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Chapter One

As the carriage rolled towards Hogwarts on a mellow summer evening, Viviane leaned out the window to catch a first glimpse of the castle towers. She’d had a wonderful summer in Prague, but to her surprise she was happy to be returning to another year of teaching at the English wizarding school. By the time the school year had ended last spring, she thought she would never look forward to coming back, especially after the row with Snape and the mistake she’d made of yelling after Dumbledore down a school corridor. She blushed slightly as she remembered having to apologize to Albus, but she hoped he’d forgotten both her fit of temper and her apology afterwards.

As the carriage rolled up to the door, Viviane felt a surge of excitement. When it stopped she bounded out and ran into the entrance hall, shouting "Albus? Minerva? Anybody home?"

"Well, there’s the end of our nice quiet summer," a sarcastic voice declared. Viviane spotted Snape lurking in a corner of the hall. Suddenly she remembered the one thing she was definitely not looking forward to doing - spending two hours a week deciphering potions with Snape. Hopefully Albus had also forgotten that he’d sentenced them to that particular task.

"Severus. Practicing your manners for the new crop of students, I see."

Before Snape could retort, Dumbledore walked hurriedly into the hall, slightly out of breath. "Viviane! How’s our traveler? I trust you enjoyed your vacation!" He patted her on the back and smiled at her.

"It was lovely, Albus. In between waltzing and wine tasting, I actually picked up some interesting new methods for Transfiguration. And I brought you back some divine chocolate creams."

"They sound wonderful, but I hope they aren’t a bribe."

"Bribe?" said Viviane, puzzled.

"Yes, bribe," Dumbledore chuckled. "Viviane, I know your methods. Severus, since you’re here, I might as well let the both of you know that I’ve arranged for you two to have Wednesday evenings free in order to start your Potions collaboration. I’m sure you’ve been looking forward to it. I’ll see you both at dinner!"

As Dumbledore walked away, Snape hissed, "If you had refrained from blasting down my door last spring, we wouldn’t be in this mess."

"Oh? If you hadn’t played that scurvy trick on Remus, blasting down your door would have been unnecessary. Excuse me. I have to unpack." As Viviane walked to her room in the Ravenclaw tower, she began to wonder if this year was going to be as much fun as she’d anticipated.

****

At dinner that evening, Viviane was having a wonderful time comparing vacation notes with Professor McGonagall, who had enjoyed herself immensely hiking in Scotland, and Professor Sprout, who had discovered several new uses for mandrakes over the summer. Suddenly Dumbledore called for everyone’s attention.

"Ahem. I have an announcement to make that will greatly affect this school year. The Ministry has decided to revive the Triwizard Tournament, which will take place at Hogwarts-"

Viviane leapt to her feet. "Albus! You can’t be serious?"

Dumbledore looked at her with an expression that made her sit down more quickly than she’d gotten up.

"Excuse me, Albus, sorry for interrupting. But with the events at the Quidditch World Cup this year and the Death Eaters gathering force, do you really think this is a good time to hold a tournament featuring dangerous tasks for students, not to mention the amount of strange people who’ll be running around Hogwarts? And all of them eager, probably, to get a glimpse of Harry Potter."

Dumbledore sighed. "Viviane, you make several relevant points. But I think we’ll be able to handle security, and it will be a good chance for the students to meet with others that they may need to ally with in future. It does mean extra work for all of us though, so I have cancelled Quidditch this year." Professor McGonagall sat back in her chair with shock but Viviane decided there might be advantages to the situation after all. That decision was immediately reversed when Dumbledore caught up with her as she was leaving the Hall.

"My dear, I have a very large and very important task I’m going to ask you to perform for us during this Tournament. You raised several security issues, and I share your concerns. Therefore, I’d like you to take on the role of Defender of the Tournament. Since you speak several languages and have done such a good job containing the little threats the Death Eaters have been sending us, I have no qualms in trusting the safety of the students of all three schools to you. Do you think you can handle this as well as your classes?"

"Defender? Albus, I’d be happy – well, I’d do it, but do you really think that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will feel the same way about my competence?"

Dumbledore smiled at her. "I’m sure you’ll do just fine."

"If everybody agrees, I’ll do it. But Albus, I must tell you I still don’t like the idea of this Tournament!"

****

As she waded through the throngs of soaked students arriving in a terrible rainstorm, Viviane spied Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Well, hello you three! Got into any trouble yet?" she teased.

"Give us time – we aren’t quite up to Fred and George’s standard," answered Ron. "What are you going to teach us this year? That Shield you taught us last year really came in handy this summer when Fred was trying to perfect his wriggly-eyebrows curse."

"I think we’ll be getting into some of the more difficult reversal methods for high-end curses, and maybe cover some rather nasty Blasting Spells. We’ll see, depending on the time frame what with the-" Viviane broke off. "See you in the Hall!

"What is going on?" said Ron. "I don’t know which is worse, the big secret or the state of my stomach."

"Your stomach, definitely," said a voice behind them, and the trio turned to find Charlie and Bill behind them.

"How did you get here?" Ron exclaimed. "We said goodbye at the station!"

"Yeah, but we were curious about the announcement. We want to hear what Dumbledore has to say about it," Charlie said.

"And who was that you were talking to? That tall woman with the dark hair?" said Bill. "She must be new, because I’ve definitely never seen her before."

"Me neither. Geez, what’s she here for? Looks like a tough customer in and out of the classroom," interposed Charlie.

"Oh, that’s Professor Chance, who’s here to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. One of the coolest teachers here, by far," explained Ron.

"Speak for yourself," retorted Hermione, who found Professor Chance’s class the hardest she’d yet encountered, and who didn’t seem to appreciate some of Professor Chance’s teaching methods.

*****

Viviane knocked at Snape’s reconstructed door with a hint of a smile, remembering what happened the last time she’d been here. The door had ended up in pieces and they had nearly come to blows. This time, however, Snape opened it and stood aside to let her in.

"Professor Chance. Since you got us into this, how do you suggest we go about fulfilling the Headmaster’s instructions?" Viviane ignored the accusation and said "Well, why don’t you give me a lesson in Potions for the first hour, to get it over with, and the second hour I’ll read by the fire or something and if you need a translator, I’ll be here. I think that arrangement would fall into Albus’ requirements." Last year Viviane had given Snape the master potions book from Aquitaine, which contained many written in ancient French that he needed help in translating.

Snape sighed and said, "That is fine with me. We’ll start with a simple Growth Potion." As he gathered the ingredients, Viviane observed the room. The only other times she’d been in there, she had been either injured or so angry that she hadn’t noticed the décor. "Early English Uncomfortable," she thought to herself, noting the hard wooden chairs and cold floors with threadbare carpet. The only decorations seemed to be rows of slimy things in jars.

"Are you going to pay attention or not?" Snape asked impatiently.

"Oh, sorry," replied Viviane. What do you want me to do?"

"Here’s the list of ingredients and instructions for brewing the potion. Start cutting up leeks." Snape began to flip through Aquitaine’s potions book when he spotted Viviane about to throw her chopped leeks into the boiling cauldron. "No! Wait, don’t do-"

It was too late. Viviane had tossed in the leeks, and a loud bang echoed off the walls as the cauldron melted into an iron puddle and the half-completed potion ran off the table and onto the floor. Mortified, Viviane hardly dared look at Snape, who, after a rare speechless moment, choked out "One of my best cauldrons. Here," he continued, throwing her a towel. "Clean up that mess and concentrate. Brewing potions isn’t like picking up dubious Transfiguration spells from Hungarian vagrants. You need to pay attention to what you are doing. I’ll be back with another cauldron in a moment – start cutting up more leeks and this time make sure you cut them up properly."

At the end of an hour, Viviane had finally managed to brew a passable, if weak, Growth Potion, and she lit a fire, then subsided into a chair to read up on the histories of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The time went much faster, since she only had to deal with Snape when he needed a word or phrase translated.

As she gathered up her books and headed out the door at the end of the second hour, Snape handed her a sheaf of parchment. "Here is your assignment. I want you to research Reversal Potions. Make sure you have one before you come back next week."

Viviane stared at Snape in disbelief. "You’re giving me….homework? I have a day job, you know!"

Snape responded with a nasty smile. "Dumbledore said to teach you Potions. So I’m teaching you. Good night!" He shut the door firmly in her face, and Viviane stomped back to her rooms, cursing Snape, Dumbledore and Hogwarts all the way there.

Next morning on the way to breakfast, Dumbledore waylaid Viviane and asked, "Did you enjoy your first Potions lesson?"

Viviane gave him a dirty look and breathed, "I swear, Albus, I will get you back for this. Just you wait!"

Dumbledore chuckled, and said, "I suppose I shouldn’t ask Severus for his opinion!"

"I rather think not. I melted his best cauldron." As Viviane walked off, she could hear Dumbledore laughing quietly.

****

For her first class of the year, Viviane took her fourth-year students out to a grove of dead trees. "I’m going to teach you a Blasting Spell, which is definitely something you can’t practice on each other." She indicated the trees. "We’ll be practicing on these for accuracy and degrees of intensity. Any questions before we begin? No? Good. By the way, the same rules as last year apply while you’re in my class. No one will hit anyone else with a curse or spell without warning. The severity of the spell will influence just how many points I’ll take from your House, which start at 50 and go up from there. Let’s begin."

After a group practice of the wand motion and spell, Viviane let each student try to blast small twigs off the end of branches. Poor Neville Longbottom managed to hit a raven instead of his twig, and the bird attacked him before Viviane could stop it so she sent him off to Madam Pomfrey to heal the resulting puncture wounds. As Viviane let the students start strengthening the blasts, it was Draco’s turn to try. With a glance at Viviane, he tensed his body and delivered a blasting spell so powerful that it not only knocked off a massive branch, but ricocheted back towards him. Viviane immediately saw what was coming, and tried desperately to keep her face straight as Draco ducked instinctively and the remains of the blast hit Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him, knocking them backwards about five feet and leaving them in a heap. Viviane found she could no longer stand it and gasped out "I’ll be right back – left something in the castle," and ran down to the courtyard, where she stood shrieking with laughter for several minutes. Wiping her eyes, she took some deep breaths and ventured back to her class, wondering how Draco managed to deliver that much power. She could hardly believe that he’d practiced much over the summer.

****

Viviane and Professor McGonagall were playing their first game of chess since the year started, and Viviane was getting soundly beaten.

"Yet another Defense teacher. I must say, they keep getting weirder," McGonagall said between a sip of her wine and the capture of Viviane’s remaining bishop.

"Damn! Minerva, you need to cut me some slack for the first couple games. Yeah, Alastor Moody!" Viviane began to giggle. "I knew him years ago. He wasn’t bad-looking when he started out and still had all of his extremities. We used to call him CV."

"CV?"

"Constant vigilance!" Viviane shouted, making Professor McGonagall jump and then start laughing. "He certainly is paranoid. How did your first class go today, Viv?"

"Total chaos, naturally. I have the Gryffindors with Slytherin again. Even when they aren’t fighting each other, I swear the mutual antipathy just makes things happen. Neville Longbottom got attacked by a raven and Crabbe and Goyle were slightly injured by a surprisingly strong Blasting Spell courtesy of Draco Malfoy."

"Draco Malfoy? He produced a strong spell?"

"Yeah. It surprised me, too. But then again, it makes sense, sort of. I’m teaching some powerful stuff, and the Malfoys do like power. And he does well enough in Potions, so he isn’t entirely hopeless. How did your classes go?"

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Our new batch of students seem a likely bunch. And my third year Transfiguration class was a treat – Ginny Weasley in particular seems like a quick study."

"Cute kid, Ginny. But I feel sorry for whoever tries to date her, with all those older brothers around."

****

The next morning, as Viviane was sprinting to her fifth year class, she passed by Moody, who was letting his students into the classroom.

"Moody!"

"Chance!"

They gave each other a high-five as Viviane went running off down the hallway, trailing coffee out of her oversized mug.

Professor Moody turned to his class. "Lethal woman, she is," he said with apparent satisfaction. "Keep on her good side. I once saw her take out a rampaging giant with a Stunning Spell and two sword thrusts." The students stared at each other, shocked, while Hermione gave Ron and Harry an ‘I told you so!’ look. Ron responded with "I’m sure she’s mowed down acres of house-elves, too. Better raid her desk again to check on that, Hermione."

****

The huge blue carriage approached the door, and Viviane shifted from foot to foot nervously. She had no idea if the Beauxbatons delegation knew of her, of Aquitaine, or her parents, but she sincerely hoped not. As the students followed their teacher up the steps and into the castle without anyone glancing in her direction, she began to hope that it wouldn’t be an issue. The Durmstrang group followed, one of who was apparently a Quidditch World Cup player. Viviane shook her head and picked him out immediately, due to the crescendo of giggles that followed his passage through the Hogwarts student ranks. "Professional athlete and student. What are his teachers thinking, letting him do that? Surely he can’t have acquired the skills needed to master the tasks of the Tournament," she thought. He certainly didn’t seem as if he was enjoying the attention.

Viviane hurried back to her rooms instead of the Great Hall, suddenly realizing that she’d have to be conspicuous and easily found if something went wrong. Therefore, her usual black attire was out. "What to wear, what to wear?" Viviane asked herself as she flipped through her wardrobe, inspecting extravagant dress robes that had belonged to her mother, and others she’d had made over the years. Finally a deep blue robe in fine wool caught her eye, edged by constellations worked in silver thread and set with tiny crystals. That, Viviane decided, would do nicely.

