Chapter 4
(Hella Good, by No Doubt. All rights reserved.)
Gods Below! Could he be any more pathetic?
The teachers were filing out of the room, but by some unstated command, Severus was staying behind. Dumbledore smiled softly to him as the rest of the faculty moved away, most of them not knowing how to meet his eyes.
That suited him fine, he wasn't ready to look at anyone just yet.
When he'd managed to pry the set of headphones off Morganna--which ran on magical energy--he'd been more than a little nervous, and a little disorientated. Talking about Mellisson did that to him, perhaps it always had. To say he'd simply loved her more than any man had ever loved a woman couldn't even come close to the truth. The memory of her hair, the sound of her now faded voice in his ear, those things had kept him bound to the thin gold band tucked safely away in his chest. There were more wards and traps around that tiny piece of jewelry than were perhaps around the whole of Gringotts, but it didn't matter, he was bound to her, through life and death.
Then there was Morganna. His beautiful daughter had looked up at him sheepishly as he glared down at her and told her the music was far too loud. She'd brushed him off saying the music at her concerts was way louder, but he'd made her promise not to turn it up that high again or he'd take them away. Admitting defeat, she'd nodded, kissed his cheek, and ran to the main room to grab her school robe. He didn't tell her that the robe had belonged to her mother, couldn't tell her because every time he thought about it, his throat seized and he thought he'd never be able to talk again.
She looked just like her mother. Even as she ran away from him in her excitement to get ready for her sorting, she looked like Mellisson. Morganna had been a twirler since the time she could walk. As soon as she was able she'd begged him to twirl her around in tight circles, the faster the better. The first time she'd asked he'd had to fight every instinct he had not to slap her. Mellisson had been a twirler. But after that they twirled often together, and every time he did it, it was less about Mellisson and more about Morganna, until he hardly recalled that Mellisson ever twirled at all. Since that realization, he'd stopped twirling.
But just as much as she looked like Mellisson, her coloring was all thanks to him. He'd always been pale, a byproduct of inbreeding and lack of sun in his youth. His black hair was considered desirable in most wizarding circles, and the added effect of some hidden blues made it all the more enticing. That was the hair she'd inherited, though for a while she'd used some muggle product to bring out more of the blue. Now she was back to that natural color, and he had to close his eyes at their resemblance.
She'd come back before his thoughts could become anymore melancholy, asking if the sorting hurt, one more time. He smiled at her, kissing the top of her head, telling her for the tenth time that the sorting didn't hurt and that she'd make friends just fine. But she was nervous, and he understood, knew what it was like to have few friends in a strange place, knew more what it was like to have the type of friends no one else wanted.
They'd gone up the back steps, hearing the calling of children down in the hallways towards the great hall. She'd taken his hand when informed she was going to meet her teachers and he could sense her apprehension as if it were his own. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her for the lifetime of moments he'd missed. But he didn't, he couldn't, such things were not allowed.
But neither was the first thing he saw upon opening the Headmaster's door. Milk chocolate eyes, in the face of a woman who was no longer a child. They had spellbound him, the look of both startlement and a deep smoldering. She'd been thinking about him, that much he could easily tell, and that thought had threatened to undo the days worth of self depreciating thought's he'd forced himself to remember concerning pursuing a student-- this student. This delicate and yet strong, stubborn and yet kind, intelligent and yet neive, student named Hermione Granger.
Sitting as she was, eyes locked with his, he could see the years the time turner had added to her. She held herself with more grace than the other children and conducted herself with the air of someone who knew a bit too much but could back it up. Then there was the thing behind it all, the pain she'd been through in her short life, the struggles she'd endured by being a child in these times, of being friends with Harry Potter. She was stronger for them, but that strength had stripped her of some portion of her innocence, and with that shedding was emerging a woman Severus had found himself completely entranced with.
Then it had changed, the grown up face from before had shifted from his, and he suddenly realized she was talking to Morganna. The nature of their conversation had hit home about the time both girls started screaming and jumping up and down.
He couldn't have answered if asked how the sight had effected him. Suddenly Hermione didn't look so old, more like her age--not the fifteen year old girl everyone thought her to be, she was too dignified for that-- but the seventeen year old, a girl at the ready to step over the threshold, and yet still clinging to the things of her past. Morganna seemed happy though, if that wasn't a complete understatement. His own apprehensions at bringing her to Hogwarts disappeared as she pulled Hermione to the couch to talk about the Quidditch player.
It didn't register in him for a long moment, that his daughter, and his object of lust, were friends, good friends if their actions were to be judged. Suddenly the room didn't have enough oxygen. He was lusting after his daughter's friend! Merlin's beard!
