Disclaimer: Everything recognizable from the Harry Potter universe belongs to J K Rowling, no infringement is intended to any copyright holder
Beloved on this Earth
~ 0 ~
And so the friendship shambled on, although friendship was perhaps slightly too strong a word for it Lois thought. Snape never sought her out, but then again he made no attempt to avoid her either and he certainly didn't seem to object to her company. She still had great difficulty in reading him, but as far as she could tell, Snape firmly belonged to the like it or lump it school of friendship and considered their new relationship had given him permission to be completely himself. Consequently his sarcastic attitude had improved not a whit, but at least now she was comfortable enough to insult him right back if he got too bad; when he said her babbling was giving him a headache, she felt quite free to tell him his snarling was doing the same for her, without worrying about him storming off in a huff.
Even given his continuing sharp manner, Lois still enjoyed spending time with him - when the mood took him, he was actually extremely good company. While she had already known he was intelligent, she had now discovered that he was also interesting and his dry humour, when not cruel, genuinely amused her. The baiting, unsurprisingly, had also continued. One of his main pleasures seemed to arise from calling her Achelois at unexpected moments purely, she knew, to annoy her. What he didn't realise, was that far from disliking his occasional use of her full name, she had actually started to enjoy it. Coming from his lips, it didn't bother her as it had when the children at school had teased in a singsong voice and instead sounded caressingly intimate, as though the name belonged to him alone. She made damn sure he didn't know of course and always scowled angrily at him, just to see the gleam of amusement that shone in his eyes when tormenting her.
The biggest threat to their developing relationship came, surprising, not from Snape at all, but from herself. The unbidden attraction she had felt for him from the beginning had simmered on, and she was finding it more and more difficult to ignore. In an effort to deny its existence, she had taken to focussing instead on coaxing him out of his normal foul natured attitude to life in an attempt to make him fit for human contact. Not an easy chore by any means, but Lois had never shirked from hard work. Anyway, she wouldn't want him to change too much. He just wouldn't be the same if he was all sweetness and light; in fact, the very idea of him suddenly becoming polite and well mannered boggled her mind. Friendship Severus-style she mused, as much punishment as pleasure.
For his part, Snape had finally reached a conclusion as to why Lois wanted to spend time with him and it was so blindingly obvious, he wondered why it had eluded him at all – there was no one else. She was a highly social creature and while Dumbledore was about intermittently, at his age he was hardly a suitable companion and the gods only knew, Lois might feel protective towards Potter, but he couldn't imagine anyone wanting to voluntarily spend time with the obnoxious brat. Not that he was any great prize either - Snape had never seen the point in deluding himself; he was neither attractive nor good company, but in the absolute absence of all others it appeared he would do.
Although he was very careful in ensuring Lois didn't know quite how much he was enjoying having her around, he didn't want to fool himself into imagining it would continue once Poppy and the students arrived back. He had no doubt that before long, he would find himself only meeting up with Lois at meals and during brief tutorials, or if Longbottom finally succeeded in what he had been attempting to do since his first year and caused a catastrophe so large, that the entire potions class and the floor directly above it was admitted to the Infirmary. It would be far easier on him, if she finished their quasi-friendship sooner rather than later – at least that way he wouldn't be so miserably aware of exactly what he was missing. He was starting to suspect however that it was too late for that. Not only was she the most attractive woman he had ever encountered, more importantly, and most usually for him, he liked her. She was funny and intelligent and genuinely pleasant to be around. She was also incredibly naïve of course, seeming to see the best in everything and everyone, including him. No matter how disagreeable he was she brushed it aside without offence, or if he became too objectionable, snarled right back.
Contrary to what he had led Lois to believe, Snape was not in fact universally disliked by the other Professors. He generally got along perfectly adequately with them and if he kept himself for the main aloofly distant, none of them took it personally. This year however, bearing in mind the distraction they would provide for Lois, he had begun dreading the start of the school year with a dislike bordering on abhorrence. Unfortunately, that would soon be the least of his worries. Dumbledore had asked him at breakfast that morning, if he would come to his office to discuss the increased safety that would be needed for the students to continue visiting Hogsmeade. Once they had done all they could until McGonagall and the other Heads of Houses had returned, the Headmaster had gone on to mention that Rubeus Hagrid had written informing him that his mission was going well, if somewhat slower than hoped. He would not be returning in time for the start of term and Dumbledore had therefore already appointed a temporary Professor to fill in until he returned.
