The staff meeting that took place the day before the beginning of term was
always a rather stressful time for most of those involved. So many last
minute preparations needed to be made in advance of the hundreds of
children that would be arriving the next evening. Professors hurried around
finishing class schedules, talking anxiously to one another, or just sat
concentrating on the tasks they had yet to complete. Severus Snape,
however, sat calmly on a sofa in the corner, coolly surveying the activity
before him with a look of detached amusement. He always finished his
preparations well ahead of time, and actually took pleasure in watching the
other teachers' anxiety.
Over in the corner he could see an exceptionally thin-lipped Minerva McGonagall deep in conversation with the latest Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Dexter. He had been introduced to Dexter half an hour ago, and already he did not like the man, although that may have been due to the fact that Dexter had got the job he was still after, Snape admitted to himself. Glancing around the room he saw the door open, and Selene Sinistra slip inside. She made her way partly into the room before stopping and turning to sneer at Hagrid, who had just knocked Flitwick into the table of tea and biscuits with an over enthusiastic back slap. Her long oily black hair hung limply about her face as she watched Hagrid apologizing to the diminutive professor, blending with her plain black and slightly oversized robes that hung shapelessly over her slim frame. As if aware of his scrutiny, she suddenly turned to look at him, her blue eyes meeting his black ones. She seemed about to approach him when a call from Minerva caught her attention.
'Professor Sinistra' Snape smirked at the way Minerva's lips got even thinner (he had not thought it possible) as Selene sauntered over. It was no secret that the two women disliked each other. Minerva never addressed Selene by her first name, though she did with all the other professors, and Selene never failed to sneer if the deputy headmistress came within eyesight.
'I would like to introduce you to Darius Dexter, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Darius, this is Selene Sinistra, Astronomy professor.'
'Charmed, I'm sure' Selene drawled. Dexter grasped her proffered hand, and mumbled a reply that Snape didn't catch. The new professor's eyes passed over her face briefly before focusing again on Minerva. Snape frowned. It was something he had seen often when people spoke to Selene, almost as if her presence barely registered.
'If you'll excuse me...' Selene quickly extracted herself from the conversation with a wan smile, sliding into the sparse crowd of teachers and somehow out of sight.
'Ah. Severus. I see you're already organized for the coming year.' Albus' voice interrupted his contemplation of his junior professor. Snape simply inclined his head, not wishing to be drawn into conversation.
'Doesn't the thought of a new school year, all those new students eager to learn, fill you with enthusiasm?' Dumbledore enquired, his eyes twinkling cheerfully.
'The year I come across a class of students eager to learn, I'm sure I will discover my long lost enthusiasm.' Snape allowed his voice to veritably drip sarcasm, in another attempt to put an end to the dialogue. He found his eyes roaming the room, searching for Selene, though he could not say why he was looking for her. 'Until that day, however, please excuse my pointed lack of fervor over teaching a school of Dunderheads.'
'Albus?' Minerva's request spared Snape from any further banter. The headmaster clapped him on the back, jovially, before turning to his deputy.
Scanning the group of professors again, Snape glowered. How could she disappear in such a small crowd?
'I believe I'm the one you're looking for?' a voice breathed in his ear. Starting, he whipped round, to find himself face to face with Selene. She had her elbows propped on the back of his seat, chin resting on her hands as she gazed down at him, a small smile playing about her lips.
'Yes, I was.' He recovered himself quickly, searching for, and finding, a reason he would have to seek her out. 'We need to arrange a Slytherin staff meeting.'
Standing up, she stretched then nodded, slipping round the sofa and onto the seat beside him. 'When do you propose we schedule it? Tonight?'
'No, it would be more useful to hold it Monday evening, after the first full day.'
'Well, it'll have to be late then. I have classes until 1.30 in the morning.' She yawned, and stretched her arms out again. 'Sometimes I wish I had a normal teaching schedule. I don't understand why Albus constantly arranges it so that I have midnight practical classes followed by 9 o'clock theory lessons the next morning.'
'He does seem to enjoy torturing us' Snape conceded, with a slight smirk. 'However, term hasn't started yet, so that's obviously not the reason you're so tired today.'
'No, it's a potion I've been working on. It took 36 hours to brew and required almost constant attention. And now all the anti-drowsiness potions I took are starting to catch up on me.' She yawned again, allowing her head to drop back and her eyes drift shut.
'A potion? I haven't seen you in the lab.' Snape frowned. True, he hadn't been in his laboratory much in the past couple of days, but surely he would have seen her if she'd spent that amount of time there. Then another thought struck him. Narrowing his eyes, he inquired, 'And what exactly were you making?'
