CONVINCING PEOPLE
Albus Dumbledore gazed out of the window of his office. As he surveyed the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he thought about how he was to inform his Potions Master about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He had no clue as to how Severus Snape would take the news.
The position had always been a sensitive one. Dumbledore had been on his wits end trying to figure out who would best fill the position. It took him sometime to figure out whom he should hire and a little bit more to even convince the person. Now he has to break the news to Severus.
The headmaster looked up to the sky. The weather was clear and sunny, yet the rumble of thunder could distinctly be heard from a distance. The old wizard nodded and smiled. She will be here any time now, he thought.
The door of his office creaked open at that point. Dumbledore turned around in time to see his Potions Master enter the room. "You wished to see me, headmaster?" asked Severus.
"Yes, Severus. Please take a seat. Sherbet lemon?" offered Dumbledore. Severus shook his head as he took his seat. "Very well," said the old wizard as he sat behind his desk. "As you already know, I had a difficult time looking for a new professor for the Defense class. After what had happened the past school year, I had to be sure that the person would be someone we can definitely trust." Dumbledore folded his hands on the table and looked deep into Severus' eyes. "You would be glad to know that I finally found someone for the position. It took some time for me to find her but -"
"Her?" Severus cut off the headmaster. "You're hiring a witch to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Why not, Severus?" asked Dumbledore. "I try not to allow discrimination in this school. I believe a witch can do just as much and as well as any other wizard. In fact, I believe you will get to - like - this particular teacher." Dumbledore leaned back on his chair, the familiar twinkle evident in his eyes.
"I don't believe that is possible, Albus," sneered the Potions Master.
"Mark my words, young man! You will like this one," said Dumbledore, wagging his finger at the stubborn young man.
"In any case," continued Severus with a wave of his hand. "I cannot comprehend on why you need to tell me privately about your latest acquisition. I'm not the deputy. Minerva should be the one in this chair right now. Not me. This is none of my business."
"Ah! But it is, Severus! For you see, you personally know this witch." Dumbledore got up from his chair and walked towards the window. "In fact, you were quite intimate with her several years back."
"Excuse me?"
Dumbledore glanced at the wizard. "Caught your attention now, didn't I?" Dumbledore let out a soft chuckle as he continued to gaze out of the window. He smiled serenely as he heard another boom of thunder.
There were a few moments of silence before the Potions Master spoke up. "Well then, old man! Out with it!" he snapped impatiently.
"She was quite hard to find, Severus. She covered her tracks as well as she could. When I finally found her, it was even harder to convince her to come back and accept the position. But I guess it was my fault she ended up there." Dumbledore looked back at Severus; his features now somber and stern.
"I have convinced Mariannah Potter to join Hogwarts."
The woman had just settled into her chair when she heard a knock on her door. She looked at the wall clock and noted that it was half past ten in the evening. Now who could be calling at this hour? she thought as she got up to answer the door. Upon doing so she was greeted by an old man wearing strange yet familiar robes. "Albus!" cried the woman in surprise.
"Hello, Mariannah! I has been a long time," replied the headmaster. "Mariannah stood there staring at the old man, shocked to know he was standing on her porch. "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"
Mariannah shook out of her stupor and apologized for not letting him in immediately; she ushered him in after that. As the headmaster went through the doorway, the woman fumbled a bit as if stopping herself from doing something. Dumbledore looked at her with concern. Mariannah took a deep breath and curtsied to the old wizard. Dumbledore smiled and gave a slight nod. The witch offered him a seat and asked if he would like some tea. He nodded and watched as she waved her hand; a cup of tea floated from the kitchen to the visitor. Mariannah noted his amusement. "Magic tracing," she said smugly. "I should have known you'd use that to find me."
"Of course, my dear," said Dumbledore before sipping his tea. Right after, he raised his eyebrows and looked into his cup. "This is you potions honors project," he said.
