Life Begins Anew

Chapter 20 First Day Of Class

Defense against the Dark Arts

Sara was already sitting at her desk when Professor Snape walked in and sat at the back corner of the classroom. She looked up to him, eyes narrowed as he glared back at her.

Her first class was 7th year Slytherins and Gryffindors. All of her colleagues agreed that this was surely a definite way to have mischief and mayhem abound in any class, with the exception of potions, as the potions master favored on Slytherin and took points and treated the other houses harshly.

The students entered noisily, chatting with one another until they noticed who was at the back of the classroom. Then it became eerily quiet as the students looked up to their new professor.

She stood up and walked around to the front of her desk. “My name is Professor Snape. And I can teach you about the Dark Arts and how to defend one ’s self against them.” Her voice silky.

“However, I am a very private witch, and I would not enjoy any unappreciated remarks or rumors spread around about my classes, concepts, or me. A fact that you no doubt heard earlier.” Her eyes gazed across the classroom until they focused on Seamus. She coldly stared, eyes narrowing at him.

Seamus shrank back in his chair. How did she know?

She continued “You are going to be taught advanced concepts, some of which has not been taught in over a hundred years. When you students walked through that door you invoked a Wizard’s Oath, a very specific one.”

The classroom started to get loud with the mutters of the students.

“Silence!” She coldly commanded. The classroom fell silent.

“You can discuss me, but only with those with whom you have class with or a staff member, excluding the school governors. So what this means is you can discuss our class and concepts only to the people in this room and to any Hogwarts professor. Of course the oath is not included for Professor Snape.” Nodding her head towards the back of the classroom. “He can talk about me anytime he wants with whomever he wants.”

Severus caught the inflection in “whomever”.

“No, most of you are close to being of age, if not already. This oath does not involve physical pain, as the Headmaster would not allow it. No, you will just talking about another subject, changing the conversation. It is a requirement of any who takes my class, from first years to seventh. You have 5 minutes to decide. You may discuss it amongst yourselves quietly.” She conjured up a floating timer and set the hour glass to 5 minutes.

Severus snorted at her words. He doubted that the Headmaster knew anything about this. How did she do that anyway? Only the Headmaster or Deputy could change the classroom wards for things like that.

He watched her sitting at her desk with a mischievous smirk, though her eyes showed no emotion. His sister may be inhuman, but she was brilliant. There would be no talk of her lessons going back to Voldemort. He wished he thought of it years ago.

Sara tapped her desk with her wand and silently incanted a spell. The students name appeared along with skills and probability of survival if matched against her. This was a spell she used when matching her assassins to her targets. Hmm, quite a few were quite advanced, despite the turnover of professors.

She looked to her brother’s stats and probabilities. Of course he was zero. She changed her statistics and factored in the fact she could die. She jerked up and looked at him, as she was surprised to see both their stats change to zero percent in the survival listing. That little fact would be well to be remembered.

Five minutes later, the magical hourglass flashed blue and disappeared.

She stood, crossing her arms, bringing her robes closer together. “Well? If you do not want to take the vow, all you have to do is leave. There will be no punishments or points deducted. Otherwise the vow is in effect as of now.”

Not one Slytherin or Gryffindor moved to exit. The Slytherins looked worried as the Gryffindors looked back to her smugly.

“Lovely. Now as that formality is taken care of we can discuss why you are here.” She said sarcastically as she walked around the desk and amongst her students. Her students eyed her nervously while she silently walked among them.

She stopped in front of Draco Malfoy, who was busy answering a letter and did not notice his teacher walk up.

She stood there quietly for a moment to see if he would look up. He kept putting quill to parchment.

His fellow Slytherins made no move to help him. After all it was important to look after one’s own interest. Especially if it involved a new professor just sorted into the house of their enemy.

She pulled at her sleeves and placed herself in a disdainful look and posture. This was for her student’s benefit. She slammed both her fist down onto the desk, making a loud noise.

Draco shot back, spilling black ink on his school robes and ending up on the floor, his arse smarting from the fall. Titters of laughter was heard from the Gryffindor students.

She yelled down at him, “Why are you in my class!??” Draco looked confused at the question as well as his fellow students.

She pointed at Draco Malfoy. “Do not make me ask you twice. Why are you in my class, Mr. Malfoy?”

“To learn about the Dark Arts of course.” he smartly replied.

“And not defense?” Draco did not reply. Her voice sounded very familiar he thought as she turned away from him. Then it clicked. Shit! The voice belonged to the new Death Eater at the Revel he attended.

She stormed around the room, in a cold fury, asking every single student the same question and everyone answering back the same reply, not understanding what answer needed to be given.

