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Another Year Another DADA Professor	By : kotonori Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 1917 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Avoidance
- 2-Reunion
- 3-Need
- 4-Deceit
- 5-Questions
- 6-Scheming
- 7-Photographs
- 4
- 5
- 6
Another Year, Another DADA Professor

Chapter 5 �Questions�

Summary: In this chapter, Snape finally discovers what was stolen from him, and the plot thickens. Instead of giving him answers, it has just given him more questions, so he decides to confront Malachai and got way more than he bargained for.

Disclaimer: I own Malachai Tomaren. JKR owns everything else, lucky bitch. I am not making any money off this fine piece of smut.. I mean fiction.

A/N: Madd props go to killer-the-cat, my loffy beta.

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Severus watched the sixth years who had been accepted into his advanced Potions class file sullenly out of the room. He�d been particularly vicious today, something that could only be attributed to the image of a certain skinny, raven haired Professor that kept floating around in his brain. He�d taken thirty points from Gryffindor in just one day, but even that hadn�t helped him feel better.

He watched Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini file out, walking shoulder to shoulder so their arms brushed, giving each other moony eyed stares as if no one else in the world existed. Severus wondered if any of their peers had caught on to that little scandal in the making yet. Lucius Malfoy would have kittens if students began gossiping about Draco�s sexual preferences. Maybe Snape would just have to tell him about that little tidbit.

Tonight, he thought with a furrowed brow. There were certainly some mixed emotions as far as Lucius was concerned. His reappearance in Snape�s life was an ill-boding prophecy, a foretelling of new struggles not only within his life but also the entire wizarding world. Lucius. Voldemort. Death Eaters. His future was like a vortex of Hell , black and abysmal, just viewable on the horizon. No matter what happened, no matter what side won, he would lose.

With a bitter smile on his thin lips, Severus turned his attention to the emptying classroom, just waiting for the last little gremlin to leave so he could get back to much more important work. He still had yet to discover what had been taken from his office.

Harry Potter suddenly veered course from his path out the door and steered himself towards Severus� desk. Repressing a groan, the Professor noted Harry�s downcast face as the boy stopped in front of his desk. Finally, after what felt like a bloody eternity, Harry looked up at him. Snape had his scowl ready.

�Professor Dumbledore said-� Harry began slowly, as if the sentence were being extracted from his body painfully, but Snape cut him off just to get the conversation moving.

�Yes, yes, Occulmancy,� he snapped, folding his arms across his chest and seating himself behind his desk.

�..Right. And I�m sorry-�

�Save it, Mister Potter.� Snape glanced upwards to the ceiling. �We will resume Monday, 8 o�clock sharp.�

�Oh. �But Professor Dumbledore said-�

�I�m very busy this evening, and this weekend, so it shall have to wait until Monday.�

Harry fell quiet. Snape blinked, glancing back at the boy. No arguments? No insubordination? �What�s the matter, Mister Potter?� Severus surprised himself by actually being curious. Not concerned for him, just curious. He tried to catch the boy�s gaze, but it was locked on his shoes. If there was something wrong, Dumbledore would want to know about it. It might be nothing.. But with Harry Potter, that was doubtful. Trouble followed him along like a shadow.

�It�s nothing. Just tired,� Harry insisted.

Snape arched a brow and stared at Harry with a Hawk�s intensity. If Potter was tired, it meant that either he was sneaking around the school at night again, or Voldemort was giving him nightmares. He tried to glean some insight from Harry�s emotions, but the boy was simply entranced with his shoes and would not look up at him. It was like staring at a blank slate, it was like staring at�.

Willowy, raven haired twenty-somethings. With blue eyes. And puppyish expressions that just made you want to find a Beater stick and knock their teeth in.

�..Fine. I shall see you Monday then, Mister Potter.�

Harry suddenly looked up, as if he�d thought of something. �Oh, wait. I can�t Monday.�

Snape snatched at Potter�s gaze with his black eyes, but the boy was already looking above him, at some point on the shelves behind his desk.

