Bryan came to Hogwarts with Sheila. As they were about to enter, she
paused and looked back at him.
"You won't tell?" she asked, a flittering trace of uncertainty on her face.
Bryan simply looked at her. A slight smile tinged her scarlet lips as they walked into the school. Bryan immediately turned into a shadowy corridor. Sheila walked into the Great Hall for breakfast.
Dumbledore looked up, saw her, and smiled. He raised his voice to cover the students' chatter. "I'm glad to see that Professor Flamewinged has finally arrived. Student's, may I introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was wild applause, particularly from the male students. A few even whistled. Sheila smiled, nodded, and took her place next to Professor Snape.
Erin noticed that Severus had been very reluctant to clap and was now looking his coldest and most impossible. She caught his eye and grinned impudently. He glared at her, but when he looked away there was the faintest curve to the corner of his mouth. He carefully ignored Sheila and Sheila, who had been forewarned by Bryan, carefully ignored him. Therefore, breakfast was charming.
Just as Erin about to leave, Henry Creevey handed her a note. She walked away to a deserted corner and opened it.
"Erin," it read. "Fudge is coming to visit the school today and discuss 'policy' with Dumbledore. What say we organize a little welcome party? Fred and George."
Erin reentered the Great Hall and signaled to Fred and George. They looked up eagerly and she mouthed to them 'You bet.'
Three identical evil grins cracked over three faces.
*~*~*~*~*~
Severus had also been chosen for a welcome party, albeit a more customary one. He walked beside Dumbledore and paid no attention to the Headmaster and Fudge's conversation. It was boring in the extreme. Also there was McGonagall, who was paying attention, Flitwick, who wasn't, and two people Severus didn't recognize - a tall dark man and a short blonde woman who had accompanied Fudge. They were both dressed in plain black robes and seemed extremely nervous. Severus studied them out of the corner of his eye. Where had he seen them before?
They were walking slowly along one of the main corridors. And then -
The lights went out.
Severus swore mentally and reached for his wand, but a cold breeze stopped him. There shouldn't be any draughts so deep in the castle. A suit of armor clanked alarmingly. Suddenly Severus had a very good idea what was going on.
"AAAAAAAAA!!" screamed a high-pitched voice. The lights flickered back on to reveal a hideous figure swinging upside down from the ceiling. The face was contorted horribly in pain and the whole attitude was of something - not human. Even Severus jumped.
At this point, the figure stopped screeching and stared at the two strangers in the group.
"Mom?" it asked. "Dad?" Suddenly it fell and landed, headfirst, on the hard stone floor. The mask - for a mask it was - fell off to reveal Erin. She sat up, rubbing her head and still staring at her foster parents.
"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"Never mind that," answered another voice from the ceiling as a second masked face poked through the hole in the stone. "Just keep going. Oh, bloody hell, never mind that, just run!"
Severus leapt forward to grab his daughter, but she was already up and running. Fred and George swung themselves down and followed her, the Potions Master in hot pursuit.
"What's going on?" shouted Filch to a sprinting Severus.
"Catch them!" he shouted back. Filch and Norris joined the pursuit.
George looked back. "Oh no. They're not allowed to team up! That's too much!"
"God save us," said Fred. Erin just groaned.
*~*~*~*
"So you can see what happened," said Dumbledore to the Coopers. They were sitting together in the staff room. Tia Cooper nodded.
"Will you speak to this Ron," she said, her voice exasperated, "and tell him to send his mail more quickly next time?"
Dumbledore smiled. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure Erin will speak to him herself." Dumbledore glanced at the door. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'll just go and find Erin."
The Coopers nodded as one and Dumbledore left. As soon as the door had closed, a chair turned to reveal a handsome, dark-skinned man dressed in bright green dress robes.
"You're the Coopers, then? A pleasure. I'm Jonathan Avery," he said, and shook their hands. "I'm one of Severus' old school friends."
