Notes: Okay, I lied, lol. I split what was going to be the third chapter in half.
Should I continue the fic? I'm not getting any feedback here, and I'd really appreciate any you can offer, even if it's just saying "I like it" or "you suck" - anything!
Laelia was awoken rather unpleasantly at seven o'clock the next morning for breakfast by a house elf jumping on her bed and calling her name. After she had showered and dressed, she ate breakfast with the rest of the professors so that Dumbledore could introduce her to them, even introducing her to Snape. It was best that nobody knew of their previous association.
Throughout the meal Snape had glared at her - sore that she had gotten the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, Professor McGonagall had informed her. While that might have been true, Laelia knew he also glared at her because he didn't trust her, not that she could blame him, after all, she was a Death Eater.
As soon as breakfast was finished Dumbledore pulled Laelia aside and lead her to his office to discuss her new job at Hogwarts.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you ask me to take this position, Professor Dumbledore?" she asked curiously as she took a seat in his office.
"My dear your past more than qualifies you for this position," he explained as he picked up a candy dish and set it in the middle of his desk. Picking up one of the candies and popping it into his mouth, he offered, "lemon drop?"
"Thank you," she chuckled as she picked one of the candies from the dish.
"Here is an outline of the different levels the students are at in every year," he said as he handed her an envelope. "I would suggest that after you look over it, you speak with Remus Lupin - he taught Defence Against the Dark Arts a few years back."
Laelia accepted the envelope and pulled the paper out of it to skim over it. "Where would I find him?" she asked, sliding the paper back in the envelope.
"Remus has been away for a couple of weeks attending to business, but we expect him back sometime within the next week or so. When he arrives, I shall send him after you."
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."
"You know, my dear, I am quite glad you came along. It was beginning to look as though I might have to fill the position temporarily. The position gets harder to fill every year."
"I am glad as well," she admitted with a smile. Now, how would she bring up the next question on her mind? "About Snape, you said he has been working for you? How did he come to spy on the Death Eaters and Voldemort?"
"It is not my place to tell you, Laelia," Dumbledore replied honestly. "Perhaps one day Severus will tell you himself."
Dumbledore's last comment went seemingly unnoticed as Laelia pressed on. "I still find it difficult to believe that he's been spying on us for so long. Did he offer to spy for you or did you ask him to?"
"My dear, if you wish to offer your services, you need only to say so," Albus chuckled.
So he had caught on to her line of questioning. "Well, truth be told, Voldemort will call again, and I will have to go when he does so," she conceded. "I may as well be doing some good while I'm at it." What she didn't say was that this would also leave her options open on both sides.
"Very well," he agreed. "But let us speak of more pleasant matters for now, hmm? Why don't we go take a look at your classroom?"
"Alright," she agreed with a reluctant and halfhearted smile. Albus lead the way out of his office and through the corridors to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
"After you, my dear," he said as they arrived at the classroom, gesturing for her to go first.
Laelia smiled uncertainly, but strode into the room, looking around in awe. Hard as it was for her to believe, this was her classroom - she was a teacher at Hogwarts! Slowly she approached the desk - her desk! - and ran her fingers along the top. "I have a desk," she muttered with a slight chuckle and a smile.
"I wonder if you will still be this enthusiastic after your first week teaching," Albus pondered aloud, a hint of mischievousness in his voice.
Sitting in her chair and spinning around in it, Laelia looked up at Professor Dumbledore and smiled at the twinkle in his eyes. "Do you have any advice? Are there any students I ought to watch out for?"
"Draco Malfoy," was his immediate answer.
Laelia stiffened at the name, and quietly asked, "Malfoy? As in Lucius Malfoy?"
"His son," Dumbledore confirmed. "He has the same blond hair and blue eyes as his father." Her gaze drifted to the floor in thought, and Albus continued, "I wouldn't worry about him, though, Laelia. Lucius Malfoy is in prison. You are safe here."
