Armilla II

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

Chapter 13

"Armilla!" Lisa shrieked, pushing her way through the swarm of hungry students eager to make their way into the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. Terry was a step behind her, smiling at the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost, who was looking at Lisa with disapproval.

I had been waiting by the foot of the marble staircase for the past five minutes, trying to spot my friends in the bustling crowd. I had already seen Hermione, Harry and Ron. Hermione, knowing Severus disapproved of a public friendship, had nodded her hello. Harry had given me a crooked smile, and Ron's gaze had only been towards the tables in the Great Hall.

I hadn't started to feel insecure until I saw Draco Malfoy swagger in with Blaise Zabini, closely followed by his two goons, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis. Draco saw me, but gave me no acknowledgement. I was happy with that. I gave a small shudder as I watched him smirk over some comment Zabini had whispered into his ear. They were looking at a crowd of Gryffindors in front of them.

What did surprise me was the look Pansy Parkinson gave me. Our eyes suddenly met and she gave me a sickly sweet, triumphant smile. I had to suppress another shudder. Pansy and I did not have a good history. Things had gone downhill years earlier when I had turned her hair green after she had told me I was stunted. I smiled to myself as I thought of the flipper she had grown when I had caused her hex to backfire...and I hadn't gotten into trouble with Severus for it either.

"The Hogwarts Express took simply forever to get here," Lisa announced as she pulled me into a tight embrace. "When did you get here?"

"Just yesterday," I replied, as she released me. "It was eerie around here being the only student."

"I'll bet," Terry said, as I turned to hug him. "I bet you know about new staffing then?"

"Yep," I said airily, rocking back and forth on my heels.

Lisa pulled a face. "Well?"

I smiled. "Can't say." I nodded in the direction of the Great Hall. "In any case, you'll see the new person soon enough."

"Can't be worse than Umbridge," Lisa grumbled.

"I wouldn't think so," I said thoughtfully. The truth was, I didn't know what to make of Horace Slughorn. I hadn't found him sleazy, but I certainly hadn't found him gentlemanly either. I couldn't put my finger on what it was that I didn't like about him. He just didn't seem genuine. Severus had known him for years, having had him as his Head of House, and he didn't seem to be at all bothered by the fact that he was back. But then, Severus probably felt relieved to have his old teacher back instead of the likes of Dolores Umbridge and Gilderoy Lockhart.

"I'm starving," said Terry, as we joined the throng of students heading for the Great Hall. "The house elves better have made drumsticks."

As we made our way to the Ravenclaw table, I spotted my brother walking along the Slytherin table, nodding in greeting at his students and pausing every now and then to speak to some of the older ones. He passed Draco Malfoy without so much as a nod, seeming not to notice the narrowed-eyes through which the blond ferret was watching him. Pansy Parkinson was at his, side stroking his arm. I was about to roll my eyes when Malfoy turned back and smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing the tips of her fingers.

Ugh. I couldn't suppress a shudder. How Disgusting.

"Hey look, the ferret's caught himself a minx," Terry said, looking revolted. "That's stooping to new lows."

"Except in Malfoy's case, he doesn't need to stoop," Lisa pointed out, as we sat down at the table. "To me he's already at the bottom of the cauldron."

"And what about me?" Terry asked, grinning at her. "Where abouts in the cauldron am I?"

Lisa smiled back, reaching across the table to take his hand. "Right at the top, of course."

"Yuck, cut it out, lovebirds," said Anthony Goldstein, as he sat down on Terry's other side. "Hey mate," he said, shaking Terry's hand. He looked over at Lisa and I. "Have good hols?"

"Yeah," said Lisa, as I nodded. "I heard a rumour that you weren't coming back this year."

Anthony nodded. "It was only decided this morning that I'd come. Mum's furious with me. She didn't want me to come back. Dad kept pointing out that I'd probably be safer here." He grinned at me. "In any case, I kept threatening to leave home if they wouldn't let me come."

"Not likely," said Terry. "You've got no money to support yourself."

Anthony shrugged. "I could have gotten a part-time job at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for a while. Did you guys see that place? It's an eye-popper at the very least. I could have spent my week's pocket money in there in one hit."

"Oh it's a very nice shop," came a dreamy voice. We turned to see Luna Lovegood slip into the chair on Lisa's other side. "I purchased a rather nice Pygmy Puff there."

"Oh, aren't they sweet!" said Padma Patil, sitting down on Luna's other side. "Parvati and I have seven of them between us."

"Really?" said Mandy Brocklehurst, from further down the table, where she and Ruby Parkes had just sat down. "I thought they were weird things. Did you get one, Ruby?"

Ruby shook her head, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Not for me."

"So how was summer with Snape, Armilla?" Anthony asked.

"Yeah, how many Potions did you make?" asked Michael Corner, sniggering.

"Oh so witty," I said dryly, giving Michael a look that told him he was a complete idiot.

"No, really?" Anthony pressed. "How bad was it?"

"Awful," I said, my eyes wide. I was very conscious that the conversations that had struck up around us had suddenly either paused or quietened. "When I didn't get Potions correct, I had to scrub the floor with my own toothbrush; not that that was bad compared to the frog guts I had to sort through every evening."

Terry guffawed and Anthony punched him lightly in the arm.

"Okay, I get it," Anthony said, smiling, "I'll mind my own business."

"I think it would be simply lovely to have Professor Snape as a brother," said Luna, very matter-of-factly.

I was relieved as all eyes turned upon her, many mouths agape.

"Sorry?" said Michael, looking at her as if she had three heads.

"He's a black-cloaked mystery," Luna said, her eyes wide. "He'd be fascinating to study."

Lisa giggled and I did very well to suppress my own smile.

"Perhaps you ought to suggest the idea to Snape," said Terry, looking at me. "I'm sure he'd love to have Luna carry out an analysis."

"Thrilled," I replied, looking up at the Head Table to see Severus sitting down on Dumbledore's right. Dumbledore leaned over to say something to him, looking rather amused about something. Severus merely scowled in response.

"Like a walrus, the new one, isn't he?" Stephen Cornfoot whispered, nodding in the direction of the staff table.

"Blimey, you're right," said Michael, craning his neck to get a better look at Slughorn. "A walrus wrapped in velvet."

"He might be a nice teacher," Lisa said, looking cross.

"Well, we're in a position to be judgemental after a year with Umbridge," I pointed out. "We've put up with a lot."

"Too right," Terry muttered. "Aha, here come the First Years."

A procession of scared looking students, the majority trying their best to go unnoticed, was led to the front of the Hall.

"They're so small," Lisa whispered.

"Yeah, just a little shorter than Armilla," Terry teased. "Ow!"

"Whoops," I said softly, after my foot had accidentally come into contact with his shin.

We watched as Professor McGonagall brought out the three-legged stool with the Sorting Hat. The old thing really looked like it was about to fall apart. She went through the usual instructions and then proceeded to read off a long parchment.

"Alcott, Rachel!"

A tiny girl with long dark braids nervously pushed her way through the crowd and sat upon the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table let out a cheer to welcome their newest member, who happily raced to the table to escape the attention.

"Beckett, Tarah,"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Our table erupted into enthusiastic applause as the timid looking girl hurried over to us.

The list drew on, with the tables growing less and less enthusiastic with each student. It seemed people were more excited about the food coming up afterwards. I noticed that Severus watched every new Slytherin very carefully as he or she made their way to the Slytherin table. The list seemed a little shorter than usual this year; perhaps some parents had decided not to send their children to school because of the war.

The food finally came and no one was more delighted than Terry when the drumsticks appeared right in front of him. I was more excited when the desserts came; a huge trifle appeared right in front of us and I tucked into it without hesitation. I had been at Severus to make trifle ever since he had made one fall on top of Docky when he had been a child. He had refused all summer. I could just make out a trifle right near Severus at the Head Table and he was watching with pursed lips as Dumbledore helped himself. He suddenly met my eye and I smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and reached for the coffee pot instead.

At last we were all full and the conversation had died down considerably. Dumbledore stood up, his blue eyes sweeping the Hall before speaking.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he said merrily, his arms opened wide.

A soft murmuring broke out through the Hall. Dumbledore's blackened hand was clearly visible.

"What happened to his hand?" Terry whispered, looking aghast.

"It looks like it...died," said Lisa, looking revolted.

Luna was shaking her head sadly. "Nargles must have gotten him at last."

"Nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said simply, shaking his sleeve over his hand. "Now...to our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back!"

He proceeded to talk about the usual things, like Quidditch tryouts, banned products (which included a blanket ban on all Weasley products) and out-of-bounds areas. Everyone perked up once more when Dumbledore finally addressed the subject of staffing.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year." He smiled broadly towards Slughorn, who stood up, his bald heading shining from the candlelight. "Professor Slughorn," he continued, "is a former colleague of mine who used to teach here as Potions Master. However, since I would never deprive our Professor Snape of that post," he paused to nod in respect at Severus, who gave a tiny nod back, his face grim, "Professor Slughorn has agreed to fill the role of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Murmuring broke out through the Hall, and I overheard some Gryffindors saying they would have preferred to have Slughorn for both subjects simply to get rid of Severus.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the silence ceased. "Now, as everyone in this Hall knows," he said, his voice ringing out clearly through the Hall. "Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

I allowed myself to sneak a peek in Malfoy's direction. I wanted to see how the newly appointed Death Eater would approach the situation. I pursed my lips, thanking Merlin for the gift of impulse control when I saw that he was making his fork hover in midair. I dearly wanted to hex him into smithereens at that moment.

"I cannot emphasise strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is," Dumbledore went on, his face serious, "and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them - in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and each other's safety."

He paused to smile and I noticed that a few of the first year Ravenclaws looked rather green.

"But now," the Headmaster continued, "your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say goodnight. Pip pip!"

There was an immediate breakout of noise as chairs scraped back, prefects called for First Years and the rest started discussing Dumbledore's mention of You-Know-Who.

"Kind of takes the excitement of the night away, doesn't it?" Terry muttered, as we joined the throng of Ravenclaws heading for Ravenclaw Tower.

"Password's Veni Vidi Vici," Padma said, as she rushed past to help out with the First Years.

"It does put a downer on things," Lisa agreed, "but that's the reality of the situation. I mean, people's relatives are dying."

Terry nodded. "One of Dad's colleagues said his neighbours just completely disappeared and they don't reckon they just went on holidays."

Lisa shook her head. "It's all so horrible," she said through clenched teeth. "What right has that maniac got to-"

"Lisa," I said quietly, giving her a look to stop talking.

"What?" she asked, frowning. Suddenly realisation dawned on her. "Oh right, sorry."

My friends knew what things they couldn't talk about in public and a maniac otherwise known as You-Know-Who was a forbidden subject. There could be eavesdroppers anywhere.

We were relatively quiet for the rest of the slow journey to Ravenclaw Tower. Lisa and I said our goodbyes to Terry in the common room and then ascended the stairs to the Sixth Years' dormitory.

"Ah, home at last," Lisa said cheerily, practically dancing into the room.

I followed her in, shaking my head. Actually, I felt a little bad that I didn't consider our dorm as home. At Hogwarts, my heart preferred to call my room in the dungeons home. I wasn't going to think about that though. I was happy to be back with my friends and I liked the other girls in my year, so there really was no reason to feel like I wanted to be in the dungeons. I just had to get into the habit of sleeping in the same room as four other girls again. At least, that was what Severus had told me that morning when we had brought my stuff up to the Tower. As it was, I was still going to spend some nights in the dungeons, which made me luckier than the most homesick First Year.

Mandy and Ruby were already in the dorm unpacking their trunks.

"Happy to be back, Lisa?" Mandy said sarcastically, shaking her head as Lisa pranced over to her bed.

Ruby was sitting on her bed holding a few pairs of tights and socks. She was looking at Lisa with a bemused expression. "Is that your idea of ballet, Lisa?"

"Nope," Lisa replied airily, undoing her trunk. "My sophisticated improvised dancing."

Ruby coughed in mock politeness and went back to sorting her socks.

I went over to my own bed and pulled out my pyjamas.

"You're already unpacked, Mill?" asked Mandy. "Did you get here with your brother much earlier then?"

"Yeah," I said. "Just a bit earlier. I had time to unpack."

