The title for chapter six is from…Rent. Congrats to thedivinemissk and maureen is me.
Thanks to Mara for being a special and quick beta, as usual.
I also want to thank/acknowledge everyone that's reviewed so far. You guys are the best!
Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story.
Chapter 7: Day By Day
"Thank Merlin," George Hutchenson gasped as he dashed into the Dueling classroom. "Professor Thropp isn't here yet."
"Yeah," Anthony Jackson answered. "What do you think she'd do to us if she knew we were late?"
"I'd take ten points each from Ravenclaw, Mr. Jackson," Elphaba answered, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Have a seat."
The two tardy students dropped into seats in the back of the room, their faces a furious red. Elphaba leaned against her desk and looked at the three rows of third year students facing her. "Welcome to your second dueling class. I trust that you have all completed the essay I assigned last time."
A brown haired girl raised her hand in the second row. "Yes, Miss Bent?" Elphaba asked, looking at her.
"What if we wrote more than the required length of parchment? I was able to write four and a half feet," the third-year student asked.
Oh brilliant, Elphaba thought. I have another Hermione on my hands. However, she smiled and looked at Elizabeth Bent. "That, of course, is fine, Miss Bent. In the future, though, please refrain from writing more than double the assignment length."
In the back, Anthony Jackson snickered. "Teacher's pet," he whispered maliciously.
Elphaba whirled around and looked at him. "Do you have anything of importance to add, Mr. Jackson?"
"No, professor," Jackson replied, embarrassed.
"Then, you'd do well to keep your comments to yourself. Five points from Ravenclaw," Elphaba snapped. She glanced at the rest of the class. "Please hand your homework to your left. I will collect it from the end of each row."
There was only the noise of parchment being passed around for a few minutes. After Elphaba had dropped all the essays on her desk, she strolled to the front of the room, where the chalkboard was. "Now, for today's class, I would like to focus on Voldemort's-"
As if they were a whole, most of the class either gasped, winced, or shut their eyes, as if Voldemort would magically appear because his name had been said.
"What?" Elphaba asked, feigning to be oblivious.
"You…you said you-know-who's name," one of the students whimpered.
"No, I'm afraid I don't know who," Elphaba inwardly smirked. She went through this every single year. "Please enlighten me as to who's name I'm not supposed to say."
"You-Know-Who. The Dark Lord," the student answered, looking scandalized that their Dueling professor didn't know who 'You-Know-Who' was.
"I'm sorry, Miss Anderson," Elphaba said. "I don't acknowledge any 'lord'. I have absolutely no idea who you're talking about."
"V-V-Voldemort," Elizabeth Bent stammered after a silence. There was an instant uproar in the classroom.
"Silence!" Elphaba roared. "Ah, Voldemort," the class winced again. "Now we're getting somewhere." The students looked incredulous. "What?" Elphaba asked, eying each of them. "What exactly is wrong with the name 'Voldemort'?" There was another silence. "Alright, I'll admit, it's not the most flattering name I can think of, but-"
"You're not supposed to say You-Know-Who's name," someone whispered.
"Really?" Elphaba asked sarcastically. "Will I get arrested if I say 'Voldemort'? Will a bolt of lightning come down and strike me dead? If someone can convince me why exactly I can't say 'Voldemort', then I will stop saying it."
There was another pause. "B-because, um, You-Know-Who will um…find out and kill you," a student said.
Elphaba barely refrained from rolling her eyes. That was the lamest excuse she had heard yet. Instead, she settled for giving a short bitter laugh. "Voldemort already wants to kill me. It takes a lot more than saying a name to get on his hit-list. Believe me." She stopped and looked seriously at the nervous students. "This is probably one of the most important things you will get out of this class: Do not be afraid of saying the name Voldemort. In the Headmaster's words, 'Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself.'
"Don't you see? By not saying Voldemort, you are setting yourself up for more fear, and Voldemort will have one more thing to hold over you. Do not give him that advantage. He takes enjoyment from seeing people cowering in front of him. By saying 'You-Know-Who' or 'the Dark Lord', you are merely adding to his enjoyment. Do you understand this?"
There was yet another stunned silence. The students were shocked, for no one had ever spoken to them about You-Know-er…Voldemort like this before.
Elphaba took their silence for an agreement. "Good. I'm glad we're all on the same page. From now on, I don't want to hear any more "You-Know-Who's" or "Dark Lords" in this classroom, or even any time I'm in the vicinity. If you want to talk about Voldemort, say Voldemort. If you are writing an essay or taking a test about Voldemort, I will not accept answers that say "You-Know-Who" or the "Dark Lord". Is that understood?"
