Disclaimer: Still nothing is mine.
AN: Midnight Lily thanks for the reviews.
Chapter 11 Back to School Again
Spending my vacation in the summer sun,
Gettin' lots of action and a lots of fun.
Scorin' like a bandit 'til the bubble burst -
Suddenly it got to be September First.
Woe is me, all summer long I was happy and free.
Save my soul, the board of education took away my parole.
I gotta go back, back, back to school again.
Four Tops "Back to School Again"
Snape held Alexis's seat for her as they settled at the staff table at the front of the Great Hall. The start of term feast was about to begin. Alexis looked out over the crowd of students taking their seats at the four long tables spread before her. At the touch on her shoulder she turned to smile at Dumbledore, "Alexis, I would like you to meet Professor Remus Lupin, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Remus this is Alexis Draluck, she will be the new teacher's assistant this year. Minerva is working out a schedule for her so that she can help as many professors as possible." This last was said with a twinkling look at Snape who had tried to monopolize her schedule.
Alexis could feel the waves of enmity rolling off of Snape all directed at the shabbily dressed, worn looking man with the prematurely grey hair and lined face standing beside Dumbledore. There was nothing she could do or even should do about it, so she ignored it.
Offering her hand to Professor Lupin she gave him a warm smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you."
Lupin took her hand and gave it a friendly squeeze, "The Headmaster informed me that you would like some refresher lessons in DADA. Maybe we can get together after dinner to discuss this."
Before Alexis could respond Snape interjected, "Alexis and I are meeting to discuss Potions Classes after dinner."
Trying not to let it show that this was the first she was aware of such a meeting, "Perhaps tomorrow afternoon then after your last class?" Alexis kicked Snape under the table as he started to open his mouth, presumably to invent another scheduling conflict for her. Snape closed his mouth and contented himself with glaring at Lupin. Dumbledore was highly entertained by the whole performance.
Lupin smiled his acquiescence and consulting a piece of parchment, "My last class is over at 3."
"Then I will see you at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon."
Dumbledore then waved Lupin to a seat and settled himself at the table looking over the students with a fond gaze.
Alexis enjoyed the sorting ceremony. Applauding as each new student was put into a house. After the ceremony Dumbledore introduced Hagrid as the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Lupin as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and Alexis as the new Teacher's Assistant. She heard a swell of mutterings as her name was announced. Dumbledore had been correct as usual, it seemed a fair amount of the students knew her story and how she had recovered from the Sleeping Death Curse.
Alexis listened to the conversations going on around her and watched the students. She was trying to match names to faces from the descriptions in the books. She could easily pick out the famous trio. Equally easy to spot were the other Weasleys.
As the feast was ending, Minerva caught Alexis's eye and indicated she needed to see her before she left the Great Hall. Just then Dumbledore dismissed the feast. Snape stood and pulled out Alexis's chair intent on getting her away before Lupin could attract her attention.
Before Snape could take her arm to escort her from the hall, Alexis looked up at him, "I need to see Minerva before we leave. Do you want to wait for me or shall I meet you in your office?"
Snape looked over to where McGonagall was talking with Lupin. Turning his attention back to Alexis, "I'll wait for you." There was no way he was going to leave her with that wolf.
Snape followed Alexis over to where the two professors were talking. Minerva smiled at Alexis, "Alexis, I understand from Remus that you will be meeting with him tomorrow at 3 to discuss your schedule of lessons with him. I had Professor Snape down tomorrow at 3," with a smirk at Snape, "but I'm sure he won't mind if you meet with Remus instead. Here is your schedule," handing her a sheet of parchment.
Snape looked as if very much minded the change in schedule: a look from Alexis silenced any protest he might have been going to make and instead he gave a short, sharp nod.
Minerva continued, "Because you haven't had any refresher training in Defense yet, I have scheduled you to assist Remus forfour classes a week. You will be working with Professors Flitwick, Vector, Snape and myself for three classes each week. You will follow the same schedule for these classes as the second and third year Gryffindors. (Snape snorted. He had tried to arrange for her to take classes with the Slytherins but Minerva had quashed that firmly) You will have several free periods during the week to use for independent study or to obtain help if you are having trouble in a class. Any questions? Good I will see you tomorrow morning at 10:30 sharp in my classroom."
Minerva left with a nod to all three of them and a quick, "Good night."
Snape took Alexis's arm and turned to go without a word to Lupin. Alexis elbowed him in the ribs to make him stop. When he looked down at her in annoyed question she gave him a disapproving look and shook her head. Turning back to Lupin Alexis smiled, "Good night Professor Lupin."
