Story

I agree. What should we call it?

Lacrymosa!

Lol, just kidding. It was the first word that came to mind. Maybe we should have a vote on it. Have each member come up with 3-5 names they like and everyone can vote on their favorite one.

lol. Yeah good idea.

Here is another thing we can vote on the title of the actual story? What will it be?

Yeah...agreed on both. ((Still on bed rest. urgh.))

Okay guys here is chapter 3 it is quite long though.. so I have to split it up, What do you guys think?

Part 1

This is a rough of chapter 3 Mae and I switched places anyway here it is.


Viper held her hands up in front of her in defense. "I honestly have no idea, Headmistress. One moment, she's asking me if I'm excited about teaching and the next thing I know she's insulting my attire and wailing over her dead husband!" She took a sip of her goblet once more before turning to the Headmistress with her "courtesy smile".

"Now, what are the papers I need to fill out?"

Kiara's eyes widened.

"What? Dead husband?... How in Merlins name can you go from talking about cloths to her deceased husband? what did she say?" said Kiara as she handed over the papers from Gringotts.

Instinct was telling her there was a whole lot more to the story that Viper wasn't telling.

Viper shook her head sympathetically. "Poor thing must still be in the depths of grief. You know, back when I worked at the Ministry I developed a potion to aid with grief. Absolivia, I called it." Viper's green eyes filled with tears as she thought of her old life.

"You know, she's not the only one with problems with the past!" she wailed, drinking even more of her wine goblet.

Kiara frowned, eyed the potions professor carefully.

"Grief is a powerful emotion Professor, but she did not seem over whelmed with grief over her husbands death when we talked earlier. Depression is a hard thing to cover up even if someone wants to..."

Thinking for a moment Kiara tried to pry further.

"What did you say when she told you her husband died?" she asked careful not to make it sound like an accusation.

Viper sniffed, staring incredulously at the Headmistress.

"Headmistress! Are you accusing me of saying something inappropriate! Oh Merlin, I knew it! You're just like all the students during my time at Hogwarts! Judging me before you even know me, blaming me for what my family's done!" she wiped her eyes with her black handkerchief before proceeding.

"If you must know, I didn't say a word when she told how her husband died and that he was a muggle. I was too shocked!"

Kiara took a deep breath "Such a drama queen.." she thought to herself.

"Okay I might be the only person in the wizarding world who doesn't care what your family did or didn't do during the war. You were born near the end and had no part in it. Now her husband was a muggle and that shocked you. Why? It isn't unheard of for witches and wizards to marry muggles"

Viper raised an eyebrow. "Headmistress, do try and understand where I come from. I spent my entire life living in Viper Manor. My grandfather, Merlin rest his soul, raised me a certain way until he passed away when I was 7. Now, of course I don't condone hostility towards anyone and I do try and move past my family's influence, but please, this is the one thing I shall ever ask of you: Please try and be patient with me. I was not raised to be nearly as open-minded as you. I truly am trying to adjust to the times."

Viper pleaded, using the "puppy eyes"

Kiara sighed and stared at the younger woman.

"Very well, but i do however ask you put your self in Professor DeLanquar's shoes, I am afraid your reaction probably hurt a still opened wound, and hurt her feelings...at least try to smooth things over with her please."

After a moment she remembered the reason she came to the potion mistress's office.

"Oh and if you want to get paid I suggest you fill this out and have it back to me as soon as possible" she said as she indicated to the Gringotts form.

Viper bowed in an obliging manner. "As long she puts herself in mine, I shall do my best to try and 'smooth things over'." Quickly, she glanced through the paperwork, reading what it said. With a tap of her finger the form was filled out and she handed it to the Headmistress with a sweet smile.

Kiara raised her eye brow at the sudden cheery smile.

Thinking to herself "I was right she could give Sev a run for his money, and not just in potion making. She knows exactly how to get out of trouble"

Then something else came to mind.

"Professor I noticed you volunteered to help lead the Duelling club. I you should know i have scheduled the sessions to be in the last week of every month. So we have 2 weeks to plan what spells we will teach and how we will do the demonstrations. Any thoughts so far?"

Viper smirked

"The usual, I suppose. Expelliarmus, Protego, oh,, and sectumsempra! Definately sectumsempra!"

Kiara's mouth dropped opened in disbelief.

