“Now, Minerva, you haven’t even met her yet! Are you certain you wouldn’t like a lemon sherbet? I find I always feel better about things after a few.” Albus Dumbledore scraped a bit of lint from the sweet and popped it into his mouth. He sighed. “As much as I dislike the idea, Minerva, it does seem best that the more advanced students have an opportunity to take a course in Magus Bellitorius. It is advanced, but then again, so are many of our students. I’m sure our new appointment will turn out just fine.”


Minerva McGonagall held up a hand. “One, she’s never taught before, but that’s least important. Two, she’s a Malfoy, and given the public reaction to Lucius Malfoy’s imprisonment in Azkaban after his previous weak defense of the Imperious Curse … Three, she’s a graduate of Durmstrang. Albus, the wizarding community is divided and suspicious enough as it is; do you really think Hogwarts is going to gain the public’s trust by employing a witch who comes from a dubious family and has credentials from a school known for turning out more Dark wizards than any other in Europe?”


Dumbledore’s mild smile vanished and he looked momentarily at his hands, laid upon the desk between them. “Minerva, I understand your concerns, but what is done is done. I have already hired our new professor and she should be arriving as we speak. You of all people should know that we cannot judge someone by their family connections; you trusted, as members of the Order, both Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks with your very life, but what of the Black family as a whole? Give her a chance. That’s all I ask.” His smile returned and his blue eyes twinkled. “And now, I believe, I must see about refreshments. The rest of the faculty should be arriving soon.”


Within a quarter of an hour, most of the faculty of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had gathered in Dumbledore’s office and had availed themselves of the fine collection of small cakes and tea sandwiches. The newly re-appointed Professor Slughorn had happily ensconced himself in a squishy armchair, a glass of pumpkin juice in one hand and a frosted pink cupcake in the other, and was jovially regaling a rather bored looking Madame Pomfrey with a story about his friend, the famous healer Sedgwick Sloothmeyer. Madame Hooch had cornered Professor Flitwick and was busy recounting a rather lengthy tale of a ill-charmed broomstick; Professor Trelawny stood swirling her cup and peering at the sodden dregs, occasionally letting out a gasp of horror before glancing around to see if anyone had noticed her obvious distress. McGonagall rolled her eyes as she handed a cup of tea of the former Potions Master, now newly appointed professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.


“I believe we have a new member of faculty this year, do we not?” Severus Snape glared at the flowered cup he’d accepted. “Have you met this new master of the art of war?”


McGonagall sighed. “I have not met her, although Albus tells me that she should be here shortly. I am not entirely certain I approve, given her background, but I shouldn’t judge yet.”


Snape arched an eyebrow. “Of what, precisely, do you not approve, Minerva?”


Before she could reply, the office door had opened and Dumbledore hurried over to greet the arrival. “Welcome, welcome! Come in, have some cakes. First, let me introduce you to your fellow teachers.” He swept the woman forward, to McGonagall and Snape. “Professor Minerva McGonagall, Professor Severus Snape, please allow me to present our new professor of Magus Bellitorius. This is Livia Malfoy Schlosser-von Tepes.”


She didn’t look quite as Minerva had expected. The new professor had the grey Malfoy eyes, although hers were tinged green rather than pale blue, and she definitely had the Malfoy chin, saved only from being called pointed by a deep cleft. Like her uncle Lucius, she carried herself with aristocratic bearing; she was quite tall and her skin so pale that blue-green veins showed faintly at her temples and on either side of her throat. There the family resemblance ended, however; the hair that hung down her back like black silk and the full lips, curving up at the ends, told of a different heritage. She smiled and inclined her head slightly. “I’m pleased to meet you both. Actually, Professor Snape and I have met before, although I doubt me he remembers.”


Dumbledore looked quite pleased with this information. “Really? When? You must tell us this story.”


She smiled again. “It was many years ago; I was just a child. My mother had just left my father for the final time; she had come, daughter in tow, to stay at the Malfoy manor for a while. And while we were there, Professor Snape was as well, visiting my uncle and aunt.” She turned to Snape. “You were very indulgent to a small child, as I recall. You certainly put up with my trailing you about with good grace.”


As neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall had really ever thought of Severus Snape as indulgent towards children, they both looked surprised. He coughed slightly and replied, “You were, as I remember, a rather clever child. If I indulged you, it was because you asked intelligent questions, something that you may find in short supply in some of your classes this year.”


“Wonderful, wonderful!” interjected Dumbledore. “You two must get caught up later. Now, let me borrow Miss Schlosser-von Tepes and introduce her to the rest of the faculty before we get started.” With that, he steered her away towards Professors Sinistra and Vector, who were both picking over the frosted tea cakes tray in the corner.


McGonagall paused until they’d reached the other side of the room and then turned back to Snape with a pointed look. “So you have not seen her for twenty years? What do you know of her as an adult?”


Snape watched as Dumbledore pressed upon the new professor a pink cupcake. “Ah … sorry? Doubtlessly less than you. I know her parents’ divorce was rather acrimonious, but Ourabora Malfoy was never meant to be a wife, much less a parent, and so allowed her former husband to have Livia schooled closer to him, at Durmstrang. Baron Schlosser-von Tepes is one of the more skilled wizards of Romania, I believe. Lucius once told me that she trained as an auror, but I do not think that she pursued that particular career as such. She is rumored to be a rather powerful witch, however; I would think she is qualified for the post.” He looked questioningly at McGonagall. “You are asking if I think she has any ties to our enemies?”


McGonagall looked disquieted. “Not as such. I’m not accusing the woman of anything. I just wonder, with her background, if her appointment is the best choice Albus could have made.”


* * *


School had begun; students had arrived, the trembling first-years been sorted into their houses, and Dumbledore had welcomed everyone and introduced the newest faculty member, who had been greeted with polite applause. As the feast continued, Ron Weasley swallowed a huge bite of roasted chicken before saying to his friends, “Well, she’s a lot better looking than old Mad-Eye Mooney or Dolores Umbridge. Certainly better than this Slughorn bloke.”


Hermione Granger pursed her lips. “Honestly, Ron, that’s all you have to say about the new professor? That’s she’s good-looking? Aren’t you even intrigued that, for the first time in fifty years, Hogwarts is offering a course in offensive magic?”


“Well what am I supposed to say? It isn’t like we’ve met her yet. And anyway, I didn’t say she was good-looking. I just said she was better looking than the last new professors.” He turned towards the high table where the subject of their conversation sat talking with Professor Sinistra. As Ron, Hermione, and Harry watched her, she looked up, surveying the student body. Her eyes fell briefly on the three of them; she smiled slightly and returned to her conversation. Ron gulped slightly. “Really, I think maybe she’s a little frightening.”


“Ron, you’re just saying that …”


As he helped himself to another scoop of mashed potatoes, Harry smiled and listened to his friends bicker. He felt relieved to be back at Hogwarts where things were safe and familiar. Whoever this new professor was, she surely couldn’t be as bad as Umbridge had been. He was about to interject between the pair when Neville Longbottom slid onto the bench, looking rather upset.


Hermione turned to Neville. “What’s wrong? Did you forget something? We can owl your grandmother tonight; if it’s a textbook, surely she’ll understand. Is it Trevor? Did you lose-”


Neville cut her off. “No. It’s the new professor. I just heard that she’s Malfoy’s aunt. This is going to be terrible!”


Ron looked aghast. “She’s what? She’s Draco Malfoy’s bloody aunt?”


“Or cousin. Something. Some close relative. Between this and Potions, I’m never going to make it through the year. I might as well leave Hogwarts now”


Harry was about to suggest that the news was just an ugly rumor when he looked towards the Slytherin table and caught Malfoy watching them with a supercilious smile. Slowly he replied, “I might be running away with you.” Just when he thought that he was glad to be back at Hogwarts! Harry looked towards the high table again, where he saw Snape watching their new professor intently, his face unreadable.

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A/N: I began writing this prior to the publication of HBP, so I had to go back and redo a lot, since I didn't want it to be too AU if I could help it. But, still - this is my first attempt since grammer school, all those many, many years ago, to write any kind of fiction, so I appreciate all comments, please!!