Chapter 16: Against the Current

"Did you have any more problems with the students, Lupin?"

Lupin concentrated very intently on the sugar he was adding to his tea. "No," he replied, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "The rest of the class went quite smoothly, thank you." Severus would feel the need to bring that up here, at lunch, when all the rest of the staff was present.

"What happened?" Minerva asked, pausing in the buttering of her roll.

Remus was quiet, not really sure what to say that wouldn't just make it worse. He was spared too much thought on the matter when Severus replied, though.

"Some of the Slytherins thought it would be amusing to test his authority," Severus replied. "Malfoy summoned me from one of my own classes to settle them down."

"Really, Severus, you should be a little more apologetic about that," Minerva scolded, and Remus attempted to tune out the conversation. He knew that his ears were already edged with pink, though.

"Don't start with me, Minerva. I'm not in the mood for it. I'm not the one who pretends that my House is above reproach. The Slytherin students are as strong-willed as the Gryffindors."

"Remus, did you have any problems with the Gryffindors today?" Minerva asked.

"Erm, no," Remus muttered, taking a great interest in his stew.

"See?" Minerva challenged Severus.

"See nothing. They consider him a half-step above a mate. Your little angels are kind enough to save their shenanigans for me," he replied, poking his spoon half-heartedly at his own bowl of stew.

"Are you saying you have problems controlling the Gryffindor students?" Minerva asked, and she sounded entirely too smug for Remus' tastes.

"I am not," Severus answered. He had apparently found something in the stew that didn't offend him, as he finally took a bite of it. "The first year students invariably attempt something to find out if the rumors are true. The braver of the second years will attempt something to see if I was merely bluffing last year. No one dares by mid-September."

"No one dares what?" Rolanda had arrived late and seated herself on Remus' other side.

"Lupin had a bit of a problem with one of his classes this morning," Severus answered, talking across him.

"Ooh," she said sympathetically, clapping a hand against his shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, though."

"No, of course not," Severus muttered. "It's perfectly acceptable to allow twenty fifteen-year-olds to have their way in a class."

"And I suppose you've never lost control of a class?" Rolanda shot back. Remus wished he were anywhere but in the midst of this conversation. If they were going to gossip about him, couldn't they at least have the decency to do it when he wasn't present?

"I have not," Severus replied.

"Have you?" Remus asked suddenly, looking at Rolanda hopefully. He'd feel better if he knew that he wasn't the only one this had happened to.

"Well, er, no," she said, smiling bracingly. "But I've lost control of a student loads of times."

"There is a difference between having a single student successfully challenge your authority and having an entire class do so," Severus pointed out. He sounded as though this were an academic debate, but Remus wasn't fooled for a minute. Severus was relishing this opportunity, and he was going to milk it until the bitter end.

"I wouldn't tolerate either," Minerva replied.

"Are you saying that you would be able to subdue an entire class that was thwarting your efforts?" Rolanda asked, taking a bite of her stew. "I don't think I would be able to."

"Yes." Severus and Minerva answered the question simultaneously, then glared at each other, as though each was challenging the other's impudence.

"I am obviously capable of it," Severus continued, moving his stew around in his bowl a bit more. "I did so this morning."

"But they weren't rebelling against you, Severus," Minerva pointed out, and Remus stifled a sigh. They'd almost directed the conversation away from him entirely, and even if every word was a reminder of just how bloody incompetent he was, at least the others might have been forgetting it. Until Severus steered it back to him.

Remus glanced at Severus from the corner of his eye; Severus was hiding a smirk in his water goblet. You're enjoying every minute of this, aren't you? Remus thought sourly.

"Anyway, I wouldn't let it get to you, Remus," Rolanda said, clapping him on the shoulder again. "You'll get the hang of it."

"Remind me later and I'll tell you what happened my first day of teaching," Minerva said, leaning forward so she could smile at him despite Severus being between them. "Or better yet, remind me and I'll tell you about Severus' first day. How long did it take you to clear up all those detentions, Severus?"

Severus scowled at her. "Three weeks," he muttered. "But it worked."

"He had every student in the school in detention," Minerva confided. "It was more a punishment for him than for the students."

Remus glanced at Severus again, studying him while taking another bite of his stew. In another time and place, he probably would have been trying to befriend Severus. Would have considered him a peer, someone his own age with more experience, potentially with advice to offer. It would be nice to have an actual friend here right now. Someone to share a beer with and to tell him that it wasn't the end of the world.

