Chapter twenty-one:

Invite to Secrecy

The summer had seemed to go pass by fast, especially the rest of it since Harry had left with the Order and gone to the safe house after the dementor attack. Victoria had kept herself busy though, getting her curriculum written up for the following year. Snape had visited a few more times in order to check up on her but she didn't mind, she had to admit to herself - she look forward to each time he stopped by. It had been a few days since Snape had stopped by but just as Victoria had began writing, having her parchment paper scattered on the sofa and her ink bottle on the coffee table that late night, there was a knock at the door. Victoria set aside the parchment she was currently writing on and dipped her quill into the bottle before she went to answer the door. Opening the door, she once again saw her boyfriend, Snape. "Routine check up?" Victoria asked, a little playfully. Snape smiled slightly at her words before stepping in and closing the door behind him. "Yes..." Snape replied, his dark eyes laid upon her scattered parchment on the sofa.

Snape figured it had been curriculum papers as there was dozens before he returned his eyes back onto his girlfriend. "Work, I presume?" Snape questioned. Victoria blushed a very light pink at the words before turning swiftly to the sofa and picked up her papers. "Yes, I surely will need to have these ready before the start of the new year. I've been a little behind ever since..." Victoria trailed off, before quieting down and sat the stacked up parchment paper onto the coffee table where her brief case was leaning against on the floor. "Ever since...what, exactly?" Snape questioned. Victoria's mind had been occupied by the thoughts that she was doing a bad job at being Harry's guardian ever since the day of the dementor incident and felt that it would sound like nonsense to speak about it. "...the incident with the dementors. I've simply feel that I haven't been the best guardian for Harry." Victoria explained, crossing her arms awkwardly.

Snape remained silent for a mere moment, obviously finding it a little ridiculous that one incident would cause this sort of thinking amongst everything else that has happened in the nearly two years of her taking care of Potter. Forming a gentle, confident smile onto his lips, Snape went to speak. "If it wasn't for your interference with your patronus, Potter would've been, perhaps, unsuccessful with vanquishing the dementors..." Snape clarified. Victoria sighed as she looked from her papers at the table and back onto Snape who seemed rather composed. She knew that his point was clear and made sense but having the Order needing to take Harry to the safe house still clouded her. "Then why the safe house, if he was safe with me?" Victoria questioned. Snape knew there would be moments in their relationship where the secrecy of his work would be involved but as intelligent as Snape was, he would cover it up as he had with Voldemort, in order to keep it under cover.

Snape watched Victoria connect her green eyes with his dark ones before he parted his lips in reply. "It is not a question of protection, Victoria, but merely so that the Order can gather more information about the recent...event." Snape pointed out. Victoria eased a little at the further information Snape had informed her of and caved before approaching Snape closely. "I appreciate your reassurance, Severus." Victoria complimented, placing her palm gently in Snape's hand that clung to his black robe. "Certainly. However, I must turn in." Snape stated, he had to continue his work between the Order and Voldemort but precisely gathering his usual things to ready himself for the new year of teaching Potions once more. "I understand. I must admit, I loved seeing you over the summer. Though, I see you all year long at work." Victoria smiled warmly. Snape showed a pleased smile at her words before leaning in and kissing her lips softly before departing from the house and into the dim lit street before vanishing.

Soon, it was September 1st and the first day back to school. Victoria hasn't heard from Harry since his departure but Snape had reassured her that he was fine with the Order and at the 'safe house'. Though she was alerted by a letter from Molly about Arthur taking Harry to some meeting at the ministry referring to the incident with the dementors, just to see why they were there in the first place. Making her way through London once she arrived from apparating there from Wellington, she walked into the Leaky Cauldron and to the back, touching the right bricks with her wand before entering Diagon Alley - she had to pick up some more parchment paper and ink along the way to Hogwarts. Once finished, she apparated to Hogsmeade and went from there to the castle. Once Victoria entered the castle, she directly got settled into her classroom and living quarters once again before walking up to Dumbledore's office to check in.

