Hey all! This is my first ever fanfic, so it means the world that you're here! This story is a bit of a slow-burn so please give it and the OC time to develop. Please vote for each chapter if you're enjoying the story, as that will motivate me to keep up with it and add more chapters regularly.
There will be adult content later on in the story!
TW: Body image, grief, death, suicide, non-sexual abuse
Sept 1, 1992
Theda Desmond gave a cursory glance to the vision of her own visage reflected before her. There in the mirror stood a young woman with short, dark curls in a shimmering silk dress that hugged all her curves, whether they were in the "right places" or not. She wrapped herself in her brand-new blue velvet robes, which were embroidered with gold constellations that twinkled in the light.
"I really should hem these at some point," She said to herself, lifting her robes to ensure the black seams on the back of her stockings aligned properly. She let the robes hang on her short frame, realizing that several inches of fabric were dragging on the floor behind her.
"No time to fix them now. Guess we're wearing these to the feast," She said, grabbing a pair of brown leather Mary Janes with a chunky heel.
Although anyone who crossed paths with Theda was likely to agree that she was a charming young witch in her own way, she had a way of putting one in mind of another, long-forgotten time. Perhaps it was the way she spoke, always so formal and polite, or perhaps it was the result of her many antiquated and impractical interests that others so rarely shared. Or, perhaps it was the way she dressed, and her mannerisms, and the classical, almost Georgian features she bore. That's not to say that she was unattractive, however. Her olive-toned, heart-shaped face was more comely than beautiful, the bridge of her nose adorned with a cluster of freckles that gradually dispersed as they reached the center of her round, flushed cheeks. Her once perfectly sculpted hourglass figure had lost some of its definition in recent years, but she was determined to embrace her body, knowing it would only continue to change as the years progressed.
Few people who knew her were even aware that Theda was a metamorphmagus.
Although she could change her appearance at will, and often did so when she was younger, she rarely acted on her abilities now. There was a certain pain in knowing that, despite every change in hair color, every intentional slimming of her arms, or plumping of her lips, the real Theda lay somewhere underneath.
During her teenage years, she became obsessed with altering her appearance, but always discovered a new fault with herself once another had been corrected. She often reflected on her 19th birthday, at which time she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and couldn't even recognize her own reflection. It was at that moment that she realized she had completely lost sight of her own identity, both inside and out, always trying to change herself into what society told her she should be.
Since then, she had resigned herself to the will of nature and vowed that she would only use her shapeshifting abilities when she felt it was justified. Here she stood, ten years later, once again examining herself in the mirror, but now, she genuinely liked what she saw. Most days, at least.
"Welcome, my friends, to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore announced to the crowded room, his voice booming in an effort to drown out the chattering students. "Before we begin tonight's feast, I'd like to say a few words. Firstly, I'd like to apologize in advance to all of you, as you'll soon find that cabbage will be in short supply for the time being, due to a particularly nasty infestation of flesh-eating slugs. Thankfully, our gamekeeper, Hagrid has informed me that he was able to fetch enough repellant to discourage them from feasting on the new batch Professor Sprout has so graciously been tending to. We'll keep you updated when the cabbages are nearing their harvesting time. Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to introduce two new professors we've acquired to our staff this year. Taking on the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, please welcome the acclaimed Gilderoy Lockhart."
Gilderoy stood up in his seat, giving the students a delicate wave while flashing his unnaturally white teeth and running his fingers through his golden hair. They loudly applauded him, while whispers and giggles could be heard from many of the girls in the room.
"On a sadder note, we recently said goodbye to our dear Professor Binns, who came to the realization at the end of the last term that he was, in fact, deceased. He plans to spend his retirement haunting his old barstool in the Three Broomsticks, so do pay him a visit on your next trip to Hogsmeade. Now, please join me in welcoming Professor Theda Desmond, who has kindly agreed to take his place as your History of Magic teacher this year."
Theda stood before the students, giving a polite nod and a sweet smile as a small handful of students clapped while the rest had gone back to chatting amongst themselves. Theda took no offense at their disinterest; she knew History of Magic was not a subject many students cared about, but she intended to change that.
"That is all for tonight's announcements," said Dumbledore. "Enjoy the feast, and do try to be in bed at a decent hour so you can have a pleasant first day of classes in the morning. Best of luck to you all!"
Theda sat back down, marveling at the wonderful spread of food that had just appeared on the tables. There were few things she loved more than food, and she had already begun to reach for several interesting dishes she was eager to try.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Desmond." Said Professor McGonagall, who was seated to her right.
"Thank you, I'm very happy to be here, Professor McGonagall."