Feeling odd in the unaccustomed robe, Viviane hurried into the Great Hall just as Dumbledore was welcoming the students. He gave her a reproving look as she made her way between the tables and took the only empty chair at the faculty table. She sat down, carefully moving her sword to one side of the chair and surveyed the Hall. It looked strange, with the red and blue robes of the other schools mixing with the black of Hogwarts. She was nearly caught up in the excitement emanating from the students, but the nagging sense that the Tournament was an incredibly stupid idea kept her subdued. She barely paid attention throughout dinner, her mind still trying to work out her security plans, when she heard Dumbledore announce her as Defender of the Tournament and look at her expectantly.

Taken by surprise and moving on instinct, she stood up and moved around to the front of the faculty table, unsheathing her sword and sweeping it over her head so quickly that most of the assembly jumped at the audible ‘whoosh’ it made. Eyes blazing and holding the sword aloft, she surveyed the room and said, "If anyone here is contemplating mayhem, disruption, or injury to anyone involved in this Tournament, think twice. I, Viviane Chance, am Defender of this Tournament and swear to protect all members of the schools involved. If anyone sees or hears of any unusual activity or of a threat, tell me, and I’ll deal with it. Immediately."

Amid total silence, Viviane slammed her sword back into the scabbard and headed back to her seat. As she did, she noticed that a rather attractive wizard with long red hair was seated near the end of the table. He leaned backward as she passed him, looked up at her with a smile and whispered, "Well done! You’ve managed to scare the piss out of everybody."

Viviane whispered back with a grin, "Except you, apparently! Hope you enjoyed the show!"

After she passed by Charlie leaned over to whisper to Bill, "Brave boy! What are you, a glutton for …ahem…punishment?"

****

Viviane was sitting in the chair by the fire, cleaning her sword. She removed a spot of mud, held it out to watch the flames play on the steel of the blade and glitter in the emeralds that made up the eyes of carved serpents, then tossed it down on the carpet.

"I’d think you would treat your precious family relic with more respect." Viviane looked up to see Snape gazing at her with a faint sneer.

"You’re assuming it’s precious. Not to me." Viviane snorted. "I hated the sight of it, growing up. No sooner would I be in the middle of a good book when my father would come along to drum me into the practice court, going on and on about honor and duty and family reputation. I absolutely dreaded school vacations." Viviane gave a short laugh and stretched her arms over her head. "The rude irony of it all. My skill at swordfighting earned me a good if eminently disreputable living after Voldemort killed my parents and destroyed Aquitaine. It was my key to survival. How my father would have laughed to see what I’ve become and how I’ve used his lessons in honor. If he’d had a sense of humor, that is, which he didn’t."

"Living? Survival? Surely your family has enough gold stored in Gringotts to make you comfortable until the end of time. I’ve wondered why you’re bothering with Hogwarts. After all of your wanderings about, don’t you find teaching in a boarding school limiting?" Snape demanded.

Viviane sighed and thought about it. "Yes. I find Hogwarts to be an uncomfortably small place at times. But the Devereaux had more pride than money. Oh, I’ve had enough to travel and choose my way of life, within reason, and I chose to disappear. It’s much easier to take little vacations from reality when you’re able to roam at will-"

"What? Vacations from reality? What on earth are you talking about?" interrupted Snape.

"Oh, surely you know what I’m talking about, Snape. When the burden of being who I am gets to be a little too much. When the crazy past we all share, thanks to Voldemort, presses a little too close. When my black hole of a conscious needs a little cleaning out." Viviane looked up at Snape with a wicked smile and raised eyebrows, eyes glinting.

"Speak for yourself. I have no reason to want to escape from anything, nor does my conscience need - it is time for you and your metaphysical nonsense to go."

"Right," said Viviane, reaching for her sword. "See you later."

Suddenly the door opened. "Isn’t this cozy," remarked Lucius Malfoy, as he entered. His glance took in Snape busy at the cauldron and Viviane sitting by the fire. "May I ask who-" but he broke off and simply stared at Viviane, who’d gotten out of the chair and attempted to sweep past Malfoy and out the door. Malfoy detained her by stepping in front of the doorway.

"Excuse me, I don’t think we’ve been introduced. You must be Viviane Devereaux-"

"Professor Chance. And you are a Malfoy?"

"Lucius Malfoy." He looked intently at her, and remarked, "Yes, Fudge was right. With those eyes and those features you can’t possibly be mistaken for anyone else. Philippe would have been proud, but it must have dismayed your lovely mother. Dumbledore thinks you quite an acquisition, I’m sure."

"I’ve been wandering around anonymously for years with these eyes and features. And I was hired simply as a Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Goodnight."

Viviane could feel Malfoy’s amused glance follow her out of the room and she wondered just what kind of business he had with Snape at that time of evening.

****

There was something strange about the students. They were more subdued than usual, and were avoiding her glance. Viviane attributed it to the nervousness over the impending test, until Hermione Granger raised her hand to ask a question.

"Professor Chance, a few days ago Professor Moody said you were lethal, and you’d killed a giant. Is that true? Were you an Auror?"

Viviane was shocked by the question and that Moody had said such a thing to students. Trying to buy some time, she found herself turning her ring around on her finger as she considered what to say. Finally she gave Hermione a level look and raised an eyebrow. "Well Hermione, you always do ask the hard questions. And I suspect you already know the answer to your second one since you’re such an avid researcher. I’m also rather surprised you bothered to ask, since you seem to be doing quite well with Blasting Spells, unlike the Shield Spell of last year."

Hermione’s accusing gaze turned into a glare as Viviane turned away and paced slowly across the room, hands pressed together and placed against her chin. "In answer to Hermione’s question, and to the doubts that the rest of you obviously have, I was not an Auror. As a matter of fact, I’ve clashed with them in the past. And yes, I’ve killed a giant. And dragons. And wizards." Viviane took note of Neville’s terrified and Draco’s fascinated expressions. "Let me warn you, if you ask me difficult questions you are old enough now to get difficult answers. But I’m currently working against Voldemort, and for Hogwarts, and you’re all safer with me here than without me. What the lot of you make of all this, and whom you choose to tell is your business. Any other questions, difficult or otherwise?" The class sat in profound silence. "Good."

Viviane handed out the tests and sat back at her desk, wondering if it was worth it to confront Moody with his indiscretion and hypocrisy. "Damn him. Making nice to me and then this," she said to herself. "Subtle move, too, Alastor. You haven’t lost your touch." She decided to let it pass, considering the outcomes of their former strong disagreements and hoped that they could simply manage to avoid each other in future.

****

Time for the choosing. Viviane watched with interest as the three names came out of the Goblet, but sat upright, appalled, as Harry Potter’s name was tossed forth as well. As she joined the rest of the faculty and chosen champions, she held back as the discussion about the inclusion of Potter raged. Finally Karkaroff looked at her and said, "Professor Chance, I believe? You’re in charge of security here. What is your opinion?"

"My opinion is irrelevant, Karkaroff. I’m simply going to step up security, that’s all. I’ll keep a very sharp eye not only on Potter, but on everyone involved." Her eyes narrowed. "Anything you’d like to share?"

Snape stepped between them and said "This won’t be an issue when we find out just how Potter got his name into that Goblet. So you won’t have to worry about the extra security, Professor Chance."

Viviane gave a mirthless laugh. "That’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that. Excuse me, everyone, I have a few people I need to talk to."

Hurrying after Harry, she caught up with him just before he got to the Gryffindor entrance. "Harry, I have just one question to ask you," Viviane said.

Harry looked up at her and said, "No, I didn’t put my name in the Goblet."

Viviane smiled and said, "In that case, I have a couple of questions. Who do you think would? Is there another student who might have done it, mistakenly thinking it would be a favor to you? Fred and George playing a prank are out, because we know they can’t get over the age line. Anyone else come to mind?"

"Um, well, not a student. But maybe Voldemort-"

"Ah yes. It always seems to come back to him, doesn’t it? I’ll keep an eye on your back, Harry. And if you need any extra help, find me. It isn’t quite fair, you know, that the other champions have more years of learning under their belts. But you’ve had good training from Professor Lupin, and you’ve always done well in my class."

Harry looked surprised. "Thanks. You’ve never said anything so-"

"I’m afraid I’ve been a little remiss in letting you know that. But you’re kind of overwhelmed by attention, so I may have gone a little too far the other direction. But you’ve got real talent for Defense techniques. Now get some sleep, or at least try to!"

****

"Rita! I haven’t seen you in ages. Still keeping the Ministry on its toes, I hope. I assume you’re here to cover the Tournament?"

"Viv. I thought Dumbledore’s hiring of Lupin was a strange idea, but you’re the last person I’d expect to see teaching here. You change sides so fast that even I can’t keep up with you."

"I have no ‘sides’, Rita, only goals."

"Got a quote for me? How is Harry Potter-"

Viviane laughed. "No comment. I don’t have time to act as your inside source, but I won’t hinder you as long as you keep out of my way and I’m left out of your stories. As an advance token of my appreciation, they’re weighing wands in that classroom at the end of the hall. You’re sure to catch all of the champions in one place, and I don’t think there’s any faculty present to interrupt whatever interview you choose to conduct. And there’s a closet in there if you need some privacy."

"Thanks! You always did know how to cut a deal, darling. Be sure and read my next column in the Prophet!"

"I always do, Skeeter."

****

There were lots of strange people milling about the night before the first task, most of them relatives of students who had come to watch the first Triwizard Tournament and support Hogwarts. Viviane was regretting her decision to wear a conspicuous robe, as parent after parent waylaid her to discuss the measures she was taking to protect the students at the Tournament. As she nodded, smiled, and talked until she was hoarse, she suddenly found herself face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

"Mademoiselle Chance – or shall we say Devereaux?"

"Professor Chance."

He bowed mockingly, and as he straightened up, said, "I’m honored. To meet the future consort of Lord Voldemort-"

Viviane’s lips tightened, but she made no reply as she tried to walk away. Lucius Malfoy caught a fold of her robe and stepped up to her. "Excuse my presumption, Professor Chance. Let’s talk parent to teacher. I really must apologize for my son. He doesn’t have the abilities he should, I’m afraid, but I think Dumbledore’s methods are also highly to blame for his-."

"You son is bright enough, Malfoy. It’s a pity your method of alternate bullying and bribing does him such disservice."

Malfoy glared at her and was about to retort when Snape appeared and said, "Professor Chance, the Weasleys sent me over to ask for an audience with you. Come along." He dragged her off, and as he did so whispered, "I know any kind of advice is anathema to you, but may I suggest steering clear of Lucius Malfoy. It will do you no good to antagonize him."

"He started it-" Viviane retorted, but Snape had dropped her arm and moved off into the crowd. She turned towards the gaggle of Weasleys, who were looking at her in surprise. "Professor Chance!" Arthur Weasley exclaimed. "How nice of you to stop by!" Viviane scowled after Snape’s disappearing form, wondering what the latest fit of bossiness was about.

****

The dragons for the first task were ready to go, the golden eggs placed in the nests. Viviane prowled around, looking for possible security problems, but everything seemed to be secure and in order so she leaned on one of the railings and studied the creatures. They certainly were beautiful, but she didn’t envy the person who got that Horntail, which seemed to be in a permanently nasty mood. She tooked at the stands, filling up with spectators, and noted Cedric getting sick outside the champions’ tent. It seemed like a good time to take her place.

She walked up the stands to a seat near the top, where she had a clear view of events. Taking out her wand, she held it ready for whatever she might need, be it stopping some threat or to magnify her voice if a warning was needed. The first three champions did well, and Viviane tensed as Harry emerged to battle the Horntail. She began to laugh as Harry summoned his broom and began to outwit the dragon from the air. "Oh, good job, Harry. Clever boy!" she exclaimed. He was so good at spells requiring basic courage that she often forgot that he was also quite clever. As he scooped up the egg and came to a halt she raced down the stands and into Madam Pomfrey’s tent.

"Well done, everybody! I bet you’re all relieved to have that over with." Leaning towards Harry, she whispered, "Excellent idea, summoning your broom. The most important part of any defense technique is using your brain!"

As she walked back towards the castle, Viviane decided that although she would still watch Harry closely, he was quite capable of taking care of himself to a certain point.

****

Snape found that Viviane was much better at Potions theory than in brewing them, so he’d taught her how to make a series of Base Potions, which she would spend the first hour brewing for the more complex ones he would create later in the evening. They seemed to have found a comfortable accord with each other, Viviane thought as she stood cutting up roots while Snape arranged the ingredients he would need later. She’d actually come to look forward to Wednesday evenings; they provided a break from the constant surveillance she was usually performing and gave her energy for the rest of the week. Viviane watched the Potions master and thought that this was where he looked to best advantage. He moved gracefully among his jars, bottles and herbs, and Viviane noticed yet again how beautiful his hands were as they sorted out glass vials. Pity he was so irredeemably bitter, she concluded.

"Pay attention! You’re cutting those roots up in the sloppiest manner!" Snape said, making Viviane jump and refocus.

Once the first hour was over, Viviane forgot to pick up her book and was leaning against the side of the chair. The Tournament was taking more out of her than she’d realized, and she sat gazing into the fire with a tired and rather sad expression. Snape’s voice roused her from her meditations.

"Chance, wake up. What, exactly does this mean? Should the newt livers be ground or powdered?" Viviane got up and peered at the book.

"Um, it looks like you want them coarsely ground up. A Truth potion? Don’t you have one of those already? Veratiserum?"

"Yes, but this seems to work differently. It doesn’t last as long as my Veratiserum, but it looks much more powerful."

"Ah, yes. The addition of the rat’s blood increases the potency, but I can see that the mandrake you need for stability would degrade the effects of the potion more quickly than usual," Viviane observed.

