CHAPTER TEN

Sirius

Dinah smiled and looked around as she and Lucy wandered the bustling streets of Hogsmeade. It was such a peaceful village, and had been one of her favorite places to frequent as a student. Nobody had known that she stood out in any way while she was here. "Well, where would you like to eat?" She glanced around at the road they were on. Honeydukes was nearby, but she wanted food, not candy. A rather shabby looking building with goats tethered outside was labeled 'Hog's Head Tavern', but it didn't really seem like the kind of place to have lunch on this sunny day.

"The Three Broomsticks is pretty popular. It can get kind of crowded though, so if crowds bother you you probably don't want to eat there."

"No, that's fine. I seem to remember they had excellent butterbeer," the two women headed into The Three Broomsticks and had to wait about ten minutes before Madam Rosmerta showed them to a small table.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Dinah asked after their drinks were brought and they had ordered their food, "Where did you learn about literary theory? I don't know much about it in either magical or Muggle society, but I feel like the concepts would be similar. Do you know if they are?"

Lucy shook her head, "I'm not sure if they are or not. I learned from books we had at home. That's what my…father does. He analyses books I suppose you could say. He had a ton of books about theory and I taught myself from them. I'd assume any of the theories that came about before the Statute of Secrecy went into effect are the same but anything after that…"

"Hm," she mused, "I don't know, I just have a feeling there are some similarities. I wonder if any kind of knowledge leaked back and forth somehow. Then again, I assume there could have been Muggle-born witches or wizards in the past that wrote those books you read from their experiences in both societies."

"You could be right. I mean I know there are wizards and witches who've had relationships with Muggles and I'd assume they'd have shared ideas about things," Lucy said thoughtfully, taking a sip from her mulled mead.

"That could be an argument for Professor Snape," she spoke almost to herself, grinning, "That more of our society and the things we know are connected than some people think."

"Been arguing with the former Potions Master, have you? That must be…interesting to say the least."

"I wouldn't call it arguing," Dinah said, then took a moment to thank Madam Rosmerta as she deposited her ham sandwich and chips in front of her and Lucy's corned beef sandwich with boiled potatoes at her place, "At least most of it isn't arguing. More like friendly debating. We've actually done it like three more times since I talked to him in class."

"Oh," Lucy said, "I'm sorry I guess I'm still used to thinking of him as my professor instead of my colleague. I can't really imagine debating with him. The last time I argued with him I got detention…"

Dinah laughed, "I guess he can be intimidating. I keep forgetting that he actually taught you. I never had him because I stopped taking potions after my fifth year."

Lucy shifted in her seat, "Oh, really? Did you just not want to continue on or something else?"

"Well," Dinah frowned, deciding how best to word this, "Being in the Slug Club I had already excelled in potions, but I also knew at that point that I wanted to go to Muggle university rather than getting a job in the magical community. I wasn't worried too much about my N.E.W.T.s and so I didn't take any more classes than I absolutely had to. I did a lot of independent study instead. Dumbledore oversaw it."

"It must have been nice not to have to continue on with potions. I mean I did well and everything but I could have done without the two years of intense, mind-numbing pressure."

She smiled, "It's probably a good thing I didn't have Professor Snape as a teacher then. Plus we would have been the same age. That would have been strange."

Lucy looked vey amused, "Not to mention awkward when you came back here to teach. Did you always plan to come back here and teach?"

"It was always in the back of my mind, although I wasn't sure if it would ever happen. I mentioned it to Dumbledore right before I left and he said he would 'continue to keep me in mind for the future', whatever that meant. But it was rather inspirational. Anyway, after my somewhat difficult years at Hogwarts I really wanted to learn about ... well, just about people. How they interact in societies, how discrimination works, and how to try and fix it. I really wanted to make a difference in the way Muggle-borns were treated. Also I never much liked the Sorting system. I guess I could be biased though. I was stuck fluctuating between two houses my entire time in school."

"Two houses? I'm sorry I'm confused," Lucy did indeed look extremely confused.

Dinah smiled. Telling this to Lucy would be a lot easier than telling it to Professor Snape. "I was a special case. Maybe because of my age, I really don't know. But the sorting hat couldn't decide. I ended up spending the time before break as a Gryffindor and the time after as a Hufflepuff. Every year."