�..What?� Snape felt his patience desert him all together. �This is something that you must start taking seriously, Harry.�

�No, no, it�s not that. Only Monday at 8 o�clock, me and a few other students will be with Professor Tomaren-�

�Fine! Fine. Tuesday at 8 o�clock, now get out of my sight!� Severus snapped, pointing at the door for emphasis.

Harry looked surprised, but only for a moment. Then he went back to looking tired, and trudged out the door.

Severus really didn�t care. As soon as the door clicked shut, he was out of his seat and making a beeline for his office. Too much time had been wasted today.

He quickly but carefully went about putting his disrupted work area back into order, making note as he put the vials and ingredients away as to which ones they were so he could figure out what had been taken. Shelves were arranged, vials, bottles, and jars grouped together with their fellows, surfaces were scrubbed. Every inch of his violated sanctuary was picked over, examined, and polished.

Finally, after order had been restored, he stood in the middle of his newly cleaned area and reflected on the only thing he was missing. Yesterday, he�d had a small bezoar, stored in a sealed jar on the third shelf of his locked cabinet. Today, it was gone. This just made him more confused. What would Tomaren want with what was essentially a stone that had come out of a goat�s stomach? This one had mostly been kept in storage to show classes when he covered the subject with them. He kept the large, valuable ones at home.

Well. It certainly had to mean something. Bezoars weren�t that easy to get a hold of. Not only were they hard to find yourself, their prices from second and third party finders were severe. Despite their vast powers and the advanced research that many wizards and witches had put into their study, not much was known as to the method of their creation. It was generally accepted that bezoars were created by the ancient magic; the energy of nature.

Snape went over their many purposes in his mind, wondering what Tomaren would want with one. They were used generally in powerful healing magic. And of course they could eliminate any potion�s negative effects. Bezoars were known to neutralize and ward off dark magic. They would be a great help to any wizard combating the Dark Arts. And since Tomaren was the Defense teacher, it would make sense that he might pilfer such an item. It made sense, but it still didn�t explain why. The more he thought about it, the more questions Snape raised.

He supposed that there was no helping it; if he wanted answers, he was going to have to go to the source. And if Tomaren kept refusing to tell him the truth, he might just have some success with Legillimency. It would be easier than obtaining a blood sample from the man to test against the vial from the door.

Snape locked up and then made his way over to the DADA classroom. It was perched on the top floor of the dungeons, where the air was more fresh and less moss tended to grow on the stone walls. Severus felt the air change as he approached. It was a familiar feeling, but today it tugged at an urge to sink back down into the castle�s bowels and hide himself away. It was a stronger urge than usual, which he attributed to his intense desire never to see Tomaren again.

The man was nothing but trouble. Once again, he wondered why Dumbledore didn�t see it too. Perhaps he was the only one. He didn�t know; he hadn�t spoken much to the other Professors yet this year. He�d even been quiet around Sprout when he saw her in the greenhouses last week.

When he reached the DADA classroom, he found it occupied. Glancing into the small window set into the classroom door, he noticed many of his students from the advanced Potions class that had let out almost an hour ago. Good, that would mean that class would be over with soon. Snape moved to the wall to the left of the door, and waited.

The door burst open not thirty seconds later, thoroughly startling Severus. He took a step away as he regained his composure, thankful that he had chosen to stand the opposite direction that the door opened in. Instead of the thundering cloud of hormonally driven teenagers that he�d expected to come stampeding out of the room, it was Tomaren himself. For a moment, Snape was unobserved, and watched the expression of utter terror on Tomaren�s face. Snape�s brow knit in confusion, and he wondered if perhaps the Slytherins had mutinied. That would definitely be a cause for house points to be awarded. He could just see Draco leading the charge, beating Tomaren over the head with �Voyages with Vampires�..

�Are you alright, Professor?� a female student called from the classroom. Snape heard mutterings breaking out.

�No, no, Hannah, keep going,� Tomaren called over his shoulder.

