It was a strange feeling, to be standing up in front of so many people.  Tinuvial felt extraordinarily awkward the first few times she held class, but as she grew more comfortable with what she was doing and saying, she actually began to enjoy herself.


"Can anyone tell me what a rusalka is?" she asked her Third year Gryffindor class.  They were all rather shy around the new professor, of whom nobody knew anything about.  Many shook their heads.


"Alright…"  she pulled out a large book from one her many shelves.  "A rusalka," she began, flipping through the pages, "is literally the spirit of a woman who had been drowned or died violently in the water.  Their purpose is to attract unsuspecting males and lure them into the water, quickly followed by a rather unpleasant death." Some of the students laughed.  She found the page she was looking for.


"For the most part, they may just look like a beautiful woman swimming…but…"she held up the book.  "This is how they look when the enchantment is gone."  A few of them gasped amidst the assorted "ews!" that her class brought forth.  "Now that's not a pretty sight, is it?"  She glanced at the greenish, moss-covered skeletal figure waving flirtatiouslyin the picture.  "But, remember…they are, essentially, lost souls, and are cursed to remain in the water.  But don't let pity overwhelm your senses…they are quite dangerous."

One raised his hand.  "Have you ever seen one?" he asked excitedly.


She nodded.  "Once.  I was in Romania and one just rose up from the lake I was at with the people I was with.  Luckily, all the men I was with knew what she was and were able to ignore her.  Before we left, though, we put a spell on the spot, which would repel people from going too close."

"Couldn't you have just killed it?" one of the other students asked curiously.

Tinuvial looked at the class seriously.  "Now this is something I need to make all of you understand," she said quietly.  "Death is absolute.  Once you extinguish the life from something, no matter what it is, it cannot be brought back.  If we would have "killed" the rusalka, who knows what would have happened.  It was better that we enchanted the spot and persuaded her to leave us alone."    She looked squarely at the student who asked the question.  "Don't be so quick to deal out death. Do you have the power to deal out death and life?  One balances the other, the scale must never be tipped."  The student looked away from her eyes.

Tinuvial sighed and put the book down.  "We shall study creatures of this sort throughout the year.  Other creatures, such as grindylow, we may have a more hands-on study, depending on if I can find the creature." She smiled.  "Do you remember Professor Lupin?  I plan to take a hint from him.  His year with you has obviously been one of your more productive ones."

It wasn't long until the class was over and the students left, talking quietly amongst themselves.  Tinuvial looked around the empty classroom and sighed.  Her second day was over.  She flicked her wand and the chairs and tables straightened themselves out.  Tomorrow, she would meet with Harry's class.  She was strangely nervous about this one.  After her initial tension about what sort of teacher she would turn out to be, she was fine.  But this class…

She heard movement at her doorway and turned around to see Snape standing there.  "Coming to see if I survived?" she asked dryly.

"I thought I should walk with you to dinner, seeing as how you can't seem to remember on your own." 

She rolled her eyes at the sarcasm.  "I was busy last night.  Please forgive me."  She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.  "What, did no one else speak to you at dinner?" she asked archly. "Come off it, surely I'm not your only source of entertainment at mealtimes?"

He didn't answer.  Since they had made amends over his accusations, they really had not spoken much, even at mealtimes.  Now that the term had begun, he realized that they would not see each other as much.  And (being honest with himself) he did admit that she was one of the few people he actually wanted to see every day.


She watched him and smiled.  "Alright, I'll come to dinner," she said in a rather amused tone.  "Even if I do have mounds of work I should be getting done.  How on earth do the rest of you manage?"

"You have the disadvantage of not knowing what class can do what.  And yours, in particular, have been left a bit of a mess."

The Great Hall was filling up rapidly with students and faculty.  Snape and Tinuvial took their seats at the faculty table and, minutes later, the meal began.    They didn't speak as they ate, but he did watch her when she wasn't looking.  She definitely looked healthier and was not so much of a shadow of a woman anymore.    He would quickly avert his gaze when it looked as though she might see him staring.

"So, Tinuvial," Dumbledore said to her, "how are you holding up?  We missed you last night."

"Is that all anyone can talk about?" she asked, glancing at Snape.  "Someone already got all over me about missing dinner last night."

Dumbledore looked at Snape, amused.  "Did they, now?"

"Anyway, I'm doing fine," she said, putting down her fork and knife, apparently done.  "I have some of my older classes tomorrow, which will be…interesting, to say the least."  Dumbledore's gaze never left her and she knew that he was aware of what she meant, in particular.

He smiled warmly.  "I've heard some of the students talking about your class already.  Favorably, I will say."