Severus' spoon dropped into his bowl with a clatter. "What?" he snapped, looking at Remus. "You're staring at me as though you've never seen anyone use a spoon."

"Sorry," Remus muttered, returning his attention to his meal. He finished it in silence.

After lunch, the day continued to drag on, though thankfully without further incident. Of course, he didn't have any more Slytherin classes that day, either, and he didn't dare get his hopes up. Every class he taught that afternoon had heard about 'what the Slytherins had done', and many of his students were quite indignant on his behalf. On the one hand, he was touched by their vehemence, but on the other, he felt his control slipping from those classes as well—there was a sense that they were doing as he said because they liked him, not because he was their teacher.

By the end of the day, he caught Regalia Malfoy standing in his door eight times, and given that twice he was barely aware of her, he had his suspicions that she was there at least a few times when he was not aware of it.

The first time he saw her was almost immediately after lunch. He was settling the fifth year Gryffindor students, who remembered him vividly from their second year, and many of whom seemed anxious to find out what he'd been doing for the last two years. A glance at the door had revealed Regalia Malfoy, a disapproving look on her face. He ignored her for nearly a minute before she held up a stack of parchment and looked pointedly at his desk. With a sigh, he'd finished up the idle chat and started in on dress code and the list of forbiddens.

Twice she'd shown up while he was lecturing, and even if it made him a bit self conscious, at least he was 'caught' doing something right for a change. Once she had found him and the rest of the class laughing as the third-year Ravenclaws attempted to immobilize Cornish Pixies. He couldn't tell if she approved of that or not. The remaining two times, he'd been walking through the classroom while students copied notes. Every time she appeared, he grew a little more irritated with her. It was very clear that she didn't trust him.

When he finally dismissed his last class, he shoved his wand into his pocket and his grade ledgers into his briefcase. A part of him was relieved that the day was over, but another part was quick to remind him that the worst had yet to manifest itself. He still had to approach that woman and request the advance of his first month's salary so he could go into Hogsmeade and buy new robes. And he had to do it quickly before Gladrags closed. He could just imagine the look on Malfoy's face if he didn't turn up in a new robe tomorrow.

He made a detour into the staff room before heading up to the headmistress' office, and as he dropped his attendance sheets into the basket, he heard voices coming down the corridor.

"…every time I looked up! Honestly. She's worse than that Umbridge woman."

"You too, eh? And here I thought I was special."

The door swung open, an irate Minerva and an indignant Pomona coming inside. "Oh, hello, Remus," Pomona said, smiling brightly.

"Remus!" Minerva snapped. "Was that woman hovering outside your door all day, too?"

"I… ah…" he began, but was interrupted by the door banging open again.

"If that woman ever comes near my classroom again, I'm going to accidentally let a Swelling Potion spill on her nose." Severus dropped his attendance sheets into the basket and folded his arms.

"We were just discussing that," Minerva replied. "It seems that she has nothing better to do than make rounds of all the classrooms and spy on us."

"You didn't answer, Remus—was she watching you too?"

"Yes," he replied mildly. He made an attempt to look irritated, but he was so busy being relieved that he hadn't been singled out for the scrutiny that he couldn't quite manage a convincing tone.

"This is ridiculous," Severus muttered. "One would think that we were an incompetent lot. I can understand her wanting to be sure we manage our classrooms effectively, but she should have been able to tell that much by noon."

"Agreed," Minerva replied. "And if this is the way she thinks the entire year is going to progress—"

"Shush," Remus muttered. From his vantage point near the door, he could see the woman in question. "She's coming."

When Malfoy stepped into the room, one of those brightly-plumed birds perched on her shoulder, the four of them were quiet.

"Professor McGonagall," Malfoy said, nodding to Minerva. "Professor Snape. Professor Sprout. Professor Lupin."

"Headmistress." They all responded more or less in unison, nodding their heads in her direction.

"I was just coming to find you, Professor Lupin," she said, and he steeled himself for the humiliation of her announcing his situation to his colleagues. He thought he could live with Minerva knowing, but he wasn't sure his pride would withstand the way Severus would smirk at him. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Of course," Remus replied.

