Chapter 6: Reminisces I
She felt almost nervous as she stood looking around the apartment that she would soon be vacating for a while, checking that she had taken everything she would need.
"What I really need right now is for this nervousness to vanish"' she thought to herself. It was very unsettling because she was seldom ever nervous. Ofcourse it had everything to do with her career. As a singer. And a mighty popular one at that. She was what a muggle would call a 'pop star'.
Why was she nervous? It wasn't like she never left her home for long periods; quite the opposite, in fact. But then, it wasn't everyday that you got to visit your old school, meet old friends; let alone work at said school. But that was exactly what Myra was preparing for. She checked her appearance in the mirror one last time (she had been doing that ever since she first got ready two hours ago) and wished her reflection good luck before turning off the lights, stepping out of the door and locking it; with the key and her wand.
... As she drove on the wide empty road in the early morning, she thought about what exactly she was going to be faced with. She had deliberately chosen to drive all the way to Hogwarts (though only some of the driving was actually on the road, she intended to fly over, make a grand entry. It was what people expected of her. The unexpected!) so she could have a chance to collect her thoughts. It wasn't the students or the teaching that she worried about, she was quite used to it what with being a Luna mentor and everything. She was just trying to prepare herself mentally to...face her past.
"Yes", she told herself, "you are going to be confronted with it." She knew she would be meeting lots of old comrades.. it had been so long ago, it almost felt like memories of another life, as she thought of the past.
She had been a spy. When Voldemort was in power and was terrorizing both worlds, muggle and wizard. For the good side. Or atleast, that was what she had assumed. Till she ran into Severus. It was only then that the horrible realization sank in. That she could trust virtually nobody.
She had caught Severus brewing potions which were obviously specimens of Dark Magic. It had been her job to monitor all known potion makers. Oh, how naïve she had been. Only 19 or 20 and so cocksure. Hanging around people who were most probably death-eaters and highly dangerous, pretending to be interested in the Dark arts, so she could catch the Death-eater recruiters.
She had nearly forced Severus to blow his cover. It was only when she overheard her director assuring him that he would be let off that she realized just how deep within the ministry Voldemort's spies were hidden. She remembered barging into the office right then with the intent of confronting her director when she saw he had already been bound.. by Severus, the Death- Eater.
"What? How?!" she remembered how her confusion had deepened when he bound her up too, and then contacted Dumbledore via the floo network. For a crazy moment she had thought that Albus Dumbledore was in cahoots with Voldemort too..then as she listened to their conversation, she had slowly started to understand. She had actually been used by Voldemort's spy to round up potential death-eaters who were skilled in potion making. She had felt sick to her guts when she thought of the many people she had unknowingly helped recruit for Voldemort's service. She realized she was lucky that things had gone as they had, or she could have easily been accused of being a death- eater herself.
Ever since that fateful turn of events, she had been formally, but secretly, trained as an auror to continue her work; this time well- informed, by the best. She smiled as she thought of Alastor Moody. He had evidently been impressed with the way, rookie as she was, she had handled Severus Snape during his 'arrest' and afterwards. She had actually slapped him (she still couldn't believe it) when, after having untied her and suitably ridiculed her foolish actions, he refused to tell her just exactly what was going on, treating her like your common dunderhead; not only that, he went so far as to cast doubt on her loyalty to the 'Good' side. The thought still infuriated her. Moody had seen it all with his own eyes, for he had arrived to take care of the spy by then. She remembered the half- shocked, half-awed expression on his face and it made her laugh now to think of it.
She wondered just how many of the old gang she would meet. Then another thought flashed across her mind. It wouldn't exactly be very nice to find most of them at Hogwarts. It would mean that something sinister was afoot. After all, if the good guys were assembling it would be obvious that some evil had arisen. She shook her head as if to clear her mind of those thoughts. Yet the uneasiness was unabated. Her gut instincts had usually been accurate during her spying auror days; she sincerely hoped it wouldn't be so this time.
Not that she wouldn't be upto the challenge. A wicked smile flashed briefly on her face. ...
26 years. Or was it 27? That was how long ago she had first laid eyes on Hogwarts-School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, as she watched the shape of the castle appear through the clouds, she couldn't help remembering her first day at Hogwarts. She had been sorted into Slytherin and she was fiercely loyal to her house. It was in honour of this loyalty that she was wearing green and silver.
She enjoyed immensely the attention she received, both from the students as well as the staff, upon her arrival. As she stepped out of the car and waved at Dumbledore, she allowed herself for the first time to smile fully and acknowledge to herself, the fact that she was glad to be back at school.
As she shook hands with the staff members present (nearly all of them were there it seemed) she was so lost in taking in the castle and its grounds and enjoying the sensation of memories flooding back that she didn't notice whose hand she was shaking till she thought she heard Dumbledore say something that sounded suspiciously like Severus Snape. She forced her eyes to focus on the person in front of her and nearly gasped in amazement when she found herself face to face with none other than the man himself. He was staring down at her (she was after all shorter than him) with something like a smug expression on his face. She didn't like being caught off-guard like this and he knew it.
Oh, did he know it!
Before she could respond with a look of her own, she was shaking hands with another professor. Minerva. Her momentary irritation vanished as soon as she saw her welcoming face.
At lunch with her fellow professors in the staffroom, she was filled in on last year's rather significant occurrences. Her fears had been confirmed. Voldemort had indeed risen again. She listened intently as Dumbledore elaborated a certain point about the Dark mark to them. Someone had asked about the Dark Lord's summoning methods. Gradually the professors left for their classes, till only Dumbledore, McGonagall, Severus and she herself were left.
"And now, my dear we come to the point," Dumbledore said, turning to face her.
"The point?" A pause, then, "Moody" she said simply. The door closed behind her(it had been opened by someone) and she heard strange footsteps, a dull clunk on every other step. Then,
" I always said this one had the makings of a Seer. Apart from a lot of other things." He said gruffly. As she turned to face him, he asked, " How did you know it was me?"
"First, the 'point' is one of your most frequently used phrases, apart from "constant vigilance"; second, the look on Severus's face."
Moody smiled wryly at that. " Ah, yes. Your observation was always remarkable. So, how are you doing Severus, old boy?!"
Severus looked as if he had just swallowed bitter medicine. "You. Again." he said sourly, looking very much like a pouting child; except maybe not half as cute.
"No. You're forgetting it wasn't me the first time."
"Good to see you being so /civil/ Alastor" Dumbledore jumped into the conversation before it turned ugly.
" Which is more than you can say for him" Moody said, pointing in Snape's direction. Evidently Dumbledore's intervention hadn't helped matters at all. "Think you got everybody fooled do you? Not me. I'm telling you now, I'm watching your every move and if you put one toe out of line..."
"Now, now, Alastor, you know Severus turned spy for us."
"Only to save his skin. I don't believe he has a conscience so don't give me that story. Old habits die hard is all I have to say"
" Well we can see that can't we. You've obviously not lost your mistrust of him." Myra said brightly. " And since you believe he has no conscience you can't really blame him can you?"
At this, Moody fell silent, while Dumbledore looked at her gratefully. Snape just glowered. As usual. This was beginning to feel like old times already.