But his thoughts had been cut off then when Morganna had turned to him only to be stopped by the sight of Harry Potter. He, along with the rest of the room, had gone deathly quiet. This was the test, the true test, to determine how the rest of his life would play out. If Morganna took to Harry immediately, they'd have to go into hiding right away. He'd have to take them both from Hogwarts, from England, as far away as possible, as remote as possible; to find a way to train Harry in the use of the weapon he possessed. On the other hand, if that didn't happen, if she'd merely been taken aback by Harry's presents, they could both stay, and he'd spend the next few years waiting for them to somehow trigger the weapon.
In the end, it hadn't been anything like he'd expected. Father's were supposed to know these things, weren't they? Wasn't he supposed to know she had an obvious crush on the boy who lived? Shouldn't he of at least had an idea? But he hadn't, and he'd watched dumb faced like everyone else, as Morganna made a fool of herself before making one of Harry, as the boy drooled all over his daughter. He knew he should be mad, that the very idea of a boy liking his innocent little girl should have boiled his blood. But he'd prepared himself for Harry since Mellisson had told him about the Fate's prophecy, and he'd become resigned to the fact they were destined to be together. He didn't dare allow himself to think that James's son might actually be a good match for Morganna, that was just too much for him.
But Morganna had settled down again, and though she continued to make eyes at Harry, things seemed to be less volatile. So now they knew, it was to be a long process waiting for the weapon to awaken. But Severus thought that better. It gave him more time to figure out how to tell Morganna the things she needed to know. He'd told himself long ago that when the weapon was awakened he'd tell Morganna everything, who she really was, who he was, and who her mother had been. He'd tell her all and take the pain and hatred he was sure would come. He'd bare it like he had everything else in this lifetime of painful disappointments.
He remembered the exact look on Hermione's face when Morganna had introduced them. Horror could not fully express it; more like the idea that he could be anyone's uncle perhaps was closer. He'd watched her face as she desperately tried to come up with a way to tell her friend that she liked him, while warring with that beautiful conscious of hers. In the end Morganna had seen through her lies, and he'd been presented with a distraught daughter--not a thing he had much experience with.
So he'd over compensated, fathers did that all the time, didn't they? He was sure that no father in the known universe could stand to see his daughter cry, and even though he was supposedly only her uncle, he was in truth still her father. So he'd made a promise that would destroy his reputation as the castle's most hated teacher, it was a small price to pay to make this transition a little easier for Morganna. However he'd been had, as her nowhere close to tears smiling face had emerged from behind her hands. Well, he was sure he wasn't the first father to be tricked by his loving female offspring; however, he wasn't going to be quite as nice as she thought--after all, he'd been horrible before, trying to be better would still make him a jerk.
He'd balked with the rest of them when she'd found out about Remus, but a small part of him had been glowing with pride. By being away from him, she'd escaped much of his inbred prejudices. She was more accepting and forgiving than he was, and it pleased him to know she could so readily accept those different from her.
Things had broken up about then, and he'd watched Morganna leave on the arm of Harry, still trying too hard to get him to fall instantly at her feet. He didn't think she realized that Potter was already prepared to buy her dragon's tears if she wanted them.
But that's when his attention had been arrested again by Hermione. She'd struggled a bit with Morganna's American attitude towards all things English, but she'd done it with the same kind of class as she did everything else. Her comment walking out the door couldn't have been more true, but he'd hardly heard it as he watched her leave.
Her bushy hair had been clipped half back and swayed slightly on the breeze created by the gentle sway of her hips. He didn't think she did it consciously, a mere change in body center that came with the adoption of all things woman. It was a gentle but hypnotic movement, and he found himself captivated by it long after the door closed behind her. She was like a drug to the addicted and he was the addict. There was something so dangerously tempting about her, so demanding that he couldn't force his inner eyes from her memory.
In her world he'd be considered a pervert, in his, a man choosing a bit young but not obscenely so. But she was in his world now, had adopted it the moment her letter had arrived by owl the summer before her first year. She was a part of his world, but an innocent in it, one who didn't know all the rules, and he wanted her, like air and something so much more divine than ambrosia.
He could love her the way she deserved to be loved, challenge her the way anyone that understood her knew she wanted. He'd be bold and difficult until she lashed out at him in frustration, only to seduce her on the rebound and make her feel more precious and loved then any creature ever given life. She'd bend to him and he to her, and they'd meet somewhere in the middle where bonds of life are made. He could be everything she needed, as she already was to him.