I went into the bathroom to shower, grateful that I had the bathroom to myself. I wanted to see if Severus had left me a message on my chocolate frog card. Sure enough, the wizard on the front was waving, which indicated there was. Smiling to myself, I activated the card.

I do hope you didn't overdo it on the trifle. Goodnight.

I suppressed my laugh so the girls wouldn't hear me. I focused on my reply, hoping Severus had his card out so he could reply. He could be in the Slytherin common room, giving his annual speech about his expectations of behaviour from the House of Slytherin.

Actually, it was very good. You didn't know what you were missing out on. Goodnight.

I had a reply a moment later.

Actually, I did know what I was missing out on and for that reason I did not put myself through the task of consuming such a ghastly dessert. Pleasant dreams.

o o o o o o o o o o

"Good afternoon, everyone!" boomed Slughorn, instantly quietening the chatter in the classroom. Ravenclaw had Defence classes with the Gryffindors this year and as Slughorn wasn't selective about the grade required to take the class, all students from both Houses were taking it.

It was the last class for the day, for which I was rather glad. It was true that I had more free periods this year because I had dropped History of Magic and Astronomy, but the workload that had been piled upon us that day was unbelievable. Firstly I had received several translations to complete for Ancient Runes, McGonagall had given two essays in Transfiguration and then Flitwick had added his own essay during Charms. I was hoping Slughorn would be lenient. I wasn't looking forward to Double Potions the following morning; I had heard from older Ravenclaw students in years past that Severus' expectations in Advanced Potions were much higher considering that you had to have received an Outstanding OWL for Potions to take the class. I wasn't looking forward to the Potions workload, especially considering I felt a pressure to do well in my brother's subject.

"I hope you're all alert this afternoon," Slughorn said cheerfully, straightening his deep green waistcoat, "we have plenty to do."

There came a groan from the direction of Ron Weasley as he reached into his bag for his textbook.

"No, no, Mr Weasley," said Slughorn, chuckling slightly. "We are going to have a practical session today. Books away and wands out, please."

There was a murmur of excitement as everyone took out their wands. It had been so long since we'd had a decent Defence lesson. Well, since the rest of the class had. I wasn't as deprived in the Defence area, courtesy of Severus.

"Now," Slughorn said, coming around his desk to lean on it, which subsequently let out a creak, "Who can tell me about non-verbal spells?"

Several hands flew into the air, but none were as enthusiastic as Hermione's.

Slughorn smiled at her. "Ah...Miss..."

"Granger, sir," said Hermione, lowering her hand. "As the name suggests, a non-verbal spell does not require you to cast a spell verbally. Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform, which gives you a split second advantage."

"Well done!" said Slughorn, looking approvingly at her. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Hermione beamed with pleasure and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Granger, Granger," Slughorn said, his brow furrowed. "Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"No, I don't think so, sir," Hermione replied, "I'm Muggle-born, you see."

"Oho!" Slughorn bellowed, making several students in the class jump. Hermione looked confused at such a reaction. Slughorn turned to Harry. "'One of my best friends is Muggle-born and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry, nodding.

"Well, well," beamed Slughorn, looking delighted. His eyes roved the class before they settled on Neville. I noticed Hermione saying something to Harry, a smile on her face. Ron whispered something back, looking quite put out.

"Mr Longbottom," Slughorn said pleasantly, "can you enlighten us as to whether all witches and wizards are capable of performing non-verbal spells?"

Neville immediately turned red. "I think it's something that needs to be worked at, sir," he said thoughtfully. "If you've got a good control of your magic then you might conquer it sooner than others...so I think all witches and wizards could do it. They just need the dedication."

"Thankyou, Longbottom," said Slughorn, looking satisfied. "A well-thought out answer indeed. Another ten points to Gryffindor."

Neville looked immensely relieved.

Slughorn's eyes flew around the various students again before settling on me this time. "Miss Snape," he said loudly. He chuckled to himself. "There's a name I'm surprised to hear myself saying...but nevertheless delighted to be saying."

I suddenly felt the eyes of every person in the room upon me.

