Chapter 1: The Teacher Assistant
Note: This story takes place on Harry's first year at Hogwarts. I'm not an English native and I'd appreciate any suggestions or tips to get better at it.
"It seems, my dear students, that some people think themselves intelligent enough not to pay attention in class!", Snape hissed, and he looked at Harry straight in the eye.
The boy immediately stopped writing and looked up.
"Where, Mister Potter, you would find an acromantula?"
He remained silent, perplexed. He didn't understand why Snape was focused on him like that.
"How can I know, sir? This is my first year and I've never learnt any magic before", he said. There was an unarguable logic to that.
"Excuses!", Snape crooked, and Harry smiled to himself. Why would he say those were excuses?.
"But, sir, I didn't think that the course books should be compulsory reading before the term".
"No, you didn't think; that's clear. It's obvious that fame is not all in this life", Snape sneered.
"I don't want fame at all!", Harry replied with an angered tone of voice. He was fed up with all that celebrity stuff. Ever since Harry arrived at Hogwarts, he had been hearing so much about how famous he was and had been asked countless times how he had got that scar and how he defeated Lord Voldemort. And now Snape was making him look like he was a conceited little brat who enjoyed all of that in front of the whole class.
"I won't stand that tone of voice, Mr Potter!", Snape warned.
"I'm sorry, sir. It is just that I don't understand what makes me so special. I'm just Harry and I don't want to be famous, especially famous for having had my parents killed by Voldemort. If you like fame so much, you can keep it for yourself". Hermione and Ron gasped, and all the class gave him an admiring look. Even Snape started looking at him in a different way-it was like for the first time he was considering the bespectacled boy that he had in front of him, and not the mere reflection of James Potter. Snape was now pondering his next words when a smiling young woman entered the class.
"Hello! I am Miss Rachel Woods, Professor Snape's teacher assistant, dears", she smiled.
"That permission is still not approved, Miss Woods", Snape hissed.
"Oh, but it is!", she said, quite satisfied with herself. "I was actually coming to meet you and give you the letter of approval in person", Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled to one another as Snape frowned slightly."So I presumed you'd have no inconvenient that I came to greet my future students?"
"Of course, Miss Woods, all yours", he nastily said, waving his hand gracefully.
After the class, Harry, Hermione and Ron went downstairs to the Gryffindor common room together.
"What's the problem with that guy, seriously?", Harry started. "I did nothing to him. I was just taking notes…"
"Harry, I think he just hates you. It is as simple as that. He hates all Gryffindors", said Ron, pensively. "By the way, the new teacher is so beautiful!"
"Ron! Are you going to judge someone only for their external appearance? That is so superficial", Hermione crooked indignantly. Harry smiled.
"I still would like to know why Snape thinks of me that way", Harry continued.
"Oh Harry, just let it go. He is a pain in the ass", added Ron.
"Ron! Watch your mouth!", threatened Hermione.
"Ok, he's a… he's a….", said Ron, trying to think of something softer and wittier to say about Snape. But the idea resisted him.
"Miss Woods, I'd like to talk to you", Snape softly called the teacher assistant after the class.
"Yes, Professor?"
He waved his hand, wearily.
"When there are no children around, you can drop that of 'professor'. I'm not going to give you lessons. Just call me Mr Snape", he sharply said.
"Ok, what is it then, Mr Snape?"
"Now that you are at my disposition, there's some work that I would like you to do for me. I'd like you to read these books about the Dark Arts throughout history –'those books' were a pile of around ten books- and write a 20-page essay on how the migratory currents have had effects on the use of different elements in potions".
Rachel Woods considered it; She knew that he was taking great advantage of her position. It would have been easy to say 'no'. But she needed that job for her very own reasons.
"Very well, Mr. Snape. And may I ask what would you need this for?"
"I'm doing research on that topic".
"Allright, sir. And when should I hand it to you?"
"Oh , don't worry, Miss Woods. As soon as possible".
She realised that he wasn't clearly happy to work with anyone and was trying to give her that tiresome task in order to make her quit the job voluntarily; but she wouldn't, oh no. He was going to see how hard-working she was.
She had the essay finished within two months.
"But there is clearly a lack of information in this research", Snape objected, after she handled it to him. "Obviously you didn't correctly follow my instructions, Miss Woods".
"What? I followed EACH and EVERY one of your instructions!", she answered, angrily."A lack of information! Oh, yes! There IS a lack of information here, because Dumbledore is not aware that you are making me do this. I did my due diligence, Snape, and I realised that it is not compulsory for a teacher assistant to do any task like this. You can ask me to do it, but I am not obliged to finish it! However I still handled it to you".
