Chapter Three:
As Severus had predicted, the meeting had been tedious and in his opinion unnecessary. Dumbledore, at the head of the staff table in the Great Hall had informed the rest of the staff of Eleanora's imminent arrival to an array of approving murmurs and satisfied nods. Many of the staff remembered Aloysius from his own schooldays and the others were undoubtedly impressed by his status as the ministries most distinguished auror. He had tread lightly around the issue of her half-Veela status and assured them that the potion would negate any untoward effects that she might have upon the male student body. Severus had sat, deeply bored, throughout the meeting, wearing an expression of utmost ennui.
When Dumbledore had finished talking, Severus immediately made a move to vacate his high-backed chair and return to the familiar darkness of the dungeon. However, a call from Dumbledore stopped him:
"Severus? A word in my office if you please?"
He sighed and reluctantly swept out of the room after the headmaster. They ascended the stone staircase and he had to hide his chagrin as Dumbledore said "Toffee Cluster" loudly and clearly at the entrance to his office. Once inside the circular office, Dumbledore lowered himself into his chair and bade Severus to do the same.
"Now, how is this potion coming along, Severus?" he asked.
"It is completed, Albus," came the quietly confident reply.
"And no…. abnormalities?"
Severus privately wondered whether anything went on at Hogwarts that Albus Dumbledore did not know about.
"The colour of the tonic is meant to be exactly that of the eyes of the blood donor. I assumed that with as much as half Veela blood, Miss D'Souza would have the customary blue eyes."
This statement was met with a contemplative nod.
"I have no doubt that the potion has been prepared correctly however."
"Oh, of course, Severus, of course." Albus agreed quietly. He knew that the mans talent for potions was unrivalled in the wizarding world, and his confidence in pronouncing the potion to be correct was not a manifestation of arrogance but a quiet self-belief in his own estimable abilities.
"I have not seen Eleanora since she was a girl of eleven, but if I remember correctly; she was possessed of a most astonishing pair of dark brown eyes, rather like her fathers. Quite remarkable really," he mused quietly. Severus privately congratulated himself on yet another perfectly prepared potion.
At that moment, their compatible silence was rudely broken by a loud swish of air coming from the direction of the door. A faint miasma of lilac smoke swirled riotously in the air, growing in intensity and speed until all of a sudden it stopped. Severus instantly leapt up from his chair as if he had been electrocuted and instinctively drew his wand, his eyes narrowed in long-practiced suspicion and agitation. Dumbledore remained seated but his own hand reached into the recesses of a pocket for his own wand. The vividly coloured smoke dispersed slowly and revealed to be standing by the door of Dumbledore's office, a young woman accompanied by a motley assortment of suitcases and trunks.
Even in her state of utter disarray, the girl was arresting. Her hair was a cascading fusion of golden blonde and chestnut brown and hung in an unruly tumble almost her waist. Her skin was deeply tanned and was stretched over high, elegant cheekbones which sat regally beneath large almond shaped eyes, the colour of bitter chocolate. Her robes were somewhat dusty but under the light smattering of grime, they were a deep viridian green.
As the last wisps of smoke evaporated, she looked up and her face was instantly illuminated with a wide smile of delight as she met the eye of Albus Dumbledore.
Her smile was returned as she cried with glee, "Godfather! I apologise – I'm a few days early! And I meant to apparate just outside your door. I was a couple of yards off obviously!"
She dropped her cases and strode over to the tall wizard who returned her elated smile.
"Greetings my dear Eleanora. You are indeed a day or two early but no matter. Welcome to Hogwarts!" He enveloped her in a kind hug and glanced at Severus who stood before his desk wearing an expression of pure wrath. Albus released the girl from the embrace, pressed a lemon drop into her hand, whispered in her ear, "I stocked up on your favourites," and turned her attention to the tall, brooding man stood before her.
"My dear, this is Professor Snape. He is our potions master here at Hogwarts and head of Slytherin house."
Eleanora popped the lemon drop between a pair of full lips and smiled graciously at the man and extended one elegant hand in greeting. Snape smiled stiffly, his own lips clenched to a painful thinness, though his eyes remained cold and hostile. He internally debated whether or not to ignore her proffered hand, yet extended his own with the intention of giving her a crushingly firm handshake. He was surprised to find that she was not taken aback by his painful grip and even returned a handshake just as firm and unyielding. Her dark eyes danced with interest and refused to break his penetrative stare. It felt to Eleanora as if she had met the intense gaze of the dark and foreboding man before her for an age but it could have been no more than a few seconds before both of them turned reluctantly to regard Dumbledore.