"Severus, I don't think you heard me when I said subtle." Came a chuckling voice that interrupted his thoughts.
Startled, Severus turned to look at his mentor. The old man's eyes were filled with mirth and a knowing look Severus had seen twenty years ago when they'd been discussing a certain Ravenclaw beauty.
He balked at his obviousness. "Dear God, I am sick."
Dumbledore only chuckled. "No, no, Severus, I think only your confession to me made it obvious tonight. Though I do suggest that you use your eyes rather than your head to follow Miss Granger from now on. It might become obvious to a few more people otherwise." The kindness in Dumbledore's eyes was overshadowed by the self-loathing Severus still felt.
"I'm a fool, Albus. How could I ever hope to juggle so many things at once? And now I find out that Morganna and Granger are friends! How foolish could I be?!" He leaned his head against his palm, covering his eyes as he tried to sort out his thoughts in the cover of internal blackness.
But Dumbledore only chuckled again. "You're no more a fool than the rest of us poor men captivated by a likely match. I did detect a certain fascination Miss Granger had in you as well, Severus, so any doubt I had about this being a one way infatuation seems unfounded now. Though, I would still suggest you tread slowly and carefully. You were right in thinking that she's from a different world with different rules, but just as you thought, she is in our world now, and subject to our rules. If she's willing."
Severus lifted his head, glaring at his mentor. "You did it again didn't you? I've asked you to stop reading my mind, again and again, it's disconcerting."
This time Dumbledore laughed outright as he stood to exit the office. "My dear boy, I hardly needed to read your mind to see the conflicts arise and be rebuked in your eyes. Mellisson was quite right all those years ago, you are easier to read than a book if only one looks into your eyes." He smiled, clasping Severus about the shoulders and propelling him out the door. "Besides, I decided to stop reading your mind when it came to women long ago, Severus. Some of your thoughts can make even an old man like me blush."
Severus refrained from commenting.
* * *
In the Main Hall, Severus and Dumbledore entered only moments before Professor McGonnagall herded in an assortment of first years. Unlike most years, this group looked a little more robust than usual, many smiling and looking around in anticipation. However, over in the corner, hidden slightly from view behind Hagrid's enormous frame, stood Morganna, watching the proceedings with eagle vision. Severus looked towards the Gryffindor table, and saw Harry and Hermione talking quickly to the Weasley assortment of brothers and sister. He saw Harry point back towards the corner Morganna stood in, and watched slightly amused, as the twins pulled quills and parchment from out of nowhere.
The sorting commenced without further delay, and it was with pride that he welcomed eleven new Slytherins to his house. Gryffindor had ended with nine, Hufflepuff with fourteen, and Ravenclaw with six; it was a rather good turnout this year.
But with the first year sorting finished, Dumbledore stood and addressed the school. "This year, Hogwarts is most pleased to announce the arrival of a new student to the fifth year class. Many of you may already know her, but to those that do not, I would like to introduce Morganna Michaels, whom most of you know as the singer Mellisson." A flurry of whispers ran through the crowd of students at the news, which only escalated into full out shouts when Morganna nervously approached the stool. He watched her smile shyly and wave to the crowd before sitting carefully, her hands clasped firmly before her.
Dumbledore continued. "Miss Michaels is here on an exchange program from The United States, and I expect each and every one of you to offer her your support as she adjusts to Hogwarts." When the headmaster took a pause to gain a breath however, a very strange thing happened, the crowd of students began to chant. It started out low, somewhere from the Hufflepuff table and quickly spread through the Slytherin, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables as well. Soon the whole room was chanting the same thing over and over, while some students even dared to stand up, banging their fists on the tabletops.
"SONG! SONG! SONG! SONG! SONG! SONG!"
The sound continued to grow as the heads of house stood, trying in vain to quiet the quickly rioting crowd of students. He glared deathly at the Slytherins, trying in vain to shout over the ruckus, to no avail.
Suddenly, Dumbledore raised his hand, and the room quieted. "Well, it seems the student body has spoken." The crowd cheered in a roar of sound that shook the candles floating above. Dumbledore turned to a smiling but stunned Morganna. "My dear, it seems that you have quite a following at Hogwarts." The crowd cheered louder as Morganna giggled. "Perhaps, if you wouldn't mind, a song." He turned back to the crowd. "I do believe that if Miss Michaels consents, I'll waver my usual rendition of the school song." The throng of students cheered louder than ever this time, and even a few professors joined in.
From her spot on the stool, Morganna looked completely nervous for a full second before she drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, threw on a smile, and began unbuttoning her long robe. The deafening sound was more than Severus thought he could stand.