There was a murmur of agreement in the room. Elphaba nodded, satisfied. "Now, as I was saying, today, we will be discussing Voldemort's reign." She took a piece of chalk and began writing dates and events on the board. "Write this down; there will most likely be a test on this. Voldemort's reign began almost fifty years ago when…"
The students all jumped as the bell rang over an hour later, signaling that it was time for lunch. "Homework," Elphaba called over the clamor of students stuffing books, quills, and parchment into their book bags. "I want two rolls of parchment analyzing why Voldemort was able to gain so much power, using the notes you took today and your own research, to be due next week. And remember, when you're talking about Voldemort, I expect you to use his real name."
Elphaba gave a small grin as the last student filed out of the classroom. "Although his real name is Tommy," she whispered.
"Tommy?" someone asked from the back of the room. Startled, Elphaba pulled out her wand from within the folds of her robes and shot a stunning spell at where she thought the voice had originated from.
"Sweet Oz, Elphie," Glinda cried as she leapt away from the burst of red light that had emanated from Elphaba's wand.
"Oh Merlin," Elphaba gasped, dropping her wand and running towards Glinda. "Glinda. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's all right, Elphie. But…are you always this paranoid?" Glinda asked, trying to still her beating heart.
"Only when people startle me…when did you come in? No one's been able to sneak into my class before," Elphaba said.
"I've been in here this whole time," Glinda laughed. "Dumbledore thought that I would like to see your class, but he gave me this so that I wouldn't make you nervous." She held up a cloak made out of silvery material.
"An invisibility cloak," Elphaba murmured, reaching out and taking the proffered cloak. "I should have known."
"You're a really good teacher, you know," Glinda said, sitting down at one of the desks. "Although, to tell you the truth, back at Shiz, I'd never have expected you to become a teacher."
"I don't think any of us ended up where we thought we'd go back when we were at Shiz," Elphaba replied softly. There was a silence.
Tell her. Tell her now, Glinda mind screamed at her. "Elphaba, I-" Glinda couldn't do it, couldn't say those three words. I love you. She couldn't bear to think of rejection from the beautiful green woman in front of her.
"Yes?" Elphaba waited patiently. "What is it?"
"I lo-" Elphaba's heart skipped a beat. Could Glinda could possibly be saying what she thought Glinda was going to say?
However, she never found out what Glinda was going to say. At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, and Glinda lost her nerve. "-love what you've done with the place," she finished lamely. "I'm surprised that the walls aren't covered with black wallpaper or something like that."
Elphaba was sorely disappointed, but hid her disappointment well. What did you expect her to say? she berated herself. That she would actually be in love with you? "Thanks," she said. "I'm pretty sure that the only one who would choose to teach in total darkness would be Snape, and even he allows torches in his classroom."
"I-I'm sorry for interrupting, professor," the student who had interrupted Elphaba and Glinda stammered. "But Professor Dumbledore wants me to tell you to meet him in his office."
"Alright," Elphaba replied. "Thank you, Mr. Johnson. I should go, before Dumbledore sends a search party. I'll see you later, Glinda." She stood up and left quietly, leaving Glinda alone with her frustration about not being able to tell Elphaba such a simple thing.
As September segued into October, the Order of the Phoenix began to get terribly suspicious. There had been absolutely no attacks from Voldemort, and even Snape had not been summoned to a Death Eater meeting. Fiyero had been sent off on yet another mission for Dumbledore, but had not found anything useful. There was no inside information that the Order was able to gather at all. This particular fact was making everyone extremely nervous. Even Snape was more moody than usual: Elphaba had heard a rumor that he made some poor first-year Gryffindor cry a few days ago.
The trees had began to shed their leaves and the school grounds were soon covered with beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and brown. The skies turned grey and cloudy; the heavens often would open up and dump buckets of rain onto Hogwarts.
It was on such a day that Elphaba made a trip to the Headmaster's office. The steady drumbeat of rain was surprisingly soothing to her. According to Dumbledore, a few ministry officials had arrived at Hogwarts and wanted to question her about something. As Elphaba walked up the steps, she was mentally listing things in her head that said officials would want to talk with her about. As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything that would warrant an official questioning.
She knocked on the heavy wooden door that led to the Headmaster's office. "Come in," Dumbledore called.
Elphaba hesitantly opened the door and looked in. "Hello, Albus. Well, I'm…here for the…questioning," she said.
"Good, good," an official who had been standing by a different table said. "Well, Headmaster, I'll have you step out then. As this is strictly ministry business, this must be conducted in privacy."
"I'm sorry, Auror Davis, but seeing that this concerns a member of my staff, I believe I have to right to stay here," Dumbledore evenly replied.
The first auror looked at his partner. The other auror shrugged. "It'll be alright, I guess," he said uncertainly. "After all, we're going to have to talk to him later anyways." He turned to Elphaba. "Have a seat, Miss Thropp." He pointed to a wooden chair in the corner.
Feeling very much like she was a child being chastised, Elphaba did as the auror asked. "May I ask what exactly I was dragged up here for?" she asked, annoyed at all this secrecy.