The Potions Master blinked, shaken from his thoughts, risking a glance inside. He saw Hannah Abbot standing at the front of the class, holding an unrolled parchment.

�Alright, Professor,� Hannah acknowledged, then continued with her reading. Tomaren nodded encouragingly back at his student, then stepped out of the doorframe and looked at Severus.

�You just keep popping up everywhere, don�t you?� the young Professor asked quietly, a spidery hand straightening his robes. Large blue eyes, too pretty for a boy�s face, skirted the Potions Master�s gaze.

�There�s irony for you,� Severus muttered under his breath, then arched a brow and said a little louder, �Having some problems with your class?�

�No.. not at all, not at all,� Tomaren replied, preoccupied with smoothing his tousled hair. Standing this close, Severus realized that it was as thick as a woman�s, and not stringy or greasy at all. It reminded him of Lucius� hair; full-bodied and full of luster.

Not that that had any bearing on the present, he reminded himself quickly. �Mister Tomaren.. A word, if you please, after class.� He conjured up his most stern expression as if dealing with a difficult student, but it was wasted on Tomaren, who simply nodded distractedly, gaze obscured by hair that refused to behave.

�Sure, sure.� was all the reply Severus got, while the distracted young Professor took a few steadying breaths. A quick, quirky smile was flashed Severus� way, and then the door was closed in his face faster than he could blink. Feeling rather affronted at the young Professor�s lightning fast retreat, Severus moved away from the door and spent the remaining minutes of Tomaren�s Defense class glaring at it in an accusatory fashion. The problem with the Defense Professor, he decided, that was that he alternated between acting like a mournful puppy and flitting around like a snitch. Either way, it was so odd that one couldn�t get in any proper scathing comments. One didn�t know how to time one�s attack.

Perhaps ten minutes later, the door finally opened to allow students to file out. Severus noted with a smirk that just one class later, the students he normally saw fleeing his classroom as if escaping from Azkaban were now filtering out in a much more relaxed procession. Blaise and Draco were the first out of the classroom, sauntering lazily as if they owned the world. Zabini hn arn arm slung casually around Draco�s shoulders, in what was no doubt a wholly platonic and chummy gesture. Snape noticed Hannah Abbot staring at their backs curiously, and gave the affair a week before the entire castle was whispering behind their hands. It was enough to turn the Potions Master�s stomach.

Snape counted faces, noticing that this advanced Defense class was quite larger than his advanced Potions with satisfaction. He entered the classroom after the final students had trickled by, noticing a rather large scorch mark on the far wall that looked a few days old. So, Tomaren must be favoring the �hands-on� approach to DADA classes. Severus could only hope that soon the classroom would meet with a tragic explosion accidentally set off by a certain Mr. Longbottom that would send Tomaren blasting straight out of the castle and into the lake. It was rather far fetched, but one could hope.

Severus stopped short, seeing the Gryffindor Trio standing before Tomaren�s desk. Ah, the three most irritating students to ever attend Hogwarts. He had never, in all his years of teaching, had any three students so intent on demonizing his character as Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter. It would�ve almost been amusing, if it didn�t turn out to be so bloody irritating.

But, by the looks of things, Severus wasn�t the only Professor to have a problem with them. Tomaren stood leaning against the side of his desk, one hand braced on its surface while the other rubbed his temple. �And exactly why, Mr. Weasley, did you try to thrust a vegetable up my nose?�

Severus just arched a brow. The �not-originally� American�s accent served to make Weasley�s antics all the more ludicrous.

�It was garlic, Professor,� Granger chimed in matter-of-factly. The group�s mother figure managed to look haughty and embarrassed all at the same time.

Severus blinked in confusion. What?

Tomaren self consciously rubbed his nose. �Right. Whatever it was. I saw you three passing it around before class. Now someone please explain to me what the meaning of this is.�

�It.. Was.. An accident,� Harry jumped in, �Ron didn�t mean to shove the garlic up your nose.�

�Mister Potter, why don�t you let Mister Weasley speak for himself?� Tomaren said. He sounded tired.

