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"Now that we are all acquainted I will call dinner." Severus said over the top of Ms. Greengrass's reply to Trixabelle. The dinner was intolerable enough without having to listen to young women gossip about clothes.
Everyone at the table became more business like to which the three new and very confused members of staff followed suit. What was so important about calling dinner apart from finally being able to eat? Nathalie asked Trix what was going on, or maybe she was just asking herself – the heightened hearing was confusing sometimes so Trix kept quiet.
"The staff meeting will be tomorrow therefore, in Professor Dumbledore's words, 'tonight is an evening to enjoy and catch up. Welcome back'."
Everyone applauded which once again the three new members of staff blindly followed suit.
"Bloody old coot." Trix heard her father mutter to which she smirked at him.
Dinner appeared on the plates serving everyone something different. Trixabelle received a dish similar to her fathers – some kind of cottage or shepherd's pie with roasted vegetables. Glasses were filled with individual wines.
"Grown hasn't she." Filius said to Severus part way through the meal.
"Trixabelle is the same height as when she arrived." Severus drawled.
"True, but as a person she has come far."
"Nonsense. She merely does not hide away anymore."
"She has become more like you than you are willing to admit."
"Is there a point to this conversation, Filius?" Severus asked his sometimes friend sometimes personal inquisitor. After the attack two years ago Filius had often tried to engage Severus in such conversations each and every time succeeding to irritate him. What was the point in making these observations when he could see them himself and, more importantly, knew Trixabelle better?
"Just engaging in light conversation, Severus." Filius smiled.
"Insisting on going on the Hogwarts express even though she lives next door." Hermione said to Hagrid.
"The 'ogwarts Express is the best bit! I remember you, Harry an' Ron from yeh first year. All excited you was. 'Sepcially Harry."
"Well we all know why that was." Hermione said sadly.
"I saw Duddly again this year. His son, Harry, is comin' here this year. Looks just like our Harry."
"No way!" Hermione squeaked.
"Perfessor Snape sent me himself." Hagrid said triumphantly.
"No way! Professor is this true? It can't be."
"I assure you, Miss Granger it is perfectly true." Severus silkily said whilst admonishing her for making a spectacle of herself. Half the table had gone silent and was looking in their direction.
"Does Harry know?"
"I saw no reason to inform him of the fact. He has not contacted his relatives since the year you went Horcrux hunting."
"You have to tell him!"
"If you believe it to be that important, Miss Granger, tell him yourself."
For Severus the end of the meal could not come too soon. He was about to stand up from his seat when Dashworth attacked his daughter again.
"I have heard about the predicament you find yourself in with the second year Slytherins."
Trixabelle rolled her eyes and loudly dropped her spoon into her bowl. She sat back in her chair and turned her eyes to look at the woman. She fixed her with a simple, black glare.
Dashworth gulped. "How do you propose to deal with it?"
"By teaching them the things that they should have learned last year. Obviously."
Miss. Greengrass snickered.
"As well as all that they have to learn this year?"
"No. I'm going to fail them in the same way Professor Montgomery did last year and allow the problem to persist." Sarcasm enough to rival Severus's own dripped from Trixabelle's words as she continued to send Dashworth a flat look.
"How do you propose to teach them twice as much material as they should have to learn?"
"Quickly." She replied her temper visibly, to Severus at least, running thin.
"That does not seem good enough. You have to go through it thoroughly."
"Thank you for giving me the benefit of your wisdom, I hadn't actually thought of that."
"Do tell us, Trixabelle?" Professor Sinstra asked.
"Very well. I will teach them the second year material in class and will take one of their passing periods a day to teach the first year topics until we are back on track. I expect it to take most of the year unless they progress swiftly."
Dashworth sniffed. "That time is to be used for –"
"Studying. Which I think you'll find is exactly what they will be doing. Nathalie your chocolate frog is trying to drink your wine."
Trixabelle gratefully flopped onto the sofa in her father's living room as soon as she possibly could. Dinner had been wonderful but she was sincerely glad it was over. If she had to endure another conversation with Dashworth she'd probably hex her until kingdom come. Severus smirked and sat in his armchair.
"Duties tiring you out already?"
"Why haven't you sacked her yet?" Trixabelle asked with a pout.
"She teaches well no matter her methods which are well within the guidelines given."
"In that case then the ministry is stupid. Is it really that late?"
"Ten in the evening is hardly late, Trixabelle."
"Feels late. I'm going to bed. Your ingredients are on the desk over there. 'Night, Dad."
Severus nodded once, his back to her as he examined the jars on his desk.
"Come in!" Trix called in the morning before her dad had even knocked on her door.
She was stood in front of her mirror in a navy blue trouser suit tying her hair at the nape of her neck.
"What up?" she asked. "And don't say my English."
"At four in the afternoon we will be preparing the Great Hall to allow the enchantments to settle. Do not be late. Breakfast's on the table."
"Any restrictions on how dusty I am? Or how many cobwebs I have in my hair or sheepskins I'm trying to sell off?" she muttered the last to herself realising her father had mysteriously wondered off without even finishing the conversation. Really she should be used to it by now but it still sometimes irritated her.
Severus called a house-elf to his office. He was the one he regularly made requests to – a slightly brown skinned, amber eyed one called Tufty.
"The common rooms and dorms are almost ready?" Severus asked, going through his mental list. "The classrooms and library, other common areas, gardens are in good keep and the tables and benches are now placed in the Great Hall?"
"Yes Master Headmaster Snape, Sir." Tufty squeaked. "Everything is clean and tidy, Headmaster."
"Very well. You may go unless there is something you need?"
"No, Headmaster. Shall Tufty bring up Sir's lunch?"