Unfortunately, the reason for the subject change from Hogsmeade to the teaching staff had soon become apparent with the next topic of discussion - Remus Lupin was returning. His expertise in the dark arts was invaluable and, Dumbledore continued carefully, he hoped given the threat Voldemort now presented, Snape would at least try to get along with the other man.
Snape had tuned out the rest of Dumbledore's words and had been surprised when the Headmaster had called his name, obviously not for the first time, asking him if he would like to continue their talk later. Snape had agreed absently and left the room still ruminating over his sheer bad luck; he was worryingly aware that Lupin would be an ideal match for Lois. Although Snape wouldn't have admitted it at wandpoint, Lupin was attractive enough, for a werewolf and worst of all was sickeningly nice. Knowing Lois, he couldn't even rely on his disease to be enough to put her off - she would probably only find it all the more reason to like him. Now he not only had the distraction of a school full of children, a full complement of staff and Lois's own studies to fill up her days, he also had a male of marriageable age arriving. The werewolf would be rubbing his paws in glee when he found Lois here, Snape thought bitterly. Worse still, his illness left him prone to bouts of sickness and headaches before and after each change, no doubt necessitating many trips to the Infirmary, especially once he met Lois.
His one advantage, if it could be called that, had been the fact that the Hogwarts staff did not boast any males that could realistically be viewed in a romantic light. With the arrival of Lupin he now saw his trump card disappearing in a puff of smoke. His face scrunched into an unattractive snarl and it was this image that met Lois as he stormed from Dumbledore's office to meet her as arranged for another potions lesson.
*************
'Severus!' She said, stepping hastily out of his path as he barrelled around the corner.
'Damn it to hell.' Snape growled, by way of a greeting, stalking down the corridor, Lois having to trot slightly to keep up with him. 'What sort of an asinine decision is that – allowing Lupin to return?'
'Who's Lupin?' Lois asked worried, was he some sort of partner of Voldemort?
'A previous Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor - he left three years ago after the students discovered he was a werewolf.' Snape felt a slight twinge of guilt as he said that, but pushed the felling resolutely back down; the man had no business teaching. If he hadn't devoured at least one of the students by Easter, Snape would eat his hat.
'A werewolf?' Lois gasped. She had read about them briefly in the book Dumbledore had lent her, but the only thing she remembered was the fact that they existed. 'Isn't that rather dangerous?'
'Incredibly so.' Snape said a disgusted look on his face.
'Wait a minute, you said the students discovered – everyone else already knew?'
'The Headmaster hired him fully aware of his condition, probably out of a sense of misguided pity, but no sane parent would knowingly allow him to teach their child.'
'So what happened… did he get all furry and growling in class?'
'No.' He said with a disparaging snort. 'He retains human form until the full moon, at which point he becomes a ravaging beast who is unable to control his baser instincts. Perfectly safe in a school full of children.' He finished sarcastically, hoping that concern for the students would turn Lois against him before he even arrived.
'He doesn't roam around at night during the full moon does he?' Lois asked nervously, imagining huge, red, wolf warning signs posted in the staff room once a month and her failing to notice one. She shuddered at the thought of trying to flee an advancing werewolf through the twisting corridors with any degree of success - she often had great difficulty in simply finding her own room.
'There is a potion available now which I can provide that enables him to retain his faculties during transformation.' Snape admitted grudgingly. 'Providing, of course, he remembers to take it.'
'Oh,' Lois said hugely relieved. 'That's all right then. I suppose being a werewolf must be terribly hard for the poor man.' She stopped for a second, wondering what it must be like for the unknown Professor Lupin, before giving a startled burst of laughter.
Snape looked at her, surprised at such a seemingly heartless reaction.