Snape stared at her, mouth open in surprise. "Exactly, but how did you know that? This potion is a far cry from the simple ones you’ve been studying."

Viviane looked amused. "Well, it just makes sense. You’ve made me research what the ingredients do – it isn’t hard to figure out what the effects would be."

"Not according to the students in my classes. Very - very good. Well, that’s all I needed," Snape said, still looking surprised.

Viviane returned to her chair and resumed staring into the fire. "You look exhausted, by the way," Snape remarked. "Are you thinking about the end of this wretched Tournament?"

"Actually, not at the moment. I was thinking about Aquitaine." Viviane hugged her knees and leant back into the chair. "I generally avoid the thought, but it was such a beautiful day today, and it reminded me of our annual harvest festival. It used to be such fun, and I can still taste the fresh apple cider. I did love that place."

"I’m rather surprised you enjoyed school. Didn’t you get homesick? I’ve heard that your parent’s chateau was one of the most beautiful in France, and conditions at Aquitaine have been unfavorably compared to a monastery."

"Oh yes, my parent’s castle was stunning. But wasn’t I made for the role of scion of an heroic house and living in one was disconcerting at best. At Aquitaine I had everything I wanted. A library and the freedom to use it, exceptional teachers…and I was good at the academic life. I thrived in it. The lack of velvet curtains and fine cuisine did not matter when I was with a group of people who had the same goals and passions as I did." Viviane suddenly felt like she’d said too much and abruptly stood up. "Time to go," she said.

****

Viviane was heading to Snape’s office to drop off some hard-to-get ingredients she’d obtained through some of her old contacts. As she passed through the Slytherin common room, she noticed that Draco, one of the few occupants, hastily stuffed a bunch of parchment into his bookbag when he saw her. Viviane wandered over and sat down next to him. "Draco. How goes it?"

"Fine, Professor Chance! I told my father about what we’re learning in your class and he says it sounds like I’m finally learning something useful!"

"How nice of him. So. Which class were you copying a paper for just now? Herbology? And who did the actual work?" Draco stared at her, opened his mouth to say something but then changed his mind.

"All right, time for a little chat. My office. Now." Draco, looking sulkier than usual, followed her back to the Ravenclaw tower.

"Professor Chance-"

"Draco, has it ever occurred to you that all your father’s money and influence won’t help you very much in the long run?"

Draco looked smug. "My father is a very important man. He’s on the school board and thinks Dumbledore-"

Viviane gave him a look so forbidding that Draco shut up instantly.

"Dumbledore thinks cheating is an expellable offense. I’m going to offer you a deal, because I think you’re far from dumb. As a matter of fact, you’re one of my more talented students, but the talent is getting lost under your apparently insatiable need to attain results without work. I’ll help you out with your schoolwork – obviously, you’ve been cheating so long you’ve forgotten how to study correctly. We’ll start with this Herbology paper. But the deal hinges on two conditions. One, if I catch you cheating again, I go to the Headmaster. Secondly, you are not to tell anyone that I’m tutoring you. I need to tell Dumbledore, of course, but I won’t mention your current transgression. Deal?"

Draco looked at her from under his eyelids and groused, "Do I have a choice?"

"As a matter of fact, no. Be back here Tuesday after dinner."

Finally he mumbled, "OK."

As he left her office, Viviane smiled wryly to herself. "Take that, Lucius Malfoy," she said after the door closed.

****

As she staggered out of the Forbidden Forest, numb and shaking, Viviane decided to avoid any encounters in the hallway of the castle and went around to the back where she could enter through her window and get cleaned up before anyone saw her. It was late, but these days any of the teachers could be walking the halls. She dragged her tired feet to the steps of the terrace, but a wave of nausea overwhelmed her before she could continue and holding herself up by her sword, she leaned her head against the stone newel and tried to control a series of dry heaves that swept over her.

"Chance? What in the world-"

She looked up and saw Snape gazing down at her, appalled. "I must look like a madwoman," Viviane thought, "blood-covered and shaking, with my hair falling in my face." Trying to speak normally, she said "The Death Eaters had a little surprise for me tonight. They managed to send a real dragon out instead of one of their little magical mock-ups." Her voice broke and she sank down on the steps, her back to Snape. "Oh, it was a beautiful creature. I didn’t know it was real until I’d cut its throat, and I ended up like this." She indicated her drenched robes. Making an effort to control her voice, she continued, "Do you make it a hobby to stalk around here nights? Don’t you ever sleep?"

"Do you?" Viviane heard the rustle of robes as Snape sat down next to her on the steps. He was trying to glimpse her face, but Viviane turned away. "Please," she said. "Can you leave me alone? I’m…" she broke off, lost for words.

"The unshakeable Professor Chance is shaken? By the death of a dragon? Surely you have worse than this on your – how did you phrase it – black hole of a conscience? I never thought I’d see the end of your incessant bravado and blather about vacations from identity." Viviane was surprised to hear him speak so evenly, and sneaking a look at his face, she found it contemplative rather than sneering.

Viviane leaned her head on the stair railing, scraped idly at the blood on her hands, and considered his question. "I suppose – well, yes, my past deeds include far worse than killing a dragon. Albus places great importance on the choices people make. You seem to have made all the right ones, according to him. Do you share his opinion on that?"

"He said that?" Snape said sharply.

"Not literally. But I know he believes it." She hesitated, but Snape seemed unwilling to comment so she continued. "I’ve made some awful choices, and worse mistakes. But I can’t let regrets consume me, because otherwise I’d be useless to myself and everyone I’m trying to serve. And I am trying, Severus." She pulled herself to her feet and prepared to go inside.

He caught her wrist as she turned and said without looking at her, "You had to do it, you know. It’s too dangerous to let wander about the Forest, and if Hagrid found it he would try and keep it as a pet."

Viviane smiled slightly in spite of herself, but said, "That doesn’t change my hatred for what I do," and walked to her window.

Just as she was about to pull herself up to the windowsill, Snape’s voice made her pause yet again.

"Viviane-" Snape said hesitantly. She glanced back at him, but he was still facing away, gazing out over the lawn.

"Is any of that blood yours?"

"Not this time," she answered, and climbed into her room.

Chapter Two

Viviane invited Professor McGonagall to her rooms for a game of chess after dinner. As they sat over the board, Professor McGonagall couldn’t help teasing Viviane. "You’re awfully chipper despite all of the extra work for the Tournament. Any particular reason? A reason involving a – certain handsome young wizard?"

Viviane sat up. "What? Minerva, is there a rumor going around? What handsome wizard?"

Professor McGonagall laughed. "Don’t panic! I haven’t heard anything. But I have noticed that you’ve been awfully cheerful lately – you almost glow, as a matter of fact, and that nice Bill Weasley has shown more interest in Hogwarts in the last few months than he has since graduation several years ago. And he does seem to like you."

Laughing, Viviane replied, "Well, that’s news to me! Bill’s been coming around to check out the Tournament and keep an eye on his siblings, no doubt. We’ve had some fun conversations, but I have no lustful designs on Bill Weasley." Silently and unbidden, the thought came to her mind, but I do for Severus Snape.

Utterly horrified, she jumped up, knocking over the chessboard and turning pale.

"Viviane? Are you all right? Is this the way you get out of losing a chess game?" Professor McGonagall queried, gathering up the scattered pieces.

"Oh damn, I am sorry, Minerva! I just realized that I – I forgot to do something. I need to see Hagrid. I’m sorry, I need to go! I’ll – we’ll do this again soon." She ushered the astonished Professor McGonagall out of her room, threw on her cloak, buckled on her sword and set out in a light rain not towards Hagrid’s house but towards the Quidditch field.

Walking behind the stands, she unsheathed her sword and started to battle an imaginary enemy, all the while muttering imprecations against herself. "You idiot! Are you mad? He’s bitter, he’s rude, he’s all-around impossible. He barely tolerates your presence. He resents your influence with Albus. Albus! He’d be horrified….or infinitely amused. It’s all the result of those damned Potions lessons. It’s just a silly infatuation." Panting, she stopped hewing at the air and tried to imagine Snape objectively. Greasy hair, sallow face, sour expression, exquisite hands, those deep eyes. What would they look like, she wondered, filled with passion instead of scorn? How would it feel to have those hands laid on her shoulders not in anger, but in desire?

"You have got to stop this!" she exclaimed aloud, but started when she heard a voice query, "Professor Chance?"

Viviane turned to see Harry Potter, swathed in a cloak, looking at her, puzzled.

"Oh, Harry. I’m just getting in some practice. What are you doing out here?"

"I know I’m not supposed to be out here alone-"

"Right you are. Don’t let your godfather find out, or you’re in for trouble."

"You aren’t going to tell him?"

Viviane laughed and sat down on the damp grass under the stands. "Sometimes you just need to get away, don’t you? From the scene of the pressure. Although you did well enough at the first task."

"Er, yeah," said Harry. "Your sword would have come in useful for that one."

Viviane smiled and then sighed. "Your broom served you well enough. Swords are double-edged, and can be easily turned against those that wield them."

Harry gave her a keen look. "Has that ever happened to you?"

"Plenty of times, especially in the beginning when I didn’t have the skills I have now. I survived those incidents, and learned from them. One can learn fast when necessary – as you’ve found out recently."

"Professor Chance, do you mind if I ask you a kind of personal question?"

"No, of course not. What is it?"

"I understand why you had to go into hiding after Voldemort destroyed everything. But, well, your family was so famous. Your father was a hero. Why didn’t the – the government, or someone protect you, instead of letting you run off to wander by yourself?"

"Good question, Harry! Most people don’t have the guts to ask me that. Well, my father was a hero. But heros aren’t easy to live with, and he made a lot of enemies through hotheadedness and complete lack of tact. My mother tried her best to smooth things out after one of his political debacles, but she wasn’t always successful. Most people were not eager to take in the orphan of Philippe Devereaux, especially since it was known that Voldemort would eventually come looking for me."

"What was she like?"

"Madame, my mother? Oh, she was brilliant, a great politician. Kept the government on its toes, and managed an exclusive literary salon in her spare time. I really didn’t know her very well, to be honest. She was rarely home. To speak truth, after I landed on my feet and knew what I wanted to do, I enjoyed my freedom and my anonymity. A famous name is quite burden, isn’t it?"

"You said it!" said Harry fervently. "But why did you decide to come to Hogwarts? Surely you knew you’d eventually be recognized. And aren’t you out to kill Voldemort? To revenge yourself for the murder of your parents and destruction of your school?"

Viviane leaned backwards on her elbows and tilted her head back to gaze up at the stands. "Oh, I want revenge on Voldemort. I suppose he has to die to be stopped. But my idea of revenge has become a little more complicated. I want to see all three schools – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang – survive and flourish. I want to be able to live in a civilized manner without worrying if and where the Dark Mark will appear next. I want to see Azkaban abolished and the Dementors disappear."

"Dumbledore doesn’t like the Dementors either." Harry shivered. "I wouldn’t mind seeing the end of them. But don’t we need Azkaban to hold the Death Eaters?"

"That is a thorny problem, but the whole idea of Azkaban gives me the creeps. I’m going in, are you?"

"Sure." Harry got up, and both of them proceeded to walk back to the castle.

****

Viviane stood in front of her bed, which was strewn with a colorful variety of dress robes. The peacock-blue silk was nice, and the deep red one would set off her dark hair, but finally she chose a muted moss-green velvet that had gold fleur-de-lis embroidered around the hem and fitted bodice. Putting it on, she blushed a little at seeing how low the neck was…well, she did have that peridot necklace that would look nice with the robe, and the green exactly reflected the color of her eyes. She pulled her hair back from her face with a simple gold band, letting it flow down her back nearly to her waist. Twisting around, she found that the robe covered most of her scars.

Then she caught sight of her reflection and with a start realized how weathered her skin was. She hadn’t used cosmetic spells since coming back to Hogwarts. It took a few minutes to recall those she’d learned years ago from Emma, but she finally remembered them correctly as she evened out her complexion and then applied eyeshadow. Using a Smoothing Spell, she tackled a few of the lines at the corners of her eyes. "My mother was right", she reflected. "All that outdoor activity does play havoc. And after all those years tending bar, Emma certainly had collected quite the magical repertoire for looking good." Viviane grinned to herself as she recalled Emma’s desperate crush on Remus and how oblivious he had been to all of the marked attention. Sighing, she hoped he was doing all right; the few notes she’d gotten from him told her so little.

As she was finishing up, someone knocked on her door and she found Cho Chang in the midst of a group of the Ravenclaw girls huddled around her doorway. They gave a collective gasp and Cho said in an awed tone, "Professor Chance, you look gorgeous! We came by because, well, we want some advice on our hair. Yours always looks so good – how do you keep it up every day?"

"Come on in, girls, and I’ll be happy to help you out! I have a little secret called a Staying Spell, which acts like Muggle hairspray. My, you all look wonderful! Turn around, and let me see your robes. Marvelous – Cho, Cedric’s jaw will hit the floor when he sees you." Cho blushed, and the rest of the girls giggled. As Viviane looked over each girl in turn, adding a few touches or redoing a hairstyle, she began to catch a little of their excitement.

"Are we all ready? Good, let’s go down!" Viviane herded the girls into the Great Hall, which had just been opened. As they scattered, looking for their dates, Viviane found herself looking for Snape. Snorting impatiently at her stupidity, she caught the eye of Professor McGonagall, who raised her eyebrows archly at Viviane and glanced at the teacher’s table. Viviane followed her glance and saw Bill Weasley staring at her approvingly.