Severus found it all terribly amusing. Though really the Defense Professor had no reason to be upset. He�d had to deal with them much longer, and they�d been much more irritating. Thinking that he, of all people, was behind every bad thing that ever happened to them, no matter how trivial. Honestly.

Ron�s face was now as red as his hair, and he was stammering awkwardly in a soft mumble. The Professor finally looked away from the three Gryffindors long enough to notice Snape standing just inside the doorway.

�Oh, hello Professor Snape,� Tomaren greeted, as if they hadn�t had that brief exchange in the hallway, �I�ll be with you in just one moment.� He smiled, as one might at a respected colleague.

Severus inclined his head silently, eyes fixed on the Gryffindors who were trying not to look his way.

After a few moments of pregnant silence, Ron muttered another apology.

�Right,� Tomaren sighed, apparently realizing he wasn�t going to get a real explanation out of anyone, �Just be more careful in future, Ron, and from now on, keep your seasoning herbs to yourself.� Tomaren ran his fingers through his hair and let his hand rest at the back of his neck, surveying the three students as if he just didn�t know what to do with them.

�And Harry, be more careful in the hallways from now on. That�s three times you�ve bumped into me, alright?�

Harry nodded silently.

�And Ms. Granger-�

�Yes Professor, I�m terribly sorry about that. I don�t know what happened, I just lost control of it for a moment.� Hermione winced sympathetically.

Severus found himself wondering if the teenagers had chosen a new target to direct their paranoia at. How grand.

�Right. �Right. Yes, well, I�m alright now. Accidents happen, after all..� Tomaren released the hair from his hand and straightened his robes once more. They did look rather too big for him.

�Professor,� Harry spoke up, �Will we still be permitted to help you out Monday night? With the others?� All three looked very anxious suddenly, Severus noticed.

�Oh, sure. Just be careful. Now, you can all go. I believe Professor Snape needs to have a word with me.�

�Thank you, Professor, really. And I am terribly sorry..�

Severus made a face. Typical Granger pandering.

�It�s alright, Ms. Granger. Just go on now.� Tomaren repeated, making discreet little shooing gestures with his hands.

The three finally made their way out of the classroom, Harry closing the door after them. Tomaren sighed, and slumped onto the edge of the desk as if he�d forgotten entirely about Severus being there. Or maybe he just was that clueless to think that he could relax around the Potions Master.

�So, what did you want to speak to me about, Professor Snape?�

Apparently he was that clueless. Tomaren sounded as if he were working himself up for a lovely chat and a spot of tea. Or whatever the American equivalent was.

�You really can�t guess?� Severus folded his arms and looked down his nose at the young Professor.

�Well, I assume it would be about your office that I did not rob. Find out anything interesting?� Tomaren stared at the far wall, slumped forward. He had terrible posture.

�Certainly. I now know what you took, and what you�re up to.� So that second part was a bit of a bluff, but guilt would probably have Tomaren believing that it was true.

�Or, you mean, you know what the person who broke into your office is now up to.�

Tomaren still wasn�t looking at him. Severus decided that he was going to get vicious. And, failing that, he would use his wand. It was safely tucked into his pocket, just waiting to be used.

�Still keeping up the innocent act, eh? Why bother now? I know it was you. I have proof.� Severus spat. The fingers of his wand hand tingled in anticipation.

Tomaren sighed, his head falling back. Hair tumbled over his shoulders, revealing the alabaster line of his neck, and little silver post earrings glinting in his ears. Very peculiar indeed. �How could you possibly have proof?� he asked.

Just as Severus was drawing his wand to keep from throwing a chair in frustration, something bumped his shin lightly. Startled, he looked downward and saw a cat. It was housecat sized, and had the colorings of a Siamese. Which probably meant it was a Siamese. Rubbing against his legs and purring.

