Hogwarts Faculty Meeting (Professor and Prefects)

Severus was not looking forward to this meeting, he had hated them with a burning passion when Dumbledore called them and now he had the misfortune of having to call one as well. Not only was this a huge waste of time, but it also meant that he would have to spend the next hour or so in a room with Sirius Black discussing Harry Potter...well, Harry Potter and other things. One of those things being the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore had suggested holding the competition at Hogwarts and as most people know, one can never argue with Albus Dumbledore. So he sat waiting for his staff to come in...along with his prefects. They would only need to be in attendance to get t heir beginning lecture on what was expected of them. And then they would leave to join their classmates at their common rooms.

Taking a sip from his goblet of pumpkin juice he sighed...there were times where he wished he could have a nice glass of wine. However he knew that at this meeting appearances were key, and that meant that he needed to show his staff that he was just as strong as Albus Dumbledore. He knew that in his mind he wasn't sure he would ever be able to do the past Headmaster justice; but he would try. Granted, it would be harder because Severus was still an undercover Death Eater. Well...Aurora as well...but it was harder for Severus to maintain a balanced cover. He had to prove to his students that he was good, prove to his staff, and prove to his children. It was all very tiring, and no matter how hard he tried he would always be looked at as the bad guy...oh well, he was never one for the limelight anyway. He supposed he would just be that helping hand that hid in the shadows.

Looking to the clock in the staffroom he sighed, what was taking them all so long? He could have sworn he said the meeting would be held around nine o-clock. Of course, he expected Black to be late...but Aurora, she was usually ALWAYS prompt. Well, Severus supposed there was a first time for everything. Taking a seat at the large table he watched the door and as if his dark gaze had worked its magic the door opened and his first staff member came in.

Severus

Aurora sighed as she made her way down to the Staff Room. She almost didn't come to the meeting, she felt so sick that words would never justly describe it. And if Aurora didn't know what it was she would have stayed in bed, but she did know. She knew that it was morning sickness, and she knew that she was going to have to talk to Severus about it...and, possibly, Jack if he actually showed up. Just like before he seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Perhaps that was a good thing, that would make this whole situation three times easier. Shivering a bit because of how chilly it was closer to the kitchen she sighed and let herself into the staffroom. She looked to see Severus already sitting and looking severely annoyed. Yes, her friend had a deep hatred for people that chose to waste his time and be tardy...and Aurora could relate, she had a deep hatred for it as well.

"Don't say it," she sighed weakly. "I already know I am late...I'm sorry."

Sitting down, heavily, in the chair next to Severus she gently wiped the sweat from her brow. She really did not feel well, and as if it could be anymore possible, she felt that she looked paler than usual. Closing her eyes briefly she wondered how Severus would take to having another child? It wasn't completely her fault! He didn't wear a condom, and she supposed that birth control had slipped both of their minds that night. Sighing she glanced over at him. Why couldn't they have done something different in their lives? Maybe if they had they could have gotten together...and their children wouldn't have suffered without a mother or a father. Shaking her head of the idea she closed her eyes once more and tried to get one minute of sleep before the rest of the faculty arrived.

"Oh," she said weakly, her eyes opening a bit. "Miles will be down shortly...he was spending some time with Serenity in the library before curfew. He'll be down soon."

Aurora

Julia was actually quite happy today. She didn't necessarily enjoy staff meetings, but she did like the start of term excitement of it all. Of course she was new at Hogwarts as a teacher, but she had always enjoyed school as a student. And now that she was a teacher, it wasn't considered as out of place for her to be looking forward to school.

She was also quite happy about the fact that she, along with her future nephew, had come up with a plan to get her stubborn fiance to make-up with his brother. Oliver and Chase deserved to have a normal sibling relationship, and it was a shame that they let the baggage with their parents come between them. It wasn't like Julia was a stranger to sibling differences. She had, after all, been estranged from Edmund for over a decade, and they had only just recently made up. And even though there was still quite a lot of work to be done, she could see a light at the end of the tunnel. And she was glad she had Edmund in her life. She wanted the same thing for her beloved.

She smiled when she entered the staff room. She thought she had been late, but if there was only one other professor besides the headmaster here, she felt a little better about things. She smiled at Headmaster Snape, and then at Aurora Maddox.

"Good evening, professors. Hasn't it been a lovely day?"

Julia

Oliver was just a little bit frustrated. Okay, maybe he was more than a bit frustrated. His son was certainly walking a fine line with him, and it was getting to the point where it was no longer fun and games anymore. Ashton was usually a very well-behaved kid, that was for sure. But Oliver did not put up with badmouthing in class, or disrespect, and he certainly had no patience for his son missing a mandatory detention. So during the meeting today, he would make sure Ashton stayed close so that he could have a few minutes beforehand, or after, to give him a very clear lecture.

He walked toward the headmaster's office with his hand firmly around his son's upper arm. He didn't want to hurt him, he just wanted to convey a touch of his displeasure. He didn't enjoy being strict with his son, but sometimes he knew he had to be. The part that hurt the most was that Oliver had a feeling he knew why Ash was acting out. He thought that Sierra and Ashton might not yet be on solid ground with each other, and Oliver knew Ashton. His son did not do well when his girlfriend was upset. But that did not mean that Ashton could treat Oliver badly. After all they had been through together as father and son, they each deserved a certain amount of respect. And in this moment, Oli didn't think he was receiving his fair share.

Just before they got to the staff room door, Oliver stopped walking and turned to Ashton.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but you are going to behave in this meeting. I understand that you are of age, and I trust you to know how to speak to me and all of the other adults in this room. But you still owe me a detention, young man, and we will be making that up tomorrow evening. I hope I've made myself clear."