Minerva moved the sorting hat and stool into a corner of the platform while Morganna draped her robe over the table closest to Hagrid. Her school uniform of black skirt and white blouse seemed extremely overdressed for an impromptu concert, but none of the students seemed to notice as the cheering organized into the calling of her name.
"MELLISSON! MELLISSON! MELLISSON! MELLISSON! MELLISSON!"
For a moment Morganna stood completely still, soaking up the attention around her as only a star performer could. Her confidence grew under the maelstrom of praise, and she smiled broadly before waving her hand to the crowd.
He realized she must have cast Sonorus on herself while disrobing because her voice came out so loudly it completely drowned out the chanting.
"Thank you so much for the welcome! I didn't really expect to sing anything tonight, so forgive me if I'm not quite prepared." The crowd called louder, as Morganna giggled. "Well, I guess since I'm in England I'll sing something from my American album, that way you'll all send overseas to get it." She laughed, a sweet sound that seemed to endear her to the crowd before her. "Ok, this song is called 'Hella Good' from my American album Magical Waters. It's a little more techno than my other songs, but it's got a tight beat so you can totally get your freak on!"
Severus didn't understand a word she'd just said, but the students seemed to understand, and as Albus waved his wand and music started playing around the room, another loud roar ran through the inhabitants of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He knew the minute she started to move he was going to hate the song. In a gyrating motion that could only be considered vertical sex with clothes on, Morganna began to work the stage as the sound of her voice echoed amazingly around the Main Hall.
"The waves keep on crashing on me for some reason, But your love keeps on coming like a thunderbolt Come here a little closer 'Cause I wanna see you, baby, real close up (Get over here)
You've got me feeling hella good So let's just keep on dancing You hold me like you should So I'm gonna keep on dancing
Your performance deserving a standing ovation And who would have thought it'd be the two of us So don't wake me if I'm dreaming 'Cause I'm in the mood come on and give it up
You've got me feeling hella good So let's just keep on dancing You hold me like you should So I'm gonna keep on dancing You've got me feeling hella good
So let's just keep on dancing
You hold me like you should
So I'm gonna keep on dancing
Ooh yeah yeah
Ooh yeah yeah
You've got me feeling hella good
So let's just keep on dancing
You hold me like you should
So I'm gonna keep on dancing
You've got me feeling hella good
So let's just keep on dancing
You hold me like you should
So I'm gonna keep on dancing
Keep on dancing
Keep on dancing"
As the song finished, a thunderous applause filled the room, and Morganna, who'd somehow managed to dance her way onto the Gryffindor table, was being helped down by a combination of Harry and thirty other boys. She waved to them all, soaking up the attention as she made her way back to the head table.
She smiled at him as she approached and he offered her a look she'd easily understand as, "I'm not happy about how you just conducted yourself." Morganna had the gall to stick her tongue out at him.
Mounting the steps, she continued to wave at the crowd as she collected her robes from Hagrid, who hugged her tightly--much to the envy of every male in the room. With robes in place, Morganna moved back to the center of the stage where McGonnagall had replaced the stool and sorting hat.
Against the backdrop of a still approaching Morganna, Dumbledore addressed the students once again. "I must admit, that was a far more entertaining performance than the one I would have given." The room erupted in claps, whistles and even a few catcalls. Dumbledore waved the sound down. "Now then, I do believe we have one more student to sort." He turned to nod once to Minerva.
As Minerva gathered the hat from its place two feet from Morganna, he saw his daughter look towards Hermione and cross her fingers highly in the air in a sign of hope. She needn't have bothered.
The sorting hat had barely been lifted from its perch and moved towards Morganna before it screamed in its high pitched voice.
"GRYFFENDOR!!!!!!!!!!"
The red and gold table erupted into applause so loud, Severus wondered if they hadn't been the soul proprietors of all the previous ruckus.
Morganna squealed, jumping up out of her seat and hugging Minerva tightly around the neck--much to the surprise of the transfigurations professor. She spared her uncle one beaming smile before tearing down the stairs and up the table divide. Hermione stood to receive her, and together the two girls hugged and squealed a bit more before claiming seats.
So Morganna had not been placed in Slytherin. A part of him was disappointed he wouldn't have her in his house, but another much more practical one was grateful she'd be away from some of the more likely Voldemort supporters. In the end he was just happy she was happy, and if her wide grins at Hermione and her fluttering eyelashes at Harry were any indication, she was most definitely happy.
Sighing to himself, Severus turned his attention back towards Dumbledore, completely missing the beginnings of the first student riot ever to happen at Hogwarts.
