A Letter and Routine

After Hagrid's class everybody had lunch in the Great Hall. The Hall was buzzing with conversations about the second day of classes. Many of the students were talking about the pleasant surprise of the Thiskobert "Chirico" in Magical Creatures. They were all very excited about the diminished chance of becoming a meal this year. Harry sat listening and enjoying a ham sandwich. He let his eyes wander around the hall. He saw Cho Chang and blushed slightly when she waved at him. He then let his eyes wander over to the staff table and noticed that Professor Fear was siting there for the first time this year. She had switched seats with Professor Flitwick and was seated next to Snape staring at him intently. He did not look happy.
"What are you looking at?" he finally sneered having enough.
"Nothing much," she answered with a grin. "Why? Am I bothering you?"
"Yes."
"Okay then." Instead of discontinuing her stare she flipped her chair around so that she was now facing him. She folded her arms across the back and rested her chin on then. Her smile broadened. "Did you know that you have an unusually large nose?"
At this moment Harry noticed that he was not the only one watching anymore. All the staff and most of the student body had turned their attention to the scene. Professor Fear did not seem to notice. She just kept going also ignoring the fact that Snape had turned a bright red colour. Ron would swear later that he could see steam flowing from his ears.
"Did you also know that a shower a day will keep the doctor AND the bugs away?" She had gone too far with this comment. Snape jumped up and grabbed her by the front of her robes lifting clear off her chair.
"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut woman!" he screamed.
She just smiled and stuck her tongue out at him. He let out a frustrated yell, dropped her, and stalked out of the Hall his robes billowing behind him. Fear let out a small chuckle, mumbled something like "too easy" under her breath, flipped her chair back around, and started her lunch.
"I want to see you in my office after classes today Professor," Dumbledore told her.
"Yes sir," she answered with a smile not looking at all worried.

***

Everybody was laughing about the show at lunch as they went to their next classes. For Harry and his friends this was Herbology. They made their way across the grounds to the greenhouses. Professor Sprout, a stout, chunky woman with flyaway hair, was waiting for them outside greenhouse number four. They had never been inside greenhouse four and were all very excited.
"Hurry up the plants are waiting!" she called as she ushered them into the greenhouse. It was not much different then greenhouse three except for the fact it contained many more flowers and less tree like plants. They spent the class pruning large pink flowers called Logmears. They had to wear their dragon hid gloves and protective goggles because the flowers spit a powder at them that caused the skin to shrink and they had thorns on them that shot out when they were threatened. They thorns were covered with the same powder that the flowers spit at them. Professor Sprout explained that this powder was very useful in curing the common cold when the plants matured. Nobody cared much. They were too busy avoiding the thorns that were flying at them from every direction.
After Herbology the group went to the library to learn more antidotes. They had potions again the next day and they wanted to know everything they could before getting poisoned.

***

Niobe Fear stood in front of the large of the large stone gargoyle that blocked the entrance to Dumbledore's office and said "Sweet Tarts." The gargoyle leapt aside to reveal a long staircase. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the wooden doors at the top.
"Come in," Dumbledore's voice called from inside. She opened the door and walked in. Professor Snape was already there sitting in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. He glared up at her and she gave him a very toothy grin.
"Sit down please Professor," said Dumbledore motioning to the other chair in front of his desk.
"Aye, Aye sir," she replied with a mock salute. She sat down and pulled her chair closer to Snape's. If looks could kill she would have been six feet under.
"Don't look at me like that. You'll give me nightmares," (A/N: Thanx tirza for this little tidbit) she hissed at him her smile fading.
"You already give me nightmares," he shot back.
Dumbledore stood up suddenly and yelled, "Stop it both of you!"
"He started it."
"I most certainly did not!"
"Oh for Merlin's sake grow up! You are supposed to be TEACHERS!"
They both shut up, a little ashamed of being called children by a man whose inner children lived permanently on the outside. "Now that I have your attention I have called you here not to discuss your childish behaviour but to talk to you about your 'extra-curricular' activities. Professor Fear are you ready to start setting your traps?"
"Yes sir. The last of my equipment arrived this morning."
"Very good. Professor Snape have you been in contact with the Death Eaters?"
"I have sir, but they do not seem to trust me fully. They do not tell me very much. They have mentioned, however, that their numbers are growing rapidly and that they are posting spies at many locations, including the Forbidden Forest. They plan on moving in on the school in the very near future."
"Yes you mentioned that before and we will be ready for them, thanks to Professor Fear. Now I need you two to continue your work and I need you to work together, so try and get along please." He was smiling again. "Now off with you." They stood up to leave. "Oh one more thing Niobe. Would you be so kind as to inform Hagrid that he must move the Thiskobert onto the school grounds? We do not want any of our students getting caught in you traps on the way to see it."
"Yes sir I will be happy to tell him. Buh-bye." She left with a smile and a wave tripping Snape on her way down the stairs.

***

Harry received a letter back from Sirius that day at dinner. It read:

Harry
It's great to hear that you enjoyed your first day. I can't tell you how close
I am. Nice try though. Niobe Fear is your new DADA teacher? That's
great. She was a good friend of ours back in our school days. She was
actually your mother's best friend. She is also the reason why Snape was
in such a nasty mood, I'm guessing. He hates her more than he hates the
rest of us put together. Probably because she made it a regular practice
to make his life a living hell. She even beat him up a couple of times
because she didn't like his attitude. Well I've got to go now and hunt down
some food for me and Buckbeak. Enjoy your classes and tell Niobe hi for
me. Don't worry she knows all about my current situation. I'll talk to you
again soon.

Sirius

Harry showed the letter to Ron and Hermione who both laughed. After supper they made their way up to bed. Harry left them half way up so he could go speak to Professor Fear. Her made his way to her office and knocked on the door. Nobody answered so he knocked again, harder this time. "I'm in here!" her voice called from within the classroom.
"Oh hi Harry," she said when he entered. She had been cleaning the classroom, which was obvious by the many bottles of cleaners around the room and the feather duster in her hand. "How can I help you?"
"I got a letter from Sirius today."
"Really? How is he?"
"Good. He told me to tell you hi so here I am. I figured I'd give you the message personally just in case somebody over heard."
"Good plan Harry. Tell him hi back and tell him to send me an owl"
"I will Professor. Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot"
"Did you really know my parents?"
"I sure did. Your mother and I went way back. I was even her maid-of- honor at your parent's wedding. She was a very good person and a great friend. I miss her." A sad look had appeared on Fear's face. "Well no use dwelling on the depressing right? I have work to do."
"Can I ask you something else Professor?"
"As long as it is not depressing"
"Why are you cleaning your office without magic?"
She laughed. "I does look kinda silly doesn't it. I always believed that doing everything with magic is for the lazy. Its not hard word so why not do it by hand?"
"Good point I guess."
"Well it works for me. Here have a sucker." She handed him a large cherry flavored sucker. "I'll see you class tomorrow Harry."
"Yeah bye Professor. Thanks." He left thinking about how strange she was.

***

The days started to flow into a routine for the students. They spent their classes being poisoned by Snape (Harry had been poisoned twice in one week, thank God for the library), doomed by Trelawney, learning wandless
magic with Fear, failing to transfigure with McGonagall, grooming the Thiskobert with Hagrid, avoiding being stung in Herbology, and sleeping in
History. Everyday melted into the next and the time past quickly.