"Miss Snape," Slughorn went on, clasping his hands together in front of him. "Can you extend upon Mr Longbottom's answer? How can a witch or wizard develop the skill of being able to cast non-verbal spells?"

"It is a matter of concentration and mind power," I said quietly. "The witch or wizard needs to have complete focus in their spell-casting. To develop the skill, perhaps the person casting should start out with the simplest spells first and focus on channelling their magic through mind power."

"Yes!" said Slughorn, looking pleased. "Ten points to Ravenclaw! Very well answered." He stood up straight once more. "All right then, everyone, we shall now divide into pairs and practise casting spells non-verbally. Remember, you are not to say one word. Do not let me catch you whispering, murmuring or the like. Off you go then!"

The sound of scraping chairs was immediately heard as people jumped up enthusiastically, happy to have the opportunity to actually do some magic in Defence. I noticed that Slughorn made a beeline for Harry, clearly interested in watching him perform magic.

I had been confident in using non-verbal magic for many months, seeing as Severus had been keen to teach me. I partnered Lisa, while Terry partnered Anthony Goldstein.

"You already know this stuff," Lisa said quietly.

"Then we'll just focus on you learning it," I murmured back, before moving further back.

Lisa raised her wand, an intense expression on her face. "Cast something at me."

I raised my own wand and non-verbally cast the Jelly-Legs Jinx. Lisa immediately reached for the desk in an effort not to topple over. As I cancelled the spell she let out a laugh. "How many attempts is this going to take?"

I shrugged. "Go again?"

She nodded. "Yeah, cast the same one again."

I raised my wand and cast the spell a second time. As before, Lisa immediately reached for the desk as her legs gave way.

"Aha! Well done, Miss Snape!" boomed Slughorn, as I cancelled the spell on Lisa. He strode over from where he had been standing next to Harry. "Twenty points to Ravenclaw. The talent runs in the family I see!"

I noticed a few of the Gryffindors looking sour at this, especially Ron Weasley. I was surprised when I caught Harry's eye; he gave me the tiniest nod, as if he approved of Slughorn's comment.

My surprise lessened somewhat when, not five minutes later, Harry became the second person to cast a non-verbal spell. I had a strong feeling that it was a skill he had been developing with Severus. He was clearly proud when Slughorn also awarded him points.

"Two great talents in this class!" Slughorn exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I can see two people I know I will partner together for shared homework tasks this term! I want to promote Inter-House working partnerships and you two are clearly a good pair."

Oh no. I felt my face turn red, and I saw that Harry's was the same. Severus was going to love this idea.

o o o o o o o o o o

I made my way down to the dungeons after dinner that evening. I hadn't spoken to Severus since before the Welcoming Feast the day before and I just felt a need for his company. I wasn't scheduled to stay in the dungeons that evening; I had every intention on spending the night in Ravenclaw Tower simply because I didn't want to become dependent on staying with Severus in the dungeons.

I went straight to our quarters, hoping that Severus wasn't out at a staff meeting or meeting with his Slytherins. The sitting room was empty when I entered, but I could see light coming from the end of the corridor opposite me.

"Severus?" I called, walking towards the corridor. The light was coming from his bedroom.

"In here," he called back.

I moved to the doorway and found my brother sitting on the foot of his bed, a parchment in his hand. He looked up at my footsteps.

"Hello," I said.

He smiled. "Good evening. I trust you've had a satisfactory day?"

I nodded. "It was okay."

"Well then, you may tell me about it, but do cease lingering in the doorway first."

I took a step into the room. I had never been in his bedroom at Hogwarts before. Typical for the Head of Slytherin, the carpet was a deep shade of green and the bed hangings were the same. The bedcovers were black with green and silver stitching through them. I decided I much preferred his blue bedroom at the Merrigan Estate.

"You can come in, Armilla," Severus said, folding the parchment in his hands. His eyes widened. "The explosive magical traps in here might not get you."

I gave him a guilty smile before moving into the room. I sat down next to him on his bed. "I've got too much homework," I grumbled.

"Better get started on it then," he said dismissively. "You'll have a fair amount more after my class tomorrow."

I nodded, suddenly feeling like I was underneath a pile of books, all waiting to be read.

