Chapter 10

The Old Enemy

Walking into the Slytherin common room later that day, Bella could not help overhearing the conversations that buzzed around her. Every few yards another group of students was talking in curious tones about the new teachers. It seemed that Carmichael and Constantino were the man and woman of the hour.

"Bella! Just wondering where you were," said Emma from across the room. "Get over here. I want to know what you think of the new teacher. Never had one quite like him, have we?" She addressed this to the group of girls sitting around her, and they all looked a little uncomfortable.

Bella took a seat. "I think he's very...straight-laced, I suppose that's what you'd call it. Did you hear what he was saying about 'Clear, sober minds, and gravity of thought and decision' and how they never lead you wrong? To hear him tell it, you'd think You Know Who fished all his followers out of the bottom of a bottle of firewhiskey."

The girls all laughed. One said, "I think he's a bleeding fool. "Clear judgment" my foot, what a load of rubbish. You don't just fall into serving You Know Who after a night out drinking. I've a good mind to tell him so."

The circle murmured their assent, but Bella quietly chimed in, "Well, I wouldn't, you know."

They fell silent. Most of them were friends of Draco's, and she had met them her first summer with the Malfoys. They knew her well enough to take her advice if she gave it as she did now. At last Emma said, a little playfully, "What do you mean? You were just saying at dinner how you want people to know what you think of them. You said that people ought to speak their minds."

"Yes, and then you told me it sounded like I was defecting to Gryffindor. Yeah, I did say that. But you know what the difference is? Slytherins are smart about it, or at least we're supposed to be."

There were a few laughs, but Emma pressed on. "How do you mean?"

"Don't you get the feeling that Professor Carmichael doesn't like us very much?" Her voice was low, but she saw the understanding cross each of their faces in turn. "Now, I don't know why exactly, but anyone with half a skull can take a guess. I've got my ideas, and I bet you've got yours. But what good will it do to get his hackles up? Tell him off, and get detention. That's it. It won't do you a bit of good and you won't feel that much better after doing it. I say we have to just stick it out and live with him."

"I guess so", said another girl, "I didn't think he liked the Slytherins much either. But I wonder why."

"Nora, isn't it obvious?" said Emma.

"Why?"

Emma rolled her eyes a little and looked at Bella, who sighed and slouched down in her chair. "He thinks all of our house is closer to You Know Who than any of the others. You know, they say he was a Slytherin too, in his day. I'll Bet Carmichael thinks there are plenty of us just waiting to grow up and become Death Eaters. Probably wouldn't be a bit surprised if we all went Muggle-hunting together over the holidays." Bella looked levelly around. "And what with, well, you know, the Death Eaters in prison..." She faltered and looked down.

"Yeah", Emma said, and Nora nodded.

"But he can't really think that!" said another of the Slytherin girls, whose name was Isis. "They wouldn't have let him teach here if he did, any more than Dumbledore would let in a teacher who hated Mudbloods."

"Look, I don't mean he put it on his job application and wears a little badge that says "I Hate Slytherin". Of course not, and of course he wouldn't go around telling his opinions to Dumbledore. But one way or another, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don't think he feels that way, it'll be more than I expect of you." She shook her head. "I know that look. I used to see when I lived with the Muggles still, on people who thought I'd kill them for drug money if I ever got the chance. I saw the way he looked at Draco and me... Defence Against the Dark Arts is going to be torture this year. I can feel it already. He's going to work everyone hard, and he's going to be brutal to us."

"I know, I already hate that class," said Nora.

There was a general murmur of agreement, but it was broken by the arrival of Vincent Crabbe. "Bella, can I see what you've done for the Potions essay? I don't understand what she wants us to do."

"Oh, you can see mine when I finish it," said Bella, looking at him upside down over the arm of the chair. "But all you have to do it talk about the way the ingredients interact, and how it's like other potions that affect the mood."

He looked at her blankly, and then said, "I think I'll just wait for yours."

Bella shrugged as he walked away. Then she turned back to the others and said, "And by the way, what do you think of her?"

"Professor Constantino? She's really...nice, you know? It's weird having her teaching Potions, I mean, when we're all so used to Snape."

Everyone agreed. "Guess you wouldn't know, Bella, but it's a hell of a change."