Lucy grimaced, "That must have made things so much worse. I mean you probably couldn't have gone out for Quidditch if you wanted to or anything else like that really. You couldn't develop a loyalty to one house…"

"Right, I actually saw more clearly how the houses divided people. Stronger where Slytherin was concerned but also with the other houses." She shrugged, "But I persevered and it helped me choose a satisfying career path so I guess I shouldn't consider it all bad."

"Personally I liked having the different houses but maybe it's because I had my cousins in Gryffindor and Tonks in Hufflepuff that I didn't really seem much division. There was some don't get me wrong I just never noticed any extreme cases, except with, as you said, Slytherin."

She nodded, "Slytherin was the biggest problem, for sure. Still is as I understand it. But I always hoped I could change that a little bit. Or at least try," she took a sip of her butterbeer and finished off the last bite of her sandwich, "By the way, if you want to sit in on one of my classes, maybe it would be good to do the seventh years. Some of the students in your class are in each of my seventh year classes. Though I can't remember what our schedules are like off the top of my head. It's something we could look into."

"That sounds fine. I could recite my whole schedule for you." Lucy grinned.

Dinah laughed, "Well, how about we make it easier and I tell you when I have my seventh years. I teach my first group of seventh years at two o'clock on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and I teach my second group at five o'clock on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."

"Well my two o'clock is completely booked all week but I could make five on Wednesday. I can come today if you want but I'd like to get a jump on those essays. Hey!" Lucy yelled when someone yanked her hat off her head.

"What's with the hat, Lu? You never wear hats," a tall, attractive but somewhat lanky man with shaggy black hair grabbed an extra chair and plopped down next to Lucy.

Dinah noticed a flash of what appeared to be black writing on the other professor's forehead before Lucy clapped her hand over it, "I just felt like wearing a hat, okay? Dinah, this is Sirius. Sirius this is the new Muggle Studies professor Dinah Samson."

"Um, nice to meet you," Dinah said distractedly, still wondering what was on Lucy's forehead.

"You too," he flashed a mild smile, but his attention was also focused on Lucy, "You look like an idiot. You can take your hand off your head, you know," he tugged at her hand.

"No, no I like it where it is, thank you."

There was a brief, almost flirtatious struggle, but Sirius finally managed to yank Lucy's hand away from her head. "Well, well, what have we here?"

There was indeed black writing, in a number of long lines, scrawled across Lucy's forehead. Dinah found herself leaning forward, trying to make out the words.

"It's nothing," Lucy mumbled.

"It doesn't look like nothing. Does it Dinah?" he asked, chuckling.

"What? Oh!" Dinah flushed, embarrassed as they both turned to look at her and caught her staring intently at the writing. She sat back in her seat, "Um, well, no."

Lucy gave Dinah and odd, implacable look. "I couldn't sleep last night. I was writing letters and I - I fell asleep on them," she blushed and by the contrast Dinah could see that whatever was written on her forehead was written backwards. The words were still too small to make out from this distance.

"Oh," Dinah said, her curiosity dampened by this very uninteresting explanation. She smiled, "I guess that's a mistake anyone could make. I've done stupid – or, weird – well, things like that from time to time, too."

Lucy cracked a smile but Sirius just laughed more. "You're cute," he said, pulling her to him and kissing her. And kissing her. And kissing her some more.

Dinah shifted in her seat. It was all well and good that Lucy was in a relationship but such a prolonged display of affection in the middle of a pub was rather awkward to watch.

"Hey, why don't you two take that over to Madame Puddifoot's tea shop with the rest of the kids!" somebody shouted.

"Need to throw some water on them and break that up!" another voice yelled.

Sirius pulled back and yelled, "Then bring me a butterbeer, Rosmerta."

"Sorry," Lucy muttered to Dinah, her flush deepening.

"Eh," Dinah waved her off, and then shifted in her seat again before popping her last chip into her mouth. Suddenly, she was craving dessert.

Lucy shoved the remains of her sandwich towards Sirius but finished up the last of her potatoes, "So," she said absently.

"Soo..." Dinah searched for words, "Well, I think I'm going to order a custard tart for dessert. Will you two have anything?"

"Ooh, I think we'll have some apple pie," Lucy said, and Sirius shrugged agreement. "Was their anything else you wanted to ask me about the class or the students?" Lucy asked after they ordered their desserts.

