[Disclaimer: See Chapter 1..or 2..or 3.]
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The first day of classes had come and gone. The morning had presented Adelaide with fifth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, then seventh years of the same mixture. Noon had seen seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins-a combination that would test the patience of any seasoned professor, let alone Adelaide.
[Whoever thought to put those two together is either mad, or genius. Or both.] As it was probably Albus Dumbledore, Adelaide had banked on it being a stroke of genius, and taught her classes without complaint. She'd yelled at Draco twice during class for harassing classmates (the Gryffindors, of course and had taken five points. The only member of the famous (or infamous) trio in her class for the seventh years was Hermione Granger. Professor McGonnagall had warned her that Miss Granger took every class possible. So it was no surprise to Adelaide to find the eager student in the front row.
And from what she had heard from the other teachers, her students were enjoying themselves. Cinnia Sprout had come to her in the afternoon to congratulate her on the wonderful things the students had been saying about her during herbology class. Adelaide was particularly proud of her classes, and had promised them that if they proved adept at translation of rudimentary symbols by Christmas, that once the new year began, she would bring something from the estate for them to translate-something that hadn't been seen by the public for nearly a millennia. And, it would be kept up on the wall, so the students could translate it a bit at a time as they learned, until it was completely translated. The Ravenclaws had practically salivated over their scrolls, and Miss Granger looked downright giddy.
Adelaide reflected on the day's events in her head, as she sat in the staff lounge after dinner, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. Lupin was sitting in the chair next to her, reading quietly; Snape was scribbling furiously on papers. He hadn't given homework over the summer, had he? Or had he given them some sort of nightmarish first day back quiz? The thought horrified Adelaide, and she felt sympathy for his students. Knowing Severus, he would do something like that, just for his own twisted amusement.
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The first month of school passed quickly, and September turned into November even sooner than Adelaide expected. School seemed to fly by, as opposed to the days when she was a student, and it seemed as if the winter holiday would never come. Teaching kept her busier than she thought she would have been. Parker had been up to visit once, and while she hadn't exactly fallen in love with Hogwarts, she no longer thought of it as gloomy and oppressive. And, she had informed Adelaide that the banquet hall at the Estate would have a ceiling like that of the Great Hall. Overall, it had been a positive experience. The Howlers from Parker had ceased.
Her favorite classes were those of the seventh years. Many of her students had shown great promise in translation and application. Runes were not only used for writing, but in charms applications as well. Consequently, she and Professor Flitwick, the tiny charms professor, had spoken often about assigning a project mid-year that would encompass both subjects. Adelaide was thrilled beyond belief. For those students who weren't in one class or the other, there would be other projects assigned. She was excited for the school year to continue, even at the fast rate it had been going.
And yet, she was also greatly unnerved; more than a month had passed since the start of school, and still she had not been summoned to give a report. The Dark Lord was patient in many ways, but he would not wait forever. Why then had she not been called?
November the 22nd was a bright afternoon; the skies were blue and cloudless, and the air was crisp. Adelaide was in the middle of her seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin class when her left arm began to prickle. She glance nervously at her sleeve, but returned her eyes to her quietly working class, intent on pretending nothing was going on. Fifteen minute before the end of class, however, pain began searing through her arm, up her shoulder. Apparently, she had paled several shades, if such a thing were possible, because Miss Granger raised her hand.
"Are you alright, Professor Gentry?"
Adelaide smiled at Hermione, when what she wanted to do was rip her arm off screaming.
"Nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. It's sweet of you to ask, though."
Hermione beamed at Adelaide, before turning back to her books. Five minutes later, sweat had broken out on Adelaide's forehead as the pain had increased. She wiped it away, and stood.
"Ladies and gentlemen: As seventh years, you will have to get used to working on your own very soon. Once or twice a month from now on, I shall cancel callas to allow you to continue your work. This will be particularly useful once Professor Flitwick and I assign you your Charms/Ancient Runes project, for those who are enrolled in both classes."
She thought she was going to pass out, the pain was so intense. Adelaide began taking deep breaths between sentences, hoping she wasn't too obvious.
"I will give you the rest of today off, as a start. Once projects are assigned, I will be in my office to answer any questions during class hours that are cancelled. Have an excellent weekend."
The class packed their things, and happily left quickly. For a horrified moment, Adelaide had a vision of Hermione Granger cornering her with questions, but she too left with her fellow Gryffindors. Adelaide escaped to her office, and locked the door, sinking to the ground, tears streaming down her cheesk as she tried to breathe. She rolled up her left sleeve to stare at the very dark and very painful mark of the Death Eaters, pulsing on her arm. She sat there for nearly an hour, waiting until the pain had subsided before leaving her office. Adelaide headed down the dark corridor, towards the dungeons, on the lookout for any students. None of the Slytherins would say anything about her visiting their head of house, although students of the other three houses might think it odd.
