The interview was surprisingly relaxed. It seemed like Ms Vance had simply let go of all her restraints when she first met him, but when they were talking professionally she was much more like McGonagall.

She described her thoughts on what would have to be taught and that until she could compile a good book herself, or have someone do so for her, she could hand out her notes.

The trio inspected her notes and they were just wonderful. They had everything a child could need to start understanding a sometimes very dull subject.

She illustrated several organisations for easier understanding and she had sketched various scenes. One of them was of Merlin forming his first council. She had included fun facts, and intriguing rumours, and an overall much better experience than the old book which was very dry and felt lacking in many areas. Since they were just notes and not a published work, she'd have to have them copied by an automated quill of some sort and hand them out. It wouldn't be possible to get it from any store.

It was very impressive all around for someone who had never taught a class or formulated a lesson plan. They asked her to tell them her favourite story, as if she were teaching it. She performed excellently. The tale of Ulick Gamp's portrait was a mystery to many, but Emmeline appeared to have some inside scoop as that was the story she told. The life of the very first minister for magic was not always an easy one, but he made the most of it. To this day, you can find his portrait in various seats of power. You can also find it in all sorts of art galleries if you know where to look.

With that, the interview was over. They asked her to go out of the room momentarily while they discussed how it went and she did as told, until she stopped a couple of steps from the door and looked back nervously.

She looked in between them, looking like she was searching for the right words. The words which would secure her the spot. The fact that she couldn't come up with the perfect words, made her even more nervous. She awoke from her own mind when Aurelian stood in front of her with both hands placed on her shoulders.

He looked into her eyes with a gentle, calming smile. His entire demeanour screamed that she had nothing at all to worry about. It wasn't quite enough to rid her of her nerves though, until he spoke.

"Don't worry, Ms. Vance. You did excellently. I personally was very drawn in by your story. The way you told it, with a gentle tone and melody in your voice, with excellent comedic timing. It all made you into quite the wonderful spectacle, so just go outside and wait for two minutes while we talk this through. Okay?"

She stared into his eyes, his crystal clear blue eyes, and her eyes started watering. She wanted to hug him, really bad, but decided it was probably improper. She decided to blink away the upcoming tears and show her smile.

"Okay, Headmaster. See you soon."

He nodded and released her shoulders, then proceeded to escort her out. Before he closed the door, he added a few words to her.

"Oh and call me Aurelian or Lian, depending on what makes you comfortable."

She turned around to face him, but he had closed the door.

Inside the room, McGonagall and Albus sighed at what they were seeing. They were afraid there would be some awkward moments between staff members in the future. At the present they had no such issues since most were already married, or had no desire for a partner. Albus knew for a fact that this would not apply for Ms Vance. In fact she had been wanting to start a family straight out of Hogwarts but had never had a man to do it with.

When Aurelian got back to the table and saw their slightly exasperated faces, he wondered what was up. Before he could question them, Albus took charge.

"Well, I saw no faults with her. She can certainly teach, and with her complete change when she goes into her teacher character, I'd wager she can lead a classroom as well."

McGonagall nodded along.

"Indeed, she didn't require much in the way of salary or benefits either. Just a slightly smaller salary than the average and a personal suite at the castle. Assuming you have found room for another teacher in the budget I see no reason to say no. The passion is there, and there are no other applicants unless we look very intensively."

Aurelian took out his notebook with the school's finances. It seemed to be very thin, but it was of course a highly magical book. As soon as he wished to open the finance section, it widened and everything concerning it appeared categorised. He flipped open the salary budgets.

"I have decided to cut my own salary in half in order to sign her up, sign Albus up on minimum wage, and perhaps one other person. It shouldn't affect anyone else or any other part of the budgets. I say we go for it. Let her plan everything thoroughly."

He picked up the notebook she left.

"And this. This is a great start to redeveloping the subject. We must have it duplicated for all students, unless she wants to add something before then of course."

McGonagall was fairly surprised when she heard he had halved his own salary. Sure, it was still a decent amount. But with the responsibility the Headmaster has, very few would accept the job for so little. She earned quite a bit more than he does now, which felt rather odd. She let it slide though, perhaps once the finances are sorted they can change the plans on this part.

"Sounds agreeable. Should we call her in straight away or wait until she gets completely restless?"

Aurelian chuckled at Albus' joke but waved his wand to the door. An 'Eep!' Could be heard as Ms. Vance jumped back from evidently leaning on the door.

He didn't know if she was trying to eavesdrop or if she was genuinely just leaning against the door. Either way she couldn't have heard anything they said anyway with the silencing charms and runes placed on the door.

"Well, come in. We've finished our deliberations."

Clearly feeling incredibly awkward, she slowly walked over to the chair she sat in previously, with her eyes focused on the gap between the floorboards.

