Conscious of the Dark ~ {Severus Snape fanfic} BOOK ONE

1. Back to you

The dark sky looked like a veil over Hogwarts, there were no stars to illuminate the black vastness of darkness. Regina Gold was already late for the first dinner of the school year but she was not worried about that. For the first time in her life she would teach the art of magic, instead of taking classes as a schoolgirl. From the moment she graduated from Hogwarts, she never returned. So much has happened over the years that has made Regina's soul even darker.

During her school years she had formed some friendships, most of which had broken up when they graduated. Some of them were Mulciber, Avery, Snape, Evan Rosier, Wilkes and Rodolphus, Bellatrix Lestrange (even if she had been graduated by then already), Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. Although Lucius was 6 years older than them and a prefect but Regina had managed to keep a friendly relationship with him until he graduated. The Death-Eater gang was one hell of a group. All of them were doomed already. The Dark Lord had fallen and the Death-Eaters disappeared. Only then Regina realized how cruel they were and how wrong. She immediately ran to Albus Dumbledore, the only wizzard in the whole world who she absolutely trusted after everything that had happened. He informed her that Severus had asked his help as well but Regina refused to see him. She had sworn to herself that her days as a Death-Eater were done and she needed a fresh start, away from any former Death-Eaters. Dumbledore respected that and helped her find a job away from Hogwarts. For the past years Regina worked in Diagon Alley at Flourish & Blotts. She adored books and she had found peace there. But... this year's Quidditch World Cup had a scary surprise in store for everyone. After the match, between Bulgaria and Ireland, a gang of Death-Eaters sparked terror among the campsite. After the destruction of the campsite, the unidentified young man casted the Dark Mark into the sky and then disappeared.

Albus Dumbledore himself went to Diagon Alley and found Regina, literally begging her to return to Hogwarts. And... right now you must be wondering why was Regina so important to Dumbledore. Let me go on with the story and you will figure it out soon. So... Regina was not just a random Death-Eater. She was Voldemort's favourite. Until he killed the baby that was slowly growing inside her womb. When he found out that Regina had a secret affair with Lucius, he went so mad that he lashed out on her, eventually killing the infant. It was merely days before his downfall, yet he had already lost his greater follower. Lucius never found out about the baby and it was better this way. Their love affair remained a secret and Lucius never seeked her out. Everything they had was entirely over.

But now Dumbledore needed her help for she considered Voldemort a sworn enemy and Regina was more than willing to help him out. She walked into the courtyard, giving a cold stare at Filtch who didn't dare to question her. The road led her to the front entrance of the castle which was open and she entered with a deep sigh. Grabbing her wand she conjured a mirror to check out her appearance before entering the Great Hall. A stream of dark locks covered her shoulders and back, her bright gray eyes were staring at herself through the glass of the mirror. Her face was pale yet her fleshy lips were red like blood. With a flick of her wand (and some non-verbal spells) the mirror and her coat disappeared, leaving the woman with her long, black robes. The sound of her high heels echoed down the deserted corridor. She adored high heels and the sound of them.

When she reached the Great Hall she noticed that the double doors were wide open and the noise coming from inside was deafening. She grasped the opportunity to enter without anyone noticing her and she walked to the other side where the teachers were positioned. Albus was speaking to the students at that moment so Regina decided wisely to stay right there at the side of the long table without taking her seat among the teachers. Albus eyed her curiously but kept talking to the students about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. Hogwarts would host two other schools that year. Delegations of students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived in the school to take part in the tournament, however during the introductions Dumbledore paused just for a moment and introduced Regina Gold as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Regina just nodded her head toward the students and said nothing. She didn't have to, anyways. When the charade was finally over, the Headmaster revealed the Goblet of Fire and the students started leaving the Great Hall, happily speaking to each other. Most of the teachers had already been gone but Dumbledore hastened to go to Regina who waited patiently for him.