CHAPTER FOUR
Dia Diamond woke up very early the following morning and stared out the enormous windows at the Quidditch field, which was covered in a thick fog. The morning was grey and bleak, the way Dia felt inside. She hadn't slept more than two hours for she felt as though a tornado was ripping inside her. She was incredibly sick with fear and worry about Potions.
When Dia was a student at Hogwarts, her favorite and most hated class had been potions. And becuase of one reason: Severus Snape.
Dia had been ending her sixth year when the old Potions master, Professor Windwilch retired. Windwilch had been a kindly old man whom all the students had adored. When he announced his retirement, all of Hogwarts felt as though it would be losing a friend. Windwilch was the reason Dia had the flaming passion for potions as she did. He had taught her the beauty of it.
In her seventh year, Dia hoped that the new Potions master would be just like Windwilch. Was she ever wrong. There are no words to explain how Dia felt as she walked into the cold dungeons on the first day of her seventh year for Potions and first met Professor Severus Snape. An evil looking bat was her first impression. He had a menacing stare. His sharp black eyes, and the hard lines on his face. His greasy black hair hanging down his neck. His billowing black robes. Dia smiled to him when she first saw him. He just stared her down. He wasn't much better once class started. He threw surly remarks to students and put them down with his sharp tongue. Dia though he could have been Satan reincarnated.
Dia's father being Arthur Diamond as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher didn't help. Arthur Diamond had at one time been against everything that was in support of Lord Voldemort, and when it leaked out that Snape had once been a Death Eater, Arthur Diamond went on a crusade to have him banished from Hogwarts. Diamond was outraged that Dumbledore would have hired a Death Eater. Dumbledore patiently explained to Dimond that Snape had indeed renounced all connections to Voldemort and he had joined the Light Side again, bit Diamond's theory was Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. Since Dumbledore refused to fire Snape, Arthur Diamond made it his mission to make Snape as miserable as possible by always bringing up the fact that he had once been a Death Eater. He succeeded, and partly in thanks to Arthur C. Diamond, Snape is the way he is today. Snape took out all his anger at Arthur Diamond on Dia, making her life miserable. She thought it truly unfair that Snape
should make her life mierable just because her father made his miserable.
But, nonetheless, she was by far the best pupil in Snape's potion class that year.
Dia finally found the stomach to get ready, and as she buttoned her old, tattered black robes she said outloud, "Maybe he's different. I mean, we are both adults now. Maybe he's nicer."
*******
Dia Diamond could be found that night sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow that night. Snape being different was very true. But Snape being nicer was a lie if there ever was one.
If Dia thought when she was a student Potions were bad, now they were ten times as worse. Snape learned of deducting points from the houses, and he took points off from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor (especially Gryffindor) with every blink. And with that he gave his house (Slytherin she learned) points with every blink. Snape treated the students, except the dratted Slytherins, like they were infants with the least bit of intellegence. He was so bias. Dia wanted to help demonstrate the potions, but Snape would yell at her to sit in the corner and just watch. And then between classes he would lecture her about not doing anything.
Dia sat up and threw her pillow against the wall with a high-pitch scream. "That great prat! Why does he have to make people so miserable? I can't stand this. Why the bloody did I come back to this ruddy school anyway? So I can comfort my brother? Let Dumbledore do it! I can't stand this! I'm going home!"
Her long hair flowing behind her out of its usual ponytail and without her thick glasses hiding her face (she really didn't need glasses, she just wore them to make her look ordinary,)Dia flung herself down the hallway, down the winding corridors, and past the Great Hall, where dinner was still in service. She put her hands on the handles to the main doors and sobbed, "Goodbye Hogwarts--forever!"
Dia was about to open the doors when she heard a soft voice say, "Stop."
Dia gasped and spun around. "Dumbledore!" she cried.
Dumbledore smiled warmly and walked over to her. "Where were you going, my child?"
Dia suddenly felt very childish. "I..." she started, and then burst into tears. "I can't stand him...he's so evil!"
