B.Q. Book Two: Black Princess Ascendant

Chapter 10: Positions of Authority

Disclaimer: Did Dumbledore always have trouble finding a teacher for the DADA post, even having Umbridge forced on him in book 5, even though it is explicitly stated that Snape desperately wanted the job? If so, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whoever else she sold the rights to.
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Filius was jolted from his wandering thoughts as he noticed someone else hurrying down the stone corridor leading to the teachers' lounge. "Cutting it close, aren't you, Minerva?"

"As if you're one to talk," the Scotswoman rejoined jokingly, slowing so that he might catch up. "At least I was busy doing something productive, no matter how irritating parchmentwork is. What have you been up to this morning?"

"Stress relief." The witch nodded, knowing that he often spent long periods in the unofficial dueling hall during the summer and winter holidays to both keep his skills rust-free and work out any leftover frustration built up from dealing with intentionally obtuse students. Of course, today's practice was all caused by one person in particular.

The cat Animagus agreed, "The Prophet articles a few days ago were quite... surprising. I'm tempted to head to the Blacks' estate and get some answers myself, but while Sirius was one of my students—"

"Miss Black is a Ravenclaw, yes, I am full aware." He smiled weakly at his colleague. "As a matter of fact, I visited her the very day their response was published. The world at large may be fooled, but we know she was originally Lily's child."

"'Originally'?" Minerva repeated in confusion. "You mean that wasn't just a heap of lies?"

"Apparently some of my distant cousins earned a nice bit of gold last summer," he answered in a cool tone. Full-blooded goblins'... distaste for him, and his for them in return, was well known to the other members of staff. So great was their enmity that rather than depositing his pay in a vault, he insisted Albus parcel out his gold in one lump sum at the beginning of the school year, just after the tuition fees were collected. He had had too many paychecks from when he was a professional duelist disappear on their way to his account.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"She underwent a blood adoption at Gringotts to replace Lily's traits with Lestrange's, and almost certainly paid a tidy sum more to keep them all quiet about it. When I asked her why, she said that it was to more securely cement her place in the line of succession."

"...I suppose it could be worse," the woman finally allowed. "At least she wasn't doing it just to spite Lily. While I don't approve of what she did to her daughter, and Miss Black is well within her rights to hold a grudge, taking a Death Eater as a replacement mother would have been a wee bit more revenge than I could comfortably condone."

He nodded in agreement with that; he had enjoyed having both young women as students, and despite his own disappointment with Lily's actions post-graduation, he found that he still had a bit of a soft spot for her. Her daughter, in her own way, was much the same.

The door to the teachers' lounge opened at their approach. From inside, Filius heard Severus's snarl. "I offered to take the position this year, just as I have for the past thirteen, but you said no, you had it under control. And you chose him?! I won't stand for this!"

The pair of professors shared a wary glance before entering. "Dare I ask what that was about?"

The potions master glared at them for a moment, his gaze barely lightening even though they were not the source of his rage. "Albus, in his infinite wisdom, has decided to hire James bloody Potter as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."