She shook her head. 'I was just realising again how bizarre all this is – werewolves teaching children how to be witches and wizards. What's next.' She said with another shake of her head. 'Vampires?' Her eyes widened as the possibility of that struck her. 'Actually that's a point, do vampires really exist?'
'Certainly.' He said with a sigh, calming slightly from his earlier fury in her soothing presence. He hadn't failed to notice though, that she was already perfectly happy with the idea of sharing a building with a werewolf and was even sympathising with his plight. Naïve didn't do her justice he thought sourly. Of course he couldn't really complain - if she were of a different temperament she probably wouldn't be giving him the time of day.
Lois looked at the man at her side consideringly. With his hypnotising black eyes and pale features, Severus would easily fit anyone's mental image of what a vampire looked like. That was a pretty sexy idea actually she mused with a little shiver, trying to surreptitiously check out his teeth.
'From the expression on your face, am I to take it that you are now imaging that I am a creature of the night?' He asked, his black eyes glinting.
'No, of course not!' She scoffed, feeling foolish for letting her heated imagination run away with her for a moment.
'Hmm.' He said unconvinced. 'Well before you begin wandering the hallways clutching a crucifix and wearing strings of garlic, let me assure you I do have a beating heart within my chest, although there are those that would argue otherwise I'm sure.'
'I never doubted it for a minute.' Lois said staunchly, her right hand snaking out to grab his wrist and check for a pulse. He shook her small hand away like a bothersome fly, allowing a slight twist of his lips as she grinned over at him, her bright blue eyes twinkling.
*******
One huge upside to being friends with Snape, Lois thought, was that potions class had improved dramatically. Now that she wasn't so wary around him, she was enjoying the lessons all the more and Snape seemed pleased with her progress, although he certainly wasn't one for effusive compliments. She gave the potion she was brewing one last stir, before letting out a small breath in relief.
'Severus I think it's done.' She called over to his desk where he was busily writing out lesson plans.
He put down his quill and walked over to the cauldron looking closely at the colour, before stirring the mixture and allowing some of it to trickle off the spoon to test the consistency.
'A perfect Burn Freezing mixture.' He said in his usual unemotional tone. 'Well done.'
'Great!' Lois said pleased, immediately stuffing her equipment into her bag and tidying up the desk.
'Am I keeping you?' Snape asked sarcastically as she hurriedly wiped down her chopping board and trotted over to the huge stone sink at the end of the room to wash it.
'Sorry.' Lois apologised for her hasty exit. They normally sat down together after a class, drinking tea while Snape went over what she had learnt in the lesson and what he had for her planned next. 'Harry's meeting me at the Quidditch pitch to attempt to explain the rules. He wants me try a broomstick, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that.' She said cautiously.
'Potter is going to teach you to fly?' Snape asked incredulously.
'It's okay.' Lois assured him. 'He's spoken to Professor Dumbledore about it and he said it would be alright.'
'It most definitely is not alright!' Snape barked.
'Why not?' Lois asked surprised by his tone.
'Because you are not clambering onto a broomstick and flying forty feet into the air with only a fifteen year old for supervision. A fifteen year old, may I add, who happens to be one of the biggest show offs I have ever encountered.' He said looking darkly annoyed.
'He isn't a show off.' Lois scolded. 'He's actually a very responsible young man who I happen to trust and so does the Headmaster apparently.' She continued firmly, when Snape looked as though he was about to explode.
'And what if you fell off and broke your neck?' He said visibly subduing his ire. 'What would Potter do then?'
'That's the spirit.' Lois said sarcastically. 'It's your unwavering optimism that I like.'
'He is not teaching you to fly.' Snape said in voice that brooked no argument. 'I will come along to supervise.' He finished arrogantly.
'Fine.' Lois said hurriedly, seriously late now. 'Actually I was going to ask you to take me over to the Quidditch pitch anyway. I'm not sure I could find it on my own.' She admitted with a grimace.
Snape muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath, but Lois ignored him and grabbed her bag urging him from the room. As they left the school and started across the lawn Lois looked over at Snape.
'Do you play Quidditch?'
'I used to when I was younger.'
'Were you any good at it?'