"Oh I can imagine," she said dryly. Even though Bella had never even seen the Potions Master, His reputation preceded him quite a lot. She could tell his methods were a far cry from the warm and pleasant manner of Professor Constantino. She decided to fish for clues again, and asked, "Any idea where Snape's go to?"

"Beats me," said Emma. "Nobody's been asking around much, so nobody knows. I mean, he's our Head of House, and even the Slytherins aren't looking for him too hard."

"And of course the other houses aren't too sad he's gone missing either," put in Nora.

"I'm sure Dumbledore knows, but maybe it's just none of our business," said Isis.

"I'm sure it is none of our business. Doesn't stop me wondering, though," Bella retorted with a smile. Nora and Emma and the other probably thought (and Bella was glad, and fairly certain that they did) that she was only interested in the absence of Professor Snape as gossip. But her curiosity went deeper than that. There was perhaps one other person at Hogwarts who knew that. She looked across the room at Draco and smiled to herself. He was in his own little knot of friends, gesturing to Crabbe and Goyle. They seemed to be talking about Quidditch. Pansy was there too, laughing at something Draco had just said. When Bella looked back to the circle, she found that the subject had changed. She wasn't the least bit sorry.

Later that evening, Bella was sitting with Draco, looking at his homework. The Draught of Happiness had confused him too, and she had finished explaining the purpose of unicorn hair in it when she looked up at him and found him watching her with a curious expression on his face.

"What?" she asked quietly.

He sat back, still looking at her. "Nothing, really just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

He shrugged. "Lots of things. It's been a long day, and not as good as some, if you know what I mean."

"If what you mean is Carmichael, then yes, I do."

Draco frowned at the name. "Unfortunately."

Shifting a little in her seat, Bella said shrewdly, "You know something about him, don't you?"

He continued looking at her for a long moment. "Maybe I do," he said at last, his voice low. "Maybe I know why he hates us."

"Draco, that's anyone's guess..." began Bella, but she stopped when she saw the look on his face.

"I'm not guessing."

It was her turn then to be silent for a moment. Then she said in a different voice, "I thought you might know him. You looked it. When you walked into that class it was like watching a ghost at his own funeral."

He nodded. "I thought you'd know him too, since you did all that reading about," here he looked around swiftly, and then continued, "about the Dark Lord's fall."

Bella looked at him, realisation dawning on her. "No! Not that Carmichael...the prosecutor?" For now Bella did know who their teacher was, and it did not make her feel the least bit better. He had been a prosecutor for the Ministry years ago, after Voldemort's supposed death. He had been very influential in the Death Eater trials... "So he-"

"He tried to put my father in Azkaban fifteen years ago," said Draco in a soft and dangerous voice. "And I bet he'd do the same to me, just to be safe."

"Oh!" said Bella, and it was all she could say just then. Her eyes were wide. She recovered herself, and said, "Draco, I- I didn't know that..." She bit her lip. "This is awful." His grim silence chilled her. She was observant enough to know that Malfoy anger was a quiet, inexorable, deadly thing. She was a little afraid of him just then. She laid a hand over his, in a way she hoped was reassuring. He looked up at her again.

"Draco..."she said slowly, "you know- you know I'm with you, right? That you can trust me and count on me to stand by you and all that rubbish? You're not alone."

His fingers curled around hers, and she was relieved to see his expression warming a little. "Good to know, Bella," he said softly. "Misery loves company. You can't like the bastard any more than I do."

"Can't say I do," she said, still a little worried for him, but glad he seemed to trust her. His thumb traced absently across her knuckles, and she drew in her breath a little. She gave him a little smile as she whispered, "I think I can manage, though." He smiled back.

"You know Bella, I see what it is about you."

"What about me?"

"I know why people talk to you, and tell you things. I know why I talk to you, and I don't talk to anyone, really."

She shrugged, not quite sure where he was going. "I listen?"

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "Everyone around here listens! But I'm not going to tell them anything, just for that. NO, it's something else. You're strong, Bella. And you're decent. I mean, really, you're good when it matters."

"Wouldn't have expected to hear you say that," she said smiling, though she was quite glad that he had.

He shrugged. "Not like some law abiding straight laced good. I mean, you know what you care about and you stick to it."

"You mean like you?"

"I hope so."