CHAPTER SIX
That night, Dia slipped into the bathroom that was adjacent to her room. She was in awe. A candle-filled chandelier cast a dim light on the white marble room. The bath looked like a swimming pool, to say the least, and about a hundred gold taps lined the edge, with a different colored jewel set into its handle. Also, to Dia's surprise, was a diving board. A pile of plush towels sat in the corner.
"If only the students baths would have been this nice," Dia said sliding off her robe, recalling when she went to Hogwarts.
She walked over to the diving board and examined it. She shrugged, stepped onto it, ran and did a perfect dive into the invigorating water. She surfaced, her feet barely touching the floor, and slicked back her hair.
"This is the life!" she giggled as she swam over to the gold taps. Dia turned them all on-- releasing different types of bubblebath. Pink bubbles, blue bubbles, orange bubbles, white bubbles, bubbles that smelled like lavendar, bubbles that smelled like apples, floating bubbles, sinking bubbles, bubbles of all sorts gushed out of the taps.
Dia did summersalts, handstands, and anything else imaginable in the hot foamy water. Finally, she lay flat and floated admist the soapy foam.
Her mind wandered to her second day as Potions assistant. It had been considerably better than her first. Snape actually let her participate. She didn't mind showing how to brew the Acretia Sleeping Potion. Although at first apprehensive, she didn't mind drinking the potion, either. All the while she was asleep, beautiful dreams clouded her head. She really didn't like when Snape made her take the antidote--she rather fancied the dreams.
Snape had been horrid to her on her first day, but today he seemed better. He was less snide in his remarks. He had had his moments, though. Dia found it quite facinating that he knew so much about every potion. Sitting through his discussions on them she rather fancied. If he hadn't been Severus Snape, Dia could have found him, well, quite charming.
Dia's thoughts soon changed from Snape and his potions to her father. Dia sank her feet on the bottom and a scowl emerged on her mouth.
"How? How could he have been caught? Arthur Diamond wouldn't have been stupid enough to be caught. How did you get yourself caught, Diamond?" Dia asked with perplexion and revulsion.
Dia had pushed all thought of her father and his affiliations out of her mind since she heard first about them. She certainly wasn't going to indulge her thoughts in him now.
She went over to one of the taps and it roared fluffy purple bubbles that smelled like lavendar. She lingered in the aroma, then plunged underwater.
While Dia was under the water, she didn't hear the set of knocks on the door to her bedroom. And when she didn't answer, the password to enter her room that was said (chocolate frogs.) When she emerged her head from the water, she heard the knocks on the door to her bathroom and the cries of, "Dia? Dia? Miss Diamond?"
"Oh!" Dia yelped in surprise. "I'm in here. The password is 'lemondrops.'"
She heard the password said and the door flew open to reveal Professor Flitwick.
Professor Flitwick, dressed in his long green night shirt. He gasped and his eyes opened wide. Dia finally realized why. There she was, her silver robe strewn on the floor, and she in a pool of bubbles.
"Oh, Miss Diamond, I'm sorry!" he cried, turning around.
"It's quite alright," Dia said, wading to the side of the pool.
"It's important," Flitwick said, his back to Dia. "Dumbledore's called an emergency meeting of the staff in his office. I'll be waiting outside." He shut the door behind him.
"I'll be right there," Dia replied.
She climbed out of the bath, and while pulling on her silver night robe, looked longingly at the bubbles. She wrung out her soaked hair and flipped it over her shoulders.
She met Professor Flitwick in her bedroom (his face turned crimson--a very wet girl that looked like a true veela in nothing else but a robe) and Dia shut the door behind them as when they reached the hallway.
As they padded sown the corridors to Dumbledore's office, Dia asked, "What's the meeting about, Professor Flitwick?"
Flitwick, his gaze straight ahead, only shrugged. "I wish I knew, Dia. Professor McGonagall rose me out of bed and said that Dumbledore called an emergency staff meeting. What it is, I hope it's nothing bad."
Dia nodded slowly.
The professor and assistant were silent the rest of the way until they reached Dumbledore's office. Flitwick said the password (gumdrops) for the gargoyle to move out of the way; they reached outside the office, and Flitwick tugged open the doors.
Inside, the rest of the staff were gathered. This was an amusing sight for Dia. Usually dressed in their robes during the day, now the professors wore their night shirts and some in nightcaps. Dia was the only wet one. Flitwick pushed his way to the front, and Dia stood in the back of the group, shivering in her flimsy robe.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk. "Is everyone present?"
Professor McGonagall spoke. "No, Dumbledore. Severus isn't here yet."
