CHAPTER SEVEN
Severus Snape didn't get a blink of sleep that night. He was too overwhelmed by joy. He had finally got the thing he had craved ever since he first started teaching at Hogwarts--the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. But, somehow it had always eluded him and fell into the hands of a dynasty of idiots--Jenkins, Slurger, Spire and more recently Quirrel, Lockhart, Lupin, Moody, and Goddlin.
And now it was his. Well, for now, that was. What Snape despretly wished for now was that Dumbledore would make him the full time DADA teacher. That depended on two things. One, Snape knew for certain--that no one would dare apply for the position. Everyone in their right mind knew that the job was cursed. It seemed that all who taught it had some brush with Voldemort somehow. Knowing this, Snape knew that next year he would be the full time teacher. But the second thing troubled him--Dia Diamond. Since he would be graduating from potions to DADA, someone would have to be the new Potions master. Dumbledore would surely offer Diamond the job--but would she take it? The girl had only come to Hogwarts to look after her brother. But how long would she stay? Would she even stay until the end of the year? She had a good history of vanishing--but the question that gnawed at Snape was: Would she stay long enough to take over Potions and let Snape take his brass ring? He hoped so.
********
Dia Diamond also had a troubled sleep. The next day she would be taking on at least half of Snape's classes. It was only going on her third day!
"Dumbledore must have a lot of faith in me," she murmured, sitting up in her four-poster bed. She glanced at her bed side clock (a practical Muggle invention). It read 1:30 a.m. Dia groaned and fell back into bed. She still couldn't sleep. She tried everthing from counting sheep to laying on her back. She sat up again.
"Drat! I can't sleep at all and I have such a hard day ahead of me tomorrow! P'raps some warm milk will help," she said to herself, getting out of bed and slipping on her robe and slippers. She shuffled to her door, yanked it open, and down the hallway.
*******
Snape, uncannily, had had the same idea as Diamond. And it just so happened as he was shutting his door behind him who should be waltzing down the hall at 1:35 a.m.--Dia Diamond.
Both were taken aback.
"Diamond, what are you doing out?" he hissed.
"I...I couldn't sleep, Professor. I was going to the kitchen for some milk..." she stammered.
"What a coincidence," Snape mumbled, spitting out Lumos, causing the end of his wand to erupt in the same bright blue light. "Me too."
Professor and assistant walked through the winding corridors in silence. Snape was tickling the pear in the painting guarding the kitchen when Dia gushed, "Professor, I'm not ready for this. I have no clue what I'm doing."
Snape studied the helpless look on Dia's face. The pear started to giggle and the painting swung open. "C'mon."
Snape led Dia down the winding steps until they reached the massive kitchen. Dia saw Snape searching around for something. "Dratted house elves. They are never near when you need them."
"That's alright, Professor," Dia said. "I can get it if you want..."
Snape simply waved a hand. "No, no, no."
Dia slipped into a empty chair, brushing her hair out of her face, as she watched Snape reach one of the refrigerators and pull out a carton of milk. He filled up two glasses and handed one to Dia. She smiled appriciativly.
Snape took a chair across from her. He watched as she gulped the glass clean. He couldn''t stop staring at her. She looked so different.
Dia finished and caught Snape's gaze, his eyes flickered down.
"Professor," she said softly, breaking the awkward silence. "I am not ready for this."
Snape jerked his head up, his eyes flashing. "Do you not want me to have the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?"
In the dark he couldn't see it, but her face heated up ten shades of crimson. "Of course not, Professor...but..."
"But, Diamond?" Snape snapped, staring her down.
Dia felt her a lump in her throat and tears welled in her eyes. "No, of course not. But it's only my third day...I'm not a professor! I'm not ready for this..."
Snape relaxed his tone. "Of course you are, Diamond..."
"No, I'm not!" Dia cried, her voice starting to come out in chokes. "The only place I've ever worked is the goddamn Ministry of Magic. I'm not ready to teach Potions. I'm not ready. I don't know why I came back..."
Tears rolled down Dia's cheeks as she sobbed in the dark. All her emotions--her father, Dunner, Snape--all rushed out at once.
'Stop crying, you silly girl!" Snape said softly. He held up his wand and whispered Lumos. In the blue light, Dia could see a faint outline of his face.
She started helplessly at him and wiped her eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing."
"Of course you do, Diamond. Why else are you my assistant?" Snape asked.
"Because," Dia scoffed. "You had no other choice. You had to take on the wierd girl who you hate as your assistant becuase Dumbledore asked you to."