'Adequate.' He said with a twist of his lips. 'Certainly not professional standard, but good enough to be in the Slytherin team.
'What about Harry? He told me he was the youngest person in over a hundred years to be picked for a House team.'
'What did I say - show off.' Snape said with a triumphant smirk at Lois
'He wasn't bragging, I asked him.' Lois said defending the young boy. 'Well.' She prodded. 'Is he good?'
Snape let out a huge sigh, the words obviously paining him 'Yes. He could probably play for England right now. If you ever tell him I said that.' He said with a warning glare. 'You will find yourself shrunk to the size of a pixie and living in a glass jar on a shelf in my classroom for the next hundred years.' The thought of her trapped with him for eternity without the possibility of anyone stealing her away, gave him a warm glow; the fact that she would fit in the palm of his hand only mildly off-putting.
'You know Severus,' she said in a vaguely preachy tone. 'Praise and recognition of skills and abilities from an authority figure is an invaluable tool for instilling a sense of self-worth and self-esteem in children and young adults.'
Snape didn't reply and instead raised his right hand in front of her face, holding his thumb and forefinger bare inches apart, miming the size she would be if she couldn't give him a cast iron guarantee on her silence.
'Fine.' She huffed. 'Have it your way.'
When they arrived at the pitch Harry was already there, swooping across the sky and doing hairpin turns at breakneck speed. Lois watched in awe as the boy, unaware of their presence, zoomed into a spiralling dive, pulling out at the very last second just as Lois's heart landed in her mouth.
'Remember how much I hated travelling by Portkey and Floo powder?' She asked Snape shakily, staring up at Harry and shielding her eyes from the glaring sunlight. He nodded in answer. 'I take it all back.'
'You're afraid of heights?' He said surprised, so far nothing she had come across had seemed to faze her.
'Not as bad as I used to be, but I'm a lot happier with my feet firmly on the ground.' She admitted. 'Do they have to go that fast and high?' She asked with a groan as Harry shot overhead.
'It's a broomstick.' Snape lectured. 'It has no mind of its own; it does purely what the operator commands.'
Above them, Harry seemed to freeze in midair, before shooting straight up like a rocket. Lois let out a soft moan and shivered slightly, partly from fear for both Harry and herself - should she ever work up the courage to go up there - and partly because it was actually quite chilly.
'Are you cold?' Snape asked sharply looking critically at her short-sleeved top.
'A little.' She admitted.
He gave an impatient sigh as goosebumps started appearing on her arms. 'Lord preserve me from idiots who don't even have the sense to adequately clothe themselves.'
'I didn't expect it to be so cold!' Lois replied stung, gesturing to the clear blue sky and bright sun. Unfortunately despite the summery appearance, the wind was biting and the Quidditch pitch very exposed.
'This is a British summer,' Snape said with a disparaging snort. 'The only thing unexpected about the weather today is that it isn't raining.'
Lois grimaced not replying. He was right, damn him. She could take his standing there looking smugly warm in his heavy robes and cloak - it was the mocking of her own lack of foresight while he was doing it that she objected to. She sensed movement out of the corner of her eye and turned towards him as an identical cloak to his own appeared in his arms from nowhere.
'Is that for me?' She asked touched by his kindness.
'No.' He said sarcastically. 'I was worried Potter might be feeling chilly so I conjured him an extra cloak.'
Lois shot him a dirty look as he dropped the heavy garment over her shoulders. 'A little large.' He smirked as the folds of cloth buried her and pooled around her ankles.
'Doesn't matter.' Lois said snuggling into the warm fabric before giving a surprised squeak as sudden blasts of hot air billowed from inside it. 'Oh, that's nice.' She groaned ecstatically, enjoying the sensation of her body being deliciously warm while she was standing in the middle of a windswept field exposed to the elements. 'God, you should market this.' She said closing her eyes and pulling the cloak tight around her so none of the hot air could escape. 'I'd buy it.'