"Sectumsempra? are you joking? I certainly hope you are Professor Viper. I know perfectly well what that spell does and it will never be used in this school"

"Headmistress, if used properly, and only in emergency situations the spell can be very helpful. Besides, the students need to know how to protect themselves against that spell. You know as well as I do that it requires intense spellwork and rapid potions abilities god forbid it ever struck any of them. I think that lesson would perfect, combining both our specialties, all the while teaching our students defense."

Viper's eyes narrowed. "Were you never taught that spell and how to defeat it in auror training?"

"Yes I was but i never had the need to actually use the curse. There are many more effective spells to use while capturing a run away criminal. Even if it weren't considered a dark spell I won't have students casting it at each other. If you would like we will tell them about it, how to recognize it and show them to counter curse. But is all is that understood?"

Kiara of course didn't mention that she hadn't been taught the curse by the ministry, but by the maker of the curse himself in her first year at Hogwarts.

Viper stared for a moment, contemplating. "I think we should do a demonstration. Children are children. They hear about it, they'll forget a week later. They see it, and it'll be burned in their minds forever." she added for good measure, "I'm even willing to be the recipient of the curse."

Kiara still couldn't believe her ears, Professor Viper was serious.

"Sectumsempra is a very dangerous curse, once cast it has a mind of it's own, the caster has no control over what part of the body is slashed or how severely it harms. You could die or lose a limb under that curse. No I will not cast it on another human being."

Viper bit back a laugh. “I can assure you, Headmistress, I will be perfectly fine. I-I've gotten used to it, I suppose." she said as her eyes darkened with memories.

She quickly shook it off, however. The last thing she wanted was to pry even further into her past. She hastily changed the subject. "I noticed that you still require a Head of Slytherin House. May I volunteer for the position?"

Kiara was looking at Professor Viper in shock. she had been under the curse before? who knows how many times, and she was willing to be subjected to it again. In front of students no less. It was like her first year all over again. "That is it" thought Kiara as she suddenly got an idea that would solve their problem

"Sectumsempra will not be preformed with in the walls of this school again Professor Viper, however I do understand your point that the students need to observe the curse for them selves to truly understand it. I have seen the curse and counter curse begin preformed before. I will bring a pensieve to the session where the students can watch my memory of it"

"And as for Head of Slytherin, the job is yours. Since I have never met a truer Slytherin in my life"

Viper nodded, showing her agreement and thanks. "Thank you, but I hope you mean that statement as a compliment."

Kiara smiled thankful the professor was pleased.

"Of course, A Slytherin saved my life once, and you remind me a great deal of him"

Viper smiled to herself softly. "I'll take a chance with this one and attempt a wild guess on who that person is. Is it by any chance Severus Snape?"

Kiara nodded, and laughed.

"Oh that man hated me, Well I was typical 11 year old gryffindor, I stumbled into a situation at exactly the wrong moment and was found by the wrong person.... Lets just say he wasn't impressed by my nosiness, and said he wouldn't interfere the next time he found out I was sticking nose where it didn't belong "

Viper smiled her genuine smile. "I'm sorry to say I don't remember him very much. I was only about 2 or 3 years old when I met him. But I've always heard great things of him, on both sides, so I've always felt quite flattered when I am compared to him."

"Well it is hard not to stop his name coming to mind when I see you, both a genius in potions, an expertise in duelling, and it would seem the same fascination with the colour black." she said as glanced around the office.

"Anyways is it agree that the Sectumsenpra curse will be observed through the memory only?"

Viper laughed. "Very well. Memory it is. When shall we begin?"

Kiara sighed in relief.

Part 2

"Good, first meeting will begin in two weeks from now in the great hall after classes have ended. Fair enough?"

Viper nodded. "Alright, my Slytherins and I will be there."

"Alright I look forward to it, it has been a while since i had a decent duel, It should be interesting"

Looking at her muggle watch she had enchanted to work with magic she saw the time.

"Now if you will excuse me Professor Viper I have an Advanced Spells class to teach in 15 minutes. I will see you later, Okay?"

"Good bye Headmistress!"

Kiara stopped for a moment by the door and turned her head. She had given Eglantine permission to use her first name, it was only fair she gave the potions mistress the same.

'You may call me Kiara if you wish to Professor Viper"

Viper paused for a moment, pondering if she should take the leap. She decided to throw caution to the wind and smiled gently.

"Very well, then I must ask you to call me Amaranth. Or Viper. Whichever is easier for you."

