Different Circumstances

Again, don\'t own it, wish I did..

Want to say sorry up front no Fluff in this chapter but we do find out exactly who the new professor
is to both Harry and Malfoy. Promise some steamy stuff in chapter 6.....

Please review, Please, Please.
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Chapter 5 \"Dumbledore\'s Office\"


\"Boys, do speed it up, dawdling is not going ot delay this.\" Tigre stated as she glided in fron of Harry and Malfoy.

Finally they made it to the Headmasters office, \" Pepper Imps \" the professor muttered before stepping aside to allow the boys to enter first. \" Go on.\"

Harry sighed as it seemed he would have to go in first. When he got into the room, Fawlkes was on his usual perch and of course, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, not looking surprised to see them at all..

\" Yes boys, do take a chair each of you please,.... lemondrops? .....no? .... more for me then. \" he said as he poked one in his mouth.

\" Phoebe, go and fetch Severus will you, and tell him to come in when he arrives, and would you mind waiting outside for a moment after you get back please?\"

Tigre nodded, then went out the door, leaving them alone to face the Headmaster.

\" Well boys,\" Dumbledore started, his eyes never losing their twinkle, \" I can\'t say I\'m surprised, but I had hoped for better this year. \"

Malfoy began to defend himself to Dumbledore when the Headmaster held up his hand to stop him.

\" Mr. Malfoy, know what you are thinking, and yes, maybe Tigre was a bit harsh with hexing you, but I will tell you why if I can be assured it never leave this room.\" he began quietly, \" I know bear your father no great love and don\'t always agree...
( \' How did he know that? Draco thought franticly, \' How dare he say that in front of Potter!!!\' ) and I know you think I am being uncouth for speaking in front of Harry but part of this story is his too.\"

\" Professor Tigre\'s husband was killed and her daughter injured probably permanently by Deatheaters under your father\'s instruction 4 years ago. \" Malfoy suddenly grew very pale and Harry leaned forward in his seat. \" Her husband was a Muggle and could not defend himself, but Phoebe managed to use her former training to kill one of them but not before one harmed her child.\"

\" I am afraid when she looks at you Draco,\" Dumbledore sighed, \" she only sees your father in you, although I am trying to help her realize you are not, infact, just like him.\"

Harry startled suddenly at that bit of information and glanced quickly at Malfoy, while the boy in question kept his head down looking at his hands.

\" But sir, \" Harry spoke, \" what has this got to do with me.\"

Dumbledore looked sad for a moment glancing at Harry, \" Her husband was first cousins with your mother Lily. \" Dumbledore said slowly, \" They were on their way here to meet and maybe claim you. \"

Hary sat still with shock, ( \' Bloody hell, the surprises and secrets never stop! \' he thought ), as did Draco, so much so that they did not hear the door open to announce the arrival of Professor Snape.

\" Mr. Malfoy, I trust I have your cooperation that you will not speak of this to anyone, and from now on tread carefully in Phoebe\'s class, hmmm? \" the Headmaster shot Snape a meaningful glance and Snape nodded as he escorted Draco out.
\" Oh and Severus, send Phoebe in please?\"

Professor Tigre walked into the room, looked at the seat Malfoy had recently vacated and muttered, \"Scourgify\" pointing her wand at the chair before she sat down. Dumbledore just raised his eyebrows and shook his head sadly.

\" Phoebe, I have told Harry about Stephen and Claudia.\" he said quietly, \" I believe by the look on his face that he would like some details if you can manage.\"

Professor Phoebe Tigre nodded slightly, suddenly looking very tired and a bit older than her 27 years. She turned and spoke directly to Harry, her voice never wavering, although two tears leaked out of her eyes as she began her story.....

