warnings: none, enemies tension tho;)
word count: 2679

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Teaching DADA to beginners was quite boring for someone like her, yet she did everything in her power to make her students leave with a broad smile on their faces. They surely would have spread their enthusiasm throughout the school, labelling her as a far more popular teacher than Snape.

The thing Albus avoided to tell her, was how she would be supervised during her first lesson to seventh years.

As Cesira was preparing the platform where peers would have a firsthand practice of the advanced spells, the door shut open without a single knock.

Severus was livid: he saw crowds of jolly dunderheads floating through the corridors of the North Towers, all endlessly chirping and showing off what they learnt with that witch.

Blyde. I know I heard of her before.

He couldn't wrap his head around the fact Dumbledore had employed her, a younger long retired Auror, and not him.

What could she possibly had more to give in that simple little head of hers?

He was better, far more better and the old git was to find out before the end of the year.

He found her scarred face a useless parade worthy of the most insufferable of Gryffindors, not to mention the slightly white hair: he could smell the dye from the Dark Forest.

"Professor Snape! I didn't expect to see you here."

Cesira ensured her voice was as emotionless as his.

"Is the shock so potent you wish to hex me?" answered Snape, looking at her wand out of its holster.

The witch damned her hightened fight response.

"Old habits. I apologise."

What was he doing there? Her first day was meant to be at least enjoyable, not ruined even before lunch.

Snape looked around and stepped on the platform, testing it with his foot.
Crossing his arms to his front, he took advantage of her standing off of it to strengthen his signature towering over people unworthy of his time.

In short, everyone.

Cesira got the hint but didn't step on the raised floor, knowing it would show her annoyance at his provocation.

He scoffed. "Professor Blyde, the only thing I care less about than you is your apology. Sit down."

Cesira frowned, her blood running twice as faster in her veins as a shot of rage possessed her limbs at the sound of his monotone voice commanding her.

How dare he?

"I believe you have mistaken me for one of your-"

"If you were one of my students, which would have caused me great displeaure, I assure you wouldn't have lasted a day. Sit. Down."

She desperately burned to draw her wand again and fight him on the spot, if only he knew how much it took her to obey his orders like a pet.
It was best to act wise.

She sat and the flames of humiliation kissed her cheeks, albeit her icy stare was still trained on his dead one.

"Good. Looks like you really were a Ravenclaw after all. Now," he paced the platform and started explaining how Albus had instructed him to supervise her during this particular lesson.

"Am I allowed to ask why?"

Snape stopped his nauseating pacing, giving her a mischievous sneer.

"I suppose he wants to know if you have what it takes to be here."

"Which you obviously think I don't, Professor Snape."

He raised a solitary eyebrow, faking an impressed expression.

"Discerning girl Professor Blyde."

The patronising shade in his voice made her stomach wiggle and twirl in disgust and pure hatred, yet she faked a submissive smile.

"If you fail one thing about this lesson you will be out of this gates before you can talk back, have I made myself clear?"

The best thing would have been talking back, but the wise thing was to stay silent and nod without letting him enter her mind walls.

She wasn't quite sure Albus was the one who would have expelled her at the first mistake.

When students started storming inside she immediately got up and waited for him to lead her to her desk, her teeth grinding painfully to swallow down her boiling fury.

The young adults shot sneaky looks at them, afraid to cross his stare. A soft murmuring started spreading from table to table, undoubtedly concerning the unwelcomed presence of the dungeon bat.

"Silence." it was all it took for him to cease the whispers.

Snape turned his back to the dunderheads, giving Cesira a fierce and amused glare.

"I would drop the angered façade Professor Blyde, it doesn't suit a lady like you." he softly whispered.

Her jaw trembled in great endeavour of keeping her killer words inside her throat, slowly relaxing her face muscles and standing up.

He doesn't know what I'd to him if we were alone.

"If you could please move out of the way sir," she kindly gestured him to get out of her sight.

Snape patrolled the class to ensure no Gryffindor was fidgeting with childish tools or whispering nonsense, shooting stares at the witch there and then.

Cesira led her lecture smoothly just like the ones before, presenting their program for the last year and instructing on the massive importance practice meant for them.

She was somewhere between Flitwick and McGonagall, entertaining in a professional way.

When she shifted the lesson from the static nature of theory to the lively state of practice, someone raised their hand before she could demonstrate an offensive spell.