Because he was interested in getting to know Alexis better and he could not resist the urge to tweak Snape's overly large nose, "Since we are going to be working so closely together, perhaps you could call me Remus."
"Thank you. Call me Alexis," she offered in return.
Snape looked as if he were about to explode. Taking his arm this time, Alexis turned him toward the door and urged him to the dungeons leaving Lupin to wonder at their relationship.
Alexis had made it through her first day of term. She was in the staffroom enjoying a cup of tea and looking over the Transfiguration text when Snape came slamming in muttering furiously, "Incompetent dunderhead. What possibly possessed Albus to hire him? Should have seen this coming. What type of idiot starts out with hippogriffs?"
"What has happened Severus?" Alexis looked up with concern.
In a coldly furious voice, "Hagrid decided that for his first lesson he would introduce his third years to hippogriffs. One of them slashed Draco Malfoy's arm open. Now Draco is in the hospital wing and Lucious is demanding Hagrid's immediate dismissal."
"It will all work out Severus," Alexis tried to soothe only to have it backfire.
"You knew this was going to happen. Don't deny it. You know everything. How could you let a child suffer such a severe injury? Have you no heart?"
Alexis reeled at the attack. Closing her book she got to her feet, "No one wishes more than I that I did not know what is going to happen at Hogwarts for the next three years. Draco will be fine and Hagrid will be fine. Now if you will excuse me." Alexis started to leave the room.
Snape was looking at her and noticed the glitter of unshed tears in her eyes as she passed him heading to the door. Reaching out he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He was surprised at the effort it took to keep her there. For such a small woman she was surprisingly strong. He muttered, "I am concerned about one of my students," to the top of her head. At his words she stopped struggling; he felt her nod against his chest and loosened his grip. Instead of stepping out of his embrace, Alexis wrapped her arms around his waist and held him giving him what comfort she could acknowledging this was as close as she would get to an apology.
When she felt him sigh she released him and stepped back. He pushed a strand of hair back out of her eyes before brushing the back of his hand gently down her cheek.
"Have you been up to see him yet?"
"Not yet. There have been to many details for me to handle before I could even think about going to see him."
"Would you like me to come with you?" Alexis offered. At his curt nod she slipped her arm though his and they headed up to the hospital wing.
Alexis watched Draco swagger into Potions late on Thursday. She had visited Draco every night in the infirmary. She knew that he was faking but she could also see the loneliness he hid from most people. By ignoring his arrogance she was able to bring out some of his better qualities. She helped him keep current with his class work but would not allow him to rant about mudbloods and blood purity.
Alexis sat in the back of the classroom. Snape was just as rotten to the students in real life as he had been portrayed in the books. She watched as he bullied and belittled Neville Longbottom. What type of person was she that she could be so attracted to a man that was so horrible to a bunch of school children? If she was honest it wasn't just attraction, she was afraid she was falling in love with him.
Maybe frightening his students to death was his way of winnowing out the dunderheads. His pass rate for O.W.L.s was the highest in the school. But she had noticed that his sixth and seventh year classes were amongst the smallest and were composed of the best and brightest of the students. She wondered if this was his sneaky way of making sure that only serious students continued their potions studies.
Class ended and Alexis watched as Neville made his escape clutching his toad who, thanks to Hermione Granger, had managed to survive his encounter with Snape and the shrinking potion.
Snape had been waiting for Alexis to say something about his harsh treatment of the students. He was sure that she would criticize him today after the incident with the toad. Instead when she walked up to his desk all she wanted to know was if he was going to lunch in the Great Hall. He told her he was going to eat at his desk and then he invited her back to his office before dinner to discuss her classes.
Alexis had a hard time keeping a straight face as Snape paced in front of her. He was furious about the bogart incident. She had not found it surprising that what Neville feared the most was Professor Snape. Everyone in the school knew that the shape shifting bogart had become Professor Snape and that to defeat it, Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes.
Alexis had been in the class when it had happened: before she could tell Snape about it, he had heard it being discussed in the halls between classes.
Knowing she was taking her life in her hands, "Severus, I don't understand why you are so angry."
Snape whirled on her with a disbelieving look.
"You have been terrifying Neville Longbottom since his first potions lesson. Now you have proof of your success," and then Alexis burst into laughter.
Snape looked at her with disgust. Alexis caught the look and gasped out, "Come now Severus, you cannot blame Neville because the thing he fears the most in the world is you? And Remus was just doing his job when he taught Neville how to handle the bogart."
At Remus's name, Snape growled something unintelligible and resumed pacing.
Alexis was still laughing she would never forget Snape in drag.