"Since you're my new head of Slytherin, Viper seems more appropriate. I will see you later"

She said as she walked out the door.



Eglantine paused right outside of her office door to lean against the wall. Both legs were now throbbing and her side hurt from her uneven gait. Closing her eyes she thought about her conversation with Professor Viper.

But instead of feeling angry at the woman for dragging up memories, she felt almost relieved. It was the first time that she had ever talked about her beloved's death.

Seating herself carefully in her chair, Eglantine ignored her legs and leaned the cane against the inside of the desk. Her hand stole into the top drawer of the desk and withdrew a muggle photo, its image frozen in time.

The man in the picture was ruggedly handsome with deeply set brown eyes, a well kept moustache and short salt and pepper hair. He was smiling at the camera and had jokingly tucked his hand into his breast pocket to mimic how men had posed in old colonial paintings.
She remembered taking the picture, laughing as he scrunched his eyes closed at the bright flash.

(Warning: memories of how her husband died beneath...proceed with caution)




Images, unwanted, flashed into her mind. The same handsome face, pale and drawn. The powerful hands that he used to talk with as much as his mouth; shaking and weak. Blood had been splattered across his countenance.

"Lenty, you need to move on." The words had not been his last, but the other things he had said later on had been swallowed up by her agonized weeping.

She sat up, suddenly aware that she had blacked out on her desk. Blinking several times, Eglantine wiped several tears off her face and began to fill out the paper the Headmistress had given her.

Without even bothering to knock, Viper stormed into Eglantine's office in a blind haze of fury.

"What in Circe's name is wrong with you?!?!?!"

Eglantine looked up from the paper. "I beg your pardon?" she asked evenly.

"Storming off on the Headmistress in my office! Honestly! Do you even think about anyone but yourself? What was I supposed to tell the Headmistress? You made it look as though it was all my bloody fault"

"It was your "bloody" fault." she stated, sliding her hands under the desk.

Viper stared at her incredulously. "How the hell is it my fault you still can't get over the fact that your husband, with the much shorter life span has croaked?" She wondered briefly if the other Professor was flicking her off under the desk.

"You are brutally frank and have no respect for other people's wishes. I apologized for insulting your attire and now would you mind dropping it!" Her cheeks paled as they always did when she was angry and her green eyes flashed dangerously.

__

A letter flew into the office guided by several complexly woven charms and laid itself on the Headmistress's desk where it could be plainly seen. It was a crimson envelope, muggle styled, with cream coloured spirals in each corner.

The word "Headmistress" was written in an elegant thin handwriting across the middle of the envelope in silver ink.

Part 3

Kiara sighed as she walked back into her office.

"Jeez what a day, It is not even dinner time yet and I am already tiered"

"Harder then you thought it would be is it?" came the condescending voice of Severus Snape.

"Hey I can handle the work and the teaching, but I had no idea how hard it would be to deal with these Professors"

She stopped and looked at Sev.

"And one of them is entirely to much like you, I swear she is your female reincarnate"

Snape smirked.

"Good at least i don't have to here about that Hufflepuff idiot, who called himself a potion master again".

Kiara rolled her eyes and mouthed "Slytherins".

Looking over at her desk she saw an envelope with Headmistress on it.

"hmm who could this be from?" she said as she opened it.


The paper inside was fine and thin with an embossed letterhead of lavender and sky blue.

In the same handwriting as the single word began a simple paragraph of small words.

"Headmistress,

I must apologize for the way I acted earlier in your office. You must be in a quandary about that.

To explain my conduct and assure you of my sanity, I have written this letter as I find writing easier than speaking.

I came to your office to volunteer my services. You were/are without a Muggle studies professor and I would be willing to take the position until it can be filled more suitably.

As to my conduct, I am afraid that my years amongst muggles has made me wary and I try my best to be thoughtful of others.

Sincerely,
Eglantine DeLanquar

P.S. I do not think that Professor Viper and I will get along very well as she is most difficult. If this proves too tedious, I will tender my resignation."

Kiara sighed once again.

"Well why didn't she just say she would take the Muggle studies position in the first place?" she said as she took out a quill and began writing a reply back.

When she was done she flicked her wand watched as letter flew out of her office.


A plain white envelope slipped in from underneithe the Professors door and landed on her desk.