Severus looked up slowly to Tomaren. �You have a cat.�

Finally Tomaren glanced over at Severus. The sight of the Potions Master, wand raised and being rubbed against affectionately by his cat, must�ve been quite a sight. The young Professor looked very much as if he were holding off a laugh.

�His name is Dusty.�

�You named a Siamese �Dusty�.� Severus just stared. What was wrong with Americans?

�No,� Tomaren explained.

Severus scowled. Dusty mewed plaintively. Severus nudged it with his foot, and the cat trotted a few steps away, its golden oculars boring accusatory holes into his. Which was just silly, but nevertheless, Severus focused back on Tomaren.

�Were you going to threaten me now, or just pick on the cat?� Tomaren asked conversationally.

This was a new side to the Defense Professor that Severus was seeing now. He seemed more confident; a completely different person than the timid git who had turned tail to flee the first time they met. Severus could only ascertain that this meant this was Tomaren�s bluffing face.

�You certainly put on a bold front when you lie. Not going to blush and squeak out an apology this time, eh?� Severus began walking, holding his wand firmly in hand for when he should need it, eyes locked on Tomaren�s face. In Dumbledore�s office, Tomaren�s true emotions had eluded him, but he was determined that this would not again be the case. He stopped when he was in front of the Professor and turned to face him. �Not saying anything? You looked absolutely horrified when you shot out that door earlier,� Severus mused, jerking his head in the door�s direction, �And what was that about Weasley sticking garlic up your nose?�

Tomaren scowled, his cheeks coloring slightly. Severus caught his gaze and held it, waiting for the emotions to offer themselves up to him. Still, as before in the Headmaster�s office, Severus felt nothing from the other man.

�Not going to comment? What is this, the silent treatment?� Severus asked, biting off his words venomously. �The silly boy can�t control his class, and has nothing to say in his own defense?�

�You think you know me, do you?� Tomaren muttered softly, his self so void of emotion that it unnerved Severus.

The Potions Master began to wonder if he�d been reading Tomaren wrong. He suddenly felt as if he might be leading himself right into a trap. Well, he had dealt with traps before, too. Severus was willing to bet that nothing Tomaren could throw at him would be enough to succeed. Not after how many years he�d been working as a double agent. Still, he pressed on, unwilling to acquiesce to defeat. �Granger, Weasley and Potter seem to have taken an interest in you. That usually means trouble, especially for Defense teachers. They�ve gotten rid of every one they�ve ever had, did you know? Had you heard your position was cursed, or didn�t anyone bother to fill you in?�

�Cursed,� Tomaren spat contemptuously, though still Severus found no feeling behind it, �The job is cursed, or perhaps just the school? Perhaps its teachers are cursed with not being able to see the Death Eaters that lie right beneath their noses, and it s ths three children to save their miserable. Old. Hides.�

Severus was fairly certain that was a direct jab at him, which amused him greatly. Good, he was getting somewhere. He realized he had underestimated Tomaren because of his youth; the man must be able to use Occulmancy to hide his emotions away so well. Of course, the Potions Master had not used the Legilimency spell yet. But first, a little more verbal sparring.

�You think you know anything about Death Eaters?� Severus hi, ig, ignoring the cat that had appeared around his feet again, �What would you know about England�s dark wizards, American?�

�More than you obviously suspect.� Tomaren straightened out, though he still did not stand. �Enough that Dumbledore thought I would be the best candidate to teach defense against them.�

�Or were you, perhaps, the only candidate? I told you the position is thought to be cursed. No one else wants it.�

�Except you.�

Severus drew himself up to his full height, collecting himself as he prepared the spell. �And what exactly is that supposed to mean?�

�I am not as ignorant of my situation as you think, Snape. I noticed when you didn�t come to the staff meeting Dumbledore called upon my arrival. The other Professors told me you wanted the job. They told me that you wouldn�t like me, and that you would be suspicious of my every move. That you would look for a reason to get me fired.� Tomaren said this all very quietly, once again appearing to shrink back into his shell despite the bravado of his words, becoming the caricature Severus had first met. So just who was the real Malachai Tomaren?