Pathetic! thought Sara. She might as well pack up and go home. Oh, that’s right. Her Lord required her to stay. Damn!

She arrived at the last student not questioned. She stood, waiting. “Well, Miss. Granger. Why?”

Hermione looked up at her professor. She was not as scared of her as she was to the potions master. But, then again, she did not feel comfortable as everyone waited for her answer, eyes looking expectantly. Everyone knew that out of the room, Hermione always had the right answer. It sucked being last she sighed to herself.

“Why, to overcome them, Professor Snape.” She confidently replied, but not feeling especially that way.

Sara concealed her surprise “Why not answer like your fellow students. Aren’t you afraid of death?” Sara addressed the young witch.

“If I can overcome the Dark Arts, then I can overcome the death that would be my own if I did not have right training.” Hermione primly answered back.

Sara stood for a moment, looking at the witch. She was intelligent, for that was the answer she hoped to hear from the rest of her classmates. But no, being young and unfocused, they were naturally afraid of death.

“Well answered, Miss Granger. Tell me, are you afraid of death?”

“Not particularly. I mean, I want to avoid it, but if I have to face death in a battle, I would rather have the proper knowledge to prevent it. If I die, then I’ll know that it was fate and not my fear that killed me.”

The professor nodded her approval of her answer and addressed the class.

“Death is nothing to be feared, for everyone in this room has started to die from the moment of birth. If anything, death should be embraced like one should enjoy a lover’s embrace.” Her voice soft. She examined the student’s faces as a few of them blushed. “Acceptance of death makes you a stronger witch or wizard.”

Her voice turned to steel as she barked out to the classroom “If you cannot accept death, then you will only be able to defend yourself and your loved ones for only so long. Your fear will be your downfall, and the downfall of others around you! It will allow your enemy the upper hand!”

Sara walked to the desk and sat on the edge, her hands clasped together. She looked down at them disdainful, and projecting her doubt. “I can teach you everything you need. However, I cannot teach you about death. That is a subject that varies from one witch or wizard to another. I will not teach those who fear, for my time will be wasted, and I do not need your death to be on my conscious”

She heard the Potions Master snort out with that remark.

“Parchment out!” She commanded. “There is no minimum length for this. I want you to write about death and seriously look inward. Write down what you think and feel. Your previous answer to why we need to learn defend against the Dark Arts was pathetic! This essay will determine if you are worthy of my time and trouble to teach it.” The students slowly dug out their parchments and quill. She decided to motivate them.

The students froze as they noticed their professor’s wand out and pointing at them. She then pointed her wand at an empty desk and coldly said “Fundo Corrumpo! “ The empty desk melted into a blob, smoking.

She turned back to the class, hard look on her face and said in an icy tone “If you want to learn how to defend yourself from a Dark charm such as this, I suggest you get to working NOW!”

Parchments and quills started to fly around the room as the students hurriedly started their assignment.

She stood up and leaned against the front wall of the classroom, observing her students. She pulled out her pocket watch and looked to the time. There was about 15 minutes left until this lesson ended. She called out along her bond to Hades “its show time dear, and do try not tell them all my secrets.” Hades responded back along the bond. “I really wanted to tell them about the “To Shag” List. They are 7th years, yes?” Sara mentally laughed. She was really going to miss the old bird when all this was over. Hades felt the sadness along their bond. “Don’t worry Mistress, I won’t tell them you are sentimental and cuddly either.”

The class looked up from their parchments with frightened looks as they detected movement walking among them. They silently watched their Professor walk over to the window and opened it as wide as it could open. The students could see a speck growing as it flew closer. There were a few screams from the female students as a huge, ugly bird flew in and landed at her desk.

“Class, this is Hades, my familiar. As I am not a very forthcoming witch, Hades has agreed to answer questions from you as long as they are respectful. He feels rather strongly about others respecting me properly, don’t you Hades?”

Hades glared back at Severus, beak snapping nastily. The entire class now knew that the familiar did not care about their Potions Master at all.

Hades replied. “Yes Mistress.”

The student’s mouth’s dropped in shock. Everyone knew that familiars could not talk and communication was sent as images though a bond established by the familiar to the witch or wizard.

She walked toward the classroom door “Do shut your mouths!” She snapped “You’ll catch flies!” She exited her classroom, slamming the door and making the students jump.

Hades flew to the podium to be closer to the students. He let his wings stretch out a little longer than he normally did so the students could take note of his impressive wing span. The bird looked down to them. “I will speak first and give you a bit of advice. Do not lie to my Mistress or pull pranks. If you do, you are going to wish you were on a quick journey to the Elysian Fields when she punishes you. She believes in the strong arm of discipline.”

