Amanda groaned, and stretched out. She had enjoyed her long nap, which had carried her through until almost five thirty that evening. Sitting up, she realized that she was alone; Severus must have left some time earlier in the afternoon. A piece of parchment lying on the coffee table caught her eye, and she reached over and grabbed it.
Amanda, I'm sorry I left without properly saying goodbye, but you looked like you needed a good sleep and I had a couple tasks that needed to be completed. I hope that you aren't too far away in dreamland and that you read this prior to dinner time, so that I will see you down in the Great Hall with the rest of the staff.
Sincerely,
Severus.
Amanda grinned reading the letter from her employer, and looked up at the clock hanging above her fireplace. Great, I have just enough time for a quick shower to freshen up, she thought to herself. Folding the parchment, she took it into her room and placed it in the drawer beside her bed with a smile.
Twenty-five minutes later, the black-haired beauty stood outside the Great Hall nervously. This was the first time that she would be dining with the teachers and staff of Hogwarts as a part of the staff instead of as a student. She smoothed down her hair, which was charmed into a curly up do and took a deep breath. Upon opening the doors, she sighed in relief. It appeared that most of the other adults were running behind, as the only people present were Minerva, Filius Flitwick and Hagrid, the groundskeeper. Filius waved cheerily at her, whereas Hagrid positively beamed and stood up to embrace her as she approached the table. After receiving a nearly bone crushing hug from the half-giant and shaking hands with her ex-Head of House, she took an empty seat next to Minerva, who smiled warmly at her. "Good evening, Miss Harris. I'm glad that you decided to join us for dinner. Where did you get that skirt? It's very pretty." Minerva commented. Amanda blushed slightly and ran a hand over her black skirt that was printed with tiny colourful flowers.
"Thank you, it's from one of my favourite vintage muggle stores. I'm sorry I didn't surface from the dungeons until now, I've just been so tired and trying to unpack is such a pain." Amanda told her, grasping the goblet of pumpkin juice that had appeared in front of her and drinking from it gratefully. Minerva nodded in understanding.
"Don't worry about it, dear. We've all had to make the adjustment at some point. I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but you are not the only new addition to our staff this year." Minerva informed her, as more of the teachers began to file in for dinner. As they recognized Amanda, they would wave and smile at her, or congratulate her on getting the job. Amanda couldn't help but notice that Severus was the only person who was missing, but she kept this to herself. Once everyone had sat down and the chattering died, Minerva stood up and addressed them all. "Good evening, teachers and staff of Hogwarts. It's quite nice to see you all again, back for another year. I would just like to make a small announcement about the changes in staffing this year. Two new members have been added; Miss Amanda Harris, whom I am sure that you all remember teaching at some point during her seven years as a student, has taken on an apprenticeship position as a potions assistant. The second new addition this year is Mister Harry Potter, who has kindly offered to take on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher until we can find a more suitable replacement." As if on cue, the heavy oak doors flung open, and in walked Harry, who was closely followed by Severus. Amanda's face broke out into a huge grin; Harry was going to be here too!
"Sorry about being late, everyone. I left packing a little too late." He grinned apologetically at the staff and took a seat next to Hagrid, who clapped him on the back and welcomed him to the 'team'. This left Severus sitting in the last available chair, which was beside Amanda. He slid into the seat cautiously, as if he expected her to be angry about him leaving earlier. As soon as everyone became involved in their food and small talk, she turned to him.
"I'm not mad at you, you know." She whispered quietly, before spooning some tomato soup into her mouth. "Believe me, if I was mad, you would've known it the moment that you entered with Harry. Don't you remember that time in my fifth year when I completely lost it at the Weasley twins over breakfast?" Severus snorted into his food at her words, clearly remembering this public disagreement that caused the red-headed twins to grow antlers and Minerva to give Amanda a month's worth of detentions.
"Well, in any case, I'm thrilled that you aren't going to give me any type of horns." He replied with a smirk and Amanda leaned in closer to him, disregarding the fact that they were still having dinner with the rest of the teachers.
"Actually, I think you'd look better with a tail." She smiled seductively at him, then stood up and waved goodnight to the rest of the staff, who had seemingly missed this exchange between the two. This of course, was untrue, as a certain dark haired boy stood up moments later and followed her down towards Slytherin Dungeon.