"Adressed to Professor DeLanquar"

Ignoring the still fuming potion's mistress, Eglantine opened the envelope with a claw shaped letter opener

"Dear Professor DeLanquar,

No apology is necessary, but I am curious as to why you didn't say you wanted to volunteer for the Muggle studies position in the first place. Or maybe I misunderstood you, in that case I apologize to you.

If you are still willing to take the muggle studies class, you are more then welcome to take it if you wish

As for the matter of Professor Viper, I will talk with her, i don't ask you two be friends or anything like that, but you are colleagues, try to be civil.

Sincerely,
Headmistress Kiara

Eglantine quickly read the letter and then tucked it away into a hidden drawer in the desk. With several spells and a piece of paper, she wrote her response and sent the folded piece of paper out the door.

A folded piece of paper flew into the office and set down in front of the Headmistress, unfolding.

"Headmistress,

Thank you for allowing me to take the position. I will attempt to be cordial to Professor Viper.
The reason for my inability to talk to you in very simple. The last Headmistress I was under attacked me both verbally and physically when I said anything that displeased her.

Sincerely,
Eglantine DeLanquar

Kiara read through the letter quickly.

"Wow what hasn't this woman been through?" Kiara mumbled to her self as she wrote a quick reply back and flicked it away.

"Now what am i going to do with Professor Viper?" Kiara thought to herself as she fiddled with her quill.

A plain white envelope flew once again into the Transfigurations office and landed on the desk.

"To Eglantine DeLanquar"

Professor DeLanquar.

"I am truly sorry for what you went through at your former job. You must know or at least I hope you know by now I am nothing like your former “Headmistress”. Heck I probably would have arrested her for assault when I was an Auror. Feel free to speak your opinion, I won’t fault you for it. I know more then anyone trust needs to be earned, I hope I can earn enough of your trust in the future. If you need to talk my office is always opened to you.

Sincerely,
Kiara"

Another letter was soon on its way to the Headmistress's office. Two words written on a piece of paper.

"Thank you."

Ana walked along the corridor leading to Professor DeLanquar's office.
Hopefully the Professor wasn't busy. But this question had been bothering Ana for a while now, and a heavy book was weighing one side of her body down uncomfortably. Deftly switching the book to her other hand, gripping it's spine carefully and trying not to damage it, Ana approached the door.
She brushed her fringe out of her eyes and stood up straight. She raised a hand to the door and knocked smartly and confidently.
She tucked the library book under her arm and waited for a reply.

Viper tapped her foot impatiently. When she saw that the Transfigurations Mistress was through with her correspondence, she struck hard with a vengeance.

She smiled sweetly.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I wasn't aware that i was BORING YOU!!!!!! I have no respect for other people's wishes? What on Earth is that supposed to mean? By respecting your wish, what would you have me do, bring back your bloody husband to life? Well, dearie I can't. A few months ago I came to close to being able to, but now thanks to Mrs. bloody Granger-Weasly I can't! Take it up with her if you must!"

"Professor Viper, I am very sorry. However, your definition of respect for others wishes is not the same as mine." She heard the knock at the door and winced.

"If that is a student, I would suggest you return to your office. As professors we do have the responsibility to set an example." Walking around her desk, which proved more difficult than it should have, Eglantine opened the door and saw a Slytherin by the name of Miss Vaight.

"Do come in, Miss Vaight."

Viper scoffed. "An example of what? Snivelling in a corner each time someone says something mean?"

"No, of treating others as you would have them treat you!"

Viper gaped. "Now see here, Professor! I treated you the exact way I would have anyone treat me, should I ever have landed myself in your position!" she cried out indignatly.


Eglantine thought over what she had just been told and bit her lip. Those accursed hands were shaking now.

"Then I believe we were both wrong, Professor. Shall we begin again?" It took most of her self-control to hold out her trembling right hand. "Forgive me."

It was more of a plea than a request.

Part 4

"Very well. If you insist I shall." she looked at the woman for a while and felt that rare twinge of pity that struck her once every few years. Softly she said to the woman. "You know I wasn't lying when I said my department and I had come close to finding a way to construct the bridge between our life and the afterlife. I'm sure that had Hermione Granger shut down my department, within 5 years I could have successfully brought someone back to life."
"I did not think you were lying..." Eglantine trailed off. "The dead are meant to rest in peace. But thank you." She finally began to understand the potions mistress. She glare softened, but not into pity or grief. "She took your dream didn't she?"

Viper instinctively stiffened. She hadn't meant for the conversation to get this personal. At least, not her end. But before she could stop herself, she answered softly. "No. She took my life..."

"Then as I said before, we have more in common than we think." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Viper immediately snapped back into the present, her cold exterior rising with a vengeance.

"No, No we don't! We have nothing in common! You had a husband, he died. End of story! I had a career that I lived for! A career that saved hundreds, millions even! But I had to step aside. And for what? Because Harry Potter, the boy who bloody lived's best friend got jealous! You lived for your husband, I lived for the world. We are very very different."

Eglantine took a step back from the professor and stared at her with wide eyes.

Deep down she figured the outburst was merely an outpouring of the woman's frustration and DeLanquar had had enough people pour their frustration on her to have a set code of behaviour.

By habit, she retreated further from Professor Viper, in case she decided to attack her and partially drew her wand.

"But what was your world? And did you really lose it?"

"My entire family had been deatheater's and servants to Grindelwald. Imagine being born at the peak of Voldemort's reign and growing up during his defeat with your entire family, save a very old and weak grandfather in Azkaban. When I was at Hogwarts do you really think they welcomed me with open arms?" she laughed bitterly. "How could they? My relatives murdered their mothers and fathers! You know I never realized why my grandfather was so insistent about me learning D.A.D.A. I was only about 5 at the time, accomplishing 5th year spells. But when it was time for me to go to Hogwarts I realized why my grandfather did what he did: it was because everytime I had my back turned a student still mourning their loss would try and curse me."

She closed her eyes as memories flashed through her. "They never gave me a chance. They judged before they even knew me. Except for Slytherins of course. Most likely because they were in admiration of what my family was. They were probably the closest I came to friends.

When I arrived at the Ministry, it was just the same, people trying to do me in. That is, until my work as an Unspeakable reached their ears. In that era, unlike all my ancestors, I was creating life, improving it. Not destroying it. But of course, it didn't last long, for Hermione Granger came whirling in, complaining to her high profile friends about my department, trumping up charges of "ethical reasons". Naturally, her connections came through and the Minister overthrew my department. It wasn't until about a year later that I realized the true reason for Hermione's witchunt.It turns out that several years ago she had an younger brother who died very young, murdered." she paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder, waiting to see if Eglantine would comprehend. When she didn't, Viper continued. "Murdered at the hands of Anette Viper. My mother."

She turned to face Eglantine. "That was my world, Professor."

"And what did I do to hurt it? Did I hurt you in some past life? I never came to Hogwarts. As far back as I know, no one in my family did anything against you. I had nothing to do with the wars, even though I lived during both. I am very sorry about Miss Granger taking your department, but I do not see why you dislike me so much. Is it because I am not Slytherin? I will not judge you for being a Viper or a Slytherin. I will judge you by how you act and not how your family acts or acted." As an after thought she smiled and added.

"Both my mother and father were Slytherins when they came to Hogwarts. My mother was even a Malfoy before she married."

Her words fell on deaf ears, however, as a thought struck Viper. "You were a Malfoy and you married a muggle? Why?"

"Because a family history does not make a person."

Ana stood in the doorway, frozen and unsure.
She hadn't wanted to hear this conversation... Maybe she should come back later.
But the professor had told her to come in.

Ana just stood in the doorway motionless, trying not to be noticed as both Professors forgot about her. The last thing she'd wanted to do was listen in on their life stories. And she couldn't stop herself being surprised by what she heard.

Cursing inwardly, Ana stood still as a statue in the doorway, trying to block out the conversation and blend into the door simultaneously.

Then she cursed at herself for acting like a coward. Vaights shouldn't cower into doorframes.

But she wasn't sure what else to do.

"Yeah? Well tell that to the rest of the world."

Viper jumped a bit when she noticed the student standing at the doorway. "Good evening, Ms. Vaight, is it?"

"There is a student." Professor DeLanquar said suddenly, remembering Miss Vaight. Poor child...she thought stiffly.

"Forgive Professor Viper and I, Miss Vaight. Do come in and tell me how I may help you."

Viper glared at the Professor, wondering if she had snuck in the student on purpose to embarass her, but then vanquished that thought when she noticed the student was a Slytherin.

Ana walked cautiously into the office, trying to look as though she had not heard any of the previous discussion.

And failing miserably.

