Shadow and Light {Severus Snape x OC}

Chapter 10

Summary:

My name is Alice and I Won !

Resuming her regular walks had done her a lot of good. She noted with a certain satisfaction that, over the last few weeks, her body seemed to be regaining its balance. Yet, she wasn't fooled: she was still far from being back to full strength, far from reclaiming the capabilities she once had.

But it wasn't just this physical weakness that affected her. What gnawed at her more deeply, what truly tortured her, were the reflexes she had lost. She felt diminished, almost ridiculous, every time she took her wand in hand. She no longer had the precision or quickness that had once been an integral part of who she was. Now, her movements were slow, awkward, lacking the confidence that had carried her so far as an Auror.

Severus's request for her to reduce the frequency of her training had touched her. She understood his reasons, but it was still a trial. Reducing her efforts, accepting not to push herself beyond her limits, meant accepting her weakness, admitting that she was no longer the woman she had been. And that idea haunted her.

She felt trapped in a body that no longer lived up to her ambitions, her will.

Alice had walked for a good hour and found herself on the seventh floor. She stopped for a moment, thinking she'd heard a noise. Turning around, she realized a door had formed right behind her. Hogwarts never ceased to amaze her, that was certain. Curiosity compelled her, and she passed through the door.

Inside, she discovered no less than twenty students in a secret training session. They hadn't noticed her yet.

Harry was the first she spotted; her godson seemed to have taken on the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, and from what she could observe, she thought he was quite good at it.

Alice figured they'd notice her sooner or later, so she might as well make the first move. Although she didn't mean them any harm, she felt a bit hurt that Harry hadn't mentioned this secret lesson to her, so she decided to make her entrance amusing—at least, for herself.

She cleared her throat loudly, using her wand to mimic a certain professor's voice. All the small heads turned towards her, horrified expressions on their faces.

"Calm down, it's just me!" She raised her hands, surrounded by an army of wide eyes.

"Alice!" Harry exclaimed, breaking the silence and forgetting that such familiarity was reserved for private settings.

"Well, I can't wait for someone to explain what's going on here..."

"It's... you know, Umbridge, we don't really have classes... She doesn't teach us anything... useful."

"Harry?" Ginny asked, as almost all the students here were unaware of the relationship between their professor and their classmate.

"Oh, right, sorry, I should have said Professor McGarden... not... um... Sorry..."

He apologized to Alice, who finally shrugged.

"Well, at this point..."

"Professor McGarden is my godmother, she... she's on our side... at least, you are, aren't you?"

"I'm not against you, indeed. I'd prefer to keep you all out of trouble, especially these days..."

The students seemed to relax at this revelation. Lavender Brown spoke up, as if an idea had just struck her.

"Excuse me, Professor," she called out, "but maybe you could teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts? I mean, not that Harry's bad, but if we could have help from a professional... it would be even better..."