'I didn't want to disturb you. So I used the room of requirement, like I usually do.' She opened her eyes to find him still eyeing her carefully. 'Oh relax, it wasn't anything illegal. I know better than to do that right under Albus' nose.' At that he let out a snort of humorless laughter.
'We both know that's untrue, so don't waste your breath. I repeat, what exactly did you brew?'
She observed him quietly for a moment, before smiling ruefully. 'Nothing gets past you does it?' He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. 'If you must know, it's something I developed myself - a variation on the Imperious potion.'
'What?!' he hissed, causing several heads to turn in their direction.
'Severus, don't make a scene' she replied composedly. 'I only want a few more house responsibilities. It's not like I told you Harry Potter was your son!' At this the few who had turned to see what was going on laughed and went back to their previous activities. Lowering her voice she continued. 'You're head of Slytherin house. You're supposed to be able to be subtle!' He opened his mouth to make a scathing reply, but, raising her hand in a placating gesture, she cut him off. 'Don't worry. I've made just enough alterations to make it legal. For a start, I've replaced the human blood with that of a pig, and the basilisk's eye with simple boomslang skin.'
'You used boomslang skin to replace basilisks' eyes? How in Merlin's name did you manage that?'
'You're supposed to be the Potions Master.' she smirked. Seeing that he wasn't amused, she continued wearily. 'I added vast amounts of beetles eyes.'
Comprehension dawning, he nodded. 'That's why it took a day and a half. You had to add them one by one to make sure they didn't react violently with the wolfsbane I assume you used?' She nodded. 'Well, that takes care of the illegal ingredients, but potions which mirror the effect of the Imperious curse are themselves banned.'
'Ah, that's the beauty of it. The slow fusion of the pig's blood, beetles' eyes and powdered dragon scales make this potion impossible to detect in the body. The addition of a hair from the head of the potion brewer means only she can control anyone who imbibes the substance. So it's also impossible for anyone else to prove what the potion does, making it safe to leave lying around a lab. Genius, isn't it?' she finished with a triumphal grin.
'Indeed. If it actually works. And that is something which I am highly skeptical about.' He smirked at the look of indignation on Selene's face. 'You want me to believe that you have succeeded in creating something non of the greatest dark wizards have ever come close to achieving?'
Narrowing her eyes at him, she let out a derisive snort. 'I know what you're doing. You're trying to goad me into taking you to the lab and showing you how I did it.' She sighed. 'Do you really believe I'm so stupid?' There was a pointed silence, in which he merely raised an eyebrow. In response, Selene smiled slightly. 'You know, I might be persuaded... If you do something in return for me.'
'Why do I get the feeling that your request will be unacceptable?' he inquired.
'Because you never find anything acceptable? All I want is for you to work with me from time to time.' She leaned in towards him, her lips inches from his ear. 'There are certain things I want to try that require more than one person, and it's not like I could ask just anyone.' Veritably purring, she continued on. 'I need someone who is good, and who is willing to overlook certain... slightly lees than legal aspects of the work. Just imagine what we could do together...'
'Loose our jobs, perhaps?' he asked, acerbically.
Leaning back and fixing him with an intense gaze, she smiled wryly, 'Unlikely. Dumbledore seems to have a particular fondness for you.'
He remained silent for a moment, an inscrutable expression on his face. Deciding not to push it, Selene shrugged and broke eye contact. 'Look, it was just an idea. It doesn't matter.'
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, Snape once again surveying the room indifferently. Selene, however, was not so patient. After the fifth stolen glance she decided to try again.
'You'd be able to keep an eye on me.' She blurted out.
He turned his head and looked her up and down, an amused expression on his face. 'And why on earth would I want to do that?
Giving him a mock-offended glare, she retorted, 'So I don't do something stupid and loose my job? You'd never get another junior professor as good as me, you know!' When he didn't look sufficiently impressed, she added 'Are you really going to give up the chance of spending countless evenings all alone with a beautiful woman?'
Snape snorted. 'Beautiful woman? You really think a lot of yourself. I don't see crowds of mean queuing up to have a date with you.'
'That's because you don't see me at weekends' she laughed. 'Come on, you can't deny I have beautiful eyes. Like chipped ice, or so I've been told.'
Their eyes locked, and he had to admit to himself that she was right, her eyes were remarkable. Not that the rest of her was that amazing. But she'd amused him, and that was not something that happened very often.
'Ok'
'So I am irresistible after all?' Selene replied after a brief stunned silence, surprised by his sudden change of heart. She hadn't seriously expected that to work, in fact she'd cringed inside when she'd said it.
'Hardly. However, I would like to know how you brewed that potion.' At her smug grin he added, 'And see if it works of course.'