As on cue, the doors opened and Severus Snape appeared in his long gray night shirt and his black hair tossled from sleep.
He nodded to McGonagall who then said, "Severus is here."
"Very good," Dumbledore said.
Snape strode to the group and stood beside Dia, towering over her. Dia never realized that she only came up to his shoulders. He looked at the other professors and finally his gaze landed on Dia.
Dia could see his dark eyes bulge. "Miss Diamond?" he blurted.
Dia smiled, nodded, and opened her mouth to speak, when Dumbledore's voice echoed through the room, "Professor Goddlin handed me his resignation today."
Murmurs rippled through the staff. Dia was baffled: Professor Goddlin?
"But why?" Professor Sprout asked.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know why, Professor. He came to my office today, saying he wanted to resign from his position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I asked him why and he gave the lame excuse that some seventh years frightened him with the tale of how the position was cursed."
"Was a very superstitious man," someone murmured.
"He said he had a carriage waiting and all his belongings ready. I told him he couldn't go becuase he was a very good teacher and we had no one else who could fill in for him. He gave me a very mad look and said he could't stay any longer. He then ran out of my office."
Silence filled the room.
Professor Goddlin. Dia wasn't familair with the name. But, indeed, the Defense Against the Darks Arts position was cursed.
"But what will we do now, Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall cried. "Who will fill in for him?"
The staff erupted in chatter, except for Snape and Dia. Dia watched Snape, he just stood staring straight ahead, his face showing no emotion.
Dumbledore raised his hands and the talking stopped.
"I reckon we need someone to fill in for Professor Goddlin while we find a replacement teacher. That is why I am asking the most qualified person for the position to take it on--Severus, will you?" Dumbledore asked.
Every eye in the room focused on Snape. Dia saw a flicker in his eyes. He was silent for a moment and then asked, "But what about my Potion classes?"
Dumbledore nodded. "It was just our luck that you have Miss Diamond as an assistant. I trust her and know that she is qualified enough in Potions to take over the classes that will collide with your teaching of the Defense of the Dark Arts."
Dia felt her face flame up. Did Dumbledore just say she was going to teach Potions?
As Snape remained speechless, Dumbledore addressed the rest of the staff. "Professors, I just wanted to announce that Professor Goddin has resigned from Hogwarts. That is all. Sleep well. Professor Snape, Miss Diamond will you wait?"
With soft murmurs, the staff, save Dia and Snape, left the office, leaving Dia (in her flimsy robe and wet hair) and Snape standing in the back of the room. Dumbledore beckoned them and they drew to the front of his desk.
The Headmaster turned to Snape. "Severus, I chose you for the position becuase I know that you have a passion against the Dark Arts. That's why I chose you. I hope that you will take on the position until we can find a replacement teacher."
Snape gave a stiff bow. "Of course, Headmaster. I will be honored to."
"Very well," Dumbledore said. He turned to Dia. "Miss Diamond is excellent enough in Potions to take on the classes that will interfere with the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts. What do you say, Severus?"
Dia jerked her head towards Snape. His jaw looked clenched and it seemed very, very hard for him to say, "Alright."
Dumbledore's eyes lit up. "Very good. Severus, Dia you can discuss this all in later detail tomorrow. Right now, we all must get to bed." Dumbledore let out a yawn.
There was silence as Dumbledore led them out of his office, locking the doors behind him. "Goodnight, you two," he said, padding off to his room.
Snape and Dia now stood alone. He suddenly took out his wand and whispered Lumos. The end of his wand erupted in a bright blue light. He started down the hallway, Dia still standing in the doorway of Dumbledore's office. After a few steps he turned around. "Are you coming?" he snapped.
Dia hurried to catch up to him, walking quickly to match his long strides.
After walking in silence, Snape sneered, "Need a towel?"
Dia realized she was still damp from the bath. She became flustered. "I...I just took a bath," she stammered.
Snape grunted.
Without thinking, Dia shot back, "Need a comb?"
Snape immediatly halted. She realized what she had just said and to whom she said it and gasp and bit her tounge. Dia was sure Snape would murder her on the spot, but to her surprise, when he turned around, the blue light showed a flicker of amusement in his dark eyes.
"Come on, Diamond," he said silkily, striding off again.
Dia walked dazed beside him. She was amazed she wasn't dead yet.
After a while, they reached Dia's room.
Dia whispered the password and the door swung open. She was halfway in when she head Snape say, "Sleep well, Diamond. Teaching Potions to Hogwarts students can kill you."
Dia spun around, stunned, only barely able to make out Snape's outline in the blue light as he made his way down the corridor to his room.
