Once A Student - Always A Student?

~Flashback~

Coventina studied the letter. Seventh year Slytherins were starting to fill the common room, intending to party hard before their exams. Coventina was in no mood to join them, not that she would be welcome anyway. She didn't know what to do with the exam answers. Too nervous to go to the forest after what happened earlier, she made a quick copy of the letter, pushed it down the back of a common room chair and headed for her dorm. Soon, she would be returning to Hogwarts, but at the moment, she couldn't wait to leave.

***

Snape surveyed the mess in the common room, where twelve house elves were quickly tidying up. The seventh years had obviously been partying before their NEWTS. He shook his head in disgust and started to leave.

"Mr Snape, sir. You have left your notes here."

Snape turned to look at an elf.

"I can assure you I have left no notes in here," he said smoothly.

"But Mr Snape is surely mistaken? This has to be Mr Snape's notes, Sir?"

Snape, who was growing increasingly irritated, snatched the notes from the bothersome elf. Startled, he was greeted with all the answers to his Potion exam. "I don't understand," he said aloud, "I am the only one who could possibly have access to these..." He swept out of the common room, leaving the house elves to tidy up.

Lost in thought Snape ran straight into Coventina who was hanging around the hallway.

"Arawn, there are two weeks left of term, let's see if you can go at least one of them without getting detention!"

"Let's see if you can make two weeks without giving a detention out," she replied.

"Detention, tonight at nine."

"Well you went two seconds there, but maybe that is a record." She smiled and went into the common room before he could give out anymore detentions.

He watched her go. She seemed incredibly confident considering she was just about to take the most important exams of her life. Of course, he thought, it is easy when you already have the answers.

***

Coventina was ushered into a posh room at the Ministry. She had been visiting there for a few years now but the decor never failed to amaze her.

"This is Coventina Arawn. She will be taking up the Defence Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. Coventina, this is Remus Lupin. He will make occasional visits to the Forbidden Forest to oversee matters. In times of urgency, you call for him."

Coventina looked at Lupin. He did not smile. Neither did she. Taking her cue to leave, she walked out of the room.

"Everything she finds out, make a note of it. Eventually we will nail the top dogs."

"She seems very young to be heading for Azkaban," said Lupin dryly.

"Coventina has got in with the wrong side of the Ministry. There's nothing we can do about that. She is our only key to their side and her welfare is not our priority."

Lupin looked thoughtful. He didn't reply.

"No funny business, Lupin. Save the heroics for another occasion. She's not important. If Coventina finds out who we are working for, she will tell them and destroy the whole operation. As far as she's concerned, we are all on the same side. She reports to you, you report to me and I report to them, whilst at the same time, keeping our good friends on the right side informed."

"She's just a kid."

"A kid that is going to kill Harry Potter."

***

"Ah, Professor Snape, I was hoping to see you. I have news about our new Defence teacher. You may remember her, Coventina Arawn? She was a pupil here a few years ago. She passed her NEWTS with splendid results."

"Arawn? That girl was trouble from the moment she stepped into Hogwarts to the moment she stepped out, and now she's back? As a teacher? Defence Against the Dark Arts? Perhaps she is going to teach the students to hide in the forest when a troll appears and smoke a snufflerette until it's gone?"

"Come now Severus, we were all that age once."

"Indeed we were, though fortunately nothing like Coventina Arawn."

"Naturally Miss Arawn will be feeling nervous about her first teaching job and I trust you will make her feel welcome?"

Snape didn't reply, his dark eyes blazed.

Dumbledore patted Snape on the shoulder and walked down the corridor smiling.

What Snape had feared was coming true. So the Werewolf had been right. He swept down the corridor after Dumbledore. "Headmaster, please allow me to mentor for Professor Arawn."

Dumbledore turned and smiled at Snape. "I'm very pleased that you are making an effort, Professor Snape. I'm sure you will find it very rewarding."

Snape forced a smile and headed back to his classroom. He searched through his papers until he found the crumpled up note with exam answers from a few years back. So Coventina, you return.