(Hella Good, by No Doubt. All rights reserved.)
Gods Below! Could he be any more pathetic?
The teachers were filing out of the room, but by some unstated command, Severus was staying behind. Dumbledore smiled softly to him as the rest of the faculty moved away, most of them not knowing how to meet his eyes.
That suited him fine, he wasn't ready to look at anyone just yet.
When he'd managed to pry the set of headphones off Morganna--which ran on magical energy--he'd been more than a little nervous, and a little disorientated. Talking about Mellisson did that to him, perhaps it always had. To say he'd simply loved her more than any man had ever loved a woman couldn't even come close to the truth. The memory of her hair, the sound of her now faded voice in his ear, those things had kept him bound to the thin gold band tucked safely away in his chest. There were more wards and traps around that tiny piece of jewelry than were perhaps around the whole of Gringotts, but it didn't matter, he was bound to her, through life and death.
Then there was Morganna. His beautiful daughter had looked up at him sheepishly as he glared down at her and told her the music was far too loud. She'd brushed him off saying the music at her concerts was way louder, but he'd made her promise not to turn it up that high again or he'd take them away. Admitting defeat, she'd nodded, kissed his cheek, and ran to the main room to grab her school robe. He didn't tell her that the robe had belonged to her mother, couldn't tell her because every time he thought about it, his throat seized and he thought he'd never be able to talk again.
She looked just like her mother. Even as she ran away from him in her excitement to get ready for her sorting, she looked like Mellisson. Morganna had been a twirler since the time she could walk. As soon as she was able she'd begged him to twirl her around in tight circles, the faster the better. The first time she'd asked he'd had to fight every instinct he had not to slap her. Mellisson had been a twirler. But after that they twirled often together, and every time he did it, it was less about Mellisson and more about Morganna, until he hardly recalled that Mellisson ever twirled at all. Since that realization, he'd stopped twirling.
But just as much as she looked like Mellisson, her coloring was all thanks to him. He'd always been pale, a byproduct of inbreeding and lack of sun in his youth. His black hair was considered desirable in most wizarding circles, and the added effect of some hidden blues made it all the more enticing. That was the hair she'd inherited, though for a while she'd used some muggle product to bring out more of the blue. Now she was back to that natural color, and he had to close his eyes at their resemblance.
She'd come back before his thoughts could become anymore melancholy, asking if the sorting hurt, one more time. He smiled at her, kissing the top of her head, telling her for the tenth time that the sorting didn't hurt and that she'd make friends just fine. But she was nervous, and he understood, knew what it was like to have few friends in a strange place, knew more what it was like to have the type of friends no one else wanted.
They'd gone up the back steps, hearing the calling of children down in the hallways towards the great hall. She'd taken his hand when informed she was going to meet her teachers and he could sense her apprehension as if it were his own. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her for the lifetime of moments he'd missed. But he didn't, he couldn't, such things were not allowed.
But neither was the first thing he saw upon opening the Headmaster's door. Milk chocolate eyes, in the face of a woman who was no longer a child. They had spellbound him, the look of both startlement and a deep smoldering. She'd been thinking about him, that much he could easily tell, and that thought had threatened to undo the days worth of self depreciating thought's he'd forced himself to remember concerning pursuing a student-- this student. This delicate and yet strong, stubborn and yet kind, intelligent and yet neive, student named Hermione Granger.
Sitting as she was, eyes locked with his, he could see the years the time turner had added to her. She held herself with more grace than the other children and conducted herself with the air of someone who knew a bit too much but could back it up. Then there was the thing behind it all, the pain she'd been through in her short life, the struggles she'd endured by being a child in these times, of being friends with Harry Potter. She was stronger for them, but that strength had stripped her of some portion of her innocence, and with that shedding was emerging a woman Severus had found himself completely entranced with.
Then it had changed, the grown up face from before had shifted from his, and he suddenly realized she was talking to Morganna. The nature of their conversation had hit home about the time both girls started screaming and jumping up and down.
He couldn't have answered if asked how the sight had effected him. Suddenly Hermione didn't look so old, more like her age--not the fifteen year old girl everyone thought her to be, she was too dignified for that-- but the seventeen year old, a girl at the ready to step over the threshold, and yet still clinging to the things of her past. Morganna seemed happy though, if that wasn't a complete understatement. His own apprehensions at bringing her to Hogwarts disappeared as she pulled Hermione to the couch to talk about the Quidditch player.
It didn't register in him for a long moment, that his daughter, and his object of lust, were friends, good friends if their actions were to be judged. Suddenly the room didn't have enough oxygen. He was lusting after his daughter's friend! Merlin's beard!