"One-'o'-clock will be fine, thank you." The elf popped out. "Mr Filch, is there anything else that needs sorting?" Severus said looking over a letter he had just received from another disgruntled Slytherin parent.
"Nothing new, Headmaster, just Professor Montgomery's office and room."
"Trixabelle will take care of that. Make sure that cat follows you out."
Filch bowed once and then swiftly left the room. Severus pulled a copy of the letter he'd sent to all the Slytherin parents he'd herd from so far from his desk and instructed an owl to deliver it.
After attending some other menial business he Apparated to the hospital wing where Poppy and Miss Greengrass were brewing potions to keep on hand in the event of an emergency.
"She's simply delightful, Severus." Poppy beamed. "Brews potions like it's as easy as breathing."
"Don't fawn over her Poppy I'm sure she finds it condescending." Severus said.
"Not at all, Headmaster. I can concentrate quite well." Miss Greengrass said without looking up from the complicated potion she was brewing, a blood replenisher by the look of it.
"Then tell me why you forgot –"
"I haven't forgotten anything, Sir. I didn't earn my mastery to fudge up a blood replenisher." She replied calmly not rising to the oldest trick in the book. "There." she said extinguishing the fire that was under the cauldron. "Leave it to stand for twenty minutes, Poppy, and it will be ready to bottle."
"Thank you, Nathalie. Now run along and talk to Severus. I know you've been dying to talk to him about potions and such." Poppy smiled flapping her assistant away.
"I am otherwise engaged at present. I came only to give you these." He put a box down on the potions bench and re-enlarged it. Inside were the ingredients Trixabelle had bought the day before. He then swiftly left the hospital wing to a soft gasp from Miss Greengrass.
"They never have these when I go!"
"Hagrid!" Trix called down the corridor.
Hagrid turned back to her.
"Need any sheepskins?"
"Sheep skins are jus' what I need actually. I had some last year but they seems to have all gone missin'." The jolly half giant smiled and walked back towards the office.
"I think I know where too." Trix muttered and stepped back into her office.
Inside there were four piles of sheepskins that stood almost as tall as she. They had all gathered dust since being brought in here but there was still plenty around the room. The desk was buried under a pile of parchment that looked to be homework that was never given back as well as scrawled notes in 'old Monty's' own handwriting. The rest of the office she hadn't even bothered to move onto yet. One step at a time had become her mantra over the morning.
"You know what, stuff it." she said aloud and Apparated to her dad's office.
"Trixabelle, so nice to see you again." Dumbledore smiled voicing the thoughts of many of the other portraits. "I'm sorry about your summer, my dear."
"How?... You're a painting? Never mind. Where is he, Dumbledore?"
"I have no idea."
"You know about my summer but not…" she ground her teeth realising that a painting of all things was trying to fool her. "Spit it out, Dumbles."
He didn't look terribly amused but wasn't angry either. "Coming up the stairs now. The gargoyle did not tell you Severus wasn't here?"
"Evidently besides the fact I Apparated."
The outer door opened and clunked closed.
"Ah, my boy, Trixabelle was just looking for you." Dumbledore said happy once more. "I suspect she wishes to ask a favour or you."
"Would you also like to tell him what that favour is, Dumbles?"
"No. I will leave that pleasure to you, my dear."
"You may ask Miss Vayne to help you with your office if that is what you're here to ask." Severus said whilst looking in the draws of his desk for a small instrument to help him with his net task.
"How? Ugh. Never mind."
"I don't even want to look at the rest of it." Trix grouched as she showed Laura the tiny portion of the office she had cleared.
Seconds later something exploded and sent some spells outward. Instinctively Laura ducked but Trix pulled out her wand and contained the spells before reversing their effects and letting them go. Another of the sneakoscopes had exploded.
"I think I'll leave that corner to you." Laura said dusting herself down. "I'll begin cleaning."
"Are you –"
"I'm gonna be sick." Trixabelle put a hand to her mouth and hurried to the bathroom.
A few minutes later she emerged and looked paler than before. The butterflies in her stomach hadn't abated all day but had turned from a light fluttering into a storm. She'd woken early and with a start, her heart pounding and head spinning the only thought going through her mind being it's the welcoming feast tonight. She'd spent the vast part of her day going over lesson plans and tidying her office even though it was immaculate, and had been for the last few days, thanks to Laura. When that hadn't worked in distracting her she'd taken to walking around the castle aimlessly. Then she had taken to incessantly talking to her father whilst he was trying to work.
"Is there something you should be telling me?" Severus asked.
"No. I'm pretty sure you know when the welcoming feast is."
"It is merely a feast, Trixabelle, there is no cause for you to be reacting like this."
'Merely a feast'? 'Merely a feast'? Why the hell wasn't he sweating this or at least seeing why she was so worried? Her stomach was doing flips and somersaults even though she was telling it to behave. Tonight all the students would find out that she was their professor and tonight she'd be judged. She knew there would be some tension between her and those she knew well as they found out where they stood with her and she didn't doubt that some would oppose her and tell her she was too young. Others would even go as far to say that she'd only got the job because she was 'Daddy's little girl'. Oh she knew what was coming alright but that didn't mean she was prepared to face it head on.
Oh no. If anything she had the sudden urge to run and hide. Which was stupid. She was a Snape for Merlin's sake. Her father's daughter. The daughter of the bravest man on the planet. And she was scared of a feast. A feast!
"A calming draught. Take it." Severus ordered.
"You know the last time you gave me one of these I smashed it against the wall." Trix said ruefully and turned on her heel to walk out of the room.
So Trix is a little nervous huh?
Next time... The welcoming Feast
J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter