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....which means "spoiler alert" to those of you that haven't caught on yet....
There's ONE mention of offscreen characters partying and getting drunk, but I guess if you'd get offended by that, you're already offended now. Oh well.
Author’s note: Severus!?! Master of non-verbal (undetectable illusion) spells, master of potions (antidotes/vaccines), killed by a SNAKEBITE?! C’mon!
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“I’m sorry, Harry, but Professor Cleveley has been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the past twelve years, and I can’t possibly justify replacing him just because you’re threatening to throw a temper tantrum in my office.”
“I wasn’t!” Potter protested. His tone was much calmer.
Headmaster Snape looked at Potter as if trying to make up his mind.
“I know Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have wanted me to turn you down. You’ve done a great service to the wizarding world by killing Voldemort and helping to finally rid the world of his followers.” He thought for a moment and finally said, “I’m in the process of selecting a new History of Magic teacher. I’d hate to turn down everyone who’s already applied in favor of someone who didn’t even interview, but it seems to be the only solution.”
“History of Maaagic!?” Potter wailed. “But I slept throug—I mean…I don’t think I fully understand every nuance in wizarding history to successfully convey the richness and depth of—”
“If you passed the class by copying Mrs. Weasley’s notes,” Severus said evenly, “you can teach the class by borrowing them for a year or two. I’m sure she still has them.”
Potter was silent for a moment. He was exactly right. Hermione probably had all seven years worth of verbatim lectures, transcribed textbooks, and personal annotations.
“But I’m an Auror,” Potter said patiently. “I killed Voldemort, and I was one of the best on the force afterwards. I’ve spent the past nineteen years hunting down the last of the dark wizards. I’ve decided to teach at Hogwarts now, so you NEED to let me teach something that suits my profession. I’m sure Professor Cleveley will understand when you tell him that.”
He sat back in his chair, holding back a satisfied smile. NO one could possibly turn down an argument THAT good.
“You spent the greater part of the last FIVE years in an office waiting in vain for reports to come in.” Severus sounded exasperated now. “Furthermore, the best Aurors don’t always make the best teachers. Take Professor Moody for examp—”
“ARE YOU BAD-TALKING MAD-EYE MOODY!?!” Potter leaped from his chair. “I HOPE YOU KNOW YOU’RE TALKNG ABOUT THE BEST AUROR AND FRIEND THAT EVER LIVED, AND THAT WHEN VOLEMORT KILLED HIM, IT WAS THE SADDEST, SADDEST, SADDEST THING THAT EVER, EVER, EVER, HAPPENE—”
***
“Sure you can borrow my History of Magic notes,” Hermione said. “Hugo only lost a couple pages, and Rose doesn’t need them; she prefers to write up her own.”
Harry caught the pride in her voice.
“Why do you need them? I thought you were going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.”
Harry poked a log, sending sparks flying and cutting the floo network connection.
***
“You’re back.”
It was not a question, but a statement. Severus knew better than to expect their conversation last month would clear everything up.
“It’s about Malfoy.”
“Scorpius?” Severus sighed inwardly. He had been expecting this to come up eventually. “What about him?”
“I caught him sneaking around the halls at night again with his friends.”
Severus was silent for a moment.
“And they were whispering together in class today. They can’t be up to anything good.”
“Quite a few students break the rules at least once during their first year,” Severus said calmly.
Potter couldn’t know about the secret portal beneath the Hufflepuff Common Room! He still hadn’t ruled him out as a suspect in the disappearance of Professor Cleveley. Severus knew Potter was most likely innocent, but still….
“Once he finds the limit to how far the rules can be bent, he will probably settle down,” Severus continued.
Scorpius must have taken the hint he’d dropped about the location of the funny noise Cassandra Goyle had noticed! She was such a bright girl to have linked the sound to the same monster behind the attack by dissidents long ago in Hogwarts history. Severus only hoped they could save the day in time.
“Why won’t you talk to them?” Potter asked. “You’re acting as if all this is okay!”
“Harry,” Severus said with a sigh. “I can’t help it that Hugo Weasley and Teddy Lupin fell in with friends you didn’t approve of and now sneak out at night for the sole purpose of partying and getting drunk. I can’t help it that Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw and only cares about getting top grades and becoming the youngest prefect in Hogwarts history. Furthermore, I’m genuinely proud of the fact that Scorpius is a model student when he isn’t throwing the occasional snide remark.”
“But—”
“And I ALSO can’t help,” Severus interrupted, “that his mother broke up with you.”
For once, Potter was utterly speechless.
“Do you want to discuss what this is really about?” Severus asked him.
Potter thought for a moment, and finally began to speak.
“This snot-nosed upstart who seems to hate me for no apparent reason is the son of my true love and the guy who spent seven years making my life miserable. He looks like HER, but acts like a toned-down version of HIM. The fact that SHE’s dead makes it even worse, not to mention that SHE turned me down in favor of HIM. Furthermore, I’m forced to put up with all this in a class I don’t even want to teach! I feel you don’t trust me for the arbitrary reason that we come from different houses. Finally, you seem to take his side in everything because he’s a member of your own house. How can you not understand how I feel when you—”
And that’s when the realization hit.
This post has been edited by Iellwen_Eruanna: 30 April 2009 - 08:55 AM
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