"Slughorn was rather eager to talk to me at dinner this evening," Severus commented, running his finger along the fold in the parchment in his hands. "He was certainly singing you praises."

"We did non-verbal spells this afternoon," I said. "He's enthusiastic about everything."

He nodded. "I'm not undermining your achievement," he said, meeting my eye. "Slughorn told me that he had already expected you to be advanced in the subject. He had predicted that you would come already knowing how to do non-verbal magic. He knows I have taught you things."

"I'm not sure what to do in that class," I admitted.

Severus frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It was okay when I had Umbridge for the subject because we didn't do any magic," I explained. "Now that we are doing Defensive magic, I want to maintain an Outstanding in the subject."

Severus nodded. "Of course. You have no reason not to maintain it."

"But Slughorn kept going on this afternoon that I was a talent," I said uncomfortably. "I didn't like that because I'm not. You've just already taught me that stuff, that's all. Should I just pretend not to know things? I don't want Slughorn to spread around his idea that I'm a talent in Defence. I don't want a reputation like that. If it gets back to Malfoy or-" I broke off, hoping Severus knew what I meant.

You-Know-Who had no interest in me and I wanted it to stay that way. He had sent out Coleman, one of his talent-spotting Death Eaters, to my father's house the year before to test me. On my Father's orders (and my own, really) I had pretended to be poor at duelling. If Malfoy or another Death Eater somehow heard from Slughorn that I was a talent in Defence then You-Know-Who might develop an interest after all.

Severus shook his head. "Do not concern yourself over that," he said seriously. "I have told you before that the Dark Lord does not have any interest in your potential as a Death Eater. He supports Father's theory that pureblood witches should keep away from Death Eater activity and concentrate instead on the matters of bringing pureblood children into the world."

I gave him a grim smile. "Well that makes me feel much better."

"As far as showing your true ability in class," he continued, ignoring my sarcasm, "by all means, maintain your Outstanding. Do what Slughorn asks you to do without any pretence, but do not ever let on anything about your mental shield. That must be kept to yourself. If you ever duel in class, duel without using your shield."

I nodded, feeling a little better about the situation.

"That said," Severus went on, looking very serious, "I remind you that you are not to use any form of magic in class that I developed myself. My creations which I have taught you are to remain between us and only us."

I nodded again. "I know."

"Slughorn also said that he thinks you may find his lessons too easy," Severus said. "I assured him that you would benefit from practising magic with the wide variety of people in your class, so I am not at all concerned that your time is being wasted. He expects that you will continue to develop your skills with me."

"Was that all he said?" I asked.

He frowned, looking suspicious. "Why?"

"He didn't mention Harry at all?"

Now he narrowed his eyes. "Potter? No, he wasn't mentioned at all." He was already looking irritated. "Why?" he asked in a hard voice.

"Harry was also successful in casting a non-verbal charm," I explained. "Slughorn thought he was a talent too."

"So?" Severus scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Half the wizarding world believes Potter is a talent. Ignorant fools."

"Well," I went on, somehow feeling a little bad for what I was about to tell him. "Slughorn mentioned something about promoting Inter-House partnerships for homework tasks this term."

Severus' expression was becoming darker by the second. He clearly knew what I was about to say.

"He wants to partner Harry and me together," I finished.

Severus sighed. "Naturally," he muttered. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Well then," he said, putting his hand down and turning to look at me, "it's something else I can use to threaten Potter with."

"What do you mean?" I said warily.

"Potter is to continue coming to me for the lessons he was receiving during the holidays," he explained. "I will merely slip in that I expect him to maintain a high grade whilst working with you...or suffer my displeasure."

"Oh great," I said unenthusiastically. Harry was going to love that.

"I don't like your attitude, Armilla," Severus said, frowning. "Though Potter's inclination to be lazy somewhat lessened during his stay at Grimmauld Place, I would not be surprised if his exposure to the other mindless Gryffindors encourages him to pick up old bad habits. That said, I will not tolerate Potter being the cause of any fall in your marks."

I said nothing. I knew he had a point, but I knew Harry did try hard in Defence. He had seemed very eager during the lesson that afternoon.

"Any other surprises?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "I can't think of any others."

"Good."

"How was your day then?"

