Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, and ideas (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings. Mordecai and Elisabeth are mine.
Chapter 22: Put to the test.
Severus was almost late to the Welcoming Feast, having to take care of a few last-minute tasks for the Order. He slipped into his seat just before Dumbledore began the announcements. Already tired, the Potions Master tuned out some of what was said until the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was mentioned.
"There is a new law in place that allows the Ministry of Magic to choose someone for this position. Therefore I introduce to you Professor Dolores Umbridge as your teacher," the Headmaster explained.
Though he held back, the Potions Master was livid. As the staff stood he walked out with Minerva. "How could he bloody allow this?" Severus growled in a low whisper.
"He had no choice," Minerva hissed.
"What do we do now? With that foul woman spying for the ministry, I don't know if we'll be able to accomplish anything important," he stated quietly.
"I suppose we can only hope that she refrains from interfering with our teaching methods," she mentioned.
"Hope is a precarious thing," he added as they parted.
In Potions class the fifth-year students were brewing the Draught of Peace. Severus decided that it was a lesson Mordecai could participate in. As he was teaching, the Potions Master noticed that all of the students seemed to stare at the new addition. The Gryffindors were curious while the Slytherins seemed to see Mordecai as some sort of challenge.
Mordecai was doing exactly as he had been instructed, not being aware that one of the Slytherins was pointing a wand at him. Before the student could whisper any lewd incantations, the Potions Master pushed the wand flat on the desk. The student looked up in fright.
"Mr. Goyle, Mr. Maddock is a guest of mine and if you or anyone else harms him, you will serve detention with me. Is that clear?" he looked up at the class and there was a collective nod. "Back to your potions," he ordered as he skulked back to his desk.
Finishing his potion with the rest of the class, Mordecai waited until all of the fifth-years had left before approaching the Potions Master's desk. He set his potion where he had been instructed to and then faced his teacher. "Sir, here's my potion. I'm sorry if I was a disruption to the class. Thank you for allowing me to attend."
Severus could see that Mordecai was trying not to invoke his wrath. "Mr. Maddock," he began formally, but without any aggression, "your potion is better than adequate and as for being a disruption, you are not one. The others are not used to having someone a year younger than them in a class that they find difficult."
"I don't find Potions difficult; it's absolutely fascinating. To see how the herbs interact and how many different applications there are for the simples of ingredients is interesting," he remarked.
I wish I could keep him in this class more often. With the understanding of the subject he has, he could even tutor some of the others. "I agree, Mr. Maddock. Dismissed," Severus stated before Mordecai left.
A few days later at dinner, Severus and Minerva had the same feeling of foreboding when they watched Dumbledore stand to make an announcement. "Students, I wish to inform you that the Ministry of Magic has seen fit to appoint Professor Umbridge as High Inquisitor."
Minerva suppressed a shiver and looked over at Severus. She had learned over the years how to read his non-expressions. Little twitches in certain places meant different things. His expression that evening was one of frustration and contempt toward Umbridge.
Then the High Inquisitor began inspecting classes. When she dropped by Minerva's class, the Transfiguration Mistress was appalled that anyone would think to watch her class. I am not a new teacher and I don't see why she would want to watch me. There are times when I wonder if the Ministry of Magic is being run by witches and wizards, or their familiars, she thought.
It was the longest day of Minerva's life, with Umbridge staring at her as if all of the teaching methods she had been using for years were wrong. Then the woman had the gall to threaten her by saying, "Just because you do a plausible job of teaching, don't think for a minute that your job is safe."
The staff members were not the only ones having trouble with the High Inquisitor. When she passed the decree disbanding student organizations until they had her approval, Elisabeth was livid. Mordecai found her wearing her Quidditch uniform, pacing the length of the common room.
"Lisa, what's bothering you? If you keep doing that, you'll make a ditch in the middle of the floor," he pointed out.
She did not stop pacing as she responded. "Professor Umbridge has stopped Quidditch practice until it meets her approval! Do you know how absurd that sounds?"
He realized that calming her down was not an option. "I'm sorry. You're right and it isn't fair. I wish we could do something about his."
"But who would listen to two fourth-years?" she said as she sighed heavily.
Elisabeth stood outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts door with Mordecai as they waited for the door to open. "I hate this class! All that woman ever does is make us read out of the text book. We need opportunities to use what we have learned," she whispered.
"I agree that the class is boring, but I don't think you should try to cross Professor Umbridge in the least," Mordecai suggested before they entered the classroom.
If only she had listened to him. Mordecai had finished his homework in the common room and had not seen Elisabeth since their last class together. Then he remembered her comment to Umbridge about having more hands-on class work. It had gotten her detention. He headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to see if she was still there.