"Good. It won't take long. Erm, why don't we go to your office? It seems such a waste of time to go all the way up to mine for a five-minute conversation."

Remus breathed a sigh of relief as Malfoy turned to Severus.

"And then, Professor Snape, I'd like a word with you as well. Will you be in your office in… oh, fifteen to twenty minutes?"

Severus' expression tightened slightly. "Certainly, Headmistress," he replied stiffly.

"Good. And then, Professor McGonagall. I'm afraid the conversation I need to have with you is going to last substantially longer than fifteen minutes, so I'll leave it to your choice—my office or yours?"

"My office is on the way to yours," Minerva replied. "Why don't you let me know when you're ready for me and we can decide then?"

"Excellent! Are you coming, Professor Lupin?"

He followed her out of the staff room, and as they left, he heard Minerva mutter under her breath, "How did you get out of this unscathed, Pomona?"

Remus hid a smile as they walked back to his office. He opened the door and gestured her inside, then shut the door behind them. As he turned to offer her a seat, she mused, "You need some plants in here or something."

Wonderful, he thought sourly. She's going to make me use the part of my first month's salary that doesn't go to new robes on new furnishings for my office. "I haven't really had a chance to make it my own yet," he replied neutrally. "Will you have a seat?"

"Oh, that's not at all necessary. As I said in the staff room, this won't take long." She reached into her robe and produced a small blue bag, then reached for his hand. She placed the bag in his palm. "Fifty Galleons," she informed him. "That should certainly be sufficient for two robes with a good bit left over besides. If you need another advance before the end of the month, just let me know."

Remus stared at his hand for a moment, trying not to make a fool of himself. He'd forgotten what it was like to hold that much money in his hands.

"I've already been to Gladrags, and I spoke with Madam Greylace—she's expecting you and should have a selection of robes ready for you to choose from. No, I'm not going to do your shopping for you, Professor, but I knew you would be pressed for time today and I do want you dressed decently tomorrow."

Remus only stared at her.

"You're looking at me as though I've grown two heads. Has Professor Snape already made good on his threat to splash me with a Swelling Potion?"

His eyes widened. How had she heard that? "I—er—no."

"Believe it or not, Professor, but I am quite a reasonable woman. I may be demanding, but my demands are reasonable. Now go, before Gladrags closes for the evening."

"Thank you," he said, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Not at all," she replied, smoothing her robe. She was halfway to the door when she stopped suddenly, turning to look at him again. "I am not picking on you, Professor," she said. "I hope you realize that. I expect no more or less from you than I do from anyone on staff."

He nodded, and it was a strange comfort. If she was being honest, this would be the first time in his memory that he'd ever been treated exactly like everyone else.


Severus was sitting at his desk when Malfoy knocked on his open door. He looked up, raising an eyebrow at the fact that she didn't just enter given that this meeting was expected and the door was ajar. "Come in," he invited when it became clear that the invitation would be necessary.

She stepped inside and shut the door, and that was the first indication he had that he wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"As I said before, this should only take a minute," she told him. "May I sit?"

He barely refrained from shaking his head in amazement. "Please," he said, gesturing. Dumbledore had never needed an invitation to sit, nor to enter, nor to make himself at home, and as much as that had often irritated Severus, he wasn't sure that this formality didn't irritate him more.

"I know you're busy, Professor Snape, so I'll be brief. The behavior of your fifth year students in Professor Lupin's class today was positively scandalous."

Severus raised both eyebrows. "Indeed."

"I truly expect better than that, Professor. I would suggest that you speak with the rest of your students, because if I see such blatant disregard for another faculty member from your House again, I will hold you responsible."

He could only stare at her. Priceless. I'm being called to the carpet because that bloody werewolf can't control a class.

"Further, I think it is time that you adjust your attitude towards Professor Lupin. I realize that you do not like him, and I understand that you have your reasons, but he is a member of this faculty, and I will not have the sort of discord among my staff that I have witnessed between the two of you. I suggest you work your quarrel out between yourselves, because I have no room for it in this school."

He could feel his jaw sinking ever-lower as she spoke, but for once, he didn't give a damn that his amazement was etched so plainly on his face.

"I am convinced that what I saw in that classroom this morning was a result of the residual animosity between you and Professor Lupin, and I will not have it. Whether you like him or not, whether you approve of him or not, you will be civilized towards him. Is that quite clear?"