"Why do you keep your wand there? It's easy to steal."

A black shadow appeared behind the poor curious boy, scolding him.

"Pay attention to the class instead of useless details Mister Copper, ten points from Gryffindor."

Cesira could stand everything he'd throw at her but taking control of her own class.

"There is no need to scold an innocent question Professor Snape, ten points to Gryffindor for your attention to details."

If looks could kill she would have been rotting in a grave.

The witch approached Copper, offering him her hip with the wand.

"Dare to try Mr. Copper," she challenged him with a comforting teethless smile, her hands behind her back.

"I advise you to do it gently."

The boy wavered under the pressuring stares of his mates, reaching out his hand but before he could give it a try one of Snape's students shoved him aside and went for the steal.

He jolted back holding his hand to his chest as others laughed under their breaths, aware of the tall black bat spying on every one of them.

"It gave me a shock!"

Cesira blinked slowly, shaking her head.

"I said gently for a reason. The effect lasts merely two seconds before I can notice the threat and defend myself."

Snape found the perfect opportunity to step in and escort her out; Cesira noticed his predictable intention and brought her students to the platform, making everyone ignore his strut.

Stay out of my way, prick.

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"I suppose your lesson was... merely acceptable. I suggest more theory, practice isn't everything Professor Blyde."

The witch looked up at the man standing at her side as she was collecting her things, his intoxicating scent of bitterness and old shoes chewing her lungs.

"My, no comment on your reckless student?" she dared to give voice to her equally high level of bitter.

A light she couldn't read twitched in his eyes.

"No."

She hummed in response and swiftly got out of his way, not before ensuring her locks got tossed into his chest as she did so.

Giving him a side eye she could see his lips pursed in disgust as he brushed off his robe.

"I value practice above everything else Snape, you should go back to your cauldrons."

"Not so fast Blyde."

She turned around and did everything in her power not to stumble back given his sudden nearness.

How come she didn't hear him? After all those war years spent tiptoeing to grasp the mere fall of a leaf?

"Is there something you need?"

His onyx stones glimmered in what she could perceive as sheer malignancy.

"I want to prove something."

"Go ahead."

And with that he quickly dove his arm down and merely squinted before holding her wand in his long pale fingers, a winning grin on his unappealing face.

"As I thought," he purred leaning lightly down, the sweet taste of humiliating the witch on his tongue. "Abecedarian."

How the hell was he able to pass my ward without a flinch?! Merlin, this man longs to be hexed.

"Give it back." she growled through gritted teeth.

Snape curled the corner of his lips in pure amusement, letting the aspen wood fall nonchalantly from his hand, Cesira caught it on the fly.

"Think twice the next time you wish to hurt one of my students Blyde, my hand might unwillingly slip and take away your precious wand. You will be left with nothing but your worthless excuses to defend yourself."

Cesira squinted and took a proud step forward, sinking in his terrible gaze.

"Are you threatning me Snape?"

"Why, yes, I suppose I am." he replied softly.

Cesira was ready to say anything painful enough to scratch off even dust from his emotionless hooked face, yet the bat was quicker once again.

"I pray your chambers weren't too cold Blyde, your stances were stiff."

And with a dramatic swish of his cloak he paced down the corridor, scaring every student on his way.

Cesira was a fuming bundle of humiliation and murderous revenge.

This night he will sleep in an igloo.

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Dinner meant having to sit beside Snape.

That was all there was to it. No exciting convo with any other colleague would have taken her mind away from the utter degradation he put on her in such few, poisonous words.

She could have felt the rivalry between them boiling at already an alarming temperature, and it was only her first day as a teacher.

How exciting.

By the time she set foot in the Great Hall she had a stronger sense Dumbledore didn't really instruct him to weigh in her lesson. Maybe he made that up just to provoke her. Show her how much he hated her guts for teaching his favourite subject.

He's got quite a pair I dare say.

Students talked about his obsession for her post nonstop in the corridors, hoping she would stand tall and give him a hard time bossing around.

Her eye immediately fixed on his engulfing presence at the staff table, lunging painfully slow toward it so as to hold his stare as much as possible.

Blood muffled her hearing, a great deal of her wished to splash his meal all over his sharp face, getting him to feel the shame torture his stomach.

Only some members of the raised table started noticing the hateful and excruciatingly long stare between the two.