She cursed inwardly again. She was a Slytherin, not some cowardly custard. She felt her confidence grow slightly, and was careful to keep her voice level, not disrupted by awkwardness.

"Sorry to disturb you Professors...I could come back later..."

"Just a moment Ms.Vaight. Is your father by any chance Reginald Vaight?"

Ana was surprised to hear her father's name, then struck with a sudden anxiety. Who knows what her father might have done?

Preparing herself for a violent answer or declaration of hatred, Ana nodded.
"Yes Professor. He is."

Viper smiled. A true genuine smile, for once. "Well I am pleased to meet the daughter of a very good friend of mine. Your father was and is a very good friend to me. Especially during my Department Investigation. If I recall correctly, he was one of the few who stood by me the entire ordeal. And afterwards"

Ana was surprised. Her father had friends?!

And the potions Professor was smiling. Very, very strange.

Ana forcefully pushed the shock to the back of her mind, to be dealt with later, and smiled. A very small smile, but a smile all the same.

What a crazy day.

Part 5

Eglantine, although thrilled to hear that Professor Viper had friends, cleared her throat. After all, Miss Vaight looked confused.

"You came for something?" she reminded, gently.

Ana jerked her mind out of confusion and ordered her thoughts. Animagi.

"I had a question about Animagi Professor." Ana paused, wonderng how best to phrase her question.

"Professor, when people become Animagi do they choose what animal they become or is it already...predestined in a way?"

Viper continued smiling, ignoring the mini conversation beginning around her. "How could I not have seen this? You are the spitting image of Reginald. I think I shall write to him, sometime this week, extend my greetings, congratulate him on his bright daughter. You are taking potions, are you not? The riddle should be very simple for you, being a Vaight and a Slytherin "

For once, Viper was as close to happy as she could be of her post at Hogwarts, especially since Reginald's daughter was to be a student of her's. For truth be told, they were a bit more than friends...

Ana smiled. Maybe she would take potions, but if she was useless Darien would never let it go.
But the Professor had said it would be simple...
Ana resolved to ask the Headmistress to take potions in addition to her other classes.

After, all it could come in handy.

Professor DeLanquar felt very much at ease as soon as the question left the girl's mouth. Being an Animagi herself, she easily knew the answer.

"I suppose it is predestined. But an Animagi's form is a reflection of the person's nature. Did that answer your question?"

Viper was still in her world.

"It is a most useful subject. And I'm certain that by the time you graduate, all obstacles holding you back from breaking the potions restrictions shall be...eliminated." Viper said with a somewhat dreamy, devious look.

Ana pondered the Professor's answer to her question.
"Yes, thank you Professor. But what if the wizard themselves isn't quite sure of their nature? Do animagus forms ever change? Sorry to keep bothering you with all these questions..." Ana realised she was probably wasting the Professor's time.
Professor Viper's comment about potion restrictions confused Ana, but then she remembered the conversation she wasn't meant to have overheard. Ana suddenly had a feeling that she would be expected to break the restrictions like Viper had.
Brilliant, she thought to herself. More expectations.

"You needn't worry, Miss Vaight. Animagus forms do not change ever and in a way they pick you. I always found it comforting that you did not have to worry about picking the right animal form." She added then. "And your questions are and never will be a bother."

"Thank you Professor. I'd better be going now, I promised I'd write to my brother before lunch. Goodbye Professors."
Ana smiled and left the office, traversing the corridors back to the Slytherin common room.

"Lovely girl." Eglantine commented as the door magically closed behind the Slytherin.

"Wouldn't you agree?"

"Indeed, much like her father." Viper sighed, smiling dreamily.

The smile was not lost to DeLanquar and she lifted her eyebrow. She was too young to have gone to school with Miss Vaight's father...perhaps she knew the older son?

But not for all the Golden Apples of Hera, was Eglantine about to ask. Another argument would do nothing to smooth the evening.

Viper looked at Eglantine who was eyeing her oddly with barely concealed curiosity. "If you wish to know something, go right ahead and ask." she said frankly, and she meant it. The meeting with Reginald's daughter had put her in a wonderful mood, one that wouldn't spoil easily.

Eglantine was once again reminded that they belonged to different generations.
"How do you know Miss Vaight's father?"

"On a professional or personal level?"

"You said he worked with you, so I suppose, personal."