Snape looked down at her, her pale hair was loose now from the plait she had tied it in for potions class and was streaming out behind her as the wind caught it and tossed it about. A few of the long strands flew up and wound themselves teasingly across his face and he breathed in deeply, trying to fill his lungs with the sweet fragrance clinging to them. Her eyes were shut and her lips softly parted with an expression of such bliss lighting her features that he felt his stomach twist painfully. His hand lifted reflexively from his side and stretched towards her gleaming hair, suddenly and unaccountably filled with a need to touch it, to touch her.
'Lois!' Came a loud yell, breaking his trance like state and causing Lois's eyes to shoot open and her head to tilt upwards, as a figure detached itself from the sky and came speeding towards the two of them. For perhaps the first time since he had arrived at Hogwarts, Snape was glad to see Potter – how would he have explained to Lois what he was doing if his hand had actually managed to make contact?
'I thought you'd forgotten.' Harry beamed making a perfect landing in front of her. 'Or got lost.' He teased knowing Lois's difficulties in finding her way around the castle.
'Nope, just a bit behind schedule. Professor Snape very kindly escorted me here.' She said smiling over at him, not noticing Harry's expression drop as he finally acknowledged the hard faced man at her side.
'Hello Professor.' He said politely before clamming up, plainly hoping Snape would be on his way now that Lois was safely delivered.
The boy's displeasure at his appearance cheered Snape slightly and he shot him a cruel smirk, making sure Lois did not see.
'Actually, Professor Snape offered to assist you in my flying lessons.' Lois said diplomatically as the silence lengthened. A horrified look came over Harry's face and taking pity on him Lois added. 'But truthfully after watching you up there, I'm not sure I'm ready for a broomstick yet.'
Harry looked at her, torn, before his self-preservation instincts kicked in and he gave a laugh, relieved he wouldn't have to attempt any sort of instruction with Snape watching. 'I remember you said you were afraid of heights.' He agreed. 'Perhaps you'd be safer with Madam Hooch teaching you, she'd probably be better at it than me anyway.'
'Are you kidding?' Lois said truthfully. 'I saw you up there, that was brilliant Harry! Although.' She said in a more worried tone. 'I don't like the idea of you out here by yourself. Do you fly alone often?'
'No, normally at practice I'm with the rest of the team and I'm not allowed to fly when I'm at the Dursley's.' He said bitterly.
'Good, good.' Lois said relieved. 'Not the Dursley's of course.' She said when he blinked at her in surprise. 'I just don't like the idea of you up there on your own. What if you fell off? No.' She said resolutely. 'I don't care how good you are, you must make sure someone's with you in case there's an accident.'
'I'll be fine Lois, I'm not really ever alone.' Harry said attempting to sound nonchalant, but Snape saw the pleased gleam in the boy's eyes at her obvious concern. He wondered irritably why the two of them didn't just start up their own little fan club. He also hadn't missed the fact that Potter apparently seemed to know quite a bit about her – they must have spent a lot of time together to have gotten around to discussing her phobias. He wished suddenly that he had the easy ability to chat and exchange information and small talk, the way everyone around him seemed able to do within only minutes of meeting. Not, of course, that he was actually interested in listening to the vast majority of people droning on and on about the minutiae of their boring lives – where they'd been on holiday, their endless monologues on their pointless pets and not forgetting of course their favourite food and places to eat – as if anyone other than they cared about any of it. He wouldn't mind hearing all those things about Lois though he realised. He let out a deep sigh unaware of its loudness until Lois turned to him an apologetic smile on her face.
'Sorry Severus, I've dragged you out here for nothing now that I've chickened out.'
'Don't worry about it.' He said in his normal cool tone, considering for a moment hanging around simply to spite Potter, before deciding against it. It might annoy the boy, but it would also mean he would have to spend more time in his company, not something he relished. 'Let me know if you decided try flying before Hooch arrives back.' He said with a warning look at Lois, who rolled her eyes but agreed.
Snape headed back towards the castle with a curt nod of goodbye and Lois and Harry both turned to watch him go. Harry let out a relieved sigh as he headed into the distance and Lois smiled at him. 'Not much fun for you this holiday is it?' She said in commiseration. 'Having to hang around at school and with your teachers to boot.'