Severus decided it was time to find out. �Legilimens,� he hissed, striking outward with his wand as the spell burst forth and hit Tomaren like a sack of bricks. The younger wizard rocked back with the force of it, but recovered quickly. He slid forward off the desk, a determined expression in otherwise guileless blue eyes.

Severus pushed forward against the mental barrier his spell had been met with, trying to force his way into Tomaren�s mind. Now he saw clearly what he was up against; he had to admit that this boy was very skilled. He was giving nothing. The edge of Tomaren�s mind suddenly formed shape. Severus found his mental presence standing in an all-white room that had no furnature or fixtures of any kind. This degree of Occulmency took skill, it was true. But Snape was no untried boy when it came to Legilimency. He pushed forward relentlessly, invading the space given him with his own mind, filling the white room and searching for cracks.

Outwardly, Tomaren halved the distance between them so that they stood not a foot apart, and seemed totally comfortable like this, though a dark drop of liquid colored his brow. Snape dismissed it as a shadowed drop of sweat, unwilling to focus on something he did not understand that could potentially confuse him and make him lose his concentration. Distantly, a cat let out a low, threatening meow.

Severus focused on his attack. He could feel the walls of the white room start to give, just slightly, to the force he was directing. The corners where the walls joined could almost be felt weakening, as if they would yeild and split open if Severus could just concentrate, just focus a bit more..

Suddenly, something was pushing back on the other sides of the walls. Severus did not falter, but he could feel a new force there. Obviously Tomaren realized that his mental white room wasn�t just enough to contain Severus. That meant he was weakening. �Just give up,� he heard himself murmuring darkly, almost crooning to Tomaren as he fought the walls� pressure.

The physical world was becoming dim and less real, slowly fading out of sight as Severus reverted all his focus to the younger Professor. He couldn�t glean anything if he couldn�t even get into the boy�s mind, but all he was doing now was managing not to retreat. This wasn�t right. He had to break through the barriers and find out what Tomaren was so desperately hiding. He needed more distraction.

Severus did the only logical thing a perverted double agent who was used to dealing with perverted golden haired Death Eaters would do. He grabbed Tomaren by the sides of the face, ignoring the sticky wet liquid smearing underneath his palms, and kissed him.

Tomaren made a surprised noise, his lips parting slightly. The white walls wavered and shimmered for a split second as the wizard was caught off-guard. Severus pushed past the pretty boy�s lips with his tongue, penetrating Tomaren�s mouth the way his mind hoped to. Tomaren made a strangled noise in his throat, and a crack appeared in the wall. Severus shoved Tomaren back against his desk, pushing him so he was precariously perched on the edge, while his mind dove straight for the crack and wormed its way through.

A hand caught in Severus� robes, trying to push the older man away, but Severus bore down on him, pushing a thigh in between his legs, mind swirling triumphantly inside Tomaren�s. The first thing he noticed was that, though this mind seemed to work the same as the others he�d been inside, it did not feel human. Snape had only ever been inside one non-human creature�s mind - a werewolf�s - but this didn�t feel like that, either. The landscape was wholly different, even if there were some recognizable aspects. Emotions were zooming away from him as soon as they could be spotted, but Severus was in now, and the white room would take some time to re-form, if Tomaren could manage it at all. He felt a pressure against his invading mind and knew Tomaren was trying to kick him out.

Their faces were still smushed together, but Severus had stopped kissing him. The boy�s lips were much too distracting. Their arms were wound around each other for support as they froze, balance precariously perched, both wizards too intent on the mental invasion to notice what was going on anymore.

Severus� presence hovered in the black vortex of swirling emotions, reaching out for them. He had to get ahold of one, get into the man�s memories. Find proof that he�d been the one to break into Snape�s office. There, flying past. Deceit. He snatched at it desperately, but it disappeared just in time. Feeling his frustration grow, Severus pressed on. He had to get what he needed before the young wizard pushed him out and tried for a counter-attack. Aha. Pain.

