Severus Snape was walking along a quiet corridor in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was about an hour after dinner, but most of the students were already in their common rooms and no longer wandering around the castle. Snape was completely unaware of his surroundings, thinking deeply of things. It was steadily getting darker as he was still minding his own business not bothering anyone just walking. As he walked on, he didn't notice where his feet were bringing him while they brought him closer to the North Tower. His feet got tired of walking up the stairs, but he didn't care or may be he didn't even feel, so lost he was in his thoughts.

Finally, something did draw is attention though it was abrupt. He stopped his walking tour as a certain object blocked his way. However, it took him a while to figure out what this strange object actually was. As he realised where his feet brought him, he came quickly to his conclusion. This round shaped item wrapped in some colourful drapes, which were moving slightly with the movement the entire object was making downwards upon a small ladder, was the not small sized bottom of Professor Trelawney. She had not yet seen or heard Snape approach her, so she went on fighting her way down the ladder with empty bottles of sherry as Snape now figured out. Then she literally fell down the final steps, staggered to her feet again, muttered something to herself and turned around ready to walk away quickly. However, she came face to face with Severus Snape now.

'Professor Snape!' she loudly said surprised at the same time trying to hide away her sherry bottles.

'Take no need in trying to hide those empty pieces of glass, everybody in the castle knows you drink at least one a day and half of the castle knows you are hiding them at night, but there are only a few who know you hide them in the Room of Requirement, and guess what, I'm one of those people,' Snape coldly whispered in one breath.

'I…You were staring at my – my – you know what!' Trelawney said indignantly changing the subject.

'Sorry to disappoint you, but know one in their right mind would never do that. So certainly, it wouldn't be me doing it. I just got blocked in my way,' he replied with a sinister smile.

Trelawney opened her mouth to speak, but she appeared lost for words. She closed her mouth again to open it once more to speak some very unkind words to Snape, but thought better of it and closed her mouth again too.

'Cruel reality of the truth,' Snape finally whispered and then he turned around to walk of with his cloak behind him like an enormous bat.

Once he had disappeared in the dark, Trelawney started muttering everything she had wanted to say in his face, but simply couldn't have plucked up the courage for it.

'Greasy, slimy bat. Can't keep his pointy nose out of anything. Attitude that should curl his black hair. Black eyes like unending tunnels without a flicker of friendliness, hope or gratitude. Never has he done anything in his life for anyone else, except himself.'

Trelawney picked up all of her glass bottles again walked off again. However, she had only taken two steps.

'Hello, professor Trelawney!' the booming voice of Horace Slughorn sounded right behind her.

Of fright, she now dropped her empty sherry bottles with a great crash.

'Sorry to scare you, but I couldn't help overhearing you talking about old Snape just now. I must say not very friendly of you talking like that behind his back. Still can't completely disagree with you either,' he added with a wink. 'Need a hand with those?'

Lost for words, Trelawney simply shook her head.

'Well, see you around then,' Slughorn said and walked off too.

Trelawney sighed, picking up the pieces of glass from the ground hoping that now she could finally bring them away for good without any more interruptions or surprises.