Chapter seven:
Face to Face
Victoria remained at the table at the podium where the other professors were eating dinner as she thought about the new year ahead of her including the Wizengamot court hearing at the ministry regarding Harry and be coming his guardian. She was positive that she would more than likely win against a couple of muggles but knowing that her nephew was considered important on this side of the wizarding world, it could go either way.Upon arrival, Harry and other students in his year had turned in their permission forms for Hogsmeade to their head of houses, having Harry's form catch McGonagall's attention. Once dinner was finished, the students exited the great hall to their house common rooms and the professors began exiting the great hall as well. Once Victoria stepped away from the podium, making her way towards the door, Lupin was hesitating on confronting Victoria before Dumbledore called for Victoria. "Victoria, i need to speak with you in my office." Dumbledore announced. Victoria furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she went to follow the headmaster to his office while Snape and Lupin watched the two exit the great hall. "Hesitating are we?" Snape questioned in a snarky tone. Lupin briefly smiled at Snape's remark as he turned to face him. "Not precisely. Felt the need for an introduction, Severus. After all, I'm new to the position." Lupin pointed out in a rather serene tone. Snape looked at Lupin speculatively before deciding to exit the great hall; of course, Snape felt threatened having someone from his past that had known Lily suddenly show up.
Victoria entered the headmaster's office with Dumbledore and came to a stop at the middle of the floor across from his desk as Dumbledore went to sit down. "As I'm aware, Victoria, you have signed Harry's permission slip for Hogsmeade, complying that you are his guardian. May i ask, why is it that you signed it knowing that you are not?" Dumbledore pointed out. Victoria knew it might've been a problem before it would become official, but she would explain herself. "I signed it because i plan on adopting my nephew, headmaster. Just yesterday, i was at the ministry with Harry, setting a hearing date to become his guardian." Victoria explained. Dumbledore paused for a moment to take in what he had just heard. "Has Harry agreed to this, should i ask?" Dumbledore questioned. Victoria smiled softly. "Yes. Harry actually brought it up to me yesterday morning...he left the Dursleys from a heated argument with them and showed up at my doorstep. I was hospitable and welcomed him to stay until school began." Victoria explained further. Dumbledore sighed. "I should've figured he had left from being informed of his use of magic on a muggle, his aunt Marge. Alas, Harry is more familiar with the Dursleys, Victoria." Dumbledore stated. Victoria felt a spark of irritation light up in her from the headmaster's motion of Harry remaining with the Dursleys in which she disagreed wholeheartedly. "Familiar but misplaced, sir. These people are vile and treat him lower than the doormat at their doorstep. Harry doesn't deserve that, no child does. Besides, I'd provide more protection for him compared to non-magical relatives...I'm proceeding with the guardianship hearing, headmaster." Victoria explained, already expressing her protective nature. Dumbledore held up his hand to pause the tension in the room before he set his hand down. "Victoria. I do agree at the vileness the family provides, however, i will let Wizengamot place their decision. Since this is in play, i will let your signature on Harry's form vouch as a guardian for the meantime. As for future forms, it will have to wait upon the results of the hearing." Dumbledore replied calmly. Victoria was a little relieved as she nodded in agreement with his statement. "You may go and have pleasant evening, Victoria." Dumbledore dismissed, Victoria exited the office.
Victoria walked down the stairs and towards first floor, exiting through the stairwell of the Gargoyle onto the second floor but along the way, she had came across Lupin heading towards his classroom on the third floor. Lupin spotted the ginger haired professor and went in her direction, catching Victoria off guard. "Professor Hawthrone...i figured i was bound to come across you at one point or another. I wanted to introduce myself, I'm Remus Lupin." Lupin introduced himself. Victoria formed a soft smile. "Nice to meet you, Remus. I hope you enjoy your first year teaching at Hogwarts, last year was my first. Well, first year being at Hogwarts period." Victoria explained. Lupin had detected her accent being different from the others within the school and knew definitely this wasn't Lily from the grave. "First year? I'm afraid i had detected that you are new to this area, although you look so much like a woman i use to know." Lupin explained. Victoria figured it would be the same person most have told her about, which was her twin sister. "Let me guess, Lily?" Victoria asked rhetorically. Lupin smiled faintly. "Yes. I suppose you've heard this quite a lot, i can imagine." Lupin replied. They stood there, having a conversation while Snape was on his way to Dumbledore's office from the dungeons, overhearing the two professors talking. Snape leered from a corner, curiously listening on as he wasn't fond of Lupin speaking with his newfound attraction. "So you knew Lily?" Victoria asked curiously. Lupin nodded. "Yes. She went to school with me and my group of friends, including James Potter and Sirius Black. Lily had married My friend James. Professor Snape had also known her." Lupin explained.