He released Ashton's arm and placed a hand on his back to guide him inside. He nodded at his headmaster, then at Aurora. And he smiled at Julia before taking a seat two chairs down from her. He offered the seat between them to his son because he knew that Ashton wouldn't mind talking to his soon-to-be aunt. He wouldn't mind talking to Julia either, but he didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. Not only was Julia engaged to his brother, but Oliver was very happily engaged himself.

"Hello, Julia. You look well," he said politely. He purposely didn't mention a word about Chase.

Oliver

Sirius lay on his sofa, trying to feign carelessness. He crossed his legs and then uncrossed them again. He was tempted to just lie here and read his book and skip the staff meeting altogether. He was in no mood to put up with Snivellus today. Of course, he wasn't in the mood to put up with Snivellus any day. Sirius tossed his book on the coffee table and sat up, running his fingers through his hair. He looked at the clock. He was late.

Of course, he intended to be late. The question was how late he should be. It was a delicate balance. He needed to be late enough to annoy Snivellus, but not so late that it looked like he was doing it on purpose. Ten minutes, he decided. Maybe fifteen. Any more than that was pushing it. If Snivellus said anything snarky, which he most certainly would, Sirius would say he'd been with an upset student, offering words of comfort. Then Sirius would look like a hero and Snivellus a heel.

If he'd stopped to think about it, Sirius might have felt guilty over being so manipulative, but he couldn't help it sometimes. He'd learned manipulation at his mother's knee. Besides, he didn't think of making Snivellus look bad as manipulation. Snivellus didn't need Sirius' help. He made himself look plenty bad enough without outside assistance.

Sirius sighed and stood. If he left now and walked very, very slowly, the timing would work out about right. Maybe he'd even stop to chat with a few students along the way, if he ran into any. He left his quarters and locked them. He was not looking forward to this. Not at all.

Sirius

Ashton hadn't been very happy when he'd found himself being led to the Professor/Prefect meeting by his father having hold of his upper arm. He felt like his father thought that he was a five-year-old, instead of seventeen. He had only missed a detention for crying out loud, and one that wasn't all that deserved in the first place.

He straightened his shirt as his arm was released and nodded to his father's words as he was propelled into the Staff room. He would serve the detention that evening, but he would certainly not be happy about it. What student would, even if they had been given one for a real offense? He thought about his coming detention a bit more, and grew even more upset about it.

He'd only dozed off in class because he was so tired, and then when he'd been woken up, of course he'd snapped at the person that had done it. He'd been losing sleep with all the work he'd been doing lately. He was a NEWT student, a prefect and had started his training to become a Healer. That and spending time with his friends and family, along with finishing his homework every night, it made Ashton very exhausted. He'd missed detention the evening before because he'd fallen asleep and he'd fully intended on apologizing to his dad and agreeing to serve the original and a second to make up for it, but he'd only been grabbed and pulled along to the meeting.

He sat down in the seat between his father and soon-to-be aunt, turning to her with a smile.

"Good evening, Professor Wallace." He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I got a detention for being tired."

Ashton

Deanna yawned as she walked through the halls. She'd already had a long night grading and hadn't slept very well the past few days, what with thoughts of how she was going to have to redo the entire lesson plan that she'd set up for the week since her class hadn't seemed to grasp what she'd been teaching them this past week. There was no point in going forward from the rulers of different Mytholgies if the class couldn't even get the rulers straight, figuratively speaking. She'd overworked herself, and now thought that she was going to be late for the meeting with the other professors and the school prefects.

She checked her watch as she picked up her pace and found that she had a few minutes, but didn't slow. Deanna hated being the last one to meetings, it made her feel like everyone was staring at her. Of course, it could be this time because of her outfit. She'd gotten out of her pajamas and just thrown on the first thing that was comfortable and hurried out of her quarters.

Deanna reached the Staff Room and paused to catch her breath before entering. Nothing said that someone was late and had been rushing around like panting when you entered a meeting. It didn't look right for anyone, but Deanna would have been even more embarrassed if she was all flushed and out of breath. She finally got her breathing under control and opened the door to the room, slightly suprised to see that there were only a few that had arrived so far, one of which was a prefect. She didn't think that the prefects would be so punctual, but then, she'd been afraid of being late herself, so maybe that's why he was already there.

She smiled at the others in the room and took a seat, putting her bag under the chair.

"So, how is everyone doing this evening?" she asked.

Deanna

Julia smiled at Deanna as she walked in. They hadn't gotten to talk very much, but Julia thought the younger woman was very sweet. And she wouldn't mind getting to know her better. She knew that Deanna had been in Ravenclaw, just as Julia had been, but they were just far enough apart in age to not have been in school together at all. Oh well, what mattered now is that Julia needed female friends. The only person she had right now was Chase, and he needed some work on his girl talk. Julia had also spoken with Aurora a few times, but she wasn't sure how much they had in common. Aurora Maddox was quite intimidating, and even when she had been a student, Julia knew Aurora was heavily into the dark arts. But she supposed she shouldn't judge the woman. Maybe they would become friends, it didn't hurt to try. But for the time being, she turned to the youngest teacher among them and smiled once again.

"I can't speak for everyone, Deanna, but I'm doing well. Thank you for asking."

She turned back to Ashton and nudged him in the side with her elbow, grinning.

"You tell that father of yours to quit being such a hardass. He was probably just jealous because he wanted to take a nap too."

She winked, then she looked over at Oliver and glared lightly at him. He knew her well...maybe not as well as his brother knew her, but he would be able to tell that she was just teasing. She knew how important it was as a professor not to take any flack, whether it be from your own child or not. But she did sympathize with Ashton as well, since he had so much on his plate. She reached over and patted Oliver's forearm, then patted Ashton on the back and leaned over to whisper to him.