Snape remained silent and gave her an undecipherable look. She had certainly got him there. He had been trying to deceive her but in the end he had been caught in his own game. He had no other option but to accept her, as much as he preferred working alone. She continued talking.
"However, if you don't want me to work with you for any reason in particular, I will be happy to leave. I didn't deserve being treated like this; I really don't want to work for someone who doesn't take me seriously and I am sure there will be other teachers who will readily accept me as their assistant".
She was leaving when Snape addressed to her. He sounded sincere, but Miss Wood arched a brow when she heard him say:
"My deepest excuses, Miss Wood. I am very sorry that you thought that I was toying with you. I too am a most strict and serious worker and I invite you to find out for yourself as we work together".
She doubted for a moment, then added.
"Honestly, I was going to say ' no'... but I believe that everybody deserves an opportunity. So I will accept".
Snape looked like a decent person after all.
For the next few months she was in Potion classes with him and afterwards they prepared potions and prepared the lesson's work together.
After the mentioned incident, Snape's behaviour towards her had changed for the better. He was so much softer and she felt that he was beginning to respect her. One evening, she went to the dungeons to help him as usual. It was incredible how things had changed between them in a few months. Without anyone of them saying a word about it, they had become a very effective team, and could pass for friends to anyone who knew them for the first time. Miss Wood certainly felt very comfortable in his presence and she knew that he was too in hers.
"Severus, look here, please" –she muttered, getting close to him with a book in her hand. By that time, she was used to call him that way, Severus- "I've been looking for an answer to this question, but this is a tough one: 'What do you get if you mix a… mandragora and….'.
When she looked up, she couldn't continue. He was close enough for her to only dream of his sultry half-opened lips, and his breath gently touched her skin. His eyes observed her with a confused look. But some spark twinkled in them, which she interpreted as passion. Miss Wood came closer to his lips without lowering her eyes from his two jet black pools. Her lips softly touched his, and she kissed them gently before both opened their mouths and gently first, then more passionately, fusioned their tongues together. She held him by the waist, and he hugged her back. After some time, Snape pulled himself away and she gave him a lovely smile.
"I-I am sorry. I just got carried away by the moment…" - he said, awkwardly. She smiled at him, openly.
"I really hope you are not saying this was a mistake, because for me it was the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced. I never thought that I would say this... but I love you, Severus".
He seemed very satisfied with her words and as his words failed to express his happiness, he held her tight for a very long time. He felt loved and admired, for the first time in years.
There were not two more overjoyed people than Miss Wood and Mister Snape next day at work. One of the Gryffindor kids spilt his inkpot on the table, and Snape barely reprehended him and took no further reprisals.
"Have you noticed Severus is in a very good mood today?" –said Hermione thoughtfully- "And he didn't overload us with homework as usual. Strange".
"To me he looks the same as usual" –added Ron- "But better that he didn't do that, right?"
"Maybe he has just achieved some victory of his own… We might never know." -added Harry, shrugging.
At that moment, a tall and well-built bespectacled boy passed next to them. His aspect was peculiar. He had a plump face with rosy cheeks, shoulder-length ash-blonde hair in a ponytail and grey eyes, and he carried a violin case. He was followed by a group of girls from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
"Who is that guy?", asked Harry.
"That's Louis-Alphonse Van Wolffen, a 2nd year Ravenclaw", informed Hermione. "I heard a rumour that he comes from a very distinguished wizarding family from Germany. He is a violin virtuous and he was probably rehearsing for his concert next week".
"Sweet Jesus, Hermione, how do you know that much? I did not even remember to have seen him at the Great Hall".
"That doesn't surprise me much…, she said, as Ron frowned. "Besides, I was right there when he appeared asking Dumbledore for a Hogwarts Orchestra… And he got it".
"Good for him", Ron muttered.
"So you want to take me to a concert?", Miss Wood asked Snape, both perplexed and delighted. She stopped correcting her pile of exams to look at him.
Snape looked ackward and shy again. "I-I just said that all the teachers are invited to it, and I wanted to know if you would come with me…" Rachel got up and stood close to him.
"I will, my love", she whispered in his ear, and she couldn't resist kissing his earlobe. She felt his whole body go tense as she gently bit it -she loved when she surprised her man with gestures like that. Embracing him, she traced her way to his mouth with little kisses and then their mouths fused together once more. But now it was Miss Woods the surprised one when Snape started feeling the shape of her body with his hands and started pressing gently between her legs. "Severus..." she gasped, as she deepened her embrace.
All of a sudden, he stopped. "If we are going to do this, we should do it right", he muttered, taking her in his arms. He took a pinch of floo powder and threw it in the chimney as both stood there together. "What do you mean? Where are we going?", she gasped. But the answer the muttered wasn't audible due to the relatively low noise created by the glittery, silver flash of the floo powder.