Tel\' Lindar (The Bard)

Chapter 19

The Unlikeliest Slytherin or Dancing in the Dungeon

It was dark, the full moon reflecting on the ripples of the ocean. The Voyeur felt the rush of cool water playing around his ankles and he looked down to see the water rushing in on the swirling of the tide, the edges of his robes floating and encrusted with sand.

I still recall the taste of your tears.
echoing your voice just like the ringing in my ears.
my favorite dreams of you still wash ashore.
scraping through my head \'till I don\'t want to sleep anymore

His head jerked up at the sound of the music and honing in on the sound, he began to follow, his passage marked by footprints and the strange scratching left in the sand by the drape of his wet robe.

you make this all go away.
I\'m down to just one thing
and I\'m starting to scare myself.

The robe was dragging him, holding him back, slowing him down. He peeled it off, leaving it in a pile on the sand.

Ahead, was a shadow, a figure. It was too small, too rounded to be the Big Elf.

The Voyeur looked around cagily, warily.

Nowhere. The Big Elf was nowhere in sight.

you always were the one to show me how.
back then I couldn\'t do the things that I can do now
this thing is slowly taking me apart.
grey would be the color if I had a heart

Clothing was oppressive, layers and layers of clothes. Heat, choking him, stifling him... burdensome . Without thought, his hands moved to the froggings, the buttons of his frock coat, fingers working swiftly through the fastenings. He slowly bore down on the figure of The Woman.

His coat hit the sand.

in this place it seems like such a shame.
though it all looks different now,
I know it\'s still the same

Quickly, almost too quickly, he was upon her, grabbing her, turning her around. In slow motion, the gauzy material of her dress floated in the wind as eyes blinked up at him...

...as a generous mouth smiled up at him. Her mouth moved, but no sound issued forth.

Her voice whispered in his head.

What do you want?

Eyes glared down at the laughing woman. What was she laughing at? Him?

Her hands were at his shirt, unbuttoning, sliding the linen from his shoulders.

What do you want?

Fingers played down his sternum, following the thin line of crisp blacir..ir...

What do you want?

Lower... lower...

His hand grabbed hers, stopping its descent. Slowly, he brought the fingers to his mouth, licking, nipping the pads.

You. I want you. I want all of it... all of you... your body, your love, your heart, your soul...

Her fingers pulled back, and hands began to trace, roam his arms, his shoulders, down, down, down... to that hated mark.

She turned his hand over and traced the tattoo on his arm.

You would ask that of me? After this?

everywhere I look you\'re all I see.
just a fading fucking reminder of who I used to be

Her eyes were heated and he could see the perspiration dripping down her neck, falling between her breasts...

You would ask me that? After the Evil One demanded the same from you?

The Voyeur traced the droplet from her neck to her soft cleavage, hooking his finger into the cloth.

No. It will be different. I would not use you, I would not force...

I just want something.
I just want something I can never have.

The woman stepped back, as if to turn away.

\"No! Please!\" He pulled her back, her dress ripping, the sound loud, screaming in his ears... \"I need...\"

~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

\"...You... Please Bronw-\"

Snape\'s eyes popped open, the sound of his voice so loud that he had awakened himself.

The ache in his groin did not help the situation. With a sneer at his own weakness, he took matters into his own hands and finished himself, quickly, damning himself as her name fell from his lips at the first spurt of orgasm.

So wrapped in his own self-loathing, he was not aware that for her the dream had continued.

In her dream, she had allowed him to rip the garment from her body.

Had removed the rest of his clothing for him and pressed him into the soft sand.

Had ridden him until her own orgasm woke her...

And she was screaming his name.

***

Severus Snape stood in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room, surrounded by a wounded House, a House that had come close to having its very heart cut from it.

Surrounded by snarling faces.

\"I will say this, say it once and once only. If I ever have cause to visit this discussion again, you will be grateful for the permanent train ride back to your homes.\"

\"If it is about that Muggle...\" Draco\'s voice was elitist, bored. He was using a rather expensive looking letter opener to clean his nails... \"she certainly couldn\'t wait to go tattling on a bunch of little students, could she? I wonder how she will run her class if she can\'t handle a little joke!\"

His counterparts joined him in laughter.

\"Let me tell you something about that Muggle.\" Severus stood over the haughty young man. \"To begin with, no, she did not come running to me. I have eyes and ears...\"

***Not to mention a rather frightened Second year Ravenclaw only too glad to tell the Potions Master what had conspired on the floor.***

\"... and as I know you are not forgetful, you should be most aware that she is NOT defenseless. You would be most shocked at what she can do to you while you formulate a spell or hex to cast on her.\"

\"She might melt you, Draco.\" Pansy Parkinson giggled maliciously. \"I, for one, would certainly hate it if she messed up your gorgeous mug!\" She fell in his lap and squeezed him playfully by the chin. She looked quite shocked and angered by her Head of House\'s hand on her arm as he yanked her to the floor.