Dumbledore motioned to her, and Dia sobbed into Dumbledore's brilliant purple robes.
"You are remarkably like your mother, Dia. Andromena was stunningly beautiful--just like you. I remember the times I would see her, she would always be smiling, even if she had just encountered the most wretched people from your father's crusades," Dumbledore said.
Dia stopped her tears and looked into Dumbledore's warm face. "Really?" was all she could ask.
The Headmaster nodded. "She was very good, Dia."
Dia smiled in gratitude.
"Give it a chance, Dia. Your mother wouldn't want you to give up so easily. Neither would your brother, Dia. He is counting on you, depending on you. You are the only family he has now..." Dumbledore said.
"But Snape," Dia whimpered.
He could only smile as he put a hand on her shoulder. "My child, I never said that Severus Snape was the easiest person in the world to get close to. But he is a genius in Potions, p'raps the best next to Professor Windwilch. Severus can be a very surly man, you got me there. But he has a lot of respect. You are, I daresay, the best potions student to come out of Hogwarts in recent times. You see the beauty of the subject like Severus does. You have him there on that connection. And whether he wants to realize it or not, we are going to expect great things from you, Dia Diamond."
Dia felt exhilderation course through her entire body. All she could do was look at Dumbledore, her electric eyes sparkling.
Dumbledore understood and nodded. "Would you like to join us for dinner in the Great Hall?"
Dia shook her head. "No, thank you, Headmaster."
Dumbledore smiled. "I'll have the house elves bring something up to you."
Dia shared his smile. "Thank you, Headmaster. Thank you for everything."
"Your quite welcome, Miss Diamond. Now if you'll excuse me, I am afraid I may be wanted back in the Great Hall."
Dia nodded and smiled.
"Goodbye, Miss Diamond. Sleep well," Dumbledore said warmly, disappearing through the doors to the Great Hall.
Dia's gaze lingered on the doors for a moment and her grin broadened. She finally shook her head, and, while twisting her silvery hair in a braid, climbed the stairs to her room and though nothing but what an awesome man Albus Dumbledore really was.
Dia Diamond woke up very early the following morning and stared out the enormous windows at the Quidditch field, which was covered in a thick fog. The morning was grey and bleak, the way Dia felt inside. She hadn't slept more than two hours for she felt as though a tornado was ripping inside her. She was incredibly sick with fear and worry about Potions.
When Dia was a student at Hogwarts, her favorite and most hated class had been potions. And becuase of one reason: Severus Snape.
Dia had been ending her sixth year when the old Potions master, Professor Windwilch retired. Windwilch had been a kindly old man whom all the students had adored. When he announced his retirement, all of Hogwarts felt as though it would be losing a friend. Windwilch was the reason Dia had the flaming passion for potions as she did. He had taught her the beauty of it.
In her seventh year, Dia hoped that the new Potions master would be just like Windwilch. Was she ever wrong. There are no words to explain how Dia felt as she walked into the cold dungeons on the first day of her seventh year for Potions and first met Professor Severus Snape. An evil looking bat was her first impression. He had a menacing stare. His sharp black eyes, and the hard lines on his face. His greasy black hair hanging down his neck. His billowing black robes. Dia smiled to him when she first saw him. He just stared her down. He wasn't much better once class started. He threw surly remarks to students and put them down with his sharp tongue. Dia though he could have been Satan reincarnated.
Dia's father being Arthur Diamond as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher didn't help. Arthur Diamond had at one time been against everything that was in support of Lord Voldemort, and when it leaked out that Snape had once been a Death Eater, Arthur Diamond went on a crusade to have him banished from Hogwarts. Diamond was outraged that Dumbledore would have hired a Death Eater. Dumbledore patiently explained to Dimond that Snape had indeed renounced all connections to Voldemort and he had joined the Light Side again, bit Diamond's theory was Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. Since Dumbledore refused to fire Snape, Arthur Diamond made it his mission to make Snape as miserable as possible by always bringing up the fact that he had once been a Death Eater. He succeeded, and partly in thanks to Arthur C. Diamond, Snape is the way he is today. Snape took out all his anger at Arthur Diamond on Dia, making her life miserable. She thought it truly unfair that Snape
should make her life mierable just because her father made his miserable.