"What have you done to her Severus?"  asked Minerva in a disapproving tone.

Snape couldn't afford to divert his gaze on the senior witch and lose their little game.

"Bad temper. She can't control it. That's all." he replied with a smug.

"She used to be the happiest of students Severus, 'bad' is not a word that suits her." Minerva looked at Cesira with a rather concerned look with a hint of pity, saddened by the damage on her face and the permanent glacial fury scowling her once mirthful features.

He scoffed and raised an eyebrow when she lost contact due to someone he despised just as much.

"She will never fool me."

A waving hand stopped Cesira from her march to probably argue with Snape like an old married couple, she looked down and saw a young woman with golden hair combed in two split braids sitting between Hufflepuffs, albeit she didn't wear their uniform.

"Cesira!" She was about to get up and hug her.

The witch stopped her intentions taking a step back, earning curious stares from students. She was sure to have seen those braids before, maybe back to her last years... yes

The young woman pursed her lips at her rejection, albeit managing to pull the brightest of smiles regardless.
"Remember me? I'm Penny! Penny Beechwood!"

It hit her at the name:

"And what is a useless first year doing here?"

Senior students circled a poor little girl trying to find her way to a class.

"I-"

"Is that the Advanced Potions book? What, you think you're more clever than everyone else?"

She heard the voices and immediately stepped in, gesturing to piss off.

"Oh Cesira, we were just messing with her,"

"Get out of my sight."

Looking at the same scared girl she saw a completely different woman with the same gentle big eyes.

"Yes, I remember you. What are you doing here?"

Penny shushed someone pointing at her eyepatch and hinted a shy glare at the high table.

"I graduated two years ago, now I'm Professor Snape's assistant to become a Potion Mistress myself."

Cesira immediately shot a look at the greasy man, imagining how annoyed he was to have someone else to teach to other than his dunderheads.

That was enough to make her smile a bit.

"Glad to hear that, though you're not having the best of times with that one I presume,"

Penny blushed, it was obvious he didn't treat her well. Cesira saw the shadow of her first year self linger behind her eyes.

"He's a bully Penny, stand up to him when you can," then a question popped up, "why aren't you sitting with us teachers?"

Penny lowered her gaze and focused on everything but her sapphire eye.

Suspicious.

"I wanted to catch up with some of my friends, tomorrow you'll find me there I promise."

She's so lying.

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"Your food is cold. Think better before wasting time with my apprentice."

So will be your arse once I'll make you sleep in ice.

"If wasting time means talking to someone nicer than you then yes, I'll eat my meal cold a million times."

Snape brazenly twirled his lips in wholesome amusement to her nerves he could pull so easily without even trying.

Cesira, on the other hand, was having even more fun at firing back at his snarky comments with equal bitterness, although she didn't like the smooth way he could get under her skin. He had a way with words far better than everyone else in the room, but she would never ever admit it.

Merlin help her, having fun with a Death Eater!
The things she'd do for blissful revenge.

He is so vile.

Not knowing quite well how she managed to stand him all dinner long she felt a sense of relief once she made her way to the dungeons.
Maybe it was the proper time to play the piano or guitar she conjoured in her office, though the memories would have certainly gone for her neck.

The past. It was her second heart.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, her wand immediately touched the wall to cast a more powerful hex on his rooms, but the sound of steps outside her office stopped her.

"I know what you're doing Blyde, if you don't wish me to tell Dumbledore what you've done to my student I'd suggest you put an end to this childish behaviour of yours."

Oh he's got some nerve.

She opened wide her door watching his billowing cloak vanish behind his oak door, not before she caught sight of his black tunnels darting her a mischievous look.

At her feet waited a letter:

I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but I heard from the staff room that you and Flitwick are to be duelling in two weeks to decide who will be the Duelling Champion.
They placed a bet, I find it revolting, you could get hurt!!
Professor McGonagall bet it all on you.
Professor Snape offered to substitute you as teacher once you'll be gone.
I think you'll be just fine :)
Penny

Cesira looked for her somewhere in the corridors, but all she encountered was a little bird wandering aimlessly.

The excitement in her veins shook her so wide awake that she had to spend the night patrolling the castle to let it fall off, and what was even better was getting to take points from Slytherin for catching two students fleeing from the kitchens.

Snape will be so pissed.