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Almost 4 years ago.....
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\" Everything looks so much older here than in America,\" Phoebe said, looking out her car window, \" Even when we went on that trip to Plymouth Rock and Philidelphia, the historical buildings there almost look new compared to British ones.\"

\" Look at the map, babe, and see if we are getting close to a place to stop, its almost dark and we need to get something to eat for Claudia. \" Stephen replied, \"Damn, but it feels weird driving on the wrong side of the road. \"

Phoebe smiled slightly at her husband of 4 years. The look on his ruggedly handsome face was showing his frustration at driving a stick shift on the wrong side of the road. It was kind of cute, but there was no way she could tell him that. She shook her head and reached in the glove compartment for the map when she heard him exclaim, \" Wonder whats going on up there it looks like some sort of moldy light show.\" Phoebe looked up and in the twilight ahead, a house, surrounded by a forest on both sides of the road, had green light coming out of the doors and windows.

\" Stephen Evans, \" she said firmly, \" Stop the car, NOW. Turn around quickly, before we are seen.\"

Before he could comply two hooded figures stepped out of the woods to the right, pointing wands at their car. One of the figures shouted something they could not hear and suddenly the car came to a complete stop.

Phoebe reached in her purse and grabbed her wand. As they slowly approached the car, she said quietly, \" Listen to me very carefully darling and don\'t argue, I\'m going to distract them, grab Claudia and run, there are only two of them right now, hide in the first place you find, anyplace, do you hear. Don\'t wait for me! \"

\" Who are they? \" he whispered.

\" Deatheaters.\" she whispered back.

Stephen paled at the word, \' Those are the people who we found out killed Lily! \' he thought. \" I can\'t leave you, Phoebe.\" he said softly.

\" Please, Steve, please, you\'re a Muggle and there is no way for you to defend yourself against these monsters, take our daughter and go!\" she replied almost panicing, glancing back at her sleeping 3 year old daughter. She saw out of the corner of her eye another step from the woods. \" Go when I open the door, NOW! \"

Phoebe swung her door open quickly to avoid a further arguement and shouted, \"Stupify\", at the one nearest her door, while Stephen rushed out, grabbed Claudia and started to run towards the opposite side of the road. One took off after them, \"Impedimenta!\" Phoebe cried triping up their pursuer. The second Deatheater sent a hex her way, \" Protego!\" she cried to shield herself and from then the hexes and counter hexes flew between them.

All of a sudden from behind, she heard a male voice sneer \" Crucio.\" Phoebe was overcome by the worst pain of her life. Writhing on the ground, she heard her assailant tell the one she was dueling with \" Revive the others and start after the ..Muggles..have some fun with them if you wish.\"

\" Your fucking bastard! \" she said between clenched teeth.

\" Nice choice of words, mudblood, \'Petrifficus Totalus.\" he sneered behind his mask. Suddenly she was perfectly petrified but still aware.

\" Our lord would be amused by you I think. \" he mummered bending down near her. At that moment there was a shout from the woods, followed by a scream. \" Ah, my friends have found your ..Muggle.. family, I think. \"

There was a sudden crack near the car and two wizards apparated, \" Put the wand down, Deatheater.\" the nearest one shouted.

Her captor stood up and there was another crack as he disapparated to 500 yards down the road to an old boot, when he grabbed it, he was gone.

One of the men who appeared ran to her and muttered \" Finite Incantatem \", breaking the hex\'s hold on her. She tried to leap to her feet right away, but almost fell back down again. One of the Aurors ( for surely they could be no one else ) steadied her, \" Miss, try not to move too quickly it will be a while....\" he started, but Phoebe cut him off.

\" You don\'t understand, \" she said somewhat shakily, \" my husband and child are in those woods with three more of those monsters. \"

After that announcement both Aurors left her leaning up against the car to recover while running in the direction she pointed.