He threw himself around the Pain as it went spiraling past, absorbed it, and infiltrated the memory waiting there for him.

*

Hunger gnawed Malachai�s belly. He writhed piteously on a dirty stone floor, rags clinging to his gaunt form. His face pressed against the cold iron bars of a cell, lips bared, gnashing his teeth. His canines ached, throbbing with dull need, extending in dagger points past cracked, dry lips. Hands like claws reached through the bars of the cell, grasping at nothing. Around him was only darkness. The intense hunger within burned a line from his stomach to his throat; so dry, so thirsting. It arched into his canines and his head like physical pain, spiking through him like an iron steak.

*

Severus stared at the sight with wide eyes even as he was forced out of it. The realization of what he�d been looking at simply would not come. That hunger had not been human. Those canines had not been human. And Malachai had not been lusting over steak and potatoes.

That memory had felt.. Old. Severus needed more recent, he needed his potions classroom.. But he had been left too stunned by what he had seen, and though he clung desperately, he felt himself being forced backwards, flung like ocean spray against jagged rocks, unable to fight against the tide pushing against him.

His head snapped back with the force of his retreat. Tomaren�s mind was again closed to him, and he was staring down at very angry blue eyes. Severus struggled to climb off the man, who was now almost laying on his back on the desk, but Tomaren had his spidery hands twisted tightly in the Potions Master�s robes. He shifted forward so they were both mostly upright, and brought his face very close to Severus�, bearing teeth.

Bearing fangs. Severus stared down at them in dull fascination as his brain struggled to catch up with the situation. Suddenly, he recalled another use for a bezoar. Certain types, including those that came from wild goats, were often successfully employed as a protection against Vampires.

�You just had to push, didn�t you?� Tomaren asked angrily. He kept his teeth bared, biting off every word, with canines conspicuously visible. �I may be mistaken, but I think attacking fellow Professors is generally frowned upon at Hogwarts, isn�t it? But no, that doesn�t apply to Severus Snape. I am going to Dumbledore about this-�

�Oh really,� Severus cut in loudly and with venom, �You think Dumbledore is going to be very sympathetic once I tell him what I know?� he asked, pushing against the other man to try and dislodge himself, but from those willowy arms came an amazing strength that felt rather like trying to push over a tree.

In a lightning quick movement, Tomaren drew his wand and cast a silencing charm around the room, eyes turning from angry to panicked.

Severus was unnerved by this, but pressed his hand further. �Suddenly not so brave now, eh? If you think you can silence me-�

�Oh shut up! Dumbledore knows of course, you daft old fool - I just don�t particularly want the rest of the castle to know.�

�Which they will, as soon as I tell them-� Severus began. The Siamese hissed at him, back arched, perching atop the desk by Tomaren�s left ear. Severus shoved it off the desk. The cat let out an angry screech, claws scratching over stone as it retreated. Severus was just realizing that his hands were sticky with whatever had been on Tomaren�s face when a knocking sounded.

Both men froze.

�Let go of me, Tomaren, or we�ll both look like fools.�

Tomaren shoved him off, and Severus stumbled backwards hard, barely managing to regain his footing. By the time he was steadied, Tomaren was already answering the door. Unnerved, Severus tried to look like he hadn�t just been snogging someone, and straightened his robes as he heard the door open.

�Ah, there you are, Severus,� Dumbledore�s soft yet commanding voice spoke from the doorway.

Severus blinked in surprise. The Headmaster had always possessed such uncanny timing.. �Headmaster. This man-�

Tomaren huffed and shut the door behind Dumbledore, shrugging his robes straight with the air of a man who hadn�t a care in the world.

�I have just discovered is a Vampire, and I-�

�Oh dear,� Dumbledore commented, completely unsurprised.

This shut Severus up quicker than anything else that had been said, making him blink a moment as comprehension dawned on him. �You knew?�

�Of course I knew, Severus. Do you think I would let something like that slip past me?� Dumbledore smiled merrily at him. Severus thought he was going to be sick.