Snape felt his temper start to rise. "What makes you think I hate you?"
"Because!" Dia shrieked through tears. "You were so miserable to me when I was a student! You hated me."
Snape rose to his feet. "I hated your father, Diamond," he roared.
Dia jumped out of her chair. "I hated my father, too! I despised him! Why do you think I vanished?"
Snape bit his tongue and tried to hide the question he was burning to ask. Why had she just gone up and disappeared from all record for five whole years? "It is none of my business why you vanished," he growled. "Just that you cover my bloody Potion classes, Diamond!"
"Oh yes it is. It always has. Dia Diamond's Disappearance. Why did she disappear? Her family was scandilized. Oh, if you would have only known my father!" she shreiked before bursting into hysterical sobs that could have woke the whole school.
"Enough with the tears!" Snape snarled, only to cause Dia to cry harder.
Snape sighed and stepped out of character for a moment. "Diamond, what I am about to tell you may never be repeated again outside the walls of this kitchen."
Dia halted her sobs and looked at Snape's face illuminated by the pale blue light radiating from the end of his wand.
She sniffled and pushed her long hair off her face.
"Well?" he snarled, causing Dia to jump.
"Oh, yes. I promise," she said softly.
Snape let out a very deep sigh. "Diamond, it's true that I didn't want you as a Potions assistant..."
Dia's sobs started up slowly.
"BUT," Snape continued, silencing her, "it wasn't because you were horrible at Potions. You, and I will never say this again, you, Dia Diamond...were the bestpotionsstudentieverhad."
"What?" Dia asked.
Snape could feel his temper start to rise. "You were the best ruddy Potions student I ever had, happy?"
Snape could see a smile cross her whole face and her electric blue eyes sparkled, hypnotizing him.
He could see her next reaction was to turn a deep red.
"Really?" she asked softly, a new happiness invading her voice.
"Yes," Snape mumbled, leaning back into his chair.
Dia Diamond sat up, beaming. Snape tried to retain his surly expression while he took in the radiating girl in front of him.
Silence filled the room for a few moments, before Dia asked, "But, Professor..."
"What, Diamond?" Snape snapped, still beating himself over what he had told Diamond.
"What do I have to do with your Potion classes?"
"Oh, Diamond..." he growled.
Severus Snape didn't get a blink of sleep that night. He was too overwhelmed by joy. He had finally got the thing he had craved ever since he first started teaching at Hogwarts--the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. But, somehow it had always eluded him and fell into the hands of a dynasty of idiots--Jenkins, Slurger, Spire and more recently Quirrel, Lockhart, Lupin, Moody, and Goddlin.
And now it was his. Well, for now, that was. What Snape despretly wished for now was that Dumbledore would make him the full time DADA teacher. That depended on two things. One, Snape knew for certain--that no one would dare apply for the position. Everyone in their right mind knew that the job was cursed. It seemed that all who taught it had some brush with Voldemort somehow. Knowing this, Snape knew that next year he would be the full time teacher. But the second thing troubled him--Dia Diamond. Since he would be graduating from potions to DADA, someone would have to be the new Potions master. Dumbledore would surely offer Diamond the job--but would she take it? The girl had only come to Hogwarts to look after her brother. But how long would she stay? Would she even stay until the end of the year? She had a good history of vanishing--but the question that gnawed at Snape was: Would she stay long enough to take over Potions and let Snape take his brass ring? He hoped so.
********
Dia Diamond also had a troubled sleep. The next day she would be taking on at least half of Snape's classes. It was only going on her third day!
"Dumbledore must have a lot of faith in me," she murmured, sitting up in her four-poster bed. She glanced at her bed side clock (a practical Muggle invention). It read 1:30 a.m. Dia groaned and fell back into bed. She still couldn't sleep. She tried everthing from counting sheep to laying on her back. She sat up again.
"Drat! I can't sleep at all and I have such a hard day ahead of me tomorrow! P'raps some warm milk will help," she said to herself, getting out of bed and slipping on her robe and slippers. She shuffled to her door, yanked it open, and down the hallway.
*******
Snape, uncannily, had had the same idea as Diamond. And it just so happened as he was shutting his door behind him who should be waltzing down the hall at 1:35 a.m.--Dia Diamond.
Both were taken aback.
"Diamond, what are you doing out?" he hissed.
"I...I couldn't sleep, Professor. I was going to the kitchen for some milk..." she stammered.
"What a coincidence," Snape mumbled, spitting out Lumos, causing the end of his wand to erupt in the same bright blue light. "Me too."
