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Disclaimer.
J.K Rowling went out one day so I took her characters out to play.
We ran around, they laughed with glee,
All this fun and she works for free!

A/N
My first fic, Please read and review. Thank you to my reviewers you know who you are. We're finally at Hogwarts and the Ad Hoc committee recovers from it's surprise. Phaelan is not quite what they expected. This won't be a short story; I like to develop characters and plot lines. I just hope you're laughing a bit at some of the situations. I wish I was an artist to draw some of the scenes as I picture them in my mind. If someone wants to volunteer???
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An audible exhalation of breath was heard around the room. Almost everyone had held their breath waiting for her answer. Albus closed his eyes, sitting back in his chair for a moment. Snape turned and looked out the window immediately behind him, knowing what was yet to come.

Standing, Arthur Weasley stepped over to Phaelan. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss McKenzie. I'm sure you'll be very successful and rewarded by your time with us. I expect I shall see you again soon." He made ready to leave.

"You won't stay to lunch with us Arthur?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, I'd best get back to the Ministry. I've left them a bit short of late. Good day all." Arthur called as he tipped his hat.

"Well, I'm staying for lunch," decided Lupin, "I think I'll go see Hagrid for a bit first." Turning to Phaelan he took her hand. "I'm so pleased you've accepted, Miss McKenzie. I was sure you were the one, thank you for proving me right." With a nod, he also left the room.

"Well, I'd best see the elves about readying the chambers for Miss McKenzie. Are you a morning person or evening person, Miss McKenzie?" Minerva asked.

"I'm not sure Professor, why?" Phaelan was confused.

"Do you prefer the sunrise or the sunset or have you no preference?" Minerva clarified.

"The sunrise I guess." What a strange question thought Phaelan.

"Good," was Minerva's reply. "We have extra east facing windows available for you. We can move them right away.

"My room will be in the East wing of the castle then?' asked Phaelan.

"Not necessarily, Miss McKenzie; probably just your window. It's warmer to have an interior room without any cold exterior walls. Just leave it to me and the elves." Minerva walked over to her and patted her hand. Phaelan missed the look Minerva shot at the two men remaining in the room.

Sitting bemused at what Professor McGonagall had said, Phaelan wondered at the world she had some upon.

"Now, Phaelan, we have some paperwork to complete. Bureaucracy exists everywhere, I'm afraid." Albus was pulling out scrolls of parchment from his desk. "Professor Snape will witness for us." He looked over at the young woman sitting in front of him. She seemed a little dazed.

"This is for a bank account to be opened on your behalf at Gringotts. Your salary will be deposited there automatically. Transfers are possible between your Muggle account and Gringotts at your discretion."

Two scrolls were presented to her to sign, one for the Bank and one for the School. The tall dark wizard witnessed both. One of the scrolls promptly rolled itself up and disappeared with a pop.

"That copy has gone to the bank," advised Dumbledore, seeing her gaze. "Your key will be delivered by Monday."

"Hmm," thought Phaelan, "A Wizarding fax machine."

"This is your contract, Phaelan, please read it though carefully before you sign." Dumbledore handed her a larger scrolled filled with elaborate writing.

It seemed fairly standard. In fact it was very much like the contract she signed when she joined the Navy, including the part about secrets and loyalty.

"Headmaster," she began, "I must put in 2 hours per month to fulfil my Reservists contract with the Navy. It can be done on weekends. Will that be a problem?"

"I shouldn't think so. You will know in advance when you will be gone, yes?" Albus asked.

She nodded her assent and looked again to the parchment.

Taking the unfamiliar quill in her hand, she began to sign the contract. Unnoticed, Snape had moved to stand behind her. As soon as she had set the quill down, Phaelan felt her left wrist grabbed and held firmly in the tall man's hand.

"What are you doing?" she sputtered, surprised at the action.

Holding her hand directly over the contract, Snape wielded a finely honed athame (a sacred knife) and cut the palm of her hand. Letting the blood, at first, drip onto the parchment below, he then placed her hand palm down onto the contract placing his own hand firmly on top of her wrist. Putting away the knife, Snape then pulled out his wand, as did Dumbledore, coming to his feet.

Placing his hand atop Phaelan's fingers, Dumbledore intoned. "Miss Phaelan Anya Sophia McKenzie, by all the elements, I invoke the powers of the four founders of Hogwarts to witness the binding of your being through this contract to the school. You will protect and nurture the students in your charge. You will defend the castle to the best of your ability. You will forswear fealty and loyalty to any entity real or ethereal that would negate this binding. You will swear this on your soul and by any higher being you hold holy. If you agree, you may so indicate by saying, I so swear."