Adelaide slipped into the back of the potions classroom silently, obscured by the shadows. Snape excused the two students serving detention-Potter and Weasely-and they hurried out the door without a glance in her direction. Snape, however, had obviously seen her. He raised an eyebrow and waited as she closed the door to the classroom.
"You've been called?
Adelaide nodded, her left arm limp at her side.
"I don't know if he's angry with me, or if I've become unaccustomed to it hurting so much."
Snape nodded, apparently understanding. And, surprisingly, without any snide comments, which would have shocked her more had she not been so listless.
"Perhaps both. I suspect that is less anger and more enjoyment of causing pain."
Now that she looked at him, even from across the classroom, she could see the faintly glass-eyed look in his eyes. Like she must have in hers.
"I'll be down to get you then."
Snape looked for a moment as if he were going to argue, but to her relief he simply nodded.
"Be on time. I won't wait for you."
It was his line, but with none of the usual acidity. Adelaide slipped out of the classroom heading for her rooms, intent on a nap in preparation for the long night ahead.
What she didn't see was a blonde head peeking out from around the corner. Draco Malfoy watched Adelaide walk from Snape's classroom down the hall, his face fixed with a curious expression, and one of faint sympathy.
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Eleven o'clock found Adelaide at the door of Snape's rooms, swathed in the voluminous black robes of the Death Eaters. Her mask was in her hand, hidden by her long dark sleeves. Her raid hair tumbled down her shoulders in curls, a shocking contrast to her garb. They would raise their hoods before leaving the dungeons, so that no one could identify them. Snape stepped out of the doorway, and closed the door, pulling his hood up. Adelaide followed suit, though neither put their mask on-that would come later. After all, black cloaks were common enough. Death Eater masks weren't. No words were spoken between the two as they followed a winding passage, with Snape leading and Adelaide following. They were eventually deposited outside Hogwarts, by way of a hidden door at its base. They silently trekked down the road towards Hogsmeade. Once off Hogwarts grounds, Adelaide silent slipped her mask on, and waited until Snape did as well. Now that they were no longer on Hogwarts grounds, they could apparate. And with a 'pop', they did just that-to Malfoy Manor.
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[A/N: Thanks to my awesome and utterly fantastic beta, Erin. She's putting up with me being crazy. I STILL think I'm going comma-happy, but if she tells me I'm not, I'm inclined to believe her. She's so incredible, even if I get uber-confused and call her Norm sometimes. As always, please R&R!]
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The first day of classes had come and gone. The morning had presented Adelaide with fifth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, then seventh years of the same mixture. Noon had seen seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins-a combination that would test the patience of any seasoned professor, let alone Adelaide.
[Whoever thought to put those two together is either mad, or genius. Or both.] As it was probably Albus Dumbledore, Adelaide had banked on it being a stroke of genius, and taught her classes without complaint. She'd yelled at Draco twice during class for harassing classmates (the Gryffindors, of course and had taken five points. The only member of the famous (or infamous) trio in her class for the seventh years was Hermione Granger. Professor McGonnagall had warned her that Miss Granger took every class possible. So it was no surprise to Adelaide to find the eager student in the front row.
And from what she had heard from the other teachers, her students were enjoying themselves. Cinnia Sprout had come to her in the afternoon to congratulate her on the wonderful things the students had been saying about her during herbology class. Adelaide was particularly proud of her classes, and had promised them that if they proved adept at translation of rudimentary symbols by Christmas, that once the new year began, she would bring something from the estate for them to translate-something that hadn't been seen by the public for nearly a millennia. And, it would be kept up on the wall, so the students could translate it a bit at a time as they learned, until it was completely translated. The Ravenclaws had practically salivated over their scrolls, and Miss Granger looked downright giddy.
Adelaide reflected on the day's events in her head, as she sat in the staff lounge after dinner, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. Lupin was sitting in the chair next to her, reading quietly; Snape was scribbling furiously on papers. He hadn't given homework over the summer, had he? Or had he given them some sort of nightmarish first day back quiz? The thought horrified Adelaide, and she felt sympathy for his students. Knowing Severus, he would do something like that, just for his own twisted amusement.
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The first month of school passed quickly, and September turned into November even sooner than Adelaide expected. School seemed to fly by, as opposed to the days when she was a student, and it seemed as if the winter holiday would never come. Teaching kept her busier than she thought she would have been. Parker had been up to visit once, and while she hadn't exactly fallen in love with Hogwarts, she no longer thought of it as gloomy and oppressive. And, she had informed Adelaide that the banquet hall at the Estate would have a ceiling like that of the Great Hall. Overall, it had been a positive experience. The Howlers from Parker had ceased.
