Disclaimer: All characters with the exception of Maret, Professor Belladonna and a few incidentals are the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How could you forget your Potions book? And on your first day at Hogwarts?! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Severus Snape berated himself as he ran as fast as he could back to the Slytherin dormitory. He and Mordred had been almost inside the damp and gloomy Potions' classroom when it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't have his book. Or his parchment. Or his quills. He'd left his bag on his bed when he went down for lunch and forgot to pick it up afterwards.
It's all that James Potter's fault. Him and that Sirius Black. Jerks. Laughing at me when I tripped in the Great Hall. They made me so angry, I forgot my bag! Like they've never tripped before.
He skidded to a halt in front of a cold stone wall, hoping he could remember how to get into the dorm. There were no pictures hanging on the wall to mark the entrance, like that fat lady in front of the Gryffindors' dorm. No, the Slytherins had to figure out where the exact spot was with no extra help.
Standing in front of what he thought was the right spot, Severus breathlessly muttered the password – Nightshade – to the gray bricks. Nothing happened. He sidled a few steps to the left. He spoke a little louder this time – "Nightshade." Still nothing. Damn! He was going to be really late, now. And he couldn't afford to be really late. Not today. Cauldron partners were assigned on the first day of Potions. If he was late, his friends would all pair up and God only knew whom he'd end up sharing a cauldron with. Besides, they had Potions class with the Gryffindors, and he didn't fancy giving Black and Potter another chance to laugh at him.
Severus inched a couple of steps further left. He crossed his fingers for luck and said "Nightshade" as forcefully as he could. Success! The cold stones slid apart and he ran through the opening into the Slytherin common room. Up the stairs to his dormitory – two at a time – through the door. He grabbed his bag, took the stairs, two at a time again, back down, and bounded off towards the Potions' classroom.
He was too late. Severus slipped around the corner of the doorway just in time to see the Potions' Mistress, Professor Belladonna, pair up the remaining two Slytherin students. He stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do, scanning the classroom. His friends Mordred and Tibalt were already sitting together at their cauldron. So were Julia and Persephone. Everyone from his house had a partner. Severus glanced over at the Gryffindors sitting on the other side of the room. They all had partners, too. Naturally, Potter and Black were sharing a cauldron, right next to that little Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin.
I'm the only one without a partner, he thought, looking at the one empty cauldron, kicking himself for being so forgetful about his books.
"Severus!" Mordred spotted him in the doorway. Everyone turned to look. Severus wished he could apparate out of there; he felt stupid for forgetting his books and now he felt worse because everyone knew he had forgotten them. Even Potter and Black.
"Ah, Mr. Snape, there you are." Professor Belladonna crossed to Severus, shooing him towards the empty cauldron. "Come in, come in. I trust you have your books with you now?"
Severus nodded as he sat down. "Well, my dear," Professor Belladonna continued, "I'm glad you could join us. Your cauldron partner should be here shortly. We'll wait until we're all present to begin class." She swept away to the front of the classroom, her violet robes swishing softly.
Severus glanced around the classroom, as his classmates returned to chattering amongst themselves. All of the Slytherins were already in their seats, waiting for the first Potions lesson to begin. How could his cauldron partner be there shortly? Every one from his house was already there. Unless….
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Severus realized that maybe, just maybe, his cauldron partner for the year would be a Gryffindor.
As soon as that terrible notion crossed his mind, a girl darted into the classroom, as if he had conjured her up with his very thoughts. She lingered uncertainly in the doorway, as everyone turned towards her, just as Severus himself had done only moments before. She smiled nervously, embarrassed that she was obviously the object of the class' attention. Severus knew exactly how she was feeling. He studied her as she stood there. She was tall for a girl, probably as tall as he was, with long black hair that she wore in a shiny ponytail. And she looked familiar. Why did he know her?
"Hey, Maret," a voice called from the other side of the classroom – the Gryffindor side – and Severus turned to see who had spoken. It was Sirius Black. "Sorry, we didn't wait, but we didn't know how long it would take you."
The girl in the doorway shrugged. "S'okay, Sirius. I see you didn't wait to pick cauldron partners, either." She grinned, her bright hazel eyes flashing, and Severus realized where he had seen her before. Earlier that morning, he had seen this girl at breakfast, sitting in between Potter and Black, laughing and joking with them and Lupin and Pettigrew.
