The Forgotten Soul

(Authors note: Italic still means thoughts. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling; Star’s sense of humour belongs to me.)

Chapter 11 – Keeping Secrets.


Professor McGonagall set her tea cup down on the table, just out of the way of her student’s homework, pulling the chair out of its place; she sat down next to her new colleague.

“So how has your first month of teaching gone so far Star?”

A soft sigh and a shuffle of papers was the existent of the reply Star could offer as she took a quick sip of her own mug of tea.
Clearing her throat Star looked over at the older witch.

“Very well I guess Minerva; I’ve managed to survive my OWL and NEWT classes without much blood shed.”

Minerva removed her small ink well from her stack of parchments, and nodded with understanding.

“They are an interesting lot, the older divinations students.”

Star scratched a comment on the parchment in front of her, her head shaking slightly; she picked up her star chart manual and flicked quickly to the page she was looking for, noting that what the student had written was incorrect she made a note of the correct page number on the side of the students work.

“Oh they are indeed, to be taking that subject at NEWT’s level shows that either they have bluffed their way thought the last three years or do indeed have some grasp of the subject.”

Minerva smirked as she sipped her tea watching as Star looked up at her with a complex expression on her face. She started to mumble something to herself then looked down at the parchment and scratched out a large section of the text.

“I have noticed that my work is cut out with two of my sixth year students, Misses Brown and Patil, they seem to be the most believe girls, but are the less forgiving of me being such a new teacher.”

“Ahh those two” Minerva laughed loudly. “ those two should be eating out of your hands Star my dear, but for some reason they are still upset with Sybil not being here to impart her wisdom.”

Star noticed the sarcasm that dripped from both her spoken words on Sybil and those words that where only thought of.

“You do not like her much I see Minerva that is very plain.”

The older witch patted Star’s hand, giving her a very motherly look. “They will grow to respect you dear just give them time.”

Nodding slowly Star picked up her mug and took a long sip, as the door to the staff room opened, entering with a big stack of books and parchments Pomona Sprout shuffled.

“Mind if I join you Ladies, The library is far too noisy and I could use some adult conversation.”

Both Star and Minerva nodded smiling at the clearly frazzled Herbology Professor.

“Of course Pomona, pull up a chair before you fall down.” Waving her wand Minerva conjured up another cup of tea for the witch.

Settling herself and her marking on the other side of the large meeting table that was situated in the staff room, Pomona gratefully accepted the tea that was offered to her.

“So what are we talking about, seemed quiet interesting from what little I heard of it as I walked in.”

“Nothing that interesting, just discussing my first month as a real Teacher.’ Star said looking up as she tapped her quill feather against her nose.

“Oh yes I have had some wonderful comments about you from my dear Hufflepuff’s, you have succeeded in winning them over.”

Star raised an eyebrow at Pomona’s Statement, which suddenly gave Minerva a startling case of Deja vu.

“Well at least some of the students like me” Star wiggled her already raised eyebrow in Minerva’s direction and smiled at the part thought she had picked up on from the Gryffindor Head of House.

The three women looked at each other and burst out laughing at the look that appeared on Minerva’s face, for a short time she had forgotten that Star could hear directed thoughts.

A few minutes later Pomona looked up from her fauna dictionary staring Star firmly in the eyes.

“So my dear; have you had the pleaser of meeting the famous “Golden Trio” yet?”

“You mean Misters Weasley, Potter and Miss Granger, yes I have and I must say they are three of your most active cubs Minerva! “Star lent back in her chair, as she ran her hand though her hair. “Yes I have had the privilege of meeting them a few times both in and out of class time.”

Minerva and Pomona both grinned at the casual attitude Star was showing as she spoke about the three.

“I must say they do bring back some very vivid memories of a certain group I know when I was a student here at Hogwarts.”
“That my dear is a great understatement.’ Minerva spoke up before Pomona even had a chance to say anything about Star being a former student.