But his thoughts had been cut off then when Morganna had turned to him only to be stopped by the sight of Harry Potter. He, along with the rest of the room, had gone deathly quiet. This was the test, the true test, to determine how the rest of his life would play out. If Morganna took to Harry immediately, they'd have to go into hiding right away. He'd have to take them both from Hogwarts, from England, as far away as possible, as remote as possible; to find a way to train Harry in the use of the weapon he possessed. On the other hand, if that didn't happen, if she'd merely been taken aback by Harry's presents, they could both stay, and he'd spend the next few years waiting for them to somehow trigger the weapon.
In the end, it hadn't been anything like he'd expected. Father's were supposed to know these things, weren't they? Wasn't he supposed to know she had an obvious crush on the boy who lived? Shouldn't he of at least had an idea? But he hadn't, and he'd watched dumb faced like everyone else, as Morganna made a fool of herself before making one of Harry, as the boy drooled all over his daughter. He knew he should be mad, that the very idea of a boy liking his innocent little girl should have boiled his blood. But he'd prepared himself for Harry since Mellisson had told him about the Fate's prophecy, and he'd become resigned to the fact they were destined to be together. He didn't dare allow himself to think that James's son might actually be a good match for Morganna, that was just too much for him.
But Morganna had settled down again, and though she continued to make eyes at Harry, things seemed to be less volatile. So now they knew, it was to be a long process waiting for the weapon to awaken. But Severus thought that better. It gave him more time to figure out how to tell Morganna the things she needed to know. He'd told himself long ago that when the weapon was awakened he'd tell Morganna everything, who she really was, who he was, and who her mother had been. He'd tell her all and take the pain and hatred he was sure would come. He'd bare it like he had everything else in this lifetime of painful disappointments.
He remembered the exact look on Hermione's face when Morganna had introduced them. Horror could not fully express it; more like the idea that he could be anyone's uncle perhaps was closer. He'd watched her face as she desperately tried to come up with a way to tell her friend that she liked him, while warring with that beautiful conscious of hers. In the end Morganna had seen through her lies, and he'd been presented with a distraught daughter--not a thing he had much experience with.
So he'd over compensated, fathers did that all the time, didn't they? He was sure that no father in the known universe could stand to see his daughter cry, and even though he was supposedly only her uncle, he was in truth still her father. So he'd made a promise that would destroy his reputation as the castle's most hated teacher, it was a small price to pay to make this transition a little easier for Morganna. However he'd been had, as her nowhere close to tears smiling face had emerged from behind her hands. Well, he was sure he wasn't the first father to be tricked by his loving female offspring; however, he wasn't going to be quite as nice as she thought--after all, he'd been horrible before, trying to be better would still make him a jerk.
He'd balked with the rest of them when she'd found out about Remus, but a small part of him had been glowing with pride. By being away from him, she'd escaped much of his inbred prejudices. She was more accepting and forgiving than he was, and it pleased him to know she could so readily accept those different from her.
Things had broken up about then, and he'd watched Morganna leave on the arm of Harry, still trying too hard to get him to fall instantly at her feet. He didn't think she realized that Potter was already prepared to buy her dragon's tears if she wanted them.
But that's when his attention had been arrested again by Hermione. She'd struggled a bit with Morganna's American attitude towards all things English, but she'd done it with the same kind of class as she did everything else. Her comment walking out the door couldn't have been more true, but he'd hardly heard it as he watched her leave.
Her bushy hair had been clipped half back and swayed slightly on the breeze created by the gentle sway of her hips. He didn't think she did it consciously, a mere change in body center that came with the adoption of all things woman. It was a gentle but hypnotic movement, and he found himself captivated by it long after the door closed behind her. She was like a drug to the addicted and he was the addict. There was something so dangerously tempting about her, so demanding that he couldn't force his inner eyes from her memory.
In her world he'd be considered a pervert, in his, a man choosing a bit young but not obscenely so. But she was in his world now, had adopted it the moment her letter had arrived by owl the summer before her first year. She was a part of his world, but an innocent in it, one who didn't know all the rules, and he wanted her, like air and something so much more divine than ambrosia.
He could love her the way she deserved to be loved, challenge her the way anyone that understood her knew she wanted. He'd be bold and difficult until she lashed out at him in frustration, only to seduce her on the rebound and make her feel more precious and loved then any creature ever given life. She'd bend to him and he to her, and they'd meet somewhere in the middle where bonds of life are made. He could be everything she needed, as she already was to him.