"If you need to take a nap here, feel free. I'll protect you from the big bad Professor Michaels. But I'm not sure about your head of house or headmaster. They're a little more foreboding over there," she winked.

Albus stood for a moment on the bank of the Black Lake, watching the bubbles surface from the giant squid in the moonlight. He, of course, waved his greetings to the beautiful creature, and even caught up on the merfolk gossip. He almost couldn't believe how much had occurred under those waters in the time he had been absent from Hogwarts. He would need to visit more often if he wanted to stay on top of things.

He smiled warmly at each and every student he passed along his way. Over and above everything else at this marvelous school, the children were what he missed the most. He truly missed those beautiful, young faces. They didn't even realize how much life they had ahead of them. Their minds were focused on immediate matters, such as school work, family issues or their love lives. It was sad, really...the amount of life perspective had dwindled to such a low level for today's youth. He had high hopes for them, however. He knew that they would each have a moment in their lives to bring them back down to reality, and to help them understand the real reason for being. He had definitely been faced with that moment at a very young age. He tried not to dwell on the memory of his beloved Ariana, but truth be told, she was never far from his thoughts. He wished he could spare the children around him from that type of rude awakening, but then again...the tragedy had indeed been necessary for his own heart to grow. That didn't mean, however, that he would ever forgive himself for her death.

He took a deep, centering breath as he walked up the stone steps into the ancient castle. It smelled the same, and that was strangely comforting. And it took just as much time to get to the staff room as it ever had done. That was always a good sign. Albus didn't mind his body aging, he just didn't always want to be reminded of the effects. That was another reason he was happy to be here today. Being around the students always brought him back to his youth again. Ah, youth. Sublime indifference to the world and its cares. Today of all days, a remembrance of youth needed to be made.

As he entered the room where the meeting was to be held, a mixture of emotions seemed to wash over him. Wasn't that usually the way of it? He could almost feel their differing thoughts screaming out at him. Albus Dumbledore had always had a sixth sense, and this skill had to do with the people around him. He knew things others didn't. Now, whether this was because of some inherent skill, or just because he had been around people his entire life, he did not know. But in this moment, he was only full of love for the people in this room and he wanted them to know it. He walked around, taking their hands each in turn, and gazing warmly into their faces. He reached Deanna first. Such a sweet, young thing.

"Professor Benfield, how lovely you look this evening. Perhaps I should introduce you to Aphrodite, would you like that? She is such a wonderful feline."

Of course he had been speaking of his newborn kitten, and not the godess. He was sure this young woman would understand the reference. If not, he prayed she would not be too disappointed when she visited his office and a tiny ball of fur approached her, rather than a supernaturally beautiful godess.

Next came Professor Michaels, who had only recently been working at the Ministry himself. But Albus knew him from his time as a student, as he did for all of these familiar faces. He shook Oliver's hand.

"Nice to see you again, young man. I can see you are keeping a close watch on your son. Very well done. Just don't be too hard on him, boys will be boys. Now isn't that right, young Master Michaels?"

He shook hands with the boy, his eyes peering over his half-moon spectacles. "You need some rest, lad. Make sure the headmaster gives you a waiver to your classes for tomorrow. One can only study so much," he winked. "Leave some space in that budding mind of yours for nothingness. Merlin knows the rest of us have enough."

He moved on to the Herbology professor and gently shook her hand.

"Mrs. Michaels, you are positively radiant. I apologize if I am getting ahead of myself with your future surname, but my head Warlock of the Wizengamot is very much in need of you becoming his wife. His softer side would be much appreciated, my dear. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to get the ball rolling."

He winked, then moved to Aurora. She looked pale and weak, in his own humble opinion, and he knew almost immediately why. The only question was, why had she not informed the father of the child she was carrying?

"Can I get you anything, Aurora? A biscuit, perhaps? And where is that very entertaining boy of yours? I must say, his presence would liven up this little get together, wouldn't you agree?"

He took her hand in his as well, then turned to his dear friend, Severus. Albus thought Professor Snape was also looking tired. Albus had felt that form of stress time and time again. It came with the mantle of becoming headmaster. And Severus was even younger than Albus had been when he first accepted the post. Perhaps it was too much to ask of the man, even though no one would have been able to do it better.

"Severus," he began with a smile. "How are you, my dear boy? I must say, the title fits you. Headmaster Snape. Yes, I knew that it would be just right. Thank you for inviting me, I trust you have not delayed the meeting just for my benefit?"

Severus looked up at Albus and had to resist the urge to smile fully. Letting his lips curl slightly he nodded to the past Headmaster and moved so that he could take his seat. Yes, Severus was quite aware that as Headmaster now it was his right to sit at the head of the table, but he would never refuse Albus Dumbledore the privileged of walking back into old memories. Severus cared dearly for the old man before him. As a man that had an abusive father and a home that just felt so unwelcoming; Dumbledore had been a man that Severus had looked up to. Sure, he would never tell anyone else that, but it didn't mean it was anything less than true. And somehow, Severus knew that Albus had to know that himself. Especially with how often he had stopped in his office with Serenity when she had been little.

"I am well Albus," he said politely. "Please...take my seat. We are just waiting for the last of the prefects to arrive and then we can start the meeting. I believe you said you had news on the Triwizard Tournament?"

Severus was very skeptical about this competition...mostly because he knew that the Dark Lord had plans that involved this very spectacle. Of course, Dumbledore knew this as well, seeing as everything Severus heard as a spy went straight to the Minister.

"Would you like some tea, Minister?" he gently flicked his wand a cup appeared in front of Dumbledore, as well as his other staff members.