That night, Dia slipped into the bathroom that was adjacent to her room. She was in awe. A candle-filled chandelier cast a dim light on the white marble room. The bath looked like a swimming pool, to say the least, and about a hundred gold taps lined the edge, with a different colored jewel set into its handle. Also, to Dia's surprise, was a diving board. A pile of plush towels sat in the corner.
"If only the students baths would have been this nice," Dia said sliding off her robe, recalling when she went to Hogwarts.
She walked over to the diving board and examined it. She shrugged, stepped onto it, ran and did a perfect dive into the invigorating water. She surfaced, her feet barely touching the floor, and slicked back her hair.
"This is the life!" she giggled as she swam over to the gold taps. Dia turned them all on-- releasing different types of bubblebath. Pink bubbles, blue bubbles, orange bubbles, white bubbles, bubbles that smelled like lavendar, bubbles that smelled like apples, floating bubbles, sinking bubbles, bubbles of all sorts gushed out of the taps.
Dia did summersalts, handstands, and anything else imaginable in the hot foamy water. Finally, she lay flat and floated admist the soapy foam.
Her mind wandered to her second day as Potions assistant. It had been considerably better than her first. Snape actually let her participate. She didn't mind showing how to brew the Acretia Sleeping Potion. Although at first apprehensive, she didn't mind drinking the potion, either. All the while she was asleep, beautiful dreams clouded her head. She really didn't like when Snape made her take the antidote--she rather fancied the dreams.
Snape had been horrid to her on her first day, but today he seemed better. He was less snide in his remarks. He had had his moments, though. Dia found it quite facinating that he knew so much about every potion. Sitting through his discussions on them she rather fancied. If he hadn't been Severus Snape, Dia could have found him, well, quite charming.
Dia's thoughts soon changed from Snape and his potions to her father. Dia sank her feet on the bottom and a scowl emerged on her mouth.
"How? How could he have been caught? Arthur Diamond wouldn't have been stupid enough to be caught. How did you get yourself caught, Diamond?" Dia asked with perplexion and revulsion.
Dia had pushed all thought of her father and his affiliations out of her mind since she heard first about them. She certainly wasn't going to indulge her thoughts in him now.
She went over to one of the taps and it roared fluffy purple bubbles that smelled like lavendar. She lingered in the aroma, then plunged underwater.
While Dia was under the water, she didn't hear the set of knocks on the door to her bedroom. And when she didn't answer, the password to enter her room that was said (chocolate frogs.) When she emerged her head from the water, she heard the knocks on the door to her bathroom and the cries of, "Dia? Dia? Miss Diamond?"
"Oh!" Dia yelped in surprise. "I'm in here. The password is 'lemondrops.'"
She heard the password said and the door flew open to reveal Professor Flitwick.
Professor Flitwick, dressed in his long green night shirt. He gasped and his eyes opened wide. Dia finally realized why. There she was, her silver robe strewn on the floor, and she in a pool of bubbles.
"Oh, Miss Diamond, I'm sorry!" he cried, turning around.
"It's quite alright," Dia said, wading to the side of the pool.
"It's important," Flitwick said, his back to Dia. "Dumbledore's called an emergency meeting of the staff in his office. I'll be waiting outside." He shut the door behind him.
"I'll be right there," Dia replied.
She climbed out of the bath, and while pulling on her silver night robe, looked longingly at the bubbles. She wrung out her soaked hair and flipped it over her shoulders.
She met Professor Flitwick in her bedroom (his face turned crimson--a very wet girl that looked like a true veela in nothing else but a robe) and Dia shut the door behind them as when they reached the hallway.
As they padded sown the corridors to Dumbledore's office, Dia asked, "What's the meeting about, Professor Flitwick?"
Flitwick, his gaze straight ahead, only shrugged. "I wish I knew, Dia. Professor McGonagall rose me out of bed and said that Dumbledore called an emergency staff meeting. What it is, I hope it's nothing bad."
Dia nodded slowly.
The professor and assistant were silent the rest of the way until they reached Dumbledore's office. Flitwick said the password (gumdrops) for the gargoyle to move out of the way; they reached outside the office, and Flitwick tugged open the doors.
Inside, the rest of the staff were gathered. This was an amusing sight for Dia. Usually dressed in their robes during the day, now the professors wore their night shirts and some in nightcaps. Dia was the only wet one. Flitwick pushed his way to the front, and Dia stood in the back of the group, shivering in her flimsy robe.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk. "Is everyone present?"
Professor McGonagall spoke. "No, Dumbledore. Severus isn't here yet."