\"You will behave with some decorum, girl! Now, get up and pretend you are a lady! I know your parents raised you better than that!\" Severus turned and strode back to the middle of the room. \"I expect you to treat every professor here with respect. That includes Professor Powell. She embrembraced this House as her own...\"

\"She what?\" Draco literally flew up from his chair. \"A Muggle? Pretending to be a Slytherin?\"

\"She has been embraced by this House, Malfoy, and has been accepted by the Bloody Baron.\"

\"No! That cannot be possible!\"

Severus motioned to the ghost sitting in the upper corner of the room. \"That, she has, young Malfoy. She has many qualities of this house and I, for one, am willing to look the other way when it comes to her... lack of magical skills.\"

Draco looked from ghost to Potions Master. It was inconceivable...

\"This is... wrong...\"

\"Wrong? Wrong?\" Severus strode to the couch, where three shaking First Years sat. \"We have three First Years sorted to our House. There should have been ten... fifteen. Have you noticed how small our numbers are? Where are your friends, Malfoy? What ever happened to Marcus? You remember... Marcus Flint? Did he make it to whatever Quidditch Training Camp he was supposedly...\"

\"You know he didn\'t!\"

\"No, you are right.\" Severus tapped his lip thoughtfully. \"He...\"

\"He made a mistake. Many of ours made a mistake.\"

Severus nodded thoughtfully. \"That he did. He made a mistake. What mistake did you make, Draco?\"

Malfoy realized he was being called on the carpet. \"Mistake? I made no mist...\"

\"You were groomed to be HeadBoy... yet, you are not the one occupying his quarters all all the amenities and privileges. \"Ernie MacMillian... a Hufflepuff...\" Severus said it as if he had eaten something rank, \"is HeadBoy.\" He allowed his black gaze to fall on Parkinson. \"And a Gryffindor is Head Girl.\" He turned on his heel and headed towards the entrance. \"This year, we begin anew. It is a new Era, a new time. This House will regain what was lost and reclaim its glory.\" He stopped in front of Goyle. \"If you ever do something so disgusting in the presence of anyone, as you did this evening, you will run immediately for the next train home, because if I ever get hold of you, you will pray you were Professor Powell\'s most unfortunate dragon!\" Severus was up the stairs, heading away from his students.

\"My father is going to be most upset with this turn of events.\"

Severus turned and glared at the spiteful child. \"Last I recall, I did not answer to your father, nor do I work for him. And by the way, Pansy,\" the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward, \"I have it on good authority that ramming your finger down your throat does not aid in keeping your girlish figure. Perhaps you would be better off if you did not eat as much.\" And hearing her angry gasp behind him, he exited the room.

***

The first day of classes dawned gloomy and overcast and by the time breakfast was over, rain had begun to fall in a steady, constant drizzle. Her schedule for that day called for Second, Fourth, Third and First years.

It would be a day the First years would never forget.

The rain had worsened through out the day. Her Second and Third years proved to be a delight. The Fourth years were overrun with curiosity, questioning Hufflepuffs, boisterous Gryffindors, stimulating Ravenclaws who wanted to know how she managed to put that nasty Slytherin in his place.

The nasty Slytherin\'s housemates were not impressed. Bronwyn made it very clear that she would tolerate no name - calling nor disrespect to her or anyone else in the class. And anyone who wished to imit Mr. Mr. Goyle\'s rather paltry attempt would find themselves practicing in her waste can for the remainder of the class.

As well as in detention.

Otherwise, so far, her classes had gone quite well, she thought. She was looking forward to the First years. (The younger ones were always so cute!)

Until they came in.

They came in quietly, eyes darting back and forth; they shied away from Amadeus, who sat quietly next to her desk, looking as baffled as she felt. One set his books down a bit loudly and the entire group jumped.

Bronwyn took a deep breath. And smiled.

\"Good afternoon, class.\" She leaned backwards against her desk.

\"Good afternoon, Professor Powell.\" It was said in unison, very shyly.

\"Well. Let\'s see, first day for First years, must be pretty exciting for all of you!\" Nervous glances darted between students, huddled together by their Houses. \"Raise your hand if this is your first day here in school or you are new here!\" Bronwyn immediately shot her own hand up. She noticed Amadeus had raised his paw.

Slowly, hands raised, nervous, forced giggles spilt from a very few mouths, all of them Gryffindors.

\"Great!\" She cheered enthusiastically. \"I\'m not alone! This,\" she motioned to the white wolf, \" is my friend, Amadeus. Yes, he is named after a great Muggle composer. Yes, I did not refer to him as my pet, because he is not. He is my dearest friend.\" The wolf came over to her, allowing her to rub him vigorously on the head. \"He is very friendly and loving and you have no need to fear him.\"

\"Are you sure?\" This from a tiny Hufflepuff in the back.\"

\"Yes, I am positive. I would not have brought him with me otherwise. Our first exercise is what I call ‘Getting to know you\'. What I want you to do is tell us,\" and she went to her chalk board and wrote in hot pink chalk, \" your name, a little something about yourself, and something you want to learn about Muggles this year. Who wants to go first?\"

Not a single hand went up.

