore looked at her with twinkling eyes. They embraced and spoke more softly. She then moved on to Snape. When their eyes meet both seemed lost for words. She moved her hand out for him to shake. It was an odd thing for friends not to embrace, but then again it is Snape.

She sat down next to Dumbledore and began to talk. They talked even after the students and other teachers had left. He walked her to her room hidden behind a large statue. She entered the room and looked around. She was back at Hogwarts yet again, but she always knew she would be.