Ch.11 "Feels Like Old times Already"
The (abridged) Story of 'Sly' & 'G'

'Twas Monday morning. The 1st week of October. The Hall was abuzz, as it usually was in the mornings at breakfast. The students were milling about outside in the hallways as well, discussing classes and timetables. Or rather moaning and groaning over the various injustices inflicted upon them through the aforementioned devices.

Quite an ordinary day, really.

Prof. Blizzard sat at the Head table, savouring her tea, enjoying a few relaxed moments before the start of classes. Her first period today was free, so she could afford to linger over her breakfast. Prof. Snape on the other hand, had been in such a hurry that he just about gobbled up his breakfast and carried his tea back with him to his office, presumably. He had barely acknowledged her greeting, or anyone else's for that matter.

'What's he got cooking in his little lab, I wonder.'

Even this behaviour of Snape's was nothing out of the ordinary.

She went out into the grounds after breakfast, wondering what Mad-Eye, Lupin, Sirius and the others were upto. A slight breeze blew in her face, fanning her hair, left open, behind her. She walked to the lake, with a mind to greet the merpeople, if any were around. On her way back, she noticed someone, clad in rather stylish maroon robes walking towards the front doors of the castle. Myra didn't recognize her as a colleague, so, intrigued by this mysterious visitor, she quickened her pace. On coming closer she realized the figure was a female one, with red hair. Suddenly she stopped short, in mid-stride.

"Oh Merlin!" she exclaimed aloud within hearing range of the red-head, who promptly turned back. For she had recognized Yana.

"Sly? What on Earth...?You? Here?!" yelled the red-head rather incoherently as she walked, then half-ran towards the stunned figure that was Myra Blizzard.

The two hugged each other furiously, almost as if trying to crush each other, when they got within arm's reach.

"I don't believe it! I thought you'd run off to Venus!" exclaimed Myra. She was suddenly feeling very happy at seeing Yana again; a feeling she had never expected. Not for Yana anyway.

"I'd prefer Mars, wouldn't ya know?" drawled Yana gleefully. Evidently, she was glad to see Myra too.

" Merlin's Beard! You haven't changed at all have you 'G' ?"

"No indeed not. So how's my favourite Slytherin b****?"

" I don't know what Narcissa's upto these days"

"You know who I mean!" Yana or 'G' looked slightly crestfallen that her semi-insult had fallen flat but Myra pretended not to notice.

"Er, who?" she asked trying to keep her expression non-chalant.

"Never mind I have my answer."

"Which is?"

"That you're still one!"

" What, you're favourite?"

At this, Yana made to hit her on the head with her palm. Myra ducked and laughed. 'Gryffindors,' she thought, 'can be such simpletons!'

Their friendship was something of a miracle. They had started out hating each others guts at Hogwarts, which was naturally to be expected as they were house-rivals. However, when they discovered a mutual interest in music, dance and boy-baiting, they struck up an uneasy truce, which developed into an uneasy friendship, aided by their mutual friends.

Friendship was a rather loose term to describe their relationship which was littered with liberal doses of backbiting, hair pulling and all manner of nastiness, and only kept afloat by the tactical efforts of one level-headed Hufflepuff, Eva Eowen. The glue in their relationship was their shared twisted sense of humour. So, where did Eva fit in? She was the potential barrier in the p-n junction that was their 'friendship'.

According to Eva, the reason they chose to associate was that they had found their match in each other. Neither, ofcourse would ever admit to it. When they hadn't been occupied in cooking up misery for someone they didn't like ( and in their likes and dislikes atleast they were impartial), they busied themselves in little vengeful intrigues against each other.

Others saw these activities as rather destructive, and wondered how the two could stand each others company when they obviously got on each others nerves. What they were, in truth, were 'Partners in Mischief and All Manner of Destructive, Chaotic Activities'. Plus, both loved being in the limelight, the center of attention. Thus, their rather symbiotic relationship served two purposes; one, it kept them in the limelight, and two, they learnt and perfected the fine art of duplicity through the pranks they pulled on each other.

Their relationship turned into a professional one when they graduated from Hogwarts and formed 'The Weird Sisters'. They(i.e. Myra, Yana and Eva) continued their higher studies along with their preparations for the launch of what was to become one of the biggest phenomena of the magical music scene.

Then, around five years ago, Yana and Eva left to fulfill mysterious 'obligations' of their own. Myra continued solo for a while, with her troupe of young Lunas, but faded into the background, choosing to direct proceedings backstage, after 2 years. Yet, it seemed her fame remained pretty much intact.

Now, the seemingly mismatched couple sat near the edge of the lake, catching up with each other. It seemed, clichéd as it sounds, as if they had left Hog warts just a week ago and were looking forward to whatever the future held in store for them.

However, that not being the case, there was a lot to catch up on. Turned out that Yana had spent the last few years at the Auror Training Academy [ATA] as instructor.

"Ofcourse I wasn't able to resist getting a piece of the action whenever I could," she had said rather gleefully. At this, Myra wondered, not for the first time, whether her obvious enthusiasm for violent aggression was 'healthy'.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked.

"We-ell, see I didn't exactly spend 5 years at the ATA...just 4," Yana finished hastily at the warning look on Myra's face. Myra waited patiently with an exasperated look on her face for her to continue. When Yana remained silent for thirty more seconds, she couldn't control her mouth and blurted out, rather nastily,

"Couldn't keep out of trouble? Or broke one rule too many?"