\"Ooookay. Maybe I should go first?\"

A chorus of ‘Yes,\', ‘Please\', and a few \"that\'d be great,\' rose from the main area of the room. Bronwyn came back around the desk.

\"Hullo. My name is Professor Powell. I adore cheesecake. I loathe spiders and even though I am one, I want to know why Muggles sometimes do really stupid things!\" More nervous giggles. \"Let\'s start with this row.\" She pointed to the group of Gryffindors.

A brown headed boy smiled nervously, \"My name is Royce Wellsley. I like... music-\" (Hmmm. Someone was trying to get into her good graces already!) \"-and I don\'t like... Professor Snape.\" A chorus of nodding heads tipped around the room; Bronwyn\'s eyebrow quirked at that, \" and I really want to learn about the Beatles!\"

\"Oh, I think we can manage that.\" Bronwyn had out her notebook and she jotted down what Mr. Wellsley wanted to learn. She put the mechanical pencil behind her ear and pulled her old conductor\'s baton from her sleeve. Using it, she pointed to the girl sitting behind the first child. \"You?\"

The girl took a deep cleansing breath. \"My name...\" she squeaked, \" is Beatrice Goddard, but my friends call me ‘Mouse\'.\"

Miss Goddard it is!

\"I like to draw, I don\'t like Professor Snape and I want to learn about Muggle Artists.\"

On and on, up and down the rows. Name changed, likes and wants changed... they wanted to learn of sports, movies, why Muggles were scared of them, why they were scared of Muggles. But one thing stayed fairly consistent.

They admitted to not liking, even being afraid of Professor Snape.

Even the three little Slytherins seemed cautious of him.

This bothered Bronwyn, for some weird reason. Why were they telling her? She was a Professor; surely they had seen her sitting with him at meals.

\"Children,\" she asked, \"What class did you have before mine?

\"Potions.\"

Hmmm. Something was no longer fishy in Denmark!

\"Did something... happen... that made you frightened of Professor Snape?\"

Silence.

\"Come on, guys. I won\'t get angry. If we are going to learn and have fun in this class, and yes, I believe we can do both, I need to know what kind of situation you are coming out of.\"

A hand - Slytherin - went up. Oliver Cenare.

\"You promise you won\'t get mad and melt any of us?\" His two housemates smacked him in the arm.

\"Now you\'ve gone and done it! She\'ll kill us!\"

\"Melt you? Kill you? No! I wouldn\'t ever... what in all of Arda did he say? \" Bronwyn was quite perturbed. \"Did he say this in Potions class?\"

\"No!\" Mr. Cenare spoke up. His eyes darted to his housemates, looks and scowls being passed back and forth between the three \"Let\'s just say, we were told that you aren\'t a professor to cross and we don\'t want to end up like ‘your unfortunate dragon\'.\" The child\'s imitation of the stern Wizard was frightfully dead on. \"He said we were to treat you with respect.\"

Oh, boy.

\"And because of that, everyone is afraid of him? And me?\"

\"He said... he called me a dunderhead.\" A small voice from the Hufflepuff corner of the room spoke up.

\"... called me an imbecile.\"

\"He said the table had more brains than I.\" This from a young Ravenclaw. \"All because I didn\'t know what a bezoar was.\" The little girl began to cry. Bronwyn did the first instinctive thing and that was to go the child and envelop her within a comforting embrace. She motioned to Amadeus, who brought her a box of tissues from the desk. Taking a tissue from the box, Bronwyn wiped the damp eyes (and her damp teaching robe) and gave the girl a gentle squeeze.

\"He didn\'t have to yell at me.\" the child hiccupped, getting control of herself. \"I didn\'t even know I was a witch until a month ago when I got my letter. How am I supposed to know? I\'ll learn anything, but he didn\'t have to... have to... make me look stupid.\"

\"Well, I must be a dunderhead and dumber than the table because I don\'t know what a bezos!\"s!\" She smiled down. \"And I know everything!\"

Even the three Slytherins laughed at that.

Bronwyn returned to the head of her classroom, deep in thought. \"Well, it sounds to me, like we need to insert as much fun as possible into this class, after following up from such a stressful situation. To bad it\'s raining, or we could go outside.\" She began to shrug out of her robe, revealing a beautiful Elven dress of pale ice blue. She bent over, pulling the back tail up between her legs and anchoring it in the front of her belt, making it look like harem pants. She laid the scholarly robe on the desk and motioned to the class. \"Tell you what... stack up your desks and chairs over against the far wall.\" She pointed to the back and then proceeded to push her own desk backwards. \"Get out of your robes and find a spot on the floor where you won\'t hit anyone... yeah.\" She pointed to the littlest of the Slytherins, back in a corner swinging her arms back and forth, making sure she wasn\'t connecting with anyone. \"like Nellyth. Very good! Five points to Nellyth for being a wonderful example.\"

The child beamed.