Opening the door slowly, he did not immediately see anyone. As he walked further down one of the rows, a shoe caught his eye. He bent down and found Elisabeth under the desk, hugging her knees and holding her wand tightly. "Lisa, what happened? Are you alright? Isn't Professor Umbridge supposed to be supervising you?"
He pulled her out from under the desk and noticed how she glared at the cupboard that the boggart Lupin used had been kept in. When she spoke her voice was shaky and sounded almost disembodied. "She, she left me alone. The cupboard was open and she left me alone with the boggart."
Grasping her by the shoulders, he took a good look at her to see that she was not hurt. He remembered quite clearly what her boggart had been and a furry he was unaccustomed to was forming within him. "And you defeated it?"
She nodded nervously and looked over her shoulder at it for a second. "I said what I needed to and it turned into a pair of roller skates that moved by themselves, so I put it back into the cupboard and locked the door. But that was after it had chased me around the room and I was throwing things at it to keep it away."
He took her hand in his and led her to the door. "You're not staying here another minute. We are going to the Deputy Headmistress and telling her about this. Umbridge had no right whatsoever to do this to you," he vexed.
She nodded compliantly and walked with him, still not herself. They reached Minerva's office and Mordecai knocked. After a moment the Deputy Headmistress opened the door. "Is there something I can help you with, children?"
"We need to speak with you right now about her detention with Professor Umbridge," Mordecai said frankly. Minerva led them into her office and they noticed that the Potions Master was there too.
Before the arrival of Mordecai and Elisabeth, Severus and Minerva had been discussing the tension at the school that Umbridge was causing all the staff members, as well as their shared opinion that she should never have been hired.
"Speak, Mr. Maddock," Severus said dryly.
Mordecai looked from one to the other and began. "Professor Umbridge left her alone with her boggart for her detention. Her boggart was the man that murdered her cousin. She defeated it, but only after fighting with it for a while."
Severus noticed that the boy was making a great effort to stay civil. "What do you suggest should be done then?"
"Can we not send Elisabeth back to class? The only reason she ended up with a detention was because she suggested more hands-on class work. Her boggart could have harmed her and I don't think she should have to go back there!" he exclaimed.
"Mr. Maddock, could you and Miss Wellington wait outside for a moment?" Minerva suggested.
Mordecai nodded and let Elisabeth out of the office. "I know the girl and I have never seen her so absolutely terrified. Normally she is a precocious, curious, energetic girl. What do you think?"
Severus paced the room before turning back to her. "I end up terrifying my students, but their personal safety is not in question. I believe that for Miss Wellington's physical welfare and psychological welfare, we cannot allow her to go back."
Minerva thought for a moment and then nodded. "I think you're right. I may be able to suggest a form of independent study."
"That sounds reasonable. I intend to have a long talk with the toad," he remarked.
She smirked. "I can't think of a better nickname for her. Mr. Maddock, you and Miss Wellington may return now."
They entered and he looked at Minerva hopefully. "Please tell me that you won't send her back."
The Deputy Headmistress smiled compassionately. "Mr. Maddock, I have come to a solution that I hope will meet your approval. Miss Wellington can spend the time in my office that she would have spent in the classroom, doing the assignments and in independent study of sorts."
"Thank you," he stated. Then he turned back to Elisabeth. "See, everything is going to be alright. Let's go to the common room and I'll get you a spot of tea."
Severus spoke when they left. "He is awfully protective of her, isn't he?"
Minerva smiled. "Yes. I predict that one of these days she will be his girlfriend."
"'Predict?' So you're replacing Sybil now?" he asked with a smirk.
She shook her head. "No, I was merely making an observation. Umbridge will have to be dealt. I refuse to let that woman terrorize our students much longer."
"I'll speak with her," he told her as he left the office.
Anyone who saw him ran away in sheer terror, knowing that someone had done the unthinkable by angering him. Black robes flying behind him, it felt as though an icy chill from Siberia was marching through the corridors. He tried to think of how to speak his mind without getting fired. If I yell at her, I will most likely be sacked for saying what I want to say. However, perhaps the key here is not to raise my voice, he decided.
He knocked harshly on Umbridge's office door and she raised an eyebrow when she found him standing there. "Professor Snape, would you like to come inside?"
"Most definitely," he spat.
"Would you like some tea?" she offered in a sickly sweet voice.
"No thank you," he answered bluntly.
Umbridge put her hands on her hips. "Then why are you here?"
"I am here to ask why you gave Miss Wellington detention," he retorted, not raising his voice.
The woman noticed his dark expression and the way he was glaring at her without actually looking at her. How dare he come in like this and defend one of those insects! Yet right now he seems rather scary. I'll not be intimidated by him, but I haven't seen a death-glare like that for a long time, she thought to herself.