'I don't mind. I like most of the teachers anyway.' He said with a dark glance at Snape's retreating back and Lois grimaced, changing the subject to tell him about Professor Lupin. Unlike Snape, Harry was ecstatic at his return.
'He was the best DADA teacher we've had Lois.' He said gleefully.
'Even if he's a werewolf?' She asked carefully.
'Yeah, he was really nice and he taught us loads of useful things, not like some of the other Dark Arts Professors.' He muttered.
'How did everyone find out he was a werewolf anyway.' Lois asked. 'He didn't hurt anyone did he?' Snape hadn't mentioned that when they discussed him earlier. After his initial angry tirade, he had been annoyingly closed mouthed about the man he apparently detested so much and Lois hadn't been able to badger him further while concentrating on her lesson.
'No, no nothing like that.' Harry said hurriedly. 'Snape… I mean, Professor Snape, told everyone he was a werewolf and Professor Lupin reckoned none of the parents would let him teach their children once they knew, so he left.'
'Oh dear.' Lois said softly, wondering now if his silence about Lupin had been caused by guilt. She doubted it. 'Why did he do that?' She asked Harry wanting to know what had been behind Snape's actions.
'Because he's a mean git.' Harry said with a scowl. 'Sorry.' He mumbled unconvincingly at Lois's reproving look.
'How long was Professor Lupin here before everyone found out?' Lois asked, wondering how Harry had come to like the Professor so much in what was presumably a short space of time.
'He nearly managed the full year, that's about as long as any of our DADA teachers have lasted.' Harry admitted.
'He was here for a whole year? But why did Professor Snape wait until then before telling everyone?' She asked puzzled.
'Well.' Harry said, drawing the word out. 'It's a bit… complicated. Professor Snape and Lupin were at school together along with my dad and my godfather. They all hated each other anyway because of being in different Houses, but then Sirius – my godfather – played a prank on Snape that could have killed him, so he hated him even more.'
'He tried to kill him?' Lois breathed, shocked at the violence.
'Not really, it was just a joke that got out of hand I think.' Harry rushed to say. 'My dad found out and saved him, which made Snape even angrier. When Professor Lupin came to teach at the school three years ago, Snape tried to talk Professor Dumbledore out of if, but he wouldn't listen. Snape didn't trust Lupin and by then my godfather was in wizard prison for murder and spying for Voldemort. He was innocent though.' He said hurriedly seeing Lois shake her head dazedly. 'He escaped from Azkaban and came to Hogwarts to protect me from the real spy. Snape found out and believing Sirius was a murderer, he tried to save me and Ron and Hermione from him, except we didn't need saving. Then in the middle of it all, Professor Lupin changed into a werewolf and Wormtail – the spy – escaped. Snape got us back to the castle and was going to get an Order of Merlin for rescuing us and capturing Sirius, but then Sirius escaped and Snape got nothing. By the time it was all over Professor Snape was absolutely furious and I think he flipped out even more than he already had.'
'I'm not surprised.' Lois said stunned - murderers and werewolves and espionage and all under a boarding school roof! She had been right to think Harry and Snape had some history, but she could never have imagined anything like this!
'I suppose he did sort of try to protect us.' Harry admitted. 'But not in a nice way. It wasn't fair what he did to poor Professor Lupin either; wizards are incredibly prejudiced against werewolves and he really needed that job - Professor Dumbledore was the only one who would hire him.' He finished sadly. 'I wonder how he's able to come back now?' He said suddenly.
Lois shrugged, as much in the dark as Harry was.
********
They found out the answer to the question that night at dinner. Dumbledore was joining them and Harry tackled him about Professor Lupin almost as soon as he sat down.
'Is it true?' He asked the Headmaster eagerly. 'Is Professor Lupin teaching Dark Arts this year?'
'I never cease to be amazed at the astonishing speed with which rumours fly around Hogwarts; it seems not even an empty school can impede their flight.' Dumbledore laughed.
Snape shot Lois an accusing look and she said apologetically. 'That's my fault I'm afraid, Severus mentioned it to me and I didn't stop to think it might be confidential. Sorry.' She mumbled into her soup.
