Snape stared at the young girl standing in front of him. His hard eyes looked her up and down, patronizing her with his stare. However she seemed quite undisturbed and began to look through the potion dungeon's cupboards. Snape tried to contain his anger, he had been told, moments before that this apprentice would soon be watching him work in order for her to qualify as a potions mistress.

His eyes narrowed as he surveyed her, she was wearing a long black dress, loose from the hips downwards yet tight at the top, with black ribbons criss-crossing around her waist, tied at the back. The arms were off the shoulder and flared. She wore a black choker around her neck and her hair tied in little plaits, all twisted back into a pony tail. He looked at her face, she was so young to be a teacher.

" You cannot help me child." He suddenly told her, the first words he had greeted her with. She looked up,

" I'm hardly a child, I'm 17 nearly 18. Plus you can call me Onya."

Snape raised his eyebrows,

"Makes no difference to me. Now, set out a cauldron on each desk space, whilst you are here you might as well be mildly useful." Snape told her in his usual silky tone.

Onya nodded and set about trying to find the cauldrons whilst Snape sat at his desk, watching her.

" SO-" Onya called to him from the other side of the dungeon.

" What should I call you? Professor Snape is so long!" She asked, her head buried in a cupboard. Snape waited a while to reply, as if distracted by the sudden breakage of silence.

"You will call me by Professor Snape." He blankly answered.

Onya bit her lower lip,

" Hmm, Dumbledore said your name, oooh what was it? Sevver? Sevvy?" She tried to recall, watching Snape's eyes as she said each name,

" Erm, Seturus? Severus?- AHA! Severus! You blinked!" She told him, a sly grin creeping across her face.

Snape narrowed his eyes at her.

" I did nothing of the sort." He replied shortly.

" I just saw you Severus! Oh and I hope you don't mind I won't be sitting by you in the assembly, some of my friends are coming to see how I'm getting on and so I promised to see them instead of attending this year's sorting ceremony. I was supposed to be seated next to you but I'll have to leave you this time." Onya said.

Snape lowered his head and began to write something,

" Wont be a great loss." He said, under his breath. Onya paused, realizing what Snape had just said.

" Nice to know I'll be missed then." She said quietly to herself. She looked up just in time to catch Snape smiling to himself.

" When's our next class then Severus?" Onya asked, trying to make conversation.

" My next class should be arriving very soon. Hurry up with the cauldrons Onya." He told her impatiently.

Onya smiled to herself, it felt strange hearing this man who had obviously worked so hard to block everyone out, call her by her first name, like they were friends. She paused to think about it as a grin spread across her face. She quickly set to work spreading the cauldrons out.

After moments in silence a bustle was heard outside the door of many students lining up.

" Aah, 6th years. Let them in." He instructed. Onya did as she was told and watched as many students stared at her from the hallway outside the dungeon. A blonde haired boy piped up in a menacing tone.

"Oi, where's Professor Snape?" He asked. Onya was rather taken aback by this rude welcome and looked round to Snape for help. He had a smile across his face and simply raised his eyebrows to Onya. She looked down and addressed the 6th year.

" Erm, he is inside, I'm well, I'm your potions teacher, well, other teacher.-well actually I'm not a teacher- not yet, but I, erm-" Onya started to blush from her nervous stuttering. A boy stepped out from the line to help her out, a shaggy, black haired boy.

" Your a potions apprentice? Wow, that is really good. I bet you will do really well." Harry told her with a smile upon his face. Onya breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the boy. Unfortunately, Snape soon appeared at the doorway.

" Speaking out of turn, Potter? Ten points of Gryffindor. "

Onya protested, "Oh, no Severus, he was only trying to help I-"

"- I know what he was trying to do miss and you will call me Professor, can't get you jumping out of your league now can we?" He told her with a sly grin. Onya tried not to let the tears show in her eyes as she heard the malicious laughter from the slytherins spreading through her mind. Onya closed her eyes as the students pushed past her. She took a deep breath and thought to herself,

don't let him win. You can't let him win. Your stronger than this. You can do it. She thought to herself. Onya stood up straight and began to walk towards the blackboard,

" Oh, of course not, Professor. I would never get out of my league, in fact why don't I just call you, your majesty? Actually why don't wee REALLY push the boat out and go for 'your divinity.'" Laughter filled the dungeon from the Gryffindors at this comment.

Her sarcastic tone rang out to Snape as he turned to face her. She expected to be shouted out, or sent to Dumbledore to explain her actions, but Snape merely stared at her, then looked down at the floor. The class fell silent, waiting for Snape's response in anticipation. However Snape merely took a deep breath in and turned to write on the black board.

Onya couldn't help but notice his hand was writing rather shakily, and she felt a pang of guilt towards this man. The class had started to murmur between themselves and they were no longer paying attention to her, or Snape.

Onya slowly walked up to him as he wrote. His eyes didn't even flicker onto her as she approached him.

" Erm- I am sorry about that Severus." She told him quietly, staring at the floor. Snape stopped writing and looked straight into her eyes. For a moment Onya thought she could see something shining in his eyes, an emotion. For a moment she thought he was going to apologize too, but in a flash it was gone as he answered.

" You are allowed to be as immature as you wish Onya, after all this is a school."