There was the usual meeting with Dumbledore with the rest of the professors before the students would arrive to the school but Victoria had found herself curious on who would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the new school year since there hasn't been any word about it though, she had heard about the death eater impersonation of Moody which reopened the teaching position. As the door closed behind her, Victoria noticed Snape had arrived last before Dumbledore turner to the staff. "I have the most unfortunate news. The ministry of magic had decided that it was best for the school to have one member from their own wizengamot teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Apparently, it is rumored that I'm forming an army of some sort against the ministry and they want to keep a watchful eye." Dumbledore informed the staff. Victoria wasn't exactly sure on what this entailed and wasn't aware of the situation with the ministry being in suspicion of the school but she had hoped that her job wouldn't be affected.

Victoria watched as McGonagall took a step forward before parting her lips to speak. "Do we know who is coming to teach, Albus?" McGonagall asked, her tone was slightly concerned. Dumbledore sat back gently in his chair as he went to respond. "Dolores Umbridge." Dumbledore confirmed. It didn't seem to settle well with Dumbledore and McGonagall as they knew her name but the rest like Victoria, had no idea who the woman was. The staff had left Dumbledore's office moments after the meeting about the new member to the staff this year and some minor changes and we went to get their classrooms in order. Snape had walked Victoria to her History of Magic classroom, finding small talk along the way to be enjoyable though Victoria had wondered how this school year would turn out with a member of the wizengamot - let alone the ministry - teaching at the school. "Why would the headmaster want to form an army against the ministry?" Victoria questioned. They both stopped in the front of her classroom door before she turned to face her boyfriend.

Snape paused for a moment, turning his usual serious expression to a brief, small smile before it vanished as he went to speak. "The headmaster has no reason. Ministry suspicions of being overthrown have evolved around the rumor initiated last year of you-know-who's return...Dumbledore supported Potter's words whereas the ministry does not." Snape explained. Victoria believe her nephew as well and was relieved to hear that Dumbledore had as well but she thought the ministry was ignorant to the seriousness of the event that occurred at the tournament. 'How could they be so oblivious?' Victoria thought to herself. "Do you believe that you-know-who's back, Severus?" Victoria asked curiously. Snape felt a little taken back at the question but had already figured it was bound to come up in conversation with what had been occurring - she was Harry's guardian after all. "Certainly. With Potter's immediate conclusion last year and Dumbledore trusting what Potter says, I have no doubt." Snape replied smoothly. It was obvious that Voldemort was back and Snape knew it anyway from being a double agent, Voldemort would want announcement of his return to the wizarding world but play with the blind spots of the ministry's fear of him.

Victoria found herself satisfied with Snape's response. "Good." Victoria stated before she pecked his lips quickly and entered her classroom. Snape watched her enter her classroom and walk passed the tables and chairs before he left, walking down to the dungeons for the brief time until the welcoming feast of the new school year, satisfied with himself though he knew they needed to be slightly more discreet with their relationship at the school, to prevent lurking eyes from those that are children of death eaters - Snape didn't need Voldemort to question his loyalty and think he was distracted, even though Snape was working truly for Dumbledore. A few hours passed by before the staff would have to gather into the great hall and take their seats at the tables at the front of the room, while the elves from the kitchen had magically gotten everything sorted with the feast. Snape had arrived at the table with several other professors, looking over at the empty seat that belonged to Victoria near Sinistra, while Victoria arrived at the doors when the students began arriving to the castle hours later - having the students from the previous year get settled into their common rooms.

Victoria first saw Ron and Hermione arrive with a couple other students, causing her to become curious as she approached the two Gryffindors. "Where's Harry?" Victoria asked. The two looked at the professor, quieting down from their brief talking while Ron looked behind them. "Harry took the second carriage. Ron and I are prefects, we rode in the prefect carriage." Hermione explained. Victoria smiled warmly at the two as she looked passed their shoulders to see her nephew arrive with Neville, Ginny and Luna. "Thank you, Miss Granger." Victoria replied, taking a few steps passed them meet up with Harry. Harry stopped in his footsteps when he spotted his aunt, letting Neville and Ginny move onto the Gryffindor common room. "How are you doing, Harry?" Victoria greeted. Harry smiled up at his aunt and put the bird cage on the ground that held Hedwig. "Brilliant. You?" Harry replied. Victoria was glad to know that Harry was well taken care of after the Order needed to get more information on the dementor attack. "I'm good. They did send someone to check on me and was quite fond of whom had." Victoria stated, looking back as McGonagall had stepped out of the great hall, heading to gather the new first years. "I best get myself seated, first years will be arriving soon. You need to as well." Victoria formed a crooked, soft smile before walking off in her black heels to the doors of the great hall and opened them to walk in to the great hall.

