“Well, its about the opposite of Order business, they finally decided to give me a few days off and I assured McGonagall that it would be in the best interest of my mental state if I spent a few days here.”
“I suppose that’s a reasonable answer.”
“It’s the best you’re going to get,” Stefan said as he nicked a pillow from his girlfriend.
“Stefan… what’s going on out there? They don’t tell us anything.”
“Do you really want to know?”
Dierna propped herself up on her elbow, her chin set defiantly, “don’t you dare keep me in the dark because you want to protect me.” “Don’t say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“But we have to know what’s going on out there! Why doesn’t anyone see that?!” Dierna’s eyes flashed as she sat up, “the instructors cannot hold Hogwarts on their own should the Death Eaters attack. Not only would they be grossly outnumbered, but they’re not all warriors. McGonagall and Flitwick are powerful, but they’re old. Most of the instructors are old…”
“But that doesn’t mean…”
“Think of the staff here Stefan! Who are the ones that have a chance against the Death Eaters?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer before she started listing them off, “McGonagall, Flitwick, Black, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom, and my dad. Seven, we have seven fully trained wizards that stand a chance against the Death Eaters.”
“What about your mum?”
“She’s not a warrior, Stefan, and even if she was Dad wouldn’t let her anywhere near the fighting if it was in his power. The students are going to have to fight. We know a siege is coming, but we don’t know when and we don’t know what to expect. How can we defend ourselves if we don’t know what we’re up against?”
Stefan nodded once, “the portraits in McGonagall’s office that have frames elsewhere will alert out allies. So there will be more defense than just the professors. Examine the course curriculum closely, there may be some subtle changes in it to reflect battle skills. And ask questions, the more you press the professors the more you may be able to get out of them.”
Dierna snorted, not bloody likely, especially where Dad is concerned, “but what’s going on out there? What do we need to be prepared for?” “People are going into hiding. Voldemort has all of the allies he’ll need, but he needs information. He’s torturing people Dierna, and then killing them. But they’re not the ones he needs. The ones with the information he wants are already in hiding, so he’s killing innocents who’ve done nothing more than not declare themselves on his side.”
“What if he attacks?” Dierna asked in a low whisper.
Stefan mulled that over as he pulled her against his chest, both of them finding comfort in the embrace, “do not concern yourself with his allies, they are demons and creatures that you wouldn’t stand a chance against. Leave them to the Order and the aurors that are on our side. Work on your dueling, it’s probably going to fall to the older students to fend off most of the Death Eaters, do what you can to protect the younger ones.” He pressed his lips against her red curls, “and never underestimate the House Elves, they’re a formidable force all on their own.”
“Dear Merlin… we’re going to have to fight the Death Eaters…” Dierna’s mind raced, “we have to start planning, we have to be prepared…” she clung to Stefan a bit tighter. Until now her parents’ concern over the war and flowed around her, now she felt as though she was drowning. “We’re going to have to fight, and people are going to die… my classmates are going to die.”
“We’re just going to have to do our best. There may be more people on our side than we know.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Wow!” Olivia clutched the bracelet in her hands, her blue eyes shinning as she gazed at it in awe. Little white shells and pieces of pink coral were threaded on it and clinked together happily.
“Here child,” the non-human man, who refused to reveal his name, worked the clasp and hooked it around Olivia’s wrist.
“Thank you!” Olivia threw her arms around his waist and hugged him fiercely. She had found it easier and easier to slip away from the castle to be with her new friends. She liked them, even if they weren’t human.
“Someone is coming,” the beautiful woman said. She too had refused to divulge her name. “We must leave.”
Olivia turned around and took a few steps towards the castle, there was a faint rustling behind her, but when she turned back her friends were gone. She didn’t give it any thought, she lived in a castle full of secrets, it didn’t seem odd to her that her new friends had secrets of their own.
She barely made it back up the hill and slipped in a little used side entrance without being seen. If she wasn’t so small the task would have been impossible. Now the task was to find someone to latch onto as she wasn’t supposed to wander about on her own. She started up towards Gryffindor tower, she knew someone would let her into the Common Room so that she could find her sisters, but she stopped as she passed the Hospital Wing, the door was open a crack and she could hear people talking.
“You’re as good as new Mr. Malfoy,” Madame Pomphrey declared as she bustled about putting straightening things up with a flick of her wand as she went. “But, circumstances as they are… the Headmistress said you can have a bed here for as long as you need it.”
Draco looked up at his former Housemaster who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, “I don’t know what to do,” he confessed.