As she made her way to the table, Bill pulled out the chair next to him and gestured for her to sit down.

"Bill! What are you doing here?" She smiled at him. "How’s Gringotts?"

"Same old. Not nearly as exciting as Hogwarts these days, so I thought I’d look in and see how Ron and Ginny are doing. You look like a princess – if princesses can be sexy."

"Uh, I don’t know about that. I don’t think they’re supposed to be." Viviane blushed in spite of herself.

They continued to chat throughout dinner, about Bill’s latest curse-breaking and Viviane’s classes. Right after the lights went down for the champion’s dance, Viviane forestalled Bill’s invitation to dance and slipped outside to prowl the perimeters of the garden. All seemed to be in order, and she permitted herself the luxury of wandering along the back, enjoying the lights and roses, wondering with a touch of exasperation how she’d ended up in such a time and place as this. Finally and with reluctance, she returned to the Great Hall, where others had joined the dance. As she watched from the sidelines, she saw Karkaroff heading towards her with obvious intent. She was trying to decide between hiding from him or peppering him with questions on the dance floor when she heard a familiar voice say "Would you care to dance?" and without waiting for an answer the speaker swept her into a waltz.

"Snape? You can dance?" Viviane instantly wished she’d faked deadly illness and stayed in her room. Keep your cool. He won’t find out, she told herself. They were nearly the same height and Viviane, to her irritation, found herself noticing his extraordinarily long eyelashes. She was just forcing herself to notice his skin and thinking, it could use an Exfoliation Charm or ten, when he answered her query.

"Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You’re the one with half an education. Do I get any thanks for saving you from Karkaroff? He’s a terrible dancer."

Viviane rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Professor Snape, for saving me from the evil Durmstrang Headmaster. What exactly are you afraid he’s going to tell me? You haven’t let me get a word with him since he’s arrived. Really, Severus, I can take care of myself. But you dance divinely!"

"Your surprise is most flattering. I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but slugging the evil Durmstrang Headmaster in the mouth is not an approved custom in British boarding school culture. You made the most of your lessons in Prague – you dance better than you prepare roots."

"Thank you, Severus," Viviane said primly, and stared over his shoulder through the rest of the waltz, acutely conscious of his arm around her waist. When the music stopped she suddenly realized almost everyone had fallen away, stunned at the sight of Snape on a dance floor. Snape realized it also and abruptly stalked off into the garden while Viviane smiled and swept the room a magnificent curtsey.

A few hours later, back in her room, Viviane sank down on the sofa, exhausted. She hadn’t danced so much in years. Whatever dances Bill seemed inclined to sit out, Albus, Hagrid or Flitwick claimed from her. Snape had ignored her for the rest of the evening, except for an exceptionally nasty look when he ran into her and Bill taking a stroll in the garden. "Good," Viviane told herself fiercely. "He just hates seeing other people happy." But as she undressed and went to bed, it was her waltz with Snape that she relived in great detail, over and over again.

****

"Albus, I have a large favor to ask of you," Viviane said, as she dropped into a chair in his office.

"What is it, Viviane? You look tired – are you getting enough sleep?"

"Well, Albus, that is why I’m here. I need a bit of a break, and I’ve thought of a way I could combine a bit of a rest with some useful research. Would it be possible to go away for a week? I thought I might head to London, and do some undercover work among the Muggles. To see if Voldemort or Death Eaters have been up to anything recently. I just need to step away from Hogwarts for a short time – it’s all getting too intense, and I’ve given my students enough work to keep them busy while I’m gone."

Dumbledore considered her suggestion, and then replied, "It isn’t a bad idea. We still have two weeks until the second task, so if you go immediately, you would be back in plenty of time. I give you leave with one condition, though, Viviane. I want a detailed itinerary of where you’ll be, because if anything happens here I’ll need to contact you at once. Are we agreed?"

"Oh Albus, thank you! You don’t know what this means to me!"

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Probably not. Just come back refreshed! We need you."

****

Viviane sat at the bar in the Muggle tavern, sipping appreciatively at a Tanqueray and tonic and chatting with a group of locals. She felt someone staring at her and looked down the bar. To her complete shock Bill Weasley stood near the door, grinning at her, dressed in a leather jacket and black denim jeans.

He walked up to her and said, "Excuse me miss, but I believe we’ve met before. Bill Smith." He held out his hand.

"Viviane Chance," she replied, and was amused at the shock on his face as she gave her real assumed name. "Yes, I remember you. How are you?"

"Fine," he said, and appropriated the barstool next to her. "A schoolteacher, are you?"

"No, a researcher. And you, you’re a banker, right?"

"Financial manager."

Viviane introduced him to her new group of acquaintances, and was amused to note the admiration in the eyes of the females. Muggles apparently appreciated long red hair and weird earrings. As the group continued their conversation, Bill whispered "You use your real name?"

"Why not?" replied Viviane. "I already have two. If I add any more, I get confused."

"Oh," laughed Bill, and got up to put some money in the jukebox. "Dance?" he queried, as a slow song came on.

"Sure!" said Viviane, and Bill pulled her into his arms.

"You know, I’ve always regretted that wizards have never come up with the robe equivalent of a miniskirt," he said, glancing appreciatively at Viviane’s legs.

Viviane chuckled and said "Actually, I’m really partial to my trenchcoat. Muggle clothing has its good points."

"Mm-hmm," murmured Bill, as he pulled her closer, grazing his nose against her ear.

Many, many drinks and dances later, Viviane sat at the bar, eyeing Bill as he danced with another of the girls they were sitting with. Perhaps my unfortunate crush on Severus is just frustration, she thought, as she realized how long it had been since her last fling. "Fling…" she murmured as she continued to watch Bill. He certainly is adorable, especially in those jeans, she said to herself. I wonder if a Weasley is capable of being…flung? They’re so earnest, the lot of them.

****

She got her answer several hours later, and afterwards she and Bill lolled naked on a bed in a Muggle hotel, snacking off a cheese and fruit plate and drinking champagne.

"I will be so hung over tomorrow. This on top of gin!" exclaimed Viviane.

"Only one remedy for that – drink more!" said Bill as he filled up her glass. "Muggle room service is the best."

"Thanks for the refill. Here’s a reward for your gallantry," Viviane said as she swiped her finger across the Stilton and held it out to him.

Bill slowly licked it off, raising his eyebrow at her so suggestively that Viviane hastened to ask the question that had been bothering her all evening before she got distracted again.

"How did you find me? Only Dumbledore – did Albus tell you where I was? I’ll jinx that man!" Viviane exclaimed.

"Actually, no. I, uh, acquired the information on my own."

Viviane sat up. "What did you do? You’re worse than Fred and George!"

"Oh, I had a meeting with Dumbledore and he left the office for a moment. Found that he’d put your itinerary into the Pensieve for safekeeping." Bill beamed at her so like Fred Weasley after a successful prank that she started to giggle.

"What?" said Bill.

Viviane started to laugh harder, and to Bill’s insistent questions gasped out between gales of laughter, "I can’t believe….I’m supposedly a respectable schoolteacher….and here I am….in a Muggle hotel…..having a torrid fling…..with…..with….."

"What?" said Bill, beginning to laugh himself.

"A high-level Gringotts employee!" Viviane shrieked, falling back on the pillows.

"Yes indeedy!" said Bill, as he pulled her back into his arms.

****

The next morning she opened her eyes to Bill softly kissing her awake. "Oh. Bill." She twined her fingers in his hair and smiled up at him. "That was lovely."

He rolled her over on top of him and asked, "What do you plan to do today, my green-eyed princess?"

"I don’t exactly know, my red-haired seducer. I guess we could stay here –"

"I’m all for that!" exclaimed Bill.

"Or we could go on a side trip. I have a sudden mind to revisit my parents’ house. We could get some food and picnic in the gardens. I haven’t been back since my initial salvage operations right after its destruction, and from what I’ve heard it’s a great place to hang out on a lovely afternoon."

"Sounds interesting – I’ve never been to that part of France nor picnicked in a ruined castle," said Bill.

"Well, I’m going to take a shower, so I’ll see you after a bit," said Viviane as she headed for the bathroom. Turning on the water, she then sat down on the toilet and thought, What have I done? If his mother ever finds out! and then laughed at herself for being afraid of the wrath of Molly Weasley. Well, it was fun and he certainly seemed to enjoy himself. He’s got a nice body under those clothes, and he certainly knows how to use it. And his eyes – they reflect his wonderful sense of humor, unlike Severus’ that are so mysteriously sexy-

Viviane stood up abruptly and said, out loud this time, "You have got to stop that!"

"What?" she heard Bill query from the bedroom.

"Nothing! I’ll be out in a few moments."

****

They Apparated in the outskirts of the chateau. As they approached the ruins, Bill caught his breath. "Wow. This is beyond…"

"-what you’ve imagined? I felt the same way, even living here. Cozy it isn’t," Viviane remarked. The foliage fell away and the ruins of a once magnificent castle stood before them.

"Lets go through to the back," suggested Viviane. "There’s more worth seeing there."

They struggled through overgrowth and litter of old papers and empty wine bottles until they reached the walls of the castle. Once inside the ruins, they climbed piles of masonry and wound through hallways clogged with stones and debris. Finally Viviane paused in a large, open space to let Bill catch his breath. A bit of color caught her eye and she lifted up the object with the point of her sword. It was a tapestry, dirty and sodden from years of lying open to the elements.

"We’re in what used to be the dining hall. I remember this." She turned the tapestry over and prodded it with her sword point. "Some egomaniacal ancestor of mine had them made to celebrate a minor battle he actually lost. An early form of propaganda." She looked at Bill. "Ready?"

"Don’t you want to take that along? It could be cleaned. You could pass it on to your children, someday. It is part of your inheritance, after all."

Viviane poked thoughtfully at the object, and slowly said, "I don’t see the house of Devereaux rising again. I certainly don’t want to rebuild this place, and I think I’d rather help Albus defeat Voldemort than waste my energies re-establishing a legacy I wasn’t very good at upholding anyway."

"What about when Voldemort is defeated? Have you ever thought beyond the war you’re so convinced is coming?"

"Sometimes. Briefly. I think I’d like to settle down somewhere for a while, perhaps take some time out for regrowth. I feel so rootless, merely reacting to events for the last 15 years. I’ll need some quiet to think about reconstructing my life after Voldemort." Viviane smiled and held out her hand. "Come, we’re nearly there."

They stepped out into a clearing that was once obviously a formal garden. Viviane paused, and drew a deep breath before heading down one of the old paths. Bill followed, and they found themselves in a small, walled area that contained the remains of a fountain and a luxuriant growth of black-purple iris.

"This is where I spent most of my time, even in winter," Viviane said. "It was the most beautiful place – these iris were planted by my great-great-grandmother, who brought them from the South." She bent down and traced a finger down one of the petals. "I haven’t seen these since I left for school last time."

They spread out the blanket they’d bought and stretched out, enjoying the sunshine and fragrance of the flowers that grew haphazardly around them, chatting and laughing as they consumed their sandwiches and fruit. Viviane found herself dozing off after the meal, but was roused by Bill asking her a question.

"Huh? What was that you asked me?"

Bill propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her. "I was just wondering…what prompted you to come to Hogwarts? You don’t fit there at all. Dumbledore has collected quite a few, er, characters as Professors, but they all have the same goals and same loyalties. You seem to be walking another, rather solitary path, so to speak."

Viviane raised an eyebrow at him. "Head boy, were you? I’m no threat to your precious Hogwarts. I’m just there to help out, mostly because I think Albus is the one person who understands what is happening and the danger we are blindly heading into. You’re right – I haven’t really become part of the crowd there, but I have my own goals that mesh at critical points with those of Albus. Do I pass muster?"

"Viv, I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m glad you’re there, especially with so many members of my family at the school. But you spoke of settling down and Hogwarts-"

"Makes me crazy, most of the time. I couldn’t live within the rules there, permanently. Albus gives me the hairy eyeball too often as it is. How on earth did you get to be a Weasley? You’re so different-"

Bill grinned down at her. "Not really. I’m like the rest of my family, excepting my weakness for French accents and dangerous women."

Viviane laughed, but heard a bunch of people approaching, obviously struck with the same idea they’d had. "We’d better go," said Viviane. "I shouldn’t be seen here. I’ll Apparate to Hogsmeade. It –you – I had a wonderful time!"

"And I’d best return to Egypt for another round of curse-breaking," said Bill. "If you ever need some, uh, moral support, especially since you have Fred and George in your class-"

"Bill – I want to let you know – I don’t have time – I ‘m not able- "

"Don’t worry, Viv. I’m not ready for a relationship, either. But it was quite a weekend." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Please, take care. I don’t know exactly what you’re up to at Hogwarts, but stay safe."

Viviane gave him a radiant smile. "Thank you, Bill, and you take care as well. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on your crazy siblings."

Bill laughed, gave her a last, sensual kiss, and sent Viviane on her way.

****

To everyone at Hogwarts, Viviane returned looking most refreshed and acting positively bubbly. She felt rejuvenated. "Cured, cured!" she thought as she almost pranced through the halls. Her students were amazed as she airily dismissed their dismal attempts at Imperious Curse detectors, and she was more than usually restless after dinner.

At a loss, she paced the terrace, longing for a confidante, but realized that Minerva was busy tutoring a bunch of students for O.W.L.’s. "Malhereuse, for some problems there are simple, yet highly satisfactory solutions," she remarked to the falcon perched on the railing.

