THE START OF TERM FEAST
As the weeks passed by, Mariannah and Severus busied themselves with the changes they were making to the school's wards. Most of the time, the two were quite pleasant with each other. But when they had their disagreements, everyone made sure that they stayed as far away from the couple as humanly possible.
Sirius tried to befriend Mariannah but quickly abandoned his quest when the witch started talking about trying an old Asian recipe that required the use of dog meat. On the other hand, Remus and Mariannah got along quite nicely with each other. Mariannah had always liked the werewolf even when they were students. Recently, she had taken over the brewing of the Wolfsbane Potion to allow Severus some much needed rest.
They had been so busy with the preparations that Mariannah was only able to start preparing her teaching materials a week before the start of term. One day, Severus found her sorting through the books that were used during the last four years.
"Mariannah, it's time for lunch," he said.
"Oh, is it already?" said Mariannah, not bothering
to look up from her desk. "Tell me, did Lockhart really use this book?"
she asked holding up a copy of "Voyages with Vampires" like
a moldy sandwich. Severus snapped his head to the side and grunted his disapproval
of both the said material and the author. "I'll take that as a yes,"
said Mariannah as she promptly threw the book into the garbage bin.
"All right. Let's go." Mariannah got up from her chair and started
towards Severus.
"Your missing lunch is getting to be a habit, my dear," reprimanded Severus.
"I'd like to do a final security check on the afternoon of the start of term feast. I want to make sure that all the new wards and enchantments are stable," said Mariannah as they walked towards the Great Hall.
"Of course," said Severus languidly. He smirked at Mariannah's avoidance of the previous topic.
The start of term had finally arrived.
Mariannah was fixing her cloak when she heard the knock on her door. "In a minute," she called out. She kept making sure that her outfit was okay. More impatient knocking made her realize that she had taken a minute too long. She immediately opened the door to see Severus in mid-knock.
Mariannah looked at him from head to toe. "Don't you wear anything else besides that?" she asked. His reply came in the form of a very grim look that told her it was none of her business. "Very well. Let's get to it then, shall we?" Severus nodded and stepped aside to let her pass.
As Mariannah walked in front of him, Severus took in her attire. She was wearing royal green dress robes. A velvet cloak of the same rich color was draped on top of her robes; a silver cobra head was emblazoned upon the back. Her hair was tied up in a loose chignon, some tendrils escaped to fall softly on the sides of her face.
"I remember that dress," said Severus in a voice
that was warmer than usual.
Mariannah gave a small smile. "You remember that as well?"
"How could I forget," said Severus, returning a smile.
"It was the most wonderful day of my life."
With that, they started their rounds.
The Great Hall started to fill with students. Harry Potter,
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were surveying the High Table. "Look,"
Ron said, tugging on Harry's sleeve. "There are two chairs empty."
Harry took another look. "Snape's missing. The other chair must be for
the new Defense professor."
"I heard that the new teacher is going to be a witch," said Hermione.
"Really?" Ron was incredulous. "Hermione, do you actually think that Professor Dumbledore will allow a witch to teach that subject?"
Hermione straightened up in her seat and put her hands on her
hips. "Ronald Weasley!" she said with indignation. "Don't tell
me you've turned into a chauvinistic pig over the summer?"
"I - I - it's not like that," stammered Ron.
"Shush! Both of you," admonished Harry. "The sorting ceremony is about to start."
After a new and wonderful song from the Sorting Hat and an hour of sorting, the three Gryffindors noted that the High Table was still missing two teachers.
"What happened to Snape?" asked Harry.
"He's probably on another mission for the headmaster," replied Hermione. "Anyway, how did your summer go, Harry?"
"So and so," said Harry, putting some treacle fudge on his plate. "I got the Dursley's to let me stay at Mrs. Figg's every now and then. At least I was able to do some of my homework." Harry had found out last school year that Arabella Figg was actually a witch working in the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore had allowed Harry to visit the witch as an "escape" from his family if Harry felt like it.
"Hey!" Ron piped up. "Maybe she's the new Defense Professor.""Possibly," replied Hermione. "But I don't think so. She may be rather busy in the Order to have time to teach."
Their talk was cut short when the headmaster called the attention of the students. "As you know," began the old wizard. "We are entering a dangerous year. With Voldemort back, we need to take extra precautions to ensure your safety within Hogwarts." The mention of You-Know-Who's name sent shivers through most of the students in the hall. Even the professors flinched. "It is most comforting to know that our Potions Master and our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor have been hard at work over the past summer upgrading the school's wards and defenses."
As if on cue, the doors of the Great Hall opened to reveal Severus Snape. The Potions Master strode briskly towards the high table, his robes billowing in his wake. He stopped just in front of Dumbledore. "I apologize for our tardiness, headmaster," he spoke. "But Professor Potter found it necessary to do a last minute check on the new enchantments."
Ron quickly glanced at Harry. "Did he say Professor Potter?" Harry didn't answer. He was just as surprised as Ron to hear the name. Could she be a relative? he thought.
"It's all right," said Dumbledore. "I should have remembered that our new colleague has a mean perfectionist streak in her. Very much like you, isn't that correct Professor Snape?" Dumbledore smiled at Severus. The Potions Master sneered and proceeded to take his place on the High Table.
Severus had barely reached his seat when the door of the Great Hall opened once again. This time, a young witch resplendent in opulent robes appeared. She swiftly strode towards the High Table. Her gait imitated that of the Potions Master's, with an air of confidence and grace. Her cloak ballooned behind her, giving the witch a sense of formidability. She stopped right in front of Dumbledore to give a low and graceful curtsy. Her eyes met the headmaster's as she looked up and waited. The old wizard gave a slight nod, which the witch returned. She stood up and proceeded to take the only available seat left, which happened to be next to Severus.
The students watched in astonishment as they witnessed their most dreaded and ill-tempered professor help the witch to her seat before he sat down himself. "That's the first time I have ever seen Snape act like a gentleman," said Harry. "Yeah," said Ron. "I'm now convinced that the whole world has gone daft."
Dumbledore began to address the students once again. "Ladies and gentlemen, normally I do not introduce our new professors to you during our start of term feasts. However, I believe this to be a special occasion."
"I would like to introduce to you Miss Mariannah Potter. Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and the last of the Gryffindor Guardians."