With typical eleven year old gusto, the group quickly found places on the floor, plenty of swinging room.

Bronwyn stood in front of the class, hands on her hips.

\"Okay. Who has heard of ‘The Macarena\'?\"

***

Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena
Que tu cuerpo es pa\' darle alegria y cosa buena
Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena
Ehhhh, Macarena

Macarena

***

The thumping was rhythmic, pounding. It pulsated with the consistency of stale, repetitive sex.

Severus looked up from his stack of papers to look out over his Seventh Year\'s Advanced Potions class.

\"Whoever is making that racket, cease immediately!\"

Draco and Pansy were sitting in the back, closest to the door.

\"It\'s not us, \"
\"

\"Do tell! Where could it possibly be coming from?\"

The two Slytherins smiled at him.

\"Across the hall, sir.\"

\"Professor Powell\'s room, sir.\"

Gods! What on earth could the woman be up to?

\"Go across the hall and tell her to turn the volume down!\" His attention glanced over to the Gryffindor side of the room, heads down in concentration.

*And thank Merlin, no Neville Longbottom!*

Draco Malfoy stood up and strode from the room.

He was back in seconds.

Snickering.

The volume had not receded. The furrow in between Snape\'s eyes deepened.

\"Well? What did she say? Why has that noise not been turned down?\"

Draco tried very hard to maintain a serious face. \"I think, you should go over, sir. They were quite... busy... and did not notice me.\" Snape slammed his quill down and stood up, robes flying behind him.

\"Sir? It is quite loud. You might have a difficult time getting anyone\'tenttention.\" As Severus slammed out of the door, he heard Draco burst into uncontrollable laughter.

***

Y en la jura de bandera del muchacho
Se la dio con dos amigos
Macarena, Macarena, Macarena

***

Severus\' eyebrows could go no higher.

On one hand, the little buggers were spread out on an open floor, wiggling and flapping in the most ridiculous fashion, without fighting, without touching each other. They were synchronized, for the most part.

They were smiling. Having a good time.

And *She* was at the head of the class, robes off, in the filmiest of outfits, wagging her bum like it owned the place! She had done something to keep the skirts out of her way and she stood barefoot... BAREFEET and muscled calves....

\"EEEEEEEEH Macarena!\"

Everyone jumped... turned...

*Clap!*

Facing him.

Ooooh, feel the breeze! The house points were falling tonight!

His House was the first to see him, movement slowing, ceasing. One at a time, smiles fell, when finally That Woman stopped and the music lowered.

Her smile never dimmed.

\"Professor Snape! What a pleasure!\"

\"I doubt it!\"

Bronwyn made her way forward, smiling still. She looked absurd with her skirts tucked up into her belt. He coiled in tighter, breathing deep as she approached.

\"Join us!\"

\"No.\"

Ah! The smile faltered.

\"Then... what can I do for you?\"

Severus looked around her, taking in the ashen faces of children, heads suitably bowed. \"What is going on in here? What does this have to do with Muggle Studies?\"

Bronwyn turned back to her class, eyes seeking a specific student. \"Gerundevae.\" The little Ravenclaw\'s - the one that just stared at him as if he would pounce on her - head came up with a jerk, wide-eyed and in fear... \"Look at me, child. Gerundevae.\" Bronwyn crooned, lilting in that voice until the child looked at her. \"Tell me. What were we doing?\"

The child moistened her lips. \"The Macarena, Professor Powell.\"

\"Very good.\" Bronwyn made it sound as if the child had told the class how to make a sleeping draught. \"Now, what is so special about it?\"

The child blinked, looking quickly at Snape, before moving her eyes back to her Professor. \"It... it... is a popular Muggle Dance, currently spreading in popularity through India, although its origins are in the America\'s. It is in...\" Bronwyn was nodding, smiling, encgingging the silly child, \"duple? meter and is repetitive over eight bars.\" She sighed a huge sigh of relief and managed to look quite pleased with herself.

\"Very good, Gerundevae.\"

Severus reached out and grasping Bronwyn by the elbow, he pulled her close.

\"I am trying to teach a rather difficult potion.\" He wasn\'t, but that was beside the point. \"You are disturbing the concentration of my students. Please quiet it down!\"

Her eyes narrowed; he felt her... dig in her emotional heels. Oh Merlin, she was not going to flout him, no she would not do that...

\"I am afraid that will be difficult, if not impossible, Professor Snape.\"

Oh yes, she was defying him! Damn her!

Severus heard every single little breath from every single little chest inhale sharply.