"Severus, I don't think you heard me when I said subtle." Came a chuckling voice that interrupted his thoughts.
Startled, Severus turned to look at his mentor. The old man's eyes were filled with mirth and a knowing look Severus had seen twenty years ago when they'd been discussing a certain Ravenclaw beauty.
He balked at his obviousness. "Dear God, I am sick."
Dumbledore only chuckled. "No, no, Severus, I think only your confession to me made it obvious tonight. Though I do suggest that you use your eyes rather than your head to follow Miss Granger from now on. It might become obvious to a few more people otherwise." The kindness in Dumbledore's eyes was overshadowed by the self-loathing Severus still felt.
"I'm a fool, Albus. How could I ever hope to juggle so many things at once? And now I find out that Morganna and Granger are friends! How foolish could I be?!" He leaned his head against his palm, covering his eyes as he tried to sort out his thoughts in the cover of internal blackness.
But Dumbledore only chuckled again. "You're no more a fool than the rest of us poor men captivated by a likely match. I did detect a certain fascination Miss Granger had in you as well, Severus, so any doubt I had about this being a one way infatuation seems unfounded now. Though, I would still suggest you tread slowly and carefully. You were right in thinking that she's from a different world with different rules, but just as you thought, she is in our world now, and subject to our rules. If she's willing."
Severus lifted his head, glaring at his mentor. "You did it again didn't you? I've asked you to stop reading my mind, again and again, it's disconcerting."
This time Dumbledore laughed outright as he stood to exit the office. "My dear boy, I hardly needed to read your mind to see the conflicts arise and be rebuked in your eyes. Mellisson was quite right all those years ago, you are easier to read than a book if only one looks into your eyes." He smiled, clasping Severus about the shoulders and propelling him out the door. "Besides, I decided to stop reading your mind when it came to women long ago, Severus. Some of your thoughts can make even an old man like me blush."
Severus refrained from commenting.
* * *
In the Main Hall, Severus and Dumbledore entered only moments before Professor McGonnagall herded in an assortment of first years. Unlike most years, this group looked a little more robust than usual, many smiling and looking around in anticipation. However, over in the corner, hidden slightly from view behind Hagrid's enormous frame, stood Morganna, watching the proceedings with eagle vision. Severus looked towards the Gryffindor table, and saw Harry and Hermione talking quickly to the Weasley assortment of brothers and sister. He saw Harry point back towards the corner Morganna stood in, and watched slightly amused, as the twins pulled quills and parchment from out of nowhere.
The sorting commenced without further delay, and it was with pride that he welcomed eleven new Slytherins to his house. Gryffindor had ended with nine, Hufflepuff with fourteen, and Ravenclaw with six; it was a rather good turnout this year.
But with the first year sorting finished, Dumbledore stood and addressed the school. "This year, Hogwarts is most pleased to announce the arrival of a new student to the fifth year class. Many of you may already know her, but to those that do not, I would like to introduce Morganna Michaels, whom most of you know as the singer Mellisson." A flurry of whispers ran through the crowd of students at the news, which only escalated into full out shouts when Morganna nervously approached the stool. He watched her smile shyly and wave to the crowd before sitting carefully, her hands clasped firmly before her.
Dumbledore continued. "Miss Michaels is here on an exchange program from The United States, and I expect each and every one of you to offer her your support as she adjusts to Hogwarts." When the headmaster took a pause to gain a breath however, a very strange thing happened, the crowd of students began to chant. It started out low, somewhere from the Hufflepuff table and quickly spread through the Slytherin, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables as well. Soon the whole room was chanting the same thing over and over, while some students even dared to stand up, banging their fists on the tabletops.
"SONG! SONG! SONG! SONG! SONG! SONG!"
The sound continued to grow as the heads of house stood, trying in vain to quiet the quickly rioting crowd of students. He glared deathly at the Slytherins, trying in vain to shout over the ruckus, to no avail.
Suddenly, Dumbledore raised his hand, and the room quieted. "Well, it seems the student body has spoken." The crowd cheered in a roar of sound that shook the candles floating above. Dumbledore turned to a smiling but stunned Morganna. "My dear, it seems that you have quite a following at Hogwarts." The crowd cheered louder as Morganna giggled. "Perhaps, if you wouldn't mind, a song." He turned back to the crowd. "I do believe that if Miss Michaels consents, I'll waver my usual rendition of the school song." The throng of students cheered louder than ever this time, and even a few professors joined in.
From her spot on the stool, Morganna looked completely nervous for a full second before she drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, threw on a smile, and began unbuttoning her long robe. The deafening sound was more than Severus thought he could stand.