Victoria figured if Snape wouldn't open up to her about his friendship with her sister, maybe she could find out more from Lupin. "I look like Lily because she's my fraternal twin sister. We were separated at birth so i grew up over in America, attending Ilvermorny." Victoria explained, smiling softly. Lupin, like several others, were surprised about the information they were told. "That makes it very clear. I'm positive Professor Snape had quite the eye opener spotting you." Lupin pointed out. Snape, who was leering around the corner, rose an eyebrow at his name being mentioned. "I think so." Victoria stated, crossing her arms. "Did you meet Harry?" Lupin asked. Victoria nodded. "Yes, i have. I actually have a hearing at the end of December to be his guardian. I'm much more qualified than my bitter, muggle older sister." Victoria clarified. Lupin knew that Harry's parents had made Sirius Black be Harry's godfather if anything happened to them but he supposed that Victoria had more rights being a blood relative, a magical one at that besides, he wasn't entirely sure of Sirius' innocence over the incident regarding Peter Pettigrew either. "I wish you luck, professor Hawthrone." Lupin stated. Victoria listened on as the staircases changed above them. "Thank you. You can call me Victoria or Tori." Victoria corrected.
Lupin smiled. "Victoria. And you may call me Remus." Lupin replied, adding "Has professor Dumbledore mentioned Professor Snape and his relationship with Lily to you?" Lupin asked rather curiously. "A little but he rather i had asked Severus myself. Severus is quite an interesting man here at Hogwarts, i like him." Victoria stated, noticing Lupin's uneasy movements. Snape had liked Victoria's response but his face fell bitter when Lupin decided to speak more about his past. "Interesting, yes...but if my memory served me correctly, in school, Severus was as much of a loner as i was before i met my close knit of friends. But, he did his own bidding when he tampered with the dark arts. Though, that's not what separated he and Lily-" Lupin explained, his words coming to a stop when there was footsteps in their direction. Those footsteps belonged to Snape who interrupted the conversation. "Gossiping, are we? I'm sure that the headmaster would not advise that among the staff...professor Lupin." Snape pressed. Lupin smiled in attempt to play off innocence. "No gossip, Professor Snape. Just sheer conversation." Lupin replied, backing off. Victoria furrowed her eyebrows at the scene happening before her, it was obvious that Snape had something to hide but also Lupin had something to tell to dint anyone's positive view of Snape. "I best get going anyway. I have an early class in the morning and should turn in. Have a goodnight, Remus and Severus." Victoria explained, leaving the scene and heading to her living quarters behind the History of Magic classroom.
Snape and Lupin both watched as Victoria left and upon her exit, Lupin looked back at Snape who lingered his attention in her direction before facing him. Lupin assumed that Snape fancied Victoria and didn't want Victoria's view on him damaged. "I'm onto you, Lupin. If you intend to demean me towards Victoria, the moon will not be the only thing you will fear..." Snape threatened before leaving towards the gargoyle and entering through to Dumbledore's office. Lupin watched Snape leave and paused for a mere moment, realizing the predicament he was in before leaving to his living quarters on the third floor. Victoria got herself ready for bed and realized what she had witnessed back with Lupin and Snape, was Snape afraid of her knowing something? If he was closed off to where he wasn't attracted to her, why would it matter if she found out what happened to he and her sister? It dawned on her that, perhaps, Snape was attracted to her.