Severus finally found his voice, but he was still missing the ability to speak coherently, so he settled for sputtering.

"If you have something to say, say it."

"What have I done to deserve this lecture?" he demanded finally. "I've barely spoken to the man twice since he arrived! And that is no more or less often than I speak to most of my colleagues!"

"I have eyes and ears," Malfoy replied. "I heard you at lunch today. If that is the way you treat all of your colleagues then—"

"Why don't I just stay in the dungeons all the time?" Severus suggested. "If I never leave, I can't possibly offend anyone."

"I won't have you poisoning this staff," Malfoy responded. "At the moment, I am merely making my expectations known and it goes no further than this room. If the situation does not improve within one week, though, I will make an issue of it. Good evening."

She turned to leave, but Severus whipped out of his chair and put his hand against the door, preventing her from opening it. "Are you telling me," he began, clipping each word, his voice barely rising above a whisper, "that socializing with long-time enemies is now a part of my job description?"

She raised one eyebrow and looked at him coolly. "If that is what I must tell you to ensure your cooperation, then yes. I suppose it is."

She pushed his hand from the door and let herself out, leaving him to stare after her in stunned silence.


It had been nearly half an hour since they'd departed from the staff room, and in that time, Minerva had done little more than wonder what Malfoy was saying to Remus and Severus. She could only imagine the nonsense that woman was capable of if the last two weeks were any indication, and the more she thought about it, the more it irritated her.

By the time a knock announced Malfoy's presence, Minerva had worked herself into a state best likened to a tightly wound spring. She jerked the door open, and her eyes met with Malfoy's.

"Professor McGonagall," Malfoy said formally.

"Headmistress." Any pretense at being on a first name basis had been dropped after the fiasco regarding Remus.

"Do you prefer to have this conversation here or in my office? It makes no difference to me."

"Have a seat, then."

Malfoy sat, and for a long moment, no words passed between them. This time, Minerva was determined to make the headmistress speak first. It worked. After several minutes, it was Malfoy who broke the silence.

"I am still rather unhappy with you for the way you deceived me with regards to Professor Lupin's appointment. You led me to believe that he was the perfect candidate for this position."

Minerva sighed. "He is a werewolf," she said flatly. "It's an unfortunate complication, but other than that, he is the perfect choice."

Malfoy leaned back in her chair. "He is barely capable of controlling a classroom," she countered.

"He lacks experience as a teacher," Minerva replied. "Do you expect anyone to walk in with no experience and be able to quell a rebellious class with a look?"

"Do you honestly believe he has the temperament for it?" Malfoy asked. "Truthfully, McGonagall. Do you honestly think he is cut out for the job?"

"Yes," Minerva replied without reservation. "You haven't been here long enough to see it, but I suspect you will. The students respond to him, and whether they do it because they respect his authority or because they respect him as a person is irrelevant.

"Very well, but for the sake of the students, I hope you're right about him."

"I am," Minerva replied stiffly. "Is this what you came here to discuss?"

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "No," she replied. "I actually came to discuss Professor Snape."

"Professor Snape?" Minerva repeated.

"Yes. I am rather tired of his attitude. He spreads more discontent among the staff than the rest of you combined. If he is gathered with two other faculty members, he is stirring up trouble, and then he turns around and has the audacity to pander to me. I'm not impressed by it."

"So now Severus is your next target?" Minerva snapped. "You don't have the slightest idea what you're doing, and it's time you stopped rushing headlong into these things!"

"I do not have targets," Malfoy replied. "I have focal points."

"Then focus on someone else!" Minerva snapped. "Focus on finding a better use for your own time! Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you are Deputy Headmistress and as such, I expect your cooperation in this matter."

"You what?" Minerva snapped. "And what does that mean, precisely? You expect me to ferret out information for you? Well, you can just find someone else to do it, because I'm not going to be party to any such nonsense. Severus Snape is one of the most effective teachers we have, and I'm not going to have you putting this school's reputation in jeopardy because he won't play your ridiculous little games."

"Then I would recommend you take it upon yourself to see that he has no reason to catch my attention." Malfoy stood abruptly. "And that, Professor McGonagall, is what I wished to discuss with you."

Minerva's eyes were narrowed to slits, her lips pressed into a tight line. "Very well, Headmistress," she snapped. "Good evening, then."

