18 years later
Adrienne looked around her large room in Hogwarts castle with a silly grin on her face. "And I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I came to the dorms from the family's relative shack in Tullamore to this!," she mused aloud to herself as she plopped back onto her huge, soft bed. "This is a palace compared to that roach motel I called an apartment!"
She lay there for a moment, soaking in the luxury before getting up and getting back to her unpacking. As she pulled out posters and pictures, she realized that, despite her 35 years, she was still as much of a kid as when she'd left. Her posters were all of favorite bands and movies, although those were for her classroom, not her own room, as much as she would have enjoyed gazing into the face of Clark Gable on her Gone with the Wind poster. All of her pictures of friends were when they were all feeling goofy; they all looked so young and carefree, despite their high pressure jobs of being artists, in one way or another.
She gazed at her pictures lovingly. There was her roommate, Isabel, who, in addition to being an extremely talented writer, was a fellow witch; Chloe, the aspiring singer; David, the wanna-be rockstar; Tula, the corps member of ABT; Tyrone, the newest rising star on Broadway; and Gabe. Oh God, Gabe. She smiled most fondly at his face, albeit a bittersweet face to recollect. Playing romantic opposites in Picnic had given way to something more back in New York, but the two of them had decided that when Adrienne had decided to move back home that the time had come for them to part ways as lovers, although they would always be friends. She had to admit, although she was happy to be back at Hogwarts, she missed him. Not enough to keep her from being happy, just enough to make her feel a little twinge every now and again.
A knock on the door broke her out of her meditations. "Adrienne?," a female voice called from the other side of the door.
"The password is 'yankee,' Professor McGonagall!," she called out.
"Thank you, dear!," Professor McGonagall, called before muttering the password to the sculpture of a falcon that served as hidden doorway to Adrienne's room and walking in. "And you know, there's no need to call me Professor, anymore. You're a colleague now, not a student. It's Minerva." She smiled, not a particularly warm smile, but warmer than Adrienne had ever seen in her years at a student in her class. "Are you ready for the feast? The Hogwarts Express just arrived and the students should be here soon."
Adrienne's eyes got wide. "They should!? Shit!" She began tearing through her trunks in an almost comically panicked manner for a robe to throw over her jeans and tank top that had become her summer uniform over her years in the Muggle world. She finally came across a set of dark teal robes. She quickly slipped them on before running a hand through her unruly, wavy hair. "Do I look presentable?," she asked Professor McGonagall.
"You look fine," she said briskly. "It's not as if it's a formal dinner. Now hurry, we don't want to be late."
Adrienne followed her out of the room and down the hall. She could say this, Hogwarts had not changed a bit in 18 years. As they entered the great hall, she saw that most of the professors had already found their places, so she took a seat next to a large, bushy-browed giant of a man.
"Hagrid?! Is that you?," she said, eyes sparkling with delight.
"Why Adrienne!," he chortled. "I almost didn't recognize yer! Why, yeh've grown up to be quite a purty thin'. But yeh've almost lost the Irish accent!"
She laughed. "That's what 18 years in America will do for you. Although there, they still think I have a thick accent."
Hagrid laughed heartily and started to respond, but just then the students began filing into the room and taking their places at their respective tables. Adrienne felt a thrum of excitement run through her as the new year began and her face lit up at the prospect of a fresh start again. Eagerly, she watched as the first years shyly stepped up to the sorting hat.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the table, Severus Snape sat contemplating the new professor. He knew she must be the new Muggle Studies teacher, but he hadn't heard her name. However, she looked oddly familiar. The sparkle in her eyes when she had laughed with Hagrid had taken him back to a much different time in his life. But it couldn't be…
Albus Dumbledore stood up from his place at the teacher's table. "Before we begin the feast," he said, "I would like to quickly introduce our new Muggle Studies professor. She has come all the way from New York and a very successful stage career to teach with us. Her name is Professor Adrienne Conlon. I'm sure you will all enjoy her presence, as I am sure she has a few tricks for us up her sleeves." He winked at her conspiratorially.
As the students clapped politely, Adrienne rose just enough from her seat to distinguish herself and wave before sitting back down to wait impatiently for the food. She was just as ready to get some food and rest as the students were, she was sure. The food appeared within seconds, steaming plates of every tasty thing imaginable. However, Severus touched nothing. He was too busy staring at the new professor, who was busily chatting with Hagrid. It couldn't be her, could it? There was no way Adrienne Conlon had come back into his life; he wasn't lucky enough for fate to give him a second chance…
Hagrid noticed that Adrienne had captured the attention of the austere potions master. He quietly said something to her and nodded in his general direction. She turned around to see who could be watching her and obviously recognized Severus right away. Excitedly, she waved at him with a big grin.
As it was on their first day of arithmancy, he was done for and hers all over again. This time, he promised himself, he wouldn't sit idly by and watch his golden opportunities slip away. He wouldn't stand aside and let someone else steal her a second time.
