Odium (Severus Snape Fanfic) {Wattys 2016}

Chapter 1: The menace.

(All the Harry Potter characters and places belong to J.K.Rowling)

One year after the second Wizarding War the Daily Prophet seemed to have gained their reputation again, with hard working reporters and unbiased news, they were no longer under the pressure of the Ministry of Magic. People seemed to have come back to subscribing to it. Mr.Barnabus Cuffe the editor appeared to be making a Profit out of his Prophet! One of the well known and youngest reporter of the daily prophet was Celestia Hamilton, in just one year she had helped the prophet reinstate its status. Celestia had travelled to many places to discover newer Wizarding globe, she strived to bring all of the Wizarding community around the world to reunite. Her pieces were mainly for the masses, she was their voice.

After travelling for a few months Celestia found herself back at her desk in the office of Daily Prophet. It had been a stressful night for her as her best friend had set her up on a blind date, which she had seen from the Witches Weekly. Well the date didn't go as planned. Celestia ended up faking a sickness and left but she was burdened by too much of her work so she had a rather lonely wearisome night. And now she was busy dosing off on her desk when a file flew onto her table. She instantly woke up to the sound of it.

"Oh, good your awake then, Mr.Cuffe wishes to speak with you." Celestia looked at her colleague and got up frustrated and walked towards her editor in chief's room.

"May I come in." she asked. "Yes please, ah just the person I wanted to see. Settle down Miss Hamilton I have some work for you." Celestia quickly made herself comfortable on one of the chairs, she was still lethargic.

"Celestia I wanted to ask you have you received any threat or hate mails?" Mr.Cuffe asked her gravely.
"No, not yet, but I think I might receive some after the article I wrote on Safety of Gringotts declining, I tell you Mr.Cuffe I shouldn't have done it, it was just a slip off on their side, could happen to anyone!"
"No what I mean is has anyone threatened you for working here or...?"
"No, sir I haven't received anything, but have you received any such mail sir?"
"Ah....I.....NO!!" Celestia couldn't help but notice a bit of glitch in his demeanor when she asked him the question, his hesitation definitely caught her attention. "Just be careful Miss Hamilton. And oh I almost forgot, You are off all general cases I want you to work on a special one. You see Miss Hamilton the Daily Prophet lost its status because of a lot many things and now it is starting to gain it back, with your help we could take it one step further. I want you to work on the new workings of Hogwarts and how it is coping up after the war, you will be sent on this special assignment."
"But sir it isn't easy to roam around Hogwarts getting information, the rules have become more stringent. And the new headmistress is not like Dumbledore she wont tolerate any such reasons."
" Why do you think I have chosen you, Miss Hamilton?" Celestia was puzzled at this she starred at him. "I know that your grandmother and Minerva McGonagall were very good friends back in the old days, this gives you an open ticket to Hogwarts, don't deny it."
"Sir, my grandmother and Minerva McGonagall may have been mere acquaintances, that doesn't mean she will let me investigate and report on her school!"
"Well that's the thing we are journalists, we bring people news and if we don't find them we make them, it goes the same while making ways to get in. Come on now, this will be your biggest story ever, I will give you the entire credit for it, imagine what it could do to your budding career..."
"I need some time to think sir."
"Well, think, but think quick and think of your career and the Daily Prophet, its like your home now." Celestia nodded and left from the room, she collected her belongings and left from the office. She walked down Diagon Alley. She was too engrossed in trying to process what Mr.Cuffe had just told her, suddenly someone pushed her she felt something being dumped in the pocket of her robes. She immediately turned to see who it was but it was too crowded to see anyone, people were flowing in and around the street. She put her hand in her pocket, inside it was a piece of parchment.