Sitting down to Dumbledore's left he sighed as he recalled what the Headmaster had just said. "The right choice"...for some reason Severus was always questioning him being the right choice. But...it also swelled his chest with pride, especially since the Minister had just said that in front of his staff. Once again, it left him feeling less hated around the school.

Jocelyn woke with a start. She didn't usually go to bed this early, but it had been a long day. So she had only closed her eyes for a second, before she woke up again. She was forgetting something, she just knew it. But she couldn't quite place her finger on it. It only took another few minutes of contemplation to remember the highly important staff meeting scheduled for tonight. She raced back to her common room to put her shoes on and to look for her boyfriend, but she couldn't find him. She turned to a small first year student who was in a corner of the common room practicing charms.

"If you see Evan Winter, can you remind him that we have a Prefect meeting in the staff room? Thank you!"

And then she tore off swiftly down the corridors, past laughing, carefree students. She ran past portraits who chided her for rushing, and ghosts who shook their heads, probably wondering what it felt like to need to hurry somewhere. Jocelyn reached the staff room and stood with her hands on her knees, waiting for her heart race to slow. Then she walked in and immediately took a seat by Professor Benfield, the one she felt most comfortable with.

She blushed when she saw all of her professors here, as well as the headmaster. And then she felt her stomach plummet when she saw Professor Dumbledore. She loved that man! She wished she had not come in so late and seemed so irresponsible in front of him. But at least she was only the second Prefect to be here. At least the others would be more late. She cleared her throat softly.

"Good evening, Professors. Sorry I'm late."

Jocelyn

Cedric ran flat out through the corridors on the ground floor. He was running so late! Cho would be disappointed in him if she could see him right now. He'd been on prefect duty, and having to study after that had made him lose track of time. He also had to finish a report for the Ministry and would probably be late turning that in as well.

The Hufflepuff skidded to a halt about a hundred yards from the Staff room, wanting to give his breathing a chance to slow before he entered the office. He had been summoned, along with all the other Prefects, the Head Boy and Girl to attend a meeting, and it wouldn't look all that good for him, a seventh year, a Prefect, and a soon-to-be father to be rushing through the corridors when he should be setting an example for the younger students.

Cedric moved along to the door of the Staff Room and paused just outside it to take a few deep breaths. He'd never been in here before, and was feeling very nervous. Students generally weren't allowed into the room, but if he was ordered there, the meeting had to be very important.

Pulling the door open and slipping into the room, he saw that he was the third of the Prefects to arrive. Ashton Michaels was sitting between his father and Professor Wallace, and it looked like Jocelyn Morgan had just entered not long before he had. He moved further into the room and swallowed a rather large gulp of air that almost made him choke. Minister Dumbledore was in the room. Cedric blinked a few times before he could find his voice.

"Good evening Professors, Ashton, Jocelyn... Minister."

Cedric took a seat as quickly as he could.

Cedric

Gareth moved through the corridors on his way to the staff room, wondering why he'd been called there. He'd gotten the notice and instantly was confused. A staff meeting? They considered him to be part of the staff? The student government he could understand, but part of the staff?

He gave a mental shrug. It that was the way that the Headmaster wanted to consider him, Sam and the Prefects, then that was up to him. Gareth didn't mind, really, in fact, he found it rather interesting. He'd not been considered the staff of anything before this year. It was kind of amusing that he was now. He wished that Sam had come with him. He wanted to sit next to her during the meeting and hold her hand. Oh, well, he'd save her a seat. He was sure that she'd be along soon. He missed being with her when they were in school, they had to be in seperate dorms.

He reached the Staff room and straightened his shirt a bit, before opening the door and entering the room, smiling at Jocie, his brother Evan's girlfriend when he spotted her, then at Asthon Michaels, who looked as if he were about to fall asleep at any second. Acknowledging all the professors that were in the room, Gareth gave a slight start when he saw that Minister Dumbledore was there. He swallowed hard as he sat down nervously after nodding to him as well.

"Good evening," he said quietly.

Gareth

April dragged her feet all the way down to the teacher's staff room. She was not in the mood to go to this meeting, especially after stuffing her face. The most April wanted to do was go find Elliot and snuggle in the group commons until they both fell asleep. She would even take going to the Gryffindor Common Room to study over sitting at a meeting with her teachers. She loved Professor Black, Professor Wallace (despite the fact she hated Herbology), and even Professor Maddox was cool (occasionally). But that didn't mean she wanted to be stuck in a room with all of them for a little over an hour. Typically Elliot would be coming to this meeting with her, seeing as he was the Slytherin Prefect...but he was sick, or that was what he had told her. And April refused to question her love when he said he was sick.

She worried so much about him now that she knew of his illness. She knew that she had promised not to, but sometimes she just could not help it. She loved him and that meant that April would worry about him until the day she died. Adjusting her top a bit she turned down another corridor and gently pulled the door open to the staff room. She was a bit relieved to see that there were other students there, but extremely disappointed that Miles hadn't come yet. She didn't know many of the other prefects, mostly because she wasn't the goody, goody, type. But it would get better as soon as her best friend came.

"Good evening, Headmaster Snape...Minister Dumbledore!"

Her eyes widened and sparkled with joy. She loved Professor Dumbledore! He was so wonderfully nice and whenever she had been sent to his office with a hangover he would let her stay there and give her mints to keep her from throwing up.

"It is very nice to see you Minister Dumbledore, I have missed you!"

Taking her seat at the table she smiled at the past Headmaster and gently brought her gaze down to her hands...damn, her nail polish had chipped.

April

Samara was not feeling good, but she knew that she had to go to this meeting. If she didn't then Gareth would have a fit and probably leave, and she really did not want her Professor's getting mad at him. So she got dressed, put on some makeup to hide the fever she no doubt was going through, and made her way upstairs to the staff room. She was sure that she could convince Gar and Ashton to take care of her. With a boyfriend as loving as hers and a friend studying medicine at St. Mungo's; she only entrusted them with her life.