As on cue, the doors opened and Severus Snape appeared in his long gray night shirt and his black hair tossled from sleep.
He nodded to McGonagall who then said, "Severus is here."
"Very good," Dumbledore said.
Snape strode to the group and stood beside Dia, towering over her. Dia never realized that she only came up to his shoulders. He looked at the other professors and finally his gaze landed on Dia.
Dia could see his dark eyes bulge. "Miss Diamond?" he blurted.
Dia smiled, nodded, and opened her mouth to speak, when Dumbledore's voice echoed through the room, "Professor Goddlin handed me his resignation today."
Murmurs rippled through the staff. Dia was baffled: Professor Goddlin?
"But why?" Professor Sprout asked.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know why, Professor. He came to my office today, saying he wanted to resign from his position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I asked him why and he gave the lame excuse that some seventh years frightened him with the tale of how the position was cursed."
"Was a very superstitious man," someone murmured.
"He said he had a carriage waiting and all his belongings ready. I told him he couldn't go becuase he was a very good teacher and we had no one else who could fill in for him. He gave me a very mad look and said he could't stay any longer. He then ran out of my office."
Silence filled the room.
Professor Goddlin. Dia wasn't familair with the name. But, indeed, the Defense Against the Darks Arts position was cursed.
"But what will we do now, Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall cried. "Who will fill in for him?"
The staff erupted in chatter, except for Snape and Dia. Dia watched Snape, he just stood staring straight ahead, his face showing no emotion.
Dumbledore raised his hands and the talking stopped.
"I reckon we need someone to fill in for Professor Goddlin while we find a replacement teacher. That is why I am asking the most qualified person for the position to take it on--Severus, will you?" Dumbledore asked.
Every eye in the room focused on Snape. Dia saw a flicker in his eyes. He was silent for a moment and then asked, "But what about my Potion classes?"
Dumbledore nodded. "It was just our luck that you have Miss Diamond as an assistant. I trust her and know that she is qualified enough in Potions to take over the classes that will collide with your teaching of the Defense of the Dark Arts."
Dia felt her face flame up. Did Dumbledore just say she was going to teach Potions?
As Snape remained speechless, Dumbledore addressed the rest of the staff. "Professors, I just wanted to announce that Professor Goddin has resigned from Hogwarts. That is all. Sleep well. Professor Snape, Miss Diamond will you wait?"
With soft murmurs, the staff, save Dia and Snape, left the office, leaving Dia (in her flimsy robe and wet hair) and Snape standing in the back of the room. Dumbledore beckoned them and they drew to the front of his desk.
The Headmaster turned to Snape. "Severus, I chose you for the position becuase I know that you have a passion against the Dark Arts. That's why I chose you. I hope that you will take on the position until we can find a replacement teacher."
Snape gave a stiff bow. "Of course, Headmaster. I will be honored to."
"Very well," Dumbledore said. He turned to Dia. "Miss Diamond is excellent enough in Potions to take on the classes that will interfere with the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts. What do you say, Severus?"
Dia jerked her head towards Snape. His jaw looked clenched and it seemed very, very hard for him to say, "Alright."
Dumbledore's eyes lit up. "Very good. Severus, Dia you can discuss this all in later detail tomorrow. Right now, we all must get to bed." Dumbledore let out a yawn.
There was silence as Dumbledore led them out of his office, locking the doors behind him. "Goodnight, you two," he said, padding off to his room.
Snape and Dia now stood alone. He suddenly took out his wand and whispered Lumos. The end of his wand erupted in a bright blue light. He started down the hallway, Dia still standing in the doorway of Dumbledore's office. After a few steps he turned around. "Are you coming?" he snapped.
Dia hurried to catch up to him, walking quickly to match his long strides.
After walking in silence, Snape sneered, "Need a towel?"
Dia realized she was still damp from the bath. She became flustered. "I...I just took a bath," she stammered.
Snape grunted.
Without thinking, Dia shot back, "Need a comb?"
Snape immediatly halted. She realized what she had just said and to whom she said it and gasp and bit her tounge. Dia was sure Snape would murder her on the spot, but to her surprise, when he turned around, the blue light showed a flicker of amusement in his dark eyes.
"Come on, Diamond," he said silkily, striding off again.
Dia walked dazed beside him. She was amazed she wasn't dead yet.
After a while, they reached Dia's room.
Dia whispered the password and the door swung open. She was halfway in when she head Snape say, "Sleep well, Diamond. Teaching Potions to Hogwarts students can kill you."
Dia spun around, stunned, only barely able to make out Snape's outline in the blue light as he made his way down the corridor to his room.