Minerva moved the sorting hat and stool into a corner of the platform while Morganna draped her robe over the table closest to Hagrid. Her school uniform of black skirt and white blouse seemed extremely overdressed for an impromptu concert, but none of the students seemed to notice as the cheering organized into the calling of her name.
"MELLISSON! MELLISSON! MELLISSON! MELLISSON! MELLISSON!"
For a moment Morganna stood completely still, soaking up the attention around her as only a star performer could. Her confidence grew under the maelstrom of praise, and she smiled broadly before waving her hand to the crowd.
He realized she must have cast Sonorus on herself while disrobing because her voice came out so loudly it completely drowned out the chanting.
"Thank you so much for the welcome! I didn't really expect to sing anything tonight, so forgive me if I'm not quite prepared." The crowd called louder, as Morganna giggled. "Well, I guess since I'm in England I'll sing something from my American album, that way you'll all send overseas to get it." She laughed, a sweet sound that seemed to endear her to the crowd before her. "Ok, this song is called 'Hella Good' from my American album Magical Waters. It's a little more techno than my other songs, but it's got a tight beat so you can totally get your freak on!"
Severus didn't understand a word she'd just said, but the students seemed to understand, and as Albus waved his wand and music started playing around the room, another loud roar ran through the inhabitants of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He knew the minute she started to move he was going to hate the song. In a gyrating motion that could only be considered vertical sex with clothes on, Morganna began to work the stage as the sound of her voice echoed amazingly around the Main Hall.
"The waves keep on crashing on me for some reason, But your love keeps on coming like a thunderbolt Come here a little closer 'Cause I wanna see you, baby, real close up (Get over here)
You've got me feeling hella good So let's just keep on dancing You hold me like you should So I'm gonna keep on dancing
Your performance deserving a standing ovation And who would have thought it'd be the two of us So don't wake me if I'm dreaming 'Cause I'm in the mood come on and give it up
You've got me feeling hella good So let's just keep on dancing You hold me like you should So I'm gonna keep on dancing You've got me feeling hella good
So let's just keep on dancing
You hold me like you should
So I'm gonna keep on dancing
Ooh yeah yeah
Ooh yeah yeah
You've got me feeling hella good
So let's just keep on dancing
You hold me like you should
So I'm gonna keep on dancing
You've got me feeling hella good
So let's just keep on dancing
You hold me like you should
So I'm gonna keep on dancing
Keep on dancing
Keep on dancing"
As the song finished, a thunderous applause filled the room, and Morganna, who'd somehow managed to dance her way onto the Gryffindor table, was being helped down by a combination of Harry and thirty other boys. She waved to them all, soaking up the attention as she made her way back to the head table.
She smiled at him as she approached and he offered her a look she'd easily understand as, "I'm not happy about how you just conducted yourself." Morganna had the gall to stick her tongue out at him.
Mounting the steps, she continued to wave at the crowd as she collected her robes from Hagrid, who hugged her tightly--much to the envy of every male in the room. With robes in place, Morganna moved back to the center of the stage where McGonnagall had replaced the stool and sorting hat.
Against the backdrop of a still approaching Morganna, Dumbledore addressed the students once again. "I must admit, that was a far more entertaining performance than the one I would have given." The room erupted in claps, whistles and even a few catcalls. Dumbledore waved the sound down. "Now then, I do believe we have one more student to sort." He turned to nod once to Minerva.
As Minerva gathered the hat from its place two feet from Morganna, he saw his daughter look towards Hermione and cross her fingers highly in the air in a sign of hope. She needn't have bothered.
The sorting hat had barely been lifted from its perch and moved towards Morganna before it screamed in its high pitched voice.
"GRYFFENDOR!!!!!!!!!!"
The red and gold table erupted into applause so loud, Severus wondered if they hadn't been the soul proprietors of all the previous ruckus.
Morganna squealed, jumping up out of her seat and hugging Minerva tightly around the neck--much to the surprise of the transfigurations professor. She spared her uncle one beaming smile before tearing down the stairs and up the table divide. Hermione stood to receive her, and together the two girls hugged and squealed a bit more before claiming seats.
So Morganna had not been placed in Slytherin. A part of him was disappointed he wouldn't have her in his house, but another much more practical one was grateful she'd be away from some of the more likely Voldemort supporters. In the end he was just happy she was happy, and if her wide grins at Hermione and her fluttering eyelashes at Harry were any indication, she was most definitely happy.
Sighing to himself, Severus turned his attention back towards Dumbledore, completely missing the beginnings of the first student riot ever to happen at Hogwarts.