Pulling the door to the staff room open she slipped inside and sat as far to the back wall as she could. She would stay for as long as she needed to, as Head Girl and then she would leave and go to bed. She just wanted to sleep and never wake up. Smiling weakly she was surprised to see that Minister Dumbledore had attended as well. Minister Dumbledore was so nice, but she actually liked Headmaster Snape. He seemed nicer to the students now, it was like the responsibility had weighed down his sharp tongue and insults...that and his daughter dating Harry Potter probably had something to do with it.

Gently she brought her elbow up to the arm of the chair and leaned against her palm. This was going to be a very drawn out, tedious, night.

Samara

Ursilla had never been asked to a faculty meeting before. She didn't know what to expect, or who else would be there. Since the notice had said all Professors, Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl, she imagined that she'd see the entire student government, along with all the teachers. It might be strange to see them outside a class room. Plus, she didn't know if she was all that popular with some of the other Prefects. She'd never really talked to many of them, feeling that they wouldn't want to be a friend with the Slytherin Snob.

What none of them understood was that she never intended to be like she was. It just came out wrong most of the time. Ursa didn't like to admit that she was merely insecure, and she really wanted friends, desperately in fact. She had been friends with Ashton Michaels when they were first and second years, but something had happened and she wondered what that was? If she had to think about it, it seemed that it all went back to when she'd pushed him away when he'd kissed her when they'd gotten off the train after second year ended. She'd not meant to hurt him, but he'd surprised her and it had been extremely wet.

Ursilla shook her head to clear it when she came to the Staff Room. She needed to stop thinking about that. She was more than likely going to be seeing Ashton in this meeting, since he was a Prefect. She opened the door and entered, instantly surprised to see that Minister Dumbledore was there. She'd not been expecting him to be present at the meeting. This must be big!

She smiled at the others that had arrived, turning it a little more friendly for her former friend, showing that she still thought of him as her friend, no matter what had happened in their past.

"Good evening, everyone," she said softly.

Ursilla

Severus looked around and he was pretty sure that everyone was now here, excluding his son and Black. That would bloody well figure. Well he could punish them both...a little more tedious paperwork for Black to file out and Miles would be scrubbing cauldrons until he was twenty. That was fair after all...at least in Severus's mind it was. He absolutely hated having to wait, especially on people that did nothing more than waste his time. Black more or less, his son was never a waste of time....but if he found that he was late because he was snogging that damn girlfriend of his there would be Hell to pay.

"I am glad you all came so promptly," he nodded. "And despite the fact that we are missing two members of the staff...we are going to begin the meeting regardless."

Flicking his wand Severus locked the door and smirked. He had said to be down nine o-clock sharp and had even given everyone a twenty minute reprieve. Settling himself beside Minister Dumbledore he pulled out several pieces of parchment and took out a pair of reading glasses. His eyes were not what they used to be and Serenity often pointed out how he was following his "fathers" footsteps when it came to this.

"There are many things that are going to occur this year, however I believe we will start addressing the prefects before we get into that....this way they can go to bed."

Severus had no intention of discussing the Triwizard Tournament with them, or the Yule Ball. Those were supposed to be surprises for the students and gossip spread like a disease.

"You all have been selected to be Prefects of Hogwarts...and I trust that you all realize the responsibility you have towards this school. You are not here to tattle on your classmates, but keep them safe as well as out of trouble. When your house is in a panic, for whatever reason, it is your job to make sure things can be put back into order. Of course your teachers will help you as well as your head of house...but students will look to you for guidance...do NOT abuse the privilege or it will be taken from you."

He cleared his throat briefly before continuing.

"I am sorry to say that we have taken away the points system this year...I feel that it is such a waste of energy and the House Cup has lost its glamor in comparison to the Quidditch Cup...so, prefects are permitted to assign detentions to students. However, if you assign a student detention and the Head of House considers the reason to be less than adequate, and I trust you all know what I mean, you will be removed from your prefect post."

He looked up, studying each of their faces. They were all good, smart, kids. And he knew this was a lot to take in...but with them being short staffed it had to be done. He needed his students to help him, and he was giving them each a bit of his trust...something he knew Dumbledore would have done if he were in the same position.

"You were all informed of the Prefects Bathroom password, I am sure...however I will remind you that it was changed this past week to Gillyweed."

God...this was so boring...he was sure his students would be grateful to just up and leave. Severus always hated these meetings when he was teacher, and now he realized that giving them was just as much a pain in the ass as having to listen to them.

"Now...before I dismiss the students, do the teachers have anything to say? Or do the students have any questions?"

Miles knew he was late to the meeting, he was not stupid. And he knew there would be Hell to pay. But even though both of his parents would be here tonight, and all of his professors...he just couldn't help spending that extra time with Evelyn. They rarely got time as it was, and now that he was a prefect, their meetings were even fewer and more far between. So he would take the risk in facing his father if it meant that he would be able to hold his beloved for a few more precious moments. He loved his parents very much, but this was Evelyn! Anyone who had ever been young and in love would understand his dilemma.

He walked briskly down the corridor after saying goodnight to Evie, but there was still a casual bounce in his step. He knew he would at least make it to the meeting, late or not. And he almost enjoyed the thought of making his parents squirm a bit. He knew it was most likely disrespectful, but he liked the fact that he could push their buttons. To a certain extent, anyway. He hated actually hurting them. But annoying them was quite fun sometimes.