George Cooper hesitated, then plunged ahead. "I'm sure you can tell us, then, what kind of man he's like."
Tia was more direct. "How can he possibly care for our daughter?"
Avery held up a protesting hand. "Relax. There is no one on Earth who would make a better guardian." Suddenly he paused and seemed to think for a second. "Except for - "
"What?" asked George.
"Well," said Avery with an absolutely straight face. "He can be rather - er- violent sometimes." He held up one hand and gingerly touched the bridge of his nose. "Broke my nose in the first year, and this was when we were only eleven, mind you."
"And you certainly deserved it, if I remember it correctly," said Sprout, who was also in the room. She turned away from the tests she was grading to face the worried parents. "Jonathan pushed Severus all the way down the stairs, the big long flight next to the Charms classroom. Broke Severus' arm and leg. And then - I don't know how the boy did it, but he did - Severus managed to crawl up the stairs and punch Jonathan in the nose."
"If only I'd broken his right arm," said Avery meditatively, still rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Then he couldn't have gotten me with that nasty right hook of his."
Sprout ignored him. "The point is, Severus may be a bit hard to get along with, but there's nothing he wouldn't do for Erin."
"Except maybe let me out of all the detentions he's given me," said a gloomy Erin from the doorway. Severus was holding her by the collar of her robes, and for some reason, they were both completely soaked.
"That's right," Severus growled, hauling her up and pushing her into a chair. He glanced at the Coopers, then looked away. He hadn't recognized him without their Muggle clothes on. Feeling a little embarrassed at the memory of their last meeting - a memory which was only his, thankfully - he told Erin to meet Filch at the Trophy Room at eight that night.
"Eight detentions?" asked Erin, looking up at him pleadingly.
"Four for that stunt you pulled, three for running away, and one more for pulling us both into the lake," said Severus grimly, and with that he stalked out. Dumbledore caught the door just as Severus was about to slam it and gently closed it. Then the Headmaster walked over and sat down next to Erin and the Coopers.
"And now," he said, "everything will be explained."
"You won't tell?" she asked, a flittering trace of uncertainty on her face.
Bryan simply looked at her. A slight smile tinged her scarlet lips as they walked into the school. Bryan immediately turned into a shadowy corridor. Sheila walked into the Great Hall for breakfast.
Dumbledore looked up, saw her, and smiled. He raised his voice to cover the students' chatter. "I'm glad to see that Professor Flamewinged has finally arrived. Student's, may I introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was wild applause, particularly from the male students. A few even whistled. Sheila smiled, nodded, and took her place next to Professor Snape.
Erin noticed that Severus had been very reluctant to clap and was now looking his coldest and most impossible. She caught his eye and grinned impudently. He glared at her, but when he looked away there was the faintest curve to the corner of his mouth. He carefully ignored Sheila and Sheila, who had been forewarned by Bryan, carefully ignored him. Therefore, breakfast was charming.
Just as Erin about to leave, Henry Creevey handed her a note. She walked away to a deserted corner and opened it.
"Erin," it read. "Fudge is coming to visit the school today and discuss 'policy' with Dumbledore. What say we organize a little welcome party? Fred and George."
Erin reentered the Great Hall and signaled to Fred and George. They looked up eagerly and she mouthed to them 'You bet.'
Three identical evil grins cracked over three faces.
*~*~*~*~*~
Severus had also been chosen for a welcome party, albeit a more customary one. He walked beside Dumbledore and paid no attention to the Headmaster and Fudge's conversation. It was boring in the extreme. Also there was McGonagall, who was paying attention, Flitwick, who wasn't, and two people Severus didn't recognize - a tall dark man and a short blonde woman who had accompanied Fudge. They were both dressed in plain black robes and seemed extremely nervous. Severus studied them out of the corner of his eye. Where had he seen them before?
They were walking slowly along one of the main corridors. And then -
The lights went out.