" Uhuh," was all that came of a very sheepish looking Yana's mouth. She was feeling a little mortified that she had let herself get into such a position where a Slytherin (for cryin' out loud!) could tell her 'I told you so!'

" Ok. Ok. I'll tell you the rest", she said when it looked as though Myra had quite made up her mind to strangle her. " There I was, with nary a care in the world...What?!"

For Myra had just taken out her wand and had given her a vicious 'look'.

" Fine. We'll duel later. Let me finish first. Now where was I? Oh yes, well, I found myself completely free having just been relieved of my duties as instructor at the ATA ...(she sounded like she had memorized a script)... and I decided to do what I always wanted to do!"

Myra had a nasty feeling some stupidity of a monstrously nonsensical nature was about to follow. It was what she had come to expect of the wily Gryffindor's wacky ideas. It was another thing that most of the time her plans somehow, inexplicably managed to work out. She had always attributed it to 'sheer dumb luck'. This explained the withering look she was now giving Yana.

" I decided to go Vampire hunting in Bulgaria!... And other parts of Europe" she added.

Myra let out her breath in a sigh of relief. 'Not too stupid for once.' Aloud she said, "So you've been traveling."

" And made lots of interesting new friends. Speaking of old friends though, you didn't happen to run into any at Hogwarts did you?" she said as she stretched out on the grass to rest backwards on her elbows.

" Well now its funny you should ask that ..for here comes one right now."

Yana looked up curiously to see who the mysterious 'friend' was. The sight of a tallish man, clad in black robes, with long (for a man anyway) dark hair and a pale, rather interesting face(which reminded her of vampires) and who was at the moment, walking towards them, met her eyes. He was almost standing over her by the time she sat up to get a better look at his face. Something was disturbingly familiar about it.

" The Headmaster wishes to see the both of you in his Office. Right now if you please." he said in a mockingly polite voice.

That voice. Where had she heard it before? Yana puzzled over the matter as she got to her feet, and then noticed the amused look Myra was giving her. She immediately straightened her robes, thinking there was something amiss with her appearance. When the infuriating grin remained in place, Yana knew she was missing something, and turned to take a better look at ...

" This is Prof. Snape, Yana, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House," said Myra by way of introduction. " Professor, you remember Yana Giovanni?"

"Isn't he too young to be a Professor?" Yana blurted out without thinking. "I mean, I thought you had to be ancient to teach at Hogwarts!"

Anyone else would have found the Gryffindor's comment funny, which is what Yana had intended it to be, but she was in the company of Slytherins now. They weren't big on funny.

" Do I look ancient to you?" Myra asked her coolly.

" No, and neither does he. Wait a minute, hang on.."

'I've been hanging on for quite a while now' muttered Myra. Snape overheard. Yana remained oblivious and continued.

"...are you saying you're a Prof. at Hogwarts?! Blimey thats great!"

As they walked back to the castle in the wake of Snape's billowing robes, Yana pestered Myra about how it felt like to be at Hogwarts again.

"Perfectly marvelous and sickeningly sweet, just like the good old days", she snapped sarcastically. That shut Yana up. For a little while anyway.

With her mouth shut, Yana's attention was free to roam and was caught almost instantly by the intimidating figure preceding them. She frowned as she stared at Snape's back, thinking.

"Old friend? Snape? Who..." And suddenly, clutching at Myra's sleeve, she stopped short. The expression on her face was slightly comical, what with her big eyes and slighty open mouth.

Snape turned around when he realized that no one was following him and saw the semi-shocked expression on Yana's face. She rather looked as if she'd been hit by a Freezing Charm.

"Severus Snape?" she asked dumbfounded and slightly dazed as she took a few steps closer to him and looked him right in the eyes. She didn't find this a very easy feat and flinched slightly.

"Merlin's wand! It is you!" and she took a step back. Then suddenly, her expression changed into a very shrewd one. " So this is where you've been hiding."

"I am most certainly NOT 'hiding'," was all he said although he knew perfectly well what she meant.

"You look different", she said as she cocked her head slightly, looking at him like a curious bird.

It was an honest opinion for she remembered him as the unpopular, rather skinny senior at school who was adept at potions and anti-social behaviour (the latter quality being common to almost all Slytherins in her opinion) and hadn't quite expected him to develop into the seemingly well-built , intimidating man that he was.

Snape, on the other hand, remembered her as a typical, annoying, cheeky, mischievious little Gryffindor, whom he had taken great pleasure in deducting points from when he was made prefect. Her appearance as a rather attractive lady didn't surprise him for he had been around at the height of the 'Weird Sisters' fame. Ofcourse, he didn't find her quite so attractive. He had rather thought of her as a tart because of her penchant for loud colours.

" But you're still ugly" she added lest he think she was trying to compliment him, even slightly.

Myra rolled her eyes behind Yana. 'Why do Gryffindors have to be so childish?'she thought to herself.

Evidently, her famous Gryffindor cheek had not diminished. Not in the slightest.

" And you're still a dimwit", Severus retorted as he turned around and resumed walking towards the Headmaster's office.

"Feels like old times already", muttered Yana, loud enough for Myra to hear, feeling a little chagrined at the way Snape still treated her as an annoying child.

'The feeling is mutual' Myra thought to herself again as she walked on in silence.

[A/n : ok this is getting a little long so I'll stop here. By the way is anyone reading this? Hello?!]