But, nonetheless, she was by far the best pupil in Snape's potion class that year.
Dia finally found the stomach to get ready, and as she buttoned her old, tattered black robes she said outloud, "Maybe he's different. I mean, we are both adults now. Maybe he's nicer."
*******
Dia Diamond could be found that night sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow that night. Snape being different was very true. But Snape being nicer was a lie if there ever was one.
If Dia thought when she was a student Potions were bad, now they were ten times as worse. Snape learned of deducting points from the houses, and he took points off from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor (especially Gryffindor) with every blink. And with that he gave his house (Slytherin she learned) points with every blink. Snape treated the students, except the dratted Slytherins, like they were infants with the least bit of intellegence. He was so bias. Dia wanted to help demonstrate the potions, but Snape would yell at her to sit in the corner and just watch. And then between classes he would lecture her about not doing anything.
Dia sat up and threw her pillow against the wall with a high-pitch scream. "That great prat! Why does he have to make people so miserable? I can't stand this. Why the bloody did I come back to this ruddy school anyway? So I can comfort my brother? Let Dumbledore do it! I can't stand this! I'm going home!"
Her long hair flowing behind her out of its usual ponytail and without her thick glasses hiding her face (she really didn't need glasses, she just wore them to make her look ordinary,)Dia flung herself down the hallway, down the winding corridors, and past the Great Hall, where dinner was still in service. She put her hands on the handles to the main doors and sobbed, "Goodbye Hogwarts--forever!"
Dia was about to open the doors when she heard a soft voice say, "Stop."
Dia gasped and spun around. "Dumbledore!" she cried.
Dumbledore smiled warmly and walked over to her. "Where were you going, my child?"
Dia suddenly felt very childish. "I..." she started, and then burst into tears. "I can't stand him...he's so evil!"
Dumbledore motioned to her, and Dia sobbed into Dumbledore's brilliant purple robes.
"You are remarkably like your mother, Dia. Andromena was stunningly beautiful--just like you. I remember the times I would see her, she would always be smiling, even if she had just encountered the most wretched people from your father's crusades," Dumbledore said.
Dia stopped her tears and looked into Dumbledore's warm face. "Really?" was all she could ask.
The Headmaster nodded. "She was very good, Dia."
Dia smiled in gratitude.
"Give it a chance, Dia. Your mother wouldn't want you to give up so easily. Neither would your brother, Dia. He is counting on you, depending on you. You are the only family he has now..." Dumbledore said.
"But Snape," Dia whimpered.
He could only smile as he put a hand on her shoulder. "My child, I never said that Severus Snape was the easiest person in the world to get close to. But he is a genius in Potions, p'raps the best next to Professor Windwilch. Severus can be a very surly man, you got me there. But he has a lot of respect. You are, I daresay, the best potions student to come out of Hogwarts in recent times. You see the beauty of the subject like Severus does. You have him there on that connection. And whether he wants to realize it or not, we are going to expect great things from you, Dia Diamond."
Dia felt exhilderation course through her entire body. All she could do was look at Dumbledore, her electric eyes sparkling.
Dumbledore understood and nodded. "Would you like to join us for dinner in the Great Hall?"
Dia shook her head. "No, thank you, Headmaster."
Dumbledore smiled. "I'll have the house elves bring something up to you."
Dia shared his smile. "Thank you, Headmaster. Thank you for everything."
"Your quite welcome, Miss Diamond. Now if you'll excuse me, I am afraid I may be wanted back in the Great Hall."
Dia nodded and smiled.
"Goodbye, Miss Diamond. Sleep well," Dumbledore said warmly, disappearing through the doors to the Great Hall.
Dia's gaze lingered on the doors for a moment and her grin broadened. She finally shook her head, and, while twisting her silvery hair in a braid, climbed the stairs to her room and though nothing but what an awesome man Albus Dumbledore really was.