Victoria walked through the front of the great hall to the professors table and took her seat next to Sinistra, greeting Snape from afar with a shy smirk before sitting in her chair while her attention shifted to the short, toad-like woman in pink sitting next to him. 'That must be the new professor.' Victoria thought in her mind. Snape wasn't fond of sitting next to the uptight woman that looked like she escaped from Drooble's bubblegum factory, but the first day seating schedule made it overbearing at times. Dumbledore sat behind the podium as the students entered the room and took their seats at their house tables before the doors flew open with McGonagall leading the new first years. Once the sorting was finished, McGonagall joined the rest of the staff at the table, sitting on Snape's other side while Dumbledore made his way up the the podium. "I need a brief moment or two of your time. I have a few start of term announcements to to make...first, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has reminded me - for what he tells me is the four-hundred and sixty-second time now..." Dumbledore began, giving a brief look at Filch before continuing his speech. "That he has a yearly updated list of various banned items. Second, we welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Dolores Umbridge, who joins us from the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure you all will join me in wishing the professor good luck. Lastly, to-" Dumbledore spoke, breaking off when the woman in pink had gotten up from her chair and make attention seeking, fake coughs.

Dolores Umbridge had stepped away from her seat at the table and face the crowd of students. Victoria watched the scene play out before her eyes, the interruption of the headmaster which had already caused Victoria to have an unsettling feeling. "Thank you headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely to see your bright, happy faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we are all going to be very good friends." Umbridge stated, looking around at the students. Most of the professors at the table seemed uncomfortable with the scene as the students seemed unamused by the tone and words spoken by the pink witch. "The ministry of magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be a vital importance. Although each headmaster had brought something new to this historic school. Progress for the sake of progress must be established. Let us preserve what must be preserved, prefect what must be perfected and prune practices that should be prohibited." Umbridge explained, ending the speech with a strange giggle. Victoria rolled her eyes at the words spoken, having the idea that this would be a difficult year ahead of her and being unable to do much about it knowing that the witch was in the ministry of magic. Victoria's green eyes followed Umbridge back to her seat before the silence was broken by Dumbledore once again. "After the thought out presentation by Professor Umbridge, I will simply say one last thing before you continue to enjoy your meal and head back your dormitories for a pleasant slumber - continue to study hard." Dumbledore stated before leaving the podium and went to sit back in his chair.

Victoria began picking at the roast beef on her plate before she took a bite, watching the deadpan expression on Snape's face remain as Umbridge had a sickening smile on hers next to him. Once everyone finished their meals, having Victoria end her meal with some Yorkshire pudding, the students were excused to their dormitories while the professors excused themselves to their living quarters. While Victoria was well on her way out to her classroom, Dumbledore had caused her to stop in her in her footsteps. "Victoria, may I speak with you in my office, please?" Dumbledore asked. Standing steps away from her classroom door, Victoria turned her attention onto the headmaster. "Of course, headmaster." Victoria replied before she began following Dumbledore down the corridors to his office. "Fizzing whizbees." Dumbledore spoke the password before th gargoyle shifted. Stepping through the gargoyle stoned opening, they entered the headmaster's office and Dumbledore took his seat at the desk.