“I suggest you figure that out.”
“I don’t know what to do… I can’t go anywhere where the Death Eaters are. I can’t imagine that I can find a job anywhere. To the Death Eaters I’m a traitor, to everyone else I’m a Death Eater.” He smiled wryly, “I can’t even purchase my own clothing,” he plucked at the finely tailored sleeve of the dark blue robes Severus had procured for him.
“I suggest you start thinking about what employable skills you have.”
Draco snorted, “I have a Hogwarts education and Death Eater experience. Not to mention an infinite amount of patience acquired from years spent locked up,” his voice was bitterly sarcastic.
“Truly impressive,” Snape responded dryly, “I am sure that all of Diagon Alley will open their doors to you with that resume.”
“I may spend the rest of my life cooped up in this school.”
Severus’ eyes quickly slid to the doors to the infirmary, than almost as quickly right back to his former student. He snapped his fingers and a House Elf immediately appeared at his side.
“How can I be assisting you sir?”
“Tell Eva that I want to see her in my office later.”
“Yes sir, right away sir,” the House Elf disappeared with another *pop*.
“I think you will find that I am a fair, if somewhat demanding employer. Give me no reason to doubt your abilities and you may stay safely at Hogwarts with a purpose to serve,” Severus said evenly, showing no emotion whatsoever.
“Tell me what you want me to do sir,” Draco said willingly, the phrase ‘brewing glory’ sticking out in his mind.
A slight smirk crossed Severus’ lips, it was enough to give Draco serious doubts, “I hope you were not exaggerating when you mentioned your ‘infinite patience’, you shall need it. You are Olivia’s new tutor, let me know what supplies you need.” He turned towards the door, “well, get in here!” he snapped. A moment later a guilty looking Olivia shuffled around the door, “we shall discuss your eavesdropping later,” Severus promised his daughter.
“Professor Snape…” Draco tried to protest. He didn’t know the first thing about tutoring a small child!
“I suggest you two get to know one another as you will be spending a great deal of time together,” Severus gave Olivia a slight push towards Draco’s bed before sweeping out of the room.
Olivia fingered the shell bracelet, which she had tucked into her pocket, “I promise I don’t cause too much trouble.”
“Are you sure?” Draco asked warily. The child standing in front of him was almost as terrifying to face as a whole horde of Death Eaters. He had no idea what to do with her.
“You don’t know how to teach, do you?” Olivia asked innocently.
“No.”
“Did you have my Dad as a teacher?”
“Yes.”
“Well… can’t you just copy him?”
Draco snorted, “I don’t think you’d enjoy that very much.” He smiled to himself as he recalled days spent in Professor Snape’s classroom. Although Snape appeared to favor the Slytherins in the classroom… he suppressed a grimace as he recalled several outstanding instances… Slytherins who were unfortunate enough to incur Snape’s displeasure in class were dealt with outside of the classroom, away from the eyes of the other Houses.
“Dierna said he’s a ba…” Olivia trailed off uncertainly, “a word I’m not allowed to say,” she amended, “when he teaches.” She looked up to her new tutor for confirmation. “I don’t know what it means though. Does it mean he’s mean? Because I don’t think he’s mean.”
“I think I’ll not answer that question and let you decide on your own when you’re old enough to be in his class.” He decided it might be best to not answer that question. Although he was starting to realize that answering numerous questions was going to be a large part of his new job. He hoped Snape paid well.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“You did what?!”
“I have released Miss Bhaer from her responsibilities as Olivia’s tutor and have appointed Mr. Malfoy instead,” Severus responded calmly.
“How could you do that without discussing it with me first?!” Morgan snapped, “you know how I feel about him!” She turned angrily on her husband, “I won’t stand for this, I don’t want him around her.”
“Morgan, there is nothing else for him to do. To the Death Eaters he is a traitor and to everyone else he is seen as a Death Eater. I cannot abandon him.”
“I don’t trust him, especially with Olivia.”
“My decision stands, he will be her tutor.”
“With no regard to how I feel about it?” Morgan angrily jabbed a finger into her husband’s chest, “you are not the only one whose opinion matters, especially where our daughter is concerned.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to know how it feels to be regarded as an enemy when you are with those who are your allies,” Severus responded coolly. “I would not suggest trying to undermine my decision.” Feeling that the conversation was over he turned to leave, he still had papers to grade.
“I don’t think she’s very happy with you,” the large gilded mirror, which had been in the Snape family for generations, said in an attempt to be helpful.
Severus didn’t slow his long strides, “she’ll get over it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
