Katherine's POV I am watching the competition from the bleachers when a blonde woman comes and sits next to me. I don't really take any notice of her at first, until Viktor Krum comes on. She grins and makes a comment about him being an adorable "Bulgarian bon-bon". I look over at her disgustedly, "How nice of you to objectify him."
She looks over at me and glares, "What's your problem?"
"What's my problem? For countless generations women have been demanding that men treat us like human beings and not objects, yet it's women like you that not only accept that sort of treatment but join into it that ruin it for the rest of us." I say haughtily. I hate women like that. The ones that objectify men, make stupid men jokes, or let themselves be turned into eye candy for men's pleasure. It puts a scar on the face of womanhood. In my opinion, the only way to change the way we're treated is to find any form of that behavior completely unacceptable. Because as long as men know they can act like assholes and still get laid, they'll stay assholes and there will be nothing that the rest of us can do about it. We need to join together and say no or else just get used to sexual harassment.
She looks me up and down and says in a suspicious tone, "Would it be safe to assume that you're Professor Tingstrom, the philosophy professor that I've been hearing so much about? The one who's Dumbledore's niece and yet is engaged to Professor Snape, the former death eater?"
I smile in an evil way and say in my most polite voice, "Depends, would it be safe to assume that you're Rita Skeeter? The columnist that's been writing falsehoods about my students?"
She grins, "You would be correct Professor Tingstrom. Though my work is hardly false."
I raise an eyebrow, "I assure you, you're considered an unacceptable liar in any universe."
She frowns, "I hope you realize Professor, I hate you. And I'm going to make you pay."
I smile, "Oh, the feeling is mutual Miss Skeeter. I'm rather looking forward to this actually; I've always wanted an arch enemy to ruin the life of."
She smiles in return, "So it's agreed then?"
"Oh, most certainly." I say. I hold out the box of Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans that George Weasley gave me earlier, "Candy?"
She takes out a handful. She eats the candy and promptly turns green and runs off.
I smirk. I would never eat something that a Weasley twin gave me, but Rita can have as much as she wants.
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"Professor Tingstrom, have you seen this?!?" I hear Luna scream as she and Neville come running into my office.
Neville sets a paper in front of me.
Professor Katherine Tingstrom: Naive Romantic, or Death Eater
Sympathizer?
Professor Katherine Tingstrom, beloved
philosophy teacher of Hogwarts. She is the lovely niece of Headmaster
Albus Dumbledore, champion of the outcasts, supposed spokeswoman of
peace and morality, and the future wife of former death eater
Professor Severus Snape. But wait, what was that last part? How could
a woman with such an appealing background possibly even consider
marrying someone whose past goes against everything that she
supposedly believes in? It forces me to wonder, is she really
such an advocate for the cause of good against evil? Surely she must
either be the most romantic young woman in the world, believing that
Severus Snape has really completely mended his former ways and now is
on the side of good... or she somehow doesn't really believe that
being a death eater is such a bad thing. Would it really be that
surprising a turn of events that the almost dangerously open-minded
Professor Tingstrom, willing to marry a man 15 years older than her,
mentor to Luna Lovegood, could be swayed to the death eater cause?
How else could she know about Peter Pettigrew? Why else would she be
so adamant about befriending Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom?
And, once again, be marrying Severus Snape? I'm not saying that she
absolutely must be a death eater sympathizer, but if she is... do we
really want her teaching our young people?
Neville and Luna watch me expectantly.
I fold up the paper, "May I borrow this dear?"
Neville nods, still watching me.
I stand up and kiss them both on the forehead, "I love you both." I pat their heads. I walk out of my office and they follow me. There is a group of students, including the golden trio, waiting outside. I smile at them as I walk past them in the hall. They follow me all the way to the doorway to Dumbledore's office. I turn around and say, "Stay here darlings." I go up to Dumbledore's office.
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Dumbledore calls me in, he's reading the article. He looks up at me, we stare at each other and then...
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!" We both laugh as I sit in front of his desk.
I put a hand to my forehead as I try to stop the laughter, "Oh goodness, does she honestly think I'm going to take this seriously?"
He shakes his head, "Well, there will be some who do my dear..."
I nod, "Oh I know... that'll be fun. HAHAHA! Oh gosh, did you see the part where she actually said that I was 'almost dangerously open-minded'?"
He laughs, "Oh yes! If it weren't so awful I'd suggest that we have this framed."
I nod, "I just might anyway. I wonder if she's ever considered the side effects of publishing an article like this about me? There's no strategy about this other than to try and ruin me."
He kisses my hand, "Well, not all are as clever as you my dear. I'll of course write a letter confirming that you are in fact anti- you-know-who. I assume that you shall take care of the rest?"