"Well, I'm glad.  I really was concerned about how I could handle a bunch of adolescents.  I never thought that I possessed the temperament for it."  She glanced at the Slytherin table.  "Of course, I'm sure I haven't met some of Hogwarts's more illustrious students yet."   Snape looked at her sharply, his expression darkening.  Of course, he would know who she meant.  Part of him, as head of Slytherin House, wanted to protest her stab.  However, he remained silent.  Hopefully, that would never become an issue between them.

After the dinner, they left the Hall together.  This time, she insisted that she really did have work to finish and left him for her classroom.  He watched the door close firmly and walked away.

***

Harry, Ron, and Hermione filed into the familiar Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, rather excited.  Their last few professors of this subject- Lupin and Moody (well, the Moody imposter)- have been extraordinary, and they heard that Professor Elarith was at least as interesting as they were.

"I heard that she's been all around the world," Ron said as they sat down.  "Wonder what she's been doing for so long?"

Harry shrugged.  Hermione pulled out her books, papers, and a fresh quill.  "I wonder what our focus will be this year," Harry mused.


"Magical traps and advanced creatures," Hermione said without looking up.  "That's what all Fifth years have to learn."  She bit her lip, looking at one of her books.  "I wonder if she'll have wanted us to be familiar with Magical Dangers.  I only read through it twice."  Ron rolled his eyes.

"Is that book even on the list?" he asked, pulling out his own books.

Hermione shook her head.  "But that book is highly recommended by the author of An Overview of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

Ron groaned.  "It hasn't even been a week into the term yet," he said in anguish, looking at her hopelessly.

The class went quiet all of a sudden as Professor Elarith walked in.  She had one of those compelling sort of airs that made everyone notice her as soon as she walked into a room.  It had been like that at the last few meals, where the buzz of the students would die down noticeable for a second or two when she entered the room, usually accompanied by the unlikely companion of Professor Snape.  Harry found it strange that the two usually came to meals together and left at the same time and hoped against hope that she was not like the Potions Master.  However, he remembered that she had not tried to shift the blame onto Ron or him when she caught Malfoy giving them trouble.

"Hello, everyone," she said, standing in front of the class, her hands behind her back.  She wore the typical black Hogwarts faculty robe over her dress and her long, curly black hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck.  "In case you've forgotten, I'm Professor Elarith and this is your Fifth year Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  If you didn't know that, then…see me."  She raised an eyebrow with her last remark, surveying the class.  "Seriously, I've already had a few students forget where they were supposed to be."

"Anyway, I suppose the best way to start our first lesson together is to tell you what we shall be studying this year.  As with every other year, there is a specific focus.  This year we shall delve a bit deeper into magical and dangerous beasts…" she paused, her eyes sparkling,  " though I'm sure you get enough of that in Care of Magical Creatures.  I know Hagrid."  The class laughed rather nervously.  "And we shall also focus on common traps and webs the Dark Arts often spin for the unwary wizard or witch.  But, as I've done with every other class so far, I'm going to give you the chance to ask me questions later.  About myself, what I've done…anything, so long as it's not inane."

"First, however, roll call."


And so Professor Elarith called out the names of each student.  When she got to "Granger, Hermione," she paused and smiled at her.  "I've heard some wonderful things about you from other professors, dear."

She also stopped when she said "Longbottom, Neville."  The round-faced boy looked up at her nervously, but she smiled warmly at him.  "I hear you're good at Herbology, Neville.  You'll be pleased to know some of our sections deal with plants."  Neville smiled somewhat.

And then she called Harry's name.  She did not say anything, but merely paused and looked at him oddly.  Her eyes did not do the familiar flick to his forehead, but held contact with his own eyes for a second.  She broke the gaze to glance down at her list of names.  She continued on with roll, not pausing again.

"You don't need to take notes on this," she said, pulling out a book.  "We'll cover this all more in-depth later.  I just want to give you an idea on what exactly I mean when I say magical traps."

"A common trap that I've run into many times is the Florana Web, usually done in the forest.  What it is, literally, is a web that blends in with the plants and other forest settings.  When a wizard walks into it, it will wrap itself around him, so that he is unable to move.  A physically stronger wizard or witch can easily break it's binds, but for the rest of us, it's a simple spell.  In fact, you know it already."  She looked around at the class.  "Can anyone guess what it is?"

Not surprisingly, Hermione's hand shot in the air.  Professor Elarith nodded at her.

"Diffindo," Hermione said.

"Exactly."  Professor Elarith cupped her hands together.  "That will split the web right down the middle.  But you have to crawl out quickly, before they notice."