Oh, this is just wonderful. My cauldron partner is not only a Gryffindor; she's also a member of Potter's crowd. Could my day get any worse?
Severus put his head down on the table next to his cauldron – the cauldron he'd have to share with one of Potter's friends. It was just his luck. This girl – What's her name? Maret? –would probably shriek when she learned with whom she was paired up, and then Potter and Black would be able to laugh at him some more.
"Miss Lune. How nice of you to join us." Professor Belladonna spoke to the girl in the doorway, her voice breaking through Severus' gloomy thoughts. He raised his head from the table and steeled himself for Maret's reaction when she found that he was her partner. He was sure it wasn't going to be good.
Professor Belladonna crossed over to Maret, explaining the situation to her and the rest of the class on the way. "You see, Miss Lune, this year there are 11 first years in Gryffindor and 11 first years in Slytherin. Meaning a Gryffindor and a Slytherin will have to partner up. Now, as I am well aware of the famous rivalry between your houses, I knew it would be quite a task getting any of you to do this without a lot of moaning and groaning. But, as luck would have it, both you and a Slytherin student forgot your books. So, my decision was made for me. You two latecomers will be partners! No fuss. No fighting. I must thank you and Mr. Snape for helping me out of a sticky situation, dear."
Severus watched his new partner carefully. If she was shocked or upset, she didn't show it. Her pretty face remained calm. I can't believe I'm even noticing she's pretty at a time like this!, he thought. I'm sure she just doesn't realize that my last name is Snape. She'll lose it when she sees me.
Professor Belladonna pointed Maret towards the cauldron where Severus sat, adding, "Have a seat, girl. I'll be back in two shakes of a bat's wing. I need to retrieve some more powdered newt's eggs from the supply room."
As soon as Professor Belladonna left, the classroom exploded into excited chatter; each side of offering sympathy to the member of their house stuck working with the enemy.
"Hey, Maret, tough break!"
"Severus, you can copy off of us. I'm sure she'll be no help."
"Maret, don't sit too close to him! He's a Slytherin, after all!"
Maret didn't move from where she stood. She simply leaned against the doorway, listening to the insults and advice being hurled around her with a small, amused smile.
She's probably trying to think of a way out of being my partner. Why else wouldn't she be sitting down here at the table? Severus tried to appear calm as Mordred and Persephone both rushed over. He hoped he looked like he couldn't care less if this girl wanted to sit with him.
"Don't worry, Severus. You can study with us," Persephone offered, placing her hand on his arm, "You don't want to have to spend more time with that Gryffindor than you have to!"
"Yeah," Mordred agreed, "Can you believe it? You end up with a Gryffindor and she's one of Potter's friends."
Severus jerked his arm away from Persephone's grasp, shooting both her and Mordred a look. "Just shut up, will you?" he asked, irritably. Maret really didn't look like she'd be that bad to work with. She looked lively and bright and smart. And she was pretty. So what if she was a Gryffindor? He had been at Hogwarts only two days and he already hated how everyone judged him just because he was a Slytherin.
But she's also friends with James Potter and Sirius Black. A little voice in his head reminded him.
The class quieted down as Maret finally pushed herself away from the doorway. Everyone turned to watch her. Severus knew they were all wondering if she would sit down next to him. Or would she wait for Professor Belladonna and refuse? After all, it's not like he was any ordinary Slytherin, which would have been bad enough. He was already practically a sworn enemy of her friends, and quite honestly, he didn't like them any more than they liked him.
Maret took a few steps toward the empty chair next to Severus and the cauldron they would be sharing. She stopped when Sirius Black suddenly called out, "Hey, Maret, wait! Maybe, you can work with us. We'll ask Professor Belladonna if we can do three to a cauldron. Then you won't have to work with Snape."
Severus put his head back down on the table. This is it, he thought, She's going to agree with him. She'll say okay and they'll ask if she can work with them and I'll be totally humiliated. Potter and Black will laugh their heads off. He felt his face flush with embarrassment. He'd be the only one left without a cauldron partner. Severus watched Maret as she stood halfway between him and her friends, considering Sirius' offer. Oh, just get it over with! Just go with them and have a good laugh at my expense!
