Author's note: This story is actually generated by a question posed by Veil in our Severus Snape fan club. This question inspired me to write and so I did. Thus I cannot take full credit for this story and am more than happy to share it with her.
Summary: A new DADA teacher comes to Hogwarts and she doesn't like the fact that Professor Snape takes off points from other houses except his own and decides to fight fire with fire.
TO THE POINT
"LONGBOTTOM!" Snape's voice thudded throughout the classroom and the great halls. "You call this a potion you pathetic excuse for a wizard! Ten points from Gryffindor!" To this several Slytherins smirked glowingly.
This was how almost every class in Potions transpired, only Neville's place was replaced with other Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and poor Hufflepuffs. But never Slytherins, though, for they had a special place in the Professor's heart- who happened to be the head of their house. It seemed that he took great delight in humiliating his students, by showing off their weaknesses in front of the entire class. Although perhaps he had his reasons- those reasons were beyond the comprehension and guessing of his students who labeled it under 'meanness' and hated him for the rest of their school years.
This went on for years and none of the other teachers had a word with him on the matter, besides McGonagall, whose shouting were heard in the entire school and the two head of opposing houses; Gryffindor and Slytherin; were not on the best of terms since then. But since Albus Dumbledore refused to get involved in the way the teachers ran their classes and would not fire him, there was not much to be done about the matter, since McGonagall was a fair type and would not stoop to his level. Snape believed he had won and went on teaching in his unique technique, unchallenged, until one day a new DADA teacher came to Hogwarts…
*
Professor Victoria Cross was on her way to the teacher's lounge when she heard Professor Snape's growl, freezing her in her spot.
"POTTER! Stop talking to Mr. Weasley behind my back! I've warned you about this!" There was a moment's hesitating and then his voice chilled icily. "Oh do you now? Five points from Gryffindor and if you say another word I'll take off a point for every Gryffindor sitting in this room!" The bell finally rang and all the students filed out, wanting to be anywhere but there.
Professor Cross stopped several Gryffindors to ask them the meaning of the event she over heard.
"You thought that was bad?" Dean Thomas complained. "I think he let us off easy!"
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously. "Are you saying this happens often?"
"Professor" Ron said angrily. "We're saying this happens ALL the time."
"Surely you are exaggerating" she refused to believe a teacher could do such a thing.
"Oh yeah?" Harry said darkly, his face still flushed from his ordeal with Snape. "Listen to a few more classes and then tell us if we're over reacting."
The students turned to go to the great hall for their afternoon meal and left Professor Cross with some thinking to do.
*
"Minerva," Professor Cross said during the meal. "Is it true that Professor Snape yells at his pupils every lesson?"
Due to the fact that she was fairly new in the school and to the DADA position, she trusted the older and wiser Transfiguration teacher. Victoria pulled her long Almond hair back, trying to ponytail it, or at least to keep it out of her Chestnut eyes. The light in the great hall only intensified her honey tan, causing her to appear to glow and giving her an angelic look. She was a rather young teacher in this staff, being only 32 years of age.
"My dear child, you do have a lot to learn" McGonagall sighed, putting her fork down. "The Potions' Professor not only yells and humiliates them, but he also deducts points from their houses unfairly."
"What do you mean unfairly?" She asked.
Professor McGonagall leaned over conspiratorially, keeping her cat-like eyes on the Professor in question.
"Oh he'll find a reason, you can bet on that. As trifle as it might be, he'll take off points from their house for it. But strangely, he never seems to take off points from his own house…"
"You're not suggesting-"
"I am not SUGGESTING, I am TELLING you" McGonagall said hatefully. "I have confronted him on this matter several times and he neither denies nor confirms the allegations. But I know the truth."
"What did you do about it?" Victoria asked, still stunned he could commit such an act. During her classes, if she had to reduce points from a certain house, it did not matter if it was a Slytherin or one of her house members- the Ravenclaws, she did it just the same. This kind of discrimination was simply unheard of.