Adrienne looked around her large room in Hogwarts castle with a silly grin on her face. "And I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I came to the dorms from the family's relative shack in Tullamore to this!," she mused aloud to herself as she plopped back onto her huge, soft bed. "This is a palace compared to that roach motel I called an apartment!"
She lay there for a moment, soaking in the luxury before getting up and getting back to her unpacking. As she pulled out posters and pictures, she realized that, despite her 35 years, she was still as much of a kid as when she'd left. Her posters were all of favorite bands and movies, although those were for her classroom, not her own room, as much as she would have enjoyed gazing into the face of Clark Gable on her Gone with the Wind poster. All of her pictures of friends were when they were all feeling goofy; they all looked so young and carefree, despite their high pressure jobs of being artists, in one way or another.
She gazed at her pictures lovingly. There was her roommate, Isabel, who, in addition to being an extremely talented writer, was a fellow witch; Chloe, the aspiring singer; David, the wanna-be rockstar; Tula, the corps member of ABT; Tyrone, the newest rising star on Broadway; and Gabe. Oh God, Gabe. She smiled most fondly at his face, albeit a bittersweet face to recollect. Playing romantic opposites in Picnic had given way to something more back in New York, but the two of them had decided that when Adrienne had decided to move back home that the time had come for them to part ways as lovers, although they would always be friends. She had to admit, although she was happy to be back at Hogwarts, she missed him. Not enough to keep her from being happy, just enough to make her feel a little twinge every now and again.
A knock on the door broke her out of her meditations. "Adrienne?," a female voice called from the other side of the door.
"The password is 'yankee,' Professor McGonagall!," she called out.
"Thank you, dear!," Professor McGonagall, called before muttering the password to the sculpture of a falcon that served as hidden doorway to Adrienne's room and walking in. "And you know, there's no need to call me Professor, anymore. You're a colleague now, not a student. It's Minerva." She smiled, not a particularly warm smile, but warmer than Adrienne had ever seen in her years at a student in her class. "Are you ready for the feast? The Hogwarts Express just arrived and the students should be here soon."
Adrienne's eyes got wide. "They should!? Shit!" She began tearing through her trunks in an almost comically panicked manner for a robe to throw over her jeans and tank top that had become her summer uniform over her years in the Muggle world. She finally came across a set of dark teal robes. She quickly slipped them on before running a hand through her unruly, wavy hair. "Do I look presentable?," she asked Professor McGonagall.
"You look fine," she said briskly. "It's not as if it's a formal dinner. Now hurry, we don't want to be late."
Adrienne followed her out of the room and down the hall. She could say this, Hogwarts had not changed a bit in 18 years. As they entered the great hall, she saw that most of the professors had already found their places, so she took a seat next to a large, bushy-browed giant of a man.
"Hagrid?! Is that you?," she said, eyes sparkling with delight.
"Why Adrienne!," he chortled. "I almost didn't recognize yer! Why, yeh've grown up to be quite a purty thin'. But yeh've almost lost the Irish accent!"
She laughed. "That's what 18 years in America will do for you. Although there, they still think I have a thick accent."
Hagrid laughed heartily and started to respond, but just then the students began filing into the room and taking their places at their respective tables. Adrienne felt a thrum of excitement run through her as the new year began and her face lit up at the prospect of a fresh start again. Eagerly, she watched as the first years shyly stepped up to the sorting hat.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the table, Severus Snape sat contemplating the new professor. He knew she must be the new Muggle Studies teacher, but he hadn't heard her name. However, she looked oddly familiar. The sparkle in her eyes when she had laughed with Hagrid had taken him back to a much different time in his life. But it couldn't be…
Albus Dumbledore stood up from his place at the teacher's table. "Before we begin the feast," he said, "I would like to quickly introduce our new Muggle Studies professor. She has come all the way from New York and a very successful stage career to teach with us. Her name is Professor Adrienne Conlon. I'm sure you will all enjoy her presence, as I am sure she has a few tricks for us up her sleeves." He winked at her conspiratorially.
As the students clapped politely, Adrienne rose just enough from her seat to distinguish herself and wave before sitting back down to wait impatiently for the food. She was just as ready to get some food and rest as the students were, she was sure. The food appeared within seconds, steaming plates of every tasty thing imaginable. However, Severus touched nothing. He was too busy staring at the new professor, who was busily chatting with Hagrid. It couldn't be her, could it? There was no way Adrienne Conlon had come back into his life; he wasn't lucky enough for fate to give him a second chance…
Hagrid noticed that Adrienne had captured the attention of the austere potions master. He quietly said something to her and nodded in his general direction. She turned around to see who could be watching her and obviously recognized Severus right away. Excitedly, she waved at him with a big grin.
As it was on their first day of arithmancy, he was done for and hers all over again. This time, he promised himself, he wouldn't sit idly by and watch his golden opportunities slip away. He wouldn't stand aside and let someone else steal her a second time.