Hibernaculum

It had become a habit with the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to share in a late tea in Headmaster Dumbledore\'s office. The previous school year had been exhausting. The attack on Hogsmead had ended in the loss of their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and nearly some students. Had the students not launched an attack from Zonkos, the resident joke shop, the losses would have been great indeed. The Death Eaters had not expected the barrage of fireworks and dung bombs and they had retreated, shocked. There had been no attacks since that horrible December day.

Dumbledore had begun keeping the school opened year round for teachers after the return of Voldemort three years previous. As a result, Hogwarts had become a second home base of sorts; often wizards and witches would come to speak to Dumbledore in hushed uneasy tones or to consult with one of the teachers of whom many were known as experts in their fields. The Ministry of Magic had been slow to respond to the rise in Death Eater attacks and every moment counted in their struggles.

The loss of their Potions Professor had been a blow to their cause. He had spent years as a Death Eater, spying on Voldemort. His loss had cost them much needed information and many headaches in the classroom. Severus Snape had been missing for six months now, he was called one January night and no one had heard from him since. The professors had been taking turns with the Potions classes and it was a nightmare Lupin had threatened to resig hex hex half the sixth years, Professor Flitwick had hexed half the sixth years, no third year could even look at Professor Vector without bursting into tears, all culminating in McGonagall losing her temper with the fifth years and taking 50 points from Gryffindor, losing the house cup for her own house.

Attempts to find a substitute were often met with emphatic denials if not open hostility. Potions Masters were generally a rather anti-social lot preferring the methodic rituals of brewing cauldrons and collecting ingredients to a noisy classroom. A well-regarded Potions Master from Japan had even included bubortuber puss in with his refusal letter.

Dumbledore gazed around the room worriedly; Professor McGonagall was drinking her tea sternly shaking her head at Professor Remus Lupin who had come to the school to replace the lost Defense teacher. He had balked at first, knowing the complaints that would result from parents not wishing a werewolf to teach their children but Dumbledore had insisted and eventually it was the student\'s enthusiasm for the well liked teacher that had won them over.

Sirius Black watched in amusement as McGonagall raged at Lupin\'s teasing her, the dark haired wizard had begun staying at Hogwarts over the summers since his escape finding solace in the few months a year where he could feel safe. He had been on the run for four years now, having escaped Azkaban the Wizard prison far in the North and was constantly afraid of being caught. Many of the teachers had become aware of the convict staying with them and it had taken much convincing on Dumbledore\'s part for them to begin to trust him. He even seemed almost young again now that his hair was no longer matted and tangled and his eyes had begun to loose some of the haunted look he had gained during his twelver imr imprisonment.

Professor Vector watched quietly, having been brought into the inner circle she was extremely protective of her new position. The Arithmancy Professor had reluctantly agreed to sit as Head of Sytherin House until Professor Snape could be found. Her dark hair gleamed in the firelight and her blue eyes glittered watching the easy camaraderie between Dumbledore and his Gryffindors.

Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey were deep in conversation. The medi- witch and Herbology Professor were close friends often working together with medicinal plants. Pomfrey was a legend with Hogwarts alumni able to fix almost anything most of them had visited her at one point or another in their school careers. She was a favorite with the Quidditch players, a dangerous sport that often ended with them in her Hospital Wing.

Rubeus Hagrid taught Care of Magical Creatures; the gentle half giant was much loved by many of the students. His classes sent nearly as many students to the Hospital Wing as quidditch his enthusiasm for extremely dangerous creatures often getting the better of careless students who hadn\'t paid enough attention to their studies. He was grinning merrily at McGonagall\'s fury in the giant chair Dumbledore had brought in for him.

The teachers were deep in thought or conversation and hadn\'t seen a young woman\'s head appear in the fireplace.

\"Dumbledore!\" a voice screamed, making everyone jump, half of them drop their tea and a Sirius flop to the floor in panic and turn into a dog.

\"DUMBLEDORE!\" The voice cried again her face was streaked with tears and her hair was tangled.

Quickly, Dumbledore rushed to the fireplace.

\"Adiuvo aveho\"

And just as suddenly as she appeared in the fireplace, she was in Dumbledore\'s arms.

\"You must help me, my father, Death Eaters.\" her voice failed.

Dumbledore pointed his wand at the fireplace, \"desino\" and the fire died.

\"Hagrid, Poppy could you take her to the hospital wing?\" Hagrid gently lifted the heap of torn black silk and tangled hair from Dumbledore and carried her from the room, Madame Pomfrey quickly following behind.

Dumbledore clasped his hand behind him and began pacing; looking around the room a Lupin was cleaning up the tea while McGonagall rubbed her eyes tiredly and the dog was licking tea off his paws.

Professor Vector shook her head in amazement, \"Headmaster, was that whom I think it was?\"

\"Yes, it certainly was. We\'ll have to alert the Aurors there has been an attack.\"

He waved his wand again and the fire blazed. He called out for the Auror\'s office and a young stocky man with light brown hair appeared.