The next morning at breakfast, Viviane was unprepared for the massive bouquet of blue-black iris that landed on her plate, courtesy of a postal barn owl. A moment later, another owl dropped a parcel containing a note. Viviane discovered it was full of bulbs from the chateaux garden, and the note read, "You spoke about regrowth – try starting with these. An unforgettable few days. Love, Bill." Immensely touched and without thinking, Viviane placed the note against her lips and closed her eyes. When she opened them she found Snape staring at her with a most forbidding expression on his face. Blushing furiously, she dropped the note back into the parcel, gathered it and the flowers up and fled back to her room.

Dropping down on her sofa, she set the flowers on the table and covered her face with her hands. "Not cured. Damn him. Damn you, Severus Snape," she muttered as she wondered how on earth she was going to keep her feelings a secret from those eyes that saw everything.

****

As they stood at the table, preparing potion ingredients, Viviane tried to act normally around Snape, but she couldn’t contain her nervousness. Her hand brushed Snape’s as they both reached for more spider legs, which made her jump and overturn a jar of slug’s grease.

"Now look what you’ve done – oh no, it’s seeping over to the herbs. Hurry, wipe that up. What is your problem, Chance? You’ve been spooked since you’ve shown up tonight."

"I don’t know. I guess I’m nervous about the second task-"

"That isn’t for some days yet. It isn’t like you to worry about something ahead of time."

"Oh thanks. Well, there’s just too much going on to be perfectly calm."

"Worried about protecting precious Potter? I’d love to know how he managed to sneak his name into the Goblet-"

"You really think he did that? Don’t you think a plot by Voldemort or his followers far more likely?"

"Hmph. Maybe," Snape snorted. "But I wouldn’t put Potter’s arrogance past doing anything that would get him more attention."

"Funny, I get the opposite impression. He’s sick of the attention. Well, that about does it for the ingredients." Viviane went and sat in her usual chair by the fire, happy to put more space between herself and Snape. "Severus, I’m going to ask Dumbledore if we can end these meetings. I think we’ve successfully gotten over our contretemps of last year, and we’re so pressed for time these days-."

Snape turned and stared at her. "You want to stop? I thought - I mean – you’ve been helpful." The admission seemed forced. "But of course, if you think the Headmaster would agree, I would be most happy to reclaim my time for more important things. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go ask him now?"

Viviane lurched to her feet, unaccountably angry at herself, Snape and Dumbledore. "Fine, I’ll do just that. If I don’t come back, you’ll know you’ve regained your freedom."

She made her way to Dumbledore’s office, and he smiled at her as she entered. "Shouldn’t you be in Snape’s office at this time, Viviane?"

"Oh, Albus. Look, we’ve been working together just fine for some time now. I think you’ve made your point and we both need more time to deal with the tournament and classes."

Albus peered at her intently. "Do you think so? I must admit I’m rather disappointed – Severus mentioned that you have quite a talent for researching potions. But if you two feel that you’ve reached agreement and you need the time, I’ll let you discontinue your collaboration."

"Thank you, Albus," Viviane said fervently, and as she headed back to her own rooms she told herself, "Well, that’s over. Over," trying to believe it.

****

"Now," said Viviane to herself, "I just have to avoid the man." It was fairly simple to do, and Viviane found herself working harder, prowling the grounds at night and hoping for something to happen to take her mind off of Snape. Her students couldn’t figure out what was going on, as the normally difficult and sometimes sharp-tongued Professor Chance had been positively goofy for a few days, and then gone back to being not only sharp-tongued but sharp-tempered.

After retiring to the teachers’ lounge after a disastrous fourth-year class session, Viviane collapsed on the couch to rest for an hour before taking on the fifth-years. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about Neville Longbottom’s expression when she lost her temper with him. He’d managed to blast her desk apart and she’d more or less threatened to turn him into one as a replacement. Neville been terrified of her ever since Moody’s revelation about her past deeds, and she thought he was going to pass right out when she stood over him among the pieces of the desk.

The next thing Viviane knew, she was being shaken by the shoulder.

"Viviane, wake up! You have a class in five minutes."

She sat up, blinking and trying to think straight. "Minerva? What time is it?"

"Time for you to go to your fifth-year class. You’ve got five minutes."

"Oh, hell." Viviane got up and tried desperately to clear her brain. Finally, she turned away and putting both hands to her forehead, whispered a Banishing Spell for fatigue. As she opened the door to leave, Snape’s voice issued from a dark corner, warning, "If you keep doing that instead of getting a decent night’s sleep, you’re going to collapse at the worst possible moment."

Viviane, making a monumental effort, ignored him as she left for her class.

****

The second task was about to begin, and Viviane was worried about Harry Potter, who had not yet arrived at the judges’ table. She was just about to go in search of him when he was seen running across the lawn. As he waded into the lake, looking confused, Viviane desperately hoped he was just nervous and had an idea of what he was going to do. Suddenly he dove into the water and disappeared.

The crowd collectively held their breath until Cedric and Krum appeared with their friends in tow. Viviane grinned to herself when she recognized Hermione under Krum’s arm; Rita would have a field day with that one. As she stood, trying to see signs of Fleur or Harry through the water, the crowd around her began to get restless as neither champion appeared. Finally Harry surfaced, towing both Ron and Fleur’s sister. Fleur finally made it back, although wounded by grindylows. Breathing a sigh of relief that it was over, Viviane headed back to the castle instead of staying to celebrate with the champions.

****

Hogsmeade. Viviane liked Rosemerta’s gin and tonics, but dreaded the responsibility of keeping an eye on hordes of Hogwarts students running wild through the village. However, she steeled herself to both the drink and the trouble as she donned her cloak and met Professor McGonagall for the walk over.

"Well, Minerva, have you heard any rumors of pranks, plots, plans or other mischief I need to foil this afternoon?"

Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes. "If I paid attention to every plot a Weasley ever hatched, I’d have very little free time and no sanity. But I haven’t heard anything unusual. Do you have any errands? Shall we Apparate from here?" she said as they exited Hogwarts’ grounds and walked a few strides past the boundary.

Seconds later they appeared in Hogsmeade’s main street. "Nope, no errands. I’m just going to make sure the place is still standing after our visit, and to prevent any extracurricular use of invisibility cloaks. Potter is allowed to go to Hogsmeade this year, but I still don’t trust him out of bounds."

"Ah, yes." Professor McGonagall looked disapproving. "I sometimes wonder why Albus…oh well, I suppose he did it for the best. Well, here’s the inn – shall we?"

"Actually, I think I’m going to do a preliminary sweep of the village. I’ll see you later – tell Rosemerta to keep the gin cold for me!"

Viviane wandered off and surveyed the mass of students in Zonkos and in the candy shop. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk off past the Shrieking Shack with a large black dog.

"Sirius!" whispered Viviane to herself in surprise, and she tracked them up a hill and into a cave, where she observed their meeting and Sirius’ transformation back into human form. Viviane noted with alarm how thin Sirius still was, and wondered why he hadn’t alerted her to his arrival in his occasional notes. She waited until the trio had left, and quietly slipped into the cave.

"Sirius Black, do you have a death wish?" He whipped around, hand on wand, but stopped when he recognized her.

"Do you? Are you crazy, sneaking up on me like that! I could have-"

"Could have – what? I doubt it. Sirius, you should have stayed away. You’re still a wanted man."

They fell silent and stood, surveying each other. "You haven’t yet gotten a haircut?" queried Viviane.

Sirius gave a short laugh. "You haven’t changed, I see."

Viviane sat down on a rock. "What does that mean? We’ve met all of once, as I recall."

He sat down across from her, casually crossed his legs and said, "You show up and jump straight into a situation, assuming you have every right to be there. You followed Harry here, I suppose. Anything I should know?"

"I do have a right to be here. I’m in charge of getting Harry alive through this damned tournament, yet here you are leading him out of Hogsmeade."

"He’s my godson. I’m not leaving him to the tender mercies of Severus Snape and Voldemort’s cronies."

Viviane sighed. "You two should really grow up-"

Sirius uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to glare at Viviane. "He came extremely close to feeding me to a Dementor. I don’t forget that," he growled.

"Right." Viviane got up and without thinking ran her hands through her hair, dislodging her pins and sending it uncoiling down her back. "Oh hell," she said, trying to recoil it and reaching for her wand to redo the Staying Spell.

"Don’t bother," she heard Sirius say. She turned around to find him grinning at her. "This is an informal meeting! Sit back down and I’ll try to be more civil."

Viviane retook her seat as Sirius said, "I need to thank you for being such a friend to Remus all these years. You’ve been the one true friend he’s had while I was rotting in Azkaban."

Unexpected tears sprung to her eyes as she replied, "He has been a true friend to me, especially in the years right after Aquitaine was destroyed and I was trying to make my way in England as a young, untrained, uneducated witch. He probably saved my life a couple of times-"

"As you saved his. He told me of a few instances."

"The least I could do. Have you heard from him recently? I occasionally get a note, but he doesn’t-."

"Say much. To me either. I suspect-"

"He’s having a hard time. Damn you, Severus." Viviane got up to pace. "I wish I knew what to do. What?" said Viviane, annoyed, as she noticed Sirius grinning at her again.

"You certainly are a restless soul, aren’t you? Can you sit still for more than five minutes?"

"Not these days. I feel war coming, and soon. I’m doing what I can to delay it, but I can’t do much alone, and yet I don’t want to seem paranoid by raising alarms on something I can’t prove. Fudge is an idiot, and the Ministry is, well, the Ministry." She moved to the entrance of the cave, gazing out. "I only hope we can give these students a few more years of normalcy, a few years of memories to sustain them when-"

"When all hell breaks loose, and their world collapses." Viviane felt Sirius move behind her, to gaze out over her shoulder. "This isn’t what I wanted for Harry. I thought for years that Voldemort was defeated. It was part of what kept me sane in Azkaban – that Harry would at least know the life his parents, myself and Remus were denied. But then I saw Peter in that photograph and I knew. I knew-" Sirius turned away, his hands over his face.

"Oh Sirius. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories-" Viviane stopped in embarrassment.

Sirius turned back to face her, his expression so forbidding that Viviane backed up a step. "Voldemort will pay. For James’ death, for Lily’s death, for the twelve years I lost in Azkaban. I’m glad to find someone else who understands what the return of Voldemort means, and isn’t just standing around waiting for it to happen." He stepped up to her and extended his hand. "I don’t think you’re paranoid. You have a partner, if you want one. To give Harry and his friends those years you talked about, and to prevent their sustaining the losses that we have. Will you accept?"

"Accept what? So far you’ve just made my life more difficult by showing up and tempting Harry, Ron and Hermione to wander off out of bounds. Go someplace far away and let me do my job, which does not include helping along your revenge fantasies. I’m pledged to protect all of the students at Hogwarts, which does include Harry and his friends."

Sirius grabbed her arm and shook her, his face livid with anger. "Me- using you? For all I know you’re using Harry to get at Voldemort for your own ‘revenge fantasies.’ You say you’ll do your job. You’d better, because if anything happens to Harry under your watch I will come around, and Defense skills or not, you’ll regret the day you came to Hogwarts."

Viviane tore herself away and pointed her wand at him. "Grab me again and you’ll lose that arm. No, don’t even bother reaching for your wand – I’m leaving. As for Harry and his friends, I’ll hold up my end of the deal and they’ll come out of this all right. But don’t let me catch you around Hogwarts. With this Tournament going on, I may not look twice before I attack an intruder." She swept out of his cave, feeling his glare burning through her back as she attempted to redo her hair on her way back down the mountain.

Chapter Three

"No, Draco, the thirteenth century invasion of the Northern wizards did not take place in France. It started in Italy. Otherwise, you've drawn some interesting parallels between-"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw her sneakoscope start to whirl. Hagrid, signaling me at this hour? she thought. That's a new tactic by the Death Eaters. She turned to Draco. "I just realized that I've got another appointment today. Keep working on that paper - it really is interesting, except for the blatant plagiarism on pages three through five and the slight problem with location. Fix those and get back to me."

"Do I have to-" Draco caught Viviane's expression. "OK. I appreciate you lending me some of your books. The invading wizards were really powerful - I can't believe that they ended up being defeated, and I'd like to find out more about why. We don't have much on this topic in the Hogwarts library."

"You've actually been in the Hogwarts library?" she teased. "I'll be happy to lend you books any time. See you in class!" She ushered Draco out of her office and donned her sword. As she headed out towards Hagrid's cottage, she spotted a thin line of silver shoot up from the edge of the forest. Quickening her pace, she hurried to the source of the signal, and to her surprise found Albus, Harry, and a groggy Krum.

She arrived at the same moment as Hagrid and a then a second later Moody showed up. Viviane stood quietly while Dumbledore sent off Hagrid with Harry, Krum with Karkaroff, and Moody into the Forest to look for Crouch. Finally, he turned to her.

"Do you have a theory about what has just happened?"

Viviane paced in a circle, looking down and thinking. She gave Dumbledore a wry smile and said, "I was never a fan of Barty Crouch. He's a frigid excuse for a human being, and hard to fathom. But attacking a student and then disappearing is not his style at all. It doesn't make a particle of sense."

"No, it doesn't," replied Moody, returning from the Forest. "Are you sure you don't have any other information you'd like to share with us, Professor Chance?" His blue eye spun wildly at her. "I remember you and Barty in the old days. You and he wore out an entire barn full of owls arguing by letter as you tried to get Death Eaters out of their proper punishment. You didn't win very many of those fights, did you?"