"Amanda, can you tell this bloody bird to let me in?" The girl chuckled, hearing Harry's annoyed voice calling from the outside of her guarding portrait. Making sure that all the buttons on her yellow blouse were still intact, Amanda calmly opened the portrait hole, which revealed a very irritated looking Harry. She turned towards the raven, who looked mutinous.
"Brenner, this is Harry. Harry Potter. He is allowed in whenever he wants, regardless of whether he has the password or not." She explained to the raven, who nodded reluctantly. "Harry, I'm pleased that you came to see me. Come in." She gestured for him to follow her in, which he did.
"Nice décor. Mine's mostly done in Gryffindor's colours and shades of grey." He commented, seating himself in one of the reclining chairs. Amanda sat on the end of the couch that was closest to him, and magicked them two cups of tea. "Thanks, Manda." He smiled at her, but then remembered why he had followed her out. "Hey, I have a question for you."
"Alright, shoot. I have nothing to hide." She responded, sipping her tea. Harry set his down on the coffee table and looked her dead in the eyes.
"Is there something going on between you and Severus Snape? I saw that little interaction between the two of you at dinner, and I heard rumours about how the two of you were out together this morning, then returned down here together and no one had seen you until dinner time. Now, I know that he came to show me my living area before dinner, but what was going on before that?" Harry asked her, curious as to what her answer would be.
"Harry, I can honestly say that I don't know what's going on between Severus and I. I've only been here for a day and a half, and he's already my closest friend here, minus you. I found out that we happen to have a lot in common and seeing as I will be working mostly for him, it seemed like a good idea to get to know the man. If you are worried that I'm going to develop feelings for him…well, we'll deal with that if the time comes. There is no way that I'm looking for a relationship right now, not since the latest blow up with Draco." She exhaled, having not realized that her voice had been getting louder and louder until she had finished her mini-rant. Harry placed a comforting hand atop hers.
"Okay, okay. I just want to look out for you. You're like my sister, and it would kill me if anything happened to you. As for Draco, what did that idiot bastard do now?" Harry's tone changed from one of love to one of pure anger. Amanda explained how he had showed up at her house and almost pleaded with her to get back together. The dark-haired man shook his head in disgust at the actions of the slimy Slytherin. "How could he expect you to want to get back together with him after he cheated on you with Astoria Greengrass?" he exclaimed, flabbergasted.
"I have no idea. That boy is something else." She replied coolly, draining the rest of her tea. Harry nodded, and rose from the recliner.
"I'm going to head off upstairs to finish unpacking. I'm behind the portrait of the young couple kissing under the awning, alright? If you need me, don't be afraid to come get me." Harry kissed her cheek, and then headed off to his rooms. Amanda smiled and shook her head. She was completely drained of all her energy; she couldn't even pick herself up and walk down to her bedroom. With a muttered spell, she transfigured her outfit from a skirt and blouse into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. Setting her wand down on the table, she curled up on the couch and fell into a long, dreamless sleep.
Groaning, Amanda stretched out after waking up the next morning. After showering, she decided to go have breakfast in the Great Hall. This morning, she dressed simply; wearing a plain white V-neck shirt and a pair of dark washed denim shorts. Her soaked hair was pulled back with a headband and she figured that makeup wouldn't be necessary today. Sliding on a pair of purple flip flops, Amanda headed out of her portrait hole and up the stairs. Having had no place to store her wand, she knew that if trouble arose, she'd have to rely on wandless magic. Heading upstairs, she passed Severus' room without knocking; she figured he was already upstairs. Moments later, her suspicions were confirmed as she joined him at the head table, a bright smile on her face. "Hello, Severus. How are you this fine morning?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Good morning, Amanda. You're in a good mood." He commented, running his eyes over her outfit approvingly. Amanda chugged down her drink, then piled her plate high with hashbrowns, toast, eggs and various fruits, before grabbing Severus's hand and dragging him out of the Great Hall. "Where on earth are we going?" he half-yelled, flabbergasted.
"Outside, of course. It's such a lovely day. I don't see any reason for us to remain inside when the weather is absolutely beautiful." She replied, marching them along the grass until finally settling down underneath a large oak tree. She magically produced another plate, and pushed half of the food onto it, handing it to her companion.
"You know, I hardly think that this is sanitary. I mean, what about all the animals that lay waste here? And all the bugs? Surely you don't want ants in your breakfast." Severus made a face as he joined Amanda on the ground. She looked at him, piercing his black eyes with her blue and smiled.
"Severus…just shut up and enjoy the sunshine."