"I gave her detention because she wanted to change my curriculum," Umbridge finally stated. "What of it?"
His quiet tone caused her to physically shiver in fear as he spoke. "You are a cold, manipulative woman. How dare you set a boggart loose on a child who is terrified of it. She only wanted more hands-on class work to apply what she was learning."
She attempted to recover her pride and formulate a response. "Surely you of all people understand the need for strict discipline."
He shook his head. "That's not discipline. I might find harsh punishments for my students, but never something that could be constituted as actually dangerous. Not only that, you neglected her and left her alone."
Umbridge gulped. "Wh-what stake do you have in this? She's just another brat like all the others." She grew slightly bolder. "And she's a friend of that boy who seems to get preferential treatment from the teachers for intelligence that he feigns. I've even heard an interesting rumor that he is somehow related to our dear Deputy Headmistress." She said slyly, with a smirk worthy of Salazar Slytherin himself. "It does make one wonder if a truly spotless reputation can be real, or merely well-protected.
He finally turned his death-glare in her direction, having lost his patience. "You are well beyond the bounds of this discussion to suggest what you have about the Deputy Headmistress. Minerva McGonagall has never in all her years done anything questionable. How do any of us here know how truthful your own reputation is if you challenge ours?"
"Why should you care? She is another one of your colleagues and the others are just brats." The question posed a greater threat than Umbridge at that moment. The woman had made one last effort in trying to gain control of the discussion.
"Events have passed that you have turned a blind eye to, and as for the rest you should not even be questioning. If you do not mind your own affairs, you will sorely regret the day you ever set foot on the grounds," he whispered.
She said nothing and sat down in her chair and pretended to occupy herself by rearranging her desk, knowing that the argument had gone to a truly formidable opponent. He rose and left without saying another word, knowing he had been understood. Alright, I'll just make a point to become his ally and then I'll get revenge for this treatment, she thought.
He was not surprised when she soon appeared to observe his Potions class. Things did not go as he had hoped, with Neville Longbottom blowing up his cauldron yet again, two students accidentally getting stuck together, and one student brewing the wrong potion altogether, turning himself into a mouse.
What Umbridge bore witness to was Severus' disciplinary actions. After she had observed him, he noticed that she wore a smirk. "Did you find something interesting, Professor Umbridge?"
The smirk turned into a full grin and Severus had the urge to run away. "Why no, I was simply admiring how well you discipline your students. You're practically a tyrant to them," she mentioned, stepping closer to him. He slowly backed up and made his way toward the door.
"I… well… if you don't want anything then I'll just be leaving," he attempted to flee.
She placed a firm hand on his shoulder that caused him to stop dead in his tracks. "Severus, I have a proposal that would be mutually beneficial to both of us," she said in a seductive tone worthy of a Slytherin.
The Potions Master fought hard to suppress the revulsion threatening to linger in his throat. "What do you mean?" he dared to ask.
"I need… your Slytherins. They would be very useful as my helpers to catch things that are out of protocol. It would earn your house points, if you're interested," she crooned.
I would rather be eaten by wolves for the dark lord. "It is an interesting proposal. How positively conniving of you to use our system of house points to reward the tattle-tales," he remarked silkily.
"Then we are agreed?" she pursued as she stood too close to him for comfort. He could smell her foul breath.
"Yes," he said quickly. She sashayed her way out of his classroom and he breathed a sigh of relief. Now it's time to warn Minerva, he thought as he used the floo network to appear in her office.
Minerva jumped and turned, poised with her wand as someone emerged from her floo and dusted himself off. "Severus, what are you doing here?" she questioned.
He sneezed and used a cleaning spell before facing her. "Even a cleaning spell only does have work. I need ten showers to get rid of that horrid woman's presence," he grumbled.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Minerva inquired with a smirk, deciding to get them both cups of tea.
"Umbridge came to visit with me and she was… cordial. More than cordial, I think she was trying to flirt with me," he paused to watch Minerva grimace as if she had eaten something foul. "I am really quite surprised that kept my lunch in my stomach. She wants to use the Slytherins and perhaps a few others in order to reward the students who tell tattle-tales on other students and probably the staff," he explained as he accepted the steaming cup.
"Thank you for telling me. What do you suggest that we do now?" she asked as she sipped her tea.
He rubbed his chin and thought for a minute before taking a gulp of his tea. "I think we should play along for a bit so that should we decide to retaliate against her, she will not suspect us."
"I suppose it will work. I wish Albus would do something about her. She is gaining power and he can't stop her because of the Ministry of Magic," she commented.