\"I beg your pardon?\"

\"I said,\" and Bronwyn said this with great deliberation, \"that that will be difficult if not impossible. If my class is disturbing you, might I suggest that you put a silencing spell on your room, as you do not wish to be... disturbed.\" She smiled sweetly. \"You can silence mine if you like.\"

Black eyes narrowed in veiled fury as he took in the short figure before him. \"As you wish.\"

Bronwyn was focused on his mouth and licked her lips in... what? Before she could complete the thought, he had turned and stormed from the room. As the door shut, she heard him mutter,\"Silencio...\"

\"Well!\" She turned back to the room, sighs of relief echoing in the now domed chamber. The air felt heavy and her voice did not echo in the spacious room as it had before. \"That went rather well. Five points, Garundevae, for your correct answer and saying it in front of Him!\"

Garundevae smiled shyly and whispered, \"I thought I was going to wet myself. He is so scary.\" Nervous giggles were all around.

Bronwyn motioned the class in closely. \"Can I tell you a secret?\" Nods and ‘what?\' were flattened closely in the room. \"When I am afraid of someone, or they intimidate me, I imagine them in their underclothes!\" Nervous giggles changed to childish guffaws. \"Really! The more ridiculous, the better!\" She pointed to the three Slytherins. \"Do not tell anyone I told you that! If it comes back to me, I will deny it!\"

\"Oh, no!\" \"Not us!\" \"Not a word!\"

\"Good! Remember, in here, anything you say or opinions you have, I will treat with dignity as long as it said respectfully. I will respect your opinions.\" Bronwyn recinched her tucked up skirts and planted her hands on her hips. \"Now, for something totally noisy...\"

***

s was was over, children were streaming towards common rooms, bedrooms, to dump books, take a deep breath and head for dinner. In a small alcove in the Slytherin common room, three small heads dipped together, books piled about. Occasionally, one would pop up and look around, to make sure they were not being spied upon.

\"I overheard them talking last night.\" Nellyth Cenere was the lone female sorted into Slytherin the previous night. \"They called her every ugly name I know and then some I have never heard.\" She looked at her two cohorts. \"Professor Powell is in for a rough year.\"

\"True.\" Nellyth\'s twin brother, Oliver agreed. \"I read the Daily Prophet! I read what they said. Did you see how that ... werewolf... was hanging on her when they came to dinner? How they came creeping up the back stairs, with their hair all messed up. I bet she is shagging him already!\" He looked over his shoulder, seeing no one pay any attention to them. \"Still, she seems very nice. Even that wolf of hers seemed okay.\"

\"Well, say what you want!\" The third, Royce Natrix was tall and slender with a shock of brown hair. \"Believe what you want! The Daily Prophet also backed Fudge when he insisted Volrt wrt wasn\'t back and he was! I read Muggle newspapers too.\" His eyes darted back and forth nervously. \"I respect her and I want to like her.\" He screwed up his face in thought. \"My da always said to sit back and say nothing. Watch and make your own decision. A person doesn\'t wear his mask forever. Eventually, they have to take it off to breathe.\"

The other two nodded in agreement.

Nellyth nodded towards the main common room, towards the noisy older students. \"So, do we trust them?\"

\"Hmph!\" her brother snorted. \"The only one I trust is sitting next to me!\" He patted her hand. \"We\'ll be watching you!\"

Royce shrugged nonchalantly. \"I\'ll be watching you, so we will be watching each other. But no. I don\'t trust them at all. I do trust Professor Powell. That wolf wouldn\'t stick to her side otherwise.\" With a heave, he pushed himself from the table. \"Let\'s leave our books here. We can study together after dinner.\" He headed into the common room and was sneeringly greeted by the upper classmen.

Oliver leaned in towards his sister. \"What have you seen?\"

Eyes of forest green looked into identical ones. \"Did you say all that for Royce\'s benefit?\"

\"Threw him off guard, didn\'t it?\" Oliver smirked. \"We know where we stand with him. He will watch. Just like his parents did when the battle started.\"

\"They chose the winning side quickly.\"

Oliver smirked more. \"You still haven\'t answered my question.\"

Nellyth sat up, her eyes going to the common room, where Draco was making fun of Royce. The words ‘twinkletoes\' and ‘ballet\' were among the nicer things she heard come from his mouth. \"A tangled web. I saw a tangled web full of lies and deceit. Professor Powell was in the middle and her husband was wrapped in the top. He was dead, yet he spoke to her, I couldn\'t tell what.\"

\"And?\"

\"Professor Lupin was standing at the edge, calling to her.\"

\"And?\"

Nellyth scowled at her brother. \"Impatient prat! Professor Snape was slowly making his way in. Sometimes the strands fell away, but others would wrap around his arms, his legs and entangle him.\" She shook his head. \"No. She and the werewolf are a ruse. It is Professor Snape we need to help.\" She made a great show of straightening her books. \"There is something else. There is a bow.\"

\"A bow? Like on a giftbox? A violin bow?\"

\"No. A bow and arrow type bow. It is so close to her, yet no one sees it and they are looking for it.\" She shook her head in disgust.