"Another trap, a really fickle one, is the Sonicario Spell." She made a face.  "I've had to deal with that one once or twice.  If you're chasing someone and they cast it, it sends flurries of sounds all around you, so you really can't depend on your hearing.  It sounds small, but it is extraordinarily distracting.  The spell for that one is generally called the One-Way, because it keeps you going in the direction you need to be going. The word for that is Converno."

And on she went, occasionally illustrating her brief overview with stories or personal experiences.  From the way she spoke, Harry garnered that Professor Elarith had seen and done a lot.

"Now," she said, putting away the various books she had pulled out with a flick of her wand, "it's your turn.  You can ask me anything you like, but, as I said… use your best judgement."  She looked to the back and nodded to whoever's hand was raised.  It was Parvati Patil.

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" she asked rather shyly.

Professor Elarith smiled.  "That I did.  In fact, I was here around the same time as Professor Snape."

Harry's heart jumped slightly. She must've known my mum and dad…

Ron's hand shot up.  "Did you play Quidditch?" he demanded.


She shook her head, rather regretfully.  "Always wanted to, though.  I was a pretty good flier and absolutely loved playing for fun, though.  But the Gryffindor Quidditch team was always solid in my years."

"So you were a Gryffindor?" Dean Thomas asked.

"Did you ever doubt it?" she asked in mock surprise.  "By Merlin, what did you think I was, a Slytherin?"  She winked at them.  "Don't tell Snape I said that."

Hermione rose her hand.  "What did you do before coming here?"

Professor Elarith smiled slightly.  "I was an Auror for a few years after school."

"What about after that?" Parvati asked.

The witch's face darkened a little.  "I guess…you could say I was staying with my mother's family," she said rather vaguely.  "I was sick for a long time, you see."  From the corner of his eye, he could see Parvati open her mouth again, probably to ask what her sickness was, but a nudge from Lavender Brown kept her quiet.  This was obviously not a subject she was willing to broach any deeper.

For the most part, the questions were about what sort of creatures she had seen and fought in her travels, an apparently safe subject, as all traces of her former discomfort were gone.  It didn't seem long until they were leaving her classroom, with (as Ron was delighted to point out) no homework at all.

"What do you think?" Harry asked them.


"About Professor Elarith?" Hermione asked.  "I like her."

"I think she knows what she's talking about, unlike some professors we've had," Ron said, rolling his eyes.  "Remember what Fred and George said last year about Moody?  That he's been there?  I think that's true for her, too."  The others agreed, Harry not bothering to remind Ron that their professor last year had not been Moody, but a transformed Barty Crouch, Jr. 


There was, however, something extraordinarily familiar about her.  He said so to Ron and Hermione.  Ron merely shrugged.  Hermione, however, had a logical reason.  "Well, she obviously knew Professor Lupin," she said.  "Maybe it's just the way she treats everyone."

Harry frowned.  "Maybe."  It still didn't settle it in his mind, though.    The rest of the day was quite typical, with them going to dinner, as Defense Against the Dark Arts was their afternoon class.  It ended with the usual socializing in the Gryffindor tower common room. But, still, throughout the day, Harry would stop and wonder where he could possibly have seen Professor Elarith before.

The next day, however, seemed to have the worst going for it.  Double Potions, Harry's least favorite hours of any time.  Professor Snape, despite everything that had happened the previous year, would surely be as horrid as ever.

Yet, strangely enough, Snape seemed oddly restrained with his usually most hated class.  Oh, he was still sarcastic and nasty to most of the students, but he never once addressed Harry.  He found this odd, as making life miserable for him seemed to be one of Snape's favorite past-times.

Homework from Potions was as heavy and unforgiving as ever, but Harry could not help but feel that Snape was deliberately avoiding him.  For that matter, he didn't even say a word to Ron or Hermione, whom he usually enjoyed calling a show-off know-it-all.  Even when Ron accidentally dropped a book onto the cold, stone floor with a resounding THUD, Snape did not remark, merely watched with cool eyes as he picked it back up.  Ron dropping a book on the floor any other year would have been a detention-worthy offense.

Ron and Hermione were as mystified as Harry.  "Did you see that?"  Ron asked in a sort of shock as they went up the stone steps.  "I kept waiting for him to say 'Ten point from Gryffindor.' "

Harry nodded.  "He didn't seem as horrible as usual."

"Must be off to a slow start this year," Ron grunted.  " 'Miss Granger, when I ask for the help of an arrogant boaster, I will call on you,' " he added, doing an uncanny imitation of Snape.  Hermione and Harry both laughed.


"Maybe what happened last year changed him," Hermione said thoughtfully.  Ron shook his adamantly.

"No, he's off to a slow start.  Ten to one, he'll be back to making life miserable for us next week, plus an added bonus because he didn't do enough damage today."  Harry laughed and Hermione joined in to a lesser degree.