Severus Snape Meets His Match

Severus awoke the next morning and went through his usual routine of showering, shaving and dressing into his teacher’s robes. When he left his chambers, he noticed that the door at the end of the corridor was open once again. This time loud music was blaring from it. He looked through the door to see the new professor with her legs over a standing, metal bar, doing crunches upside down. Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached, stopping just outside the door. She was dressed in a black tank top that was tucked into rather loose-fitting pants, also black. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that dragged the ground after every crunch.

“What in Merlin’s name is that awful racket you’re listening to?” he asked in disgust.

Randi came down from a crunch and replied, “You call it racket. I call it American Made Music To Strip By.”

“It sounds horrible!” He sneered as he watched her continue the upside down crunches, “And you look ridiculous on that contraption.”

She came back down again and exhaled. “I do what’s effective, not what looks pretty. Now, did you want something, or do you have nothing better to do than stand around spouting childish insults?”

“I was heading to the Great Hall for breakfast.” He replied coolly, “All professors are required to dine with the students. Didn’t Albus tell you that?”

She came down off the bar and did a somersault, coming up just inches in front of him. “Hang on just a minute. I’ll be right with you.”

He leaned against the door facing and watched her as she took down her hair and scourgified herself before pulling a teacher’s robe over her head. He took notice that she wasn’t using a wand. She didn’t even seem to have one in her possession. This was rare. Very few Witches and Wizards were able to do wandless magic. He’d never seen it from someone her age. What was Albus up to?

After muttering another incantation, her face was made up and her hair neatly combed. She came over to the door and said, “Alright, let’s go.”

She followed him quietly to the Great Hall and took a seat beside him as breakfast began. Again, she didn’t make conversation with anyone and kept her eyes on the hall and the students.

Finally, Dunbledore spoke to her. “Are you all settled in, Professor MacKenzie?”

She gave a nod and replied, “Yes. The room’s fine, though I think the professor here doesn’t share my taste in music.”

“Racket.” Severus corrected, “Loud, obnoxious racket is what it was!”

“You know what they say. If it’s too loud, you’re too old.” She hit back, flashing him a sneer of her own.

He scowled at her then turned his attention to Dumbledore, who looked very amused to see the Potionsmaster get a dose of his own brand of sarcasm. “I do hope her teaching style is more civilized than that noise she listens to, Albus.”

“She’ll do just fine, I’m sure.” The old wizard chuckled.

Sybil Trelawney, who was sitting a couple of chairs down from Dumbledore, stared at Randi and said, “You’re a Scorpio, aren’t you?”

The young Witch gave a nod, but didn’t look at the Divinastions Mistress. “That’s right.”

“Oh, don’t get her started!” Severus groaned, “She’ll go on for hours about planet alignments and cusps.”

Randi smirked, but still kept her eyes focused ahead of her.

“I knew it!” Sybil exclaimed, “I bet you have that sign elsewhere in your natal chart as well! Am I right?”

Again, Randi gave a nod without looking at her. “Sun, Moon, Mars and Pluto…all in Scorpio.”

Sybil gasped. “Incredible! You must be naturally gifted in divination then.”

Severus rolled his eyes. “Sybil, she just got here for Merlin’s sake! Don’t go charting her lifeline and all that rubbish.”

“He’s just upset because he lacks the gift.” Sybil hissed, “You’re welcome to stop by the Astronomy Tower sometime and take a look around. I have all kinds of interesting things that I’ve collected over the years.”

Randi glanced at Severus, and then looked at Sybil, “He’s a Scorpio with Capricorn moon, isn’t he?”

“That’s right!” Sybil chimed, “I did his chart myself.”

“Not that I asked you to, Sybil.” He muttered and took a sip of his morning coffee.

The Divinations Mistress ignored him and said to Randi, “Tell me, what kind of divination methods do you use?”

“Water and mirror scrying mostly.” She replied softly, “I work well with reflective surfaces.”

“I’ll bet you do!” Sybil replied, “All that water in your chart, its no wonder.”

“I’ve never found a practical use for the Divinatory arts myself.” Severus stated dryly, “I prefer concreteness rather than silly speculation.”

Randi sipped her coffee and kept silent. When breakfast ended, she left and made her way to the DADA classroom. After checking the supply closet, she sat at the desk and waited for the students to arrive. When they were all seated, she stood up and rounded the desk.

“Good morning, class. I’m Professor MacKenzie. I’m here to help you all learn how to defend yourself when dark magic is used against you. With things such as they are, you’ll need every advantage you can get. Some of you will become Aurors in a few years. You’ll need to know what you’ll be facing out there. Dark spells are very powerful ones. They can hurt and even kill a person. When you add to the equation the many unfriendly spirits and creatures that lie hidden in the shadows, things can quickly get out of control. Fear is understandable, especially when your life is on the line. Emotions rise, your senses are heightened, and adrenaline rushes through you. With proper training, you can use those emotions and the adrenaline to your advantage.”

Ron leaned over and whispered to Harry, “She talks about the Dark Arts as fondly as Snape does! Are you sure she’s not a Death Eater?”

Harry gave a nod and whispered, “Yes. Dumbledore told me she was an Auror across the pond. She’s actually here to help protect us, according to him.”

Randi stopped speaking and focused in on the Golden Trio. “To answer your question, Mr. Weasley, I wouldn’t be caught dead in the company of cowards who hide behind masks.”

Harry and Ron snickered at her brazen insult towards the Dark Lord’s followers. Hermione looked shock to hear the new professor talk about the people that most of the wizarding world feared in such a way.

Randi went on with the class, talking to them about stilling the mind and using the natural fear reaction instead of repressing it. By the end of class, the students were all hanging on her every word. Even the Slytherins were quiet.

“Tomorrow I’ll show you all a technique you can use to fortify your protection shields. Until then, I want you all to think about the reality of a real world fight against a dark magician, and be ready to explain how you see it happening.”

As the students filed out, she watched them and smiled. Yes, perhaps she would have made a good Death Eater if the American Ministry of Magic hadn’t been so careful in the way they raised her. When she was younger, she had hated being locked away in the complex, but she now realized that it had been for her own good. This Voldemort was living proof of what could happen to a sorceror when he was left unchecked. Her father had always warned her that power could easily corrupt a person, making them forget their humanity and turn into monsters. To his relief, she had become a monster killer instead of one of the monsters she hunted.