\"Sis. Have I told you lately that I am glad that mum and dad hid you from Voldemort?\" He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, the only contact they allowed themselves in public.

\"Not today.\"

\"Consider it said.\"

***

Snape prowled the corridors. It was late and he couldn\'t sleep; he feared sleep. Slowly, he made his way to the top of the Astronomy Tower, to see if any students were snogging in the thunderstorm. There weren\'t, so he stayed there in his solitude, his anger at himself, and stared up into the flashes of lightning, his mouth turned down.

All of his patience, all of his slow maneuvering, he had blown, thrown it all away with a single, snarky remark.

Severus hated the first day of class. Hated it with a passion and his mood was sour. He had gone to retrieve her for dinner. The halls would no longer be quiet, no longer be free from squirming bodies of children. Deep down, he did not want her to have to face Draco just yet.

He had asked her about her day, asked her how she felt about the students. He had been most solicitous, gracious even. He finally ventured into her absurd dancing.

\"Bronwyn, what was so important about having the First Years dance?\"

She stopped in the middle of the hallway, her ever present smile slidfromfrom her face.

\"They were shell - shocked; terrified. I had to do something to get them to open up.\"

\"Well, I imagine the war was difficult on all of them, however-\"

\"It wasn\'t the war, Severus!\" she hissed between her teeth. \"It was you!\"

\"Me? I hardly think...\"

\"Apparently, you did not think!\" Her voice rose and thinking quickly, he pulled her back down the stairwell, away from ears and eyes that would watch and listen. She waited until he turned her loose and continued her tirade. \"They had just come from Potions and you had scared the living soup out of them!\"

\"Bronwyn, lower your voice,\" he scolded. \"Do you not think that you are exaggerating just a bit?\" he asked her coolly, looking down his lofty nose at her.

\"No. I. Do. Not! Is it true? Do you call them names; imbeciles, dunderheads? Did you truly tell Gerundevae that she was dumber than the table?\"

Severus took a deep breath and crossed his arms, fingers idly strumming beneath his shoulders. \"To begin with, she has a last name. You should address her by it as one does not wish to breed familiarity.\" Bronwyn gasped in outrage. \"Second, yes, I did say all that.\" The Muggle Professor screeched in outrage and he put his hand over her mouth to muffle her protest. \"For your information, madam, I teach a vdangdangerous subject. It is important that they know the difference between very similar looking ingredients and it is of utmost importance that they pay attention. If they are staring a hole through my robes, it bodes no one well. I have had enough Neville Longbottoms in my classes and I do not particularly enjoy cleaning up melted cauldrons!\" With the completion of his sentence, he turned loose of the angry woman.

\"Severus! You can\'t talk to them like that! They are children!\"

\"Children grow up. Children who have been coddled and protected grow up to be adults who cannot button their own trousers! I refuse to...\"

\"Severus! I\'m not talking about coddling or protecting. I am talking about respecting who they are and nurturing...\"

\"Nurturing?\" Severus cocked one eyebrow and continued to look down that long nose. So incensed was he that she continued to argue with him, it was out of his mouth before he realized he had voiced the thought. \"You want me to nurture them? That is their parent\'s job, madam, not mine! My jo to to make sure they do not poison anyone trying to make a hangover potion! Gods, woman! If this is how you think, small wonder your husband jumped in front of that bullet. Anything I imagine to escape your constant harping on your opinion.\"

There was no sound.

Bothersome that. He expected screaming, he expected her to pound him with her fists. Anything but silence.

He looked down into hurt eyes; eyes brimming with tears.

She backed up, away from him.

\"Bronwyn, I-\"

\"Shut up!\" It was hissed, whispered and he barely heard it, but the force of her anger hit him full where he least expected it.

His heart.

It clenched, squeezing painfully and in a sense, it made him realize he was human still. He felt the need to reach out, apologize, beg her forgiveness.

And every wall he had ever built went up two-fold. Never trust a soul. That lesson had been drummed into him. He tucked in tighter. \"Bronwyn, I-\"

!CRACK!

Her palm flew across his cheek, connecting sharply. He resisted the urge to grab her, to pull out his wand and hex her into oblivion.

She backed up a step, glaring through tears. \"You will not speak of him. At least, he knew how to love.\" She spun on her heel and raced back down into the corridors, down into the dank, dark dungeons.

He let her run. Allowed her to flee. He did not attempt to go after her, made excuses for her at the Head Table. After the meal, he made his way to her classroom and stood by the doorway, delving, feeling the pain he had inflicted on her.

He resisted the urge to knock, to apologize, the desire to take her into his arms and plead for forgiveness. Instead, he turned away, stormed the corridors and took points liberally.

It was whispered that Professor Snape had not been pretending to be a snarky bastard.

He was a snarky bastard.

***


The next day was trying for Bronwyn. Three classes, all of them long, tedious. Due to the loss of life in the war, they were small in size, but regardless, very important.