Her favorite classes were those of the seventh years. Many of her students had shown great promise in translation and application. Runes were not only used for writing, but in charms applications as well. Consequently, she and Professor Flitwick, the tiny charms professor, had spoken often about assigning a project mid-year that would encompass both subjects. Adelaide was thrilled beyond belief. For those students who weren't in one class or the other, there would be other projects assigned. She was excited for the school year to continue, even at the fast rate it had been going.
And yet, she was also greatly unnerved; more than a month had passed since the start of school, and still she had not been summoned to give a report. The Dark Lord was patient in many ways, but he would not wait forever. Why then had she not been called?
November the 22nd was a bright afternoon; the skies were blue and cloudless, and the air was crisp. Adelaide was in the middle of her seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin class when her left arm began to prickle. She glance nervously at her sleeve, but returned her eyes to her quietly working class, intent on pretending nothing was going on. Fifteen minute before the end of class, however, pain began searing through her arm, up her shoulder. Apparently, she had paled several shades, if such a thing were possible, because Miss Granger raised her hand.
"Are you alright, Professor Gentry?"
Adelaide smiled at Hermione, when what she wanted to do was rip her arm off screaming.
"Nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. It's sweet of you to ask, though."
Hermione beamed at Adelaide, before turning back to her books. Five minutes later, sweat had broken out on Adelaide's forehead as the pain had increased. She wiped it away, and stood.
"Ladies and gentlemen: As seventh years, you will have to get used to working on your own very soon. Once or twice a month from now on, I shall cancel callas to allow you to continue your work. This will be particularly useful once Professor Flitwick and I assign you your Charms/Ancient Runes project, for those who are enrolled in both classes."
She thought she was going to pass out, the pain was so intense. Adelaide began taking deep breaths between sentences, hoping she wasn't too obvious.
"I will give you the rest of today off, as a start. Once projects are assigned, I will be in my office to answer any questions during class hours that are cancelled. Have an excellent weekend."
The class packed their things, and happily left quickly. For a horrified moment, Adelaide had a vision of Hermione Granger cornering her with questions, but she too left with her fellow Gryffindors. Adelaide escaped to her office, and locked the door, sinking to the ground, tears streaming down her cheesk as she tried to breathe. She rolled up her left sleeve to stare at the very dark and very painful mark of the Death Eaters, pulsing on her arm. She sat there for nearly an hour, waiting until the pain had subsided before leaving her office. Adelaide headed down the dark corridor, towards the dungeons, on the lookout for any students. None of the Slytherins would say anything about her visiting their head of house, although students of the other three houses might think it odd.
Adelaide slipped into the back of the potions classroom silently, obscured by the shadows. Snape excused the two students serving detention-Potter and Weasely-and they hurried out the door without a glance in her direction. Snape, however, had obviously seen her. He raised an eyebrow and waited as she closed the door to the classroom.
"You've been called?
Adelaide nodded, her left arm limp at her side.
"I don't know if he's angry with me, or if I've become unaccustomed to it hurting so much."
Snape nodded, apparently understanding. And, surprisingly, without any snide comments, which would have shocked her more had she not been so listless.
"Perhaps both. I suspect that is less anger and more enjoyment of causing pain."
Now that she looked at him, even from across the classroom, she could see the faintly glass-eyed look in his eyes. Like she must have in hers.
"I'll be down to get you then."
Snape looked for a moment as if he were going to argue, but to her relief he simply nodded.
"Be on time. I won't wait for you."
It was his line, but with none of the usual acidity. Adelaide slipped out of the classroom heading for her rooms, intent on a nap in preparation for the long night ahead.
What she didn't see was a blonde head peeking out from around the corner. Draco Malfoy watched Adelaide walk from Snape's classroom down the hall, his face fixed with a curious expression, and one of faint sympathy.
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Eleven o'clock found Adelaide at the door of Snape's rooms, swathed in the voluminous black robes of the Death Eaters. Her mask was in her hand, hidden by her long dark sleeves. Her raid hair tumbled down her shoulders in curls, a shocking contrast to her garb. They would raise their hoods before leaving the dungeons, so that no one could identify them. Snape stepped out of the doorway, and closed the door, pulling his hood up. Adelaide followed suit, though neither put their mask on-that would come later. After all, black cloaks were common enough. Death Eater masks weren't. No words were spoken between the two as they followed a winding passage, with Snape leading and Adelaide following. They were eventually deposited outside Hogwarts, by way of a hidden door at its base. They silently trekked down the road towards Hogsmeade. Once off Hogwarts grounds, Adelaide silent slipped her mask on, and waited until Snape did as well. Now that they were no longer on Hogwarts grounds, they could apparate. And with a 'pop', they did just that-to Malfoy Manor.
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[A/N: Thanks to my awesome and utterly fantastic beta, Erin. She's putting up with me being crazy. I STILL think I'm going comma-happy, but if she tells me I'm not, I'm inclined to believe her. She's so incredible, even if I get uber-confused and call her Norm sometimes. As always, please R&R!]