There was a bowl of sweets near his desk which Dumbledore went on to offer Victoria generously. "Would you care for a sherbet lemon, Victoria?" Dumbledore offered. Victoria appreciated the offer but was full from dinner but curious as to why he needed to speak with her. "No thank you, sir. What do you need to speak to me about?" Victoria asked. Dumbledore unwrapped a sherbet lemon drop and popped it in his mouth, setting the wrapper aside, once finished he went to speak. "As you may know from not long ago, there is a hidden group called The Order. As the creator of the Order and seeing that you are the current guardian of Mr. Potter, I would like to invite you to join our forces." Dumbledore stated. Victoria was surprised on the invitation, something she surely wasn't expecting but she certainly wouldn't pass up the offer. "I'm honored, headmaster but what exactly does the Order do? I understand protecting my nephew but that is all that I know." Victoria replied. Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him on the desk as he went to explain. "The mission of the Order is not only limited to protecting Mr. Potter but find ways to defeat Voldemort." Dumbledore explained further, making direct eye contact with Victoria.

This seemed rather intense but it was exactly up Victoria's alley, she had always loved to excel on things and most had always underestimated her abilities which made her want to continuously strive to prove that wrong. "I accept your offer, headmaster." Victoria answered, smiling softly yet full with confidence. Dumbledore was pleased with the answer and a little relieved that it doesn't have to be entirely a secret from the main protection and guardian of the 'boy who lived'. "Marvelous. I will let the rest of the members of the Order know. But I do have one more thing I need to discuss with you...in regards to your, relationship, with Severus..." Dumbledore trailed off. Victoria furrowed her eyebrows to the mention of Snape but also how the headmaster knew about their relationship, but figured Snape had mentioned it with him as he's part of the Order. "Please do not be upset with anything he may do, there is a reason for everything; though, you may not understand at the moment. It will make perfect sense at the end when the time comes." Dumbledore warned.

Victoria didn't know how to take the information she just got from Dumbledore regarding Snape but knew it was a serious forewarning and will have to keep it in mind if anything seems to be out of the ordinary with Snape. Nodding softly, Victoria politely agreed to the headmaster's warning. "I'll keep that in mind. I did not think you knew of our relationship." Victoria replied, slightly embarrassed at the fact. Dumbledore let of a brief chuckle at the ginger-haired professor's words. "Of course I would know. Spotting the sudden shift in Severus' mood has changed for the better and that he practically jumped at the chance to check on you after the dementor attack, I must admit - it wasn't that hard to put together. Beside the point, the headmaster knows everything that goes on in the school, that is." Dumbledore explained. Victoria flashed a shy smile towards Dumbledore. "You've caught me." Victoria said jokingly. Dumbledore nodded. "Continue to be discreet, for the sake of the students." Dumbledore stated. Of course it wasn't exactly the students noticing that bothered Dumbledore, but the idea of Voldemort getting suspicion of Snape who was Dumbledore's expert agent. This was important. Victoria exited the office once the conversation ended and turned in for the night, having a lot on her mind regarding what she had discussed in Dumbledore's office but had eventually fell asleep, she had to teach a few classes the next morning.

The following morning arrived and it was back to teaching History of Magic soon after breakfast commenced. At breakfast, Snape joined Victoria, sitting next to her instead of next to Umbridge where Sinistra decided to attempt to mingle with the pink professor. "Morning, Severus." Victoria greeted, noticing his presence. Snape side glanced at Victoria before placing a faint smile on his lips before it vanished slowly. "Clearly, I have been told some rather interesting news this morning..." Snape stated as he inspected his pumpkin juice before he gradually took a sip. Victoria turned her attention from Snape and onto her plate, poking a piece of egg onto her fork. "What is interesting?" Victoria asked, glancing at the Gryffindor table for a moment, keeping an eye on Harry and some of her students before bringing her green eyes gaze back onto Snape. "The headmaster extended an invitation to you, which was accepted." Snape stated in a low tone. Victoria knew it was the Order he was speaking about and set down her fork. "Yes, there was and I had. Surprised?" Victoria smirked gently before taking another bite of her egg. Snape rose an eyebrow as he pick up a slice of toast from his plate. "Obviously. Though I must admit, I'm not disappointed in the headmaster's decision." Snape replied. Victoria was glad to hear that Snape wasn't bothered that she would be joining the Order and be of help as the new school year began.