Double Muggle Studies.

Fifth Years O.W.L.S.

Sixth Year

Seventh Year N.E.W.T.S..

She made it a point to sit with Remus on the opposite side of the table from Severus. Albus asked if her headache was any better. Apparently, Severus had told them she had had a long day to excuse her from dinner the evening before and he had given her something that made her sleep. She did not let on that they had had a falling out. But it was obvious to everyone. Severus sat in his corner, picking at his eggs and Bronwyn pushed her sausage around aimlessly on her plate. Albus whispered to Minerva to give it time. They would work through it.

Bronwyn went over her class roster with Remus. Every last one of her students was a battle-hardened warrior. Had seen death, had participated in it. On both sides.

She had seen some of it through Remus\' eyes, heard it in his voice when he spoke of that awful battle that had taken place on the grounds, in Hogsmeade, in the halls of the castle. How children, these very children, had lined up and stood side by side with the adults, defending the grounds, defending the little ones. Some Death Eaters had fled into the Forbidden Forest, only to be trapped and killed by the centaurs and... other things.

The spiders.

This day was filled with children who were grieving, dealing with losses, as was she.

How to teach them? Great Iluvatar, how am I supposed to talk to them? Acknowledge their losses? Ask them to talk about it? Pretend it didn\'t happen? Just... go on?

Play it by ear.

Bronwyn was exhausted. She hadn\'t slept well since before she and Severus had gone to her cottage. She had been having... erotic dreams... and more and more, the object of her desire changed from a tall blonde Elf to a darker haired, more chiseled face. In the dreams, he was not gentle nor was his touch soft. She and Haldir had participated in rough play at times, but his touch had always been... gentle.

This touch was not.

And it bothered her that she desired it. Especially after the argument the two had had last night. Last night\'s dream had been the most erotic of all.

She shook her head of clinging remnants and watched as her Seventh Years strolled into the room.

***

Leave me standing here, act like I\'m not around
The coaster will probably never clear, can I please go home now
I had that dream about you again
Where I wait outside until you let me in,
and there I stay

Roller Coaster
Blink 182

***

Severus looked up from his papers. Already, he was infuriated by the stupidity of his charges. He honed in on Bronwyn\'s inner thoughts.

Nerves... shock...

He flipped through the papers to find where he had written her schedule. Seventh Years. All of them in one room. Lovely. Draco would give her hell. Granger would be bouncing up and down, determined to teach the class for her and as for Potter... the Boy who was a Pain in my Arse... who knows what kind of mischief he and Weasley would be into. Albus had made sure Severus had this time free for planning and Snape heavily weighed the wisdom of dropping in to see how things were progressing.

***

With this being the older years\' class, Bronwyn had seriously considered her outfit for the day. This group would not be impressed with flowing, transparent, Lorien gowns, or rich heavy Rivendell fabrics. They would have laughed her out of the room had she tried to pull off Wizarding robes, so she decided to just... be herself.

Bobbin and a group of house elves had arranged the chairs and desks into a large circle, room for her to step een.een. There were exactly the number of chairs for the students, so there was no space between the Houses. Bronwyn stood in the middle.

As herself.

Taking a page from Severus\' - rat bastard, jackass, pain in the ass, massive hemorrhoid on my heart - book, she decided that in order to gain respect, she needed to be a commanding presence. And being commanding at a little over five feet tall was a difficult task. So there she stood, in black leggings and a black turtleneck. Her boots had a moderate heel and the Lorien leaf boot chain was vie. Se. She wore an unbuttoned scholar\'s robe and her hair was fixed back in a neat chignon. The only jewelry she wore were her wedding rings on a mithril chain.

The negative energy in the air was crackling as the Houses tried to square off. Bronwyn caught the eye of the tall blonde young man and inwardly shivered at the malevolence in his gaze.

Amadeus lay in front of the door to her private chambers, alert, ears pricked.

\"Good afternoon, class.\"

Only half responded.

Smile, girlfriend. They can\'t eat you.

Only gnaw on what\'s left of your bones...

\"My name is Prof-\"

\"We know who are you are.\"

\"Ah. And you are?\" she asked pointedly.

\"Draco. Draconis Malfoy.\"

Ah. A little dragon. Spawn of Smut, I am sure!

\"Thank you for volunteering to start us off, Mr. Malfoy. And you?\" Bronwyn made her way around the circle, asking names, memorizing faces. Finally, there were faces to Crabbe and Goyle. To Potter and Weasley and to Longbottom.

Granger. Hermione Granger.

Ah, Remus. Let\'s see what we can do to move this one in your direction.

She finished the circle and began to proceed.

\"As you know, due to extenuating circumstances, Muggle Studies has gone from an elective to a required subject. There are many reasons for this...\"

\"Were you really married to an Elf?\" Pansy Parkinson chirped.