�You can�t be serious! Letting a Vampire teach here? What would the student�s families say if they knew?�

�Relax, Severus. I have utter faith in Mr. Tomaren.� Dumbledore placed a hand lightly on Tomaren�s shoulder, and the Vampire smiled for the first time that Severus had seen, then ran a tongue over his teeth cheekily.

�How can you have faith in a Vampire?� was, in the end, all Severus could think to say to that.

�Professor Lupin was a Werewolf, but he was a fine instructor. You must overcome your prejudices, Severus-�

�I am not prejudiced, Albus! But � honestly! A Vampire? Lupin was a special case, he took the Wolfsbane potion. I may have not liked him, but that had little to do with the fact that he was a Werewolf and more to do with the fact that he almost killed me.� Severus belatedly spotted his wand, lying abandoned on the desk where he must�ve dropped it at some point during the struggle. He slipped it away, though he didn�t like doing it. There was a moment where he hesitated, almost lost control and flung a curse at Tomaren. He probably would have, if Dumbledore hadn�t been there.

�Hold on a minute, you�re comparing me to a Werewolf? I don�t go all furry at the first sign of a full moon and tear people apart, alright? I am not a beast, dammit, I am a person-!� Tomaren glared indignantly at Severus.

�Well, I wouldn�t know, would I? According to �Voyages with Vampires�, they aren�t much more than corpses with fangs,� Severus explained, flinging the barb at Tomaren with zeal as he remembered almost being trampled by Tomaren in the corridor.

Tomafoldfolded his arms across his chest. �Say that again, I dare you. Then you�ll be finding out more than you ever wanted to know, firsthand.�

�Gentlemen, please,� Dumbledore intervened, raising his hands palms out towards them. �Severus. I came looking for you because you missed our meeting time.�

Severus blinked. He�d completely forgotten; he was supposed to have a meeting with Dumbledore after classes were finished with. He�d been planning to let Dumbledore know he was going home for the weekend, and tell him about Lucius. �That�s right. I completely forgot; I got caught up in restoring my office. And then I came here to confront Tomaren..�

�I can see that. Severus, you need to understand: Malachai is an old friend of mine. That is why I trust him, because he had been an ally of mine for a good many years now. He came to me for assistance over the summer, and I helped him by giving him a safe place to stay here. �

�As you can imagine, being a Vampire as well as having lived so long has given Malachai plenty of knowledge and firsthand experience dealing with the Dark Arts, as well as having to defend himself. Vampires, like Werewolves, are feared, hated, and misunderstood. Though they have the happy difference of being able to control themselves.� Dumbledore paused, to let all this sink in. �Malachai is, in effect, the perfect candidate for a Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor.�

Severus stared evenly at Tomaren. �So that is why you don�t believe he broke into my office.�

Dumbledore nodded, giving Severus a probing glance over the top of his half moon spectacles. �Obviously, Malachai�s true nature needed to be kept a secret. He is in hiding, Severus, and I would appreciate your support in this.�

Severus nodded gravely. �Of course, Albus,� he agreed immediately, though he felt resentment taking root within him.

�Now, Severus, if you would kindly follow me to my office? I know we have some things to discuss.�

Severus studied the wizened form of Albus Dumbledore, comparing it with the much younger - looking - form of the Vampire who had become �an old friend� to perhaps the greatest wizard alive. He simply nodded, but gave Tomaren a probing look as he stepped past him. They too had unfinished business, as far as he was concerned. Tomaren�s narrowing eyes convinced him that the Vampire obviously felt the same way.

He had many more questions for Albus about Tomaren; this subject was certainly not closed as far as he was concerned. He stared at the Vampire with unrestrained anger, more mad now than he had been before Dumbledore had enlightened him as to the situation. Moving past Tomaren as he headed for the door, he again remembered the slick fluid beneath his hands as he�d kissed� Oh, Merlin�s balls. He�d kissed a Vampire. Severus looked down at his hands, and saw blood.
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Another Year Another DADA Professor