"I am Auror Davis," the first auror began as if he hadn't heard Elphaba at all, "and this is my partner, Auror Xiodes. We have some questions pertaining to the behavior of Severus Snape."
"Snape?" Elphaba asked, surprised. "What does Snape have to do with anything?"
"We're doing the questioning," Xiodes snapped. He turned and looked at Davis.
"Alright, Miss Thropp, I understand you are a close friend of Snape," Davis began, looking very hard at the green witch, as if to try to detect any lies. "How long have you known him?"
"Yes, we are good friends," Elphaba answered. "I've known him for about five years, ever since I arrived at Hogwarts."
"In these five years, what has been Snape's behavior towards you, the faculty, and other students?" Davis continued.
"Mr. Davis," Dumbledore stood up. "I've already given testimony as to Severus Snape's behavior. What is the purpose of asking Professor Thropp the exact same questions?"
"Testimony?" Elphaba questioned. "Is this some kind of trial?"
Again, the aurors ignored her. "With all due respect, Dumbledore, we would like to get a different opinion on Snape before we make a final decision. Just answer the question, Miss Thropp."
"Snape has been a very good colleague to all the faculty. He may be strict, but he is a good teacher, as he generally can get the lesson across to any student," Elphaba exasperatedly told the aurors. "What is the point of all this?"
"Has Snape ever threatened you in any way, physically or otherwise?" Davis kept going.
"No. Snape is not that type of person," Elphaba growled, thoroughly annoyed now. "If you'd spent even ten minutes to get to know him, you'd see that under his mask, he really is a good friend."
"Do you think that your answers have been perhaps influenced by your relationship with Snape?" Xiodes interjected.
"Relationship?" Elphaba sputtered. "What bloody relationship are you talking about?"
"Snape's and your romantic relationship," Davis said, his ice-cold eyes boring into Elphaba's. "I've heard from several sources that you and Snape are seeing each other."
"This is ridiculous!" Elphaba stood up and glared at both men. "Why are you so interested in the personal life of a respected professor? If you care so much, perhaps you should ask Snape himself before listening to absurd rumors and acting like gossiping teenagers. And for the record, no, we're not dating! And why would you assume that because we talk to each other a lot, we're officially seeing each other?"
"Fae, please, sit down," Dumbledore interrupted Elphaba's rant. "Let me explain this to you."
"I will tell you, Miss Thropp," Davis said coldly, "why we care. There have been claims that Severus Snape is a voluntary Death Eater. We have come to Hogwarts to investigate these claims. Let me ask you bluntly: Has Snape ever, in the five years you've known him, asked you to be a Death Eater?"
"Bloody hell," Elphaba exploded. "Perhaps this is another example of you 'hearing from several sources'. Do you have any proof that Snape is a Death Eater? Can you uphold a court case?"
"We have several witnesses lined up who will willingly testify that Snape is a Death Eater," Xiodes informed her.
"Oh, really?" Elphaba said sarcastically. "Like who?"
"That would be classified ministry information, Miss Thropp," Davis replied. "We are merely here to strengthen our case and gain some more information on Snape's behavior. In the meantime, Dumbledore, I'd advice you to put Snape on probation. Best try to keep more evidence from reaching our ears," he sneered.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Thropp," Xiodes said, jotting notes into a notepad. "We will be contacting you about the date and time of the trial." Dropping his notepad into a briefcase, he snapped it shut and left the office with Auror Davis.
"This is ridiculous, Albus," Elphaba snapped once the door had closed. "What proof do they have that Snape is a Death Eater? Can't you stop this?"
"I don't know," Dumbledore answered tiredly. "They would not tell me why or how they found out that Severus is a Death Eater. Many years ago, I'd given testimony that he wasn't- I'm not sure how the court decision was overturned. I'll tell you if I find anything else out."
"Does Snape know about this?" Elphaba asked desperately.
"No, not yet. It's going to be hard telling him," Dumbledore told her. "But I owe it to him. He should know about this." He paused. "You should go, Fae. There's nothing either you or I can do about this by just complaining."
Elphaba left the office, almost shaking with anger. These…these bastards are completely senile, she thought. Of all the things the ministry has done, this takes the cake. This whole bloody ministry is as corrupt as the Wizard, if not even more so.
She was so focused in her thoughts and anger that she barely avoided running into someone. "Elphie," someone said. "Are you all right?"
Elphaba glanced up to see Glinda looking worriedly at her. "Dandy," she spat. "I'm peachy keen, seeing that one of my best friends is about to be arrested." Without another word, she stormed off, leaving Glinda very concerned about her best friend.
Coming up: Glinda gets more suspicious and a battle.
I was going to post this over the weekend so you wouldn't have to wait so long for the 8th one, but I decided 'Oh, what the heck. I'm done with chapter 7, so why not post it now..."
Therefore, the 8th one might come after a little while longer, since Mara is writing the first part and she's probably busy this week what with drama rehersals and such...
-Wolfie