"Well, it started off very professional. In my earlier days, The Head of Reginald's Department, Alden Dagobert, wished to become a sponsoror. Reginald, at first, refused, saying that it would be a waste of money. He was quite doubtful, afraid that sponsoring would be a waste of money. Dagobert wouldn't hear a word of it and arranged for us to have dinner together privately and it all flew up from there." she smiled to herself. "He became our top sponsoror."
"Oh, I see." Professor DeLanquar saw too much in the simple explanation and did not wish to pursue it.
"Did you ever meet any of the Malfoys? she asked, subtly changing the subject.


Viper laughed. "Met them? We practically lived next door, we were so close. Father and Lucius were very close. Did they disown you after you married your mu-husband?" she asked, halting herself.

"No. I never met any of them. My father and mother wanted to travel the world and nothing else."

"How fortunate for them. Being able to follow their dreams without someone stopping them."

"Indeed. And they even to this day continue with their travelling." She almost smiled as she thought about the colourful owl she had gotten from her father and mother yesterday morning. They had been in magical France.

"So aren't alone. You do have living family members." she stated, desperately trying to keep the venom of envy from dripping through her voice.

"Yes. My father, mother and brother. He has a family, three boys and a girl. You would like them."

Viper shot her an "are you serious look", wondering if she had lost it.

Part 6

"They excel at potions and are every inch Slytherin." She paused and then continued. "Erin is 20, he works in the Ministry. Severus and Corin are 17, they graduated from Durmstrang this year and Bella is 14, a fourth year here at Hogwarts. She is in your potions class."

Viper laughed to herself. "I take it you have not seen the assignment on my board, Professor. I refuse to teach any pupil who does not solve my riddle at all or correctly, regardless of their age."

"Oh! I haven't been in any of your classes though, so how would I know what you do in them?"

Viper smiled. "I assumed one of your "cubs" may have run weeping to you over my "meanness". Believe it or not, I even managed to reduce a few to tears during my first lecture."

"Congratulations! I had no idea potions required tears to be successful. But at least your class paid attention”

Viper smirked. "Tears are a sign that I am doing this abysmal job properly. Tears are equal to fear. Fear is equal to understanding the dangers making potions comes with. I daresay I'll only have about a dozen students this year. The riddle I assigned was quite difficult. I had to read the whole riddle to solve it."

"Is it fair to only allow Ravenclaws to learn Potions?" her attempt at humour would hopefully not offend Professor Viper.

Viper smiled. "Intelligence and logic are two very different things. In fact, I find that its the Ravenclaws who tend to have the most difficulty with riddles."

"I wouldn't know." Eglantine gave in. "But do remember that they are children. And sometimes children need understanding as much as they need fear."

Viper nodded. "However, it is that kind of thinking that leads to accidents in potion making. If anything children need common sense. Without that than they're hopeless. I refuse to take responsibility for a student blowing himself up because he misread the book."

"Transfiguration is just as dangerous as Potions." she reminded gently. She had taught to subject off and on for 20 years and had never had a student kill himself.

"Yes, but you would almost always know what they did wrong. In potions, a student could grab a random vile of something from the stores cupboard and toss it into their potion and most professors wouldn't have a clue to fix it. I refuse to ever be in that position. Especially now..."

"Very well. Teach as you desire." She was tired of arguing and exhausted from a long day.

Had she eaten breakfast that morning? Lunch that afternoon? Tea? Dinner? Unfortunately she could not recall doing so and fatigue mixed with no small amounts of hunger were eating away at her strength.

"I do believe I will retire now, Professor."

Viper raised an eyebrow and meant to say something but then withdrew. She smiled sweetly. "Of course, Professor. A woman of your age needs her rest. You're not as young as you used to be." she said as she exited the office. "Pleasant Dreams."

(( Okay… that was long. Well like the others this it a very rough draft if you find anything wrong or anything you want to change just say so))

Yes, we need to come up with a title... and a name for our writing group.

one thing I want to change...is how long Eglantine has been teaching... she started teaching at the age of 25, officially...so it would be off an on for 25 years and not 20...my mistake.

Okay ... please don't kill me for this ... but I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to work on the story for about three weeks ... too much going on in RL and many of my own stories to catch up on. I'll be willing to help out writing in a while, but I feel like I need time to breathe for a bit ... although I am all better.

Could me and Lacklustre do the chapters involving the fued and Armando's death/court case etc?
It's a bit far down the timeline I know...but oh well...