Severus swore mentally and reached for his wand, but a cold breeze stopped him. There shouldn't be any draughts so deep in the castle. A suit of armor clanked alarmingly. Suddenly Severus had a very good idea what was going on.
"AAAAAAAAA!!" screamed a high-pitched voice. The lights flickered back on to reveal a hideous figure swinging upside down from the ceiling. The face was contorted horribly in pain and the whole attitude was of something - not human. Even Severus jumped.
At this point, the figure stopped screeching and stared at the two strangers in the group.
"Mom?" it asked. "Dad?" Suddenly it fell and landed, headfirst, on the hard stone floor. The mask - for a mask it was - fell off to reveal Erin. She sat up, rubbing her head and still staring at her foster parents.
"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"Never mind that," answered another voice from the ceiling as a second masked face poked through the hole in the stone. "Just keep going. Oh, bloody hell, never mind that, just run!"
Severus leapt forward to grab his daughter, but she was already up and running. Fred and George swung themselves down and followed her, the Potions Master in hot pursuit.
"What's going on?" shouted Filch to a sprinting Severus.
"Catch them!" he shouted back. Filch and Norris joined the pursuit.
George looked back. "Oh no. They're not allowed to team up! That's too much!"
"God save us," said Fred. Erin just groaned.
*~*~*~*
"So you can see what happened," said Dumbledore to the Coopers. They were sitting together in the staff room. Tia Cooper nodded.
"Will you speak to this Ron," she said, her voice exasperated, "and tell him to send his mail more quickly next time?"
Dumbledore smiled. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure Erin will speak to him herself." Dumbledore glanced at the door. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'll just go and find Erin."
The Coopers nodded as one and Dumbledore left. As soon as the door had closed, a chair turned to reveal a handsome, dark-skinned man dressed in bright green dress robes.
"You're the Coopers, then? A pleasure. I'm Jonathan Avery," he said, and shook their hands. "I'm one of Severus' old school friends."
George Cooper hesitated, then plunged ahead. "I'm sure you can tell us, then, what kind of man he's like."
Tia was more direct. "How can he possibly care for our daughter?"
Avery held up a protesting hand. "Relax. There is no one on Earth who would make a better guardian." Suddenly he paused and seemed to think for a second. "Except for - "
"What?" asked George.
"Well," said Avery with an absolutely straight face. "He can be rather - er- violent sometimes." He held up one hand and gingerly touched the bridge of his nose. "Broke my nose in the first year, and this was when we were only eleven, mind you."
"And you certainly deserved it, if I remember it correctly," said Sprout, who was also in the room. She turned away from the tests she was grading to face the worried parents. "Jonathan pushed Severus all the way down the stairs, the big long flight next to the Charms classroom. Broke Severus' arm and leg. And then - I don't know how the boy did it, but he did - Severus managed to crawl up the stairs and punch Jonathan in the nose."
"If only I'd broken his right arm," said Avery meditatively, still rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Then he couldn't have gotten me with that nasty right hook of his."
Sprout ignored him. "The point is, Severus may be a bit hard to get along with, but there's nothing he wouldn't do for Erin."
"Except maybe let me out of all the detentions he's given me," said a gloomy Erin from the doorway. Severus was holding her by the collar of her robes, and for some reason, they were both completely soaked.
"That's right," Severus growled, hauling her up and pushing her into a chair. He glanced at the Coopers, then looked away. He hadn't recognized him without their Muggle clothes on. Feeling a little embarrassed at the memory of their last meeting - a memory which was only his, thankfully - he told Erin to meet Filch at the Trophy Room at eight that night.
"Eight detentions?" asked Erin, looking up at him pleadingly.
"Four for that stunt you pulled, three for running away, and one more for pulling us both into the lake," said Severus grimly, and with that he stalked out. Dumbledore caught the door just as Severus was about to slam it and gently closed it. Then the Headmaster walked over and sat down next to Erin and the Coopers.
"And now," he said, "everything will be explained."