Malfoy opened the door, then paused and half-turned again. "Oh, and one more thing," she said. "That staff meeting you so graciously dismissed last night? We will continue it after dinner. See to it that everyone is made aware of it and that everyone realizes that it is mandatory." She shut the door firmly behind herself as she left, leaving Minerva to scowl in her wake.


The staff meeting commenced directly after dinner, and no one dared object this time as Malfoy passed out the agenda. To walk out of a meeting once was one thing; to do it twice in a row was edging dangerously close to mutiny.

Guilty looks were exchanged by all as Malfoy informed them that she was aware that they had not gone over the rules and dress code with all their classes, and when she informed them that they would rectify that situation tomorrow, there was a general scribbling of notes to themselves. It seemed that Malfoy was determined to win that battle, and none of them considered the matter worth their jobs.

She went on to hand out the schedules for her first round of observations, which would be conducted the following week. No one was terribly thrilled at that prospect, but no one argued either. They were all well aware that they had signed a magically binding document agreeing to this.

She spent the next half hour detailing the goals she had for the term, and unsurprisingly, the Defense Against the Dark Arts situation topped the list. As she asked for volunteers, Lupin looked as though he might throw his quill across the room any minute, and the more perceptive members of the faculty felt for him—Malfoy was clearly insinuating that he was not capable of accomplishing what needed to be done with his classes.

After a pointed stare from Malfoy to Severus, Severus volunteered to help with the project. Malfoy was obviously pleased about that and instructed Severus and Remus to coordinate their efforts. Instructed them, not asked.

Aside from the progress the headmistress wished to achieve with the Defense students, she had ambitious plans to identify the students who were most in need of extra instruction, and by the start of the next term, she obviously intended to have every fifth or seventh year who seemed in danger of not earning an OWL or NEWT in extra classes. She also had plans for practice exams in all subjects, asserting that there should be no surprises come June.

The fourth and sixth year students were her next concern, and she wanted everyone on staff to write out detailed assessments of each of the students' strengths, weaknesses and needs, and it was of little surprise to discover that she intended to implement additional tutoring sessions for those students as well over the course of the spring term.

More than one of the professors thought that it sounded as though their work load had just doubled.

She then announced her plans for parent visitation days, beginning the first weekend in October with parents of Hufflepuff students. She intended the parents to join their children for the entire day, attending classes with them, touring the castle, meeting the teachers. Parents would join the faculty for a private dinner on Friday night, during which time they would get to know the witches and wizards who were shaping their children's lives. On Saturday morning, there would be a Quidditch skirmish, unrelated to the House competition, between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Saturday afternoon would be left to Professor Sprout's planning, but Malfoy hoped it would be an event that would leave the parents with smiles on their faces.

No one could find any particular flaws in her plans, though more than one face reflected misgivings. The general unspoken consensus was that if this worked, it would be a miracle, but one well worth eating crow over.

At a quarter past nine, Malfoy finally stopped talking, more than two hours after she had started. She wrapped up by asking if anyone else had any problems that needed addressing—it would have had to be a serious problem indeed for anyone to extend the meeting any further. She finally informed them that this was going to be a regularly scheduled meeting on Mondays. This was met with a chorus of groans and grumbling, but everyone resigned themselves to their fate—they would never have time for anything except meetings ever again.

Malfoy did cheer them up a bit, though—she promised that these weekly meetings would be sufficient for the rest of the term unless something critical came up and demanded immediate attention. No one argued overly much about a meeting once a week if that meant that the rest of the week was to be free.

Besides, if they were perfectly honest with themselves, this had been a very productive meeting. And if Malfoy's plans were ambitious, they were admirable. How could anyone object to her plans to see the students be as successful as possible?


A/N:

yukka: Thank you for your comments! I'm glad you're enjoying. And yes, it should be worth keeping an eye on those Gryffindors ;)

Silverthreads: Thank you!

Liat: Thank you! No worries, the students will make their appearances again.

MadelineZ: Nope! Not abandoned. Backburner, perhaps, but not abandoned.

duj: Thank you! Very true regarding Lupin. I don't envy him at all at the moment.

Thanks to everyone for reading and taking the time to comment! Also thanks to LariLee for being my dear beta. She's wonderful.

And I just checked again. The characters and associated fortune still aren't mine.