He took out the contract he had written beforehand, and put it in front of McGonagall for a last look through. Half a minute later, she slid it across the table towards Ms. Vance.

"If you are willing, then we'd gladly have you Ms. Vance. Just sign the contract and the job is yours! As long as the Board of Governors don't vote you off of course."

Her head shot up and her eyes fixated on the contract in front of her. She barely looked over the details. She saw that what she had requested was a part of it and instantly grabbed a quill and signed her name at the bottom next to Aurelian's.

The contract rolled itself up and Aurelian stamped it with Hogwarts' seal. They then stood up, him holding the bottom portion of the contract, and she holding the top part of the roll.

"Welcome to Hogwarts' staff. You may move in even today if you wish."

She first looked at the contract and saw how it glowed, confirming the details and verifying it as a proper contract. She then looked up at Lian with tears forming in her eyes again, only to let go of the contract and launch into his arms.

"Thank you! Thank you."

He chuckled a bit awkwardly as he flicked the contract over to Albus. He then hugged her back.

"We're glad you're on board, Professor Vance!"

She let go of the hug and took a step back with a smile as wide as her face gleaming in his direction.

"Call me Emma, and I'll call you Lian. Deal?"

He reached out a hand to shake, which she took.

"Deal. Now, I'll let you go home. Send me a note to let me know when you'll be down at the gates with your stuff. Then we'll let you choose a room and show you what's been going on since you left school, okay?"

She nodded her head and rushed out of there, clearly to go home as soon as possible.

"She's a lively one, isn't she?"

He looked over to Albus who had asked the question.

"Yeah, I guess. Seems like a good fit though. We could use a few younger staff members."

Albus chuckled loudly at that, but Minerva felt like she had to warn him before things got out of hand.

"Be careful, Aurelian. Workplace relationships are never a good idea."

The statement baffled him, it hadn't even been on his mind. Slowly he realised how she got there though, that interaction could be construed as flirting he supposed. It was never his intention though.

"Err..yeah. Of course, Minerva. I hadn't even thought about it to be honest..But you're right. I'll be careful not to step over any boundaries."

She smiled at him, seeing that he took the warning to heart and didn't just wave it off.

Albus stood up and dusted himself off.

"Excellent. Then I'll start chasing down my candidate for Defence. I'll let you know when I find him, okay? You two could probably start planning for prefects and head boy/girl. If you get finished early it makes for an easy run up, which I'm sure you'd prefer. Right Aurelian?"

He sighed but accepted his advice. Better to get everything done and rest later, than to panic in the last seconds. He had always been the kind of guy who finished his tasks when he got them, but most in school didn't see that. Instead they saw that he rested or played around when they studied as hard as they could. He had a reputation for being unambitious and lazy, partly for that reason. It was also because it was a fair description of who he was.

Late that night, Aurelian and McGonagall sat in his office with several files in front of them. They had narrowed down most positions. He had taken her word on most of the prefect allocations. He had only swapped one of the slytherin girls for another, as he knew for a fact that the girl McGonagall was going to appoint, was not someone who shared the values of the school.

What the two were arguing about, and the reason they sat with it hours later with cups of tea in their hands, a particular African variant this time. Tasted a bit like a mild and well rounded black tea, with a grassy freshness to it. What intrigued Aurelian most was the purple colour, but back to the matter at hand, they were arguing on a specific point. Whether to include Slytherins.

"And I'm telling you. We need good representatives from Slytherin. If we praise the ones who not only do very well but also struggle to uphold some kind of respectable behaviour down in the dungeons, more might follow them."

"But we can't just give them the position because they're Slytherins!"

"As if you haven't done that through the years for your Gryffindors!?"

Minerva scoffed at him.

"Hardly! They got there by merit alone!"

Aurelian laughed in her face.

"Merit alone? Who are you trying to convince? I've seen their records, you know. The fact that like 80% of the Head Boy and Girl are from Gryffindor and yet only about 5% of the ones with the best grades and best behaviour came from there? How is that fair? At least putting some snakes there would do good for the school."

It was a fact. Selecting Head Boy and Girl was mainly done by feeling. It wasn't based on grades or getting no punishments across your years, at least not mainly. It was based on whether the Deputy and the Headmaster believed they would do a good job. Having two Gryffindors in that room making that decision probably skewed the statistics a little.

She looked angry that he pointed it out, nobody wanted to admit faults about themselves. Especially not someone who liked being praised for being just, but she took a look at the files which remained.

For Head Boy, there were three names. Percy Weasley, Robert Hillard, and Terence Higgs.

For Head Girl, there were two names. Penelope Clearwater and Gemma Farley.