Speaking of annoying his father...there was Sirius Black in the hall, most likely on the way to the meeting. Miles actually really liked his head of house, despite the fact that he knew Sirius was not Severus Snape's biggest fan, or vice-versa. At least, that was what all the rumors had said. Sev had never really opened up to Miles about it all that much. He seemed rather private, except with Serenity. That bothered Miles, actually. He had only officially known that Severus was his father for a few months, but he had technically looked at him as his father for his entire life. He couldn't even remember a time where Sev wasn't around. Oh well...maybe someday his dad would open up to him about his past. Until then, Miles would just go on as he always had done.

He walked forward and smiled cheekily.

"You wouldn't happen to be skiving, now would you Professor Black? I hear the headmaster is very strict about that sort of thing."

Miles

Sirius' lip quirked into a half smile. So far, he liked all his students with only very few exceptions, but even so Miles was a favorite. He was relatively sure he wasn't supposed to have favorites. He was also relatively sure that everyone did all the same.

"Oh, I would never skive," Sirius said with a wink. "I would, however, come in just late enough to annoy the pants off the headmaster. It's good to know I'm not the only one."

Sirius wouldn't have cared if he were, though he'd learned there was a sort of safety in numbers when it came to being in trouble. If the Marauders could present a united front, they had a much better chance of convincing their professors that they were innocent. Sirius' main interest in being late was to make a point - he wasn't about to let Snivelus go about lording it over him, headmaster or not. "Of course, now we have to come up with a believable excuse. I'm going to go with a stealth dragon attack myself."

Sirius stopped at the door to the staff room and steeled himself. He really wished Snape could just leave him the hell alone. Why couldn't they just have memos for this sort of thing? Letter-writing was supposedly a lost art. Why couldn't Snape take that up and save everyone a lot of time?

Sirius took a deep breath and pulled at the doorknob. It was locked. That figured. Just like Snape to inconvenience everyone and their brother by calling a pointless meeting and then locking the door. Sirius pulled out his wand and unlocked it with a silent spell. He opened the door a crack and peeked in. The meeting appeared to be already in full swing. Good. At least he'd been saved a little bit of the agony. He was sure Snape would have plenty more up his sleeve, though. Merlin's beard, Sirius hated meetings. Having to listen to someone drone on about things he was quite sure he wouldn't care about was not his idea of a good time. Maybe they could slip in unnoticed. For that matter, maybe he could slip out unnoticed.

The door creaked loudly as he opened it further, and Sirius' hopes of going unnoticed faded. He'd have to come up with an excuse. Luckily, he'd always been able to think quickly on his feet. He'd start with something generic and then come up with some sort of detail if he had to. Say he was with a distressed student or something, but he'd really rather not have to lie. Especially not now that Miles was involved. Getting himself into trouble was one thing, but getting a student into trouble was something completely different. He also supposed he should at least try to set a good example, though he thought instigating an insurrection against the rule of a tyrant was a damned good example to set. Standing up to bullies and all of that.

Sirius had always hated the idea of people being in trouble alongside him. He always felt a responsibility to protect his friends, and would often take all the heat onto himself just to keep it away from them. Now he felt the same sort of thing toward the students; not necessarily that he had to keep them out of trouble, as he had found, to his chagrin, that trouble was sometimes unavoidable. He had also found that he was occasionally the one doing the punishing, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about that. But he could, at the very least, protect them from Snape. To the best of his ability, anyway. He would do everything he could to cover for Miles.

"Sorry we're late everyone. We were unavoidably detained."

Severus hated him....hated Sirius Black with a burning passion...hated him for the most obvious reasons in the world. He actually hated Sirius Black more than he hated James Potter and that was saying something. Severus was honestly certain that if he could he would kill him...however because he was Headmaster, Dumbledore trusted him, and he had two children (one about to be grounded for the weekend), he would refrain from doing something. He knew that Black was just trying to be a moron to piss him off, it was something Black could do without trying. Being both a moron and trying to piss him off.

Ever since they were children Black felt that everyone had to walk one foot behind of him. No one could be right if it made him wrong. And to this day it was still that. He would lie to the face of anyone if he knew that it would make his own life easier and keep his flea ridden arse out of trouble. Severus was a lot of things, but he would never be called a liar. A spy, yes...but he lied to protect Potter and his children...Black lied because he had nothing better to do and because he knew that the truth would hang him in some cases.

"We do not want to hear your excuses," Severus sighed, his tone calm and rather tired. "No...better yet, I do not wish to hear your excuses...you were dawdling, there is nothing more to it. Whatever reason you have is your own and I do not care, nor do I want to hear why. And Black...as much as it may surprise you...you did not miss the meeting...the students have just finished...you are actually...right...on..time..."

He smiled weakly, knowing that it would irk his rival the most.

"Miles however...missed the meeting..." he turned to look at his son. "And I am afraid we do not have time to repeat my past lecture as the students need to head off to bed; so, children, you are dismissed."

He motioned with his head to the door and watched as the prefects started to file out. He had more sense then to punish his son in front of the Minister and embarrass him completely in front of his friends...but that didn't meant that he wouldn't have that boy scrubbing cauldrons the next day. And he could tell from the look on Aurora that she was less then pleased as well. As the students filed out, Severus no longer caring if Black had anymore input on what he had just said or not, he turned back to his staff.

"Now, the reason I called this meeting, rather then sending out owls, was because we have two new members of our staff that missed the Beginning of Year Feast...I thought it best to introduce them to the other staff before introducing them to the students."

He cleared his throat and looked down at his parchment once more.

"They are Michelle Fletcher and Alec Fletcher..." he sighed. "Mrs. Fletcher has, graciously, agreed to taking up the art instructor position and Healer Fletcher will be the schools attending Healer seeing as Poppy cannot always be available to us when we need her."

Severus knew that they were both fairly young to be Professors at the school, Severus even remembered teaching Mr. Fletcher's younger sister Rachel Fletcher...but that was neither here nor there. The school had these two open positions that needed to be filled and the both of them had become available.