'Not at all.' Dumbledore reached for the bread rolls and offered the basket around the table. 'After all, there must be some advantages to spending your summer holidays stuck at school, eh Harry?' He said with a smile. 'A sneak preview, as it were, of the upcoming years staff is perhaps slight compensation.'
'So it is true.' Harry said mightily pleased. 'But what about him being a werewolf – or is he cured?'
'If Lupin had taught you anything during his time here Mr Potter,' Snape mocked. 'Then you should have known that there is no cure.'
'I knew there wasn't, I just thought something new might have been invented, like the Wolfsbane Potion.' Harry replied quickly, not wanting to place Lupin's teaching in a bad light.
'Alas Professor Snape is of course right – there is as yet no cure.' Dumbledore said sadly. 'However, Remus Lupin will not actually be returning as your main Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.'
'He won't?' Harry said disappointed.
'No, we have already appointed a new female Professor to the post, Elena Roupe. However, I'm afraid for obvious reasons Harry, DADA lessons will be doubled this year. As that is too much work for one Professor, and to give the students the opportunity to be taught by teachers with different areas of expertise, there will be an additional joint posting between Professor Lupin and Alastor Moody, who has very kindly agreed to give teaching at Hogwarts another whirl.'
'Won't people still complain about Professor Lupin though?' Harry asked confused as to how even Dumbledore could pull this one off.
'We shall see.' Dumbledore said with a small smile. 'Letters will be sent to all parents with the years reading and supplies requirements informing them that as rumours have suggested, Professor Lupin is indeed a werewolf and will be returning to teach at Hogwarts. When he is indisposed, his classes will be taught by Professor Moody. The letter will also state that anyone not wishing their child to be taught by Professor Lupin, can have all additional lessons with Professor Moody.' Dumbledore smiled again at Harry's delighted grin. 'I am not expecting many people to take us up on that offer.'
'Did Professor Roupe go to Hogwarts?' Harry asked, wondering if she too might have known his parents.
'No, I believe she attended Durmstrang.' Dumbledore replied his blue eyes twinkling merrily at the dark look Harry and Snape shared at the mention of the school, for once in complete accord.
'What about Care of Magical Creatures - will Professor Grubly-Plank be teaching us again until Hagrid gets back?' Harry asked quickly, determined to find out as much as possible before he owled the information to Ron and Hermione. He had already told them about the very oddly worded letter he had received from Hagrid the week before along with his birthday card and gift, saying he would not be returning in time for the new school year. Subterfuge was not a skill Hagrid possessed and reading easily between the very messily written lines, it seemed he was still on the mission Dumbledore had sent him on to infiltrate the remaining giant population to try and convince them not to join forces with Voldemort for the upcoming war.
'Sadly she was not available at such short notice, but we have luckily managed to procure a very fine replacement - Professor Hugo Quade.'
Snape stiffened at the name. Hugo - another male, damn it. If he hadn't tuned Dumbledore out earlier, he thought annoyed, he would have already known about this. He sighed heavily into his soup hoping this Professor Quade was over eighty and possessing of spectacularly bad breath. Snape let out another deep sigh; somehow he knew the gods wouldn't be that kind. Deep in the darkest recesses of his mind, his natural pessimism lifted its head and gently sniffed the air, gleefully scenting the approach of imminent disaster.
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A/N Thanks for all those nice reviews and everyone who answered my question about Flitwick and Sprout's first names – I won't need it till next chapter after all. Opinion seems to be divided over whether Flitwick is Filius or not, but it does ring a bell so I'm going with it.
Rugi Gwena - Thank you for that, very nice to read! As for the healing and empathic stuff – it's coming, honest. It's just that the story is taking much longer to write than I anticipated. The main problem is that I've finished it in my head – it's completely plotted and done, I've even written most of the last chapter and the epilogue, it's just that I'm having trouble transferring it onto the page from my annoyingly squishy brain – its grown weary with the tale and has moved on to other things – traitor.
PiperX – (and anyone else it's bothering) the formatting – yeah, I know. It doesn't look like that in the word document I type it in, but it does when I upload. I have to say though, for me personally, it does make it easier to read so I probably wouldn't change it now even if I knew how to – which I don't!