McGonagall had her eyes set on Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater but that was not a combination Aurelian was ready to accept. The fact that Terence Higgs wasn't even a prefect was just clear proof that she had no clue what was going on down there. There was one guy you didn't want to spout pureblood nonsense to, and that was Terence. Having his mother killed in the war set its mark, and the guy wouldn't take it even from his closest friends. Not only that, but he was still well liked as a former seeker, and he also had almost a perfect record. Terence was the obvious option for a prefect in his year, and yet another dull Avery got the position. Someone who seemed to have misused their spot in the last few years even. Putting Terence Higgs as the head boy would be a statement that there would have to be change down in the snake pit. But Aurelian didn't only have Slytherins to suggest, he had suggested a few others but the only one who stuck around was Robert Hillard. A very calm boy who led a study group for his house. Many looked up to him as the person who helped them pass various courses, and as someone who set the record straight. Yet, McGonagall wanted to go with Percy Weasley.

There was nothing specifically wrong with the boy, he had excellent grades and cared immensely for following orders. He looked up to those in power with such reverence that Aurelian seriously questioned why he was placed with the lions. Perhaps it was an attitude which grew from being surrounded by dunderheads, he didn't know. He was certainly a decent option, but Aurelian didn't think he was any better than the other two and he would be a boring pick. McGonagall didn't agree of course.

Concerning the girls, they were honestly rather similar. He could see why McGonagall liked the idea of putting Penelope Clearwater as the pick for Head Girl. She was studious, but righteous, and with a clear conscience. She even tried helping the school and found the answer to what Slytherin's monster was together with young Hermione Granger. People didn't quite look up to her as much as the other options, but she was definitely an excellent choice. The fact that she was dating Percy Weasley might have swayed McGonagall as well. Aurelian simply believed that Gemma Farley was an equally good choice and with a better statement behind her. The only problem was that perhaps having two purebloods in the position at once wasn't a perfect option. Hillard and Clearwater were both half-bloods so at least one of them would have to be chosen.

McGonagall didn't see why this was the case, but it was obvious. The Head Boy and Girl had to gather the respect and reverence of all students. Muggleborns might feel disheartened if there were only purebloods at the top not just in the ministry, but even at their school. That meant that picking two purebloods was out of the picture. Two muggleborns were also not at option due to the deep rooted opinions with some purebloods, but that wasn't a problem this year specifically. Now the reason he wanted a Slytherin was to get representation and to subtly cause change, bit by bit.

They both sighed as they were getting nowhere.

"Listen. If we go with Terence Higgs and Penelope Clearwater we'll have a rather perfect combination. If you're not convinced of his character, then go speak to Professor Snape once he gets back. We can resume this conversation afterwards.."

She agreed to resume it some other time and started making her way out of the office, when an owl came flying through the open window. It carried a small note. At the same time as Aurelian took the note from the bird, an elf popped in right in front of him.

"There is a woman waiting at the gates, sir Fudgy sir."

He opened the small note.

'I'm on my way there!

From, Emma.'

It seemed she was already there, she certainly was eager if she had already sorted out an official move into the castle just a few hours after getting the job. In a way, Aurelian was impressed. In another way she seemed way too eager.

"Ms. Vance has already arrived it seems. Thank you Honky, I'll go down and meet her."

He looked over to McGonagall. Although they had just been arguing, neither was angry at the other. It was a clear difference of opinion, nothing personal, so she smiled at him and put down her cup of almost finished tea.

"I'll come with you. Honky, you may take her belongings once we have left. All clear?"

The little elf saluted her and popped away.

The two made their way down to the gates to the school and once they got close, a woman could be seen sitting on top of her trunk waiting.

Soon they were in the castle telling her about the differences, and what he had done for the year. She would be checking the fields out in the morning but it was quite clear that Emma had no more energy to give, as she almost fell asleep as soon as they got to her bedroom only to see all of her stuff there and her bed was made.

Lian and Minerva left her to get accustomed to her new quarters, Minerva would be going through a class plan with her starting in the morning. Lian had to go talk to Binns as well.

The very next day he had the talk with Binns and honestly it went about as well as can be expected. The ghost was very surprised, but reluctantly agreed. If Aurelian knew Binns correctly he'd probably still show up to class though, as he functioned mainly on routine, so he'd make sure to swap the History of Magic classroom. That way it wouldn't happen by accident.

He had planned on spending the rest of the day doing very little except browse the library in his office, but soon his fireplace flared to life. It was Dumbledore. He was currently at his home with his Defence candidate. He'd put him on some potions to recover from a rather exhausting adventure, but while that was happening he would come and explain a few things for Aurelian.

As soon as Albus sat down he started the story. The story of Remus Lupin, who lost all of his friends. A werewolf with a heavy conscience, but also with great potential. He recalled the days when he managed to keep it undercover that the boy was a werewolf at all using the shrieking shack. Then he explained what would be needed if he was going to teach.