\"Dumbledore, it is a pleasure, how can I help you?\"

\"There has been an attack Phillip, at the Dupries Mansion. Elizabeth Dupries is here with us.\"

He gave a swift nod and replied, \"We will head out immediately.\" and disappeared.

Sirius stared at him in shock, \"Elizabeth Dupries? I thought that was just a Slytherin bedtime story!\"

\"Of course not, Remus.\" chided Vector, \"I was there when she was sorted, we couldn\'t believe it when she wasn\'t sorted into Slytherin, her family had been in the house for generations.\"

\"Professor Vector is correct.\" Dumbledore nodded, \"I have had a few acquaintances who sat as her tutors over the years, it was the only way we could keep an eye on her.\"

The dog wiggled a bit and changed back ts hus human form, shaking his head, \"But why would she come here? She hasn\'t been here in years and even then she couldn\'t have been here longer than a week or so.\"

\"She couldn\'t have had many options I told her before she left she would always be welcome here, I am glad she took it to heart.\"

\"She is a Potions Master, received her title just a few months ago, we might be able to convince her family to allow her to stay on for awhile.\"

They looked at each other worriedly well aware of Dumbledore\'s enthusiasm for misfits, being those misfits didn\'t make them any less concerned.

Elizabeth awoke the next morning, drowsy from the sleeping drought she had been given, to find herself in the hospital wing with Albus Dumbledore by her bedside.

His eyes full of concern, he said gently, \"Elizabeth, the Aurors were unable to get to your father in time. Your mother has been found, and will be arriving here tomorrow.\"

She nodded slowly; her tired, brown eyes lowered to the blanket covering her legs.

\"I am sorry for troubling you, sir. But, I only just managed to get into the room with the floo, and they were almost to the door. I know I haven\'t been here in many years, but I just didn\'t know anyone else that might be accessible.\"

Dumbledore patted her slender hand reassuringly. \"I know it has been a long time, but we never stopped thinking of you as one of ours. Your mother and I have spoken, and we agree that it would be best for you to remain here. She never agreed with yoatheather about your seclusion, and we will all do our best to help you join society. I think we have a position that you could fill. My potions Professor is ill, and may not be back in time for the start of the new term.\"

She sat up slowly and methodically, \"You mean Professor Snape?\"

\"I assume you have heard of him?\"

She couldn\'t meet his anxious eyes, \"Yes Headmaster, I have heard of him. I read some of his articles in the potions publications. But, my father also knew him, or at least knew of him. He mentioned his name just the other day.\"

With eyes boring into hers, he reached out and took her small hand into his own, \"Ms Dupries, please, if you have any information regarding Severus, it would mean a great deal to me.\"

\"My father was talking with one of his friends. I\'m not sure whom. They were saying that he had been running into blocks with the potion. They were arguing. My father wanted to know why he wasn\'t here, at Hogwarts.\" Her brown eyes full of regret, she added, \"That\'s all I managed to overhear.\"

\"You never heard what he was supposed to be working on?\"

She shook her head, \"They didn\'t say. My father never allowed me to be in their presence, and I only caught bits and pieces now and then.\"

He patted her hand gently, \"Ms Dupries, I never heard anything about your father being involved with the Death Eaters. I was at the trials during the last war, and his name was never mentioned.\"

\"I really don\'t know much about it. I can only gather that he was more of a financial backer than an actual participant. His health wouldn\'t have withstood anything more. I don\'t understand why they would have killed him.\"

He shook his head, \"Nor do I, but we will do our best to protect you, Ms Dupries. Hogwarts protects its own, and you are a part of us now.\"

\"Professor, if I may speak?\"

He grinned, \"I am use to my staff speaking plainly to me. You do not have to ask.\"

\"Sir, I have had little contact with people, how could I possibly teach? I may have the title of Potions Master, but I have had no training in education. How can you possibly offer a position to me?\"

He patted her hand again, \"The staff and I have discussed this, and we will work with you on teaching methods. Once the students arrive, we will take turns assisting you in the classroom.\"

\"But sir,\"

\"We don\'t generally hire people based on their teaching skills alone, Ms Dupries. We also look for those with expertise in their fields. While you are indeed young for a Potions Master, you are not the youngest teacher we have had. Severus will still retain that record, though I did notice that you gained the title of Potions Master six months earlier than he did.\" He grinned, \"He will be furious when he finds out.\"

She smiled, \"Only because I had fewer distractions. Professor Snape is well known in his field.\"

He smiled wickedly, \"Perhaps, if he returns we will have to find a project for the two of you. I plan on being the only Headmaster with two Potions Masters in residence. We will have to find something extra nasty for the two of you to work on. The Headmaster at Durmstang will be seething with jealousy.\" Dumbledore seemed very happy at the thought, and she couldn\'t help but smile.

\"But for now, I insist you join us for tea later, it has become a habit of ours to have tea in my office and I would like for you to meet the staff currently in residence. Professor McGonagall will be here shortly to take you to your rooms.\"