It was the next morning and Victoria had set up to teach the first and second years that took her class. She went over the same curriculum she had her previous year which was the Gargoyle Strike of 1911 for the first years and Medieval Assembly of European Wizards for the second years. She was getting used to the school by now but still had more to learn about her biological family. During the day, Victoria had noticed Snape's attention was mostly on her and Lupin since the situation that happened the night before. After classes had ended the following day, that evening Victoria was tempted to going to Lupin's office to speak with him on what he didn't get to finish telling her but didn't want to go seek it herself - she didn't want to intrude Snape's pastor stir up trouble and she knew if she went directly to Snape about it, there was a high chance he would not tell her what happened to him and Lily. As weeks went by, Victoria had noticed Lupin being absent from dinner and his classroom every once in a while when it got to the evening but wasn't sure why. There had also been news about sightings of the murderer Sirius Black edging closer to Hogwarts which made most uncomfortable.
Sitting at the table at the podium at dinner, one student named Seamus Finnigan had rushed over to his house table with the Daily Prophet. "He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Seamus announced, slamming down the paper as students surrounded the paper. Victoria didn't know much about this man named Sirius Black but perhaps other professors do. That evening, amid of Lupin's disappearance, Victoria made her way to the dungeons and decided to speak to Snape again, in hopes he would be more open as she would be the same with him. Entering through the dungeons in her usual black fitted dress and black heels, Victoria knocked on Snape's office door and waited for it to be answered. Snape was up, looking through his jars of potion ingredients when he heard a knock on his door. Turning around, Snape walked over to open the door to spot Victoria once again to his surprise. "Yes...Victoria?" Snape asked curiously. Victoria smiled softly as she stood up straight. "I'd like to discuss a few things...if you don't mind, Severus?" Victoria replied. Sometimes it was difficult to read Snape's expressions and to figure out what he was thinking, Snape let Victoria in the office and closed the door when she entered before walking over towards his desk, standing steps from her. "Go on..." Snape urged for Victoria to talk. Victoria crossed her arms. "About the other night with the new professor, what exactly was that about?" Victoria asked curiously. Snape studied her expression for a moment before parting his lips to reply. "It was merely a reminder to not spread gossip among the school." Snape replied hesitantly.
It was obvious that there wasn't going to be any details regarding the quarreling that night, so Victoria decided to drop it. "I see. Remus told me that you two went to school with each other and knew my sister, interesting." Victoria stated. Snape quirked a brow. "Hardly. Your point?" Snape questioned. Victoria took in a breath before exhaling. "No point. Just wanted to get all the information i can regarding my sister." Victoria explained. Snape walked over to his desk and sat in his chair. "I've told you what she was like already, Victoria. Obviously." Snape pointed out. Victoria approached the desk a little closer, placing her hands on the edges of the desk front as she slightly leaned in, face to face with Snape. "Then why are you so closed off to me about her? I'd be willing to be subjected to the Legilimency spell for you to know me better if that's what it takes for you to trust me, Severus." Victoria stated. Snape listened to her tempting voice as he kept his piercing gaze locked onto her green eyes as her ginger hair laid over a shoulder of hers. "Without...Occlumency?" Snape questioned in suspicion.
It was obvious that this had tempted Snape and Victoria wanted to get know him more but it was becoming difficult to do so when he was so closed, as if he had a wall put up. "Without Occlumency." Victoria confirmed. Snape leaned back into his chair a little, clearly tempted. Victoria had hoped that this offer would help him open up to her in order for her to get to know him, even if it wasn't regarding her sister. "And you will not access my mind, correct?" Snape questioned. Victoria straightened up, took out her wand and placed it onto his desk in order to prove she could be trusted. "Correct." Victoria replied. Snape then decided to take her up on that offer after watching her surrender her wand for the moment and stood up from his chair. "Subjecting yourself to Legilimency isn't very responsible, Victoria." Snape taunted slightly, having his wand in hand while Victoria remained where she sat. Victoria's eyes followed Snape as he edged closer to her. "If it helps one to trust me, then so be it. I have nothing to hide, Severus." Victoria replied in confidence. Snape studied her expression before he raised his wand, dimming the lights in his office then pointing it at Victoria. Victoria geared herself for the spell, knowing he was about to access her life story. "Legilimens!" Snape casted at Victoria. The spell hit her mind like a whirlwind before scenes from her life played for Snape. The first scene flashed to when she was teaching at Hogwarts with the Weasley twins cat call, then to the next scene where she taught at Ilvermorny in her advanced potions classroom and History of Magic.