Suddenly, Maret turned to look at him. Severus met her gaze evenly for the first few seconds, but then he had to look away shyly as she studied him carefully. When he was able to look back at her, he saw a slow smile break across her face, making her eyes sparkle. Severus grinned back at her.
Maret drew herself up to her full height, tossing her head back proudly, so her shiny black hair swayed against her back. Severus watched her turn defiantly towards Sirius and ask, "Who says I don't want to work with Severus Snape in the first place, huh, Sirius?"
Severus nearly fell out of his chair. He heard the entire class gasp in surprise, as Maret turned and walked calmly to their assigned cauldron table. When she reached where he was sitting, she held out her hand to him.
"Hi. I'm Maret Lune. You're Severus, right?"
Severus took her hand and shook it tentatively. "Um, yes. Yes, I am."
Maret sat down next to him, plunking her black velvet book bag on the table. "Well," she said, "I guess the first thing we should do is work on helping each other remember to bring our books to class." She smiled and leaned over closer to Severus, whispering conspiratorially, "Please, don't mind my friends. I think it's going to be fun working together. This way I get to know other people besides my housemates. In fact, I'm glad we're partners. Aren't you?"
Severus couldn't help smiling at this pretty girl who didn't care if he was a Slytherin or a Gryffindor or if her friends liked him or not. "Yes, I am," he told her. And he meant it.
Sirius Black watched in disbelief as Maret turned her back on him and walked over to Snape. I can't believe she just said that to me! He glanced around at the other Gryffindors, relieved to see that James and Remus and even Peter wore the same shocked expression he did. After all, this wasn't just any Slytherin that Maret was making friends with. This was Severus Snape!
Sirius shook his head as James rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. Maret was crazy.
From the moment he, James, and Remus had met Severus, they had disliked him. And Sirius was willing to bet the money he'd been saving all year for a top-of-the-line racing broom, that Snape felt the same way about them. Granted, Maret hadn't been around when Snape acted like a complete jerk just because James accidentally knocked him over while they had been playing Exploding Snap on the train, but still, she'd heard them complain about him enough. And it was only their second day at Hogwarts! It's not like she didn't know the name Severus Snape and how they – her friends -- felt about him.
But, Maret was stubborn. Always had been. Even when they were little, Maret never listened to him. She and Sirius had grown up together, next-door neighbors. Their parents liked to joke that they had been fast friends from the day Maret's parents brought her home from the hospital and introduced her to 3-week old Sirius. They had spent practically their whole lives in each other's company, first in the playpen and then out searching for adventure on the outskirts of their little wizarding village. And Maret had never been one to let someone else make her mind up for her. She always did exactly what she wanted, preferring to form her own opinions.
Oh, but that's what was so maddening about her sometimes! She wouldn't even take into consideration that Snape had been rude to him and James when they tried to apologize for knocking him over. She'd just ignore the fact that the stupid git had already insulted Remus and laughed at Sirius himself when he had run to the Gryffindor table with the Sorting Hat still on his head.
She'd probably even remind me that we laughed at him when he tripped in the Great Hall this morning. Or how Remus was making jokes about him in our common room last night. Or even how I made fun of his nose, right to his face, after the feast.
It was just like Maret to go and make friends with someone like Snape. Sirius watched as she whispered something into Snape's ear, smiling the whole time, He saw how Snape returned her smile. He couldn't blame him really; Maret's smile was infectious. You couldn't help but smile when she smiled at you. Still, Sirius didn't feel like smiling right now. Stupid, sour Severus Snape was going to get to work with Maret for the whole year. True, Sirius had James for a partner, and James was great fun, but it would have been even more fun if Maret could have worked with them. But, now she'd be working with Snape.
And I'm sure Severus Snape thinks it's highly amusing that he's going to be working closely with my friend. I'll never hear the end of it.
Over on the other side of the room, Maret and Snape were hitting it off, chatting away, non-stop. Sirius glared daggers at the back of Snape's head. Until, that is, Maret looked up from her conversation and caught him. For a moment, she glared back at him, her eyes telling him, You can't tell me what to do. Sirius glared right back at her. They had been doing this sort of stuff ever since they were babies, and Sirius was damned if he was giving in. But then Maret stuck her tongue out at him and grinned, and Sirius couldn't keep glaring at her. He had to echo her smile. She'd won again.
Still, Snape had better make a good partner for her. Or he'll have me -- Sirius Black -- to answer to.