CHAPTER TWO:

IF ONLY

By the Goddess of Silence

Harry walked down the hall, a feeling of pure dread in his stomach. When he got to the great hall Snape would be sitting there, taunting Harry with what he had done. Dumbledore was dead because of the man. The man would die.

Hagrid pushed open the doors and light flooded the hallway. Rows and rows of students were lined up, all of their gazes shifting to Harry, Ron, and the new professor. Hermione stood up and waved them over. Ron guided Harry who had caught sight of the foul creature called Severus Snape. Hate boiled up in his gut and he had a difficult time shifting his gaze back to Hermione. Ginny sat beside her. Ginny… Harry's stomach wrenched again at the sight of the redhead. Her freckled cheeks, her silky hair; oh how he longed to be beside her.

Sitting next to Ron he looked at his plate. He could feel many eyes upon him; the ones that burned the most were the eyes of Severus Snape. He raised his head to meet the black gaze of the former Potions Master. Bile rose in his throat. He longed to kill the man.

"How was summer, Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to draw his attention back to the table. Just as he was about to speak, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Hello, students," she said. There was a sense of timidness behind her usually strong voice. "Another year of school has come, but I think I speak for all of us when I say this is a particularly sad one. As most, and hopefully all of you know, our beloved headmaster, Albus Dumbledore is no longer with us."

Harry wanted to lunge at Snape. He wanted to rip him limb from limb.

"But, with his passing, I would like to introduce a young lady who was hand selected by our one and only Rubeus Hagrid." The woman stepped forward. Harry sighed at the sight of her. Across the room Draco Malfoy did the same. Juliana Raven was perhaps the most beautiful girl Harry had ever seen.

Snape, at the teacher's table, nearly spit out his drink at the sight of her. Her smile was so genuine and her hair looked so soft.

"This is Professor Raven, students. Professor, would you care to say anything?" Minerva asked, crossing her arms and looking into the eyes of Juliana. As the girl spoke, her voice sent shivers down the spines of all the men and perhaps some of the women. It was crystal clear and like ice.

"Well, I woke up this morning not knowing that I would become a professor at the famous Hogwarts School. When Rubeus came to my door and asked me if I would agree to teach, how could I say no?" She smiled again. Severus leaned forward a bit, nearly tipping over the drink that had been set out for Minerva.

"How do you and Hagrid know each other, Professor?" a student shouted. The girl just shook her head.

"Questions like those will have to wait for later." Minerva interjected. She quietly led Professor Raven up to the teacher's table, placing her conviently next to Severus Snape. "You may begin," she said, raising her hands. Food appeared on the table.

Harry ignored the magnificent feast and kept his eyes on the sinister ones of Snape. The older man was rigid in his chair, intimidated by the beauty sitting next to him. Professor McGonagall had a weak smile on her face, but there seemed to be something bothering her. She kept brushing at the back of her neck.

"Albus, knock it off," Minerva hissed to the air. That man was going to drive her insane!

"I'm bored," he whined, his invisible mouth right next to her ear. She swatted it away and smiled stiffly at a few staring students.

"It's your own fault you're dead. Why don't you go twiddle you thumbs or something? Or how about a nice debate with a few of the portraits. Honestly, Albus…" her voice trailed off as Severus turned to face her.

"Did you say something?" he asked, his voice low. She shook her head, pursing her lips.

"Not to you, Severus. I was talking to Mr. Bored over here," she made a sharp motion with her head to the space behind her. Snape looked but saw no one.

"Professor, do I need to take you to Madam Pomfrey?" he asked.

"It's Albus, Severus. He's right there and bothering the hell out of me." Now Snape smiled.

"I'd gladly trade places with you, Minerva," he said. As he did Dumbledore placed his hands on McGonagall's shoulders, which was the last straw for her. Smiling like a cat she looked down at Professor Raven.

"Getting a bit uncomfortable, Severus?" she asked, tapping him on the leg and leaving the Great Hall, Dumbledore following her.

When they reached his office, he became visible again. His blue eyes were twinkling and a smile was on his lips.

"Minerva, you really need to loosed up."

"I would loosen up if you didn't keep touching me! Besides, with that new teacher here I don't feel quite comfortable. You don't even know who she is, Albus. I hope you didn't make a mistake by employing her!"

"If you haven't forgotten, I'm dead, so I didn't employ her; you did!" The anger in her eyes could have made a man turn to stone, but Albus was used to her temper. "Trust me, dear; Juliana is a very reliable person. Just wait until she begins to teach; the students will love her classes!"

"That's because the boys like how she looks and the girl want tips on how to look like she does!" Minerva replied, turning away.

"You're just jealous," Albus said, setting his hands on her shoulders again, "because you want to look like her!"

"I you're forgetting, I did look like her once!"

"Once, Minerva. Face it; you're just an old hag now!"

"I would kill you if you weren't already dead!" she exclaimed, whirling around. He just smiled and vanished. "Albus Dumbledore," Minerva muttered under her breath, going slowly back to the Great Hall.