Phaelan was spellbound, literally, by the oath intoned, but she answered "I so swear," in a quiet voice.

In unison, Dumbledore and Snape intoned, "So Mote it be." Each made a motion with their wands and the Crest of Hogwarts appeared briefly on the back of the hand Phaelan had pressed to the contract.

The two men released her hand. As she turned it over, she noted that the cut had healed without a trace. She suddenly felt a warmth radiate outwards from her core and perspiration beaded on her brow.

"Now, Phaelan," began Albus, his voice deceptively quiet, "I want you to think of all your missions you participated in while on active duty....all of them. Try to remember what you hated, what you most feared and what your reactions to them consisted of. Try to remember all the things you wish you could go back and change in your life. You needn't speak; just run them through your minds eye."

Phaelan, who was still off balance from the oath, found her thoughts flowing through the paths suggested by the Headmaster. Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, Rwanda...

Snape had stayed behind her after the oath and now moved quietly around her to sit closely to her right.

In a soft almost hypnotic voice, Snape called, "Miss McKenzie." Her head turned towards him. "Look into my eyes and relax." As soon as he said the words, Snape reached out and firmly grasped her face in his left hand. With his wand in his right hand still, Snape announced "Legilimens."

He was immediately immersed in the Muggle world. The military world of buff coloured uniforms and camouflaged fatigues. He sees the world from so high, the topography is clearly visible. The language, though English, is incomprehensible. Suddenly he is aware of her distress; she had destroyed a school, an error in planning, but her guilt is palpable... Now he is on the ground. Young men...no boys 9, 10, 11 years old; dark skinned and speaking a language he didn't recognize. They were dancing, celebrating. He walked over to see what the focus of the dance was about and saw the mutilated body of a young girl, raped and beaten beyond recognition...

Now back in northern climes once more, he was grabbed from behind his/her body being fondled and handled like meat. Suddenly a dagger was in his hand, driven backwards into the eye of the attacker, and then turning slitting the same attacker's throat. Dragging the body out of sight to make escape...

Back once more to Africa somewhere, a little child killed by machete, innocent people being herded into what she knew was a killing ground. On and on, mutilation, killing, blood; some spilled by her, some she was prevented from stopping. Always children, innocents, the poor, the helpless...

Suddenly a vision of being in bed with a man; no, being on a bed while the man stood over her; feeling pain, cleansing pain as he struck her with a belt across the buttocks again and again. The memory changed again to a child made to kneel on concrete, made to pray....being bent over a knee to be punished for the errors in spelling, five for every mistake. Count - One, two, three.....

He became conscious of screaming. Somewhere along the way he had dropped his wand and restrained Phaelan's arm from tearing at his face. He pulled out of her mind, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace as she sobbed deeply. Dumbledore handed Snape's wand back.

"Finite Incantatum. Dormus." Intoned an exhausted Snape.

Upon the casting of Dormus, Phaelan fell into a sleep. Snape supported her slumped body, as the Headmaster transfigured a chair into a couch for her to rest on, and a pillow into a blanket to cover her legs. Lifting the small woman easily, Snape placed her on the couch and sat wearily on a chair, his face in his hands.

"Well?" asked Dumbledore.

"If she had not been Muggle, I would have said she was a Death Eater, based on what I saw. It appears our new teacher of Muggle studies is no stranger to death, killing and surviving. Her past is as dark as my own." Snape was saddened to know another had struggled as he had.

"Pensieve?" offered Dumbledore. "It's not yet Noon and lunch is at 12:30. You might enjoy it better without this in your mind."

"Thank you Headmaster." Snape said, as he took the proffered pensieve and began to remove the memories of what he saw in her mind. It took some time to select the memories. Not all of them, just the ones he could not keep without melancholy taking over. He needed to remember who he was dealing with.

"Perhaps, I will take a look later." Decided the Headmaster, but looked again at Snape, "then again, perhaps not."

"Time to waken her I think. It might be best if you were on the other side of the room, Severus." The Headmaster looked at Snape over his half-moon spectacles.

Snape moved to the corner shadows where he usually sat. Thinking back to a memory he retained, he remembered his own brutal childhood; little praise offered, but liberal doses of punishment administered.