"No, I didn't. It was odd, how that justice system you put so much faith in worked. Bagman and Malfoy get off, while hundreds of witches and wizards lacking connections and who got coerced or intimidated into working for Death Eaters sit rotting in Azkaban. If their souls are still in their bodies, that is-"

"We don't have time for this now. Viviane, Alastor, we're all working towards the same goals. Please remember that." Dumbledore gave both of them a warning look and turned to walk back to the castle. As soon as he was out of hearing, Moody leaned towards Viviane and whispered, "Are your goals really in line with Dumbledore's? I'll be keeping an eye on you to make sure they are."

Viviane brushed by him just hard enough to throw him off balance and he fell over with a 'clunk' of his wooden leg. "Fuck you, Moody," Viviane snarled as she set off after Dumbledore.

****

It was the night before the final task. Dumbledore had invited parents to an impromptu feast, and after the meal Viviane made her way amongst the crowd in the Great Hall until a hand pressed firmly into her back and guided her to a window casement.

"So, Professor Devereux, how do you find the Tournament progressing? And what did you and Severus Snape find so interesting to do for hours on Wednesday nights?" she heard as she turned to see who spoke.

"I find the Tournament most enlightening," she answered Lucius Malfoy and immediately turned her back on him to gaze out of the window.

"And your collaboration with Snape? Viviane remained silent. Malfoy leaned forward to whisper, "By the way, I demand that you leave my son alone. I see what you're trying to do and it won't work. He has too much loyalty to both me and our family traditions."

"Really. It sounds to me like Draco is getting tired of being underestimated, Monsieur Death Eater," Viviane replied.

She felt Malfoy stiffen and he hissed into her ear, "You refuse to give me any information on your project with Snape. I'll be more generous and share some information of interest to you. You've never been told just how your parents died. Let me do you the favor. I was there. They died a fool and a coward; it wasn't a pretty sight. Your father perished miserably, tortured to death after being captured. He made one too many foolhardy gestures while fighting a battle he could not win. Your mother begged pathetically for mercy and finally disclosed your whereabouts to save her own life, in vain, as it turned out. I still remember how quickly she betrayed you. Yet here you are, fighting the same hopeless fight your father did. Are you a coward as well?" Viviane, breathing rapidly through her nose, nonchalantly turned to face him and said "Oh yes, my father was a most impractical man, but he had his moments. My mother was a ruthless woman who loved life with a passion. I'm not surprised she risked mine to save hers." Suddenly her eyes flashed and she stepped even closer to Malfoy. "Don't test me, Lucius. Or do." Viviane laid her hand on her sword. "Test me. Test to see which traits I've inherited."

As Malfoy glared at her, Viviane swept out of the casement and back into the Hall. She kept getting detained by parents who begged her to look out for their children, adding to a burden she didn't quite know how to bear. Bill Weasley was trying to get her attention, but she couldn't face him and headed out to the garden, which was still lit from the Yule Ball.

Viviane crossed the lawn, trying to get far enough away to escape anyone who might want to talk to her. She needed time to recover from Malfoy's attack and regain her mental equilibrium. So, Madame, it was you that betrayed Aquitaine. Damn you for the vain fool you were, she thought. As she stood in the back of the garden, gazing up at the lights and absentmindedly ripping a rose to shreds, Viviane concentrated on controlling her breathing and trying to dismiss the memories Malfoy brought back. I need to get out of Hogwarts. After this year is over, I'm going back to New York. My past keeps resurfacing here in the most awful ways. She had just succeeded in recovering her breath when she heard, of all people, Snape asking her if she was all right. "Yes, I'm fine. Leave me alone, please," she said, startled by contact with him after weeks of successful avoidance tactics.

He stood for a moment, looking at her, and finally snapped, "Have it your way. Oh, I know what you think of me." He stepped forward, his face distorted by the most intense emotion she'd ever seen from him. "You think I'm just a Potions master with a bad temper and … and bad hair, someone to be avoided while you pine after the likes of Bill Weasley. Fine. I won't bother you again." He turned and walked away, leaving Viviane standing, shaking from a mixture of adrenaline and sudden enlightenment.

She ran after him, asking him to wait but he ignored her until she planted herself in his path, forcing him to stop. "Severus, that is not how I think of you. I think you're a brilliant teacher and a man of rare integrity and quiet courage and …" as she realized what she was saying, her voice faltered. Embarrassed, she looked away from his face and spoke to the top fastening on his robe. "And I've avoided you because I never thought you could fall for a woman with disreputable contacts, no home, no family, one who is poorly educated-"

"Look at me, Viviane," she heard Snape say, and somehow gathered the courage to meet his eyes. He was gazing at her with desire and doubt and an emotion she couldn't quite identify. "Do you care for me?" he said quizzically.

Viviane couldn't speak, but reached up and traced a shaky finger along Snape's cheekbone. At his impatient expression she snatched her hand back and finally mumbled, "Yes. Quite a bit, actually." Snape placed his hands tentatively on her shoulders and drew her into a kiss that went from awkward to experimental to passionate.

In the middle of a second kiss, they heard someone walking along the path. They hastily broke apart, and Flitwick appeared, announcing an immediate faculty meeting to plan for the final task. As they walked into the castle, Severus and Viviane only had time for a quick glance over Professor Flitwick's head and after a review of the plan with the entire faculty, each went to their own quarters to try and get some sleep against tomorrow's challenges.

****

Viviane awoke the next morning, in a welter of emotions ranging from joy to intense trepidation. She stretched her arms over her head and wished she could stay in bed and revel in the thought that Severus Snape - the Severus Snape, Potions master - cared for her. At least he seemed to. Blushing slightly as she recalled his kisses, she tried to concentrate on getting dressed and going over her security plan for the third and final Tournament task. Viviane checked herself over in the mirror. She looked like her usual slightly haughty self, but what if-

"Severus Snape." Viviane studied her face and tried to listen to herself as she said it aloud. "Severus Snape." She couldn't help breaking into a momentary grin, and she said sternly to herself, "Stop it! He's just another professor. He's rude. He's annoying. He'd probably deny it ever happened."

"Professor Snape. Good afternoon, Professor Snape." Well, at least I sound normal, even if I get a silly look on my face. Then she rolled her eyes and scowled at herself in the mirror.

"We've got completely different jobs to do today. I probably won't see him until late tonight, if then. Concentrate!" she told herself as she flounced out of her room and towards the Quidditch field.

The maze on what used to be the Quidditch field spread out below her, and Viviane surveyed it from her seat atop the stands, scanning for anything unusual besides the team of Blast-Ended Skrewts parading around amongst the other obstacles.

As the stands filled and the contestants gathered in the tent, she felt all of her senses grow almost preternaturally alert and she quivered with anticipation. The champions entered the maze one by one, and all seemed to be going well. Then she saw sparks go up - Fleur! And then another shower for Krum. Neither champion should be out so soon. Something was dreadfully wrong, and Viviane's mind raced as she thought up and discarded scenario after scenario. She found herself staring at the Cup. The Triwizard Cup - the winner needed to get the Cup. The next thing she knew she was hurtling down the bleachers from her perch, yelling "Stop! Harry! Cedric! Stop them! Don't touch the Cup!" but was so desperate that she forgot to magnify her voice and no one heard her.

Halfway down an unbearable pain hit her in the back, lifting her off her feet and causing her to tumble down the steps of the stands and roll on the ground, writhing. She tried to reach for the wand stuck in her swordbelt, but every time she nearly got it another blast would hit her and her body would curl up helplessly in pain. Giving up on her wand, Viviane tried crawling forward to reach the maze, but felt herself beginning to lose consciousness. Before she did, she looked up and saw two hooded figures pointing their wands at her, blasting her with the Cruciatus Curse. The crowd had scattered away from them, and then a huge gasp went up. Viviane could only wonder what it meant as she passed out from the pain.

****

She awoke to find herself in the infirmary of Hogwarts, Bill Weasley sitting next to her bed. Groggily, she sat up, exclaiming "Harry? Cedric? What's happened? Where are they? The Cup - there's something about the Cup-"

Bill sat down on her bed and took her hands. "Viviane, something terrible has happened."

"Harry? Oh no-"

"No, Harry is fine. Sort of. At least, he's alive. But Cedric-"

Viviane gazed at Bill in horror. "Dead? Cedric is dead? How? Did Death Eaters-"

"No. You're right about the Cup. It was a Portkey. Harry was supposed to get it, but he and Cedric both grasped it, and were transported to Voldemort. Viviane, he killed Cedric outright, and used Harry's blood to brew a potion. Harry managed to escape, but he's back, in human form." At Viviane's expression, Bill pulled her into his arms and buried his lips in her hair. "I know, it's beyond horrible. I'm so sorry."

Viviane broke the embrace and sat bewildered. "I failed. I failed Harry and I failed Cedric. And Voldemort is back. It has begun." She swung her legs off the bed and shakily got to her feet. "Where's Harry? I need to speak to him."

"Two beds down. But Viviane-"

She left him sitting on the bed, and went to stand beside Harry's. Looking down at him while grasping the footboard, she said, "Harry, I failed you. As Albus once said to you, sorry doesn't make it acceptable-"

The sound of angry voices came echoing into the dormitory, and Viviane got a sense of déjà vu as Fudge, Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall swept into the room, arguing about feeding Barty Crouch to a Dementor. Viviane, in shock and only half listening, sat down on Harry's bed, idly twisting her serpent ring, thinking that at least this time nobody would start blurting out her secrets, and that Crouch had done an excellent job impersonating Moody. She also noticed that Sirius was present as Padfoot.

As Fudge began protesting the truth of Harry's experience with Voldemort, she thought, once again, the Ministry has it so wrong, the blind fools. Preparing to stand up and join the argument, she caught Snape's eye. He gave her a desperate glance as he rolled up his sleeve and revealed the Dark Mark to Fudge.

Viviane was stunned. Severus, a Death Eater. I suppose I've always assumed he'd been one, but never really thought about the implications. Albus must have known…what has Severus done to regain his trust? And for his past to be exposed in this manner; what a blow to such an arrogant man. A surge of pride in his courage made her lift her head and she looked at him with glowing eyes, momentarily forgetting that she must keep her feelings a secret from everyone. But Snape did not look at her as Sirius changed into human form and after a forced accord both were sent off by Dumbledore. Viviane wanted to catch Snape's hand as he left the dormitory, but she didn't dare, and he left without a single look in her direction. Sirius laid a hand on her shoulder as he went past, but what looked like a comforting gesture to spectators was a warning to Viviane, as he dug his fingertips painfully into her flesh and whispered sarcastically "Brilliant job, Viv," before leaving the room.

Both Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep Viviane in the ward overnight, but she insisted on returning to her quarters. She closed the door behind her, unbuckled her sword and threw it across the room, screaming, "Useless piece of trash!" as it knocked over a pile of books on her desk. Then she sank to the floor and rolled over, gazing at the ceiling. "I've failed. I've failed Cedric, Harry, Albus, Hogwarts. I've allowed Voldemort to reassume bodily form." She stared up, letting the feeling sink into her. "Failed," she whispered, and finally the sobs overtook her, and through the rest of the night she lay weeping or screaming into the carpet or lying spent, with Malhereuse standing next to her and helplessly pecking at her hair.

The next morning she picked herself off the floor, exhausted, her body sore to the touch from the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. Going into the bathroom, she gazed into the mirror. She looked terrible, her face so pale that her normally light green eyes looked like poor-quality emeralds and the circles around them were starkly evident. Viviane submerged her face in a basin of cold water and chafed it with a towel. Then she drew a bath and started a pot of coffee, trying to steel herself against the meeting with Cedric's parents.

****

At the entrance to Dumbledore's tower, Viviane paced around for a few moments, trying to tamp down the panic that was rising at the thought of what was to come. Albus had asked all of the faculty left at Hogwarts to meet with the Diggorys to express condolences and try to explain a little of what had happened. She glanced through the windows of the entrance hall and imagined herself running across the lawns, escaping, Apparating to somewhere. Anywhere, except here. I knew this was a crazy idea, coming to Hogwarts. Albus should have known better than to talk me into it. I don't fit in here. I can't handle this kind of responsibility. Obviously, considering the outcome.

Viviane stopped and squared her shoulders. Well, this is it. After this, I'm sure leaving won't be a problem. I'll be asked to, probably. A fleeting thought about Severus made her close her eyes, but she dismissed it. He must blame me as well. "Fizzing Whizbees," she murmured, and started up the staircase.

****

On entering Dumbledore's circular room, Viviane was surprised to find it empty except for Albus himself. "We are meeting in the conference room through there." He pointed to a doorway that Viviane was sure she hadn't seen before, and Dumbledore smiled at her confused expression. "I hate meetings, and that conference room reminds me that they exist. So I make sure the room is hidden unless it is in use."

"Oh, good plan," said Viviane absently, and headed toward the door. As she walked into the room and took a seat at the table, she noticed that the real Moody, looking even worse than usual, was sitting with the rest of the faculty, and that Mr. Diggory gave her a look of intense loathing before dropping his gaze back down at the table. Dumbledore followed her into the room and sat down.

"Amos…my dear lady," he began, laying a hand on Mrs. Diggory's arm. "We want you to know how sorry, truly sorry-"

Mr. Diggory got to his feet and pointed at Viviane. "If you're sorry, then why is she still here! She was supposed to protect my son, but my son is dead. Dead, Albus. Where did you find her anyway, and why did you trust her enough to put the lives of our children in her incompetent hands? She's not even from Britain, let alone Hogwarts-"

Dumbledore sighed and said quietly, "There was nothing anyone could have done, Amos. Cedric ended up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and the only one to blame is Voldemort. I alone decide whom I trust and who I hire, and will continue to do so. You son will not be forgotten, and I will make sure every faculty member and every student understands what is now at stake."