Professor and assistant walked through the winding corridors in silence. Snape was tickling the pear in the painting guarding the kitchen when Dia gushed, "Professor, I'm not ready for this. I have no clue what I'm doing."
Snape studied the helpless look on Dia's face. The pear started to giggle and the painting swung open. "C'mon."
Snape led Dia down the winding steps until they reached the massive kitchen. Dia saw Snape searching around for something. "Dratted house elves. They are never near when you need them."
"That's alright, Professor," Dia said. "I can get it if you want..."
Snape simply waved a hand. "No, no, no."
Dia slipped into a empty chair, brushing her hair out of her face, as she watched Snape reach one of the refrigerators and pull out a carton of milk. He filled up two glasses and handed one to Dia. She smiled appriciativly.
Snape took a chair across from her. He watched as she gulped the glass clean. He couldn''t stop staring at her. She looked so different.
Dia finished and caught Snape's gaze, his eyes flickered down.
"Professor," she said softly, breaking the awkward silence. "I am not ready for this."
Snape jerked his head up, his eyes flashing. "Do you not want me to have the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?"
In the dark he couldn't see it, but her face heated up ten shades of crimson. "Of course not, Professor...but..."
"But, Diamond?" Snape snapped, staring her down.
Dia felt her a lump in her throat and tears welled in her eyes. "No, of course not. But it's only my third day...I'm not a professor! I'm not ready for this..."
Snape relaxed his tone. "Of course you are, Diamond..."
"No, I'm not!" Dia cried, her voice starting to come out in chokes. "The only place I've ever worked is the goddamn Ministry of Magic. I'm not ready to teach Potions. I'm not ready. I don't know why I came back..."
Tears rolled down Dia's cheeks as she sobbed in the dark. All her emotions--her father, Dunner, Snape--all rushed out at once.
'Stop crying, you silly girl!" Snape said softly. He held up his wand and whispered Lumos. In the blue light, Dia could see a faint outline of his face.
She started helplessly at him and wiped her eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing."
"Of course you do, Diamond. Why else are you my assistant?" Snape asked.
"Because," Dia scoffed. "You had no other choice. You had to take on the wierd girl who you hate as your assistant becuase Dumbledore asked you to."
Snape felt his temper start to rise. "What makes you think I hate you?"
"Because!" Dia shrieked through tears. "You were so miserable to me when I was a student! You hated me."
Snape rose to his feet. "I hated your father, Diamond," he roared.
Dia jumped out of her chair. "I hated my father, too! I despised him! Why do you think I vanished?"
Snape bit his tongue and tried to hide the question he was burning to ask. Why had she just gone up and disappeared from all record for five whole years? "It is none of my business why you vanished," he growled. "Just that you cover my bloody Potion classes, Diamond!"
"Oh yes it is. It always has. Dia Diamond's Disappearance. Why did she disappear? Her family was scandilized. Oh, if you would have only known my father!" she shreiked before bursting into hysterical sobs that could have woke the whole school.
"Enough with the tears!" Snape snarled, only to cause Dia to cry harder.
Snape sighed and stepped out of character for a moment. "Diamond, what I am about to tell you may never be repeated again outside the walls of this kitchen."
Dia halted her sobs and looked at Snape's face illuminated by the pale blue light radiating from the end of his wand.
She sniffled and pushed her long hair off her face.
"Well?" he snarled, causing Dia to jump.
"Oh, yes. I promise," she said softly.
Snape let out a very deep sigh. "Diamond, it's true that I didn't want you as a Potions assistant..."
Dia's sobs started up slowly.
"BUT," Snape continued, silencing her, "it wasn't because you were horrible at Potions. You, and I will never say this again, you, Dia Diamond...were the bestpotionsstudentieverhad."
"What?" Dia asked.
Snape could feel his temper start to rise. "You were the best ruddy Potions student I ever had, happy?"
Snape could see a smile cross her whole face and her electric blue eyes sparkled, hypnotizing him.
He could see her next reaction was to turn a deep red.
"Really?" she asked softly, a new happiness invading her voice.
"Yes," Snape mumbled, leaning back into his chair.
Dia Diamond sat up, beaming. Snape tried to retain his surly expression while he took in the radiating girl in front of him.
Silence filled the room for a few moments, before Dia asked, "But, Professor..."
"What, Diamond?" Snape snapped, still beating himself over what he had told Diamond.
"What do I have to do with your Potion classes?"
"Oh, Diamond..." he growled.