"At least she hasn't completely invaded our lives. How have lessons been going with Mordecai's little friend, Miss Wellington?" Severus inquired.
"Quite well, actually. Miss Wellington is a bright student and simply does her bookwork while I grade papers. I think she only asked for my help once. How has Mordecai been doing in Potions?" she asked as she finished her tea.
"To be perfectly honest, he is the best Potions student I've ever had. I allow him to sit in on some of my fifth-year classes and he is doing well, despite the looks some of the older ones gave him. I believe Miss Granger will have some competition if he continues as he is," Severus remarked.
Minerva smiled, noting the pride in the Potions Master's voice. Though she knew he would not admit to it, he was indeed proud of his son. Having finished his tea, he stood and walked back over to the fireplace. "Goodnight Minerva."
"Goodnight Severus," she added as she walked over to him. Just before he left he gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
Mordecai and Elisabeth were on the common room after their classes a few months later when they passed a group of Gryffindor girls whispering. They looked to the right to see what the others were whispering at and Mordecai saw Ginny arguing with a fellow Ravenclaw, Michael Corner. Though he and Elisabeth could not hear the conversation, it was plain to see that Ginny was breaking up with Michael.
"I wonder when she will want to date again," Mordecai said aloud.
Elisabeth rolled her eyes and whacked him in the back of the head. "Cyrus, as you can see, she probably doesn't like Ravenclaws now. I need to find you a better hobby than chasing girls who are not interested in you," she teased him.
They stood nose to nose. "Oh? And what would you recommend then?" he challenged with a smirk.
Standing so close, it was as if they were looking at each other for the first time. Something neither had actually been paying any mind to was actually pulling them into each other's eyes. Suddenly a student not looking where he was going rammed into Elisabeth, breaking the spell and knocking her to the floor.
The boy turned around quickly and helped Elisabeth to her feet before Mordecai could volunteer. "I'm really sorry. Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yes. Where were you off to in such a hurry?"
The boy looked from left to right a few times and leaned toward Elisabeth and Mordecai. "Harry Potter's started a Defense Against the Dark Arts club. I think he's calling it Dumbledore's Army. If you're interested, follow me. Just try not to get caught by anyone, especially Umbridge."
Mordecai and Elisabeth stood up straight and faced each other, as if asking the same question: should we do this? They both nodded and followed the boy. Immediately Elisabeth felt comfortable because they were going to practice what they had learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Mordecai looked over his shoulder, as if keeping watch over the entrance. In his mind he was planning an escape route if they were suddenly caught. The first part of the plan is to assess where the exits were: the second is to keep Lisa within grabbing distance so that she doesn't become too entangled in whatever this club is if Umbridge finds out, he reasoned.
As Severus walked through the corridors after his classes on his way to the library to find a book on Brazilian herbs, he noticed small clusters of children going in directions that neither led to the library, nor their common rooms. Suspicious, but not surprising, he thought to himself.
Once inside the library, he was startled to find Minerva sitting at a table pouring over a book about exotic animagi. "Did someone ask an intelligent question for once?" he smirked.
She looked up and smiled wryly. "Snide remark aside, that is correct. One of my students asked a question about exotic animagi and the types of people most likely to have one of that sort."
"I needed to double check a few types of roots that I ordered from Brazil because the seller mislabeled them. Minerva, never order anything. Whenever I don't go and get an ingredient myself, some idiot messes it up," he explained dryly.
She nodded with understanding and then faced him. "I'm glad you stopped by. Albus wanted me to tell you that he thinks Mr. Potter should learn Occlumency," she began.
"Well hooray for Potter," he said sarcastically.
Putting a hand on his arm to stop him from leaving, she moved in front of him. "Albus wants you to teach him."
Severus snorted and walked to the other side of the table before facing her again. "The old man's gone mental! Potter and I can hardly stand to be in the same room together when he's in my classes, with lots of other people. Alone we'd kill each other! Surely Dumbledore must know that, doesn't he?"
Minerva put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Now Severus," she paused to make sure that they were not being watched. "Albus knows that you two don't get along. The entire school probably knows that as well. Look at it as a chance to learn to work together and heal the wounds of the past."
Pensive green eyes met fiery dark brown ones. "I will do this, but not for Albus or Potter. I'm doing this in order to protect Mordecai and I think it would be best if he learned Occlumency as well," Severus whispered.
She nodded and the two parted. After placing the book where she had found it, Minerva allowed her mind to wander as she walked back to her rooms. Why do we continue to test our endurance when neither one of us wants to fight our feelings anymore?
(My thanks to Isabelle (), Caoillinn (), excessivelyperky, Leta McGotor, Underground (), and Motet for reviewing :D)