"I went to Dumbledore, naturally." Minerva said, sipping her juice. "But he failed to get involved, he said 'we each educate in our own fashion and to meddle with his teaching would be like consume poison through the veins.'"
"I fail to understand the simile" Victoria shook her head.
"As did I, something to do with it being as affective as swallowing it and shutting down the whole system" McGonagall shrugged. "I gave up in the end."
"Well I won't! This mustn't go on! It is setting a bad example for the children."
"What do you plan on doing about it?" McGonagall asked suspiciously, a feeling creeping inside that this will be entertaining.
"Fight fire with fire" Victoria said and elaborated on her plan.
****
"Ms. Bulstrode, did you do that?" McGonagall turned sharply from her scribbling on the board. The entire class started to mutter, trying to figure out what Millicent did. The Slytherin girl looked shocked and asked innocently what she had done.
"Don't talk back to me Miss! Five points from Slytherin!"
Millicent tried to convince McGonagall she had no idea what she was accusing her of and by the end of the lesson it was fifteen points from Slytherin and the students left confused to their next class, thinking the old witch went mad.
***
Professor Victoria Cross was in a middle of a dictation about various mythical creatures when he eyes rested on Draco, who was whispering something to Harry.
"Mr. Malfoy, as you seem to be paying SO much attention in my class, why don't I give you a pop quiz?"
Draco turned pale and tried to mutter an excuse.
"How about me make this interesting? There are several charms to ward off Vampires, I think I can conjure one up…. Anyone wants to place wagers on whether Mr. Malfoy will manage to keep his neck unbitten?"
The class laughed as Draco turned ever more pale and mumbled something about not listening.
"Really?" Victoria said tutting. "What a shame! Ten points from Slytherin- Mr. Malfoy, please hand me an assignment three scrolls long on Vampires, spotting them and killing them next lesson. Mr. Granger, you seem willing and able- care to demonstrate to Mr. Malfoy here how it's done?"
********
"CROSS!" Professor Snape's voice shook the walls.
"Well, unless he decided to direct traffic, I believe he wants a word with me" Victoria told her associates, who conspired with her in this plan. Including the Herbiology teacher, the Charms teacher and Flitwick, who needed the most convincing. None other than Professor Cross and McGonagall of course led the mutiny.
"I need to speak with you" Snape hissed, as he entered the room, his eyes piercing into her soul.
"Really? What of?" Victoria asked innocently.
"You know damn well what of! I need to talk to you about your discrimination against Slytherins!" He yelled, not caring that there were other teachers in the room.
"I hear it is quite an epidemic," Victoria said unfettered. "Perhaps it's the students?"
"I know you are the one that convinced the others" He spat as he eyed them all heatedly. "And I want to know why. NOW!"
Victoria got up; stretching her legs and led him to her office. She shut the door and immediately attacked him.
"How dare you judge the way I handle my classes, when for years you've been doing the exact same thing!" She yelled at his, her hair flaying about.
"It is none of your business what I do with my classes!" He yelled back.
"Just like it's none of yours!"
"So this is how you want to play it, then?" Hasked dangerously quiet, his eyes hardening. "Well this has only begun!"
****
"Twenty points from Ravenclaw!"
"Ten points from Slytherin! What was that you said? Unfair? You're right, make that twenty five!"
"Five points from Ravenclaw for being a tiring bunch!"
"Ten points from Slytherin for the messy handwriting, who taught you how to write?"
"I've had it with you! If you answer one more question wrong, I will… Thirty points from every house!"
"Twenty points from Slytherin. Why? I'm your teacher, I don't need a reason."
"Ten points from Ravenclaw! Why? Because I feel like it!"
"Fifteen points from Slytherin! I'm a woman and I have PMS- reason enough?"
"PROFFESOR SNAPE AND PROFESSOR CROSS, MY OFFICE NOW!" Dumbledore's voice startled every person within hearing range. The headmaster was not one to shout, and so he must have been really pissed. The two Professors exchanged angry glances and followed the Headmaster into his office. The moment the door was closed he started to preach.