Phoebe shook her head to clear it , then picked up her wand and followed.

~~~~~

When Phoebe came upon the clearing where all the voices were at, she stopped. Her husband lay obviously dead next to a tree in the corner of the clearing, both of the Aurors were engaged in a duel with two of the Deatheaters. Knowing it was too late for her husband and hearing a sound to her left, she bolted through the brush looking for her daughter. In the next clearing, she saw a Deatheater standing over her daughter laughing, while her daughter writhed on the ground screaming in pain.

Phoebe stood still in shock for a moment as the scene before her soaked in. What shook her out of it was the sound of him repeating the curse again, \" Crucio!\" through his laughter.

Phoebe lost all of her ability to think clearly as her mother instincts rose to the surface and her vision went red, \"You son-of-a-bitch\", she shouted and as he turned towards her with wand raised, she sceamed the curse she never, ever, though she would ever say, \" AVADA KEDAVRA!!\"

The deatheater was immediately enveloped in a sickly, bright bottle green light, then dropped to the ground with a look of surprise plastered on his face in death.

When the Aurors found her, now joined by three others, she was rocking her daughter gently with the dead wizard beside her.

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\".....they couldn\'t get me to let her go at first.... then one of them, I found out his name was Sturgis Podmore later, convinced me to see if he could revive her. When he couldn\'t, he picked her up and handed her back to me and we rode brooms to St. Mungos. She\'s there still. Still unconscious but at least alive. I had to be put there myself, under sedation for 3 days. By the time I came out of it, Stephen\'s body had already been buried. I tried.....I tried to call his parents, but they disowned him when he married me,....because of what I am. They didn\'t say a word back, just hung up.....\"

Phoebe fell silent suddenly lost in her memories, then continued quieter, \" I was an emotional wasteland after that for almost a year. I took a flat close to the hospital and gave up on my life. Until one day, the same Auror who tried to revive my daughter, Podmore, came in with an older gentleman in an eccentric robe, \" she flashed Dumbledore a brief smile, \" I hadn\'t met you yet, only exchanged letters and pictures but the minute you walked in I knew it had to be you....\"

\" You were very gifted then, even before you started pushing yourself too hard, Phoebe.\" chuckled Dumbledore lightly.

Harry looked puzzled for a moment at Dumbledore\'s comment.

Phoebe looked back at Harry and took his hand, \" You\'re a Parselmouth, aren\'t you Harry? \". Harry nodded.

\" Well, I am a Truthseer,... at a very young age my parents noticed that I could always tell if someone was lying or sometimes what their real purpose was behind the lie. I would know things I shouldn\'t know and not be able to explain how I knew. When I finally got invited to Wizarding School, my headmaster knew right away what I was. He allowed me to study Legilimency in my 3rd year and Occlumency in my 4th year, even though he had to get special permission from the American Wizarding Council to do it. In that 4th year they discovered my second gift which even I had overlooked, that I was an Empath, and that helped me even more with my Truthseeing.

Albus encouraged me to put my gifts to use and help the cause, I.....I had other business to take care of first. I had to find out who the Deatheater was who got away. It took me another year and a half to find out it was Lucius Malfoy. After I found out, I had my mind set on revenge until Albus visited me again as I was preparing my private war against Malfoy, he came to me and convinced me their was a better way to get Malfoy and help you too Harry. \"

Harry soaked this information in, \" So,\" he stated, \" you became a member of the Order right? \". Tigre nodded and it suddenly clicked into place why Dumbledore need a Truthseer at Hogwarts. He turned to Dumbledore, \" You think we have a spy for Voldemort here, don\'t you sir? \"

\" Very good my boy, always new you had a quick mind on you. \" Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling. \" We also needed Phoebe\'s talents, because they are so rare, to screen a potential member of the Order, who, you could say, was a surprise. \"

\" Who is it sir? \" Harry asked.

\" I cannot say right at this moment Harry, and it is not because I do not trust you. This person is in a precarious position deep undercover and I don\'t want to risk their life. \" sighed Dumbledore. Harry nodded regretfully.

\" Now Harry, I believe it is time for you to get back to Gryffindor before your friend think I turned you into a blast-ended skewt! Phoebe, will you see him there safely? \"

\" Of course, Albus,\" she replied, and she and Harry made their way out.....

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Who is the undercover spy? And wait a minute, Draco doesn\'t like Lucius? How is Snape going to make sure Draco behaves?

Find out through the next two chapters......

thanks for reading,
AmandaD.