"I know," she replied sadly, but confidently. "I suppose I am just jumping at shadows now."
"Given your position, it is quite understandable," he assured her.
"Can I ask you something, Professor Dumbledore?" At that moment she noticed that she had slipped back into the habit of addressing him formally without even realizing it.
"I believe you just did," he chuckled. "But by all means, do ask something else, my dear."
"This morning at breakfast Professor McGonagall mentioned that Snape had been after this position for quite some time," she began. "So, what I want to know is: why did you offer it to me and not him?"
"Well, if I did that, I would have to find another Potions Master, wouldn't I?" he chuckled. "I don't think it likely that I would ever find one of Severus's quality."
"I suppose that's true enough," Laelia chuckled lightly. It was well-known among the Death Eaters that Snape's talent with potions making was one of the reasons the Dark Lord kept him around. "How long do I have to prepare myself, Professor?"
"The school year begins in two weeks, but the day before the classes start there is the feast in the Great Hall," he reminded her. "I do expect you will attend?" Dumbledore's question was half request, half demand, intended to make her feel as though she had a choice, when really she had none. The ability to pull something like that off so flawlessly, and seemingly innocently, was one of the reasons she admired the Headmaster.
"Of course," she replied. "I expect I shall be settled in by then."
The first few days spent at Hogwarts passed without incident, except for Snape glaring at her during common meals. After a few days of being glared at, Laelia had had enough and decided to try and reach some sort of truce. She descended the stairs to the dungeon level and walked purposefully toward Snape's office.
Without bothering to knock, she entered and found Snape poring over a foul smelling potion beside his desk.
"I am quite busy, Miss Wiltshire," he stated in an annoyed tone, not bothering to glance up from his potion. "Whatever it is you have come down here for can wait."
"You don't trust me, do you?" she asked with a smirk. He didn't reply. "Isn't it enough that Albus trusts me?"
"Albus Dumbledore is far too trusting," he retorted coolly.
Laelia began to casually inspect the books on his shelves, running her fingers lazily up and down the spines of a few she found interesting. "Apparently so," she agreed. "After all, he now has two Death Eaters living within the safehaven that is Hogwarts." Though she wasn't facing him, Laelia could feel Snape's glare on her back. "Did Albus tell you that you and I shall be working together the next time Voldemort calls?"
His eyes widened slightly when she spoke the Dark Lord's name, and it was obvious that he longed to say something about it, but for some reason he held back. Instead he casually asked, "what exactly do you mean?"
Laelia's grey eyes narrowed and a cool smile crossed her lips. "You're no longer the only spy here, Snape. And I think it wise that you and I come to some sort of agreement - one wherein we can both be assured that the other won't go to Lord Voldemort behind his or her back." Once again she noted that he had twitched when she used Voldemort's name - something she decided to remember as she might be able to use against him in the future.
"What do you propose?" he asked cautiously.
"Well, I'm certain that my word isn't good enough for you, nor is yours for me," she replied bluntly. "Going by the way you tackled me a few nights ago, you're not actually spying for Voldemort, you're spying on him."
Snape's eyes narrowed angrily as he crossed his arms and glared at Laelia, waiting for her to continue.
"And as for myself, I am here behind his back." She paused to gauge Snape's reaction, but his expression remained as neutral as her own. "In other words, I won't tell, if you don't."
"And how do I know that you aren't here on the Dark Lord's orders?" he asked snidely.
"Tell me, Snape, have you been brought before Voldemort? Has he cast the cruciatus curse on you?" she retorted smugly. "In the last few days, I mean."
He eyed her cautiously for a few moments, considering her proposition. It was likely that she would have told the Dark Lord as soon as she had found out that he was a spy, not to mention the fact that Dumbledore seemed to trust her. He hesitated briefly, then muttered, "agreed."
They both continued eyeing one anther suspiciously with their arms crossed over their chests, neither moving. "Agreed," Laelia confirmed with a wicked smirk.