The next scene showed when she was sorted into the Horned Serpent house, watching the red stone in the serpent statue glow red to claim her in its house, looking closely like Lily when Snape met her as a child. The next scene came from when she was in school at Ilvermorny as a student, showing a third year Victoria sitting in the green, grassy courtyard on a stone bench, reading her textbooks. She wore her Ice-Blue and Black Horned Serpent uniform while her ginger hair laid over her shoulders like it does now. Suddenly there was a group of girls that approached her that wore Purple and White themed uniforms with the Thunderbird patch. As the girls approached the reading ginger, the blond played a fake persona and smiled, walking up to Victoria and knocked the book she was reading from her hand and onto the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry." the blond said mockingly. Victoria flashed a look of irritation towards them before picking her book back up. "Why don't you leave me alone and go gossip about how fat you all are, Emily." Victoria snapped. The girls gasp as Emily chuckled. "Why don't you do the honors, Alyssa. This ginger haired freakazoid needs to learn a lesson outside of her loser of a life." Emily smirked, watching the dark, curly haired girl approach closer with her wand pointing at Victoria. Victoria pointed her own right back, but as Victoria drew hers, so did the other two girls. "Three against one...very brave, girls." Victoria mocked. Alyssa grinned devilishly as the brunette in the back, Brittany, laughed just before Emily stepped in forcefully, pointing her wand. "Levicorp-" Emily attempted to cast in order to humiliate her before Victoria blocked the spell. "Expelliarmus!" Victoria casted, disarming Emily before Alyssa quickly casted a spell. "Stupefy!" Alyssa casted at Victoria, knocking her out.
The scene then shifted to Victoria being binded around the tree in the middle of the courtyard, in her bra and underwear, her uniform and books on the grass below her. "Have fun in detention." Emily laughed mockingly before the scene ended. The next scene featured the news she got about having been adopted and about her twin Lily before the last scene shifted to Harry having dinner with her at her house, then speaking to the ministry about guardianship then speaking with Lupin to her first glance at Severus, more of a gaze of fondness. Snape had then exited her mind and Victoria caught her breath from the intense spell that was placed on her. Snape realized not only was she bullied like he was but her words he had overheard her say to Lupin were true - she did like him. Victoria sat up in her chair as she waited for a response from Snape. "I apologize for the inappropriate content you witnessed." Victoria pointed out about the bullying where she was in her underwear. "Apparently, you and i have something in common besides potions, Victoria." Snape pointed out. Victoria found herself rather curious about what that common aspect may be.
"What may that be, Severus?" Victoria asked curiously. Snape walked over back to his desk before turning his attention back to her. "I, however, was a victim of being bullied as well in school. But, i am exceedingly curious with you wanting to be Potter's guardian." Snape explained. Victoria quirked an eyebrow at his remark. "He's better off being with a magical blood relative that can protect him." Victoria simply replied. Snape wasn't fond of the idea of having Victoria adopt her nephew not only because he was the son of his rival and bully but also the fact that it would be a dangerous position for her when it came to housing the chosen one, Snape didn't want to lose Victoria too due to the hands of Voldemort. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it could be? Potter is wanted by you-know-who." Snape warned. Victoria sighed, she knew of the dangers but she wanted her nephew to be raised in a loving home. "I'm aware of that, Severus. Wouldn't it be far much easier for you-know-who to get to Harry through muggles than a witch? I'll be fine." Victoria reassured. Snape knew that he wouldn't be able to convince her, but if that was the case, he needed to be sure that she wouldn't end up like Lily. "I want you to meet me in my potions classroom Friday night. I want to test your knowledge of protective spells and defensive spells." Snape offered persuasively. Victoria always liked challenges and having Snape doubt her abilities made her think it was merely from the vision he saw from her mind when she was bullied. Challenge accepted. "Sounds good to me, Severus. I quite like a good challenge." Victoria accepted. Snape placed a gentle smug on his lips at her words, he was beginning to truly like her. "I must turn in, it's getting quite late. I quite enjoyed speaking with you, Severus." Victoria excused herself, taking her wand. Snape agreed and Victoria left to turn in for the night while Snape had done the same.