Pomona had been teaching at Hogwarts for at least 40 years, and she had a long memory of students, but hearing Star say she had been a student here, for the life of her Pomona could not remember ever having the young witch in her classes.

“Mr Potter really does remind me of his Father.” Star said absently to both Ladies. “Apart from looking very much like James his manner at times is very very scary in how similar they both are.”

Minerva agreed most heartedly.

“Yes I would say James show though in young Harry many times, in both good and bad ways.” Pomona added, her face still showed a slight perplexed look.

“It makes me wonder how he will react when ...”

Before Minerva could finish her sentence Star had raised her hand stopping her mid-word. Both of the older witches looked at her in concern.

“What is it?” Pomona whispered as star placed a finger over her own lips, she then closed her eyes. Opening her mind and sending out her mental feelers.

“Yes Star what is it.” Minerva whispered with a concerned look on her face.

“The walls have ears, as does the person listening in behind the door” Star whispered, her eyes still closed while she probed.

A millisecond later the door to the Staff room opened and in a whirl of Black robes Severus entered.
Both Pomona and Minerva stared at him as Star slowly reopened her eyes.

Severus gave the two a slightly startled look that returned to its normal glare when he looked in Star’s direction.

“Good Afternoon Severus.” Pomona chirped happily, as Minerva nodded in greeting at her colleague.

“Unusual seeing you here Severus, was the dungeons that boring that you decide to grace the rest of us with your ever cheerful presence?” Pomona chuckled happily at her own joke.

“Oh how droll, I see you still easily amuse yourself Pomona” Severus sneer with little effort as he strode over to his usual chair by the fire place and sat down. Pulling out a slim black book and opening it quietly reading.

Pomona looked up from her book again and waited for Star to finish the line she was writing before interrupting her.

“Star will you still need to use my green house next week for your seventh years?”

“Yes if that is ok Pomona, I plan on giving a hand’s on tutorial about aura reading and prediction in nature, the class was rather excited by my demonstration this week, the fact I could read from the energy a plant was giving off has them quiet interested in giving it a good themselves.”

“Sounds rather fascinating, you’ll be able to tell me which of my dear plants need help in the coming weeks and those who do not?”

“That is what we hope to achieve Pomona.” Star smiled, she was glad they where not making fun of her, she knew that this form of Divination was used by many in the Herbology field.


*~*~*

Reading to the end of the passage he was on Severus noticed that the three witch’s had become quiet, tending to their own work again. This made Severus very happy as women tended to speak far too much for his liking and most of what came out of their mouths was pretty irrelevant.

Letting his mind wander some Severus’ thoughts came back to something he had seen two nights ago while he was on midnight patrol, he was still annoyed with the brush off Albus had given him about it during their conversation the next morning, he could not believe how quickly it had been dismissed by the headmaster.

“How something like that could be just brushed off for God’s sake!”

Severus grunted softly as he read over a passage he had just read before, his mind was clearly not going to let the subject drop.

“Argh!, how on earth should I not be surprised about the old fool, I’m sure he knew who the person was that felt the need to jump off the north tower of the school in the middle of the night. If there was someone, could have been my imagination.”


Having lost her train of thought Star stopped writing, she couldn’t help but over hear what Severus had just been thinking, looking up at him she noticed the look of worry play over his pale face, she had noticed his face had changed since she’d last really looked at him, more lines covered his forehead, his eyes seemed more shallow with darkness underneath. A small part of her heart broke at how changed he from there last meeting.

“Why do I get the feeling someone is watching me?”

Severus looked up from his book, he turned his eyes towards the meeting table and saw Star’s arm move as she rested her head on her up turned hand, she looked to be ingrossed in what she was writing, but he knew she had been watching him again, Severus knew the women watched him from time to time, he had never caught her in the act of watching, but he could feel her eyes on him.