"I have stood by and allowed each of you to continue teaching in the way you saw fit, though there was much to improve. But I cannot stand by while you play your little 'House War of Points', trying to take off as many points from the other house. Now the two of you are going to stay here until you resolve this matter in a mature and adult way, and you are not to leave until you do so. I expect you to reach some kind of a settlement by the time I return." With that he left his office and two sulking teachers behind.
"This is all your fault, you know" Victoria said, crossing her arms.
"My fault?" Snape asked enraged. "You are the one that decided to stick your abnormally large nose where I doesn't belong."
"Only because you can't seem to teach in a fair manner." Victoria hissed.
"Who are you to pass judgment on how I teach? You're nothing but an amateur, wet behind the ear-"
"I bet you're this bitter because you're shooting blanks!" She screamed, getting out of her seat.
"You WISH you had my skills-"
"I wouldn't be caught dead-"
"Bitch!"
"Egotistical maniac-" But her sentence was left hanging as the two suddenly found themselves in the middle of a passionate kiss, as once thing led to the other and they managed to end up on the desk and floor, tumbling and mingling as one.
****
"Albus! What WERE you thinking?" McGonagall asked, as the two headed for his office.
"They should work this matter like grownups do."
"I'd be surprised if they haven't killed each other yet!" She replied as they went down the hall leading to his door. It was quiet, a little too quiet.
"You don't suppose they really killed each other, do you?" McGonagall asked horrified. Dumbledore opened his office door very slightly and almost immediately closed it.
"Well?" Asked McGonagall, trying to also see. "Are they at each other's throats?"
"Quite" Dumbledore said dazed. "They bring new meaning to that phrase."
"Perhaps we should interfere?" McGonagall said and took a step towards the door. Dumbledore stopped her and led her away from there.
"No, as much as I hate to admit it they did solve this matter in an ADULT way" he said cryptically and they were gone.
*******
"I suppose we must reach some kind of compromise" Snape mused, his arms wrapped around her body.
"Right," Victoria said, getting up. She quickly dressed and tossed some clothes his way. "BEFORE Dumbledore gets back, I shudder to think of his reaction if he found us…. Like this."
Once the two of them were decent, they continued the conversation.
"You have to stop singling out members from other houses," she said, sitting on a chair, once she returned it to a standing position.
"I was not-"
"Then why didn't you take off points from your own house?"
"I have my reasons." He said mysteriously. "Trust me, I know what I am doing."
"Well, I certainly hope so" Victoria answered. "Then can you at least be fair while doing so? Not taking off points for no reason at all? Take off points only when you really have to?"
"And then you would have your way, but what would I gain?" Snape asked slyly. Victoria thought for a moment before whispering something in his ear. His eyes seemed to light up and he asked:
"Where on earth did you get whipped cream from?" He asked shocked.
"The house elves are very kind creatures" she said and continued whispering something in his ear.
"Is that even physically possible?" He said doubtfully, though his eyes shone with mischief.
"I guess we'll have to find out," she said seductively. She leaned over to kiss him, when Dumbledore knocked and entered his office.
"I believe you have reached… Common grounds?" He asked, with a knowing glint in his eyes.
"Oh, we found something to work on" Snape tried very hard to suppress the grin that was tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Good! Then I believe this matter is resolved." Dumbledore clasped his hands together and escorted his younger companions out into the hall. "By the way, Professor" He said to Victoria. "I believe this is yours." He handed her her under garment slip.
"Wonder how that got here" she said blushing as the professors headed to opposite directions.
Dumbledore merely shook his head and smiled. "I do believe things are going to be more interesting now."
*
Most of you students were stunned from the sudden change in their potions Professor. It seemed not only he held himself back from raising his voice at them for no reason, but also that he was battling a grin. These facts would have made them think he had gone mad, if not for one constant in this frightening sea of change.
"MR. LONGBOTTOM!"
-The End-