"I don't think so," Dinah shook her head, "But maybe we'll have more questions for each other after you sit in on one of mine."

"I'm sure we will," she turned to Sirius again, "Can I have my hat back so the students don't have a reason to make fun of their professor?"

"You can have the hat back but I don't think it's going to help. You look odd in hats."

"Which is why I don't normally wear them."

Dinah smiled, "Well, I hope my presence in your class today helped distract the students from your hat at least a little bit."

Lucy laughed, "I'm sure it did. I think inviting you to join in the discussion scared them into participating more. They didn't want to be embarrassed by someone who wasn't even in the class and a professor no less."

Dinah nodded and then turned to make conversation with Lucy's significant other, "Do you live in Hogsmeade, Sirius?"

"Not yet," he shook his head, "I'm looking for a place to buy around here so we have a place to live during the school year. We've been living at Grimmauld Place in London since the Battle of Hogwarts."

"It'll be nice having him close for easy visits," Lucy said, leaning close to her boyfriend.

Dinah smiled and nodded, "That would be good for both of you, I'm sure. What do you do, Sirius?"

"I walk around, read some, look at houses and apartments, write Harry every so often," he said.

"Um... oh," she said, taken aback. He had spoken casually enough, but she suddenly felt guilty by assuming he did some sort of job when he apparently didn't. He must be independently wealthy or something. But she had no idea how to phrase that or what to say at all now.

"Uh, Sirius, I think she meant what sort of job do you have," Lucy said, elbowing him.

"Oh, I don't have a job. My family was obscenely wealthy and I'm the last heir they'd grudgingly acknowledge, me being a blood traitor and all, so it all came to me when my parents and brother died."

"Oh," Dinah sighed and smiled, glad that he wasn't annoyed with her. "Well, I guess it worked out, though. In the long run. You should be able to get a nice place here in the village."

"That's the hope," he agreed, "The couple I've looked at so far have been in worse shape than Grimmauld Place."

Lucy patted his knee, "When you find the right one you'll know. I don't mind fixing up the London place but I'd rather not have to spend my weekends fixing up a place here too."

"Well, best of luck to you," Dinah said, and then placed her fork down after taking her last bite of custard tart and looked at her watch, "Classes start up again in fifteen minutes it seems. We should probably apparate out of here and head back."

"I suppose we should," she cast a somewhat insecure glance at Sirius.

"It was very nice to meet you, Sirius. I guess we might see each other around again," Dinah smiled and extended a hand to him. He reached over and shook it and at that moment a memory flooded back to her of Lucy mentioning that Sirius and Professor Snape essentially hated each other. She shook her head and stepped back. That was irrelevant right now. After all, she still barely knew either Professor Snape or Sirius. What were the odds she'd ever have to be around both of them at the same time? Extremely low and probably nonexistent.

"Probably if you two spend more time together outside of Hogwarts," he turned to Lucy, giving her a goodbye peck, "See you this weekend?"

"I think so, I'll let you know if plans change," Lucy told him. She and Dinah apparated from the tavern to just outside the gates of Hogwarts.

"He seems nice," Dinah said.

Lucy hugged herself, smiling as they walked, "I think so."

Dinah smiled, "You seem very close. I hope he finds a place soon for you."

"Me too. I think a combination of us living together and him…" she paused, "dying helped us to become so close."

Dinah gave a sympathetic nod, remembering the encounter between them the night before; "I'm sure everything will work out. That said, we should probably get to our respective classes. But thanks so much for joining me for lunch. I had a good time."

"Me too. I have office hours next so I'm not too worried about getting back on time but I should probably make sure to be there anyway. Just in case one of the students needs something."

"Why don't you come by next Wednesday to sit in on my class? I'm sure you have a lot of grading to do today, like you said. So do I, so I know how that goes. Plus I have another project I'm trying to work on, but you'll know more about that on Monday. Next Wednesday works for you, though?"

"It should work, yes. Oh, but now you've got me curious about your project and I've no time to question you about it."

Dinah grinned, "It's just as well. I'm sort of saving it for a surprise. That is if I can ever finish it. So you'll just have to wait till Monday like everyone else."

Lucy smiled, "Well, I guess I'll have to be patient then. I'll see you later?"

She nodded, "See you later." They separated and headed to their respective destinations.