The witch before him smiled and nodded. "I felt that you could use a cup," she said.
"Thank you, my dear. The past months have been so dreadful. I've been in want for such a concoction since Voldemort came back. Pity you didn't leave the recipe."
"Ah," exclaimed Mariannah plaintively. "I should have known he would be the reason for your insistent search for me." The witch took her seat beside her old mentor. "So, how is the boy?" she asked.
"I see that you did read my letters after all," said Dumbledore with a smile. Mariannah blushed. Dumbledore had been sending her owls for the past few weeks now. She would read them, reseal them and had them returned to the sender. She always made sure that it looked like the owls never reached their destination.
"Harry is fine," continued Albus. "He will be entering his fifth year this coming term. For now, he is still safe with his mother's relations."
Mariannah summoned for some tea from the kitchens. The two sat sipping their respective drinks in silence. "I can't go back there, Albus," Mariannah finally spoke.
"You can't or you won't?"
Mariannah sighed and put down her cup on the table. "I'm engaged, Albus. He proposed to me a few weeks before I received your first owl. He knows I'm a witch and accepts me whole-heartedly as I am. For the first time in fourteen years, I feel that life has started to have some meaning again."
"I see," said Dumbledore as he stroked his beard.
Dumbledore put down his cup and reached for Mariannah's hand. "Dearest, it was your choice to leave us fourteen years ago. Much as I was hurt that you did not let me help you at that trying time, I respected your decision and let you be. Had the situation been any different, I would not be here to persuade you to come back. But understand that I have no choice."
"What about Artemia?"
"My daughter has other tasks at hand," said Dumbledore. "She is gathering her former apprentices, recruiting new ones, preparing all of them for the inevitable battle."
"And Chloe?"
"Chloe is just as hard to find as your are," said Dumbledore with a smile. "She was the subject of another tracer as well. It just so happened that yours came up first."
There was a short pause before Dumbledore continued. "Please reconsider. Hogwarts needs you. Your nephew needs you. Voldemort is intent on killing the boy. All I ask is for you to protect Hogwarts. I will need you to work with my Potions Master to enhance the school's wards and defenses. Merlin knows, Severus will need all the help he could get."
"Severus?" Mariannah straightened up when she heard the familiar name. "Severus Snape?"
"Mariannah Potter is dead, Albus," snapped Severus. The young wizard's face was stoic. "You told me yourself fourteen years ago."
"I did not say such thing, my boy," said Dumbledore.
Severus stood up and walked towards the headmaster. "You told me she was gone!"
Dumbledore calmly turned to look at Severus. "Gone and dead are two different words, Severus," explained the headmaster. Severus glared at the old wizard, not believing that he had been denied the truth all these years. "I'm sorry, my boy," apologized Dumbledore. "But understand that it was not my choice. I had to respect that decision."
Severus' glare faltered. His gaze then fell to the floor. The headmaster could clearly see that his Potions Master was in shock. Who wouldn't be? thought Dumbledore. The old wizard held the young man's shoulder. "I need you and Mariannah to see to the security of the school. Bring her up to speed the developments here in our world. You will find, however, that she's made some remarkable progress on her own as well."
Severus nodded numbly. "Of course, headmaster," came a hoarse whisper.
Dumbledore regarded the young wizard with great sympathy. Both men heard another clap of thunder outside. "She should be arriving any moment now," said the headmaster. "The thunder sounds much nearer. Would you be kind enough to meet her on the grounds and escort her around Hogwarts?"
Severus silently nodded. "If there is nothing further to discuss, headmaster." Dumbledore dismissed him. Severus had barely reached the door when Dumbledore spoke again. "Would you like to know what made her decide to come back?"
Severus turned his head to look at the old wizard, waiting for an answer. "Well, it was not really a matter of what, but a matter of who," explained Dumbledore. The old wizard's next words made Severus feel like he was hit by something even worse than a Cruciatus.
"It was you, Severus."