Glancing at her Severus noticed the rings on her left hand, it wasn’t unusual for younger witch’s to wear rings and bracelets out of a social setting, but He had noticed her’s where slightly different.
She wore on her left wrist a muggle watch, which in turn was covered by bracelets of some sort, not the normal metal kind, but more of an unusual weaved pattern design of many colours.
He also noted that she wore two silver rings on the same hand; one ring was located on her ring finger and another on her thumb.
The ring on her ring finger seemed to be incrusted with what looked like Emeralds and Diamonds, giving it a look of an old fashioned wedding ring, the same could have been said about the one on her thumb, but its setting was more masculine in style with smaller Emeralds and Diamonds.

His eyes roamed over her hands her long fingers wiggled while she wrote on the parchment, her thumb moved rubbing the underside of her ring finger making it move around her finger. This was something Severus had noticed she did lot with that ring, while she worked or while speaking to people in to corridors.

Putting it down to an unconscious habit, Severus looked down at his book again, then up at Star’s hand, he could see the ring on her thumb more clearly now, the ring seemed to make him wonder, something about the ring seemed familiar like he had seen it before, but could not place it off hand.
The more he thought about it and looked at the ring, the more puzzled he became.

Suddenly Star raised her head and stared at him straight in the eyes, her brown eyes pinned him, regaining his composer Severus went to sneer at her, but she coughed then started to gather up her books and parchments and gave a rushed farewell to Pomona and Minerva and hurried out of the Staff room.

Severus stared after the fleeing women he shook his head slowly and returned to reading his book all the while thinking that something was very wrong with that woman.


*~*~*~*~*~*


“Oh frickin Heck” Star cursed as she hurried down the private corridor that lead from the Staff room to the main area of the school, She’d been trying her hardest not to totally freak out as she walked, but was failing badly.
The idea that Severus even suspected anything about her rings set off warning bells in her head, the small pep talk she had been giving herself was a complete waste of time at the moment.

“It can’t be happening so soon.” She snapped as she closed the door to the passage way.

“What can’t be happening?” A male voice spoke from her left, startled Star turned around quickly to be greeted by the smiling face of Remus walking towards her.

“Well Love, What can’t be happening?” he looked at her in interest.

“Oh nothing Moon.” She smiled as she dumped a few of her books in to his empty arms.

Staggering back in over dramatic shock Remus grabbed better hold of the books.

“Geeze Woman, what are you doing with these things, Reading them more using them for door stops?”

“Reading them you Twit” Star smiled as she started in the direction of her office.
“Oh and your carrying them.” She called back at him as he started to follow her.

“No. You don’t say.” Remus replied sarcastically as he caught up with her.

“But anyways, I’m glad I ran in to you Star, Sirius is back from his little trip and we wanted to take out the prettiest lady in Hogwarts out for a Drink.”

Walking up to the door of her Office, Star held it open for Remus as he walked past and over to her desk, dumping the load of books down in one of the chairs next to it.

“Sounds like fun, where will you be taking her?” Star said as she sat down in her comfy desk chair and stuck her feet up on the desk.

“Oh just to Hogmeads, we want to show her a good time.”

“Gee you two sure know how to show a lady a good time, for a couple of old Queen’s.”

Remus poked his tongue out at her, which made Star laugh. “So you interested?”

“Yeah sure, like I said sounds like fun.”

“Wonderful, how doth this Saturday sound fair Maiden?” Remus smiled at her sweetly.

“Just dandy, oh furry one.”


Clasping his hands together Remus jumped up. “Wonderful... Sirius will be so pleased when I tell him.”

“I’m sure he will, now will you please sod off so I can pretend to be doing some real work.” Star waved her hand at him, earning her another tongue poke as Remus turned and left her office.

Looking down at her desk, Star removed her feet from the top of it and sighed at the amount of work she had to get done by her next class, she sighed loudly and started to play with her ring again with out thinking.
When she noticed what she was doing, she groaned and let her head drop down on the desk with a thud.