'Of course' she laughed 'When do you want to do it?'
'I don't know. We'll discuss it on Monday. Excuse me.' With that he stood and crossed the room to where Professor Sprout was studying her first year class list. Selene followed him with her eyes, satisfied that the first stage of her plan had worked satisfactorily.
Over in the corner he could see an exceptionally thin-lipped Minerva McGonagall deep in conversation with the latest Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Dexter. He had been introduced to Dexter half an hour ago, and already he did not like the man, although that may have been due to the fact that Dexter had got the job he was still after, Snape admitted to himself. Glancing around the room he saw the door open, and Selene Sinistra slip inside. She made her way partly into the room before stopping and turning to sneer at Hagrid, who had just knocked Flitwick into the table of tea and biscuits with an over enthusiastic back slap. Her long oily black hair hung limply about her face as she watched Hagrid apologizing to the diminutive professor, blending with her plain black and slightly oversized robes that hung shapelessly over her slim frame. As if aware of his scrutiny, she suddenly turned to look at him, her blue eyes meeting his black ones. She seemed about to approach him when a call from Minerva caught her attention.
'Professor Sinistra' Snape smirked at the way Minerva's lips got even thinner (he had not thought it possible) as Selene sauntered over. It was no secret that the two women disliked each other. Minerva never addressed Selene by her first name, though she did with all the other professors, and Selene never failed to sneer if the deputy headmistress came within eyesight.
'I would like to introduce you to Darius Dexter, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Darius, this is Selene Sinistra, Astronomy professor.'
'Charmed, I'm sure' Selene drawled. Dexter grasped her proffered hand, and mumbled a reply that Snape didn't catch. The new professor's eyes passed over her face briefly before focusing again on Minerva. Snape frowned. It was something he had seen often when people spoke to Selene, almost as if her presence barely registered.
'If you'll excuse me...' Selene quickly extracted herself from the conversation with a wan smile, sliding into the sparse crowd of teachers and somehow out of sight.
'Ah. Severus. I see you're already organized for the coming year.' Albus' voice interrupted his contemplation of his junior professor. Snape simply inclined his head, not wishing to be drawn into conversation.
'Doesn't the thought of a new school year, all those new students eager to learn, fill you with enthusiasm?' Dumbledore enquired, his eyes twinkling cheerfully.
'The year I come across a class of students eager to learn, I'm sure I will discover my long lost enthusiasm.' Snape allowed his voice to veritably drip sarcasm, in another attempt to put an end to the dialogue. He found his eyes roaming the room, searching for Selene, though he could not say why he was looking for her. 'Until that day, however, please excuse my pointed lack of fervor over teaching a school of Dunderheads.'
'Albus?' Minerva's request spared Snape from any further banter. The headmaster clapped him on the back, jovially, before turning to his deputy.
Scanning the group of professors again, Snape glowered. How could she disappear in such a small crowd?
'I believe I'm the one you're looking for?' a voice breathed in his ear. Starting, he whipped round, to find himself face to face with Selene. She had her elbows propped on the back of his seat, chin resting on her hands as she gazed down at him, a small smile playing about her lips.
'Yes, I was.' He recovered himself quickly, searching for, and finding, a reason he would have to seek her out. 'We need to arrange a Slytherin staff meeting.'
Standing up, she stretched then nodded, slipping round the sofa and onto the seat beside him. 'When do you propose we schedule it? Tonight?'
'No, it would be more useful to hold it Monday evening, after the first full day.'
'Well, it'll have to be late then. I have classes until 1.30 in the morning.' She yawned, and stretched her arms out again. 'Sometimes I wish I had a normal teaching schedule. I don't understand why Albus constantly arranges it so that I have midnight practical classes followed by 9 o'clock theory lessons the next morning.'
'He does seem to enjoy torturing us' Snape conceded, with a slight smirk. 'However, term hasn't started yet, so that's obviously not the reason you're so tired today.'
'No, it's a potion I've been working on. It took 36 hours to brew and required almost constant attention. And now all the anti-drowsiness potions I took are starting to catch up on me.' She yawned again, allowing her head to drop back and her eyes drift shut.
'A potion? I haven't seen you in the lab.' Snape frowned. True, he hadn't been in his laboratory much in the past couple of days, but surely he would have seen her if she'd spent that amount of time there. Then another thought struck him. Narrowing his eyes, he inquired, 'And what exactly were you making?'
'I didn't want to disturb you. So I used the room of requirement, like I usually do.' She opened her eyes to find him still eyeing her carefully. 'Oh relax, it wasn't anything illegal. I know better than to do that right under Albus' nose.' At that he let out a snort of humorless laughter.