Michelle was so very nervous that words couldn't even describe it. She was a teacher...an ART teacher...something she had never considered being when she had graduated high school. She hoped that the students liked her, and the other teachers. In a way she was grateful that Headmaster Snape had called this meeting. Michelle knew nothing of Hogwarts or the people that went there. She had been born and raised in Texas. So this was a good way for her to meet new people and hopefully find one teacher that might be able to help her prepare and know what the Hell she was doing. Alec had told her that she would do just fine, but that didn't change it for her...she was still scared out of her wits.

Holding Alec's hand as they continued down the hall she wondered if Evie would be okay with them teaching at the school. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of Evie hating her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The very thought made her nauseous.

"I hope they like us..." she said softly as they began walking through the halls. "I mean...I don't want to be the teacher everyone hates. Remember Mr. Fields? Everyone called him a douche bag and would try and glue his ass to his seat... you don't think they will do that to us do you?"

Taking a seat on a bench she sighed and squeezed Alec's hand...she was scared...really, really, scared.

(OOC: Sorry for booting all the kids out like that...lol...just wanted to get the thing moving a bit more...and Laura, Severus and Miles will have a talk towards the end of this thread...if you want, or we could start a separate thread.)

Alec smiled at his wife, then couldn't help but laugh heartily. Of course he remembered Mr. Fields, Alec was the only one that had actually succeeded in pranking the man. Of course, he hadn't exactly glued the man's ass to his seat, but some carefully placed itching powder had been just the ticket to quite an entertaining class period. Alec pulled Michelle into a sideways embrace and kissed her forehead, still chuckling.

"You are definitely not going to be Mr. Fields, and neither am I. Come on, baby. We're young, cool and American. These kids are going to think we kick ass. Don't even worry about it."

He was slightly nervous, but mainly just because he was worried about what Evelyn might think. Would she be happy he was here, or would she think he was spying or something? He did want to be closer to her, but the real reason he had taken this job was because he needed to support his family. And the promotion, along with the free room and board, was just too good to pass up. Plus, he was very excited for the constant interaction. He loved teenagers, recent activity with Miles aside. He was technically just a large child himself, and he always would be. He was quite proud of that fact, actually. He would always be able to play with his children without faking the enjoyment. And even if he sometimes annoyed his beloved spouse, he knew there were times when his juvenile nature could buoy up their spirits when times were hard. He grinned and stood, pulling her up with him.

"Time to face the music, Chelley."

But just as he was about to open the door, it swung open before him and some students filed out. He smiled at April, then he nodded to Ashton and Jocelyn Morgan, who he recognized from the hospital. He didn't recognize anyone else, until...

"Why hello, Miles," he said in a sickeningly sweet voice. It was as if they were the best of friends, when everyone who knew these two, was aware that it was anything but cordial.

"I suppose you've heard I've gotten the post as healer here. But don't worry...I won't make you call me Professor Fletcher. Not until we have our first detention together, anyway," he grinned. Once again...he was quite juvenile. But it sure was funny as Hell.

Alec

Miles felt his jaw literally drop and he had to force himself to look semi-normal in the face of his mortal enemy. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement. They weren't exactly mortal enemies. But for the most part, Miles could not stand the sight of Alec Fletcher. Yes, the guy would have to be tolerated because he was Evelyn's brother, but Miles would never actually like him. He was arrogant, selfish, and just plain rude. He would never understand why Evie loved him so much. Alright, well maybe Alec had some redeeming qualities. He had called and invited Miles over to visit Evie when she was recovering from her tonsillectomy. But that had been the one and only time Miles had ever been slightly okay with Alec. Overall, he just wasn't impressed. And he knew that probably pissed Fletcher off to no end.

But now his nightmare had literally come true. Alec was going to be a teacher at the school? So not only did Miles have both of his parents, but now he had his girlfriend's protective older brother around? Alec would not hesitate to keep Miles in detention for the rest of his life, that was a fact. And Miles felt absolutely sick about it. He glared at the healer before him.

"There is no way in Hell that is happening."

He turned on his heel and stormed back into the staff room, crossing directly to his father.

"What in the bloody hell are you thinking, old man? Do you have any idea what you've done to me by hiring this moronic asshole? You know that he hates me, don't you?! Are you mad at me? Is this something I did? Because I don't see how you could just not think of me when you made this decision. Talk about biased teaching techniques, I will NEVER have equal treatment from him! Please, tell me this is some kind of sick joke. Tell me you just temporarily went mad, because I cannot understand any other reason you would have done such a stupid thing!"

And now his eyes filled with tears, and he prayed to all high Heaven that he would not start crying right now. He almost felt...betrayed right now. Severus was his father. He was in charge of protecting Miles more than anyone else in the world. And he had failed him. Miles crossed his arms over his chest, forgetting everything else that had happened tonight. He just wanted to rewind and be the perfect son. Maybe then his father wouldn't have punished him in this particular fashion.

"Please...just take it back...please," he pleaded, lowering his voice so that only the headmaster could hear.

Severus felt like he might vomit. Had his son really just done something like that? Had Miles just really showed him the one thing in the world that he would have never wished upon any other teacher? Had his own flesh in blood really come back into the staff room and started yelling at him? Well it was apparent that he had and now Severus had a large hole inside of him getting wider and wider. He had come to a meeting late, had no doubt been trying to come up with an excuse on the way, and now this? He was yelling at him because Severus did something that was best for his students? Because he could not stay up all night aiding to the ill classmates of Hogwarts? Severus wasn't even sure he was angry, so much as he was hurt. Even his son didn't think he knew what he was doing! And now, in front of Severus's father figure, he was forced to leave the meeting because he had more sanity then to just beat the bloody Hell out of his son in front of everyone. Not that Severus would ever actually beat Miles, he had too much experience of that from his own father. But when Miles left his hands would be throbbing and he would lack both his ears.

