She entered the Great Hall with her head bowed low. Her dark hair hung in thick waves, obscuring her face. Those dark eyes were focused on the ground, avoiding even the stares of her housemates. Her green trainers padded softly on the stone floor heading directly towards her destination. The green and silver serpent on her robes caught the light as she pushed her food around on the golden plate. She drank her tea and rose, heading anywhere but the too loud hall.
She passed her housemates and ignored the conversation that flowed around them. She had no interests of boys and school drama. The only change in her demeanor was when she passed his table. Her footsteps increased, and her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Time seemed to slow as she allowed herself one glimpse of him. He sat surrounded by admirers, mostly girls. She sometimes wished she could speak to him. But even as she pictured herself speaking with him, her throat closed up and her words disappeared.
As she passed him, their eyes met for a moment. Dark brown locked with piercing green in a moment that for her, stood still. He opened his mouth and for a brief second, she thought he was going to speak to her. Her heart soared at the thought but quickly fell hard into the pit of her stomach as one of the girls sitting near him sneered her way.
"Stare much?" A cold smile spread across her lips and a glare entered her eyes.
Tears filled her dark eyes, and she felt the beginnings of a blush make their way across her face. She quickened her steps and breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the Hall. She fought the tears that threatened to escape, but it was useless as she rounded the corner. They made salty tracks down her face as she determinedly walked past her Transfiguration class.
She rounded corners, sidestepped students and traveled up and downstairs until she reached her destination. She bit the inside of her cheek, the pain holding her tears in check as she paced in front of the blank wall. Only when she was secure and safe inside, did she let the tears fall. She tasted blood in her mouth, tangy and metallic as she cried. The tears seeped down her face, and her sobs echoed in the empty room. Sliding to the floor, she sat upon the cold stones and cried until her tears turned to soft hiccups.
She pushed her dark hair behind her ears and mentally kicked herself as she felt a mixture of embarrassment and shame overtake her. Why was she so quick to tears? Was she not a Slytherin? She was supposed to be cold-hearted in her pursuit of ambition, and showing emotion was for Gryffindors. Her cheeks grew hot with shame. She could have said something, anything. She rested her forehead in her hands, her skin hot and clammy against her cold fingers.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She wasn't supposed to cry. She needed to draw on her inner snake and strike back when it wasn't expected. To show them... What? What would she show them? Her lips trembled and tears filled her eyes again, but she bit fiercely down on her lips, fighting the tears away.
The bell clanged, startling her out of her thoughts. She'd missed Transfiguration. Annoyance filled her as she realized that the Headmistress would likely have a word with her head of house since she was absent. Professor Snape would not be happy. Her legs were numb as she rose off the stones. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she left the room and headed for her next class, Potions.
She adored Potions. Given that most of the other houses either hated or feared her head of house, it was the only class in which she found a little peace. She let her guard down as she entered the cold dungeons. The laughter that escaped the room as she entered made her heart stop as she followed the sound to its source. Her eyes widened as she spotted him again. Surrounded by his fan club, she couldn't help the sneer that crossed her features a moment. Potions with the Gryffindors was always one she dreaded.
Gryffindors were so brash, so predictable. And given he was one of them, the girls swooned and fawned over him as he brewed his potions and took notes. It was never quiet when they were here. A soft smile crossed her features as she remembered one of her favorite parts of having potions with Gryffindors. They always got plenty of points taken away from in any given class. As long as she could find a table the farthest away from him and his fan club of girls, she could survive.
Her hopes were quickly dashed as she spotted the only empty table. It was right next to his. Trying to fight the blush that rose in her cheeks, she set her bag down and kept her eyes focused on her head of house. He sneered at the class as he explained the potion they would be working on. As usual, he demanded perfect work, except the Gryffindors. She couldn't help but chuckle along with her housemates at that thought.
She pushed her hair behind her ear as she gathered ingredients and delicately cut and chopped. The steam that rose from her cauldron made her cheeks bright with color and her eyes sparkle. Class slipped past easily as she brewed another perfect potion. Her posture straightened as Professor Snape strode through the rows of students. He dropped compliments on the Slytherins and sneered at the Gryffindors.
Finally, he reached her row. He glanced down at her potion, which simmered gently and she saw a genuine smile cross his features a second. After rewarding her points for a perfect potion, he passed her to sneer at his potion. He took points away just to show he could and dismissed them but not before requesting three feet of parchment on the potion and the properties it possessed. A groan from the Gryffindors reached her ears and the soft smile that tugged across her face made her happy for a brief second.
The bell rang, and she gathered her sample. As she set it gently down on his desk Professor Snape startled her out of her thoughts.
"I need you to stay a moment." His voice betrayed nothing as he kept his eyes on the potion samples on his desk.
She watched as he followed him with his eyes a moment. He waited until he was almost out of the room before he spoke, startling her again.
"Potter. A moment if you please." That sneer that always appeared on his face crept through his tone as he spoke.
He walked to the desk, standing beside me. I kept my eyes on my head of house wondering what he could possibly want with me.
"Miss White, I need you to tutor Mr. Potter in the exact art which is potions. I am tired of potions being turned in that are substandard or worse reading essays that sound like they were written by Miss Granger." Professor Snape kept his words curt and to the point, making it quite clear a refusal wasn't optional.
I still held out hope, hope that was dashed as he added, "The headmistress wishes you to do this in lieu of the detention she wanted to assign you for missing class this morning."
I stared at him, unwilling to believe I was supposed to do this. Finally, he glanced up at us where we both stood opening and closing our mouths in our surprise and waved his hand towards the door. It was a clear dismissal.
I let my feet carry me out the door and to the Hall for lunch. How was I going to work with him? I watched as he strode past me, anger evident in his features. He wasn't happy about this either. Maybe this would be good. Maybe this would give me the chance to get to know him.
Hope bloomed anew in my chest as I passed his table on my way to lunch. But as I crept by his crowd, invisible as usual my ears picked up on their conversation.
"He did what?" That same female voice carried surprise and disdain as she stared at him.
"He told her she had to tutor me in potions. It was clear she couldn't say no and I couldn't either." His voice carried his disbelief and his anger at the potions professor in his tone.
"But her? Why would you even want to work with her? She's a loner. She hasn't got any friends." The sneer was evident in the speaker's tone yet concern filled their face as they leaned in towards him.
It was his voice that surprised me. For when he spoke, I felt something break deep inside of me.
"I know. Why would I want to associate myself with someone like her?"
I glanced at him over my shoulder, and I spotted the sneer that filled his features. His eyes were clouded over with dislike and annoyance. A sneer spread across his lips. The girls laughter rang in my ears and our eyes met again. This time, it was hard to hide the tears that by now streamed down my cheeks and fell in large drops onto my robes. The color rose in my cheeks and my lips trembled as I stood motionless in the patch of sunlight. I couldn't even feel its warmth that spread through my robes.
Something else passed in his eyes as he stared at me. I'm not sure what it was. But I clutched my bag to my side and sprinted from the hall, yearning for the comfort of the room. I didn't even make it inside when I fell to the cold stone floor, my fingers over my lips to stifle the sound of the sobs that wrenched their way through my throat. I was a fool to think he was any different than the rest of them.