I let out one more chuckle, waving it off, "Oh yes, of course. Don't let it worry you Uncle Albus." I smile at him affectionately. I suddenly have to remind myself that he's really not my uncle, and I haven't known him all my life. At times like this, even I tend to forget that.
He smiles at me affectionately; I think he's already willingly forgotten.
---------------------------------------------------
"How can they say anything like that about Tingy?!?!?! It's absolutely scandalous! She would never do anything like that! My father will hear about this!" Cho Chang screams.
"Mine too! I hate Rita Skeeter!" Another young woman replies.
"That woman needs to mind her own business!" A slytherin boy hisses.
Harry, Ron and Hermione are having a meeting, "We have to stop Rita Skeeter, this is getting out of hand!"
"Is it safe to assume that 'Tingy' is supposed to refer to me?" I ask kindly as I walk back down to where the students were waiting.
The students turn to me and start screaming out questions about the article. I hold up my hands, "Children, children, everything shall be fine. Headmaster Dumbledore doesn't believe the article, and neither do you." I smile warmly, "That's all that matters to me."
A few of the younger children come up and hug me. One of them cries, "I love you Professor!"
I smile and give them a hug, "Thank you darling. Now, shouldn't you be running off? It's a beautiful day, don't let Miss Skeeter's article upset you so. Everything is going to be alright."
I look over all of their upset faces and smile comfortingly, "Everything is going to be fine."
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I
would like to apologize for the accusations I made in the last issue.
Professor Tingstrom is a lovely woman who is firmly dedicated to the
anti-death eater cause. She is not now, nor has ever been, a death
eater sympathizer. Severus Snape truly is reformed and his upcoming
nuptials with Katherine Tingstrom is merely a sign of true love, not
part of a sinister plot. I am sorry for any inconvenience that this
has caused Katherine Tingstrom and I hope that she can find it in her
heart to forgive me.
-Rita Skeeter
I read this and smile. What people don't seem to realize is that although being kind and giving often gets you walked on, it also wins you champions. Not to mention the fact that the owner of the paper's son is one of the 'outcasts' that I am the supposed champion of. The boy owled his father immediately, telling him how horrible and scandalous the article was and how he would just die if I was sacked. His father, being very devoted to his son, of course couldn't let that happen.
I look up at my champion and beam at him as he helps himself to my bowl of candy, "Thank you dear, that was positively noble of you. I can never thank you enough."
He grins at me, "Anything for you Professor Tingstrom!" He jumps up and hugs my neck.
I hug him.
He stands up and smiles, "Will you still lend me the book for my..."
I hand him the book that will help him with a report he has to do.
He grins, "Thank you Professor Tingstrom!"
I wink, "No problem dear."
He runs out, holding the book to his chest.
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Severus and I walk down the halls on our rounds together; he's wrapped an arm around my waist since there is nobody in the halls. "So after she had to write that apology, she sent you an owl telling you how much she hates you?" Severus laughs.
I laugh, snuggling against him, "Oh yes, I haven't been called so many horrible things at one time in years! I think she even mentioned at one point about me being thrown into the fiery depths of Hades! I'm telling you Severus, the woman is absolutely childish. It's a very unattractive characteristic for such an elderly woman..."
He smirks chuckles slightly. Severus is the only person I ever allow myself to say downright nasty, mean spirited things in front of. He of course doesn't mind at all, we know each other's true feelings about just about everyone and everything (including Harry). "I still can't believe you were able to make her look like an idiot without doing anything."
"Well I didn't have to! Rita made a horrible mistake in accusing me of being aligned with the wrong crowd, as I knew she would when I talked to her. You need to know what weapons to fight with, and that was the wrong one. If she had accused me of being insane to the point of once being hospitalized, people would have considered it. If she had accused me of being a heartbreaker, people would have jumped on the theory. If she had accused me of being crazy and a heartbreaker, I probably would have had a lot of work on my hands. But no, she decided to go with the route that raised much too many questions... not only about me, but about you and Dumbledore. It's too much work to believe."
"I must admit I was a little worried about you when they mentioned me..." He says thoughtfully.
I just smile, "Truthfully, I wouldn't even care if they did believe those accusations."
He looks down at me as if I've grown another head.
I grin up at him, "Oh, come now Severus. What death eater on earth would want to let it stand that I'd joined them? Even if it was true, nobody would want it to be believed. If I was a death eater, they'd lose the influence I have over the students and teachers. Oh no, news like that can't be tolerated."
He chuckles slightly and wraps me tighter against him, "Remind me never to have you as an enemy."
"Oh I will." I smirked.
He gave me one of those wonderful looks that nearly burn me with their intensity, "So generous..."
I smirk, "For you, always."
He nuzzles my temple briefly and then we go back to concentrating on our work.