Amos Diggory took the arm of his wife, who was weeping quietly, and headed towards the door. Just before leaving, he said, "I'm sure you do your best, Albus. But I warn you, the Ministry is going to take a hard look at your faculty, and I'll stand by whatever they have to say."

"Your point is taken Amos," Dumbledore said as the couple left the room. He then turned to Viviane, who was sitting silent and composed, if paler than usual. "Viviane? Are you all right? You do know that it is his grief that made him say what he did."

She looked at him, her eyes expressionless. "He said nothing that I haven't said to myself. Albus, I think he may be right and I should leave. I did fail-"

Dumbledore stood up. "There is another reason why I called this meeting. Viviane, I believe you were there when I sent Sirius Black out to contact 'the old crowd,' including your friend Remus Lupin. They are part of an - organization - that fought Voldemort in the last war, as is everyone else in this room.

Normally, joining the group requires absolute unanimity, because among ourselves we need absolute trust to succeed. However, I would like to ask you to join now, although it wouldn't be official until everyone else returns and there is no objection made."

"Let me save you the trouble, Dumbledore," rasped Moody. "I object - strenuously object - to Viviane Chance or Devereaux or whatever name she's currently using being at Hogwarts, much less in the Order."

Dumbledore looked surprised. "I know you have had your differences, Alastor, but in the larger view-"

Moody turned to Viviane. "Shall I tell them the beginnings of our animosity? The reason you spent so many years wandering around Europe and America? The truth is she murdered Ezekiel Forrester, the finest Auror that we had, and my best friend. She did it in cold blood-"

Viviane leapt to her feet. "That's a lie! It was self-defense. But you made sure the rest of the Aurors heard your side of the tale, and forced me into exile by repeated attempts on my life-"

"Oh yes, poor Viviane had to wander the earth, absolutely forced to learn the most dangerous arts and pick up every outlawed skill she could find." Moody laughed. "You hypocrite. The Avada Kedavra is an Unforgivable Curse, but you murder people at will with that sword of yours. Quite a career you had going, undermining our work against Death Eaters and killing off whomever you liked, before you left. Dumbledore, this woman has no loyalty but to herself, and has been working against the Ministry since she washed up here from France."

Viviane glanced around the silent room from under her eyelashes. The rest of the faculty looked like they'd been frozen and placed around for decoration, and the old, familiar rage took hold of her, the rage that she thought had mellowed over the last few years. How dare they sit there, acting like they've never experienced war and death, these people that did nothing while Aquitaine was destroyed, she thought. I'll be happy to leave them to deal with the mess they helped create.

Eyes cold, she turned and slammed her hands on the table, then bent her elbows down to bring her face close to Moody's. "I haven't limited the use of my considerable powers to love potions and beauty charms, Moody. I have used - not Dark - but shall we say, gray arts at times, to achieve my ends."

She bent even further towards him and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But I've always been most effective, haven't I?" Energy from the hatred and the barely suppressed curses crackled between them almost visibly, and Professors McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick, as well as Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey, involuntarily leaned away from the pair. Viviane smiled slightly as she sent out a mental scan towards Moody, just brushing her mind against his to let him know she could do it. The effect was immediate.

Moody's face contorted even more than it already was, if possible, and he said in a voice that should have been lethal, "Using forbidden arts even here? Still consider yourself above the rules, naturally. How about a duel, Chance? Now. You and me. I have some scores to settle with you-"

Viviane laughed as she straightened her back and crossed her arms. "Oh, I couldn't, dear Alastor. I would have an unfair advantage, in your present state. If you couldn't bring me to your idea of justice while you were young and still had all your limbs, then taking me on after being captured and locked in a trunk - it was your own trunk, wasn't it-"

"Expelliarmus!" Dumbledore caught Moody's wand as he was preparing

to blast Viviane with a particularly nasty curse. "I have let this go on longer than I usually would, hoping that you two would realize how absurd you sound. Apparently, that is a vain hope. I need both of you in the conflict we may be facing. Is it too much to ask to put aside your differences for our students, and for Hogwarts?

"What, me?" said Viviane, affecting wide-eyed innocence. "I would be happy to work with Alastor, as long as I don't have to turn my back on him."

Moody stood, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Albus, knowing what she's done-"

"I know Viviane's history quite well, Alastor," replied Dumbledore. "While I do not condone many of her actions, I do admire the compulsions behind them. She has saved many innocent people from Azkaban-"

An audible snort from Moody made him pause.

"-and she has consistently worked against Voldemort and the leaders among the Death Eaters." He gave Viviane a look of such confidence that it made her cringe.

"Albus, you must know. I really shouldn't be here, but not for the reasons Moody brought up. There's something I need to tell everyone, and it isn't an easy tale to relate. Some of you may already have heard it from other sources."

Viviane got up and walked to the fireplace, where she picked up a candlestick and revolved it in her hands as she spoke. "My father, Philippe Devereaux, is considered a hero by most. He was the first to stand up to Voldemort in France, at great personal risk, and sent warnings to England about what was happening. He sent his sword to me at Aquitaine, knowing that I might need it and leaving himself vulnerable." She looked down at the candlestick in her hands and put it back on the mantle. "To balance out these admittedly heroic deeds, he was the one who came up with the idea of Dementors as guards for proven Death Eaters. He also committed the truly idiotic act of endowing me with some kind of power that Voldemort knows about and wants, then complicated the matter by dying before he could tell me what it was, or what would activate it."

"Oh, how convenient," Moody remarked. "So you just dropped in here for some protection. You're a regular Voldemort magnet, you are. I bet you can't wait to find out just what sort of destruction you can wreak when it becomes evident exactly what your father-"

Viviane turned on him, eyes blazing and face contorted with fury. "I hate what he did to me," she shouted. "He did it with my knowledge but without my consent. As a Devereaux you don't argue when told to do your duty, so he sent me into a trance. When I woke I'd become a moving target for Voldemort and a pawn for whoever wanted to use me, without knowing why. Well, I'm no longer a Devereaux and I refuse to act against my conscience in the name of duty or be used to achieve someone else's goals.

"I watched Aquitaine get destroyed and all the students and teachers killed while I cowered in safety. I saw and I memorized the faces of those who did it, and I vowed to hunt every single one down and see them dead. There are still quite a few I need to get reacquainted with."

She turned to Dumbledore. "Which makes it rather impossible for me to become part of this group, Albus. I've been acting on my own for too long to follow the rules of others. And Moody, for once, is right. Voldemort will come looking for me, and it was foolish of me to put Hogwarts in more danger than it already is. I'm sorry, Albus, I really am, for everything. I'll be out of here by tomorrow. Excuse me." Thoroughly upset, Viviane made for the door, but Professor McGonagall, until now silent, stood up and caught Viviane's arm.

"Viviane - don't go." Holding Viviane in a surprisingly strong grip, she turned to Moody. "While you were locked in that trunk for the past ten months, Viviane has been teaching our students Defense skills, patrolling the grounds, fighting magical creatures that Death Eaters have been planting in the Forbidden Forest and keeping three sets of students from mauling each other. We've asked for far too much from her, and she has gone beyond all that we've asked her to do." She turned to Viviane. "Stop overdramatizing the situation. Cedric's death wasn't your fault, and Voldemort wants all of us dead in the end, so you aren't any more of a magnet than I am. Viviane, we could really use your knowledge and your skills, and if you work with us you'll be revenging Aquitaine by saving Hogwarts. And I, for one, would trust you with my life."

Deeply touched, Viviane found herself near tears as she replied, "Oh Minerva, the trust is mutual, but-"

"I agree with Minerva." This time it was Flitwick speaking up. "Does anyone not? Besides Moody?"

He was greeted with silence. Dumbledore smiled at Moody and said, "Well?"

Moody glared at Viviane briefly then turned to Dumbledore. "All right, Albus. But you can't ask me to trust her absolutely. She'll have to earn it. Perhaps it's better to have her here, where I can keep an eye on her, than worrying about the trouble she'd be causing elsewhere." He gave Viviane a penetrating stare, and the approximation of a nasty smile from his gash of a mouth.

"It is good enough, for now, Alastor. We just need to wait for the rest of the Order, and I'm sure they will have no objection. Is anyone else hungry? I am starved, and Dobby has informed me that there will be chops tonight!"

As the meeting broke up and everyone headed downstairs, Viviane thought, It's so like you, Albus, to assume I'd be more than happy to join your little group. As I recall, I haven't said yes, yet. And you're in for a big surprise when you ask Sirius what he thinks of me.

****

Dinnertime at the faculty table was unusually subdued that evening, and after it was over Viviane escaped to the terrace, where she gazed out over the newly green lawn to the hills in the distance. The edge of my world, my only horizon, if I accept Albus' offer, she thought. It would be the end to my personal quest for revenge, the thing that has defined my life for so long. It would be the end of my freedom. I'll probably die here, fighting, without seeing New York or Vienna or St. Petersburg again. If only I'd known what I would be drawn into when I came to Hogwarts. As she paced along the back of the castle, she caught sight of a gargoyle in the shape of a serpent and was reminded of Snape.

Oh Severus, I could really use some of your divertingly rude comments right now. Please, come back safe. The night he'd kissed her in the garden seemed like it had happened years ago. She leaned on the railing, closed her eyes and recalled the embrace. Severus is much stronger than he looks, she thought, remembering how firmly his hands had slipped from her shoulders down her back during the second kiss, pressing her against his chest. The unexpected sensuousness of his touch had taken Viviane's breath away then, and gave her goosebumps from the simple memory of it now. His kisses were far more…Viviane tried to think of an exact word, and finally came up with insistent. Insistent, yes, than Bill, who teased and hesitated and kept things light.

Viviane wondered at herself for running from Bill, who seemed to melt every woman he met, to Severus, who was more inclined to freeze them. And yet, I feel far more comfortable around Severus. Perhaps because I can't shock him like I continually shock other people. He's so consumed with his own past that he doesn't care about mine. Viviane recalled a conversation, years ago, with Remus, where they'd settled that they had no lustful feelings towards one another. "Remus, you're a gorgeous, wonderful, sweet man. But as I'm sure you've noticed, I like to run with the bad boys," she'd said. And I still do, she thought wryly, remembering how Severus had bared his teeth with annoyance when the approach of Flitwick interrupted their tête-à-tête.

Stirred you up a bit, did I, Severus? Just wait until I get you alone for more than five minutes. Viviane smiled to herself. I bet he's never had to deal with a lusty Frenchwoman who likes a challenge. It will be amusing to watch that cold intellectual succumb to passion. She wondered what Albus had sent him to do. Judging from his demeanor, it was not a request the Headmaster made lightly.

What will he request of me, if I commit to Hogwarts and join the Order? It means loss of independence, loss of flexibility. Loss of a part of myself, the part that I created. Viviane tried to remember how she'd gotten here, from the terrified girl who'd landed in England, unprepared for life, to this woman who'd done everything from mind reading to murder, but it all seemed blurred into this greater crisis. And yet, she thought, it might be nice to be part of a group; I've never been asked to join one before. A legitimate one, anyway. To work with dear Remus, her oldest friend. She smiled as she thought of his reunion with Sirius. I don't like the man, but he's so important to Remus. And I have a feeling that Albus will get around him as well, as far as letting me into the Order. Albus always does get what he wants in the end.

Viviane swung her legs over the railing and sat down on it, Malhereuse joining her seconds later. "Well, my dear, we may be at Hogwarts for a while, after all." The falcon eyed her for a second and flew off, returning moments later with a dead mouse that he dropped in her lap. "Oh thanks. I guess that means you like it here. I don't have much use for this though - too bad Sirius isn't around," she laughed. As she offered the mouse back to Malhereuse, she spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking across the lawn towards her.

"Professor Chance!" Ron hailed her as they neared the terrace. "Are you OK after that Cruciatus Curse? I mean, two blasts at once-"

"Oh, I'm fine. But they're nasty things, aren't they, Harry? How are you feeling?"

"All right. It's all kind of blurred, though."

"That's just your mind, healing itself. Your memories will get clearer once you're ready to handle them. Harry, I only wish that I was able to stop what was happening before-"

"Professor Chance, nobody could know. You did everything you could."

Viviane looked down at the three students, and her conversation with Sirius came forcefully to her mind. I only hope we can give these students a few more years of normalcy, a few years of memories to sustain them when all hell breaks loose, and their world collapses. Now that seemed like hopeless optimism, and Viviane grit her teeth, vowing to herself that she'd fight Voldemort with everything she had. He has destroyed one generation. He will not destroy another, she promised herself. I suppose joining the Order is the best way to stop him.

"I did not do enough, apparently. But Harry, I will do everything in my power to help you grapple with Voldemort. I've been standing on the fringes for too long now, and after what happened to you, I will no longer do so." Viviane's eyes glittered, and her nostrils flared as she looked towards the forest. "It is time to get to work."

"So you're going to stay? We- I was hoping you would, even though the Slytherins were telling everyone you would be leaving because- because- er-"

Viviane looked down at the trio and startled them by bursting into slightly hysterical laughter. "I think I am going to stay. Yes, I suppose I'm here for the duration, unless, well, if things turn out correctly."

Ron looked at Harry and said, "How about getting soundly beaten in a game of chess?" Harry agreed and they began to walk off, looking back when they realized that Hermione was still standing near Viviane. "Coming, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"No. I'll see you in the common room later," she said, causing the boys to shrug and head inside.

"Well, Hermione." Viviane indicated the railing. "Take a seat? I dislike talking down to you."

Hermione climbed up and carefully sat at a distance, her hands twisted together.

"Hermione?"