'We both know that's untrue, so don't waste your breath. I repeat, what exactly did you brew?'
She observed him quietly for a moment, before smiling ruefully. 'Nothing gets past you does it?' He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. 'If you must know, it's something I developed myself - a variation on the Imperious potion.'
'What?!' he hissed, causing several heads to turn in their direction.
'Severus, don't make a scene' she replied composedly. 'I only want a few more house responsibilities. It's not like I told you Harry Potter was your son!' At this the few who had turned to see what was going on laughed and went back to their previous activities. Lowering her voice she continued. 'You're head of Slytherin house. You're supposed to be able to be subtle!' He opened his mouth to make a scathing reply, but, raising her hand in a placating gesture, she cut him off. 'Don't worry. I've made just enough alterations to make it legal. For a start, I've replaced the human blood with that of a pig, and the basilisk's eye with simple boomslang skin.'
'You used boomslang skin to replace basilisks' eyes? How in Merlin's name did you manage that?'
'You're supposed to be the Potions Master.' she smirked. Seeing that he wasn't amused, she continued wearily. 'I added vast amounts of beetles eyes.'
Comprehension dawning, he nodded. 'That's why it took a day and a half. You had to add them one by one to make sure they didn't react violently with the wolfsbane I assume you used?' She nodded. 'Well, that takes care of the illegal ingredients, but potions which mirror the effect of the Imperious curse are themselves banned.'
'Ah, that's the beauty of it. The slow fusion of the pig's blood, beetles' eyes and powdered dragon scales make this potion impossible to detect in the body. The addition of a hair from the head of the potion brewer means only she can control anyone who imbibes the substance. So it's also impossible for anyone else to prove what the potion does, making it safe to leave lying around a lab. Genius, isn't it?' she finished with a triumphal grin.
'Indeed. If it actually works. And that is something which I am highly skeptical about.' He smirked at the look of indignation on Selene's face. 'You want me to believe that you have succeeded in creating something non of the greatest dark wizards have ever come close to achieving?'
Narrowing her eyes at him, she let out a derisive snort. 'I know what you're doing. You're trying to goad me into taking you to the lab and showing you how I did it.' She sighed. 'Do you really believe I'm so stupid?' There was a pointed silence, in which he merely raised an eyebrow. In response, Selene smiled slightly. 'You know, I might be persuaded... If you do something in return for me.'
'Why do I get the feeling that your request will be unacceptable?' he inquired.
'Because you never find anything acceptable? All I want is for you to work with me from time to time.' She leaned in towards him, her lips inches from his ear. 'There are certain things I want to try that require more than one person, and it's not like I could ask just anyone.' Veritably purring, she continued on. 'I need someone who is good, and who is willing to overlook certain... slightly lees than legal aspects of the work. Just imagine what we could do together...'
'Loose our jobs, perhaps?' he asked, acerbically.
Leaning back and fixing him with an intense gaze, she smiled wryly, 'Unlikely. Dumbledore seems to have a particular fondness for you.'
He remained silent for a moment, an inscrutable expression on his face. Deciding not to push it, Selene shrugged and broke eye contact. 'Look, it was just an idea. It doesn't matter.'
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, Snape once again surveying the room indifferently. Selene, however, was not so patient. After the fifth stolen glance she decided to try again.
'You'd be able to keep an eye on me.' She blurted out.
He turned his head and looked her up and down, an amused expression on his face. 'And why on earth would I want to do that?
Giving him a mock-offended glare, she retorted, 'So I don't do something stupid and loose my job? You'd never get another junior professor as good as me, you know!' When he didn't look sufficiently impressed, she added 'Are you really going to give up the chance of spending countless evenings all alone with a beautiful woman?'
Snape snorted. 'Beautiful woman? You really think a lot of yourself. I don't see crowds of mean queuing up to have a date with you.'
'That's because you don't see me at weekends' she laughed. 'Come on, you can't deny I have beautiful eyes. Like chipped ice, or so I've been told.'
Their eyes locked, and he had to admit to himself that she was right, her eyes were remarkable. Not that the rest of her was that amazing. But she'd amused him, and that was not something that happened very often.
'Ok'
'So I am irresistible after all?' Selene replied after a brief stunned silence, surprised by his sudden change of heart. She hadn't seriously expected that to work, in fact she'd cringed inside when she'd said it.
'Hardly. However, I would like to know how you brewed that potion.' At her smug grin he added, 'And see if it works of course.'
'Of course' she laughed 'When do you want to do it?'
'I don't know. We'll discuss it on Monday. Excuse me.' With that he stood and crossed the room to where Professor Sprout was studying her first year class list. Selene followed him with her eyes, satisfied that the first stage of her plan had worked satisfactorily.