Dumbledore cast a gentle, "Enervate," and stood back.

Phaelan floated awake from the lightest of sleeps, but yet felt as though she had rested for hours. Looking around, she convinced herself everything that had transpired this morning was real and had it confirmed when she saw the outlandishly dressed Headmaster.

"Are you well, Miss McKenzie?" inquired Dumbledore, "Would you like to freshen up perhaps?" offered the solicitous old gentleman.

"What happened to Phaelan, Headmaster? Did my first name walk out the door with my privacy?" Phaelan was none too courteous in her tone.

"Ah! Well, you see, we had to be sure that we had the right person and this was the final test," twinkled Albus.

The bloody twinkling was getting on Phaelan's nerves. "Why go through the process of drawing the contract, and my blood, before deciding it was me?" asked a totally pissed-off young woman.

"Ah yes. Well, that was due to a technicality. I couldn't have Severus perform Legilimency on you, until you had signed the contract. If things hadn't worked out, then we would void the contract and remove the memories of Hogwarts. Quite straight forward you see." Dumbledore kept smiling.

"Have you been told today, Headmaster?" Quirked Phaelan, her mood not improved.

"Told what?" asked Dumbledore.

"That you are a fucking bastard," stated Phaelan. "Where's the bathroom?"

Dumbledore, speechless for once, pointed and Phaelan entered, locking the door behind her. Snape began to laugh, annoying the Headmaster.

"What is so funny Severus?" asked a ticked off Dumbledore after a few minutes.

"I like her Headmaster. She reminds me of someone," snickered Snape.

"Yes, yourself, you...," Dumbledore couldn't finish before the bathroom door opened.

Looking over, Phaelan saw Snape. They regarded each other across the room.

"Did you enjoy that, Professor?" Phaelan snarled. "Is voyeurism a pleasant sideline to teaching?"

"Miss McKenzie I would never use this ability in such a perverted..." began Snape but Albus interrupted.

"In all fairness, Phaelan, Professor Snape did what he did upon my instruction. The memories of what he saw have been removed from his mind and placed here in a pensieve." Dumbledore crossed to her and took her hand. "I give you my oath; I will never require this of you again unless it is an emergency."

She didn't want to know what a pensieve was; not today. Not entirely placated, Phaelan moved on.

"Why?" Phaelan's one word question lay heavily on the room.

Snape began a short narrative. "The most loyal of followers of Voldemort call themselves Death Eaters. They take a blood oath to the Dark Lord and serve him in all things he commands. The cruelty alluded to by the Headmaster is carried out by his minions. It is barbaric, loathsome at the least. Some of the situations you will need to prepare your students for, will be horrific to their youthful sensibilities. I, we had to be sure you were equal to the task." He stopped and looked at her directly. "It appears, Miss McKenzie, you have enough experience to handle the more grisly aspects of their education."

"How is it your understanding of the Death eaters is so vast Professor?" Phaelan fixed Snape with a glare equal to his own.

To answer, Shape unbuttoned his jacket and shirt cuffs and rolled them back to expose a tattoo of sorts on his forearm, picturing a snake coming out of a skull's mouth. "This is the sign of a Death Eater, Miss McKenzie. The mark placed upon the followers of the Dark Lord."

Looking at Dumbledore, Phaelan waited for an explanation.

"Professor Shape became a Death Eater during Voldemort's' first rise to power in the 1970's. You will be given the opportunity to study the Dark Lord's history at your leisure. Severus realized his error and came to me with a full confession. He became a spy for us then and continues in that role today. He balances on a precarious edge as you might well imagine." Dumbledore ended his speech and waited for her reaction.

Phaelan nodded her understanding. "When do I start work, Headmaster; when do I move in?"

"Well, there's no time like the present; how about today, after lunch in fact?" Dumbledore twinkled again.

"So soon?" Phaelan asked in surprise.

"If you have no obligations, Miss McKenzie, the suggestion is valid," offered Snape. He continued. "You have much to learn and become accustomed to. It would also be more secure than staying in your flat. Gringotts now knows of your existence and news travels fast in the Wizarding world."

"You now know that travel can be very fast, if it needs to be, Phaelan. If you need to be anywhere quickly, you can be," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Fine," said Phaelan, conceding their logic and picking up her briefcase.

"Wonderful! Now, I think it's time for lunch," said Albus, leading the way to his door. "You can meet some of the rest of the staff." The old man was beaming, as he descended the stairs..