The girl took a deep breath and said, "Professor Chance, I realize that you tried to save Harry at the third task. We've learned a lot in your class. Professor Lupin trusts you. But-"

Viviane gave her a keen look. "Have I frightened you that badly? Hermione, surely you know that the world is a complicated place. Yes, those things you just said are true, and yes, I've also done things that I'm not proud of. But some of them were necessary, and-"

"When you helped me out with the Shield Spell and took control of me, I was able to feel- to sense-" Hermione had begun to shake a little, and Viviane, genuinely surprised, reached out her hand to steady the girl.

Hermione flinched away from her and whispered, "You have so much power. I felt it. How do you keep it hidden away? How did you acquire it? And every time things seem to calm down, you get involved in some crisis and reveal another secret you've been keeping. I'm afraid that you-" she stopped and looked at Viviane apprehensively.

"You're afraid I'll turn out another Voldemort?" Viviane sighed. "Hermione, I have no interest in immortality, nor do I ascribe to anything that that creature stands for." Viviane practically spit the words out.

"I'm not afraid that you'll become like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but I didn't realize, well, that we were capable of- of- so much-"

"I have a very different sort of education than the average witch and wizard you're aquainted with. And I've been involved in parts of the wizard world that you'll probably never see, at least I hope you won't. So I've acquired and used skills that are not looked upon with favor by the Ministry, as well as some that are less, er, controversial. I know we've not had the best of relationships, but it looks like I'll be around for quite a while, joining in the fight against Voldemort. That power you're so leery of will be used to defeat him. And Hermione, you have the capabilities to attain the level that I have done. Even more so, because you have opportunities for training that I never had." Viviane gave a short laugh. "The Headmaster and some of the faculty are just as powerful as I am. I merely let you sense the extent of mine."

Hermione sat, biting her lip. "I suppose. You'll be teaching next year, won't you?"

"Probably."

Hermione gave her a wan smile. "Good. If nothing else, your class is always interesting." She jumped down from the railing and walked into the castle without another word or a look back.

****

That night Viviane sat at her desk, reeling a bit from the events of the day and with the memory of her failure to save Cedric still occupying her mind. She was startled from her thoughts by a knock at the door, and at her invitation Dumbledore walked into her office and sat down across from her.

"No, my dear, don't get up. I just want to discuss a few things concerning your membership in the Order."

"Albus, I haven't yet agreed-"

Dumbledore took her hand and looked at her sternly. "Viviane, is your personal revenge really more important than the permanent defeat of Voldemort? Worth risking the destruction of yet another school?"

Viviane sighed and withdrew her hand from his, standing up and walking to the fireplace in her agitation. "No. I've thought about it and I-"

"Good! The rest of the faculty will be most relieved to hear you'll be joining us. However, there are a few guidelines you'll need to follow. Viviane, I've been most lenient with you, because I realize that you've lived an unusual life, at best. But from now on, you must work within the rules of the Order. There will be no going off on personal quests, and no use of the kind of magic you unleashed on Moody today." Dumbledore's voice became almost harsh. "To use a Cerebellus Scan within the walls of Hogwarts is absolutely forbidden, not to mention the strict Ministry laws against them. You knew that, and if you do it again, there will be severe -

very severe penalties. Can you accept these limitations, and learn to trust us?" Dumbledore got up and walked over to her, his voice confident but his expression anxious.

Studying her hands, Viviane stood for a few moments before saying, "Yes." She looked up at Dumbledore. "Yes. I accept the limitations. And I do trust most of you. I'll work on learning to trust the others." Even as she spoke, Viviane felt an odd, terrible sense of loss. All the things I've learned on my travels, the parts of me that are special and unique, I've just renounced. What is left?

Dumbledore noted her devastated expression and gave her a comforting embrace. "It will be all right, my dear child. It will be. It will come right." She felt him sigh deeply before he let her go and smiled. "Now get some sleep. You deserve it!"

Viviane gave him a faint smile as he left, and tried to prepare for bed, but she could not settle down. Finally, unable to stand her room any longer, she left it and began to walk the halls of Hogwarts until she found herself wandering down to pass by Snape's office, knowing that he was gone but needing to try and reassure herself that he would indeed return. To her surprise, there was light under the door and after momentary hesitation she tried the latch and walked boldly in, startled by the lack of Guard Spells.

Snape looked up at her from behind his desk, and said coldly, "Professor Chance? I'm busy. Come back later." Viviane, shocked, stood for a moment and queried "Severus?" but he only said, "Not now," while refusing to look at her. Still in shock, she turned automatically towards the door but as she reached towards the latch looked back at Snape.

He had gotten up and was leaning against the desk, his face buried in his hands. Viviane softly locked the door and walked back to Snape, pulling his hands away from his face. "Was it so bad, my dear?" she asked quietly. "I've been dreadfully worried about you."

Snape gazed into her eyes, and finding something there he'd never encountered before, wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder. "You can't know - you can't even imagine," he murmured. "I thought you must hate me…" Suddenly he wrenched away from her, saying bitterly, "Don't feel you have to be kind to the former Death Eater, marked for life by this ugly burn." Snape clutched his forearm and walked away. "I saw how revolted you were by it. I know what you've lost through Voldemort and the Death Eaters." He glanced at her. "You are formally absolved of any connection with me. I won't press you for any sort of relationship besides the academic one."

Viviane reached out and tried to take the arm disfigured by the mark, but Snape shook her off and said coldly, "Just go." Viviane remained where she was, looking at him with a faintly bemused expression until Snape turned on her and shouted, "Get out of my office, you wretched woman!"

"So that's it, then?" Viviane demanded. "You can't trust me, you can't trust yourself, which is it? You think a scar on your arm is going to change how I feel about you? You want to talk scars? Here." She unfastened the bodice of her gown and pulled down the sleeve to reveal a thin, raised ridge of scar tissue down her bicep. "I got this one while acting as enforcer for a mobster." She turned and showed another on her shoulder blade. "This was from a battle protecting one of the sleaziest wizards I've ever met." She raised her skirt and showed an indentation in her calf. "A young wizard took out a piece of my leg. I deserved it, because I was guarding property that was rightfully his, for the man that stole it. We all have scars from past lives, and the mistakes we've made in them. Would you like to compare body counts as well? I bet I'd win that contest easily. So stop acting like this and kiss me."

Snape stood silent and surveyed her through narrowed eyes as she yanked the shoulder of her gown back up and refastened the clasps. Finally he said slowly, "But Viviane, your scars come from necessity. You had to survive somehow. Mine was the result of a choice."

Viviane reached out and tenderly took his arm disfigured by the mark. "Voldemort has scarred all of us, in some way, by forcing us to make impossible choices. If you'd refused the Death Eaters when they recruited you, would you be alive now? Once we defeat Voldemort, perhaps some of our scars may disappear." She lightly ran her fingers down his forearm and tried to catch Snape's eye, but he steadfastly stared down at the floor. "You misread my expression in the infirmary. I think that revealing this mark in front of the people you did is the most courageous thing I've ever witnessed. Oh, Severus," she said, and she could say no more and only looked at Snape, who caught her fiercely to him and kissed her so passionately her last coherent thought was relief that she had remembered to lock the door.

Epilogue (Snape's Point of View)

Severus Snape awoke slowly, sensing that he was in an unfamiliar bed, one that was far larger and more comfortable than his anchorite cot in the dungeon. As he rolled over, stretching luxuriantly, he suddenly remembered what brought him here. He kept his eyes closed, reliving the night before, from the first wild kiss, to the use, both of them laughing madly, of Floo powder to reach her rooms, to her stumble out of the fireplace and his sweeping her off her feet and onto her bed. He raised himself on one elbow, gazing down at the woman beside him and his lips formed their habitual sneer.

So I've bedded a Devereaux of France. How infuriated Lucius would be if he knew. As he leaned over to kiss her neck, he paused for a moment to contemplate her face. It was difficult to do while she was awake, with those piercing eyes trained on him. He'd watched her surreptitiously during their Potions collaboration, but hadn't learned to read her like he could read so many others. Severus pondered her imperious features that were too strong for beauty, but could be compelling, especially when she let her intensity show through. His gaze wandered down her body, and he breathed, as he had breathed the night before, "Magnificent. You carry yourself well, Mademoiselle Chance."

Snape continued to watch Viviane as she lay stretched out, fast asleep, yet retaining tension even while unconscious. A sleeping dragon - or no, a serpent. He laughed silently at the thought. She's too devious for a dragon, damn her. I wonder what drove her to seduce me? Well, I started it, in a way, going after her into the garden, intrigued by how agitated she was, and wanting to know the reason for it. Then he'd made the mistake of revealing his knowledge of her affair with the oldest Weasley brat, Bill. Not that he was jealous - just irritated that the ungrateful woman had dropped her Potions lessons with him to run around after that insipid bank employee.

"Then you surprised me yet again," he said to himself. "Declaring your…feelings…for me in such a charmingly awkward way for such a worldly woman. I couldn't help kissing you, just to see what you'd do." He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "I had no idea what I'd started. How difficult you would be to drive away. How brilliantly you would play on my few weaknesses."

He recalled her angry striptease in his office, presented as a showcase of her scars. She little suspected how that had aroused him - or did she? Then the lightest touch as she'd run her fingers up his arm, over his Dark Mark. Severus shivered as he recalled the gesture, and bent over her, considering how best to wake her while bringing her to the pitch of his own desire.

Keeping himself in check with an effort, he again considered all of the possible reasons why she'd done this. It's no schoolgirl crush, because she's no schoolgirl. She'd surprised him, he admitted to himself. He had expected her to be like the Slytherin girls he'd bedded in his schooldays who had been athletes - ambitious, straightforward and competent. At least, that was how she'd been in his fantasies. Serviceable. Instead, Viviane had shown a most unexpected depth of both eroticism and imagination, from the first scene in his office until they'd fallen apart in the early morning, equally exhausted and sexually spent.

Is she looking for information? Knowing now that I was a Death Eater? That would be like her, to try to pry information out of me for use in wreaking her personal revenge against them. Possible. It's just possible. He smiled wickedly, thinking that if that was her goal, she was wasting her time and opening up some pleasant possibilities for his near future. The prospect of a battle of wills and bodies with Viviane weakened what was left of his control and he straddled her feet, running his hands slowly up her body from her ankles to her wrists, his thumbs tracing the scars left from years of armed conflict.

She awoke with a start and immediately tried to reach for her wand on the nightstand but found her hands pinned by his to the bed. Viviane glared up at him, and her eyes, which were normally rather pale but in the morning light, blazed emerald, and momentarily dazzled him.

"You shouldn't wake me like this - it's dangerous. I could have-"

Severus sneered down at her. "No, you couldn't. Your wand isn't there."

"What have you done with it? You have no right to take my wand-"

"Oh, it's in the drawer. I had no desire to be Blasted this morning, or I should say, afternoon." He lowered his body onto hers and ran his hands back up her arms and down to caress her breasts. She shuddered at his touch and molded her body to his, arching her neck up to meet his lips. "Well, Severus, good morning to you, too. What time is it?"

"Time enough before we have to get ready for the Leaving Feast this evening," he murmured into her shoulder as he trailed his lips along her collarbone. At the mention of the feast Viviane's body tensed and as Severus looked at her in surprise he saw guilt and sorrow pass over her face while she struggled to get free of him. He trapped her before she could succeed and said, "What is it? Viviane? Has something happened that you aren't telling me?"

Viviane laughed sardonically. "If you only knew. You've missed quite a bit while you were away."

What hasn't Dumbledore told me? Severus thought in a panic. He lowered his head towards hers and hissed, "What did I miss? Do tell."

"The short version? Albus asked me to join your association, or whatever it is, against Voldemort."

"The Order? Dumbledore asked you to join?"

"Yes. I'm not looking forward to it. Working with Moody and Sirius may be a problem."

"Sirius Black? You two don't get along? I know he looks worse for wear right now, but he's legendary for his charm and his way with women. Aren't you dying to jump into his bed - oh, I forgot, you've been too busy falling into Bill Weasley's-"

"Shut up, you incorrigible man. And no, I don't like Sirius. I don't trust charming people; they always make me wonder what they're hiding. To continue, Moody announced that I killed his best friend and fellow Auror. And my idiotic father apparently gave me some sort of power that Voldemort wants, but neglected to tell me what it is. Not to mention the death of a student, one that I was pledged to protect, and whom I failed when tested. Ah, Cedric." She closed her eyes and turned her face away.

Severus gave a short laugh. "Oh yes, I've heard about your supposed power, whatever it might be." I'd forgotten about that little detail in the excitement last night. Lucius would be more than infuriated if he knew I allowed her to seduce me, he thought. "So you dropped yourself like a time bomb into Hogwarts. For what? Your own protection? And you're telling me you're feeling guilty over this student Voldemort killed when from your own admission you've helped a number of people out of the world with this elegantly deadly hand?" He lifted it to his lips, kissing slowly down to the wrist while raising his eyebrows at her.

Viviane shot a furious glare at him as she again attempted to get free. Severus laughed, genuinely this time, and a rare hint of amusement showed through his usually unfathomable eyes. "Oh no you don't. You read me the riot act last night, about choices and scars and kisses. It's your turn to live up to what you said. Despite your little outburst of grief, I'm sure you'll behave like the arrogant woman you are at the feast tonight, offering no excuses and no apologies." He bent down and whispered mockingly in her ear, tongue flicking in between the words, "So stop acting like this and kiss me."

By her sharp intake of breath and the way she trailed her hands down his back, Severus knew he'd distracted her from her misguided guilt. A thrill from the power she was ceding surged through him and he crushed his body and his mouth to hers, thinking that it might just be an unusually interesting summer.