Standing up he glowered down at his son, his glare forceful and merciless. No one could change his mind and he was pretty sure that from the expression everyone wore that no one would try to. He looked to Aurora who was blushing scarlet and looking paler. He would take care of this, and they could continue the meeting without him. He had some important things to address, one of those being Harry Potter...but it was clear that he would have to talk about that at the next staff meeting when it was closer to midterm.

"Aurora," he said quietly. "You have my notes...would you mind taking over?"

He knew that he wasn't really giving her much of a choice, and he felt awful for making her do something when she clearly looked and felt ill. But he had no time for explanations at the moment...no...he was pretty sure that if he stopped to explain anything he would explode. Taking Miles by the shoulder, not roughly, but firm enough so that he had no hope of getting away he led him out of the staff room and into a corridor.

His lips were thin as he made his way to his office, and even when they got upstairs he could not say a word to his son...but that ended quite quickly.

"How DARE you do something so embarrassing to me Miles Ethan Maddox SNAPE!" he roared. "HOW. DARE. YOU!?"

Well, so much for keeping calm...that facade died fast.

"Do you have any idea how humiliated I am?! You came screaming at me in front of all of my co-workers and SIRIUS BLACK! AS if you couldn't LOOK anymore like a brat in front of all the people I boast to about you!"

His face was red and his hands banged on the desk top as his fury began to overwhelm him.

"Not even my own SON thinks I know what I am doing as Headmaster!" he roared. "I did not hire Alec Fletcher to torment you, Miles! I hired him because Aiden Showers recommended him and because I am starting to become ill from all the hours in the hospital wing I work at night and then having to teach in the morning! This DECISION had NOTHING to bloody do with you! It was for the wellbeing of the school! I did not think about the damn feud between you and Healer Fletcher because I did not know! I did what was best for the school and MY health! You are selfish and self-centered and I do not know where you get it from but it sure as bloody hell was not me!"

His chest heaved up and down as he glared at his son.

"You have hurt me worse then if Sirius Black had strung me up by ankles on the rafters! You are my son, my family! I stand by you no matter what you have done or are planning to do...but it seems you cannot extend to me the same kind of love I have for you...and that hurts me!"

Miles closed his eyes. When he was a small boy and would get himself into trouble, he had often closed his eyes to pretend he was invisible. God, he had never wished for anything more. He wanted to sink low into the chair that he was sitting in, or to just evaporate into nothingness. It would be better than feeling the sting from his father's intense lecture. Damn, it hurt to hear all of the ways he had hurt Severus. And to be perfectly honest with himself, he had not even thought about that. He had only been concerned with the ramifications of having Alec as a teacher. This moment was the first he had realized that what he had done went beyond his feud with Alec. He hadn't even thought about the fact that his tirade had happened in front of the entire staff, as well as Professor Dumbledore. But he realized that now. He had never wished more that he had thought before he acted. His impulsive behavior had actually hurt someone this time.

"Sev, I...I don't know what to say..."

He placed his hands over his face, vainly attempting to rub some intelligent thought into his head. He ran his hands back and forth across his face a few times, then up and through his hair. That wasn't working in the slightest. He looked up into his father's face, and it almost physically hurt to see the pain there. Miles hadn't meant to do that, and he usually didn't know what he had done until it was too late. And this time, he had dug himself quite deep. There were no words he could say that would make this better. But he knew that if he said absolutely nothing, that would hurt even more. He took a deep breath and released it shakily.

"Dad. You are completely right. I was selfish. I didn't even think about what I was saying, or who I was saying it in front of. I'm sorry for that. You know how I get when I'm angry or scared...I don't always think before I act. I couldn't see past Alec. And I was hurt about it. I thought you had done it purposely to hurt me, and I didn't know what I had done."

The irony of the whole thing was that now Miles probably did deserve something awful to happen to him. And not only had he mortified his own father, but he made him think he didn't trust his judgement. That was just not true! Miles thought that Sev was doing a wonderful job as headmaster, but now he would never believe it if Miles said it. And the worst part was...Severus had said that Miles must not have loved him unconditionally. That was the statement that would break him. That was what stung the most. Miles' eyes filled with tears, and before he could do anything to stop them, they spilled onto his cheeks. His heart constricted within his chest, and he had to grasp the armrest of his chair to keep from falling out of it and onto the floor. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. He could fall to his knees and grovel on the floor, begging for forgiveness. That was his next step.

"I do love you," he whispered. "And I do think you know what you are doing as headmaster. I was just upset, you know I didn't mean it."

He looked up, his cheeks glistening with tears, and his chin quivered...just another betrayal from his own body.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

His voice caught within his throat, and he had to look away once again. He just wanted to rewind the events of the night and go apologize to everyone in that staff room. Hell, he would even apologize to Alec if it meant making things even the slightest bit better with his dad. He just wanted to take it back. And a tiny part of him wondered what Sev would do to punish him. He would most likely be grounded for eternity. And maybe a well-placed stinging hex or two. But the thing that scared him the most? His father would most likely take away his prefect's badge for something like this. And Miles may have hemmed and hawed at the responsibility, but Severus knew how much it actually meant to Miles to have it. But even Miles had to admit that he no longer deserved it.

His knuckles were white as he held even tighter to the chair, just waiting for his dad to speak once again. Miles shook his head, putting the decision onto himself.

"You don't have to stay with me. It's not your fault that I screwed up. You should get to go to your meeting. I'll just wait for you in your quarters. Don't worry, I'll behave."