Chapter 3

Here is when I saw her for the first time, and it was apparent that she was no 'old bat' as I had referred to her before. She was young. Her skin was light. Her hair and eyes were darker than the night sky I had just been gazing out at through the window moments before.

A smile flickered across her face.

Becoming aware of my eyes lingering on her longer then I needed to, I suddenly scowled wrapping my robes tighter around myself, and averted my attention back to the Headmaster.

"Now," he began, understanding my signal to continue, "I am sure that all of you need to get back to your offices for some after hour grading."

I half expected all of them to groan as if Albus was assigning us homework, but most of them grimly nodded in assent.

"Well, I need Ebony here to be shown to her sleeping quarters before her first class in a few hours—"

Everyone swung his or her heads around to see you would volunteer, but no one did.

"Oh come now, not all of you have a towering pile of work awaiting you—"

"You'd be surprised!" Flitwick piped up from the other side of the room.

"Well, then I guess we better give our students a day off soon," he chuckled. "Although, I would ask our dear Madam Hooch or Pince, but they don't seem to have joined us this evening—"

"Rolanda has come down with a bit of a head cold, Albus, and Irma said she would be rearranging the reference section tonight…again." Minerva said knowingly.

"Ah, I see."

My eyes had found their way out the window once more. My mind seemed to be wandering more than often these past few days…thinking of anything that it stumbled across. It had to be my lack of sleep. There was no reason for me to lose focus so easily and as frequently as I was.

I could barely even hear Albus speaking, "Well, I am sure that someone is willing to take you Miss Vega, if only they would thoughtfully make a gesture…"

And what happened next occurred in such quick succession that, now when I look back on it, I can only remember my heels unfortunately and conveniently slipping out from under me at that precise moment. And taken by surprise, I cursed flinging my arms back to try to catch myself on the shelves behind me.

"Severus, how kind of you!" Albus suddenly said with and air of unmistakable delight in his voice.

I heard a voice snicker in laughter beside me, and I glanced to find Sybil Trelawney covering her mouth and adjusting her oversized glasses. I stared at her in disbelief with the deepest coldness I could muster. She always found paths to deceive me when we met in the few times we did during the school year. I knew she had something against me ever since I arrived to teach here years ago, but this was absurd.

"Your bags and trunk should be in your room when you arrive there," Albus' voice shook me from my flare of hatred. I turned to face him wanting to shout that I did not intend to lend my services to his new employee.

"You are all dismissed," he said standing up, before I could contradict my supposed offer.

The teachers immediately began to file out of the office as I watched the Headmaster bid the new Astronomy teacher good night from behind his desk. Pushing passed the others I tried to reach him before he disappeared into his own quarters.

"Headmaster!" My voice hissed as I approached. His back was vanishing into his side door.

"Good night to you too, Severus," he waved turning around to close the door with a click.

"Should we go now?" An unruffled voice beside me asked.

Sneering, I looked down into her black eyes. I could help but thing she was rather short, perhaps only coming up to the tip of my shoulder. Taking out my wand, I whirled around to march to the exit. As I approached, I flung the door open with magic, and stormed out.