\"Yes. As I stated, there are many...\"

\"How nasty.\"

\"Actually, it was not, Miss Parkinson.\"

\"I can\'t imagine anyone wanting to marry an Elf!\" she spat the word as if it were rancid.

Bronwyn looked down at the toes of her boots and smiled a rather grim smile. \"Alright. Apparently, I am going to have to lay some ground rules. Anyone who interrupts me,\" she started straight at Pansy, who had already opened her mouth to continue, \"will not only lose house points, but serve detention and I will make sure it is not an easy time of it.\" Pansy\'s mouth snapped shut. \"My name is Professor Powell. Use it and use it properly. If you address me, use it; if you wish a response, use it. I will not tolerate rudeness or foolish remarks about my personal life and especially about my marriage and family. I am not just some Muggle hiding out, I do have several degrees and can back up any impertinence. I realize that all of you are grieving and missing loved ones and friends. I am as well. Now, to show my willingness to be on the up and up, I am willing to spend the rest of this class period answering any question you have, as long as it is asked and worded in a cordial and respectful manner. That means...\" and she looked pointedly at Draco, \"do not ask me what my and Haldir\'s favorite position was!\"

Abrupt laughter from all around broke out, except from the Slytherins, and the classroom began to settle. Questions started slowly and built with momentum.

\"What was it like in Middle Earth?\"

\"What are the Elves really like? Is it true they never age, that they are always beautiful?\"

\"Tell me about Celeborn; Gandalf; Galadriel.\"

\"Who is Elrond? Tell us about Elladan and Elrohir.\"

\"Was Haldir romantic?\"

Snort. Romantic? Haldir? He tried. Sometimes.

None of the questions came from the overgrown snakes in the corner.

\"Mr. Malfoy? Have you no questions?\"

That one was staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks for all she could tell. \"No. I read the Daily Prophet. I know all about you.\"

\"Ah.\" Bronwyn motioned for Ron Weasley to hand her her chair from behind her desk and she gently set it down backwards in front of the gloating boy. She straddled it and propped both elbows on his desk. Cupping her chin in the palms of her hands, she asked, \"So, I take it you read all about trollroll I killed in the Mines?\"

\"Yes.\"

She lifted up slightly and leaned over. Her whisper, while soft, was clearly heard. \"It was a lie.\" She settled back down into the chair, every ear now tuned to the conversation between her and Draco. \"The part where I saved the Fellowship, healed them? A lie.\"

\"But the paper said...\"

\"I was there. They were not.\" She cut the boy off with the wave of a hand. \"Contrary to what has been written, the Elves do not live in communes nor are they frivolous with their love. I have not slept with every Elf in Valinor, nor will I. The Elves are passionate, lively and they do nothing unless they feel strongly about it. Their love of Arda, of the earth they tread upon is as old ime.ime. I am honored the Valar chose me to be their liaison. I am honored the Valar gave me - yes, they Gave Me to Haldir of Lorien.\" She stood up from the chair and moved it to the middle of the circle. \"Perhaps, someday, I will be in the mood to show you what the Battle of Moria was like. I have the ability to show things; I cannot alter them, but today is not the day for that. Are there any other questions of me, Mr. Malfoy?\"

He licked his lips purposely.

\"Th sup suppose the story that you killed a dragon is also a lie?\"

Bronwyn shrugged and smiled. \"Oh no. That one is true. I melted his dragon butt.\" The group caught a glimpse of... regret... before she schooled her face. \"He was evil. I did it to save my life and my husband\'s.\"

Draco was not done. \"But if you are a Muggle and have no magic, how in all of... Arda... could you have killed something so evil and all?\"

Severus was standing at the door, unseen in shadshadow of the hallway. He had been listening to the entire exchange, had already decided to deal with Pansy and teach her a lesson or two. He wonderow low long it would take for someone to push Bronwyn\'s buttons. Draco had done a fine job, because he saw the waves lift from her and settle up in the high domed ceiling of the room.

\"Now, Mr. Malfoy, I suspect you of all people know one should never tell their secrets!\" Bronwyn teased the youngster. \"However,\" and with this she flung the waves at the high windows in the top of the room, never turning around, never taking her eyes from him. One at a time, they exploded; four windows bursting out, as if punched, no glass falling into the room.

Ron Weasley\'s eyes were bright and his grin was infectious. \"Brilliant!\" he whispered. \"Bloody brilliant!\"

Bronwyn had stepped back from the young man who was suddenly rendered speechless. She smiled and motioned for them to listen carefully. \"Tell me. How many of you have ever ridden a roller coaster?\"

Five minutes later, Severus stepped backwards, diving further into the shadows, as Neville Longbottom, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson made a dash for the toilets.

Apparently, roller coasters were not to their liking.

***
tbc

Something I can never have
Nine inch nails


Thanks to the few who emailed me (and he one who posted) that I apparently had done the editing on this waaaay to late at night. Owls and newts and names have been fixed...