"As expected," he said indifferently, "the First Years are the usual quivering, dim-witted, brainless bunch I will have the pleasure of trying to educate."

I felt compassion for the quivering First Years. I was pretty sure I had quivered too during my first Potions lesson.

"There is something I need to bring to your attention," Severus said, looking down at the parchment in his hands again. He looked up and his black eyes met mine.

"As you are very aware, the first anniversary of Merle's death is coming up next month."

I nodded. I had not forgotten. The seventeenth of October.

"This also means that not long after that will mark the first anniversary of you being with an alternative guardian."

I nodded again, wondering where he was going with this.

Severus sighed. "I received a letter this afternoon from the Family Services Department at the Ministry."

I looked at him in alarm, feeling an almighty pang in my chest.

"Nothing to worry about he said," holding a hand up. "It's routine. Father and I have received similar letters before, simply requiring responses as to how you were coping with the new arrangement."

"Why didn't they talk to me?" I asked.

"They wanted to, I assure you," he said, raising an eyebrow. "The Headmaster put a stop to it, saying that as Headmaster, he witnessed your care at school and deemed that you were well taken care off. Obviously, he couldn't speak for Father, but at the time you hadn't stayed with Father yet. This occurred about sixth weeks after Merle's death and the Headmaster didn't want you to suffer any more interruptions from Ministry-related issues."

"Oh." I remembered that I was having a bad enough time back then. I had never stopped to think about those things going on behind the scenes.

"This letter," Severus went on, indicating the parchment in his hand, "was to inform me that short interviews with you and myself, both separately and together, will be required in late November. By that time I will have had sole guardianship of you for five months. They will also want to know if you are coping with that change."

"Why can't Dumbledore stop this now?" I asked. "I thought he knows people in that Department who can take care of it."

"The Headmaster can only do so much, Armilla," he answered. "You were excused last year because Dumbledore said your grieving period meant that you would not be focused enough to clearly reflect upon relationships that had only just been established."

"So I have to answer the questions of some stranger who knows nothing about us?" I asked, feeling irritated.

"It's nothing to worry about," he said. "As I said, it's routine for that department. You shouldn't have a problem."

"I don't want to be left alone with someone from the Ministry," I said uncomfortably.

He shook his head. "That's where I do have the power. As you are underage, as your guardian I can request that someone chaperone you, which I most certainly will. The interviews will take place here at the school, so I will have Professor Flitwick sit in with you."

"All right then," I said, feeling dejected. I hated the idea of being questioned by a stranger about my relationship with Severus.

"I have told you this in advance so you can let the idea sink in," Severus said, watching me closely. "That does not mean you are to worry about it."

"Okay. I won't."

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

I smiled. "I mean I'll try not to."

He shook his head, standing up. "Come, I'll make us tea."

I stood up and followed him into the sitting room. The usual tea tray, which was a permanent feature, continuously restocked and refilled by the House Elves, was sitting on the dining table.

"Oh, I just remembered something I had to tell you," I said suddenly, as I joined Severus at the table.

"How incredibly reliable you are," Severus drawled, tapping the teapot with his wand to make it boil.

"It's nothing incredibly exciting," I said, watching him pour tea into our cups. "It's just a relief."

"What's a relief?"

"Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson."

He rolled his eyes. "I was aware of that particular development. They've made it no secret at every meal." He pushed my cup towards me. "I do understand your relief though because I feel it too. Nevertheless, remain cautious when near either of them, Draco in particular. I fear he will be a difficult student to manage this year...and speaking of students irritating me-" He paused as he lowered his cup and gave me a hard look. "-I stand firm on what I said about you not dating until after you graduate."

I stared at him, genuinely surprised. "I know," I said innocently.

"Then tell Mr Goldstein to direct his attentions elsewhere," he said firmly.

"Anthony?" I was rather bemused. Anthony was just another boy in my year. He was one of Terry's mates. "But he hasn't-"

"-stopped looking at you at every meal today," Severus finished for me, a scowl on his face, "even when he wasn't sitting near you. The young man is far from subtle."

"I didn't know," I said uncomfortably. "I hadn't noticed."

"You never do," he scoffed.

o o o o o o o o o o