CHAPTER ONE:
MINERVA FLAVORED
By the Goddess of Silence
The old man stood at the window with his hands clasped together and a look of both joy and sadness on his face. The time had come. The time had come for all to grow old and die. The time had come for him to be gone. And he was. He had died. He had died at the hands of Professor Severus Snape. Or so all thought. It was the easiest way for him to retire. The easiest way for him to let go of everything. Minerva had agreed to keep Hogwarts open. She had agreed to keep Snape employed. She had agreed to keep Harry Potter in school until he finished his seventh year. And when that was over the old man would rise from the dead and help his gifted pupil find the last of the Horcruxes. But for now he just wanted Harry to lead a normal life. Harry had a true love, he had best friends, he had a future laid out ahead of him; he couldn't lose all of that. Not if Dumbledore could help it.
He turned away from the window; away from the students filing into the old building of Hogwarts. No one had wanted to come without him there, but it was insisted upon by Professor McGonagall. What a dear woman. Albus smiled to himself, remembering the look on her and Severus' faces when he told them he wanted to die. If Harry knew that it had all been staged, he might just end up dead for real!
"Albus," came the new headmistress' call from the hallway. He quickly wiped the funny half smile off his face a straightened his robes so he looked presentable.
"Yes, Minerva," he replied quietly. Minerva came into the room in a tizzy, her pointed hat lopsided and her glasses practically falling off her nose.
"Albus, I am hardly ready for this. Rubeus is missing, the students are impatient, and Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley weren't on the train." Now Dumbledore looked up at the woman. A kind smile came to his face.
"Calm down, Minerva; all will be fine in the end." He reached out and straightened her hat and scooted the glasses up onto her nose. "I'm sure the young Misters Potter and Weasley are perfectly fine. They wouldn't have wanted to come, Minerva. As much as the elder Weasleys might have tried to drag them here, they wouldn't have wanted to come." His last words came out in a sigh. He did hope that Harry would decide to show up; there was so much that needed to be set straight this year.
"Well, Albus, this is your grand plan; what is going to happened when your favorite student refuses to attend school?" Minerva questioned, her hands on her hips. The old professor just shook his head and smiled.
"I'm sure they're fine. The plan will be fine. I'm sure they're in safe hands," Dumbledore smiled. McGonagall just shook her head.
"G'day Professor McGonagall!" said the loud voice of Hagrid. His voice could be heard even before he was up the stairs. Albus smiled at Minerva before disappearing into a shimmering light. Rubeus Hagrid appeared on the top of the stairs, three people filing in past him. A large grin could be just barely seen beneath his beard, but his eyes twinkled with delight. Much to Minerva's relief, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were behind him, along with another figure.
The other figure, a girl, wore a midnight blue cloak, her midnight hair spilling from beneath the hood. Her slim figure was graceful, and her blue eyes twinkled with delight. A demure smile sat upon her rosy lips. McGonagall, as a woman, had her breath taken away by the sight of her. And imagine the affect the young lady would have on a man! But quickly the headmistress forgot the woman and went to scold Harry and Ron.
"Where have you two been? The meeting is just about to start and-" Hagrid cut her off with a loud cough.
"They've been with me, ma'am. They helped my persuade Ms. Raven here to be a new professor. I figured we had a shortage of 'em, so I got the best." Minerva's attention was drawn back to the cloaked figure.
"And you are?" she asked, looking over her spectacles.
"Juliana Raven, ma'am," the girl replied, curtsying. She brushed her hood away to reveal the shiniest, silkiest, waviest black hair Minerva McGonagall had ever seen. She nearly jumped a mile when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but relaxed and realized that it was, in fact, Dumbledore. He was invisible to the eye, but that didn't mean he couldn't see.
"Employ her," he whispered in Minerva's ear. She swatted him away and began to speak, but her voice was caught in her throat.
"Juliana is skilled in many things, Professor," Hagrid said helpfully. "She could teach Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, anything. I'm telling you; she's the best there is." Minerva sighed and looked at the pale face of the foreign beauty. There was something telling her to refuse the girl. Besides, she barely looked a day over Harry's age.
"I suppose Severus deserves the Defense Against the Dark Arts job…" she said, thinking aloud. Now she got Harry's attention.
"You mean you're bringing him back to teach!" he cried. "After what he did to Dumbledore? I knew I should've stayed home! I knew it!" He began to turn and run, but Hagrid placed a large hand upon his shoulder, tears twinkling in his own eyes.
"Now, 'Arry, you know that you can't run away from yer problems. If Professor McGonagall sees it fit to employ Snape, let it be," his words were quiet and sad. Why was Snape returning? It didn't make sense.
"Yes, Harry," Minerva interjected. She shivered as she felt Albus running his hand along her neck.
"Employ the girl," he whispered in her ear again.
"Alright, Ms. Raven, you've got a job in Potions." McGonagall squawked, the feeling of the ex-headmaster's fingers in her hair finally breaking her down. The young girl smiled and looked up at Hagrid who looked to Harry who looked to Ron. The four of them left the room, but Harry returned seconds later, a storm brewing in his eyes.
"With all do respect, Professor, if Snape so much as blows his nose in the wrong way, be warned I'm going to perform Avada Kadava." McGonagall simply nodded. Harry left in a hurry.
"Albus!" Minerva cried. The old man appeared before her within seconds. A smile was beneath his flowing beard. "Why are you so bloody set on employing that young lady? You know nothing about her!"
"I know enough," he replied, sitting upon a chair crookedly and pulling out a package of Bernie Bot's Every Flavored Jelly Beans. Popping one into his mouth he winced. "Oh, Minerva flavored; sour," he joked. She snatched them away from him and ate one.
"Albus flavored; old and dumb." She turned sharply and left the room, leaving Albus laughing.