"You never told me that Miss D'Souza was your goddaughter, Albus," Severus intoned softy, in a tone that Dumbledore and many of the students would have recognised as one of quiet danger.
The headmaster however smiled benignly at Eleanora and replied, "Yes, Severus. Though we haven't met in years, have we my dear?" The girl shook her head and her unruly mane tumbled over her shoulders, shining in the late afternoon sunshine that streamed in through the open windows.
"I dare say I've grown a little since the last time you saw me." Amusement played upon her elegant features as she gave a sonorous laugh.
Severus's expression soured even more. He regarded the girl with well concealed interest. She was undoubtedly striking though did not poses the usual cold condescending beauty of a Veela, but an engaging, personable attractiveness, like that of a Romany gypsy, he thought to himself. Following her swarthy Italian git of a father, he thought bitterly. Still, there was undoubtedly Veela blood in her. The long mane of hair was reminiscent of Delacour, though a distinctly preferable colour, he thought, even coated with a fine film of dust as it was. He eyes attached the colour of the potion exactly and were not, he noticed, dissimilar to his own obsidian eyes, though while hers glittered with interest and pleasure, his were impassive and intimidating. Though she did not appear to be intimidated in the slightest.
He mentally shook himself out of his thoughts, to find that the girl was now deeply engaged in a conversation with Dumbledore about the probably whereabouts of her father.
"He left about a month ago on ministry business, but couldn't tell me where he was going. Though from the robes he took, I'd say it was somewhere rather cold. Maybe Durmstrang?" She shrugged and continued, "I received his owl this morning telling me about my acceptance here. Fudge was being an absolute nightmare, so I just packed my things and left."
Dumbledore raised a pair of expressive brows in mild surprise. "You just left, my dear girl?"
"I left a note with his secretary," she quickly reassured him. "And after all, there's no safer place than Hogwarts," she ended with a wink.
Severus observed with interest the girl's words. She had obviously been placed in Cornelius Fudge's care whilst her father was on ministry business. He privately agreed with her description of him as "an absolute nightmare." The pompous little man had been wholly uncooperative following the death of Cedric Diggory at the end of the last school year and even went so far to undermine Dumbledore and flatly deny the resurrection of the Dark Lord, despite the evidence to the contrary that was becoming more apparent with each passing day. Obviously this girl was of much the same opinion of the man, and he found himself strangely admiring her somewhat short-sighted courage in simply removing herself from the minister for magic's care.
However, whilst her nerve may have been admirable, it was also dangerous, as Dumbledore was now impressing into her.
"Eleanora, you must understand that you are particularly vulnerable now, especially with your father absent. Whilst I and the rest of the staff will do all that we can to protect you must promise not to put yourself in unnecessary danger." Severus snorted almost inaudibly.
"Wonderful," he thought. "Another Potter character to contend with. No doubt she will be placed in Gryffindor, just like her foolish father."
Indeed, Eleanora was much like her father. She too, he could tell, was possessed of a quick mind and a confident grace, and he noticed with distaste that she even shared his resonant laugh, now once again echoing around the room, this time mixed with Dumbledore's own throaty chuckle. Severus's lips tightened and he made to excuse himself from this happy little reunion.
"I will return to the dungeons if that is all, Albus?" he asked, pointedly ignoring the girl.
Dumbledore smiled, and replied, "Of course, Severus. I thank you for your assistance. I look forward to seeing you at dinner in the Great Hall." Eleanora smiled at him as he turned to leave.
"It was very nice to meet you at last, Professor Snape." She once again regarded him with glimmering dark eyes, devoid of any clue as to the real meaning of her words.
He quickly wondered whether the girl was being sarcastic, and was on the verge of dispensing a cutting comment in reply, yet something in her expression stopped him. If he hadn't known better he would have sworn that there was now a sort of keen respect in that look. He swallowed the acerbic remark that danced on the tip of his tongue and instead made tight-lipped smile in response, then turned on his heel and disappeared through the darkened doorway