"There is this potion. It is rather expensive, not because of the ingredients but because of the skill required from the potioneer. If we can convince Snape to brew it, there should be no problem with Lupin being a werewolf."

Aurelian leaned back in his chair. He had no particular hate towards werewolves, but he would probably have to hide the fact that he's a werewolf from the board of governors. He knew of the potion, the Wolfsbane Potion was an incredible feat and praised as one of the better inventions in the last fifty years, at least in those social circles who cared.

"I'll agree to it if he's worth the effort. But speaking of worth the effort. You're going to have to explain to me why Severus Snape is still hired as a teacher of this school. What purpose does it serve to have such a vindictive, misanthropic, and honestly quite an upholder of the pureblood beliefs as a teacher at Hogwarts for impressionable young children?"

It was Albus' time to sigh and lean back. It was best that Aurelian knew most of it. He wouldn't go into detail about the prophecy, but everything else concerning Snape. So he told Aurelian the story.

"Right. So the man is a spy who promised to protect Harry from any harm, so you keep him as a teacher at the school?"

Albus nodded with an eyebrow raised at how simplified his statement was.

"I understand that you wanted to keep him close and all, but why did you let him run amok? I understand that keeping him at the school is probably what's best, but I can't if he keeps acting the way he does. You do know that he only really helps the Slytherins in his subject right? That he personally tutors those who need help and hand out extra information others houses don't get? What about the fact that he doesn't go around telling people that if you want to be a successful potions master then you need a NEWT in arithmancy as well? And that's not to speak of his personal treatment of the students. He's actively bullying the younger children Albus.."

Albus nodded once more. He couldn't do much else.

"I know. But he has to be here. I'm already forcing him into a spot he never wanted. It's difficult for me to keep demanding things. I suppose it is also not in my nature. What leverage do I truly have?"

Aurelian thought about that for a little bit, but coming up with it was actually no trouble at all. You see, Snape wasn't actually made to be a teacher. He was made to be a potions master. A potioneer who came up with his own recipes and perfected others'. He made it very clear to the Slytherins that his true passion lay elsewhere. That was what caused Aurelian to currently have quite a lot of leverage over the man.

"I don't plan on replacing him this year. Perhaps in the future he could become an in-house potioneer, and he can keep researching instead of teaching. Maybe just lead some potions club or something. You want to keep him close, but you don't even have to be inside the castle at all times. You could bring him with you to do whatever it is you plan on doing."

Now that was a thought. Albus hadn't considered that. Both he and Snape could go around the world trying to correct their mistakes, instead of being stuck in place with other duties. They could do what they had a passion for as a job and then fix the wizarding world on the side. Dumbledore looked into the eyes of Aurelian. Maybe one day he'd have to tell him about his suspicions concerning how Voldemort survived. Perhaps he'd have to tell him about the prophecy as well. Not today though. Lian interrupted his thoughts.

"I do have a very good way of keeping him in line for the year. We can figure out a replacement in due time, but right now I think I've got a plan. Send him up to my office as soon as you're able to, will you? We'll talk to your werewolf after I've talked to Snape."

Albus didn't know quite what Aurelian had planned, but decided to place his trust in him. A day later, Snape burst in through the door while Aurelian was reading.

It was a rather rude awakening since he was completely immersed into the old Maori magics, but after throwing a glare at Snape for his entrance he pointed at a chair which moved from the wall up to Snape from the back, slamming into his legs which caused him to fall into the chair and was then transported over to the desk.

"How nice of you to join me. Did Albus send you up here?"

Snape was clearly furious at how he was treated, he burst out of the chair, only to fall back down as Aurelian snapped his fingers.

"Stay. We have to have a chat about your attitude, Snape."

If glares could kill, then perhaps Aurelian would have fallen to the ground at that moment. But he didn't let it bother him. Instead he brought forward a vial he knew Snape would be incredibly interested in.

Snape couldn't believe what was happening. The disrespect from the snot nosed bastard who thought he was something just because his father made him Headmaster, was so infuriating that Snape was considering killing him right then and there. After the comment about his attitude it got even worse, but all that was forgotten when he saw the vial which was taken out of the desk.

Basilisk venom.

Not just any Basilisk Venom either. Possibly the most potent to ever exist as the venom grew more venomous as the basilisk grew older. Eating poison of various kinds also increased the potency. Considering that Albus had told him the Basilisk had been living off of acromantulas for decades, this was an insanely valuable vial. There likely would never exist such a substance again, and it was all in the possession of that foul upstart. Snape knew he wanted something from him, he just didn't know what. There were few things he wouldn't agree to in order to get his hands on that venom though, he just wondered how far Fudge was willing to ask.

"Ready to talk then?"