Phaelan followed the elder wizard down the spiral stairs followed by Severus. They walked along the same hallway she had entered through, a lifetime ago it seemed. There was one last duty she needed to carry out before lunch, she decided. It prayed on her mind and she wouldn't enjoy the rest of the day until it was done.

"Excuse me, Professor Snape, I believe there is something I owe you and I must repay the debt. It weighs heavily upon me," Phaelan said, as she slowed and lowered her briefcase.

"What could that possibly be, Miss McKenzie?" frowned Snape.

Dumbledore slowed and turned to see why they had stopped.

"Just this...." she murmured, as she swung her right fist in a hooking punch to connect with Shape's jaw.

Severus stumbled backwards with a look of shock on his face and slid down the wall behind him. He reached up to touch his lip, which was suddenly swelling.

"Regardless of what the Headmaster says, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kick your balls up so high; someone will think your tonsils are swollen. Am I clear? Next time, ask permission; nicely." Phaelan turned and picked up her briefcase to continue behind the Headmaster.

"Phaelan, I frown upon physical altercations between my staff, but since this is your first infraction, consider this a warning." Dumbledore was suppressing a laugh as he turned towards the Great Hall.

"Yes sir," Phaelan answered meekly as she followed.

Much to his chagrin, Snape never saw it coming. He picked himself up off the floor. Touching his fingers to his mouth, he noticed a spot of blood. Seeing there was no one else around, he allowed himself to say "Ow!"

The Headmaster led the way back towards the front doors Phaelan had entered, but turned off to another set of great doors. Opening one of the doors, he let her precede him into a massive chamber. Looking around she thought, 'This is like the Great Hall of a Manor where a Lord would hold court.' Looking up she gasped when she saw a ceiling not of arching timbers, but of the sky outside.

"It's a charm that has been used for generations," began Dumbledore, "it's quite wonderful on a star filled night or during a spectacular thunderstorm." Taking her elbow, Albus escorted a dazzled Phaelan to the table where the other teachers were seated.

A single round table had replaced the long head table for the summer months. It allowed for an easier camaraderie and casual conversation among friends.

Peeling her eyes from the vision above her, Phaelan looked at the eclectic group of people before her. Dumbledore began his introductions.

"Allow me to present our new professor of Muggle Studies, Phaelan McKenzie," Dumbledore began. "You've already met Minerva and Remus of course," Albus indicated the two sitting immediately to his left. "This is Pomona Sprout, Professor of Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff house." The smiling woman stood, and reached over to shake her hand. Dumbledore continued, "Filius Flitwick, professor of Charms and Head of Ravenclaw." A smiling man of small stature stood on his chair, and offered his hand, bowing gallantly as he greeted Phaelan.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss McKenzie, if there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let me know." Flitwick gave her a sincere smile.

"Thank you, Professor," muttered a bemused Phaelan.

Dumbledore indicated a stern looking woman sitting next to Flitwick, "Lastly, this is Madam Pomfrey, our Mediwitch; she looks after all our health care at the school."

"Welcome, Miss McKenzie. I'll expect you at the hospital wing, as soon as you've settled, for a full examination." She nodded brusquely.

Pomfrey reminded Phaelan of a particularly stern tutor of Latin she had once had. Sister Bernadette was a stickler for perfection, but had never told Phaelan's mother of any of the errors that appeared in Phaelan's homework. The Sister had instinctively understood the consequences of mistakes for the child and shielded her from her mother's wrath.

"The rest of the staff has gone to spend some time with their families or off to vacation, except for Professor Trelawney. She usually dines in her chambers," explained Dumbledore, of the small gathering.

Professor Snape at that moment entered the Great Hall with a billowing of robes and swiftly moved to the head table. Dumbledore had taken his seat, indicating Phaelan to sit to his right. That left one chair for Snape to sit on, between her and the Mediwitch. He paused momentarily before pulling out the chair and sitting, while carefully avoiding anyone's look.

"Severus, your lip looks a little swollen. Did one of your potions blow up on you?" asked Pomfrey.

"No, Poppy, I ran into something I wasn't expecting, it'll be fine," snapped Snape, while he slid a side long glance at Phaelan.

"A little fruit punch Phaelan?" offered a smiling Headmaster.

"Thank you, Headmaster." Phaelan was distracted from looking at the scowl on Snape's face by the appearance of a bowl of soup in front of her place.

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A/N Dormus - A spell I made up to cause someone to fall into a light sleep.