Hermione laughed out and quickly covered her mouth with an embarrassed look.

“Miss. Granger, would you care to enlighten your fellow students on what amuses you so?” Professor Snape called from the back of the classroom.

“Of course, Professor!” She replied. “Basically, Hades just told us that if any student misbehaves themselves, they are going to wish they were dead. The Elysian Fields are from Greek mythology in that it was one of the resting places for the soul in the Underworld.”

“Very perceptive Miss. Granger.” Hades croaked. “Would you like to ask the first question?”

“How long have you been Professor Snape’s familiar?” She hesitantly asked. This should truly confirm the professor’s masterships. Even though the spell validated them as belonging to her, Hermione could not believe it. One cannot travel that far back in time.

“About 491 years.” Replied Hades.

Snorts of disbelief sounded out.

Draco Malfoy raised his hand. “And exactly how old is our professor?” disbelief sounding in his voice.

“My Mistress will be 5oo years old on Samheim.”

Severus walked up to be closer to the familiar. “May I ask a question Hades?”

Hades clicked his beak warningly at him. “Only if your question is respectful.”

Severus asked curiosity in his voice “Why does your Mistress have such a fascination with death?”

A valid question, one that his Mistress hoped would be asked. “For many, many, years she has been surrounded by death, garnering her respect for it. She has discovered that there is nothing to be feared by it. The only thing you need to fear is how well you die and how the Veil will sort your afterlife.”

Severus thought on that answer as he made his way back to the rear of the classroom.

***Severus Snape, I have not answered your honest question thoroughly because of the students. Don’t feel shocked at me inside your head, wizard! **** As the bird noticed the professor stop mid stride. **** I can link to you as well, as you share the same blood as my Mistress, though my loyalty is to her alone! I will meet with you soon. ****

Other mundane questions followed. “Favorite sport? Quidditch. Married? No. Dating? No, but if you are of age and graduated you could try. My Mistress’ rejection of you could be painful. Is she related to the Potions Master?…..”

The door banged open as Sara brought in a rotten stinking carcass and put in the front corner of the classroom. Three students threw up as Hades gave his thanks to his Mistress and proceeded to tear at it with his beak, claws digging into the rotten flesh.

“Don’t be weak!” She snapped. “This is the smell of death, once you get used to it, your training will truly begin.”

“Your reflections on Death and how you perceive it is due tomorrow! And as this class started out most pathetically, I will give you a chance to impress me. Two separate questions and this WILL BE THE ONLY TIME I award house points in class. Number one: What kind of bird is my familiar, and what is unique about him? Number two: I attended this school as a student. What year did I attend, and did I do anything significant? There is no time limit. Leave your answers at my desk and I will let the lucky student know if they are successful.”

Severus looked toward her. She had stated that she attended Beauxbatons. What was his sister up to?

She had a suspicion that Miss. Granger performed her brother’s research. The second challenge would confirm it.

The bell sounded and the students started to pack their items. “Oh, Mister’s Weasly, Finnigan, and Miss Brown! Detention tonight seven p.m. Do not be late!”

None of the called out students showed any reaction. After all, they had heard her of feelings of rumors previously.

The rest of her classes went most smoothly. Except for the vomit and half the first and second years cried as she taught, it went rather well.

Great Hall Dinner

“Headmaster, I wish to make an announcement before dinner starts.”

Albus looked to his dour potions professor. “I take it that Sara’s masterships are valid Severus?”

“Yes Headmaster. She cleverly has a Wizard’s Oath on her classroom, and all the students had to agree before she started to teach her class. My moment of weakness….” He spat out “will not get back to the Dark Lord.”

“By all means Severus! Don’t feel bad my boy. The ceremony forces you to do the proper thing.”

Severus approached the winged podium and stood there as the hall went silent. “Students, I would like for you to know that Professor Snape’s credentials are impeccable. To question them is to question me!”

He walked angrily back to his seat and addressed his sister. “There! Satisfied?” He spat out.

“Yes, brother. You have met your obligation as the students are confused. I am satisfied.” She went back to her meal.

Detention:

The three students arrived on time for their detention. She set them to cleaning the vomit and the blob of the desk that she had cursed earlier. After 3 hours, the students approached her at her desk.

“I trust that for now on you will not spread rumors, or be part of one?” She snarkily asked. “It would do you well, Mister Weasly and Miss Brown to be more discrete. As for you, Mister. Finnigan, I also require an essay from you about the wisdom of not spreading rumors! I will not have the house I was recently sorted in be disgraced. Dismissed!”

The students fled from the classroom.

She entered her chambers to sleep and reflect on her brother, Mister Malfoy and Miss Granger. It was going to be a long year.