"I'm sorry, have we been introduced? You'll have to forgive me, my memory's not what it used to be."
"Yes, actually, although I wouldn't expect you to remember me. I attended Hogwarts my sixth and seventh year, but I looked a lot different back then, so... either way, you wouldn't recognize me." Theda said in a lighthearted tone. "Plus, I was in Ravenclaw, so I never had the opportunity to get to know you very well, Professor."
"Well," said McGonagall with a sincere smile, "I look forward to getting to know you better this school year. If you'll excuse me, I must speak to Albus." McGonagall patted Theda on the shoulder before getting up.
Theda turned to the silent, dark-haired teacher seated to her left.
"I don't believe we've met, Professor...?"
"Snape." He replied, his eyes staring down at his plate.
"It's nice to meet you, Professor Snape."
He said nothing, as he continued slowly skewering small pieces of food onto his fork.
"May I ask which subject you teach?"
"Potions." He said, his tone sounding slightly pointed.
"You know, you are the only teacher at this table I envy," Theda said, enthusiastically. "Potions was always my favorite subject when I was in school."
"Perhaps you should teach it, then." He replied in a monotone voice, still not meeting her gaze.
Unsure if he was being sarcastic or not, Theda chose to ignore the comment.
"Actually, I am quite happy to be teaching History of Magic. That was my second favorite subject in school, and I feel like I could genuinely get the students to take an interest in it. I hope so, anyways."
"Hmph," he muttered. "Good luck getting any of these thick-skulled children to take an interest in anything that doesn't involve flying around on a broomstick or foolishly waving their wands about in the air."
Theda nearly choked on her dinner as she tried to suppress a laugh at Snape's comment about "thick-skulled children". She knew she shouldn't laugh, but she couldn't believe how shamelessly he had just insulted the students on the first day of the term while keeping a completely straight face. "Whoa," She thought, "This guy's obviously been here a while. He's completely jaded." Still, it was, in a way, amusing to her. Despite his remarks, she was still feeling cautiously optimistic about her first day on the job.
"Well, we shall see." She said, smiling. "Even if I get one kid to take an interest in the subject, I'll count that as a victory."
"Believe me, Miss, umm... What was your name?" His eyes met hers for the first time. She was surprised by how dark they were, the outline of his pupils only barely visible. He was the only person she'd ever met whose eyes were as dark as her own.
"Oh, sorry," She said, nervously looking away. "I'm Theda. Theda Desmond."
"Yes, well, Miss Theda Desmond... You'll soon find that these children are practically unteachable."
She said nothing, unsure how to respond.
"Still... I do hope you succeed in kindling a flame, however small, in at least one of your students."
Theda was surprised by the sudden sincerity in his voice.
"But if you want my advice, I recommend you keep an especially strict eye on Mr.—"
"Excuse me, Mrs. Desmond, may I borrow Professor Snape for a moment?" Dumbledore interrupted. "You too, Minerva. Please follow me."
Snape rose to follow Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"Good evening, Miss Desmond." He said, politely nodding his head before turning away.
"Merlin's beard," Huffed the rather large man who had been sitting on the other side of McGonagall.
"Sorry?" Theda inquired.
"Oh, my apologies, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper. I was jus' muttering something to me'self is all."
"Is anything wrong?" Asked Theda.
"Oh, no, don't worry about it. Enjoy the feast."
Theda smiled before taking another bite.
"...It's jus' a couple of the students got 'emselves into a bit of a ruckus."
Despite Hagrid's initial statement, it was obvious that something was deeply troubling him. Theda turned her attention back to him as Hagrid muttered nervously.
"Seems they missed the train and decided to drive, well, actually, fly themselves here. Crashed right into the Whomping Willow."
"Was anybody hurt!?" She gasped.
"No, it doesn't seem so. Well, no one but the tree, that is. They'll be alright."
"What's the penalty for something like this? Do you think Dumbledore intends to expel them?" She asked, with concern in her voice.
"No, I don't think so. I hope not, at least. Professor McGonagall will decide their punishment. Probably give 'em a month's detention, I suspect. Something tells me Dumbledore brought Professor Snape along to give 'em a good scare. Keep 'em from pulling another stunt like that."
Theda let out a small laugh, remembering Snape's comment about "unteachable, thick-skulled children."
"Well, I'm sure Professor Snape is the right man for the job." She wondered what the students thought of him, although she had a feeling the disdain he clearly felt towards them was mutual.
"Still," She thought to herself, unsure of what to make of Snape. "Despite his severity, for a moment there he seemed sort of...kind."